[Article] Eman's Top 10 Movies of 2015

Here are my Top 10 movies of 2015! I'm basing this on which movies had good story-lines, acting, directing, general audience appeal, and replay-ability. In 2015 were given a ton of movies that were sequels (but not really) and reboots (but not really). They would often times continue on a popular older film while starting it over at the same time. So let's just call them "Seboots". (Get it? Sequel + Reboot)

Most of these are available on DVD/Blu-Ray and iTunes for download. I'll provide some links below to make it a little easier for you to check them out. (The links are affiliate links which means that when you click on them, and buy stuff, I do get a very small percentage to help this site financially. So thanks in advance!) Well let's get to it.

10.) Avengers 2: Age of Ultron

Click here for my original review of this film.

This was probably one of the most anticipated sequels of 2015 to follow up the huge success of Marvel's Avengers. Unfortunately Avengers 2 didn't live up to the high expectations, but it was still nevertheless a decent superhero movie. It also served the purpose of introducing the next phase in the Marvel universe. Overall, it's a decent watch for everyone young and old. Download or buy it below:

9.) Furious 7

Click here for my original review of this film.

This was the seventh installment to a pretty well known franchise. It was also a sentimental goodbye to Paul Walker after his tragic passing. The film continues the same over the top action and corny punch line jokes as the previous Fast & The Furious films. So unfortunately there's nothing really new that can be said about the movie that you couldn't say about the other films as well. If you've been a fan of the series, then you're already 6 movies deeply invested, and this will probably be a good watch. You can download or buy the movie below:

8.) Mad Max: Fury Road

Click here for my original review of this film.

Here's one of the "seboot" films I mentioned earlier. This more modern Mad Max had all of the elements of the original, except multiplied by 10! Director George Miller made a triumphant return to film and picked up exactly where he left off with this series. The movie was visually captivating and if you enjoyed any of the original Mad Max films, then Fury Road won't disappoint. If you didn't get a chance to see it in theaters, then you missed out on an experience. But have no fear, you can still check it out by clicking on the links below.

7.) Dope 

YouTube Review

This was a surprisingly good movie that caught many people off guard. While it didn't get a lot of box office love, you may be hard pressed to find someone who's seen it and not actually enjoy the movie. Dope had a great combination of good writing, acting and directing. This is one of my personal favorites, and I'm biased because I'm also a black nerd. I still think it's worth the watch for all so please give it a chance.

6.) Maze Runner 2:The Scorch Trials

Youtube Review

This was a great sequel to the already good film, The Maze Runner (My Review). This was yet again another pleasant surprise. The Scorch Trials was filled with action, suspense, and mystery from beginning to end. I was mostly grateful that it didn't have the same feel as those teeny movies like Divergent or Twilight. This movie picks up exactly where the last one left off, so if you were interested in seeing this, you have to watch The Maze Runner first. Feel free to give it a try by clicking on the links below.

5.) Jurassic World 

YouTube Review:

Here's another "seboot" for you. This was kind of a sequel and a reboot at the same time since it basically made Jurassic Park 2 & 3 obsolete. It definitely does a great job of bringing you back to 1993 and the feeling of awe you had when you first saw the first Jurassic Park film. It's a pretty safe movie to watch as it's drawing from an already popular movie. Feel free to give it a watch by clicking the links below.

4.) KingsMan: The Secret Service

Click here for my original review of this film.

Kingsman was probably the biggest surprise movie of the year. It unfortunately got overshadowed by the release and hype of 50 Shades of Grey. What was great about this film was that it had some very memorable scenes and great characters. The action is original and the plot had some great twists and turns. I HIGHLY recommend watching this if you haven't already. I really wanted to push this up higher in the ranks, but there was just too much competition. Get Kingsman by clicking the links below.

3.) Star Wars The Force Awakens

Click here for my original review of this film.

Ever since word got out that there was going to be a new Star Wars film, people were probably already lining up to go see it. The Force Awakens started breaking records in sales before the movie even released. It will probably be the #1 grossing movie by the time you read this. It did a great job of continuing the ongoing saga that was started back in 1977. I know you may be asking yourself, "How could Star Wars be #3?!?". Well while this was indeed a really good movie, I think that there was more hype than substance. The movie spent a lot of time paying homage to the original Star Wars trilogy and basically passed the torch to the new cast/generation. So while the franchise is probably worthy of #1 status, this film simply wasn't on its own. Regardless, it still is well worth your time and money to give it a watch. If at all possible, I do strongly recommend watching the film in 3D in theaters (unless you're reading this much later). It's one of the rare films that actually warrant a theater viewing.

2.) Creed 

YouTube Review

Of all of the "seboots", Creed did a nice job of standing on its own. It still had elements of the Rocky story, but what made it unique was that it was presented from a different ethnic perspective. The writing, directing, acting were all top notch. Best of all, the fight scenes were by far the best of the more recent boxing films, in my opinion. Best of all, the film gets you completely locked in. It's almost impossible not to get invested in the fights. Any movie that can have you cheering and yelling as if you were at a real boxing match is more than worthy of this 2nd place rank. Obviously this is a strong recommendation to see.

Honorable Mention: Inside Out

If you're familiar with my site, then you probably noticed that I don't typically review children/family movies (yet). Regardless, Inside Out was probably one of the best family movie's I've seen this this year. I watched it in theaters with my family and I was just as into it as my kids were. Best of all I even sat through it a 2nd time and it was just as good the 2nd time around. This was a really well put together film that has a great message for all, and is just genuinely good overall. Give it a watch when you have the time.

1.) Straight Outta Compton

YouTube Review:

You can probably tell by my review of this that it was obviously a great film. There was a little bit of everything in this film for all. Straight Outta Compton brought us right back into the early 90's when Hip Hop was probably at its peak. Not only that, but there was a great blend of emotional drama with splashes of humor throughout the film. This was by far the best biopic of 2015, and possibly within the top 5 within the last decade. It may have been by coincidence, but given the issues dominating the news today about police brutality and racial tensions, the timing of this film only helped it be even more relevant. Without question, this gets my top recommendation as the film to see.

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The Revenant Movie Review

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The Trailer:

The Good:
If you haven't heard by now, or if you've been living under a rock for the past decade, Leonardo DiCaprio is a phenomenal actor. His dedication to his roles can never be questioned seeing as though he actually did a lot of things to prepare for this film. (Click here to find out the crazy things he literally did.)  I also wouldn't be surprised if Tom Hardy didn't get some "Best Supporting Male Actor" nominations as well. He played a great antagonist to counter Leo.

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu delivered captivating and suspenseful scenes throughout the film. Similar to how he did in Birdman, some of the most intense scenes were shot all in one entire take. Shooting in the natural elements really made the scenes appear that much more authentic. To top it all off, the action, hunting and gory survival sequences were intense to watch. (*Semi-Spoilerish* It even made some people walk out of some of the screenings.)

The Bad:
While the movie starts off with some really intense and suspenseful scenes, it slows down for quite a while afterwards. You almost feel like the movie is crawling at the same pace as Leo crawls along the ground. (It picks up during the end though)

So this can go either way, but this movie was pretty gory. I don't believe that it was senseless gore like in Hostel or Saw, for example. But I wouldn't be surprised if some people get turned off by it either.

The Reason:
Seriously, the Academy better give Leo an Oscar before he kills himself. If this performance doesn't earn him one, I don't know what else could possibly be done to get one. I don't think this is the type of film that everyone will flock to, but if you saw it, I don't think it would disappoint. Fans of Leo will definitely appreciate this film of "man vs nature" and revenge. I think this movie will make for a good matinee viewing on a weekend, or maybe even a decent watch at home.

The Rating: 8.5/10

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Bonus Q&A with Will Poulter:
Will Poulter was nice enough to stop by Chicago and gave some great answers to give some insight about the movie. (*Spoiler Alert*)

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The Hateful 8 Movie Review

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The Trailer:

The Good:
Director Quentin Tarantino continues to deliver exactly what you would come to expect from a film by him. There are some excessively gory, bloody, and over the top scenes that will definitely have you going "WTF?!?". The plot is probably the best highlight of this movie. The level of mystery is such that it's almost impossible to guess the surprise twists and turns. It may be fair to say that Samuel L. Jackson is in classic form, and doesn't disappoint. He had some of the funnier highlights in the film.

The Bad:
Unfortunately this movie is almost 3 hours long. (It does include a 12 min intermission though if you watch it in theaters) The 3 hours isn't the problem though. The problem is that it takes about 1.5 hours for the movie to get interesting. The first 3 chapters of the movie is spent delivering a lot of dialogue between the characters, with some backstory as well. Some of the dialogue may cause people to lose some interest until the movie picks up the pace later on.

Oh and if you're familiar with Tarantino's work, you already know it's far from being politically correct. There are probably just as many "N-Words" dropped in this film as there were "F-bombs" said in The Departed. Unlike in Django (My Django review), that involved slavery and racism, this time around it just felt unnecessary and it became a distraction. (If it helps, Tarantino equally includes derogatory terms and actions towards women, Hispanics and white supremacists....so equal opportunities for all)

The Reason:

The best way to describe this movie is to think of it as a classic western film meets Clue. You're primarily going to be invested into this film based on its mystery and ending. The film is going to be released in 70MM format in theaters, but I don't think that you have to feel pressured in going to see it. If you have time to go out, then I don't think it will disappoint if you saw it in theaters. Tarantino fans will appreciate this film, but, even as a Tarantino fan myself, I don't think this will go down as one of his best films. It's still good and worth checking out in theaters or just as a watch at home when it becomes available. If you're not into dialoge heavy films then you may want to think again about seeing this film. However, if you are a Tarantino fan, this is an automatic watch regardless of what anyone says.

The Rating: 8/10

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Concussion Movie Review (2015)

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The Trailer:

The Good:
Will Smith delivers a very good performance. He may even have you believing that he's really South African with the way he nails the accent. The only competition Will had was probably the story of the film itself. If you're not an big football fan then a lot of the information presented in this film will probably be new to you. It's definitely interesting to see this controversial depiction of the issue of concussions in football. Also there's a good supporting cast surrounding Smith. While Alec Baldwin does a nice job, Albert Brooks' dry humor is perfectly timed and a welcome addition to the film. 

The Bad:
There's nothing really that bad about this film. It is slowly paced, and it's probably not the best movie to watch late at night.

The Reason:
Overall, Concussion was a good movie. The main goal of this film is to spread awareness of the danger of concussions in football. Forgive me for not jumping on the "This was Will Smith's best performance" bandwagon. I think that Smith did a great job, but he didn't do anything that was beyond normal expectations for him. His performance in Pursuit of Happiness was better, in my opinion. As for seeing Concussion in the theaters, I don't think that's a must. It's perfectly fine to be seen as a matinee or just wait to watch it at home.

The Rating: 7/10

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