My Top 5 Best Films of 2015

  1. Ant-Man– Things start off slow and it takes a while for the audience to catch up to what’s going on. But some cool action and some great humor make a fun film.

 

  1. Straight Outta Compton– Engaging story with solid acting. But, the film is about NWA, so when they break up, the film doesn’t seem to know what to do with itself.

 

  1. Kingsman: The Secret Service– Over the top action and a cheeky sense of humor, but a silly villain and some goofy looking exploding heads are a little too much.

 

  1. Jurassic World– Great action, with a plot that pays homage to the original while ramping up the intensity.

 

  1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens– Even with some redundancy, the call back to the original Star Wars combined with great new characters make magic.

My Top 5 Worst Films of 2015

I did a really good job of avoiding crappy films this year, so it was hard to put together a Top 5.

  1. Mad Max: Fury Road – I’m going to catch heat on this one, because most people considered this one of the year’s best. Plenty of nonstop action, but too much weird for weird sake and characters that don’t click until too late in the film.

 

  1. Ted 2– The plot is all over the place and the jokes miss more than they hit, and the musical numbers do nothing to help.

 

  1. Terminator Genisys– There was some cool stuff with the time travel elements, but the new cast playing familiar character never meshed well with Arnold.

 

  1. Fantastic Four– Started off pretty well, and nose dives with a weak story, weak climax and crappy version of Dr. Doom.

 

  1. Poltergeist– Pointless remake. Very little new is brought to the table and most of the characters seemed miscast.

Movie Review: The Hateful Eight

After a very long set up, things pick up late and end a bit awkwardly, creating an unfulfilling experience. This film really takes its time to get to the point. It’s quite a ways in before the plot is revealed, and once it does, it moves a bit too fast to savor it. What normally makes Tarantino film’s standout is his dialogue, particularly his humor. There’s a lack of that here, and it causes the movie to drag in a few scenes. These films also allow actors to take their unique characters and have fun with some scene chewing. While Samuel L. Jackson did get one such moment, there was some flat performances that sucked the life from the movie. Some over-the-top violence and a late plot twist looks to make it all worth the wait, but a subpar final act derails what they spent so long setting up.

**1/2 out off *****