Preemptive Retaliation

I’m not going to list them all here. I watched 227 films in 2015. That includes 27 cinema trips and 140 films I have not seen before. Too many to list and comment on. Instead, here are the best;

Whiplash – I’ve talked about this movie a lot, personally, and I can’t get over how good it is. I could talk to you for an hour about the final twenty minutes; the crescendoing scene of betrayal, vengeance and triumph. Every time I watch it I feel as though I need to get up and do something, that I need to put in the effort and make something great out of myself. It bullies me into trying to be great in a way I don’t think I’ll ever be.

Calvary – The sadness of this film hit me in the gut when I first watched it. The downtrodden priest navigates his godless parish, taking us through the his tests while the audience plays guess who at his would-be murderer. The film played out like a masterclass in dialogue and framing, and I was taken in from the opening line. 

Comet – This is a film that I love now, but I know in a few years I’ll find it pretentious and try-hard. But, for now, there’s a lot to it that I can’t help but love. It follows the same doomed relationship vein that Eternal Sunshine and 500 Days played with, but this time trying not to be so terribly one sided. As a result we get what’s almost a play between two people, falling in and out of love and growing up, like a jumbled Before trilogy. It’s raw and honest and a little too witty for its own good, but it’s good.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – The film is dripping with style and taste. I wanted to take a screenshot of every other moment and use it as a desktop background. The slow, patient shots following this vampire and her strange attraction to a boy were absolutely mesmerising. A huge feast for my eyes.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – It’s Star Wars, so already I’ve heard a million and one reasons why I shouldn’t like it, but I love it anyway. When the score blasted onto the screen with that yellow title crawl I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. It was an epic romp from beginning to end that brought me back to my childhood and made me squeal with joy.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – I’m a big sucker for heartfelt films that are warm and depressing at the same time. This coming of age story perfectly encapsulated the anxiety of trying to keep everyone happy, and the paralysing feeling of life bearing down on you. Plus, the home movies were awesome in a Be Kind Rewind way, and again made my creative side strive for more than what I was doing.

Fellini’s 8 1/2 – After years of badgering from a friend of mine, I finally get round to watching this film. Like all classic cinema, I feel as though I didn’t quite get it, that the meta-story was a little over my head, but I still loved it. It made me feel the director’s regret and shame, and his need to show his life through his film. I’m glad I finally watched it.

Honourable Mention: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – This film was a complete and utter waste of my time. Three hours of shameless, unfunny nonsense. I thought I was watching a story about a magic car, and quite rightly the beginning almost led me to believe the car was self aware, but then… I spent the entire film waiting for the preposterous fiction to end and for the real flying car to start. I hated almost every moment that film inflicted on me.