1. Spotlight
Workmanlike and morally complex with razor-sharp focus on the details, Spotlight is one of the finest, if not the absolute best, films ever produced about American journalism. It is devastating and quietly heroic with consummate integrity and honesty, and Tom McCarthy has crafted nothing short of an instant American classic. Featuring perhaps the best ensemble in a film this year and dealing with some seriously uncomfortable and tumultuous subject matter, Spotlight excels by refusing to sensationalize or become a spectacle. Nothing this year has had quite the breathtaking effect as the moments after Spotlight's end credits begin to roll.
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
A gonzo, ultra-octane high-wire juggernaut of chrome-and-diesel genius that throws the rule book for summer blockbuster action flicks into the dumpster fire and gleefully rip roars into uncharted territory. That Miller has the balls to make it a badass feminist manifesto both honors the heart of the series and only makes Mad Max: Fury Road greater.
3. Sicario
A gorgeously shot, chillingly scored, viscerally wrenching descent into internal and worldly hell centered around the invisible border trenches of the modern drug war and the inscrutable, sinister forces moving the pawns and shaping the narrative.
4. It Follows
Starting with conceit so great that it's almost unthinkable it hadn't been done before, It Follows proves from the opening frames alone that second-time writer-director David Robert Mitchell has something more amazing up his sleeve than merely a clever gimmick in an independent horror film. It's a work of sublime beauty, technical perfection, and relentless, masterfully earned suspense that delves into damning chasm separating innocence and adulthood while setting the action in the Anywhere, U.S.A. suburbs of Detroit before crossing 8 Mile into the city for the climax. Watch it first for the heart palpitations and unease set against Disasterpeace's brilliant score, and revisit It Follows time and again for Mitchell's filmmaking bravado and the sumptuously shot sequences that linger in your head long after the credits roll.
5. The End of the Tour
A two character road film that stirs the soul and tackles the spectrum of what it means to be human with towering intelligence, wit, generosity and empathy. A celebration of the greatest writer of his generation that gets to the heart of the man to the core by putting him face to face with a deserving foil and conversationalist in a whirlwind trek through middle America in the dead of winter while a darling in the literary world.
6. The Hateful Eight
The Hateful Eight delivers everything I could desire from a new Tarantino film - devilish, hilarious dialogue, carnage, irreverence, majestic cinematography (credit Robert Richardson yet again), an elegant, original Morricone score, and an exceptional ensemble that is collectively silver-tongued, brilliant and fiery - and it's simultaneously a sprawling and claustrophobic western that is unlike any other and unapologetically a Quentin entertainment. It's yet another masterwork in his unparalleled filmography, and it's arguably his best overall film since Jackie Brown, if not Pulp Fiction.
7. Steve Jobs
Yet another brazen, crackling screenplay in anti-biopic, three-act structure by Aaron Sorkin, energetically brought to life by Danny Boyle, centered upon Fassbender's dazzling portrayal (in my opinion, the most outstanding performance by a lead actor this year) of Jobs, a cultural titan with inexhaustible ambition, hubris, and contradictions. Uniformly excellent performances from Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Katherine Waterston and Michael Stuhlbarg match the greatness of Sorkin's writing and flesh out the Shakespearean wit and wickedness at its core.
8. The Big Short
Not just a good film that does justice to Michael Lewis' fantastic book about the band of eccentric outsiders who saw the writing on the wall and bet on the economy tanking in 2008, The Big Short is a wildly entertaining, frequently hilarious, and righteously pissed off movie that proves director Adam McKay can be even more inventive and proficient than just with Will Ferrell vehicles. It gets under your skin and tackles dense material, but it's doesn't fall into the trap of being an econ or history lecture; instead, it's a hell of a good time.
9. Mississippi Grind
The writing and directing team of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson, Sugar, It's Kind of a Funny Story) coax a terrific, charismatic performance from Ryan Reynolds that is crucial for keeping up with the brilliance Ben Mendelsohn brings to the table (as per usual) as Gerry, a downtrodden gambler seeking the next big score with no will to cash out. It's a beautiful American road movie down the Mississippi with the spirit of Hal Ashby, lush cinematography, a killer soundtrack and hefty doses of guileless charm, grifting, and heartache.
10. Ex Machina
Alex Garland (frequent Danny Boyle screenwriter for 28 Days Later, The Beach, Sunshine) makes his directorial debut working from his own stellar script that contemplates loaded questions of ethics and identity in what is essentially a three-character play of artificial intelligence and mental cat-and-mouse games in a sterilized fortress of isolation. Indebted to Kubrick and refined with 21st century innovations, it's a mesmerizing sci-fi thriller with captivating performances by the always great Oscar Isaac, Domnhall Gleeson, and a breakout Alicia Vikander.
11. Room
An unthinkable story rendered in wholly original, harrowing fashion, in lesser hands Room would be a cross to bear just to sit through - or, even worse, Lifetime-ready melodrama. Instead, Irish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson's (Frank) breathtaking direction and script lay the foundation for two utterly amazing performances from Brie Larson (Academy, give her the Best Actress statue already) and Jacob Tremblay as the young son who has never seen the outside world. Full of despair, hope, suspense, and raw emotion, Room is a work of unspeakable beauty that hangs with you.
12. 99 Homes
Michael Shannon is one of our greatest actors, and I will happily spend two hours watching him in just about anything. Ramin Bahrani (At Any Price) gives Shannon one of the best roles of his already tremendous career, and Spider-Man Andrew Garfield keeps up with him with conflicted humanity as his near-hopeless circumstances sway his sense of ethics. 99 Homes is a devastating morality tale set against the modern American backdrop of one percenters, fraud and foreclosures, and it hits bone deep.
13. The Gift
Credit strong character-actor and writer-director Nash Edgerton for having the guts to go all in and see this drama-thriller all the way through to its seriously nasty conclusion without compromising. Even if the plot and genre beats seem modest and straightforward, Edgerton's execution of them and the savage twists in store are anything but. Bonus points for successfully rebranding Jason Bateman in uncertain territory and fully utilizing the consistently good Rebecca Hall, not to mention Edgerton's own knockout turn.
13. Crimson Peak
Crimson Peak may not be a masterpiece on par with del Toro's own Pan's Labyrinth, but very few films are. However, it is unmistakably a Guillermo del Toro flick, and it's like nothing else out there today. It unfolds as a lush period piece with impeccable set designs and creepy atmosphere while also serving as a chilling haunted house flick and supremely bloody love triangle drama with excellent lead performances.
14. Bone Tomahawk
I'm thrilled I knew as little about Bone Tomahawk as possible going into it, beyond knowing it would be a Kurt Russell-led period western that may or may not involve cannibals. I expected an entertaining and bloody, yet ultimately forgettable, B-movie. What I got was an outstanding, suspenseful slow-burn that plays out more closely to a classic western with an inspired ensemble of fully-fledged characters, terrific performances, sharp writing, memorable cinematography and production design, and a few of the more unflinchingly brutal and terrifying moments I've seen in a movie in recent years along with all of its other riches.
15. Slow West
Slow West plays almost like a hybrid of a Mark Twain novel and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (maybe with flashes of Unforgiven for good measure). It's immaculately staged with fine-tuned direction, lovely set pieces and landscapes, and it features both Michael Fassbender and Ben Mendelsohn. Needless to say, I was sold on that alone, and it ended up surprising me even more by becoming one of my favorite westerns in recent years.
16. Mistress America
Noah Baumbach films aren't for some moviegoers (i.e. the casual mainstream audiences), but his work is almost peerless these days for those who enjoy him. Riding their streak together on the heels of the fantastic Frances Ha and, previously, Greenberg, Baumbach and Greta Gerwig tap into the pulse, insecurity, and delusions of a certain strain of not-fully-formed adults of modern metropolitan America with finesse, comic verve, charm and genuine drama. Gerwig wrote a hell of a script, and her performance blissfully matches it.
17. Love and Mercy
This biopic of Brian Wilson is a love letter to the tortured man, his mind, the unparalleled beauty of his music, and its lasting greatness. Intertwining two excellent lead performances by Paul Dano and John Cusack as Wilson, the end product is a fascinating examination of the creative process, a heartbreaking love story, a meditation on mental illness and submission, and a spectacularly vibrant mix of Beach Boys songs, superb sound design and acting.
18. The Revenant
By this point, there's not much to say about The Revenant that hasn't already been said. The frontrunner to win Best Picture, Best Actor and a slew of other Academy Awards has become somewhat polarizing as it has become a commercial hit and has kept generating buzz, not to mention Alejandro González Iñárritu took home the grand prize last year for Birdman. Many people love The Revenant, and many don't and have started a backlash. I've been a big fan of Iñárritu, but I fully understand why some people don't enjoy his films. Personally, I love Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel. I liked Biutiful and thoroughly enjoyed Birdman, if I wasn't quite as blown away by it as the Academy was. What The Revenant lacks in meaningful dialogue, character arcs beyond revenge and survival, or any kind of optimism, it makes up for in breathtaking cinematography, atmosphere and acting. That may not be enough for some folks, but I appreciate it.
19. Bridge of Spies
An old school spy story from the Cold War era told with immense humanity and empathy, Bridge of Spies is an unmistakable Steven Spielberg film, written by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Tom Hanks. It hinges on a genius conceit of an in-over-his-head insurance lawyer who gets caught up in political intrigue and takes a stand to treat an extremely high-profile espionage case like he would an insurance claim. The stakes are high throughout and plenty of suspense and sharp writing are abound to mix with Spielberg's exquisite eye for period details, and the film plays out as a cerebral, heartfelt meditation on what the American justice system stands for and how quiet heroes are sometimes the most necessary ones.
20. The Martian
The Martian is a big Ridley Scott-helmed summer blockbuster and space epic staring an outstanding Matt Damon as the lead, and he's remotely flanked by big names in every frame like almost any other Ridley Scott epic. The film gets the blood pumping often, usually bringing some goosebumps to the surface along the way. There are big speeches, hordes of people watching in awe at screens and towering Times Square monitors, and the usual mix of sci-fi terminology and built-in comic relief. Even hitting all those usual beats we've come to expect from such broad blockbuster entertainments, The Martian is still Ridley Scott's finest two and a half hours in years, and it's a grand celebration of science and brainpower in lieu of the usual instances of explosions and firepower.
