BOOM JANUARY 2016 | Page 23

REPORT The Best Movies Released in 2015 W e’re counting down the best movies of 2015! 2015 was a really good year for film. There were several recording breaking films released this year, like Jurassic World, which soared past breaking records into the #3 spot of Highest Grossing Films of All Time. But then Star Wars: The Force Awakens came to shut the movie game down, having the biggest midnight release ever. Picking the “best movies” of the year is tough, but we sat through a lot of movies and came out with some very strong opinions about the movies on this list. Cinderella Cinderella is a Disney classic and this remake did it justice. While there was no singing in this film, the costumes and sets were exceptional. Helena Bonham-Carter should be everyone's fairy godmother. Pitch Perfect 2 Fans loved this movie enough to get the cast on board for a Pitch Perfect 3. It's soundtrack isn't as epic and awesome as the first movie, but Fat Amy will always make us laugh. The Divergent Series: Insurgent YA movies are what keep teenagers running to the theaters in droves. Insurgent brought the intensity that Divergent didn't have, while maintaining a healthy balance between book-to-movie. Minions Everyone is obsessed with the minions. This movie actually gave us the cutest minion to exist, Bob AKA King Bob. This movie was as ridiculous as you'd expect a movie about minions to be, yet it made us all a little emotional. Trainwreck Trainwreck was hilarious, but in a much more raw way. It's been called the most polarizing comedy of the year. It is very honest and is a kind-of of sad way to look at relationships. We learned more about how what we see growing up can define us. Dope This movie was essentially Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but for the 21st century - but it didn't feel like a ripoff at all, it felt pure in a way so few new movies can. It also had an amazing abundance of '90s fashion and music that made it iconic. The DUFF If you saw trailers for The Duff, chances are you didn't expect the movie to be good. But then a friend made you see it and you realized that Mae Whitman is a comedictiming GENIUS. Robbie Amell isn't so bad himself. If you got past the odd concept of having a designated ugly fat friend, then you know that The Duff was a hilarious movie. Paper Towns Paper Towns came to us from the same guys that gave us The Fault In Our Stars. It wasn't as heartbreaking and awesome as TFIOS, but it held it's own. It also had a very interesting message about people who intentionally get lost that spoke to us on a much deeper level. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 Mockingjay - Part 2 is the epic conclusion to the Hunger Games series. With some changes to the script and revisions, this film still stuck closely to the books while packing on as much action (and angst) as possible. It might not be the best film in the 4-part series, it was definitely a great way to say goodbye to Katniss and Panem as we once knew it. Love & Mercy For years we've heard stories about Brian Wilson's time with the Beach Boys, but Love & Mercy gave us the kind of insight that made us feel like were apart of his life. It was often not pretty, but it was a movie about something bigger than just the group. Furious 7 This movie was one of the most emotional movies we saw all year, thanks to "See You Again" and that ending with Paul Walker. It's the craziest movie in the franchise (did The Rock really drive an ambulance into a drone?) but it was entertaining as hell. Southpaw Southpaw hit us hard, but in a good way. Jake Gyllenhaal trained intensely for months to become a boxer and that helped make the fight scenes very realistic. This film also had a very interesting father-daughter relationship dynamic that we have never seen on screen before. Steve Jobs Steve Jobs is a film that will not make everyone love Steve Job (it's a very dark light on this genius) but it will make you respect him...or at least, his brilliance. Michael Fassbender was beyond brilliant as Jobs and made you love and hate him all in one scene. Seth Rogen initially had seemed like odd casting for Steve Wozniak, but he brought Wozniak's struggles with Jobs to light in a way we'd never seen before. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. If a movie is able to satisfy a new generation and fans of the original, then you know it's a success. Tying Superman to something, and finding a way to get David Beckham minorly involved is obviously the best way to make something a hit. Carol Todd Haynes’ Carol is a quiet but visually arresting tale of a young Manhattan woman Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara)’s infatuation with an older stunning housewife named Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett). It’s a tale of forbid- 23 | BOOM