Top 15 Films of 2015 (Part 1)

At last! I would've started this list earlier, but I went on a camp this past weekend and I have only just recovered. Never again, I hate tents. Anyway, welcome to part one of my favourite 15 films of last year! This is a very weird list, but I kinda like that. There are some films that people may not have heard of, some massive blockbusters, and some that might just be mediocre to others. But these are the films that have stayed with me throughout 2015, either because I enjoyed watching them so much or because I haven't been able to get them out of my head.

Just a word of warning before we start though. 2015 was a pretty good year for films. When I first started putting this list together, there were over 30 films on it. So, I had to cut back a lot. The films that didn't make the final list are still excellent films, but either I didn't connect with them as I did the actual films on this list, or I didn't think they were as good. But I do want to mention them briefly. So, the films that didn't make this list are The Imitation Game, Still Alice, Mr Holmes, Iris, Miss You Already, Legend, Spectre, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. All of them excellent films, and I would recommend all of them!

Anyway, on with the list!

15. London Road

This film has haunted me from the moment I saw it. It's beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and is probably the most original musical in the past five years. This is about the Ipswich Ripper murders from 2006, but instead of being about the murderer or the victims, it instead focuses on the inhabitants of the eponymous street where the killings took place. I think what I really like about this film, though, is the music. The writers interviewed the people of London Road, and then used those interviews to create the songs. And not just the lyrics. The melody was created through the speech patterns and intonations of the residents. Just to put it into perspective, the music in this film is harder to sing than Sondheim. The cast is excellent, led by the wonderful Olivia Colman, and featuring a cameo from Tom Hardy. If you're interested in something a little weird, but still full of character, then I would definitely recommend this. And the music, which is so hard to grasp onto, will somehow stay in your head and rest there, like it has mine.

14. Wild

Again, another film that haunted me but for different reasons. This time, it was mainly for the acting. Reese Witherspoon is one of my favourite actresses, and this is one of her greatest performances. The struggles that she goes through feel so raw, so real, that you really get swept up in the emotional journey that her character, Cheryl Strayed, goes through. The landscape is also beautiful, with excellent cinematography. And the music was also perfect for every scene, and considering I saw this in February last year and can still remember that, that's pretty impressive for a film. Maybe it's just because this reminded me so much of The Way, or maybe it's just because I like films about long treks through the wilderness. For whatever reason, this film has stuck with me, and I cannot wait to watch it again.

13. The Dressmaker

The last 15 minutes of this film are what pushed this onto the list. It is the second best ending of the year. It also helps that I saw this film twice, and found that most of the plot holes I noticed the first time round melted away during the second viewing. I love it when a film can surprise you with every repeated viewing! Kate Winslet is superb, and watching her and Judy Davis act it out on the big screen together was one of the greatest things I saw this year. Do I even need to mention the clothes? Seriously though, I want all the dresses in this film! (well, almost all!) But I think the greatest achievement is how this film twists and turns, you never know what's going to happen next. And I do think that Tilly Dunnage is one of my favourite characters of the year!

12. Kingsman: The Secret Service

I swear, action films are getting better! This was another film I saw twice, and again, got better the more times I watched it. But I still have the feeling of complete and utter shock that came when I first saw this film. The plot of this movie is insane, and you never know what is going to get thrown at you next. But if I could sum up this movie in one word, it would be cool. You've got Colin Firth as a gentleman spy. Cool. Samuel L. Jackson as a villain that is not one note. Cool. Kick-ass female characters (and I mean all the female characters, even the Princess). Fucking cool! The fight scenes were so slick, the acting was excellent. And it introduced the world to Taron Egerton, who I think is going to be the new big thing after this, Legend, and Eddie the Eagle which is coming out later this year. This film is not for the faint hearted. It will shock you, but it will also make you laugh, and gasp, and have fun! And what more could ask. 

11. Suffragette

Can we take a moment to appreciate that this film was directed, produced, and written by women. And now can we take a moment to be completely enraged that it took until 2015 for their to be a mainstream film about the Suffragette movement! I know there are criticisms against this film, that it focuses on a fictional character, that it is racially insensitive. I get those criticisms and why they are valid, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of this film. It doesn't shy away from the terrible things that happened to the women of the Suffragette movement, from what they endured at home, at work, in the prisons they were sent to. I do think this an important film, that focuses on a specific time and place and people, and the acting is excellent. I think it succeeds in telling its story, and in spreading a message that unfortunately is still very prevalent in today's society. Maybe now we can have a biopic about the Pankhurst's led by Queen Meryl herself!

Wow, that got deep really quickly. Anyway, part one is over. I hope you can join for part two, which I hope to get up either tomorrow or Friday. Until next time, readers, keep your powder dry.