MY FAVORITE FILMS OF 2015

2015 will certainly be remembered as the year that the box-office tally reached an all-time high with thirty-eight billion dollars earned globally. That's a lot of cash but the fact is that milestone would never have happened if the films released were not up to snuff. There were many amazing and quite memorable films that came out over the past year. It was challenging but I have narrowed down my very favorites of the year. I see no need to limit my list to ten, in fact, I'm glad there was so many good films to choose from:

"STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS"

There is one simple reason why "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has quickly become the all-time global box-office champ; because it's good. Really good.  After the disappointment of the three prequels, J.J. Abrams was brought on board to send the (apparently) final three films of the series off on the right course. We see the welcome return of our favorite characters (Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Leia and Chewbacca) and introduced to some intriguing new faces (Finn (John Boyega), a former stormtrooper, a scavenger from Jakku named Rey (Daisy Ridley) and a robot called BB-8) while being sent on an exciting new adventure.

"CREED"

Ryan Coogler has done to the "Rocky" franchise exactly what J.J. Abrams did with "Star Wars"; he brought back the heart and soul of the original film with "Creed", the seventh film in the long-running franchise. Michael B. Jordan gives a masterful turn as Adonis Johnson, the illegitimate heir of the late boxing champ, Apollo Creed, who decides to leave his office job and follow in his father's profession as a boxer. He travels to Philadelphia with the goal to train with Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), his father's boxing rival and friend but he's not interested. Of course Adonis wins him over and soon they are working together to take on the current heavyweight champion. "Creed" took me by surprise as it managed to generate genuine emotions in-between the high-energy training and boxing sequences. And the biggest unexpected moment? That would be Mr. Stallone giving such a warm and moving performance that he actually brought me to tears.

"CAROL"

Lead by two heartfelt performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, "Carol" is a powerful and touching love story that is rarely shown on film. With a solid script by Phyllis Nagy and exquisite direction by Todd Haynes, Patricia Highsmith's provocative story of the romance between an upper class housewife (Blanchett) and a department store clerk (Mara) has been made in to a remarkably moving cinematic experience.

"EX MACHINA"

Novelist turned film maker, Alex Garland delivers the stylish sci-fi thriller, "Ex Machina" which poses the question "what does it mean to be human?". A billionaire CEO (Oscar Isaac) of a software company brings in one of his top programmers (Domhnall Gleeson) to test the latest invention. The goal is to see how close to human his female-looking android (Alicia Vikander) behaves. And it's very close which leads to some complicated and dangerous situations. A thoroughly smart and suspenseful entertainment.

"BROOKLYN"

"Brooklyn" tells the timely story of a young Irish girl (an astonishing Saoirse Ronan) immigrating to America to start a new life in the '50's. Living in a boarding house in the New York borough homesick and lonely, she meets a nice Italian boy (Emory Cohen) and they fall in love. A tragedy forces her back to Ireland and torn between the two countries. Director John Crowley, best known for his work in the theater, has made a lovely drama filled with tender romance and tragic heartbreak.

"ROOM"

When I first heard what "Room" was about, the story of a young woman (Brie Lawson) being held captive for years by a sexual predator and raising their five year old son (the amazing Jacob Tremblay) locked in a small room, I thought it would be just too unsettling to watch. While the film (expertly directed by Irish film maker, Lenny Abrahamson) is certainly harrowing, it is also a powerfully rewarding experience.  Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue (who also wrote the screenplay), "Room" is a poignant story of love and survival with Lawson and Tremblay each delivering exceptional performances.

"TANGERINE"

"Tangerine"" plays like a classic Hollywood screwball comedy except this involves the unusual tale of transsexual hookers searching for love and respect. Shot on an iPhone by writer/director Sean S. Baker, the film introduces Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor (both excellent) as best friends and fellow sex workers spending the day in search of a pimp/boyfriend that has done one of them wrong. "Tangerine" manages to be outrageously funny, delightfully deranged and completely original.

"THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL"

Writer/director Marielle Heller has made an impressive debut with "The Diary of a Teenage Girl", based on the graphic novel by Phoebe Gloeckner. Bel Powley plays Minnie, a fifteen year old aspiring artist living in 1970's San Francisco with her free-spirited mother (Kristen Wiig). After Minnie gets inappropriately close to her mother's sexy boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgård), she sets off on a journey of wild behavior and exploration, all documented on her audio diary. This edgy dramatic comedy is the rare coming-of-age tale told from a female point of view with brutal honesty and uncomfortable humor.

"DOPE"

"Dope"" is another excellent coming-of-age comedy-drama told from another rare point of view; an African-American teen. Writer/director Rick Famuyiwa ("The Wood", "Brown Sugar") tells the story of a 90's hip-hop obsessed Inglewood nerd (Shameik Moore) and his fellow outsider high school buddies (Tony Revolori and Kiersey Clemons) who get in the middle of a rival drug-dealing gang war. What is most appealing about this clever film is that it takes what we expect from a story set in the urban city and moves us in wild and hilariously unexpected directions.

"YOUTH"

I wasn't impressed with Paolo Sorrentino's Oscar-winning Best Foreign-Language Film, "The Great Beauty" but I really loved his follow-up, the English-language film, "Youth". Set in a tranquil Swiss spa, Michael Caine (in a breath-taking performance) stars as Fred Ballinger, a retired English conductor trying to be convinced by the Queen's emissary to conduct the Prince's favorite song (which Ballinger also wrote) for his birthday. He refuses for personal reasons and that is our basic plot. But what happens in between is absurd, thought-provoking, odd, emotional and completely enchanting. We are also treated to some outstanding work by Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, Harvey Keitel (welcome back) and, in a brief but highly explosive appearance, Jane Fonda.

"AMY", "WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE", "KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK", "JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE"

2015 was quite a year for documentaries and in particular, some great non-fiction films on influential musical artists were released. One of the biggest (and highest grossing) docs of the year was "Amy"" which looked at the meteoric rise and tragic fall of pop singer, Amy Winehouse. Netflix was behind director Liz Garbus' fascinating "What Happened, Miss Simone?" which examines the incredibly gifted but highly volatile Nina Simone. "Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck" was made with the cooperation of Cobain's family (including his widow, Courtney Love) and uses unreleased recordings, artwork, photography and journals to creatively shed more light on the life of the '90's rock icon . Finally, "Janis: Little Girl Blue" is a long overdue documentary on Janis Joplin who, in her very short life, went from an awkward Texan teenager to become one of the most electrifying rock & blues singers in the world.





Honorable Mention: "5 Flights Up", "Ant Man", "The Big Short", "Bridge of Spies", "The End of The Tour", "Infinitely Polar Bear", "Me & Earl & The Dying Girl", "Spotlight", "Steve Jobs"", "Straight Outta Compton", "Trainwreck"", "Truth", "While We're Young"

DOPE (2015)

Written & Directed by Rick Famuyiwa


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. June 21, 2015 5:30PM



"Dope" may not seem like your average teen comedy for you will find hip-hop clubs, gangsters, drug-related shoot-outs and the frequent use of the N-word. Oh, and a cast made up mostly by people of color. The writer/directer Rick Famuyiwa has made a visionary film that wants to find a place between the popular urban dramas of the 90's like "Boyz In The Hood", "Juice" and "Dead Presidents" while offering something deeper than the broad humor of Tyler Perry movies. "Dope" succeeds, for the most part, in expanding our ideas of what African-American cinema can be and opens viewers eyes to a world that is rarely represented.

In his first film role, Shameik Moore plays Malcolm Adekanbi, a high school senior. He lives in Inglewood with his single mother (Kimberly Elise) and doesn't remember his father who went back to Africa when he was an infant. Malcolm is not what you would consider one of the cool kids, with his hair shaped in a flat-top fade and wearing 90's hip-hop clothing unironically. His two close friends are fellow outsiders; Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), a butch lesbian whose family continues to try and pray away her condition along with the anxious, Jig (Tony Revolori, last seen in "The Grand Budapest Hotel") who is small and inconspicuous. Together, they play in a punk-rock band, Awreeoh (get it?) trying to express themselves in a way that only nerds can understand.

Malcolm is a straight-A student and wants to get in to Harvard. But his school counselor Mr. Bailey (Bruce Beatty) informs him that his college essay on Ice Cube's "Today was a Good Day" is not going to get him there. After being advised to write something about himself, Malcolm is at a loss.

Like many of us at the time, Malcolm and his friends are just trying to get out of high school in one piece but being considered weird makes you an easy target. Not long after barely escaping a school thug trying to steal his shoes, Malcolm nearly loses his bike to the local drug dealers but catches the attention of their leader, Dom (hip-hop artist, A$AP Rocky) because of his unusual style. The two soon bond over music and ideas before Dom has Malcolm go relay a message to a girl to attend his birthday party. Taking one look at this attractive young lady, Nakia (Zoë Kravitz),  Malcolm wants to make his own private plans with her but feels far too uncool to make a move. Nakia is also curious about this odd kid in front of her. She agrees to go only if Malcolm will be there.

Being underage poses an obstacle but Malcolm is determined and drags Diggy and Jig along with him. Once inside the nightclub, the trio party hard and Malcolm even gets a dance with Nakia. Gun-fire breaks up the festivities and the next day, Malcolm discovers his backpack filled with a gun and thousands of dollars worth of Dom's drugs.

With a phone call from a locked-up Dom informing him what to do with the stash, the rest of the film has Malcolm trying to get rid of it before a rival gang catches up to him first. While there's much that happens in between this treacherous race, (and at times overwhelms the film), Mr. Famuyiwa keeps the action moving smoothly with sharp insight and imaginative direction. In between the myriad of high-speed chases, dangerous shoot-outs and wildly deranged characters, there are sweet, touching moments and dark but very funny humor. The cast in uniformly excellent with Famuyiwa also utilizing fascinating non-actors like model, Chanel Iman and rapper, Tyga which helps add to the unconventional nature of the film.

The director had some high-profile talent to help him put this together with Sean Combs, Pharrell Williams and Forest Whitaker (who also provided narration) serving as producers. Like Mr. Famuyiwa's feature debut, "The Wood", "Dope" examines life on the streets of Inglewood where the director grew-up with people just trying to get through each day in their tough surroundings. Despite the difficulties, there is still a sense of community and honor to be found in the neighborhood.

Far from perfect but I think "Dope" ranks up there with other classic teen comedies like "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". While there is much more perilous menace and edginess here than those films, it's the film's heart and intelligence that makes it truly fit comfortably beside them.