As the best BAFTA’s & outstanding OSCAR’s in awards season in motion picture making begin to fade, the time is nigh that we look back on a 2015 yearbook yield of stunning screenplays, we flaunting five favourite films while also sharing our best of the rest in this captivating cinematography celebration
The awards season is, while a colossal celebration of what is best in cinematography in a stretch that runs from late November through till the end of February, is for us, not as inclusive of the whole year as we would like, the critics citing that certain films are released strategically so as to attract the most attention, examples this season being “The Revenant”, “The Big Short” & “The Danish Girl”, all marvellous movies but, in our view, questionable as at the pinnacle of motion picture making, the same often being said of many of the so called “Best Film”, “Best Screenplay” etc., that ultimately lift the BAFTA, the OSCAR or the Golden Globe. Indeed, last year was no different “Birdman” receiving critical acclaim yet for us, fell far short of the mark, although the competition for this much prized award possession was nowhere near as fierce as the long list of fantastic films 2015 has given us, some nominees in the big three awards ceremonies, others overlooked as the “out of sight, out of mind” factor seemed to come into play. So, with awards season now complete, and the dust beginning to settle on both the best BAFTA & outstanding OSCAR, we step our own five film nominees into the spotlight, stating our case as to why they made our shortlist, while also running down the best of the rest, all carrying the common denominator of really rocking our cinema world this last year, while all five are in a hair’s breadth of each other in being rated as top of the picture pile.
So here goes, running from five to one, although as these first four of our top five are so tightly together it’s not really fair to rank them so, but as one has to go first, “A Most Violent Year” gets that honour, a movie a phenomenal proportion so marvellously made, this period piece accurate to the time, it’s continuity spot on while the acting is amazing. With a cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain & David Oyelowo, this 1980 period piece set in New York was released onto the cinema circuit here in the capital last January so falls within our 2015 remit, it pretty much sweeping us off our feet, a crime thriller that was readily referred to as the modern day “Godfather”, yet is so much more of its own time, Isaac’s performance as phenomenal as the film itself, he richly deserved of the Best Actor OSCAR in our opinion, although neither he or this stunning screenplay got a look in, rather Keaton for his paltry performance in “Birdman” won out, this flawed film that we watched in the cinema a week after yet paled in comparison while itself lifting the Academy Award. So while “A Most Violent Year” was overlooked, we rate it as an all-time favourite and one very prominent in our DVD collection, firmly in our top five of 2015, references to this fantastic film available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Most_Violent_Year
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o87gG7ZlEAg[/youtube]
Next up is another film that was totally overlooked by all the major awards boards, “Cake” receiving not one nomination in any category, yet Jennifer Aniston returns her best performance in a motion picture ever, and by a long stretch at that, her performance enriching what is a pretty average storyline, the emotions she exudes throughout this film, bringing it alive amazingly. Indeed, while it is classified as a comedy drama (there are comedic slices), the mood of the film surrounds darker aspects of both suicide and addiction, yet is so thoughtfully constructed with a fabulous flow that keeps you clued up & clued into the movie from start to finish. Indeed, that finish is pure revelation, while the scene when Aniston’s character sees the massive mural of her dead son on her living room wall, sends us into tears even just thinking of it, yet the mix of emotions in this movie make it magnificent. Pretty much panned by the critic’s, there was however plenty of talk at the time that Aniston should at least have been nominated for an OSCAR, although the attraction of this film is more so given she wasn’t, while “Cake” earns its place in our top five a one if the year’s cleverest piece of cinematography, more info up at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cake_(2014_film)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3IsUOSHlnU[/youtube]
Our third choice although not necessarily our third favourite as it could easily have been top of the pile of four, “45 Years” unlike the previous two, did get nominations nods both in The BAFTA’s & The OSCAR’s and given its release in September 2015 is firmly in the latest wards season bracket, Charlotte Rampling missed out on the Best Actress OSCAR, this phenomenal film just missing out on the Outstanding British Film BAFTA, while its critical acclaim is touching the highest of all five of our best of 2015 picks, ratings up at an average of 95%. And apart from Charlotte’s phenomenal performance, her lead partner in the film, Tom Courtney, is breathtakingly brilliant while, like Isaac in “A Most Violent Year” was overlooked despite having returned a far better performance that both his BAFTA & OSCAR piers. Far from a blockbuster on the cinema circuit, we had to search it out when it was released, yet were so pleased we did, as it proved one of the year’s most triumphant, some fifteen award accolades vindicating our view that “45 Years” deserves its place in our top five, although from its sheer brilliance of understated, thoughtful & emotional acting from both Courtney & Rampling, it is knocking on the door as our best of 2015, details on the plot, those awards and more out at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/45_Years.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXAnjA9tAnQ[/youtube]
Now to what was destined to be our best film of 2015 and yet might still be as both the subject matter and the acting elevates its beyond our other three so far, “Love Is Strange” however having the common denominator of being totally overlooked by the big boy awards academy’s although given its original release in 2014, might be the reason, critical acclaim across the industry rating it up in the nineties percentiles, while the paring of old real life pals as partners in the film reaps tremendous results, both John Lithgow & Alfred Molina returning resplendently realistic performances in their respective roles, the bar scene nothing short of stunning screenplay. Yet like “45 Years”, we really had to search out “Love Is Strange” on the cinema circuit, but like all the other three already mentioned & pitched in our top five, blew us away when we first saw it, the anticipation of its DVD release the most heightened of all and it has proven our most watched to date. Yet while the same sex relationship nature of this movie strikes resonance with us, it is the series of spectacular scenes throughout this majestic movie that elevates it firmly into our top five of 2015 and secures it as one of our all-time favourites, raking alongside the others here, detail on this fantastic film available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Is_Strange_(film)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdfA5Ff5e78[/youtube]
So to what is, unquestionably, our film of 2015, a movie masterpiece that won a string of nominations on both sides of the Atlantic, “Carol” a colossus in cinematography due in no part to Cate Blanchett who is brilliant beyond belief in this phenomenal picture, her performance akin to Rosamund Pike’s in “Gone Girl”, yet Cate went without both a BAFTA & an OSCAR which we feel she richly deserved. Indeed, “Carol” left both awards ceremonies empty handed despite being nominated in nine categories at The BAFTA’s and six at the OSCAR’s, although the level of nominations itself speaks volumes as to how the critics received this stunning screenplay, Rooney Mara in her supporting role truly mesmeric, the mix of marriage breakdown’s, relationship wrangles & a lesbian love affair pitching this picture onto a pedestal pinnacle that even our other fantastic four cannot aspire to. Hitting the capitals cinema circuit in December, “Carol” eclipsed everything we had seen before it and, with the exception of “Youth”, since, the critical acclaim speaking for itself, as was the ten minute standing ovation for it at The Cannes Film Festival in September. Yet, with no major award and its omission from both the Best Picture & Best Director categories at The OSCAR’s has courted considerable controversy but has not dampened or dimmed our view that “Carol” is a stunning screening and is sure to become the most prominent picture in our DVD collection as & when it becomes available in May, more on this magnificent movie a click away at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_(film).
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH3zcuRQXNo[/youtube]
To the best of the rest and no review of 2015 films would be complete without a mention for blockbusters, the biggest clearly “Star Wars – the Force Awakens which we saw no less than three times in the cinema, it harking back brilliantly to the original three, while equally up there was “Spectre” the latest Bond movie in the 007 series, Daniel Craig’s fourth and one only just shaded by “Skyfall”, but like virtually all of these action packed pictures, is wonderfully repeatedly watchable. Interestingly, sci-fi & action make up two of our others, “The Martian” not that magnificent when we saw it in the cinema, yet since the DVD release and, perversely, the death of David Bowie, the film has gained credence as a classic piece of cinematography, Bowie’s hit “Starman” one of many that make up a spectacular soundtrack sub plot to this screenplay. However, the soundtrack in “Sicario” is stunning and with prolific performances from Josh Brolin but particularly Benicio Del Toro, make it a surprise inclusion in our best of the rest, yet deservedly so, while from a romantic British view, “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” had to make it in, a star studded cast in this sequel screenplay scoring high and the movie, while not in the league of the others is akin to the cosy comfort factor that saw “Quartet” rate so highly in 2014. But last & not least mention goes to the futuristic fable Ex Machina which starred our actor of the year, Oscar Isaac, along with OSCAR winning Alicia Vikander in a movie that didn’t strike a chord in the cinema, yet since plumping in purchasing the DVD has delighted & impressed with both its depth & ingenuity.
So that’s our rather personal preference picks of what we thought were the best in the motion picture business in 2015, some close to the industry award mark, others not so, while one thing that we can conclude and concur is that it was a year of captivating cinematography well worth celebrating, 2016 having a lot to live up to in at least equalling or exceeding in excellence. (DISCO MATT)
