Yet another year has (pretty much) come and gone. 2015 is finally the year that Marty McFly travels to BACK TO THE FUTURE PART TWO, and of course that makes 2015 officially The Fuuu-Chuuu-rrr.
The coming year is going to be a massive year for the industry with so many movies coming out. Before I get on to my top ten list of films to see, here is my 2015 honourable mentions list:-
UNTITLED STEVEN SPIELBERG COLD WAR SPY THRILLER
SILENCE (MARTIN SCORSESE)
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
INSURGENT
JUPITER ASCENDING
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 5
KINGSMEN: THE SECRET SERVICE
THE MARTIAN
MINIONS
FANTASTIC FOUR
TERMINATOR: GENISYS
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2
ANT-MAN
Now for my personal Top Ten movie list for 2015:-
10. THE WALK . . . This is all about French high-wire artist Phillipe Petit’s walk between The Twin Towers in NYC way back in August 1974. Hollywood’s still managed to put out dramas and biopics between all the explosions and superheroes, but I have yet to find one that speaks to me, just yet. Hopefully director Robert Zemeckis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ben Kingsley can help me find my drama groove again. There have been countless documentaries on Phillipe Petit, and it is no real surprise why.
9. CHAPPIE . . . Because of ELYSIUM, director Mr. Neill Blomkamp has many people very worried about his next outing. But if one thing can be said of his previous endeavour, it is that this man has a unique and amazing cinematic vision, and CHAPPIE seems to be further evidence of that. Blomkamp has finally brought the beauty of his hometown to cinematic glory. Expect some Robot action and a mullet sporting Hugh Jackman. Just get ready for some Die Antwoord tracks up in your face. Neill Blomkamp is one of the few directors that moviegoers can turn to for well grounded sci-fi. Science Fiction as a whole has made a massive comeback, but Neill Blomkamp is clearly a Terminator/Robocop/Universal Soldier kind of director, who really enjoys massive explosions in spectacular fashion, whilst making us laugh. The first CHAPPIE trailer, implies that he is again trying to tap into something very deep again.
8. THE HATEFUL EIGHT . . . One of my favourite scenes in Quentin Tarantino’s INGLORIOUS BASTERDS was the tense standoff in the bar, when Michael Fassbender plus his accomplices, are all trying to pass themselves off as Nazi Soldiers to get information. THE HATEFUL EIGHT is basically that scene again but set in the Wild West, now as a feature-length film, putting eight dangerous men, who all hate each other, together in a room. No one else can write and shoot a dialogue scene like Tarantino. After DJANGO all that everyone wanted, was another Western from Tarantino, and this is it.
7. TOMORROWLAND . . . Who could care less what the actual plot this movie might have, because Brad Bird (The Incredibles) is directing. Brad Bird is directing a movie about a theme park ride at Disneyland, so you must be intrigued, because this TOMORROWLAND is “A world where anything is possible” (this is the trailer’s tagline). Brad Bird is a phenomenal director and the film stars George Clooney, who when not in his own hands as director, tends to do spectacular work. The teaser preview trailer, communicates a mere glimpse of the wonder that awaits all in this TOMORROWLAND.
6. FURIOUS 7 . . . Yes, Paul Walker and all roads lead to this. You only need to watch the trailer to see why. One of the most anticipated films for 2015. Did you see Van Diesel and Jason Statham beating each other with wrenches? When you live your life, a quarter of a mile at a time, all roads lead to this movie.
5. JURASSIC WORLD . . . For everyone who grew up with those original Stephen Spielberg masterpieces. In the past, having been burned so many times, by those awful Hollywood sequels that the bean counters insisted had to be made. Now we come back to Hammond Industries deathtrap of a stunning idea: yes, the Jurassic Theme Park. Nothing beats Dinosaurs tearing up Jurassic Park. One potential band name: Chris Pratt Velociraptor Biker Gang. I just re-watched all three previous Jurassic Park films, and I am now looking forward to seeing more stupid humans doing the wrong thing in front of real dinosaurs.
4. INSIDE OUT . . . Some adults still have some ridiculous aversion to animation of the superb kind, but you really need to immerse yourself in all of Pixar’s amazing output. Then you will become an enormous fan. Even when Pixar does sequels, they are always incredibly inventive and imaginative projects. Disney has recently learned to work wonders of its own with its revised take on young women. This movie is just an amazing idea. Pixar certainly knows how to do build amazing trailers that immediately generate interest.
3. SPECTRE . . . The last Bond movie (SKYFALL) was pure gold entertainment. When M and Bond play Home Alone with Silver and his gang of villains at Bond’s family home that was a great, bold choice. After decades of waiting, the James Bond franchise finally has access again to the books’ most famous villains, Blofeld and Spectre, who both will be on screen for the second time since NEVER SAY NEVER . . . but this time Bond will not be some old guy in a very bad wig. I have been watching and loving all the 007 James Bond movies since forever, which is basically DOCTOR NO. I would like to thank my mum and my dad for that. Just when you thought that nothing could improve on the spy genre after the Jason Bourne films, Sam Mendes has again proved me wrong. He shows that James Bond can be as tough as Jason Bourne and about 100 times more dashing. SPECTRE does not have, and does not need a trailer.
2. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS . . . This movie is probably the most anticipated film in the history of Hollywood. The trailer consisted of selected still images and it still broke viewing records. Finally the biggest franchise ever in cinematic history is going to have a female lead and a coloured lead. It may not be important to you, but that is the new deal in Hollywood. JJ Abrams was made to make this movie, just examine his amazing trailer with just 88 seconds of footage. The casting is brilliant, the crew is brilliant, because Disney is brilliant for putting it all together, and Disney yet again will show the world how it is done.
1. MAD MAX FURY ROAD . . . To say that everyone has been waiting for this Australian movie with baited breath is a massive understatement. Hollywood does not tend to make movies like this any more. George Miller continues inspiring people, ever since his first film. MAD MAX FURY ROAD is one long chase sequence that is truly visually spectacular. Hollywood has given George Miller a mega budget and it has taken him two years to bring it to the screen, but the wait looks like it is going to be well worth it. The last trailer featured the perfect exploitation style that one has come to expect from Miller. This movie looks like part FAST AND FURIOUS (cars) plus part STAR WARS (desert) plus part CHAPPIE (explosions) plus JAMES BOND (Mad Max).
2015 is going to be a great year for the movies.
