2015 Midyear Review: Best in Movies (So Far)

Can you believe half of the year has already gone by and we still have so many more movies to watch? The first half of the year gave us some great movies, which is why The Young Folks team has come together to tell you our favorite films from the first semester of 2015. Ex Machina, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dope, and more are part of our list.

Click ‘Next’ to see our picks!

[tps_title]Leigh-Ann Brodber’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

Kingsman: The Secret Service

The Wedding Ringer

Spy

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Fast 7

[tps_title]Jon Espino’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

(In no particular order)

1. Ex Machina
   This film blended technological and naturalistic elements together as a metaphor for their creation of (artificial) life. It makes you question what humanity is and if you have to be human to have it.
2. It Follows
   This film uses retro horror film techniques to bring an original story to life. It’s a compelling and thrilling instant classic that reminds us how good the horror genre was and can still be.
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
   Nothing can compete with the excitement and energy of this film, and that includes all the previous Mad Max films. This is more than a film; it is a ride and an experience you can’t miss.
4. Spy
   Not just your typical espionage film, this is an homage to spy films everywhere. Melissa McCarthy brings her character to life in a way we haven’t seen her do before.
5. White God
   This parable, like Ex Machina, brings into question the notion of humanity and how some humans lack it. It also touches on deeper social and political issues like classism and race, with perfectly choreographed dogs.

[tps_title]Evan Griffin’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

5) Mad Max: Fury Road

4) Mad Max: Fury Road

3) Mad Max: Fury Road

2) Mad Max: Fury Road

1) Mad Max: Fury Road

[tps_title]Allyson Johnson‘s Top Midyear Picks in Movies [/tps_title]

• Mommy (Xavier Dolan)

For readers’ sakes I’ll keep this short, but in recent years, this is the only film that induced a comparable reaction to that of the ending of Dolan’s previous film, Laurence Anyways. Mommy doesn’t just leave me feeling that way at the end of the film, but also at about five other moments throughout the story. It’s a breathless experience and an exhilarating one. I was viscerally moved, whether it was through sadness or joy, and when the film ended I was sad to say goodbye to these characters. Dolan is without question one of the most interesting directors of his generation, and watching his films always elicits an enthusiastic response, but Mommy was a film that lingered, and it’s one that’s stuck months later.

• Ex Machina (Alex Garland)

Oscar Isaac’s enigmatic performance aside, there is plenty to love in what will likely be this years best science fiction film. All three acts are scripted wonderfully, with momentum to the climax that is tense and frightening. The visuals are wonderfully juxtaposed, with the human-made technology being planted straight in the middle of overgrown wilderness, and the performances are strong across the board. It’s a film about big ideas and big choices that never feels the need to talk above itself, while refusing to simplify–it’s a confident film, one that captures our interest immediately without ever going beyond it’s means.

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)

I walked out of the theater with an abundance of affection for this film. From its stop motion animation and  subtly sweeping score to the wonderfully assured leading performance from Thomas Mann as Greg, this film had me instantly hooked. There is plenty of laughter and emotional resonance to spare, and there’s a moment in the third act that is as good as any great film of the past ten years. Effortlessly moving, playfully charming, and hosting a fantastic score–Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has created a coming-of-age classic.

• ‘71 (Yann Demange)

The Jack O’Connell-led scorcher of a film is a sprint in narrative, never taking a moment to catch its breath. With a tight script and singular focus, the film is a demonstration of the destructive nature of war and what it means when older men use boys to go off and play soldier, utilizing them as weapons rather than humans. O’Connell continues his hot streak of performances, cementing himself as one of the more interesting actors on the rise.

• Girlhood (Celine Sciamma)

These are the movies I want to see more of: ones where there is a female director behind the lens and it’s a woman’s story being told in front. Girhood is bracingly honest in its depiction of one girl’s life, all the while managing to speak to larger, more universal themes. It also wins in having one of the best musical moments in film I’ve ever seen with Rhianna’s “Diamonds,” a five-minute sequence that speaks to femininity, friendship, and growth, as we get to peek in and see a moment of pure, uninhibited happiness.

Honorable Mentions: Cinderella, What We Do in the Shadows, Mad Max: Fury Road, Appropriate Behaviour, About Elly.

[tps_title]Brooke Pawling Stennett’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

1. Kingsman: The Secret Service. A really fun film to watch, with over-the-top action scenes with great, known actors while introducing new, potentially-as-great actors/actresses. Great movie for everyone.
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron. Captain America. Witty dialogue. An interactive watch, which makes it all the more enjoyable.
3. The Testament of Youth. A beautiful adaptation of the book to the film. It also features a stunning cast, including Kingsman’s Taron Egerton.
4. Fast and Furious 7. The one-liners courtesy of Dwayne Johnson definitely sold this to me. Also, the most ridiculous and fun to watch. The Paul Walker tribute at the end was lovely and very well done.
5. Jurassic World. I thoroughly enjoyed it despite it’s “cliche” moments. Overall an entertaining watch, as well as an action-packed and very well-done continuation of the Jurassic Park movies.

[tps_title]Caterina Gioino’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

1. Spy

Wow, this was way funnier than the commercial made it seem. A perfect combination of parody and thriller, Spy provides great laughs with on the edge-of-your-seat suspense we’d expect from Casino Royale or even the Mission Impossible movies.

2. The Overnight

A small indie film that features Adam Scott and Jason Schwartzman in full frontal nudity. Need I say more?

3. Maggie

Because Abigail Breslin is a zombie and her dad is the human, Arnold Schwarzenegger. And if you didn’t know that Arnold Schwarzenegger had feelings or knew how to [somewhat] act, now you know.

4. The End of the Tour

Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg come together to give an insider look behind David Foster Wallace’s and David Lipsky’s interviews. While the actual plot might not surprise you, the entire chemistry of the duo sure will.

5. Anesthesia

If there was one thing that I saw this year at Tribeca, it had to be this. Maybe I’m partially biased because they filmed at my school or because I’m weirdly in love with Tim Blake Nelson, but the film, about a Columbia teacher mugged, plus the added pressure of a mother-son relation, and every other person that comes into play–it makes for an unforgettable movie.

[tps_title]Matt Goudreau’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

1. Mad Max: Fury Road (Directed by George Miller). Regardless of how this makes me sound, I have no shame in admitting I cried watching this film. It’s so carefully constructed, both as a narrative and an intense action spectacle. Miller expertly demonstrates how action films don’t need countless scenes of expository dialogue and backstory to convey character development. A more than worthy addition to a fantastic franchise.
2. Love and Mercy (Directed by Bill Pohlad). It’s an unconventional biopic of an unconventional musical genius. Both John Cusack and Paul Dano portray their own versions of Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson without treading into mimicry or identical performances of one another. Much like great music, how you listen to the film is as important as how you look at it.
3. Ex Machina (Directed by Alex Garland). Garland returns to true science fiction with the aid of a thought-provoking script and fantastic performances. Oscar Isaac reaffirms his position as one of the great up and coming actors of today. The bleak but beautiful cinematography and art direction help to create a feeling of claustrophobia to match the feelings of the main character.
4. It Follows (Directed by David Robert Mitchell). In an era of horror defined by cheap jump scares and exploitative violence, It Follows triumphs as a minimalistic but skin-churning horror film. It’s an experience that stayed with me well after I left the theater. It Follows abides by a classic rule that Hitchcock eloquently portrayed with his films: what you don’t see is far scarier than what you do see.
5. Dope (Directed by Rick Famuyiwa). Despite its excessive ambition at points, Dope is a well-told coming-of-age film with a strong sense of honesty. Director Famuyiwa helps keep the story moving at a frenetic but extremely entertaining pace throughout. Expect this film to serve as a platform for star Shameik Moore to advance into the mainstream.

[tps_title]Gabrielle Bondi’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

Trying to figure out this list made me realize that I didn’t get a chance to see as many films as I’d hoped to this year. Regardless, 2015 has been a good year for movies so far, and it’s likely that some of my Top 5 will make it to my year-end list.

1. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)
2. Far from the Madding Crowd (Directed by Thomas VInterberg)
3. Ex Machina (Directed by Alex Garland)
4. Dope (Directed by Rick Famuyiwa)
5. Clouds of Sils Maria (Directed by Olivier Assayas)

Honorable Mentions: Cinderella, Mad Max: Fury Road, Inside Out, and The Last Five Years.

[tps_title]Josh Cabrita’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

Note: although I’ve seen close to 150 films released in 2015, and you’d think that would be almost all of them, I must admit that a few like Dope and The Tribe haven’t made their way to my neck of the woods yet.

Ever since Moses came down the mountain with those two stone tablets, lists have been made of ten. There is nothing magical about that number, but you would expect that half a list would be made up of five films. We’re missing “thou shall not murder” and a few others, but here are my top five films of 2015.

1.       About Elly

Technically Asgar Farhadi’s thrilling psychological drama was made in 2009 when it played at the Berlin and Tribeca Film Festivals, but About Elly never garnered a theatrical release until earlier this year. The filmmaker behind greats like A Separation and The Past is in full form as he finds poignancy and horror just by tracing small moral conflicts to their uncontrived and thought-provoking conclusions. About Elly is a quiet film–one where the soft-sounding waves of the ocean carry more emotion and atmosphere than any action scene I’ve seen this year. Millions of lives may not be in danger, but Farhadi makes us care more about small white lies and their everyday effects than most Hollywood filmmakers could do with stakes extraordinarily larger.

2.       Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Based on a first viewing, I called this film “one of the loveliest I’ve ever seen,” and I fully stand by the seemingly hyperbolic statement. Although a second look at Me and Earl and the Dying Girl didn’t carry the same emotional wallop (how could it?) as the first time, I was able to better appreciate the daring formal flourishes. About Elly might be the best movie of 2015, but Me and Earl was my first love. It will always be dearest in my heart.

3.       Predestination

The Spierig Brothers’ adaptation of Michael A. Heinlein’s short story All You Zombies adds depth to the source material while emerging as one the most affecting, thought-provoking, and thrilling science fiction films of recent memory. Not only is it a dissection of the paradoxes of time travel, a showcase for fantastic production design, and a great vehicle for Sarah Snook and Ethan Hawke, but it’s also an example of profoundly empathetic and deliberately-paced characterization. If your heart and head don’t ache after Predestination, you should wonder if you have either of them.

4.       A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence

Having never seen any of Roy Anderson’s previous work, I found A Pigeon Sat On A Branch to be unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The long takes and wide shots, the droll and nihilistic humor, and the structure and absence of a conventional narrative show Anderson’s clear and uncompromising vision. Made up of 60-something vignettes–some funny, others sad and many both at the same time–Anderson has not just made a unique work that views human activities like a museum exhibit but one that considers the effects of greed, pride and consumerism.

5.       Ex Machina

This film, about a middle-rung coder chosen by an eccentric billionaire to investigate the consciousness of what could be the first self-aware android, fascinates with philosophical debates of free-will and determinism, and materialism and dualism. It’s a thought-provoking film that should thrill both high- and low-brow audiences alike with witty dialogue, suffocating tension, and profound themes. Ex Machina, like Predestination, is real, hard sci-fi, and not of the Abrams variety.

Because this list could have included ten or twenty films, I feel compelled to recognize a few that could have easily been listed above: When Marnie Was There, Phoenix, Mad Max: Fury Road, Tu Dors, Nicole, Mommy, Slow West, While We’re Young, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, Inside Out.

[tps_title]Rachel Greiger’s Top Midyear Picks in Movies[/tps_title]

 

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Thomas Mann was absolutely incredible in this film–as were all of the other young actors (and actresses) in this movie, but his particularly stands out. The wit and emotion that remains consistent from start to finish is bound to stick with you long after viewing it. Additionally, the film references are hilarious and are sure to please movie lovers specifically. However, the pure emotional aspect of it will likely please everyone else.

2. Spy

Melissa McCarthy is one of my favorite actresses. Yes, sometimes she plays the same character and it gets old after a while. But this was a film that showed us why we thought she was so funny in Bridesmaids. It’s not the best film ever made, but it will make you laugh, which is something we all need every once in awhile.

3. Love & Mercy

This isn’t your typical biopic, and I love the use of Paul Dano and John Cusack here. Yes, there have been biopics that have more than one actor portraying the celebrity in question. In my opinion, it hasn’t been done like this before. Dano really impressed me, and Cusack was no slacker either.

4. Cinderella

This one isn’t overly impressive in terms of how critics have responded to it. But I can’t help but love it because it’s such a gorgeous update on the classic tale. I also love how the movie uses the theme of kindness. I think it sends a really great message to little girls everywhere. Really, though, the scenery is so amazing.

5. Dope

With this breakout performance, Shameik Moore has proven that he is an incredible young actor who is certainly bound to be recognized after this film. It has so many hilarious and clever moments that keep you glued to the screen from start to finish. It’s not the best coming-of-age movie I’ve ever seen, but it still tells a fresh side of growing up.

What are YOUR favorite movies in 2015 so far?
Let us know in the comments!

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