2015 Top

Yes there was one franchise that did take real risks and took the art of story telling to another level. Not the billion dollar franchises obviously but the beloved old Mad Max. Just like The Road Warrior was endlessly imitated for the last few decades, so does this movie create a new style that will hopefully influence the endlessly derivative action movie genre for the next "franchise phase" and remake cycle. At least until the next Mad Max comes out and rewrites the rules again!

Yes this is the big one - hyped up for several years. The good news is that it had solid acting, good directing, amazing effects, some funny moments. It may seem familiar and safe to some critics, but I think there is a boldness in this first film that is largely ignored, and it can either rise or diminish in stature as the sequels come out. Basically the new direction of the franchise looks very good right now.

The ultimate cinematic poem about survival. The directing in this is so outrageous that I barely remembered there was even a story.

I enjoyed the fact that this was neither the typical Mexican nor Hollywood depiction of the drug cartels. Fascinating situation with all the various gangs and agencies involved.

This one is pure cinema. If you favor the character oriented Reservoir Dogs over the more action packed Tarantino films, this will be a rewarding experience.

Like a modern Fellini movie. The same cheesy characters and lots of talk about life and love.

One of the most iconic Shakespeare works, filmed with a great cast and beautiful Scottish scenery. This version uses the original dialogue but still has some odd deviations from the old story.

In a year that was predicted to contain the greatest collection of action movies ever, this sequel started 2015 off on the right note. Yes it's true, the whole car racing theme has long ago become an afterthought, but the franchise has become more fun than most.

This is a "fairy tale" compilation told in the traditional, darker way, without the forced Disney ending. Fantastic cinematography.