Cinestan whishes you a happy New Year, but before we talk about 2016, we need to look back at 2015. We asked all the contributors to name their best films of 2015. Four of the contributors decided to use the European release dates. The other two choose for the official 2015 release dates.
All the contributors choose their top films so don’t forget to scroll down!!
Discover the lists below:
(Me and earl and the dying girl, image rights Fox Searchlight Pictures)
- Me and earl and the dying girl
A true revelation. I hadn’t heard of this movie before pressing play. It’s a little indie gem with tons of personality. A young cast of strong leads, a slightly recogniseable dramatic story but told with great sense of humor. It utilizes one of the oldest and cheapest tricks in the book but it totally worked for me and I’m not resentful. In fact, I was left staring at the screen till the credits stopped rolling. - Episode VII: The Force Awakens
The inescapable. The record breaker. The one the whole world is dissecting relentlessly. Despite the enormous hype, I maintained a fairly low level excitement. To be honest, I don’t consider myself a true hardcore fan so the build up wasn’t that unbearable for me. Not to say I didn’t care at all. I definitely enjoy the series (especially the original trilogy) and was looking forward to a fresh take on the Star Wars universe but I’d definitely not grant them a spot in my top 5 scifi movies, let alone top 5 movies of all time. Abrams might just have won me over, though. I thoroughly enjoyed Episode VII. It’s spectacular, has great tempo and a really cool vibe overall. I cared about the characters much more so than with the prequels. I was impressed with the scale of things and I’m totally psyched for what’s to come. - Ex_Machina
Mindfuck supreme. Now here’s a movie I was looking forward to and it didn’t even come to theatres here in Belgium! I had to wait till last week to see it, but boy o boy did it fulfil my expectations. This is an immensely stylish film with great performances all around. The writing is superb, the atmosphere is unsettling, the theme is fascinating and challenging but brought forth with elegant clarity. It has been haunting my mindfor days and I just can’t get it out of my head. If you’re looking for a intelligent and confronting psychological scifi thriller, look no further. - Carol
This movie has technically not come out yet – I was lucky to see a screening during the film festival in Ghent- but I figured I’d add it any way for nonconformity’s sake. This is a touching and relevant drama with stunning attention to detail. The acting is flawless and the tone is spot on. Well done. - Jurassic world
Ow yeah, baby. When watching the trailer, I instantly knew this would be a big ol’ guilty pleasure just as I know Independence Day: Resurgance will be next summer. Nowhere near the timeless masterpiece that is Spielberg’s classic but nevertheless a thrilling ride filled with nostalgia and contemporary awesomeness. Going back to Isla Nublar was a flash of brilliance. - Turist
Rarely has a movie sparked such a heated debate immediately after viewing. I watched it with two people very close to me; one of my dearest old friends and my adorable girlfriend. The three of us spent the rest of the afternoon arguing, each defending various standpoints. It was unreal. The premise is fairly simple but so much springs out of it. Topics ranging from survival instinct, sanity and family values to gender equality and the relativity of one’s perception. The finale felt a bit over the top for me at first, borderlining on the ridiculous even, but then the full image took shape and it suddenly hit me really hard. - The Martian
A space blockbuster done right. The contageous optimisme of the protagonist and gorgeous imagery greatly outweigh the all-out American heroics. I was more than willing to let go, accept, enjoy and cheer wholeheartedly. - Inside out
The house of the mouse in collaboration with the Desk Lamp Apple Geniuses has not delivered perfection on every occasion but it can be said that the bar is maintained fairly high. We have come to expect gorgeous animation, refined gags and drama which makes even the toughest scynic’s throat clog up but there’s once again more at work in this one. The way in which complex concepts such as memory and prepuberal behaviour are visualised is nothing short of genious. I was dumbstruck by how elegantly accessible these neurological constructs were crafted. Disney/Pixar has a team of highly intelligent and sensitive artists on payroll. Wall-E gained a companion up there on Animation Peak. - Kingsmen the secret service
Pure fun. A spy movie who doesn’t take itself seriously without in so doing losing any class or credibility. The all-star cast alone should get you on board. - Shaun the sheep
Stop motion meisters at Aardman Studios have stolen my heart with this film adaptation of the already adorable and hilarious 8′ clip-series. Granted, I was in a questionable state of sobriety, lacking sleep during an intercontinental flight, but this work of art got all sorts of emotions out of me. A remarkable feat , one might add, seeing as it’s virtually devoid of dialogue.
(Le Tout Nouveau Testament, image rights Terra Incognita Films)
- Le Tout Nouveau Testament
- La Isla Minima
- Bridge of spies
- Still Alice
- Mia Madre
- Irational Man
- Youth
- Fatima
- Taxi Teheran
- Les cowboys
(Whiplash, image rights Sony Pictures Classics)
- Whiplash
The intense duel between Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons is a pure stylistic masterpiece. This emotional thriller about blind ambition and the toxic relationship between a pupil and his abusive teacher is a mind-blowing by its perfection. This film grabs you by the throat and never let’s go. Watch “Whiplash” it is as simple as that. - Ex Machina
The indie hype of the year is a real masterpiece. The film has everything going for it: strong performances, an intriguing story and a talented director. Alex Garland surprised a lot of people with his first film and deserves all the praise for this ‘tour de force’. - Mustang
An incredible discovery of a first time director (Deniz Gamze Ergüven). This Turkish movie about how five girls are raised in the middle of nowhere by an abusive uncle and a very protective grand-mother. One by one they are pushed into pre-arrranged marriages they all want to escape. An adventure into rural Turkey where everybody seems to be stuck in time. - Inside Out
Pixar is a true dreammachine. Every year they bless us with not just an animation film, but with a great story. This year they surpassed themselves and created the real tale for young & old, the one for the ages. The balance between sadness and joy has never been as powerful as in this movie. Thank you Pixar. - Youth
How do we cope with getting old? You go to a spa in the Mountains of Switzerland and you try to figure it out. A very poetic movie by the director of “La Grande Bellezza”. Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz takes us on a journey into their soul and their past. A very subtle film about hope and accepting yourself. - The Martian
It seems Matt Damon has to be saved in each of his movies. A recent article calculated how much it would cost to save him in each movie. Joking aside, Matt Damon is a fantastic actor; maybe the best of his generation, a true chameleon as his proves it again, this time as a funny astronaut stuck on Mars. This incredible story entertains us from beginning till end without losing his grip on reality, a great achievement for Ridley Scott who is always at his best when he does science-fiction. - A Most Violent Year
J.C. Chandor makes great films about human nature. This great indie director has the faculty to get the best out of his actors and does it again this time with Oscar Isaac, David Oyelowo and Jessica Chastain. A compelling story about ambition and the drive to succeed. A great drama which keeps you thinking long after the credits rolled. - The Lobster
The greatest surrealistic comedy of the decennium. The Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos created a very particular film which is not for everybody but the lovers of the genre will discover a crazy world full of the most interesting people. - Le Tout Nouveau Testament
Belgium is the land of surrealism and in line of great painters like Magritte, Jaco Van Dormael paints us the world as if God lived in Brussels. His daughter escapes her abusive father and goes off to find her disciples. Delightful and inventive this comedy is sweet and hilarious with strong performances by all the actors. - A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Iranian cinema is one of the most interesting of the last decennium. Housing some of the world greatest storytellers, the country has a love-hate relation with most of them. Ana Lily Amirpour, the director, is a British born Iranian and the movie is shot in California, but the link with the Western world stops there, because this visual masterpiece is shot as a small Iranian Western and spoken in Persian. A very smart and witty film that because of its stylistic direction becomes profoundly cool and bold.
(Victoria, image rights Radical Media)
- Whiplash
- Victoria
- Mustang
- Ex machina
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Citizenfour
- Relatos salvajes
- Still alice
- The look of silence
- Turist
(Star Wars: The Force Awakens, image rights Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
The ones who couldn’t choose:
Rather than doing a top 5 I decided to name my 5 favorite movies of 2015. It would be unfair to give any of these movies the number one spot. The order which I used doesn’t say anything, I liked all these movies for several different reasons, but one thing is for sure: all of these movies were 100% worth watching on a big screen.
2015 wasn’t the best movie year, sure there were a lot of good movies, but not a lot of exceptionally good movies, that’s why I was only able to make a top 5.
I admit I still saw a lot of great & fun movies, but just not top 10 worthy.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
More of an origin story, but still a successful launch of a new trilogy. The 3-D filming was mind blowing, the locations, props, stunts and special effects were all top of the line. I was a bit let down by the acting, but we don’t watch Star Wars for the acting. It was great to see the old cast again. It’s more the combination of a lot of great things together that gave it this position, the movie is far from perfect, but it’s still exceptionally good.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
A similar type of love story as Star Wars. The movie wasn’t perfect, but again, special effects and such guaranteed pleasure for the eyes and the mind. Great actors, great characters, a good evil villain (unlike what we got in Star Wars). Great storyline, a fun movie from the beginning to the end.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Doesn’t need much explanation: just an awesome & fun movie you fully enjoy.
Great actors, great storyline, mind blowing special effects, one of those movies you’ll always remember.
Ex Machina
Such an impressive movie. It’s very hard to make something original in this age, but sometimes one person does achieve this! Incredible acting, a great new concept, a great ending. You don’t always need a huge budget to make an unforgettable movie. As far as I’m concerned this is an unexpected gem, when I started watching the movie I never expected it to be this good.
The Martian
I actually only saw it yesterday, but you know what? This movie is exceptional! I’m not the type of follow hypes, people loved Gravity (2013), frankly I didn’t, but here the critics were right, this movie is that good! They picked the perfect actor for the job. The filming itself really made you feel like it was happening on mars. It was a great story that keeps you stuck on your couch till it ends.
(Taxi Teheran, image rights Jafar Panahi Film Productions)
– Taxi Teheran de Jafar Panahi
– La Isla Minima de Alberto Rodriguez
– Fatima de Philippe Faucon
– Phoenix de Christian Petzold,
– Irrational man de Woody Allen
– La Loi du Marché de Stephane Brizé
– Le Tout Nouveau Testament de Jaco Van Dormael
– Still Alice de Richard Glatzer
– Mia madre de Nanni Moretti
– Birdman, de Alejandro González Iñárritu
– Bridge of Spies, de Steven Spielberg
