Last Updated on August 3, 2021
4- Star Wars The Force Awakens
STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS had most of its bases covered. It managed to tap into the endearing vibe that made the first trilogy so cool, it slammed my nostalgia button down hardcore, the old cast and the new cast kicked some SERIOUS ass (Harrison Ford!!!!!!), the flick put out enough plot twists to affect me and make me man-cry while the visual effects, the crazy action scenes and the laughs hit home.
3- Crimson Peak
CRIMSON PEAK was a gripping romantic mystery and a chilling ghost story! It pimped out an excellent cast, layered characters, true scares, visually stunning imagery, unflinching Giallo like violence and lighting, costume and set designs that had my jaw drop to the ground! Transfixing from beginning to end! Del Toro has done it again for this clown!
2- Ex Machina
Ex Machina was Frankenstein meets The Island of Dr. Moreau by way of Basic Instinct. How’s that for a mix?! Now, if you’re looking for an action film, this isn’t it! But if you crave an existential film about what makes for a conscious being, one that also acted as a visceral and sexy thriller, than this ones for you! The top notch acting, the confident directing, the stellar VFX, the random mean-streak and the haunting score also helped in making this experience a superior one.
1- Mad Max Fury Road
MAD MAX FURY ROAD was worth the wait and it delivered the old school goods! The flick started off strong and didn’t let up till the end, it was filled to the brim with creative and totally out there action set pieces (Miller hasn’t mellowed with age), it sported lavish visuals and a killer score and finally it introduced us to a new badass heroine, one that was more similar to Mad Max than this new Max… Imperator Furiosa (Theron)!
7- In the Heart of the Sea
In the Heart of the Sea deserved a WAYYYYY better fate at the box office then what it got. The flick had an easy pace, stand-out performances, tension charged whale attacks, bang-on special effects, visually striking settings and enough humanity to make this mothertrucker tear up.
9- Krampus
Krampus was lots of fun! As much as it was funny and earnest, it also pulled off being creepy. A tricky juggling act, one that was achieved with gusto here! The flick had a stellar cast, all kinds of morose creativity and top-notch production/creature designs. It should be stabbed that the use of practical effects was esteemed by this jerk and Krampus himself made for quite the iconic figure. I was in awe when he was fully revealed.
8- The Final Girls
I had a blast with THE FINAL GIRLS! It was visually flamboyant/creative, had a solid cast, made me laugh (Adam DeVine killed it), moved me (Farmiga so nailed the dramatic bits) and managed to poke fun at 80’s slasher conventions while giving them a big hug!
10- Bone Tomahawk
BONE TOMAHAWK made for a thrilling Western and a sucker-punching horror film. The flick pimped out a stand out cast, superb characters, potent tension, organic humor, some visceral action bits and if there was an Award for Best Kill of the Year, BONE TOMAHAWK would win it hands down! And of course, seeing Kurth Russell play yet another hard ass lawman with a strong code of honor was a freaking treat for this film buff!
5- Night Fare
Julien Seri’s Night Fare resulted in an ambitious genre film that kept on giving in more ways than one! The film looked sleek, sometimes echoed DUEL or/and MANIAC COP while Jess Liaudin made for a menacing yet captivating presence. The cherry on top was the spin that went down during the last act, which will either kill the film for you or elevate it, for me the latter happened. I can’t wait to see it again!
6- Deathgasm
DEATHGASM hit all of my happy buttons! A cool cast, potent metal, crazy gore, out of line humor, inventive visual style, hilarious sight gags, biting dialogue, cool cast…the works! DEATHGASM was la crème de la fucking crème of Metal driven horror films!
Honorable Mention: Maggie
MAGGIE was a captivating horror drama about love, dealing with one’s own mortality and overall loss. It slyly used the Zombie elements as a metaphor for any terminal disease you can think of, it looked morbidly gorgeous and sported top notch performances to boot! Abigail Breslin destroyed the screen but it was Arnold Schwarzenegger that totally took me aback via his low-key yet emotionally charged showcase. Arnold has shown glimpses of potent acting chops in the past with films like END OF DAYS and COLLATERAL DAMAGE, but in my book, he came full circle here.
Worst Film of 2015 #1 Shark Lake
SHARK LAKE did it all wrong. It took itself way too seriously to be funny and it had such shoddy effects/kills/attack scenes, that it couldn’t be taken seriously. On the whole this convoluted and “drama heavy” flick bored the hell out of me and its incompetence in terms of its fear scenarios made sure to sink it. A misfire if I’ve ever seen one…
Worst Film of 2015 #2 Vice
VICE didn’t come off as a film, it came off as a product with ZERO passion put in behind or in front of the camera. The narrative structure was clunky and half assed, Bruce Willis slummed it for what? 1-2 days of shooting? Thomas Jane showed up for what was most likely 4-5 days of shooting and around that we got one hot chick that doesn’t kick much ass, a generic score, bland action, every sci-fi movie element you can think of tossed in the air and a shooting style that went from cool to flat.
Most Underrated Film of 2015: Terminator Genisys
Terminator Genisys got destroyed by the North American media/public upon its release. I’ve seen it 3 times thus far and I still find it to be an entertaining addition to the franchise. The flick scored high with its wit, sly nods to the franchise, some groovy new ideas, top notch performances, a clipped pace, some badass action get-downs, a rousing score and Arnold in stellar form as the T-800! The film presently holds a 6.6 rating on IMDb, I guess I wasn’t the only one that got some kicks out of it.
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