The 2015 Raymo Awards

Another year has come and gone and we’ve arrived at the wrap of 2015 in film.
I saw 36 films at the cinema this year (as always a big thanks to JAFFA and Reading Cinemas) and it was a year of high quality and not so many stinkers.
Among the three dozen films there were 17 that rated an 8/10 or above, seven of those scored 9/10 or more.
The main letdowns were unnecessary sequels or reboots and I’m sure my lowest rated movie will cause some controversy.
Without further ado, here’s the highlights of 2015.
1. Inside Out (10/10)
Finally, a stunning return to form from the usually reliable Pixar studios. Some may argue whether this deserved a 10 but from my perspective it was close to faultless. Not a new idea, I’ll admit, but an idea done with humour and heart. We’re introduced to the emotions in Riley’s head - Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger - and are taken on a rollercoaster of discovery as they learn to work together to guide her through life. I must admit I enjoyed the Anger character particularly. Attention to detail is the key here and I simply had a ball watching this. Happy to say it was the best movie of the year.
2. Avengers: Age Of Ultron (9.5/10)
I know not everyone will agree with this one but, a bit like Inside Out, I very much dug the latest instalment of the Avengers series. Plenty of action as you’d expect, some great character development and interconnecting storylines and one liners made this a highly enjoyable experience. Perhaps I’m a little biased. We learned a lot more about Hawkeye in this one as well as being introduced to twins Scarlet Witch (who shares an excellent scene with Hawkeye) and Quicksilver. The former was well used, the latter a bit wasted I thought. Marvel simply keeps hitting the mark.
3. Still Alice (9/10)
The acting performance of the year from Julianne Moore and a very well deserved Oscar too. Alice is a brilliant linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. It’s terrifying to watch as Alice’s memory starts to fade, she forgets where she is at times and struggles with what the disease means. There’s a solid support cast including Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart but this is all Moore’s film and it is an absolute must see if you haven’t already.
4. Fast & Furious 7 (9/10)
I don’t know how but this series just keeps getting better. Acting takes a back seat to pure action entertainment and the seventh F&F would have been the toughest to make due to the death of Paul Walker while the filming was on a break. While you can tell in a few parts where they’ve used his brothers as stand ins it works and the ending is quite poignant too. There are some ridiculous scenes here but on the whole this is a tribute to Walker and just damn good fun too.
5. The Imitation Game (9/10)
Another fantastic acting performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as mathematician Alan Turing who is famous for cracking the enigma code during World War 2. A true story brought to life with a great script filled with tension and wit and a headline performance from its star. I must admit I didn’t know a lot about Turing going into this and it was a riveting story, it would have been highly controversial at the time too, and a riveting turn from Cumberbatch.
Honourable mentions: For nostalgic reasons as much as any I have to say Dumb And Dumber To (9/10) was an absolute riot. It may have been aided by being in a group who all enjoyed it as well and the fact the Farrelly Brothers stayed true to the innocent stupidity of Lloyd and Harry and didn’t plunge far into dirty humour as is the trend today. Birdman (9/10) is a ‘love it or hate it’ type of film but I thought it was just superbly shot, very smart and great performances from Michael Keaton and Edward Norton were standouts. Of the others Holding The Man (8/10) is a heartbreaking conversion of a heartbreaking true story that fell just short of being brilliant and Ant Man (8/10) continued the Marvel trend. Oh yeah, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (8/10) is familiarly entertaining.
Surprise of the year 1: Paper Towns (8/10) is a movie that I was sure told you everything in the trailer and as a result I almost didn’t see it. This was 2015’s teen romantic-comedy type film like The Spectacular Now, Fault In Our Stars or Perks Of Being A Wallflower and while it wasn’t quite up to those films it was simply charming. Quentin (Nat Wolff) sets out to find the girl of his dreams Margo (Cara Delevingne) when she runs away from home but finds so much more along the way.
Surprise of the year 2: Creed (7.5/10) resurrected the Rocky franchise with the story of the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed who seeks out Rocky Balboa to be his trainer and embark on a boxing career like his father. Michael B Jordan is outstanding as Adonis Johnson and Sylvester Stallone breathed new life into the retired Rocky. Didn’t expect to be riveted and the finale is outstanding.
Flop of the year: OK, controversy time. I just couldn’t get into Mad Max: Fury Road (5/10). I never thought Max would be a side character but he faded into the background as Charlize Theron’s Furiosa stole the show. I found the long chase storyline a bit boring and I just didn’t like it. You may disagree but this is my list! Honourable flop mention to Trainwreck (5/10), I’m sorry but Amy Schumer is simply not funny.
The film I wanted to like more: Foxcatcher (7/10), based on the true story of wrestler Mark Schultz, had all the elements of an excellent film but I thought it was let down by Channing Tatum’s disconnected performance. Maybe it was the character but I expected more.
Letdowns: Mainly the sequels like Pitch Perfect 2 (7/10) and Ted 2 (6/10) both of which were a big step down from the surprise excellence of their originals. Perhaps it was that nothing was expected of the first films and they were so vibrant and funny. Regardless they were cash ins.
I don’t have high expectations for 2016 on the whole. From the list for the first third or so there looks to be few highlights with more sequels and remakes to come. That said I can’t wait for Captain America: Civil War and Deadpool, while I suspect there will be at least one car crash with Batman vs Superman coming up. Hopefully there are some hidden gems out there.
See you at the movies!