Favorite Films of 2015 (in order)

With the insane amount of hype, I was hoping this film would deliver and it came through in many many ways. The obvious nostalgic tribute, ENJOYABLE new characters, Han-Chewie dialogue, mysterious baddie (Snoke), and the just plain fun experience of returning to a galaxy far far away are some of the countless reasons I've already seen this 3 times since the release.

If I could label these correctly, I would probably go 1a & 1b with these being two of my favorite franchises. Jurassic Park still stands as my favorite film of all time, and I felt Trevorrow did a tremendous job of (finally) creating a worthy sequel. Jurassic World and Episode VII were the only films this year that truly gave me the childlike awe and fun of experiencing the film.

You could argue this film to the top of a lot of 2015 lists. George Miller returns to his old stomping groups and delivers a visual masterpiece. The epitome of a popcorn classic.

Also one of my favorite reads of the year. The film (for the most part) lived up to the story written by Andy Weir. The strength of the book (and film) is the character of Mark Watney who defies death many times with great sarcastic wit mixed with scientific problem solving. The film gives decent depth and fills in gaps with other characters.

Not your typical "coming of age" film. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl tackles the subject of the big D (death, for all you perverts out there) with great charm and humor. The film has a great cast especially Thomas Mann who handles the self deprecating lead role to perfection. Greg and Earl's "Be Kind Rewind" style of film-making is a lot of fun to watch. You're kind of excited to see what film they'll parody next. This should go unsaid but any scene with Nick Offerman is just great.

I don't think I had seen a good mockumentary since Christopher Guest was regularly making them. Definitely the most I laughed in a theater in 2015. Jermaine Clement simply needs more starring work, he's always hilariosu. The other two lead vampires were also great, not to mention the scene stealing moments from Rhys Darby as the wolf leader.

Great film. The bear attack scene will stick with for days. Iñárritu does a marvelous job visually once again. He's pretty amazing at taking a realistic situation and giving it a surreal look. I don't know if this will actually be the year for DiCaprio, but once again it would be well deserved if he notched it. The rest of the cast are fantastic as well (Hardy, Gleeson, Poulter especially).

The old saying "now we're cooking with oil" comes to mind with the roll that Marvel Studios in on. Ant-Man, the often neglected Avenger throughout the years, becomes a much enjoyable comedic-action romp. The feeling I had after viewing this was very similar (to a slightly lesser degree) to the one I had after seeing Guardians for the first time. The filmmakers wisely taking a somewhat ridiculous as well as obscure character concept and giving it the needed comedic touch. Rudd was a perfect choice for the lead role and was probably a huge part of the reason that Edgar Wright's absence wasn't felt as strongly as many feared. Definitely in my Marvel top 5 (for the moment).

At least to my recollection, I don't recall ever seeing or hearing of Western/horror combo film (at least one not produced the Asylum). At times, it has the necessary Western slow pace coupled with great dialogue from a fantastic cast. The scenes involving the cannibalistic group are quite horrifying and heart-pounding. It also has great action and effects for such a small budget film. One of the most unique films of 2015.

Sadness: the biggest hero of 2015? You might think so after seeing this moving Pixar flick. The movie that gives personalities to emotions will definitely tug at yours. I just wish my imaginary friend was as cool as Bing Bong.

This movie in a lot of ways is an extreme version of the old cliche "what goes around, comes around." Bateman and Edgerton play their roles to perfection, and honestly you're not sure who to root for.

Definitely one of the more underrated movies of 2015. This moves a stylish fast pace and the dialogue between the leads is pretty great. Bold move by Ritchie in making a good film out of remake from an original TV show most people either forgot about or had no idea it existed in the first place.

I hadn't seen much involving Amy Schumer, but VERY glad I saw this. She is a wrecking ball of comedy and completely owns this role. Fun to see Hader in the rare "straight man" role opposite of her. They play off of each other very well. Also surprising gems from supporting actors of Lebron James and John Cena. Both were hilarious actually, and it's strange just typing that.

As a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan (liked Sixth Sense through the Village started to phase out after Lady in Water), was glad to see strong effort from him after a series of duds. The handheld camera technique helps in developing the story from the kids' point of view. Kudos to the two actors playing the grandparents, terrifying.

Deeply disturbing. Best two words I could use to describe this indie horror films that portrays the world of religious cults like nothing I've seen. It's hard to describe much more about this film without getting spoilery so just see it ... now!

Not a feature film like the rest, but utterly fantastic in everything a throwback to the 1980s should be. Homage to all the the Van Damme, Seagal, Chuck Norris, etc movies you could think of with the cheesy effects, corny one liners, and huge plot gaps. Not to mention a viking lady riding a frickin dinosaur and Triceracop!

Saw this on a whim at a local film fest and was blown away. Surprisingly emotional tale of filmmakers who started making a shot for shot remake of Raiders back when they were kids and carried that passion to adulthood.

I don't normally seek out romantic comedies, but I tend to flock to anything with Simon Pegg's name on it. He's hilarious as usual, and Lake Bell really shines (while mostly pulling off the British accent).