Top 10: Best Movies I Watched for My 2015 Challenge

I had a lot of fun with my movie challenge this year and I’m definitely going to start one in 2016. But first I’m going to share my ten favorite movies that I watched for my challenge. Please note them, because if you haven’t seen them yet, you must. Also check my honorable mentions, the movies that almost made my top 10 list.

10. Sicario

After “Enemy” and “Prisoners” I had high expectations for “Sicario”. And director Denis Villeneuve did it! “Sicario” is a terrific thriller, with Emily Blunt as the big star. She is amazing in this film.

 

9. My Neighbor Totoro

I love the movies by Hayao Miyazak. “Spirited Away” was already amazing, but “My Neighbor Totoro” I liked even more. Such a great animation, especially if you look at it with a creative and artistic perspective like me.

 

 

8. 12 Angry Men

A movie set in only one location and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire runtime. This a movie like no other, the don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

 

 

7. Short Term 12

A movie that felt so realistic and honest. I could feel it through my entire body. It’s not a movie for the people who want spectacle, but a small Indie film that touches you and makes you feel.

 

 

6. The Guard

“Hot Fuzz” meets “In Bruges”, what a great crime comedy “The Guard” is. And I loved Brendan Gleeson in this film. He could finally show what he’s made off. His unconventional character, who you should actually dislike, is really hard to hate.

 

 

5. Birdman

Unfolding across two hours of backstage theater drama that play as a single take, it’s an almost impossibly complex technical achievement. And then Michael Keaton’s big comeback as actor Riggan, who once played a superhero and is now aiming for something higher. A cinematographic masterpiece.

 

 

4. Enemy

“Enemy” was a complete mind fuck. What sounded like a standard thriller, is anything but that. The movies leaves you with a lot of questions and chills all over your body. And that final scene scared the bejesus out of me.

 

 

3. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

This movie was great for us movie lovers, because of all the pop culture references. But this is also a movie that comes straight from the heart and ends up in our hearts as well. Such an honest, real film that grabbed me and touched me.

 

 

2. Psycho

An instant classic that I was pretty ashamed of never seeing before 2015. And I can now understand why it’s such an amazing film. What a great horror film by mastermind Alfred Hitchcock. Movies like this are underappreciated nowadays. Not by movie nerds like me by the way.

 

 

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

When I saw “Mad Max: Fury Road” in theaters it totally took my breath away. More than 30 years after leaving Max in the wasteland, George Miller returns to his signature series. I didn’t expect much at first and I left the theater overwhelmed. “Mad Max: Fury Road” is an incredible cinematic experience. A ride everyone has to take at least once in their life.

 

 

Honorable Mentions: Frozen, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Big Hero 6, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Take Shelter, St. Vincent, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Deux Jours, Une Nuit, Mud, Jurassic World, Inside Out, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Gosford Park, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Funny Games, The Drop, The Conjuring, The Evil Dead, The Martian, Moon, The Lobster, Ex Machina

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (September 2015)

Another great month for my challenge! It was kind of hard ot make a top 5, because I saw some really awesome films this month. Here is the top five.

5. The Drop

A movie that didn’t get much attention when it came out. It should’ve, because it’s a very good film. Great, solid performances by Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Matthias Schoenaerts and James Gandolfini.

 

 

4. The Conjuring

I was very brave, I watched this film alone. I didn’t sleep for a week, but I did see one of the best horror films of the decade. “The Conjuring” had some clichés, but if they are done well I’m fine with it. Good horror movie!

 

 

3. My Neighbor Totoro

Hayao Miyazaki is a true artist. I already liked “Spirited Away” a whole lot, but I loved “My Neighbor Totoro”. A movie that just makes me happy!

 

 

2. 12 Angry Men

How can a movie set in only one room be interesting the entire runtime? Well “12 Angry Men”, that’s how! Great film.

 

 

1.The Guard

A mix of “In Bruges” and “Hot Fuzz”. And I love those two movies, so it’s no surprise that I loved “The Guard” as well. Finally the movie that we wanted to see Brendan Gleeson shine in. Fantastically funny!

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Saving Mr. Banks, Drinking Buddies, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, Funny Games

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 114: 12 Angry Men

Director: Sidney Lumet

Genre: Drama/ Crime

Runtime: 96 minutes

Year: 1957

Starring: Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Ed Binns, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, Robert Webber

Description: A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.

Review: Talk, talk, talk. The film directed by Sidney Lumet is filled with dialogue. Sometimes the talking turns into shouting, it’s a verbal knife fight. And the dialogue is sharp and intelligent. “12 Angry Men” was his first directed film, a movie where he shows guts and talent.

The story is simple: a teenager is being accused of murdering his father. The jury has to decide whether he is guilty or not. When he is found guilty, it leads to the death penalty. All the jurors have their own reason why they think the boy is guilty or not. One just uses the facts, another lets his emotions speak. It could have been simple, but one of the jurors looks further than just the evidence and facts. In the beginning he is the only one thinks the boy is not guilty. The other jurors don’t understand, but he does manage to convince. But not every juror is that easily convinced.

“12 Angry Men” is film about justice and injustice. It’s sometimes impossible to leave your own emotions out of it, when you have to decide the faith of an accused. We see that in all of the jurors. We don’t know their names, but based on their opinions and views, we get to know them. Especially juror number three and ten stick to their opinion. They aren’t prepared to share that at the start. Juror number seven on the other hand, easily changes his opinion, because all he wants is to get out of there. Juror number eight is the one who is trying to convince the other eleven jurors and number one is trying to lead everything. It’s great to see twelve different men trying to come to one unanimous conclusion.

Besides the very first scene, the entire movie is set in one room and it’s a fascinating sight. That alone is great, but with the use of different cameras and perspectives the tension is built as well. Towards the end, when the atmosphere is grim and anguished, these are perfect tools to suck the audience in.

Lumet manages to bring out the best in the cast. Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb especially. It’s great to see how Fonda can keep his cool with the intense Cobb opposite of him. Cobb’s emotions are so present, you really feel it yourself. “12 Angry Men” can easily be seen as one of the highlights in movie history. They don’t make movies like this anymore. Strong acting and a subtle yet convincing tension buildup. Court dramas don’t get better than this.

Rating: 5/ 5