Film Round-Up 2015

It's been a pretty good year for film, yet again.

As I seem to have spent the majority of 2015 in the cinema, it seemed only appropriate to pull together a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly released in the U.K. in 2015.

I think I've covered everything, from my top 10 films of the year to mini-awards for 'The Film That Made the Best Over-Dramatic Use of a Waterfall'; 'The Film That I Wish I Could Experience For The First Time All Over Again' and 'The Film That Blew My Mind (and not at all in a good way)'.

I hope that these lists will provide you with inspiration for a cinema trip over the next few days, or give you some ideas for hidden gems to look for on Netflix and Sky Movies when they arrive next year. Make yourself a cup of tea: it's a long post!

It's been the year of the franchise, with an unusual number of blockbusters either revisiting old favourites (Jurassic World); continuing a saga (Spectre // Mission Impossible 5); marking the end of an era (Hunger Games); expanding a universe (Ant-Man // Avengers: Age of Ultron) or hopefully putting an end to a series that should have been left in the 1980s (Terminator).

It's also been a year of espionage, featuring in a multitude of genres and decades. From James Bond to The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Kingsman: The Secret Service, Spy, and Spooks: The Greater Good, being a secret agent never looked so good.

While men's stories may have dominated at the start of the year with Oscar and BAFTA winning films such as The Theory of Everything, Foxcatcher and Selma, women have come into their own at the end of the year. Carol, Brooklyn (and Room) have been universally praised, and while the 2016 actor races seem to be pretty open - and almost disappointing - the actress categories are much more exciting, with no end of excellent, compelling and dynamic performances to choose from. Campaigning for particular categories may be controversial - the lead / supporting distinction is definitely coming under scrutiny - but if anything they just show how brilliant women have been as the year draws to a close.

The lists below only contains films that I've seen and have been released in the U.K. in 2015. Unlike last year, I've decided not to include any preview screenings, so although I've seen Trumbo and Room (one of the best films I've ever seen - Brie Larson will be sweeping up Best Actress awards this season) they're not included as they're not on general release until January. Due to my new strict rules with release dates, there's no The Revenant, Spotlight, The Hateful Eight, The Danish Girl or Joy, to name a few of those featuring on similar end of year lists and beginning to be nominated for major awards in the coming months. I'm sure they'll feature on a similar list this time next year!

 So, without further ado, here's my take on the best (and worst) films of 2015...

THE FILM THAT... 

… Made Me Laugh Till I Cried - Sisters

… Made Me Laugh For All The Wrong Reasons - Child 44

… Made Me Laugh One Minute and Cry Like A Baby The Next - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

… Had a Positive Critical Reception That Seriously Baffles Me - The Lobster

… Was Just Genuinely Bad - Terminator Genisys

… Failed to Live Up to its Trailer - Burnt

… Made the Best Over-Dramatic Use of a Waterfall - Into the Woods

… Boasted the Most Violent Fight Scene in a Church - Kingsman: The Secret Service 

… Was Not at All What I Was Expecting - Trainwreck

… Made Science Earth-Shatteringly Cool - The Martian

… Blew My Mind (and not at all in a good way) - Predestination

… Was Unexpectedly and Wonderfully Feminist - Magic Mike XXL

… Shouldn’t Still be Relevant in this Day and Age, but as it is, Should Be Shown to Everyone -Selma

… I Wish I'd Seen - The Diary of a Teenage Girl

… I Wish I Hadn't Wasted My Time On - A Little Chaos 

… I Wish Everyone Else Had Seen Too - 45 Years 

… I Wish I Could Experience For The First Time All Over Again - Jurassic World 

EXPECTATIONS

Failed to Meet Expectations - Tomorrowland

Lived Up To Expectations - Far From the Madding Crowd 

Exceeded Expectations - Mad Max: Fury Road 

THE 3 Bs

Most Beautiful - Carol

Most Brutal - Macbeth

Most Boring - The Lobster 

 THE BEST OF THE BEST 

Best Book-to-Film Adaptation - Wild

Best Original Script - Steve Jobs 

Best Score - Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

Best Summer Blockbuster - Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation 

Best Quote - “Baskin-Robbins always finds out” – Ant-Man 

Best Animation - Inside Out 

Best Cinematography - Sicario

Best Costumes - Cinderella

Best Cinematic Experience - Everest

Best British Film - X + Y 

Best Foreign Film - Eden

Best Trailer - Hail, Caesar!

THE CREAM OF THE (2015) ACTING CROP 

Actor of the Year - Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) 

Supporting Actor of the Year - Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) 

Actress of the Year - Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara (Carol) 

Supporting Actress of the Year - Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria) 

Breakthrough Star - Alicia Vikander (Testament of Youth, Ex Machina, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Burnt) 

Ensemble Cast - The Martian 

FILMS OF THE YEAR 

Outstanding Achievement in Film in 2015 – Inside Out 

10. 45 Years 

9. Macbeth 

8. The Theory of Everything 

7. The Martian 

6. Steve Jobs 

5. Selma 

4. Sicario 

3. Mad Max: Fury Road 

2. Carol 

Film of the Year - Brooklyn

It's worth mentioning, everything above is my opinion, and I've given each film's inclusion a lot of thought. I'm aware a few other obvious choices have been missed off but that's just tough!

What were your film highlights of 2015? Was there a film you regret not seeing or was everything you'd hoped it would be and more?

 Do let me know in the comments below - I love getting film recommendations and watch an eclectic mix of movies, so recommend away!