The Best Films of 2015

That’s it – we’ve closed the office for another year, and what a year it has been… Looking back over the movie highlights of 2015 threw up dozens and dozens of great titles scattered across vastly diverse lists from our awesome writers. Unlike the last few years, though, the winner didn’t just come about by being kinda-liked by lots of people. Instead, it proudly sat atop a bunch of critics’ lists and ranked high in most of the others.

The rules for our writers were simple – did the film open in cinemas or play a festival this year (or since our list last year)? It’s not always foolproof – or It Follows would have made this year’s list as well as The Best Films of 2014. And there are films still to open on Boxing Day that would be done a disservice by not enough of our writers having seen them. But you know what? This is meant to be a fun reflection on a year of awesome filmmaking. Let’s leave the lawyers outta this one.

Read on for the full Top 20 – hopefully you’ll find some solid moviewatching tips below, and fodder for debate. See you in the comments – or at the beach.

Cartel Land

“Bring your asses down here. I’ll take you on a nickel tour in the middle of the night and you tell me it’s safe and secure.“ – TIM FOLEY

WE SAID: “Cartel Land got inside the belly of the beast and clawed its way out alive” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Intense! Front line film-making ” – REX-H

99 Homes

“America doesn’t bail out the losers. America was built by bailing out winners. By rigging a nation of the winners, for the winners, by the winners.”
– RICK (MICHAEL SHANNON)

WE SAID: “The scariest, most watchable film about real estate since Beetlejuice.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “A disturbingly realistic insight into the foreclosure system in America.”- ALLAN-FORSYTH

Amy

“If she had lived, I would have said: slow down; you’re too important”
– TONY BENNETT

WE SAID: “In-your-face intimate, a tragic rise and fall lit by paparazzi flashbulbs.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Poignant and heart wrenching” – MEL

FOXCATCHER

“I consider you a friend. And my friends call me Eagle. Or Golden Eagle. Either of those would work. Or John. Or Coach.” – JOHN (STEVE CARELL)

WE SAID: “A deeply strange true story as fascinating as it is disturbing.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Channing Tatum’s outstanding dramatic turn transcends his previous roles.”
– JACKWALLACE

Deathgasm

Quote: “My Uncle Albert was balls-deep into Jesus. He thought Ricky Martin was heavy. He heard me cranking some Disemboweled Corpse and he hasn’t slept for days.” – BRODIE (MILO CAWTHORNE)

WE SAID:“Homegrown crowdpleaser has metal, splatter horror and smalltown boganity riddled through its DNA.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Bloody awesome” – OM

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

“Martini. Gin, not vodka, obviously. Stirred for 10 seconds while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth. Thank you.” – EGGSY (TARON EGERTON)

WE SAID: “An utterly outrageous, logic-defying, live-action cartoon of a film.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Ingenious romp of hilarity… Seen it twice now. Something new each time.”
– JOHNBOYDUNEDIN

THE SALT OF THE EARTH

“We are a ferocious animal. We humans are terrible animals. Our history is a history of wars. It’s an endless story, a tale of madness.” – SEBASTIAO SALGADO

WE SAID: “A voyage into the surreal that stays in the mind, the heart and the throat.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Superb. Sobering. A very deep insight into the human condition.” -TREVORCM

‘71

“Posh c-nts telling thick c-nts to kill poor c-nts. That’s the army for you. It’s all a lie.” – EAMON (RICHARD DORMER)

WE SAID: “As for O’Connell: keep your eyes on this guy. As if you could look away.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Brilliant, harrowing, hallucinatory film with amazing perf from Jack O’Connell.”
– JIMBO

Victoria

“Victoria, I’m sorry.” – FUß (MAX MAUFF)

WE SAID: “One hell of a filmmaking feat that serves a purpose and pays off tremendously.”
(Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Can’t believe how much suspense and and sense of space this film had given that it was filmed entirely in one shot.” – SHANE-FAIRHALL

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

“So if this was a touching romantic story this is probably where a new feeling would wash over me and suddenly we would be furiously making out with the fire of a thousand suns.” – GREG (THOMAS MANN)

WE SAID: “Very few coming-of-age films reflect the creative chaos of a teenage mind as vividly.”
(Read full review)

YOU SAID: Will not only resonate with its target audience but will leave a lasting impression on older viewers. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry.” – BRENDO

Citizenfour

“We all have a stake in this, this is our country and the balance of power between the citizenry and the government is becoming that of the ruling and the ruled as opposed to actually, you know, the elected and the electorate.”
– EDWARD SNOWDEN

WE SAID: “Captures a seldom-seen glimpse of a shift in global awareness, shot from inside the eye of an unprecedented storm.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Snowden seems to be a person with a good mind and a belief that fundamental principles of freedom are not to be trampled on.” – NED NOEL

Inside Out

“I say we lock ourselves in our room and use that one swear word we know. It’s a good one!” – ANGER (LEWIS BLACK)

WE SAID: “A simple story about moving house becomes an achingly moving farewell to childhood.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Pixar magic. The animated film of the year… colourful characters that pull at the heart strings. Simply superb.” – THORINOAK

The Ground We Won

“Don’t really know why you play rugby, to be fair. I think it’s to work up the thirst for afterwards.’ – PEANUT

WE SAID: “There’s a seldom-seen, but often-experienced New Zealand on display that deserves to be embraced.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID:”You have to see this doco… a slice of kiwi life embracing the footy religion.”
– SMILEYFACE

Mistress America

“I’m so impressed by you and so worried for you at the same time.”
– TRACY (LOLA KIRKE)

WE SAID: “An invigorating flight of fancy, agreeably silly but secretly serious.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “The funniest film of the year.” – RED

SICARIO

“Nothing will make sense to your American ears, and you will doubt everything that we do, but in the end you will understand.”– ALEJANDRO (BENICIO DEL TORO)

WE SAID: “Stylish, smart and exciting, this is what can happen when artists make entertainment: you get art that entertains.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Intense, thought-provoking thriller… beautifully crafted movie, with the sound and cinematography arresting you from the very beginning.” – LOOKALIVEADS

BIRDMAN

“Shave off that pathetic goatee. Get some surgery. Sixty’s the new thirty, motherf-cker!” – RIGGAN/BIRDMAN (MICHAEL KEATON)

WE SAID: “To be surprised at the cinema may be rare. To be amazed is something else entirely.”
(Read full review)

YOU SAID: “What a way to start off the year! Micheal Keaton was amazing and the big plus for me was seeing Edward Norton [in a] major role.” – MANAV-YADAV

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

“How do we blow it up? There’s always a way to do that.”
– HAN SOLO (HARRISON FORD)

WE SAID: “To exit the cinema with not just a sense of relief but joyous excitement says it all.”
(Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Well done JJ Abrams. It was wonderful to watch such a strong a capable female lead surrounded with touches of the past.” – KATEADELAIDE

FORCE MAJEURE

“I’m a bloody victim of my own instincts!” – TOMAS (JOHANNES KUHNKE)

WE SAID: “One disaster leads to another when one cowardly action becomes the gravitational point of some damn fine comedy that’s as dry as it is black.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “The cast are pitch perfect, as is the sly script and deft direction that make this a funny and dark drama of manners to be savoured.” -ADAMDRAMATRAIN

EX MACHINA

“I’m gonna tear up the f-ckin’ dance floor, dude. Check it out.”
– NATHAN (OSCAR ISAAC)

WE SAID: “Ex Machina is an outstanding noir thriller, disguised as a brilliant sci-fi exploration, wrapped in an architectural orgasm. See it. Immerse yourself in it. Debate it. Love it.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Edge of the seat thrilling, and rife with arguments that you can have with friends for weeks afterwards. One of the best sci-fi films I’ve seen in years.” -A-J2

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

“Out here, everything hurts. You wanna get through this? Do as I say. Now pick up what you can – and run.” – FURIOSA (CHARLIZE THERON)

WE SAID: “A modern action classic that’s not beholden to contemporary or past stylistic trends, Fury Road is its own unique beast, perhaps beamed in from a parallel universe where the last thirty years of action movies have been this bloody good the whole time.” (Read full review)

YOU SAID: “Truly brilliant action film, Love the characters. Great to see limited CGI, made the film that much better.” – ROBB-MORISON

See All

news

48HoursNZ: how to prepare for the big filmmaking weekend

Listening to this new 3-episode 48Hours podcast could save you a mountain of time and stress.

Liam Maguren

news

NZ box office report: The Fall Guy lands in top spot

Our weekly guide to what’s happening at the Aotearoa box office.

Steve Newall

news

How to watch the UEFA Europa League football Semi Finals in NZ today

The UEFA Europa League season is poised to ignite the passions of football enthusiasts across Europe, promising an exciting spectacle of top-tier club competition.