My Top 50 of 2015: 30 - 21

You know the drill by now... It's the end of 2015, lots of films, blah blah blah...

Let's get to the list and cut the bullsh...

30. The Legend of Barney Thomson

Plot

When a Scottish barber’s position within his workplace hierarchy is threatened, he resorts to killing his competition. Unfortunately this occurs when a serial killer is working their way through Glasgow. A rough and tough London detective begins to investigate.

Starring

Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting), Emma Thompson (Harry Potter), Ray Winstone (The Sweeney)

Verdict

This little gem popped up from nowhere and truly surprised me.  This dark comedy (Carlyle's directorial debut) is filled with macabre humour, a cracking script and three tremendous performances from the panicky Carlyle, the grumpy Winstone and the ever-dependable Thompson.

Whilst some of the scenes do feel chewed by Winstone's cranky London detective, if you suspend your disbelief in the chaos on screen, there's a great time to be had.

With hints and elements of fellow dark comedies Fargo and Filth, it is a gruesome but chucklesome comedy.

29. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Plot

To stop a potential terrorist plot, an American CIA agent teams up with a Russian KGB agent at the height of The Cold War. But will a common enemy bring these two opposite sides together?

Starring

Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Armie Hammer (The Social Network), Alicia Vikander (A Royal Affair)

Verdict

I truly did not have high hopes for this one.  An intellectual property from the 1960s revitalised by the hit-and-miss Guy Ritchie, starring the team of leading men from Man of Steel and Lone Ranger?

Actually, it is a whole lot of fun!  Ritchie seems to be emulating his own work, trying to capture the same chemistry that Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law oozed in his own Sherlock Holmes a few years ago.  And whilst Cavill and Hammer are no RDJ and Law, they more than hold their own in this light-hearted throwback to spy adventures of times gone by.

The era is captured perfectly, with major plaudits going to the costume and set design.  The storyline has a bit to be desired as some of the details get lost in the attempts of bromance, but I doubt you'll mind when you're watching pretty people be pretty in pretty places. 

28. American Ultra

Plot

A stoner convenience-store clerk and his girlfriend are going nowhere in life, but they don’t care since they have each other.  However he unwittingly is a sleeper agent, trained by the government to be a living weapon. And his creators are coming to take him out.

Starring

Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Kristen Stewart (Twilight), Topher Grace (Interstellar)

Verdict

I think due to my obvious man-crush on Hollywood screenwriter Max Landis, American Ultra was bound to make this list somewhere.  And whilst the response from most of the film's audience was quite snooty and flippant, I appreciated the twist that Landis and director Nima Nourizadeh gave this film that could have been quite boring without it.

Whilst most of the film's plot can be described as Jason Bourne-esque, the film is essentially a character piece, with Jesse Eisenberg's lovable loser protagonist and his girlfriend, Kristen Stewart, keeping enough of the audience's sympathy in the crazy scenario in which they find themselves. 

Their partnership and chemistry made Adventureland worth a second watch, and the same goes for American Ultra.  Twin that with a maniacal performance by Topher Grace as the government agent aiming to kill Eisenberg and it is a great film to just switch off and enjoy.

27. Macbeth

(Full review can be found here)

Plot

After stopping a plot to overthrow Duncan, the King of Scotland, one of Duncan’s loyal soldiers, Macbeth, is told he will be a future King by three mysterious women. This fuels Macbeth’s drive and ambition to make this prophecy a reality through murder, deception and madness.

Starring

Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds), Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises), Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation)

Verdict

It's easy to say that this film often looks like a genuine work of art, a true cinematic painting.  Scottish landscapes devoid of life and features slowly turn into fields of lavish crimson and fire, with the titular Macbeth slowly turning to madness at the centre.  An Oscar nomination is sorely deserved by the cinematography and art design departments, as the camera can easily hypnotise and mesmerise the audience with just a simple tracking shot.

Despite the beautiful sets and locations perfect casting really brings this Shakespearean adaptation home.  Fassbender, Cotillard, Harris, Considine, Thewlis.  All of them at the top of their game and they lend so much weight to the heavy story being told.

Filled with political ambition, murder and some fantastic performances, Macbeth is truly an emotional experience.  A beautiful and brutal adaptation that's definitely worth paying money for.

26. Straight Outta Compton

Plot

A biopic of the American rap group, the N.W.A and the struggles they encountered growing up in Compton, Los Angeles. With police and politicians fighting against their right of free speech, as well as encountering racial tension throughout their career, disputes over pride and money surround the band in controversy.

Starring

Corey Hawkins (The Walking Dead), Jason Mitchell (Contraband), Paul Giamatti (Sideways)

Verdict

My NWA knowledge before watching Straight Outta Compton was only a few songs, and mainly through notoriety rather than actual listening to them.  Due to this I believe I saw Compton as an earnest biopic of five young Americans trying to make a name for themselves and leave their horrid lives behind.  A rags-to-riches story rather than a tough-as-nails honest truth-telling.  And as a rags-to-riches story, it is a brilliant example of triumph through incredible adversity.

However whilst it does a fantastic job of showing you the group's journey, it fails to truly explore the rivalries and consequences that the lifestyle brings, probably due to the band's involvement in making the film.  Instead favouring to document contract disputes and shoehorn celebrity lookalikes to make the audience go "Oh, look who that's supposed to be!"

A great attempt to tell this story, but I eagerly await an independent view instead of one written by the victors.

25. Big Hero 6

Plot

After a young robotics prodigy is left depressed and alone following the death of a family member, he discovers a robot called Baymax, a healthcare specialist who dedicates himself to fixing him. Together they form a superhero team with college friends to take down a masked man bent on destruction of their city, San Fransokyo.

Starring Featuring the voices of...

Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl), James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential)

Verdict

Another example of how the standards of animated films are gradually improving year after year. Mainly due to the fact I want to live in San Fransokyo. The merging of Japanese and American culture is seamless and Disney should be commended for creating a world I would gladly inhabit.

You usually would worry when an children’s animation would attempt to tackle difficult issues like depression and the effect a death in the family can have on a child. However with Disney being behind the wheel, you feel safe to trust them to handle it delicately and honestly, which is definitely the case.

Encouraging children that education can be exciting, whilst promoting embracing your quirky side, and all with a kick-ass soundtrack from Fall Out Boy, Big Hero 6 has been described as ‘Frozen - For Boys’ but it’s truly for any kid who has needed a friend in a time of distress.

24. Foxcatcher

Plot

Loosely based on the true story of millionaire John du Pont and his recruitment of Olympic gold medallist brothers Mark and Dave Schultz to help coach future U.S. Olympic wrestlers. A friendship grows between du Pont and the two brothers, but a hidden animosity resides behind the scenes that will blow up in unexpected ways.

Starring

Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street), Steve Carell (Anchorman), Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers)

Verdict

A chilling crime drama featuring fantastic performances from the three main leads. Carell is almost unrecognisable under his prosthetics, twinned with his ethereal and unpredictable nature makes him an incredible screen presence from which you can’t turn away.

Mark Ruffalo got a lot of praise for his performance as Dave Schultz but hardly any was given to Channing Tatum as his younger brother that I thought was a much more complicated and difficult role which Tatum made seem effortless.

Personally I wanted the film to delve deeper into the character of John du Pont, but that’s surely just a testament to Carell’s mesmerising performance.

23. Amy

Plot

A documentary describing the troubled life and premature death of fabulously talented singer Amy Winehouse.

Starring

Amy Winehouse

Verdict

Similarly to his previous documentary Senna, the BAFTA-winning director Asif Kapadia again manages to delve to the heart of the matter at hand in an incredibly simplistic and effective way.  

Through the use of stock footage, personal home videos and behind the scenes of her music videos, we see Amy Winehouse away from the paparazzi's spotlight.  We glimpse the ordinary woman we all forgot she was when caught up in the media storm around her struggles with addiction.  All the while, audio testimony from Amy's family and friends describe her life before and after she became famous.

Rightfully becoming the most successful documentary in UK box office history, Amy is an incredibly moving and truly powerful examination of how the media can twist the public perception of someone simply crying out for help.

22. The Hallow

Plot

Set in rural Ireland, a British conservationist moves close to a supposedly hallowed forest with the intention of helping cut it down. The locals warn him and his wife to take their baby and leave, for fear of upsetting the the forest-dwelling fairyfolk, but they foolishly ignore their warnings.

Starring

Joseph Mawle (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Bojana Novakovic (Devil), Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones)

Verdict

This film totally took me by surprise. I expected some kind of cheesy and boring piece of ‘cattle-prod’ cinema, but instead got treated to a tense horror film more akin to Straw Dogs meets Pan’s Labyrinth, with a bit of The Descent and Evil Dead thrown in for good measure.

A refreshing use of practical effects, fantastic creeping-dread throughout and a rational/scientific basis for the monsters made The Hallow stand out from horrors of years-past.

Definitely look out for it coming to DVD/Netflix soon.

21. Bill

(Full review can be found here)

Plot

Made by the team behind Horrible Histories and set in the ‘lost years’ of William Shakespeare’s years in London, Bill suggests the playwright accidentally got caught up in an assassination plot to kill Queen Elizabeth I.

Starring

Matthew Baynton (Peep Show), Simon Farnaby (The Mighty Boosh), Damian Lewis (Homeland)

Verdict

I know I'm probably going to lose a lot of respect or trust for having Bill so high up in my Top 50, but you truly cannot judge me until you see it for yourself.  Despite the modest cast and budget, Bill has one of the funniest and wittiest scripts of any film released this year. 

The only reason it isn't higher in my list is probably due to it's televisual qualities and smaller budget, which is a shame but I truly hope that this is the first of many from this home-grown and talented group.

I know it seems unlikely, but I believe that this film is one that the whole family would easily enjoy.  From it's origins within the Horrible Histories television show, it's credentials are in order and if you don't find yourself laughing out loud at least six or seven times, I'll reimburse you myself!

30 down!  Top 20 next!  Come back this time next week for the next part of my

Top Fifty Films of 2015

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

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