Five 2015 Movies You Should Still Be Stoked About
Let’s be honest – 2015 has been fairly lacklustre in the world of film.
Yes, while we got some delightful surprises such as Mad Max: Fury Road, the year has mostly been peppered with disappointments on both a large (Fantastic Four, Tomorrowland, Terminator: Genisys) and small scale (Ex Machina, Chappie). Even the monumental release of another Avengers film, mired in controversial elements and behind-the-scenes chaos, wasn’t enough to save 2015’s cinematic appeal.
But fear not! Because even though we’re only three months and change from the end of the year, there’s still some potential picks that could reflect favourably on the year overall. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five 2015 movies you should still be stoked about.
5. The Martian
Release date: October 2nd, 2015
Based on Andy Weir’s 2011 novel of the same name, The Martian has all the tools to be another milestone in modern sci-fi, following in the footsteps of last year’s Interstellar (not to mention offering up a second helping of Matt Damon as a stranded astronaut!). The Martian boasts an impressive cast, which includes (beyond Damon) Chiwetel Eijiofor, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover, Jessica Chastain and Jeff Daniels. Adding to the weight here is that the book is being adapted by Drew Goddard, who is on a hot streak lately as both a former writer for Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel, and also the current showrunner for the widely-praised Daredevil series on Netflix. This could finally mean redemption for director Ridley Scott, who still owns us one after making us all sit through Prometheus…
4. Macbeth
Release date: October 2nd, 2015
I admit, maybe this one is for the more literary nerds in the crowd; but while you could argue that we’ve got more than enough Shakespearian adaptations on our hands (including modern retellings like 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s The Man), I put to you that there is a lot for film lovers to love about this upcoming adaptation. First, check out the insanely gorgeous trailer. … No, seriously, go watch it right now. I’ll wait. … Notice how every shot is stunning? Then there’s our leads, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard playing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth respectively, meaning that we’re in store for an acting tour-de-force. And finally: it’s fucking Shakespeare. Come on.
3. Crimson Peak
Release date: October 16th, 2015
Guillermo Del Toro is easily one of the most imaginative talents out there. And while some of his efforts tend to suffer in narrative at the expense of visuals, his passion and commitment to his vision alone has awarded him a legion of fans. Crimson Peak is his latest effort since actionfest 2013’s Pacific Rim, and is billed as a “gothic romance supernatural vampire horror film”. Del Toro has shown a vested interest in horror for some time, yet it always seems to be an itch he isn’t able to scratch, with his most recent attempt being a couple of video game projects that fell through on him. Horror, while always being profitable, has been in desperate need for reinvention for some time now. Could this effort, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam, finally be the film that breaks the ambitious director into the mainstream?
2. Hateful Eight
Release date: December 25th, 2015
Remember when Tarantino’s latest almost didn’t get made, after the script for Hateful Eight got leaked in January of 2014? The back and forth drama kept a lot of us on the edge of our seats, wondering if we were actually about to get robbed of another Tarantino masterpiece. Fortunately that didn’t come to pass, and we’re now only a couple of months away from another original western by the mastermind himself. The cast includes many of Tarantino’s regulars, such as Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Madsen, but also adds new talents to the roster like Jennifer Jason Leigh and Channing Tatum, who is playing an as-of-yet unidentified role. Tarantino has gone on record as saying that he intends to keep his career filmography short, given that the advent of digital photography and projection has soured his taste on the art of filmmaking, making it a true privilege to continue experiencing him in his renaissance.
1. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Release date: December 18th, 2015
The release of an Episode 7 in the Star Wars saga is something that fans have been dreaming about since 1983, and in December of 2015 that dream is finally becoming a reality. Being a Star Wars fan for this long has been an exercise in dashed hopes and disappointments (and this is coming from someone who attended the midnight screenings for all three prequel films). We’ve suffered through terrible canonical retcons, butchered re-releases of our beloved original trilogy, and a creative overlord who sat on his throne of money and laughed at our pain. Even the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm came as a mixed blessing, with the de-canonizing of the EU, and prompt shutdown of LucasArts game studios. Now, iFn a few short months, we find out if it was all worth it.
Disney has put together an all-star team, both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes. The hype has been building for three years. Each tease we’ve seen of the film has been more tantalizing than the last. From its positioning alone, The Force Awakens could be the prizefighter that finally knocks Titanic and Avatar off of their perch as highest-grossing films of all-time. But will it be that Star Wars film we’ve been waiting for? Will it give us a reason to truly get excited about the franchise again? Or will it turn out to be an manufactured, over-produced mess with no heart?
Frankly, I don’t think I can take another Star Wars-related disappointment… help us, J. J. Abrams. You’re our only hope.
