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With Christmas over and 2015 quickly coming to a close, I figured I would spend the next few posts going over the movies that were released this year.  This was a huge year for movies.  I would love to tell you that I’ve seen every movie this year, but that would be a lie.  There were simply way too many for me to catch, either in theaters or on DVD.  Remember, this is my personal list, so if I didn’t mention one that you thought should be on this list, I probably didn’t get to it.  The movies released this year were mostly sequels, reboots and/or remakes.  Doesn’t necessarily mean they were all bad, a good chunk of them were actually really good.  But, a good chunk of these movies were also really, really bad.  Now, understand, some of these movies may not necessarily be critical success, but the ones I found particularly entertaining.  For this post, I’m going to go over what I thought were some of the best movies I’ve seen this year.   Now:  On to the BEST MOVIES OF 2015!!

10.  

Maggie is quite the surprise that I found earlier this year.  There’s nothing particularly original about the film, but it’s not your typical zombie movie.  It’s more of a drama with an emphasis on family and the consequences of the titular character being bitten by a zombie.  Unlike most zombie movies, the transformation into a zombie isn’t immediate.  It takes a couple of weeks according to the film.  Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the father of Abigail Breslin’s character.  This is not an action-packed movie, but it is a very compelling experience, mainly due to the performances of Arnold and Abigail.  The interaction between the two characters is simply wonderful, with Schwarzenegger delivering one of the best performances of his career.  It’s not a perfect movie, but it is definitely a well-made film.

9.

Oddly enough, one of my favorite action movies of the year is a disaster picture.  This movie opens with a bang and doesn’t let up.  It certainly doesn’t hurt that the film is anchored by a strong performance by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.  Scientific accuracy/inaccuracy aside, the idea of the San Andreas Fault setting off a chain reaction is actually rather spectacular.  Buildings collapse, people falling out of buildings, and massive tidal waves.  Yeah, it’s your standard run-of-the-mill disaster flick, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.  Awesome special effects, epic and cheesy music and a breakneck pace make for a decent hour and a half.

8.

Believe it or not, one of my favorite pictures of 2015 is a direct-to-video sequel.  It’s also the latest entry into one of my favorite franchises, Tremors.  The original film was something a classic when it came out back in 1990, and it managed to get 4 sequels and a television series.  None of it was actually terrible.  Tremors 5 takes us to Africa where the ravenous Graboids have resurfaced in a meaner capacity.  For a DTV film, it’s got some pretty decent visual effects and CG.  With wild performances by series staple, Michael Gross as Burt Gummer and Jamie Kennedy as Welker.  It’s well shot and has a pretty decent sense of humor, while also being very intense and thrilling.  Not bad for a DTV sequel, eh?

7.  

The original Jurassic Park remains one of the most revolutionary and visually spectacular films I’ve ever seen.  You couldn’t tell where the animatronics ended and the CGI began.  After two sub-par sequels, we finally get a worthy follow-up to Jurassic Park.  With Jurassic World, we finally get to see an actual park open to the public.  There’s a ton of CGI, but still….DINOSAURS!!  Now, with any good sci-fi flick, we get scientists doing what they should never do, and that’s play God with things that were better left extinct.  Typical….so typical.  Jurassic World is a fun romp through an island with Chris Pratt in the lead.  This guy could be the next action hero.  It’s got problems, but it’s still a hefty blockbuster.

6. 

Of the superhero movies that were released this year, Ant-Man is easily the best one.  It’s essentially a heist movie that happens to have a superhero.  The writing is spot on, with some amazing performances by Paul Rudd, who plays Scott Lang, and Michael Douglas, who plays Dr. Hank Pym.  I missed this one in theaters because I thought it looked kind of stupid.  Boy, I’m glad I was wrong, because this film is really a great deal of fun.  It’s got a sense of humor and some pretty impressive visual effects.  One of the best things about this movie is that it’s not about saving the world.  It’s a much smaller kind of superhero movie, and one that is really worth seeing.

5.  

This one’s a bit of a cheat, as The Green Inferno was technically finished back in 2013, but Eli Roth couldn’t find a distributor.  The film was finally released towards the end of September.  Wow.  Let me tell you, this one is a brutal piece of cinema.  The film is Eli Roth’s love letter to Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust, which was a very savage film itself.  But Eli Roth, being Eli Roth, he decided to really jab the whole Social Justice Warrior thing right in the eye, with an inexperienced group of people heading into the Amazon to “protect” a local tribe from extinction.  What they don’t know is that the tribe they want to protect are cannibals.  What follows is a gruesome and gory spectacle that doesn’t slow down.  If you’re a fan of Eli Roth, this one needs to be seen.  It’s a horror movie, so it’s not going to be for everybody.  I loved the hell out of it, though.

4. 

The Western is a particular favorite genre of mine.  From The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly to Tombstone, the Western is one of the most well-known genres of both film and TV.  Most Westerns are generally American-made.  You don’t really see a European-made American Western that often, though.  The Salvation is one of the most interesting and intense Westerns I’ve ever seen.  That’s due in part to Mads Mikkelsen’s steel-eyed performance.  Eva Green is also great, even though she doesn’t say a damn thing.  It’s a revenge thriller set in the Old West as Mikkelson’s character is beset by tragedy is his family is brutally murdered.  This film has some really great shots and scenery as it was shot on location in South Africa.  This was one of my favorite movies of the year.

3. 

Martial arts movies are a particular specialty of mine.  I tend to know which ones are good and which ones are bad.  Redeemer is one of the good ones.  Featuring a fairly solid performance by Marko Zaror, who also choreographed the film’s fight scenes, Redeemer is actually a very solid actioner with a message of sorts.  Marko Zaror plays a former hitman who takes out criminals and the corrupt if they refuse to ask for forgiveness.  Zaror is one of the most spectacular martial arts actors in the industry today.  At 6’2″, he’s pretty damn big, but he moves like Jackie Chan.  The movie gets pretty brutal at times, but it is pretty memorable.

2. 

Mad Max: Fury Road has been in development for over a decade, going through multiple incarnations.  At one point, Mel Gibson was attached to reprise his role, but after his meltdown, the project was shelved.  In the summer, Fury Road was finally released to critical acclaim.  This is a very solid action film, featuring Tom Hardy as Max and the Charlize Theron as Furiosa.  Theron pretty much steals the show.  With an emphasis on practical effects and stunt-work, Fury Road is one of the most spectacular action films of the year.  It’s also a worthy follow-up to Mel Gibson’s films.  There’s definitely CGI involved, especially during the storm sequence, but it just adds to the experience.  It’s nuts, plain and simple.

And my number one film of 2015 is….drum roll, please:

I’ll be honest with you, I was not expecting Star Wars to be as good as it was.  I’ve already seen it twice, and I plan on seeing it again.  This is the movie that the fans have been waiting for, and it was J.J. Abrams who delivered.  Yeah, it follows the same story beats as the original film, but it also gives us something fresh.  The new characters, Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren are some of the most compelling characters in the entire series.  You follow that up with an incredible performance by Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and with some of the most incredible effects I’ve seen in Star Wars, and you have one of the best entries in the entire Star Wars Saga.  With a great story, great characters and great action, The Force Awakens reminds me why I was a fan of Star Wars in the first place.  Anybody who knows me, knows that this may have been pretty predictable, but it surprised the hell out of me.  Not only is it a great movie, it is a great sequel.  I can only hope that Rian Johnson can up the ante with Episode VIII.  Yeah, The Force Awakens leaves questions to be answered, but these are the questions that you WANT answered.  Hopefully, they will be.

Those are my picks for my favorite movies of 2015.  Yeah, they fall heavy on the blockbuster side, but honestly, I had a hell of a lot of fun with these movies.  These aren’t the only ones that I saw this year, but they are very good.  My next post will be about the ones that AREN’T so good.

Before I begin with this post, I just want to mention that’s been a year since I started this site.  I would like to thank each and everyone who has taken the time just to read what I’ve had say and share over this past year.  This post marks the start of a very interesting and satisfying adventure.  Whether or not you posted a reply to one of my reviews or posts, I very much appreciate it.  For all the spammers who’ve tried to worm their way onto this thing:  F**k you.  In this post I will be talking about some of the most memorable moments in film that have not only captured my imagination but many others as well.  These are fairly iconic in many respects, but not all of them.  These moments had the most profound effect on me not only as a child but as an adult as well.  This is not just for me, but for you as well.  Enjoy.

TREMORS:

Tremors is one of those rare movies that defies convention and expectations.  This came out in 1990, and it was quite possibly one of the best movies that year.  It captures a lot of the elements from monster movies of the 50’s, while injecting it with an incredible sense of humor.  The movie had great monsters, characters, and was just a total blast all the way through.  This moment basically sets the goofy tone for the rest of the film, which is loaded with fantastic writing and funny moments.  Tremors is one of those movies that’s nearly perfect in every way.  I can’t stop watching it, even 25 years later.  It’s rated PG-13 and has a pretty devoted fan-base, myself included.

DUNE(1984):

Dune was an interesting movie.  It was directed by David Lynch, who has been known to make some pretty crazy films.  Dune had some issues regarding studio interference and budget issues.  The film wound up not doing very well in theaters.  The film seems to have found its audience on home video, however.  This scene of Paul Atreides riding the giant sandworm is one of the most iconic scenes in the film.  It draws you in with amazing visuals and sound.  The music really lays on the epic feel of the film, as these guys are getting ready for battle.  It knocks you on your butt when you realize how well done this movie actually is.  People have criticized for not following the book exactly, but let’s be honest:  Frank Herbert’s book isn’t exactly an easy book to get into.  Dune is a misunderstood masterpiece.  Personally, I love it.

ENTER THE DRAGON:

Enter The Dragon is considered by many people to be the greatest martial arts movie ever made, and it’s really hard to argue with that assessment.  Bruce Lee’s last fully completed film before he died, Enter The Dragon features some of the coolest fight scenes I’ve ever seen.  Lee himself is phenomenal.  This fight with Han’s bodyguard shows how fast Lee is.  The choreography is amazing, and it really has emotional impact.  Dragon has many fantastic moments, but this one really stands out.

ALIENS:

Come on, how could I NOT put this one on here?  I’ve been a HUGE fan of the Alien franchise from the moment I first saw Ridley Scott’s film.  It’s one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises in the world, with millions of fans.  Again, the film is replete with incredibly awesome moments, but the one where Ripley faces off against the alien queen in a powerloader is just….perfect.  Sigourney Weaver’s performance in James Cameron’s film earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which was and still is unheard of for science fiction films.  That’s how good this movie is.  But this final fight is just awesome.

GHOSTBUSTERS:

This is the only entry on this list to feature a theme song.  It’s the Ghostbusters theme by Ray Parker, Jr.  Movie themes rarely get more iconic than this.  It’s a perfect song for one of the best sci-fi/horror comedies in cinema history.  It’s an incredible movie that is not only exciting, but absolutely hilarious.  The writing is sharp, witty and on the spot.  Featuring the talents of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Rick Moranis, Ghostbusters takes you on a wild ride with some incredible special effects.  While the sequel isn’t bad, the first film is where it’s at.  It’s a hell of a good time.

THE ABYSS:

The second James Cameron film on this list, The Abyss was one of three underwater movies released in 1989.  This scene features the first use of true CGI.  Cameron and ILM would go on to perfect this technique in Terminator 2 with the T-1000, but this scene is incredible.  The water tentacle is sea water being manipulated by some curious aliens residing at the bottom of a massive trench.  There’s really not much more I can say about this scene, other than it’s amazing.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING:

Some of the most iconic moments in film don’t necessarily have action.  Some of the best and most memorable moments are smaller and more introspective, like this scene from the first LOTR film.  Gandalf speaks to Frodo about Gollum and the proper use of judgment.  It’s quiet and it allows the characters to try and grasp the reasons why they’re in the position their in.  Combine that with Howard Shore’s amazing music and we have a very special moment in the trilogy that’s just amazing to watch.

STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE:

If there is a movie that defined movie magic, it’s Star Wars.  Originally released in 1977, the original film redefined film-making and became one of the biggest movies of the century.  Don’t believe me?  Just watch this scene, which includes the opening crawl and battle.  The moment you see that Star Destroyer fly overhead, you know you’re in for something that you will never forget.  It also shows us the film’s main villain, the iconic Darth Vader.  When it comes to iconic movie moments, Star Wars has yet to be beaten.  This is one that really doesn’t need an explanation.

Well, that’s my personal list for what I consider to be some of the most iconic movie moments in movies.  This is just my opinion, and if you have other suggestions or possible alternatives, feel free to leave a message below.

Feel free to play that over and over and over again.  Anybody who knows me, knows that I’m a HUGE Star Wars nut.  I’m a big fan of all things Star Wars.  Well, almost all things.  The less said about that Christmas special, the better.  Outside of that….and Jar Jar Binks, I love this franchise.  Jedi, Sith, Rebels, the Empire.  It’s all awesome.  While I never got to see the Original Trilogy in theaters, I grew up watching them on VHS.  There is something about Star Wars that speaks to us, to our imaginations.  George Lucas, the creator of all things Force-related, released the original Star Wars in the summer of 1977, not knowing what he was about to unleash.  He unleashed a new era of film-making and science fiction that would change the way we look at movies.  The stories and the characters would become a part of pop culture for decades to come.  Darth Vader would become one of the most iconic villains in film history.  In 1980, the world saw one of the best movie sequels ever: The Empire Strikes Back.  It was darker, more exciting and more emotionally engaging than the original.  It is extremely rare for a sequel to out-perform the original film in every single way, and Empire did just that, by also giving us one of the greatest movie twists ever.  Return of the Jedi, which would release in 1983, was another box-office smash.  While it wasn’t necessarily as good as the previous movies, it was still flat-out amazing with one of the most epic space battles ever created.

13-15 years would pass before Lucas would begin work on the Prequel Trilogy: The story of how Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker, would become Darth Vader.  These ones I did see in theaters, and the experience was overwhelming.  I would see The Phantom Menace three times before it hit home video in 1999.  I only saw Attack of the Clones once during its theatrical run.  Revenge of the Sith, was viewed SIX times by yours truly on the big screen.  I will be truly honest with you:  The Prequel Trilogy has a lot of problems, in terms of character development, writing, dialogue and the over-use of CG effects.  Don’t get me wrong, they were spectacular, and I will love the pod race from Episode 1 until the day I die, but these movies just didn’t have the same…emotional impact that the original movies did.  They felt more like video games than anything.  The battle with Darth Maul and the fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan are some of the most spectacular fights the series has ever seen.

If you had told me a decade ago that George Lucas would eventually surrender has prized franchise to Disney, and that work would begin on a new trilogy,  I would have laughed in your face.  Yet, here we are.  A few years back, George Lucas sells his legendary franchise to Disney for a hefty sum of 4 billion dollars.  On December 18, 2015, we will witness the beginning of a new trilogy in the Star Wars Saga.  The trailer I have posted above is the third and final trailer to The Force Awakens.  Directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, this new entry could be the movie that fans have been wanting since Return of the Jedi.  That was over thirty years ago.  I’ve seen a lot of big movies this year, but I don’t think they’ll come close to this.  I could be wrong, but judging from what I’ve seen in this latest trailer,  Abrams is going to do it justice.  I believe in him.  I really do.  The Force is strong with this one.

I’m going to take some time today to talk about something very, very serious:  Cancer.  Each of us, at some point in our lives, have known somebody that has suffered from some form of cancer and survived or lost their battle with cancer.  It’s a brutal disease that doesn’t have a cure yet.  I say yet, because there are groups of medical scientists that are fighting to find some way to beat this monster.  There are multiple forms of cancer: Liver, prostate, breast, lung, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and leukemia among others.  I bring this up because I’m a frequent visitor to a particular YouTube personality known as Totalbiscuit.  His real name is John Bain and he’s British.  He runs a YouTube channel where he gives first impressions on new PC games.  He also does podcasts and owns and runs an E-sports team for a game called Starcraft II.  He’s quite the character.  He’s funny, smart and not afraid to tell things as he sees them.  He’s one of the most honest YouTubers on the network.  He managed to make it his full-time job, which is quite a feat, actually.  About a year or so ago, he was diagnosed with cancer in his bowels, so ended up fighting that, getting chemotherapy and generous amounts of rest.  A couple of months ago, it seems that he managed to beat the disease.  Awesome right?  For a while, anyway.  Unfortunately, I read this morning on a gaming news website that his cancer had returned.  Apparently spots were discovered in his liver.  This appears to be a very aggressive and terminal kind of cancer, as if there was any other kind, right?  The general life expectancy for someone afflicted with this kind of cancer is 2-3 years.  This is clearly a very shocking and tragic turn of events.  Thankfully, he says he doesn’t feel anything right now, and that he’s going to fight tooth and nail to be an outlier, someone who will defy expectations and hopefully will live a lot longer than his prognosis.  I can’t even imagine what his family is going through right now.  I don’t know the man personally, but I do know people who have lost their battle with cancer.  It’s a very, very difficult thing to come to terms with.  I truly wish John “Totalbiscuit” Bain and his family the very best, and I hope he fights it the best he can.

Cancer is a very complicated form of disease.  It can be treated with chemotherapy and some surgery.  Some people have had success with cancer going into remission, while others like Mr. Bain have unfortunately seen the disease come back stronger than ever.  Cancer doesn’t just affect adults, but children as well, which makes it even more tragic.  There are various cancer research centers that are dedicated to fighting the disease.  One of the most well-known is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  What is special about St. Jude’s is that they are funded mostly by donations. Most of those donations are provided by your average person like you or me.  They are truly dedicated to the best care possible for their patients and it is essentially for free.  This puts St. Jude’s in a very unique position to help people who need it most.  They believe that the care of their patients is far more important than their financial situation.  These guys are the leaders in how life-threatening diseases are treated and beaten.  Not only that, if they make a medical breakthrough as they have in the past, they freely share that information with everybody else.  If you wish to learn more about cancer and it’s various forms, please visit the American Cancer Society.  You can also visit the St. Jude Hospital website with the link that I provided.  Even if you can’t make a donation, please share this information with everybody that you know.  The more we can learn about cancer, the more we can do to fight it.  The cure for cancer is out there, we just have to find it.  This month is Liver and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.