1. "Spotlight"(2015)
Organized religion is dying. That's called progress, and we have the dogged determination of a group of Boston Globe reporters for exposing the insidious underbelly of the Catholic Church with their Pulitzer Prize-winning work in 2002. Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams are all riveting as they discover that a staggering amount of priests have been accused of child molestation. A decades-long cover-up amounts to a massive worldwide scandal that should leave you thinking twice about Sunday school. "Spotlight" is an important movie, a tribute to good journalism that more than earns it's comparisons to "All the President's Men". Director Tom McCarthy didn't just make 2015's Best Picture, he made one of the hundred best films I've ever seen.
2. "The Revenant"(2015)
Leonardo DiCaprio had to wrestle a grizzly bear and trek 200 miles in the freezing cold to claim that elusive Best Actor Oscar(he had four previous nominations). The survival story of 1820s big-game hunter Hugh Glass is simply extraordinary(even with obvious embellishments), and was certainly overdue for this gorgeous big-screen treatment. Tom Hardy is terrific as the scary frontiersman that leaves him for dead, and may have deserved to triumph in an extremely tight Supporting Actor race even more. Now let's talk about Alejandro Inarritu. Thanks in no small part to Emmanuel Lubezki's stunning cinematography, the Mexican master may be the best director on the planet, and he has the back-to-back Oscars to prove it.
3. "The Hateful Eight"(2015)
Quentin Tarantino's eighth feature(he counts "Kill Bill" as one) packs another colorful rogues gallery into a cold secluded cabin for a violent three-hour Western version of "Reservoir Dogs"(complete with an Oscar-winning Ennio Morricone score!). QT's love for this genre is well-known to his legions of die-hard fans, and "Eight" is every bit as great as "Django Unchained", even if the box office says otherwise. Kurt Russell and his handlebar head up an astounding ensemble that includes Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen and Channing Tatum. Jennifer Jason Leigh's feisty fugitive needs to be singled out for special praise, and last but certainly not least, there's Sam Jackson. No actor has ever(or will ever) deliver Tarantino's dynamite dialogue with more guttural gusto.
4. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"(2015)
In case you didn't know, Disney bought "Star Wars" in 2012. I know I'm not the only one that quietly craved Episode VII, but it wasn't George Lucas that finally gave us the LONG-awaited sequel to "Return of the Jedi". Director J.J. Abrams(and Kathleen Kennedy) awakened the most colossal film franchise in the known universe, and the result was the highest-grossing movie of all time. Harrison Ford's return as Han Solo had older fans orgasmic, while newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and the diabolical Adam Driver ensured that the Force was strong in the younger generation. Sure, Abrams borrows his story beats from 1977. You don't mess with perfection. "Star Wars" is still the premier source of cinematic escapism, and all pretenders need to bow before the First Order. Now bring on Episode VIII.
5. "The Big Short"(2015)
The '08 financial crisis is handled in a more fast-paced, humorous and entertaining fashion than it had any right to, courtesy of writer-director Adam McKay("Anchorman"). You see, Reagan deregulated the banks, which started using complex language to confuse normal folks into believing they could afford bigger, better cars, homes etc. Margot Robbie explains some of this in a bubble bath. Christian Bale is the acting standout here, mighty impressive considering the faces of Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt also adorn the DVD cover. Keep a close eye on your cash, and tell anyone who will listen that there's nothing 'boring' about this irreverent economics class.
6. "Room"(2015)
Brie Larson broke out from the pack of promising under-thirty actresses with her affecting turn as a kidnapped woman in this unconventional indie drama based on an acclaimed 2010 novel. Lenny Abrahamson's film is really about the durability of the human spirit under extreme duress and the unbreakable bond between mother and son. Brie was rightly rewarded with the Best Actress Oscar, and her young costar Jacob Tremblay's sensitive, moving performance should have been formally recognized. I didn't want to leave that room. You won't either.
7. "Bridge of Spies"(2015)
Steven Spielberg and his favorite leading man Tom Hanks team-up for the fourth time, and the Academy Awards predictably took notice. These two highly decorated history buffs enlightened us about James B. Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer turned CIA hostage negotiator at the height of the Cold War in the early 1960s. Stage vet Mark Rylance stepped into the big leagues as a sympathetic Soviet spy, pulling off a Best Supporting Actor Oscar upset in the process. "Spies" is nourishing entertainment for those of us whose diet consists of more than just superhero movies.
8. "Inside Out"(2015)
I've said it before, I'll say it again- the Pixar crew are geniuses. They've made this world a better place for children of all ages. I was filled with joy as I met Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust- all of the emotions that live inside the mind of a little girl as she deals with the anxiety of moving with her family from Minnesota to San Francisco. This clever set-up proves that Disney has the best creative minds in the business as well as some of the most technically skilled at their disposal. "Out" walked out with the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and a $356 million domestic box office haul. The talented voice actors include Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling and Richard Kind.
9. "Straight Outta Compton"(2015)
We're at a point in pop history where the birth of hip-hop as a mainstream cultural force has achieved an equal amount of interest and esteem as Elvis and the Beatles used to get. The N.W.A.(Niggaz Wit Attitudes, for the uninitiated) shook up the music scene at the tail end of the 1980s, and made those hair bands seem lame before anyone had heard of Nirvana. Director F. Gary Gray was ideally suited to chronicle their expletive-laden exploits, that would ultimately result in key figures like Dr. Dre and Ice Cube finding fame and fortune that went way beyond their inner-city origins. "Compton" is a crackling biopic, with or without the chronic.
10. "Creed"(2015)
Writer-director Ryan Cooglar and Michael B. Jordan reunited two years after their film festival favorite "Fruitvale Station" for an unlikely resurrection of one of cinema's most beloved properties. Sylvester Stallone had seemingly given his iconic creation a proper sendoff in 2006's "Rocky Balboa". It turned out that the champ was merely on hiatus, because the bastard son of Apollo needs help following in his father's footsteps. Rocky VII(as it could accurately be called) is a seamless extension of the seminal boxing saga, and Sly is as good as he's ever been in the role that fits him like a glove. The jacked Jordan has 21st Century fight fans firmly in his corner- I have a feeling we'll all be there for "Creed II" in 2018.
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