Justin’s list of picks and pans, plus, a sneak peek at 2016
Matt Damon stranded on Mars. The beginnings of Dr. Dre’s and Ice Cube’s hip-hop careers. Robert De Niro working for Anne Hathaway. Reese Witherspoon with a ridiculous Texan accent. Another schmaltzy Nicholas Sparks adaptation. And perhaps the single worst Marvel comic book movie ever made. What do these six films have in common? Well, they made my list for either the 10 best or worst films of 2015.
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Over the last 12 months, Hollywood once again shell-shocked with a bombardment of films. I had the opportunity to see a grand total of 52 movies this past year which is now a new record for me. That meant I was at the movies virtually every weekend without exception.
In addition to my annual 10 best list, for the first time ever, I’m including my pick for the 10 worst movies of the year.
Out of those 52 films, 20 of them made an impression on me. They made me do one of two things: They either made me grateful and gratified for my job or they each stole two hours (give or take) of my life that I will never, ever get back. Plus, like I do every year, I have also included my pick for runner-up, meaning a movie that came close to making my list, but it didn’t quite do it.
So, without further ado, let the countdowns begin!
The 10 best movies of ’15:
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
3. The Martian
4. Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation
5. Inside Out
6. Furious 7
7. Straight Outta Compton
8. The Intern
9. Kingsman: The Secret Service
10. The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Runner-up: Cinderella
The 10 worst of ’15:
1. Mortedcai
2. Tie: Krampus/Love the Coopers
3. Hot Pursuit
4. Fantastic Four
5. The Last Witch Hunter
6. The Longest Ride
7. Taken 3
8. Pan
9. The Transporter Refueled
10. Get Hard
Runner-up: American Ultra
And there you have it. The best of the best and the bottom of the barrel. All of my picks for the 10 best of the year are currently available on Blu-Ray and DVD. The Martian is expected to be released on January 12th while Straight Outta Compton and The Intern are both coming a week later on January 19th. As for the 10 worst list, I wouldn’t recommend them if they were on free late-night cable.
With those lists, we bring another year of film to a close. Now, we can look forward to seeing what Hollywood has in store for us in 2016. With that in mind, here’s a sneak peek of my most highly anticipated 16 films of ’16!
The Finest Hours (Jan. 29th)
Hail, Caesar! (Feb. 5th)
Deadpool (Feb. 12th)
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Mar. 25th)
The Jungle Book (Apr. 15th)
Captain America: Civil War (May 6th)
Alice Through the Looking Glass (May 27th)
X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27th)
Finding Dory (June 17th)
Independence Day: Resurgence (June 24th)
The Legend of Tarzan (July 1st)
Ghostbusters (July 15th)
Suicide Squad (Aug. 5th)
The Accountant (Oct. 7th)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Nov. 18th)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Dec. 16th)
Please keep in mind that these released dates can change, so make sure you keep track of when each of these movies are coming out. I’ll be at the movies as often as possible in 2016 and who knows? You just might see some of these titles on either list next year.
Until next time, this is Justin Hall wishing all of you a very safe and happy New Year and as always, I’ll see you AT THE MOVIES!
