2015, Academy Award Nominees, Animation, Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman, Comedy, David Thewlis, Drama, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan

Anomalisa (2015)

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This post is a first. It is my first-ever post on an animated movie. After 260+ posts, I had to add an animation category under my genres. I have repeatedly said that I wouldn’t review animated films or documentaries. Still, Charlie Kaufman’s (Synecdoche, New York, screenwriter for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) Anomalisa is not your traditional Pixar or Dreamworks animation. And this isn’t really animation. It’s an entirely different stop-motion animation. Well, it is, and it isn’t. I don’t watch the F/X show Archer or anything on Adult Swim, so I don’t have much of a comparison (if any); Anomalisa was the most adult-oriented animation I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t adult-oriented in the X-rated sense. There wasn’t anything obscene in this movie. It’s just that the themes were very adult-oriented, and you wouldn’t want to be next to a kid while watching this film. I don’t think you’d want to be next to anyone during this film. I would not say that I didn’t like this movie. I did expect to like it much more than I did, as I kept hearing great things about it. But the two prevailing thoughts that I had while seeing this film were 1) I wanted to like it more than I did, and 2) It was uncomfortable to watch at times. It is tough to recommend this movie.

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2015, Adam McKay, Based on a True Story, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Drama, Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, The Big Short

The Big Short (2015)

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Completely flying under the radar in an otherwise crowded December release schedule (Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Concussion, Joy, The Hateful Eight, The Revenant) is Adam McKay’s (Step Brothers, The Other Guys) The Big Short, a movie that is neither short on star power or storytelling. While most will find this movie riveting, it will, unfortunately, hit a little too close to home for many viewers. This movie, while at times challenging to understand, will leave you dumbfounded that what happened happened not in some far-off land in a time long ago but right here in our own backyard just a few years ago. I promise not to explain this movie and then discuss some pros and cons. I will do my absolute best not to provide spoilers in this review.

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2015, Comedy, Drama, Emma Stone, Irrational Man, Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Woody Allen

Irrational Man (2015)

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Irrational Man is not a terrible movie. If you are a fan of Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine), there’s no reason why you shouldn’t see this movie, despite its rather lukewarm reviews (42% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 48% audience score). This movie didn’t fare well at the box office, earning just over $4 million. This movie completely flew under my radar. I cannot recall seeing a preview for it until I scrolled through some selections on my Video On Demand network. The movie intrigued me in the same way Midnight in Paris did. Irrational Man was a movie that I did not think I would love but felt would hold my interest. It is not as good as Midnight in Paris, nor does it claim to be.

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2015, Based on a True Story, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, Drama, James Badge Dale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Robert Zemeckis, Suspense, The Walk

The Walk (2015)

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The Walk, the 2015 film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer, Don John), put director Robert Zemeckis back into the driver’s seat of the unique, quirky, character-driven drams he is best known for. While he can do the heavier dramas quite effectively (Flight, Cast Away, Contact), we remember him less for these movies than some of his other movies. Known for his ability to incorporate technology while still telling emotional stories, The Walk does just that. After looking at his filmography, I see that this is the first movie Zemeckis has ever directed based on a true story. He does a good job. While The Walk is not one of the 20 best movies of 2015, it is entertaining, and many more people will leave the movie liking it than disliking it.

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2015, Based on a True Story, Bill Camp, Bill Pohlad, Drama, Elizabeth Banks, John Cusack, Love & Mercy, Musical and Performing Arts, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti

Love & Mercy (2015)

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Love & Mercy, the Brian Wilson biopic that shows two time periods of The Beach Boys’ life’s most recognizable face, is one of the most underrated movies of 2015. Forget whatever you know or think you know about Brian Wilson. For me, that was absolutely nothing. I knew he was a member of The Beach Boys, but that was about it. After seeing this movie, I’m not really a fan of The Beach Boys, but I have a new appreciation for the band, especially for Brian Wilson. While the band is known for its carefree car tunes like Surfin USA, I Get Around, and California Girls, not all were as peachy as I thought. I’ve always considered The Beach Boys one of those bands that didn’t have a lot of substance in their songs. Not being a Mr. Happy Go Lucky type guy and having been to the beaches of California only a couple of times, I couldn’t relate to their music like I could a Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen. Their songs, to me, were just that. Peachy. While I will not go out and buy their entire anthology, I will listen to some of their songs, which I might not have in the past. Initially, I had no intention of seeing this movie. I thought it was a documentary at first. But I’m glad I decided to see it. Every fan of the band and everyone who enjoys a good biopic should go out and see this movie.

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