2015 is coming to an ending and honestly, thank goodness it was over. It was an alright year that had a lot of things happening but it was also a tough one where I didn’t get to see as many films as I wanted to as I was also dealing with personal things. Notably the passing of my dog Prissy on October 9 as it’s something I’m still not over as the recent passing of Lemmy Kilmister and Scott Weiland has hit me quite hard as well. It was a tough year as the only thing to do left is to see what I saw in the entire year and reflect on it.
In the year of 2015, I saw a total of 420 films in 258 first-timers and 162 re-watches. Not bad though it was very short of a personal goal that I was aiming for in 2015 which was to see 500 films for the year. Maybe I’ll try that again for another time. Among these highlights are the films that I saw for the 2015 Blind Spot Series as here is how I rank them:
1. Suspiria
2. The Long Goodbye
3. Singin' in the Rain
4. Man with a Movie Camera
5. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
6. The Human Condition Trilogy
7. Scarface
8. My Darling Clementine
9. Charulata
10. The General
11. Sullivan's Travels
12. Alphaville
2015 was a damn good year in not just the Blind Spots that I saw but also in the numerous amount of first-timers that I saw. Some of which were old films and some were new or recent films. This list of the 50 best First-Timers that I saw for 2015 as there were some that were better than my Blind Spot choices. I should note that the list will feature films that came out before the year 2010 as the films from 2010 to 2015 will be part of a future list of the best films of the 2010s coming in 2020. Maybe. Here are the 50 Best First-Timers that I saw for 2015:
1. House
2. Hiroshima Mon Amour
3. Patton
4. Cleo from 5 to 7
5. The Straight Story
6. Children of Paradise
7. Red Desert
8. Dressed to Kill
9. Sherlock Jr.
10. Mother
11. My Life as a Dog
12. Escape from New York
13. El Sur
14. La Cienaga
15. The Freshman
16. Au Revoir Les Enfants
17. Il Sorpasso
18. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
19. Cria Cuervos
20. I Stand Alone
21. Trafic
22. The Ascent
23. Bay of Angels
24. The Great Train Robbery
25. Elevator to the Gallows
26. A Night at the Opera
27. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
28. The Headless Woman
29. The Cameraman
30. Tess
31. Du cote de la cote
32. The Fire Within
33. Ride the High Country
34. Zazie Dans Le Metro
35. Beauty and the Beast
36. In the Mouth of Madness
37. Pierrot Le Fou
38. The Crowd
39. To Catch a Thief
40. Intolerance
41. Horse Feathers
42. The Magician
43. Donkey Skin
44. Reds
45. Stromboli
46. Europa '51
47. Journey to Italy
48. Dial M for Murder
49. Sweet Smell of Success
50. The Earrings of Madame de...
2015 was a big year in terms of the film I saw but it was also a year of some major discoveries and events that came throughout the year. Here are things that were important to me in 2015:
1. Xavier Dolan
No filmmaker this year made an impact for me than Xavier Dolan. Before 2015, I had heard of him but hadn’t seen anything about him. There was no way to ignore him as I decided to see his films for an Auteurs piece on him and it is clear that man is for real. What is more surprising that he is in his 20s and is already making films that wannabe filmmakers or established filmmakers wish they could do. For me, he’s made three films that will be among the some of the best films ever along with music videos that are phenomenal and two more films that add to his status as the best filmmaker working today.
2. Ring of Honor
Having now becoming disconnected with the WWE and its awful product, there was a need for me to find an alternative. While there is New Japan and Lucha Underground, I couldn’t find the time to watch and record the former while I don’t have access to watch the latter. I have heard of Ring of Honor for years but never found the chance to watch them on TV as they have been a source of comfort for me. It took me a while to get used to their production values as well as the fact that they’re all wrestling and nothing else but it was exactly what I needed. Just good in-ring action with amazing talent and champions that are credible.
3. The Rise of Strong Female Protagonists
For me, this was a great year for great women characters in films. Whether it’s Melissa McCarthy being funny and kicking ass in Spy, Brie Larson trying to be strong and deal with reality for her son in Room, or Mia Wasikowska being in a haunted house with ghosts in Crimson Peak. It was a year where some of the world’s best filmmakers and some of Hollywood’s key players decide to let the ladies rule. Yet, the best example come in not one but two of some of the best features of the year in the world of blockbuster cinema. Charlize Theron’s performance as Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road and Daisy Ridley’s breakthrough performance as Rey in The Force Awakens are a key example of women being the ones kicking ass and taking names.
4. Finally Attending a 70mm Screening.
Having been immersed in the world of films, there were a lot of things that I want to do and there’s still some things I would love to do as someone that loves films. This past Monday, I finally crossed something off the bucket list where I finally attended my first 70mm screening for The Hateful Eight. This is second time I attended a roadshow screening (the first was Che in early 2009) as I knew this was going to be an event. Especially for a film like this as I felt I was experience something that rarely happens in film as it still feels fresh. At the same time, you get a sense of what it was like back then and what it could be in an age where movies are being treated as commodities rather than something else.
5. David Lynch
Knowing that Twin Peaks is going to return in 2017, I knew it was time to do an Auteurs piece on him as it would also allow me to revisit some of his work as well as see the short films that he did. It also gave me the chance to see the show that made him an icon in Twin Peaks though I’m about half-way finished with the second and final season which I hope to complete in early 2016. It is no question that he is one of the finest figures in popular culture and in cinema as maybe the return of Twin Peaks will give him the chance to make possibly one more film.
Well, that is all for 2015. It was a rough year but one that was also kind of fun. Now it’s time to move on and get ready for the New Year. Until then, this is thevoid99 saying Happy New Year and goodbye to 2015.
© thevoid99 2015
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