You can see five movies from my final list of Best Movies of 2015 in theaters this week. This is a list of the very best 21 of the 155 2015 movies that I’ve seen.
- The Revenant, an awesome and authentic survival tale that must be seen on the BIG SCREEN.
- Creed, the newest and entirely fresh chapter in the Rocky franchise; it’s about the internal struggle of three people, not just The Big Fight.
- The Irish romantic drama Brooklyn is an audience-pleaser with a superb performance by Saoirse Ronan.
- Spotlight – a riveting, edge-of-your-seat drama with some especially compelling performances.
- The Big Short – a supremely entertaining thriller – both funny and anger-provoking.
- (a sixth top film, 45 Years, will be released in the Bay Area next week.)
Two more choices:
- The Hateful Eight, a Quentin Tarantino showcase for Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins and Jennifer Jason Leigh, but a movie that’s not for everyone.
- Carol – a vividly told tale of forbidden love.
I’m not a fan of Joy or The Danish Girl.
My DVD/Stream of the week is the space adventure The Martian – with all the best that a Hollywood movie can offer. You can rent The Martian on DVD from Netflix now and from Redbox on February 9. You can stream it on Amazon Video, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube and Google Play.
On January 26, Turner Classic Movies screens Spike Lee’s debut feature She’s Gotta Have It. Watch for Spike himself supplying the comic relief as the unforgettable Mars Blackmon. I still remember going to the theater in 1986 on the recommendation of Siskel & Ebert and feeling so excited about discovering a talented new auteur.
