My 30 favourite films of 2015 (part one #30-21)

I'm not sure 2015 provided us with a stone-cold cinematic masterpiece - like 2014 did with Under The Skin - but there has certainly been some terrific movies released in the UK in the past 12 months. I'm offering up my 30 favourites but could easily have produced a list of 60 or 70 titles, and every single one of them would have come highly recommended. I've seen 184 new pictures this year, a number nowhere near what a professional critic sits through but a bloody good haul all the same, I think you'll agree. They include everything from Hard To Be A God (a wearing but visually stunning three-hour Russian film in black and white) to Get Hard (a rape-obsessed 'comedy' starring Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart) and all points in between. 

Of course, being a UK film fan and blogger can be a frustrating experience because this sceptred isle's release schedule is so out of sync with those of a great many other countries. You'll find Birdman, Whiplash and Appropriate Behaviour on this list because they were released in the UK in 2015. But they are, in truth, movies that belong to 2014. Likewise, films such as The Hateful Eight and The Revenant, which have already been released in the States, won't appear in UK cinemas until later this month and are therefore ineligible for this list. It's a far from satisfactory state of affairs but one we're all stuck with. 

One thing I have changed slightly for my countdown this year is that I'm no longer excluding those films that bypassed cinemas and went straight to DVD/Blu-ray or View On Demand. I've seen some wonderful films that were not released theatrically over the past 12 months, including superb horror flick Starry Eyes, and it seemed churlish to exclude them. In fact, with distributors finding it harder and harder to get their movies into cinemas, we're going to see a lot more films going the 'straight-to-VOD' route in future.

So, without further ado, here are numbers 30 to 21 in my countdown, based on films released in the UK - on all formats - between January 1 and December 31 2015.

30. A Pigeon Sits On A Branch Reflecting On Existence

(Director: Roy Andersson UK release date: April 24)
Bizarre comedy following the antics of two dour salesmen as they attempt to flog a range of hopeless novelty items. There isn't a coherent plot as such, just a string of loosely connected sketches each commenting on some aspect of human existence. It's gloriously odd and frequently evocative of Spike Milligan and the Pythons, especially the scene where an 18th Century Swedish monarch pops into a modern-day bar to make use of their facilities.

29. Black Souls
(director: Francesco Munzi UK release date: October 30)

Munzi's atmospheric Italian-French crime noir was about the Sicilian mob but, with its mostly rural setting and melancholy vibe, eschewed the dirty glamour of many mob movies. Instead, it focused on a cast of rich, complex characters, a simple but gripping story in which the stakes and violence grew bigger and scarier as the film proceeded, and a truly heart-stopping denouement. A hidden gem. Trailer below

28. Catch Me Daddy
(director: Matthew Wolfe UK release date: February 27)

Oppressive and brutal British 'honour killing' drama about a young couple on the run on the Yorkshire Moors from the girl's vengeful father. First-time director Wolfe blends elements of social realism, thriller and the western (The Searchers has been mentioned as an influence) to great effect while newcomer Sameena Jabeen Ahmed is a revelation as Laila. 

27. Wild Tales

(director: Damián Szifrón UK release date: March 27)
Argentine portmanteau featuring six stories about rage and vengeance. The pre-titles sequence set on a plane punches you right in the guts but its the final sequence centring on the meltdown of a couple’s relationship at their wedding that provides the film's best moments. A tour de force of bleak humour and brutal emotion. Trailer below

26. Love & Mercy

(director: Bill Pohlad UK release date: July 10)

Bravura biopic of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, concentrating on two crucial periods of his life. Paul Dano plays the songwriter as a young man at the height of his musical powers but teetering on the brink of mental illness, while John Cusack is the older Wilson, under the perfidious spell of Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti), a quack psychologist who took his money and cut him off from his family. 

25. Dear White People
(director: Justin Simien UK release date: July 10)

Whip-smart satire following four African American students at an Ivy League college. First-time writer/director Simien makes considerable hay with the nonsensical idea that Barack Obama's two presidential election victories have somehow made the US a "post-racial" society. Tessa Thompson shines as Sam White. Trailer below

24. Amy
(director: Asif Kapadia UK release date: July 3)

Heartbreaking documentary chronicling the life and death of singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. Kapadia’s refusal to let anyone off the hook for the 27-year-old’s untimely demise – including her father Mitch and all areas of the media – makes it a tough but ultimately illuminating watch. The film also provides a timely reminder of Winehouse's prodigious talent.

23. White Bird In A Blizzard

(Director: Gregg Araki UK release date: March 6)
Criminally-underrated coming of age/missing person drama which boasts a sharp script and terrific performances from Shailene Woodley and Eva Green. Perhaps not quite as essential as Araki's best work (his wonderful Mysterious Skin turned 10 years old in 2015) but certainly in the same ballpark. Trailer below

22. A Syrian Love Story

(director: Sean Armitage UK release date: September 18)

Bruising but timely documentary from British filmmaker Armitage chronicling the lives of a Syrian family - Amer, Ragdha and their three sons - as they flee to France after suffering under the oppressive Assad regime. Refusing to offer any easy answers to Syria's myriad problems, Armitage's film shows how oppression seeps into every single area of a person's life - even Amer and Ragdha's seemingly rock-solid marriage isn't safe from it.

21. White God

(director: Kornél Mundruczó UK release date: February 27)

Hungarian film chronicling a violent uprising of mistreated stray dogs in Budapest. Mundruczó's movie is a powerful, moving and visceral piece of work; part apocalyptic horror, part political allegory. The director eschewed the use of CGI which is astounding when you consider the film contains scenes of dog fighting, a 250-strong canine rampage through Budapest's streets and a heart-in-mouth sequence in which lead mutt Hagen (pictured, top of page) attempts to cross a busy highway. 

**Next up: Numbers 20-11**

Review of the Year: The 15 documentaries I loved most in 2015

I wanted to give a special mention to documentaries this year because there have been so many that have impressed me. In fact, the 15 I've listed barely scratch the surface...

1. The Look Of Silence
Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up to The Act of Killing, his 2013 film about the 1965 Indonesian genocide of alleged communists. The Look Of Silence is a smaller, more personal story of one of the families who lost a loved one during the purge. The murdered man's brother - a gentle but determined optometrist named Adi - confronts his sibling's killers in a number of truly jaw-dropping scenes. Trailer below

2. Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief
Alex Gibney's enthralling and forensic take down of the L Ron Hubbard-founded religion cult is a real eye-opener from which Tom Cruise ("the nicest man in the world", according to TV's Graham Norton) does not emerge well. Scarily, the Hollywood superstar seems totally rational compared to David Miscavige, the organisation's leader who is variously accused of "intimidating, beating, imprisoning and exploiting subordinates". Nice.
3. A Syrian Love Story

A bruising but timely film from British director Sean Armitage chronicling the lives of a Syrian family - Amer, Ragdha and their three sons - as they flee to France after suffering under the oppressive Assad regime. The film is both uplifting and heartbreaking, as elation at Ragdha's release from prison (she had written a book critical of the regime) soon gives way to pain and disillusion as her marriage to Amer starts to unravel. Refusing to offer any easy answers to Syria's myriad problems, Armitage shows how oppression seeps into every single area of a person's life - even a seemingly rock-solid marriage isn't safe from it.Trailer below

4. Amy

The short life and tragic death at 27 of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse (pictured, top of page) as told by Asif Kapadia (Senna) through archive footage and the voices of friends, family and collaborators. The star - hopelessly addicted to booze and drugs - cut a thoroughly forlorn figure towards the end of her life, becoming a media laughing stock in the process. Kapadia's film not only provides a powerful reminder of her enormous talent but does a sterling job of redeeming her public image too. Suffice to say, certain figures in Winehouse's life don't come out of this smelling of roses.
5. Precinct Seven FiveDescribed by one critic as a "real-life Sidney Lumet movie", Tiller Russell's film chronicles the rise and fall of corrupt Brooklyn police officer Michael Dowd ("the dirtiest cop in NYC history") in the 1980s. Despite his criminal past (running a drug ring, burglary, god knows what else), post-jail Dowd is a charismatic, likeable figure and it's easy to see how his colleagues on the force would have fallen under his spell. 
6. Red Army

Gabe Polsky's amazing tale of the all-conquering Soviet Union ice hockey team's rise to prominence in the 1980s as seen through the steely gaze of ace defenseman Slava Fetisov and his former team-mates. You really don't have to know anything about the sport to thoroughly enjoy every minute of a film that is laced with Cold War intrigue and full of twists, some of which are, ironically, pure Hollywood. Trailer below

7. Listen To Me Marlon

The late Marlon Brando left around 200 hours of audio after his death that he had recorded over the course of his life - self-hypnosis tapes, answer-phone messages, rambling soliloquies about his tough upbringing, method acting, Hollywood, humanity, politics, and the family tragedies that benighted his later years. Stevan Riley's film expertly molds this huge archive of material into a fascinating account of the great actor's life and career voiced by Brando himself. Despite his hypocrisies and bad behaviour, you can't help but warm to the man. 

8. Cartel Land

Matthew Heineman's chilling film follows two vigilante gangs battling the murderous Mexican drug cartels. The most intriguing are Autodefensas, a veritable army operating successfully in the Mexican state of Michoacán and led by a charismatic small-town physician. Heineman is granted extraordinary access to the group, and the tale of corruption and complicity he uncovers will make your head spin. Forget errant nonsense like Sicario, this is the real story of the drug wars.

9. Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

Jeanie Finlay's odd but tragic tale of Orion, a masked pop star who came to prominence in the years following the death of Elvis Presley. The singer was younger and far taller than the King but that didn't stop fans believing he was the dead legend somehow reborn. This is a very sympathetic portrait of a man - real name Jimmy Ellis - who wanted fame so desperately he allowed himself to be manipulated into an entirely bizarre situation that soon felt more like a prison than a music career. 
10. The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson
Director Julien Temple (The Filth And The Fury) tells the extraordinary tale of musician Wilko Johnson, former lead guitarist in '70s r'n'b rockers Dr Feelgood. At the beginning of 2013, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and not expected to last the rest of the year. Temple's film shows Wilko coming to terms with the diagnosis while explaining how the experience left him feeling more positive and energised than ever before. Temple's style of documentary making - avant garde film clips, quotes and images mixed in with the usual talking heads - leaves some cold but it works perfectly here. And the big twist towards the end is a doozy.
11. Best Of Enemies
Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville's film chronicles the series of US TV debates in 1968 between liberal novelist and playwright Gore Vidal, and right-wing firebrand William F. Buckley Jr. The pair loathed each other and their encounters quickly became explosive and vitriolic. The hugely popular stand-offs affected both men for the rest of their lives - Buckley deeply regretted losing his temper in the final debate in which he called Vidal a "queer" and threatened to punch him. As entertaining as the debates were, the film makes a persuasive case for the corrosive effect they had on the way US TV presented political discourse from then on - adversarial and partisan. Trailer below

12. The Salt Of The Earth

The extraordinary life of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent the last 40 years chronicling the lives of deprived peoples all over the planet. Salgado's work takes a turn for the horrific, however, when he chronicles the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s, and then the Rwandan genocide the following decade. Both events leave him with obvious emotional scars. A harrowing but ultimately uplifting piece of work co-directed by the great Wim Wenders.
13. Cobain: Montage Of Heck
The familiar story of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's life and death is given a fresh coat of paint by Brett Morgen (Crossfire Hurricane, The Kids Stays In The Picture). The director was given access to a massive archive of Cobain's drawings, notebooks, audio tapes and home movies from which he constructs a not-quite-hagiographic portrait of a talented, ambitious but tortured man with an ever-present terror of humiliation and failure. Using animators to bring to life some of Cobain's previously unseen artwork is a very nice visual touch.
14. The Nightmare

A fascinating and disturbing film exploring sleep paralysis, a medical ailment whose many sufferers are plagued by horrifying night-time visions and hallucinations. Director Rodney Ascher – who himself has the condition – talks to eight different sufferers and, using actors and special effects, recreates the sometimes disturbing, often downright terrifying, images and scenarios that await them when asleep. Guaranteed to freak you out.

15. Maidan
The Ukrainian uprising of 2013/14 against pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych is the subject of director Sergei Loznitsa's film. Beyond a few captions, he refuses to provide much context for what is going on – there are no talking heads or voiceovers. At times, it’s almost like watching the whole thing on CCTV – distant and eerie. Some critics have found this problematic but the footage shows what it shows – the state responding to the demands of its people with bloody violence and those people refusing to be cowed. Stirring, inspiring stuff.

**Next up: My favourite 30 films of 2015, part one**

Home Comforts: The best in TV, VOD, DVD and Blu-ray (Monday November 2 - Sunday November 8)

17 films – old and new, in no particular order – worth your time this week…

1. Amy 

(DVD, Blu-ray and VOD)

Heartbreaking documentary chronicling the life and death of singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. Director Asif Kapadia’s refusal to let anyone off the hook for the 27-year-old’s untimely demise – including dad Mitch and all areas of the media – makes it a tough but ultimately illuminating watch.

2. Slow West 

(DVD, Blu-ray and VOD)

Director John Maclean’s debut feature is a bleak but occasionally very funny western starring Michael Fassbender (pictured, top of page) as an outlaw-turned-guide for a young Scot (Kodi Smit-McPhee) searching the American badlands for his long-lost love.

3. Pan’s Labyrinth 

(22:40, Thursday, Horror Channel)

Guillermo Del Toro’s emotional, imaginative and disturbing Spanish Civil War fantasy drama remains the director’s finest work. Certainly better than the pretty but vacuous Crimson Peak, that’s for sure.  

4. Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine 

(DVD and Blu-ray)

Alex Gibney (Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief) puts the boot into the late Apple co-founder, with good cause as it turns out.

5. Dear White People 

(DVD and VOD)

Smart satire following four African American students at an Ivy League college. Writer/director Justin Simien makes considerable hay with the nonsensical idea that Barack Obama's two election victories have somehow made the US a "post-racial" society.

6. Metropolis 
(00:55, Wednesday, Film4)

Restored and expanded version of Fritz Lang’s hugely influential silent sci-fi classic.

7. American Psycho 

(21:00, Wednesday, Horror Channel)

 “Do you like Huey Lewis and The News?”

8. Videodrome 

(22:55, Friday, Horror Channel)

David Cronenberg gives a masterclass in both body horror and blade-sharp satire in this sleazy sci-fi starring James Woods as the owner of an extreme cable TV channel. Debbie Harry co-stars.

9. Pitch Perfect 

(21:00, Wednesday, Film4)

Charming comedy chronicling the misadventures of all-girl college a cappella group, The Barden Bellas. Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson star.

10. The Bling Ring 

(01:05, Friday, Channel 4)

Emma Watson stars in Sofia Coppola’s real-life tale of a gang of opportunist young thieves ripping off celebrities in the Hollywood Hills. 

11. Wild 

(09:45 and 22:15, from Friday, Sky Movies Premiere)

Reese Witherspoon is terrific as an emotionally shattered young woman hiking a thousand miles up America's west coast in a bid to come to terms with her mother’s death and the downward spiral it has plunged her into.

12. Out Of Sight 

(23:00, Sunday, ITV3)

Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney have great chemistry in Steven Soderbergh’s crime drama. Clooney’s an escaped convict, Lopez the US Marshal on his trail as they fight a growing mutual attraction.

13. Misery Loves Comedy 

(DVD)

Do you have to be miserable to be funny? Over 50 comics – including Amy Schumer, Larry David and Jemaine Clement – try to provide an answer.

14. Blackthorn 

(23:45, Tuesday, BBC1)

What if Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had survived that seemingly fatal shootout at the end of the 1969 film? Director Mateo Gil and Sam Shepard (as Butch) provide the answers.

15. Lockout 

(23:40, Saturday, Channel 4)

A French court recently ruled this Luc Besson-directed sci-fi thriller lifted “key elements” from John Carpenter’s 1981 film Escape From New York, and even awarded damages for infringement of copyright. Here’s a chance to judge for yourself…

16. John Carter 

(Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, from today)
Unfairly despised adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic Mars-set sci-fi novel. Andrew Stanton's movie took a pounding at the box office but deserves a second chance. 

17. See No Evil, Hear No Evil 

(23:50, Saturday, Channel5)

Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder comedy in which the former is blind and the latter deaf. They go on the run after witnessing a murder… politically incorrect hilarity ensues.

And one to avoid…

American Sniper 

(16:00 and 20:00, from Friday, Sky Movies Premiere)

Worthless right-wing drivel from director Clint Eastwood, starring Bradley Cooper as a patriotic mass murderer (so that’s all right then). The notorious plastic baby is the best thing about it.

Please note: Films starting after midnight are always considered part of the previous day's schedule, e.g. The Bling Ring begins at 01:05 - technically Saturday morning - but is still part of Friday's listings. All times in 24-hour clock.

5 for Friday (July 3): Trailers, new releases and box office

This week's five most intriguing new movies...

1. Amy
Warts 'n' all documentary charting the life and death of critically-beloved, award-laden pop singer Amy Winehouse. Judging by the furious reaction of Mitch Winehouse - Amy's father - Asif Kapadia's film takes no prisoners in its bid to identify exactly why the 27-year-old's life went so badly off the rails. 

2. Ted 2 (from Wednesday)
The first Ted made me laugh more than any film has managed since Bad Santa so I am really looking forward to Seth McFarlane's even filthier follow-up which sees the titular stuffed bear going to court to prove he's a person. 

3. Housebound
Low-budget Kiwi comedy-horror about Kylie, a delinquent girl under eight-month house arrest. Not only is she menaced by her mother's incessant nagging but also by a "vengeful ghost". Peter Jackson reckons it's "bloody brilliant".

4. Magician: The Life And Work Of Orson Welles
Documentary celebrating the acclaimed actor and director on the eve of the centenary of his birth. It's always worth pointing out that Welles made Citizen Kane - still widely regarded as the finest movie ever made - when he was just 25. 

5. Terminator Genisys 
This fifth installment in the killer robots from the future saga welcomes back Arnold Schwarzenegger but has been critically mauled. Can it really be that bad?

Also out this week...
51 Degrees North
All American High Revisited
Comet
The First Film
How To Lose Jobs & Alienate Girlfriends (from Saturday)
La Grande Bouffe (reissue)
Magic Mike XXL Papanasam
Second Hand Husband
Still The Water

UK box office top 10
1. Minions 
2. Jurassic World 
3. Spy 
4. Mr Holmes 
5. Empire Strikes Back 
6. Entourage 
7. Knock Knock
8. The Longest Ride 
9. San Andreas
10. Slow West 

US box office top 10
1. Jurassic World 
2. Inside Out 
3. Ted 2 
4. Max 
5. Spy 
6. San Andreas
7. Dope 
8. Insidious: Chapter 3 
9. Mad Max: Fury Road 
10. Avengers: Age of Ultron