What a year!
Said very few people.
‘sheet movie critic Mark Ryall’s favourite and least favourite moments of drama on screens both big and small this year.
Best Movie: Birdman
Michael Keaton runs through Times Square in his pants, and his career gets a well-deserved boost. Yes, Birdman was released in 2015 (Waaay back on the 1st of January in fact). Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s one-take meta-textual dramedy was hilarious, creative and wholly original. Amongst all the sequels, prequels, reboots and retcons, Birdman was a reminder that mainstream film still has the potential to give us something fresh.
Honourable Mention: Mad Max Fury Road – The mad, undiluted genius of Dr. George Miller.
Best TV Show: Fargo Season 2
Because The Leftovers was just too damn bleak. Yah sure Fargo’s first season was real good there, but season 2 went back to the 1970s and upped the ante. With a little Bruce Campbell and a lot of Minnesotan weirdness, Fargo was shocking, funny (often at the same time) and thoroughly brilliant. You betcha.
Honourable Mention: This is England ’90 – Shane Meadows’ happy ending. In your face, Linklater.
Best Documentary: The Queen of Ireland
Long live the Queen! Conor Horgan’s documentary is as much a snapshot of Irish society in 2015 as it is the story of a drag queen from Ballinrobe. Chin up, it could be worse.
Honourable Mention: Cartel Land – Savage, brutal and utterly compelling. Cartel Land is no fun, but it’s essential viewing.
Best Male Performance: Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything).
Daniel Day–Lewis in My Left Foot is the obvious comparison, but for my money, you’d have to go back to John Hurt’s Elephant Man to find a better physical performance. A tough gig bagged Redmayne the Oscar, and deservedly so.
Honourable Mention: Bertie Ahern (The Banking Inquiry) – I believe I can fly etc.
Best Female Performance: Cate Blanchett (Carol)
Blanchett’s effortlessly elegant turn in Todd Haynes’ homage to old school Hollywood hit every note on the emotional spectrum. From the giddy excitement of first love to the melancholy of heartbreak, Blanchett was profoundly affecting throughout.
Honourable Mention: Emily Blunt (Sicario) . Blunt’s bit-part years finally pay off.
Worst Movie: Love
“I hear you’re a pornographer now, Father.” If Terry Richardson made a movie, it would be Love. The competition was fierce (I’m looking at you, Entourage), but Gaspar Noé’s meditation on “sexual sentimentality” blew the rest away. I would assume that at least half of the production budget went on class A drugs, which might account for a seven-page script. Exhausting and unrelentingly foul. And can you imagine the stink on that set?
Dishonourable Mention: Ted 2 – Like the first one, just without the jokes.
Worst TV Show: True Detective Season 2
Sure, Orange is the New Black was a real chore this year, but True Detective 2 was the biggest anti-climax since the millennium bug. Despite Colin Farrell’s best efforts, nothing could save this mess of miscast actors, clunky dialogue and an underwhelming story.
Dishonourable Mention: Broadchurch 2 – Pointless, unnecessary, and oh so boring.
Good stuff coming in 2016: The Revenant, Room, Spotlight, Trumbo, The X-Files, Peaky Blinders, Westworld and of course… Twin Peaks.
*popcorn*
Fight!
Yesterday: ‘Damn near Perfect’
“one-take” like, but not a one-take :)
If I had to pick one movie this year that sat with me long after viewing… I’d have to go with ‘Cop Car’.
I just loved it :) …small indie flick, with a touch of Stand By Me about it.
Birdman was different but that doesn’t make it great. It was good.
I don’t think True Detective 2 deserves a bad review. I really liked it – storyline, acting, atmosphere and visuals.
Vince Vaughn was really a surprise for me. And I loved Kelly Riley (I hope I have that right) as his wife. Their relationship made for some excellent scenes.
Oh. I thought Vince Vaughn was so out of his depth I was nearly watching it with my hand stretched out to the screen. Him and the wife were comical. I still watched it mind you.
I dunno. There were scenes where he was genuinely scary. He’s no Tony Soprano, mind. I would have happily seen Rachel McAdams gone in episode 1. A dreadful character.
I didn’t make it through Season 2 – too poo after the amazement of MM
I just started rewatching MM and it really is a fantastic show. There’s something new every time I watch. Also Betty.
You leave Kelly Reilly alone. She can do no wrong in my book :)
TD2 was painful.
A real chore.
Birdman and Theory of Everything were last year
He is a bit behind the times
They weren’t released over here until January.
Whiplash was released in ireland in 2015. That was pretty good.
Birdman was also poo
Twin peaks will probably not be arriving until 2017
That whole list is pants. Some times someone’s opinion is just purposely against the grain.
Ted2 was awesome, and probably funnier than the first.
No. You are incorrect.
Sticking a 5-Speed Magimix up my fundament would have been funnier than the first Ted, and inspired some awe too.
You have to be kidding me. ‘Amy’ wins best documentary hands down and ‘Narcos’ best TV Series.
‘Amy’ was excellent.
Has anyone seen Wild Tales?
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wild_tales/
Thought it was pretty good. Perhaps not up there with the likes of Mad Max, but thought it was better than Birdman.
Yes, thought it was great.
Am i the only person who hated mad max. It was the worst film i seen this year.
What was the best film?
Honestly a film called Maggie.
The Schwarzenegger yoke? What did you like about it?
You just accused the write of being someone who ‘goes against the grain’ before asking ‘am I the only one who hated Mad Max?’.
Thanks.
I’m not sure if it qualifies for 2014 or 2015 but I thought ’71 was quite good too, a movie I’d heard nothing about til it magically appeared on the hard drive.
That’s the magic ‘Flick Fairy’ :)
A really good film despite the ‘Ra Man stereotyping and the ‘spot the Love/Hate actor’ that inevitably distracts.
Twin Peaks is 2017….
Goddamnit.
Birdman? Are you high?
Love was great, you’re just not very comfortable with your own body I suspect; have you tried looking at yourself naked in the mirror and reciting “it’s not your fault” over and over? It helps. Also cry.
When I look in the mirror naked it;s like watching rugby.
All I hear is…. ‘hold, hold, hold!’
The Lady in the Van was excellent, highly entertaining, apart from one crappy unimaginative scene near the end. The actual end scene was very good.
Birdman is the most overhyped piece of dog poo I have ever seen.
so right on with your libtard politics
Also Mad Men wrapped up this year. If there was a tv series that has been consistent and well-made it is this. I was only heartbroken when it ended.
Seconded.
Ah here Mark
Tis a kick up da’ whole you need
Not another thread
And Birdman was 2014
But I’d rather correct you on another Birdman oversight
Emma Stone and Zack Gallifana mnah mnah
The only worthy mentions, besides the premise of Birdman, about Birdman.
It was released in Ireland on the 2nd January 2015.
The Theory of Everything came out January 1st in Ireland, according to imdb.
Fargo is an easy pick but don’t overlook ‘The Knick’
+1
Good taste fellas
Well now I’ve just had a quick scroll down the FrillyCloud for a bitta year that was in it … So as follows
2015 was a great year for telly
Scripted and non scripted
Fictional and Non Fictional
Some egs
The showstoppers we waited on, Game of Thrones, True Detective and Fargo didn’t disappoint. And I don’t care what professional critics have’ta say, but asaic, Farrell and Vaughan had their best performances yet in TD2, especially the latter, Who Knew?!?!
British Bake Off. No explanation necessary
Narcos. A great achievement for television.
The Rugbee WC
And Nurse Jackie did the job again
As for the fillums:
Jurassic Park fulfilled its remit, and so did Spectre
And dare I say it, and Artisans and gobshites will have a stroke, Ha!……Entourage. Great entertainment.
The sleeper this year, Slow West ( even if that Kerry tramp is in it)
Rickie and the Flash might have a creep effect too
Either way both worth the 120 minutes or so
And how Panti was considered mightier than The War Room for feature length Documentary is beyond me. Which is my cue to remind all the highbrows who look down their noses on Mrs Brown Carroll, CLIME OUT OF YERE ARSES.
The War Room is a must see IMO
Some telly that seems to have not reached yere radars:
• Ballers. (OK. In the interests of transparency, there is a conflict of interest; the Rock Dwayne is in it. )
• Madame Secretary. Fantastic scriptwriting and some great storylines are packed it. And Tim Daly…
• Code Black. One word. Authentic
• Z Nation. A different approach to the Zombie range. But some great new faces getting some great lines.
And if anyone is like me and wants cheesecake back to back over the Christmas shutdown, follow up on the trails trials and adventures of Raylon Givens and Boyd Crowder.
2016. Can’t wait for.
The Hated 8.
And World War Z is back for seconds in 2017
My best actress award goes to Roony Mara in “Carol” .
She’s so damn good in Carol she almost passes you by, if you know what I mean.
Subtle, guarded yet unaware,a bolting bambi. Loved her in it. Actor who played her boyfriend was a mistake. Poor casting by the director.
Rooney
I just didn’t like Birdman. I kept thinking of the MacBeth episode of Blackadder throughout the whole thing.