The Best Movies Of 2015 (So Far…)

We're in the midst of June now, halfway through 2015, and it's safe to say that it's been an interesting six months at the box office. We've seen some huge blockbusters blow through ticket records, female-led movies cement their place in the blockbuster season, feats of cinematic ingenuity flourish at the multiplex and truly thought-provoking films emerge from the most unexpected of places and genres. On the other hand, we've sat through Fifty Shades of Grey and Get Hard. So, it's been a mixed bag. And to kick off our mid-year coverage here at We Got This Covered, film critics Matt Donato, Isaac Feldberg and Sam Woolf are here to lay out the best and brightest that the year has had to offer thus far. From spine-tingling sci-fi to gut-busting comedy, there was something for everyone in this first half of the year, and our hope is that by bringing you our picks, we can introduce some of the smaller titles to those of you who may have missed them, and make you reconsider any larger ones you decided to pass on. This is an unranked list, with each of us highlighting some of our favorites, but rest assured there was some cross-over (for one, it's safe to say that all of us fell under Inside Out's emotional spell). Sam Woolf: Spy In what’s become the most fruitful mainstream comedy actor/director pairing since Ferrell met McKay, Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig are at the top of their respective games with Spy. Both have shown plenty of promise up until now, but this crafty, endearing and ridiculously enjoyable espionage comedy raises the bar across the board. Thanks to an unpredictable lead performance from McCarthy, smart direction from Feig, and one of the funniest supporting casts since the first McCarthy-Feig joint, Bridesmaids, Spy is a revelation disguised as just another genre romp in the vein of The Heat. Instead of simply making fun of secret agents and C.I.A. spooks, Spy delivers the goods as both an exciting action movie and a laugh-out-loud comedy. Its sense of humor may be crass, but Spy has far more intelligence than your average cloak-and-dagger blockbuster. Isaac Feldberg: Kingsman: The Secret Service Move over, James Bond – director Matthew Vaughn’s gloriously violent, gleefully subversive send-up of the spy genre may have ruined more traditional espionage pics for the foreseeable future. Simultaneously mocking everything from 007 to Agent 86 and tipping its hat to the genre’s most prominent players, the film is a blast from first frame to last, firing on all cylinders as a devilishly entertaining (and delectably blood-soaked) piece of inspired cinematic madness. And especially with the terrific repartee between Taron Egerton’s thuggish Eggsy and Colin Firth’s refined Harry Hart, it offers more gut-busting lines than any straight comedy to hit screens so far this year. Moreover, it delivers an absolutely legendary action sequence in the disturbing yet dizzying church massacre scene – a genius moment for Vaughn, who simultaneously turns our stomachs and feeds our culture’s taboo appetite for ultraviolence, telling us to enjoy the mayhem but still holding us accountable for doing so. It’s one of the defining cinematic moments of the year, and Kingsman is one of the most fascinating mainstream films in recent years for it. The movie is brash, ballsy and often bad-mannered, with all manner of button-pushing gags and lewd lines, but Vaughn conducts the proceedings with such elegance and sophistication that it all goes down smoother than an ice-cold martini (with gin, stirred for 10 seconds while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth, of course). Matt Donato: Spring Are you a horror fan with a significant other who refuses to watch anything genre related, yet find yourself being dragged to every schmaltzy rom-com Gerard Butler churns out? Next movie night, tell your better half that you've got the perfect lovey-dovey watch all lined up. You'll paint a wonderful picture of the Italian coast, where a lost man finds what he thinks is true love, and your partner will surely approve of your pick. Little do they know, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's Spring is also a creature-feature in disguise. Comparisons to "Linklater meets Lovecraft" don't do the filmmaking duo's arthouse rom-horror-dram nearly enough justice, thanks to brilliant performances by Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker. The chemistry between these two blossoms as they share European experiences together, yet when Louise (Hilker) enters her dark transformation, well, shit gets REAL. This is one of those "a little bit for everyone" movies that fires on all cylinders, and brings together two audiences who might never think to mingle. What can I say, love is a monster... SW: Mad Max: Fury Road We all find our way to the eye of the effusive maelstrom surrounding Fury Road eventually. Was it really as great as all the frothing reviews said? Or are we just so thirsty for original, high-quality action filmmaking that we’ll drink the Kool-Aid for any above-average blockbuster? The shock and awe of witnessing Mad Max will hit you like a double-barreled shotgun, but it’s when reflecting on Fury Road that it proves itself to be the real deal. When was the last time you could recall setpieces of this chaotic scale with such crystal clarity? What was the last movie to transport you with its landscapes the way George Miller’s Wasteland does? And will any names in 2015 become as hallowed as Furiosa and Max? It’s no surprise people are going mad as a War Boy for Fury Road. You watch, you love, you watch again. IF: Ex Machina Artificial intelligence is having quite a year at the box office, but Alex Garland’s directorial debut is far and away one of the smartest and most spine-tingling films to ever utilize the idea. It centers on a young coder (Domhnall Gleeson) who is tapped by a reclusive but brilliant CEO (Oscar Isaac) to test a highly advanced robot (Alicia Vikander), who happens to look like a beautiful human woman, for signs of AI. But really, that’s just a jumping-off point for an engrossing cat-and-mouse game like no other, a story about what it really means to be alive and about the great and terrible beauty of creation. Ex Machina is, on some levels, a Frankenstein story about a child rebelling against its parents and, on others, an unsettlingly erotic tale of forbidden desires leading people down a road to ruin. It’s a high-tech, high-concept battle of the sexes in which a painfully human man an attempts to craft the perfect woman but isn’t prepared for the posthuman, chillingly cold, self-possessed result to surpass him in every manner imaginable. As written and directed by Garland, Ex Machina is both a stunning thriller and a knock-out philosophy exercise, as compulsively watchable as it is delectable to take apart and put back together. It’s so much more than the sum of its fascinating parts. MD: Furious 7 If you told me that by 2015 we'd have flying cars, I'd be less surprised by Jetsons-inspired vehicles than James Wan's absurd action sequences in Furious 7. Skydiving four-wheelers? Now I've seen everything. Wait - a sports car that can jump from skyscraper to skyscraper? OK, NOW I've seen everything. James Wan, you crazy son-of-a-bitch. I know Wan's background is in horror, but the Saw mastermind seamlessly transitions to big-budget action in Furious 7. Instead of his typically dark, Gothic tone, Wan lights up the screen with picturesque shots of Abu Dhabi and explosive action sequences that look like they're coming from a seasoned veteran. Plus there's Diesel, Walker, Johnson, Statham, Jaa, Rousey, Russell, and enough star power to rival the meanest ensemble cast. On a bittersweet note, Furious 7 is more about family than any other Fast sequel. Paul Walker's death is handled respectfully, and his friends get one last tear-worthy chance to say goodbye. Life is lived a quarter mile at a time - never forget that. SW: Inside Out Inside Out is a much-needed reminder that, when on its game, Pixar is among the best storytellers in the world. Combining the imagination of Monsters Inc. with the adventurousness of Up, the latest foray into the mind of writer-director Pete Docter makes for Pixar’s most colourful and technically accomplished film to date. Inside Out is so effortlessly charming, inventive, and entertaining that you might take for granted the monumental risks all involved took with the project. The story of an 11-year-old’s competing emotions is the trickiest one the studio has ever told, but the love and care put into making Inside Out another Pixar classic is undeniable. Kids will wear out the DVD and parents will wear out their handkerchiefs - Inside Out is just that mind-bogglingly good. IF: Cinderella Leave it to Kenneth Branagh to out-Disney Disney with a majestic adaptation of Cinderella as earnest and extravagant as the animated pic now considered a classic. His film is a marvel of costuming and production design, from the lavish hues of ballroom gowns to the indelible image of an enchanted pumpkin busting from the confines of a vine-colored greenhouse, and his ballroom sequence trumps even the original’s. Cinderella is a stunning success for many reasons but most prominently that Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz still believe in the timeless power of the original story, and their only modifications are to slyly transform one of fairy-tale lore’s least active heroines into a progressive paragon of selflessness and self-acceptance. It’s a movie attuned to the concerns of modern audiences, from self-image to moral ambiguity, as well as one that remembers the eternally in-vogue emotional beats of the tale. None of it would work were it not for the shining performance of Lily James as lovely Cinders, an absolutely flawless turn that balances sweetness and sincerity with astounding grace. She’s a wonderful role model for the young’uns, true to her own virtue and confident in her ability to make the world a better place. Cate Blanchett is also sensational as the ugly stepmother, bringing a tragic dimension to the character that makes her conniving ways all the more piteous. And Helena Bonham Carter is a riot as the kooky fairy godfather, while Richard Madden’s prince is an appropriately charismatic dreamboat. These actors are on Branagh’s tempo every step of the way, and together, they make pure cinematic magic. MD: Paddington If you told me 2015 would be all about a bear in a raincoat, I would have laughed heartily before turning on another slasher flick filled with gore, guts, and decapitations. But here I am, eating my words after slathering them in marmalade and placing them between two pieces of bread. Paddington, you've stolen this horror critic's black, callous heart. What's most surprising is how equally adorable and sincere Paddington's adventure is, yet there's also an unflinching darkness brought upon by Nicole Kidman's poacher villain. Paul King's adaptation is first and foremost a children's film, but there are actual stakes that heighten the intensity of the small bear's survival, much more than most safely-outlined kiddie flicks. King treats his audience with maturity and respect, no matter their age. But most importantly, Paddington is a heartfelt family tale. This is TRULY a sweet, orange-laced treat for all audiences, and a worthy cinematic appearance for the lovable, red-capped fuzzball. SW: The Duke of Burgundy You don’t need to be a fan of ‘70s European erotic thrillers to enjoy the surface pleasures of Peter Strickland’s decadent and devious new film. If you want to indulge in gorgeous imagery and a titillating central relationship, then The Duke of Burgundy’s voyeuristic pleasures are easy enough to grasp. But it’s with one word that a tale of sapphic sadomasochistic turns on a dime, and Strickland starts to tease out the fascinating, hilarious, and affecting humanity hiding in The Duke’s Trojan horse. Remove the bawdy sense of humor, strip away the quirky setting, and erase Strickland’s dips into the experimental, and what you wind up with is a simple love story. The Duke of Burgundy is so much more for having all its eccentricities and fetishes, but it’s that earnest heart hiding beneath the tantalizing artifice that makes it great. IF: It Follows The scariest movie of 2015 so far works because it so nimbly defies our expectations. Setting the film aside from found-footage productions, director David Robert Mitchell conjures up a chilling, mesmerizing atmosphere, crafting several individual shots worthy of being framed in a way few horror directors have managed. His work behind the camera is haunting and so precise it’s reminiscent of the great John Carpenter. The often jarring score is also magnificent, creating a sense of something closing in on us and the characters both in how it jumps in when you least expect it. And Maika Monroe’s performance is equally masterful, turning what could have been a simple scream queen into someone deeply sympathetic and strikingly strong. It Follows begs the audience members to come away with their own interpretations of what it all means – and what “It” all means – telling a simple but perfectly nightmarish story that can be understood on multiple levels. What’s so scary about it is its lack of answers – this is a movie that terrifies you more every time you think about it and attempt to find resolution. And that’s the mark of a great horror flick – it gets under your skin and stays there. MD: What We Do in the Shadows A found footage movie about vampires, in our roundup of best movies of the year (so far)? Yup. You better believe it. Birthed from the minds of Jemaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) and Taika Waititi, this mockumentary is everything that's right about such a stale, decrepit subgenre thanks to joyful, playful satire. What We Do In The Shadows doesn't just address one era of vampires, but the whole generational evolution from Nosferatu through Twilight. You've got your lothario vampire, the cave-dwelling early vampire, a pretty-boy new wave vampire, and the reluctantly charming vampire who plays prim and proper. These personalities all clash in a very Christopher Guest-meets-MTV's The Real World kind of way, just with more blood-sucking and werewolf fighting. Most importantly, it's undeniably hilarious. What We Do In The Shadows was easily the funniest movie I saw this year before Spy came along, and even then, the merits of this horror comedy are worth screaming from a mountaintop - or, better yet, a Transylvanian castle tower. Sam's Top Ten: 1. The Duke of Burgundy 2. Mad Max: Fury Road 3. Inside Out 4. What We Do in the Shadows 5. Spy 6. '71 7. Blackhat (pictured) 8. It Follows 9. Ex Machina 10. Eden Isaac's Top Ten: 1. Inside Out 2. Kingsman: The Secret Service 3. Ex Machina 4. Cinderella 5. Slow West (pictured) 6. It Follows 7. Furious 7 8. Mad Max: Fury Road 9. Paddington 10. Girlhood Matt's Top Ten: 1. Spring 2. Mad Max: Fury Road 3. Paddington 4. It Follows 5. What We Do in the Shadows 6. Kingsman: The Secret Service 7. Inside Out 8. Furious 7 9. Killers 10. Backcountry (pictured)