Films I saw in 2015
God only knows why anyone would be interested in this post, but in an annual tradition I list the films I saw at the theater this year. As always, don’t see films on my account. But if you like foreign films, I’d say Winter Sleep (big screen only) and About Elly (TV is ok) are the two recent standouts.
2105 Films
Mulholland Drive (US, 2001) 4.0 Great the first time I saw it; seemed even darker, stranger and richer the second time. (How often does that happen?) Might be my new favorite film. Until the next classic I see.
2001 (US, 1968) 4.0 One of my absolute favorite films. I saw it at age 12, then in my 30s, and then at 59. It holds up very well, but age 12 was best.
Winter Sleep (Turkey) 3.8 Another first rate film by the Turkish director Ceylan. It seemed slightly more conventional than his earlier films, but I still liked it a lot. Four or five outstanding scenes of two people arguing.
Aparajito (India, 1959) 3.8 The middle film in the Apu trilogy, and the only one I had not seen. All three are available in newly restored prints. It would be an understatement to say that they don’t make films like this anymore. The world portrayed no longer exists.
The Quay Brothers in 35 mm. (US, 2015) 3.8 Christopher Nolan put together 3 of the Quay brothers short films, and then a 10 or 15 minute documentary of them working in their studio. Includes The Street of Crocodiles, which might be the greatest work of surrealism in the 20th century, in any medium. Nolan’s a huge fan, and so am I.
About Elly (Iran, 2009) 3.7 An earlier film by the director of A Separation. Both are excellent films, but this may be even a bit better.
Until the End of the World 3.7 (German, 1991) Captured a brief moment when there was lots of optimism about a coming global village, right after the Berlin Wall fell. The original 2½ hour film didn’t get good reviews, but the restored 5 hour version was lots of fun. Not really a great film in a technical sense, but very enjoyable, and evocative of an era. Good music too.
The Saragossa Manuscript (Polish, 1964) 3.6 A somewhat surreal film by the director Has, which has a sort of 1001 Nights feel to it. Three hours, and the last half is much better, so don’t give up at intermission. Has is another great director I had never heard of—how can I call myself a movie buff? Has Has directed anything else I should see? (Sorry, couldn’t resist)
The Long Voyage Home (US, 1940) 3.6 Really good John Ford film about sailors, with cinematography by Gregg Toland (who did Citizen Kane the following year.)
Rebels of a Neon God (Taiwan, 1992) 3.6 One of the classics of the Asian New Wave, by Tsai Ming-liang.
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Swedish) 3.5 As the title suggests, it may not be of interest to those who have seen all 7 Fast and Furious films, twice. Might appeal to Jim Jarmusch fans, but there’s also a bit of David Lynch and even Francis Bacon. Another good director I’d never heard of—Roy Andersson.
Inside Out (US) 3.5 A post-modern deconstruction of the Hollywood dream factory. Both a delightful animated film (from the group that produced Wall-e and Up) and also a sort of documentary on the making of the film. I’ve always kind of wondered if the net utility in life is positive or negative, and the fact that the film had four negative emotions and only one positive emotion tends to reinforce my skeptical view of life. Or (as the film suggests) am I wrong in assuming the “negative” emotions are actually negative?
Coming Home (China) 3.5 Zhang Yimou returns to form (sort of), with another tragedy starring Gong Li. The political implications of this film may have been much more profound that the Chinese censors assumed.
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (US) 3.5 As time goes by my appreciation for Apocalypse Now keeps increasing. The highlights of this documentary (directed by Coppola’s wife) were the clips from the 1979 film. I had forgotten about all the turmoil, such as Martin Sheen having a heart attack. And BTW, Sheen’s performance is superb, and underrated in a film with more famous actors—Coppola has the ability to get the best out of actors.
The Assassin (Taiwan/China) 3.5 Hou Hsiao Hsien directed an “action” film. Naturally there is very little action. But the film is a feast for the eyes.
Hitchcock/Truffaut (US/French) 3.5 The best parts were the in depth coverage of Psycho and Vertigo (my favorite film, forget what I said above). When I haven’t seen a Hitchcock film for a while they begin to seem like light entertainment in my memory. Seeing the clips jolted me into recalling how revolutionary they actually were. Some great clips from the underrated Sabotage, a filmed based on Conrad’s Secret Agent, and one of the few films to do justice to a great work of literature. Even a few good clips from Topaz, a film I hadn’t seen since I was young, and considered a weaker film. It’s ironic that Hitchcock stopped producing great art at almost exactly the moment he became recognized as a great artist. The coverage of his silent work was (unfortunately) rushed.
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (Japan/US) 3.4 Directed by a Westerner, and yet the movie has a very Japanese feel. Nothing special, but I enjoyed this film.
The French Connection (US, 1971) 3.4 A bit disappointing the second time around. Was there ever a bigger screw-up by film critics in the 1970s than rating The French Connection ahead of Sorcerer, which is a far superior film. But TFC wins the Best Picture Oscar and Sorcerer is forgotten. New York has never looked more run down.
Act of Violence (US, 1948) 3.4 As I get older I am increasing drawn to film noir from the late 1940s and 1950s, perhaps because as each year goes by it seems more and more like another world. One I was born into, but is now long gone.
The State of Things (German, 1982) 3.4 A Wim Wenders film about the making of a film. Or perhaps a nightmare where all attempts to complete the film are futile.
Tokyo-Ga (German, 1984) 3.3 Wenders searches for signs of Ozu in modern Tokyo. The film begins with the voice-over: “If there were still sanctuaries in our century . . . if there was something like a holy treasure of cinema, for me, that would be the work of Japanese director Yasujira Ozu.” Like Hearts of Darkness and Hitchcock/Truffaut, best when showing clips of the original.
Ex Machina (US) 3.3 Better than the average, but not as good as something like “Her.” The basic problem is that the ideas in the film are not as interesting as the director seems to assume. Still, the first 3/4th of the film held my interest.
Mad Max 4 (Australia) 3.3 I really enjoyed the first two films in this series. I suppose this was just as good, but as I get older I tend to lose interest in non-stop action.
The Tales of Hoffman (British) 3.3 Michael Powell films are always worth seeing, although this certainly isn’t my favorite. Very colorful for 1951.
Bridge of Spies (US) 3.3 Spielberg is a very talented filmmaker, but a bit too conservative (aesthetically, not politically) for my taste. It has many of the pluses and minuses that you expect from a Spielberg film. But the performance of the actor playing the Russian spy is outstanding, and almost single-handedly carries the film.
The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick/Alice in the Cities/Kings of the Road (German) 3.3 Three early Wim Wenders films from the 1970s. Each was a little bit better than the one before (say 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4) His next film “The American Friend”, was the breakthrough for Wenders, and is one of my favorite German films.
American Sniper (US) 3.3 The debate over the politics is a big yawn. It’s a movie, and certainly not “pro-war.” Not one of Eastwood’s best, but fairly engrossing.
Mr. Six (China) 3.2 A film about the generation gap among Beijingers.
Stars Wars (US) 3.2 Forget the rating I assigned, the film is essentially unreviewable. On a technical level everything seems right. Fine acting, good effects, a story very similar to the first couple films. So why does it lack the magic of the first two? I’m not sure:
- Maybe I’m too old. In that case you’d want to ask younger viewers.
- Maybe it’s not original enough. In that case you’d want to ask people who didn’t see the first few films.
- Maybe too much chronological time has gone by, and the special effects no longer seem impressive.
- Maybe it’s too full of stuff going on, lacking moments where the film would take a breath, create a sense of awe.
- Maybe the appearance of other planets is too Earth-like, lacking the mystery of visionary sci-fi.
All I know is that the director (JJ Abrams) is no Stanley Kubrick. I was never really immersed in the film, rather I was watching it as an outsider. Don’t get me wrong, I also noticed many of the things the critics were impressed by, but a few days later the film no longer resonated with me. (I should add that I liked the first two films a lot, and the other 4 were a fairly pleasant way to pass the time. But I haven’t seen them for years, and am not a Star Wars junkie, so my opinion is pretty worthless.)
Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made (Brazilian/Finnish 3.2) A 1994 documentary by Kaurismaki, where Jim Jarmusch interviews Sam Fuller about an unrealized film project that was supposed to be produced in the Amazon rain forest, using native tribes. Forty years later Fuller returns, and the highlight of the film is when he shows some film clips to the same tribe–how they used to live 40 years ago. It’s hard not to be moved.
The Hateful Eight (US) 3.2 The first half was very amusing and enjoyable, but after intermission it became a long slog through multiple bloodbaths. I lost interest. Tarantino’s weakest film (and I’m a big fan of his films).
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. (US) 3.0 The second half of the film was actually pretty decent. Of course it was still an utterly forgettable piece of Hollywood fluff. Tom Cruise may be losing his edge; he no longer seems to have that aura.
Love and Mercy (US) 2.9 As a drama it’s not all that impressive, but if viewed as a documentary it was kind of interesting.
Mockingjay, Part 2. (US) 2.8 I’m too old for this sort of film.
Shanghai (China, 2010) 2.8 Wonderful actors and nice cinematography, but a very lame effort by the director. See it for Gong Li, Chow Yun-fat and Ken Watanabe (Plus John Cusack, the “star”). Or better yet, don’t bother.
Spectre (UK) 2.8 Lots of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Some of the individual scenes were handsomely filmed, but otherwise utterly forgettable.
The New Rijksmuseum (Dutch) 2.8 More pictures! Show more pictures in the film, and also show more in the actual museum, (which somehow shrank after a $500 million renovation.) Depressing.
The Left Ear (China) 2.5 Routine coming-of-age drama. If you want something in that genre, see Summer Palace.
Goodbye to Language (French) 2.0 I never really cared about anything in this Godard film. In 3-D. It probably went over my head.
On TV our whole family watched the entire Twin Peaks on Blue-ray, which was even better than the original. My all-time favorite TV show (especially the parts filmed by Lynch, as you’d expect). Episode 1 is a masterpiece. After Twin Peaks I tried Breaking Bad, but gave up after the first two episodes. I just can’t get interested in TV, except for a few comedies. TV is mostly about people, which tend to bore me. I’m interested in visual images. That’s why I like film better.
I no longer have much time to read books, but did read a few. In social science I read the Hive Mind, which I liked a lot, and The Moral Foundation of Economic Behavior, which had some very interesting ideas. For pleasure I read lots of books that were loosely related to Japan, including as Seiobo There Below, Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan, Kissing the Mask, and Eleven Dark Tales. Among other books my favorites were Bartleby & Co. by Enrique Vila-Matas, and The Lycian Shore by Freya Stark. It was my first book by each author, but I’ll certainly read more. And of course Knausgaard, who I can’t get enough of. I love travel writing, and Shadows of the Silk Road was another masterpiece by Colin Thubron. Biggest disappointment was Ghost Train to the Eastern Star. What once was a lovable curmudgeon has turned into a grouchy bigot. I also read a few books by R.L. Stevenson that I’d never read before (The Wrecker, The Wrong Box, and the Ebb Tide.) My vision of retirement has always been to move someplace hot, and sit out on a patio reading (or re-reading) 19th century Anglo-American books (Stevenson, Melville, Conrad, Hawthorne, Kipling, Chesterton, etc.) That’s all I want to do.
Tags:
10. January 2016 at 07:23
2001 is worth re watching using today’s high end TVs. It’s like this movie was made to be viewed on technology that required another evolutionary step forward :-).
I bought the bluray last year and watched it on a large, high color saturation, high contrast ratio TV in a completely dark room (this enhances the space scenes a lot) and it was hrm.. out of this world.
Push your couch forward so that your TV covers a large enough field of view.
I had previously only seen a VHS version from the early 90s and that simply didn’t do it justice. I’m sure a cinema would have been better but, even there, you get blurriness caused by film vibrations and somewhat low color saturation.
10. January 2016 at 08:14
Benoit, I’m waiting to get my 80 inch 4k OLED set, when I retire, Then I’ll finally be able to watch films at home.
10. January 2016 at 09:47
You may be interested to know that the actor who played the Russian Colonel in Bridge of Spies is David Mark Rylance Waters, stage name Mark Rylance, who, although born in Kent in England moved to Connecticut aged 2, and then on to Wisconsin seven years later. He was educated at the University School Milwaukee where his father taught English, before returning to England.
He has revealed that he couldn’t speak until he was six.
Best wishes in 2016.
10. January 2016 at 10:35
I agree with the ratings regarding the movies I’ve seen. I’ve seen the more popular ones. Vertigo was once my favorite movie, too. It’s such a good movie.
When I was younger I watched a lot of film noir movies. In recent years I lost track somehow because it gets harder and harder to find good film noir movies from the classical era.
Maybe there’s an alternative to a 80 inch 4k OLED set. About 15 years ago I started using a video projector to watch movies at home. The results were really good. It felt like in a small cinema. The resolution was only around 800×600 but weirdly enough you did not see this at all. I assume because you did sit several metres away. I still got this projector today for movies with low quality/bad resolution. I does wonders.
The TV sets of today are good enough for TV shows but regarding movies I never got the results of a good video projector. The only thing you really need is a white wall and a few metres of space. Sound is an extra topic of course. When I had no money I simple used a decent stereo and good headphones, which was more than enough.
10. January 2016 at 10:50
Quite a few people say Knausgård is good. What’s the best book from him to start with? I usually give new authors one chance and like 20-80 pages to get me.
10. January 2016 at 11:09
You watch way better films than I do, Scott.
10. January 2016 at 12:19
Thanks W le B. Very interesting. (I also grew up in Wisconsin.)
Christian, Very simple, start on his 6 volume magnum opus “My Struggle” (BTW, don’t be fooled by the German version of the title.)
The first volume is outstanding. If you have any doubts, google James Wood’s long review in the New Yorker. It’s the most realistic novel (memoir?) I’ve ever read.
Have you seen an OLED tv? Check out a night scene in a Bestbuy somewhere.
E. Harding, De gustibus non est disputantum (or something like that.)
10. January 2016 at 13:36
Thank you for your advice. I assume Knausgård has chosen the title “Min kamp” for a very obvious reason. That’s what I like about him already. He does not care too much about political correctness. He loves the act of provoking. I strongly assume that’s why he has chosen this exact title. That’s hardly an accident. He wanted to make this joke.
Of course Germans don’t get this sense of humor. So they gave the first four books very different titles in German. The first book is simply called Sterben (=Dying), then Lieben (=Loving), then Spielen (=Playing) and then Leben (=Living). #5 and #6 haven’t been translated yet.
I’ve never seen an OLED tv so far. I’m already blown away by my HD tv though. For example watching it for the first time I was really amazed that the skin of all those soccer players was suddenly visible in every detail during interviews, even single sweat glands. That was really amazing (and kind of gross).
But that wasn’t the point I was trying to make. My point is that in my experience the size of the screen is at least as important as the resolution. I even prefer size over resolution because as I said you sit so far away that your eyes are totally happy with even a pretty low resolution. DVD quality is more than enough, I bet for OLED tv you need a new format. I own nearly 2000 movies, they look great on a video projector and I bet they would suck at OLED tv.
As a movie buff you know that movies are made for the big screen. And with a video projector you’ll get the big screen you need. With OLED tv you don’t. OLED remains a tv. Unless you want to spend like 100,000$ on it, which I assume you don’t. Video projectors start at like 300€ in Europe. I assume now you get a really good one for 800€ and the very best (that you don’t need) for like 1500€. Their screen size is not cinema but it’s home cinema at least.
10. January 2016 at 14:01
Wojceich Has’ “The Hourglass Sanatorium” is one of my 5 favorite films.
It’s a wonderful and surreal portrayal of loss and Jewish culture in Eastern Europe before World War II.
10. January 2016 at 17:14
Scott, since you did a sidetrack into TV by mentioning Twin Peaks, I’m wondering if you’ve ever seen The Americans. It’s set in the 80s and the main characters are illegal KGB agents who are pretending to be a married couple. But it’s not an espionage thriller. The series is really about love, marriage, and family with the circumstances greatly magnifying the kind of issues that arise in relationships.
As for Star Wars, like you the latest movie failed to excite me in any way. Too much of the plot felt like an effort to recycle the story from the original movie and it was very predictable. Many directors these days don’t seem to know how to generate rising tension in a scene. Instead danger comes and goes so quickly that you barely have time to register it.
P.S. You failed to say anything about your time machine as your subheading says that these were films you watched in 2105. What is the 22nd century like? (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. And I often transpose characters as my fingers get ahead of my typing.)
10. January 2016 at 17:25
Readers might get a kick out of a 1930 film, “Just imagine.” A sci-fi musical comedy, some wonderful sets, and an entire miniature city was built for the film- – no special effects in those days. Available on YouTube. Pre-code. One mesmerizing drinking club dance routine. And a lost figure in America: the rural Swede-American Comic. Really goofy, amazing.
10. January 2016 at 18:10
A very eclectic and interesting set of movies. Thanks for the list.
Given some of your selections, you might enjoy Hard To Be A God, and Black Coal, Thin Ice, both of which are on Netflix, I think.
10. January 2016 at 19:08
“I no longer have much time to read books . . . .” Neither do I, and I’m retired! How does Tyler Cowen do it?
10. January 2016 at 20:22
Never heard of any of these films, save Hitchcock, Star Wars, etc but if Sumner says the below is better than French Connection it’s worth a quick viewing…
Sorcerer (1977) – Four unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous South American jungle.
This is telling: ” no longer have much time to read books, but did read a few”- so Sumner admits he does not review literature, possibly even in his own field…embarrassing for a putative public intellectual….but he does favor a windbag from Scandinavia who is into his own trivial navel-gazing and has the same title as Hitler’s work.
10. January 2016 at 21:46
Scott, you have such a nice voice when you write. For quite some time I realize it’s your voice that has me reading you now for many years, keeping with you when I can barely follow some other prominent bloggers for more than a post or two. You say you’ll read the nineteenth century greats on the patio in retirement (Vanity Fair!); why not try writing another book of your own too? This time not scholarly economics but maybe your own travel writing or criticism. The tone’s the thing, and you have it. (BTW, I don’t agree with you about Sorcerer, the critics had it right, The French Connection was the much better film.)
11. January 2016 at 02:50
You didn’t catch Leviathan by Andrey Zvyagintsev last year? For me the film of the year, great images and echoes back to Chekhov and other great Russian literature.
On the latest Star Wars, my 11 year old son loved it, especially BB8. He has only seen the previous movies on DVD when much younger so this was his first cinema Star Wars, so he is about an untainted consumer you can find. I think it is perfectly acceptable kids science fiction but for an adult who has seen the previous versions there was none of the excitement of the visuals and the story was lame and derivative. The best bit for me was the giant crashed spaceship in the desert, reminiscent of the science fiction magazines from my youth when I seemed to be about the only person who read the stuff.
11. January 2016 at 05:43
” (I also grew up in Wisconsin.)” – Think I knew that. If you have a moment catch Wolf Hall – A six part TV adaption of first two novels in Hilary Mantels attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of Thomas Cromwell, adviser to Henry VIII, and played by Rylance.
11. January 2016 at 07:51
Some thoughts:
Definitely agree with your analysis of Coming Home. It’s a pretty powerful film, and the villain is quite clear, even if never mentioned by name.
I think your take on The Force Awakens is accurate. The biggest problem- its too derivative of Episode IV. I enjoyed it, but its not magical. No one has ever accused Abrams of being Kubrick.
I dont think Spielberg is always as aesthetically conservative as he is in Bridge of Spies, which is still an excellent well-directed film. But here he happily settles for the A-, without ever shooting for the A+.
The Apu trilogy is near the pinnacle of cinema. Watch all three in a row and I bet that rating jumps to 4.0.
Recommendation: The Revenant. One of the most visually stunning films I’ve ever seen, Lubezski will surely become the first cinematographer in history to win the Oscar three times in a row. The landscapes are gorgeous and the actions scenes have uncanny verisimilitude. DiCaprio and Hardy are phenomenal.
11. January 2016 at 07:58
Christian, If you sit really close to a 4k OLED tv, in a dark room, it is a BIG SCREEN. And it has 10 times as good a picture as a projector gives you.
DVDs are horrible, unwatchable.
Thanks Ant, I’ll look for it.
Gordon, Thanks for the tip, but I don’t like TV. Twin Peaks is the exception.
Ben, Thanks for the tip.
A, Thanks, I only watch movies at the theatre.
Riccardo, Thanks I appreciate it.
Regarding Sorcerer, it isn’t just me that thinks it’s better, the director of both films also says it’s his best film. Have you seen the restored version on the big screen? It’s awesome.
ChrisA, I agree, and as my review hinted, I’d expect young people to like it more than I did. Even I thought it was an entertaining way to pass 2 hours, just nothing special.
W le B, Thanks for the tip, but I don’t like TV.
11. January 2016 at 08:22
Aaron, Thanks for the tips.
11. January 2016 at 13:30
I also gave up on Breaking Bad after 2 episodes. Later I came back to it and got totally hooked. I recommend you give it at least 2 more episodes. In addition to the character studies, it is visually stunning.
12. January 2016 at 07:25
This is your best post all year. All joking aside:
1. Your review of Star Wars is the most succinct way of saying what is true about the franchise and this film.
2. I felt Breaking Bad didn’t take off until about the 3rd or 4th episode. You might give it another try but it isn’t for everyone.
3. I loved Twin Peaks but after the murder is solved I found the last few episode unwatchable.
I will check out some of your recommendations that I have not seen.
12. January 2016 at 09:02
[…] Scott Sumner’s cinematic 2015, […]
12. January 2016 at 10:34
I’m with you Scott, Sorcerer is fantastic (but I like Wages of Fear more). Though I only watched it (both) at home and not on the big screen.
12. January 2016 at 11:09
“Until the end of the World” has one of the best soundtracks of all time:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/until-the-end-of-the-world-mw0000265386
12. January 2016 at 12:57
Great post – I’ll check some of those out.
Breaking Bad is great – maybe try a few more episodes IMHO.
Also, can I suggest putting links to the arts/culture/film reviews that you’ve done previously at the top of this post, say?
12. January 2016 at 18:02
Benny, If you watch films on TV, check out About Elly.
The Ceylan film would lose a lot on TV.
slothtosser, Yes, I need to buy it.
Sean, they are probably easy to find in the search box for this blog. The only one I’m a tiny bit proud of is my first, “naughty and nice films of the noughts.” Which tried to cover a decade, or what I could recall of it.
http://www.themoneyillusion.com/?p=3414
12. January 2016 at 20:38
Anyone who likes Mulholland Drive at all should see Bergman’s Persona ASAP. It is less depressing, more anxious than the average Bergman. Mulholland Dr. is substantially an integration of Persona and Sunset Blvd; I don’t imagine Lynch would be too bothered by that statement.
12. January 2016 at 20:55
Thanks Dzhaughn, Thanks for the tip. Somehow I missed Persona. I like Bergman, but was too young when it first came out, and never got around to seeing it.
Sunset Blvd. makes sense, I can see that connection.
I’ll check it out.
14. January 2016 at 09:06
I can’t believe you’ve got The Assassin above Mad Max, both are visually striking action films but Mad Max actually has action.It could’ve been low initial expectations, but that movie blew me away in theaters.
Also, next time you’re in the Bay Area, catch a movie at the Castro Theatre. It’s a beautiful historic theater with a pipe organ concert before shows, a great place to see classics.
14. January 2016 at 10:42
Jason, I like my action films to have as little action as possible.
When I was younger I would have preferred Mad Max 4.
13. August 2017 at 02:27
You might be intrigued to realize that the performing artist who played the Russian Colonel in Bridge of Spies is David Mark Rylance Waters, organize name Mark Rylance, who, albeit conceived in Kent in England moved to Connecticut matured 2, and afterward on to Wisconsin seven years after the fact. He was instructed at the University School Milwaukee where his dad showed English, before coming back to England.
6. January 2023 at 04:29
I have seen some of them. This list is really amazing. These are just a few. You should never stop your curiosity and learning. Thanks for sharing this!
22. February 2023 at 20:14
Films I saw in 2022 and films people should see in 2023 are 1. Unacknowledged, 2. Close encounters of the fifth kind, 3. The phenomenon, 4. Moment of contact, 5. Cosmic hoax. Yes, these movies are based on alien or UFO documentaries. These movies are eye-opening.