I've always liked Elizabeth Banks since I first saw her in 2005's The 40 Year Old Virgin. Her comic energy and striking beauty held her out as a star from the beginning. In 2015, Banks showed her versatility as an actress in the stellar Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy, and directed one of the biggest hits of summer 2015: Pitch Perfect 2. And she finished her run as Effie in the Hunger Games; her performances were so iconic, that the films used Effie much more than she appears in the novels. To be honest, Elizabeth Banks is just one of my fave people in the industry.
When I first heard about a 7th movie in the Rocky series, I groaned. Did we really need another? Well, as directed by Ryan Coogler and written by Coogler and Aaron Covington, we did. The filmmakers give the franchise adrenaline, heart and innovative filmmaking (one take fight scene!). The cast, including Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson, is amazing. The film looks and sounds beautiful, thanks to the hard work behind the scenes. Creed is a top movie of 2015 and I'm happy to admit being wrong.
In early 2015. Fresh Off the Boat became the first network sitcom starring an Asian family in about 20 years. That's a lot of pressure but FOTB turned out to be a major success. The show is funny, with fully realized characters, a goofy world around them, and the show hits on culture with nuance and integrity. For me, the best parts of FOTB are the parents: Constance Wu as Jessica Huang and Randall Park as Louis Huang. Their comic chemistry and epic line delivery are two of this show's biggest highlights.
While Netflix original shows have always been successful with House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, 2015 was a banner year for the streaming platform. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Daredevil, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Narcos, Master of None, and Jessica Jones have each been unique contributions to the Netflix brand. Each show has offered something different to the TV landscape. Netflix had found the perfect balance between risky cable shows and accessible network shows, providing a wealth of content that pushes barriers and looks handsome in the process.
Hollywood is in a major recycling phase right now. Most of the time that leads to disaster (Fant4stic). However, with films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (not to forget the aforementioned Creed or the utterly charming Cinderella), late in the game sequels/prequels/reboots don't have to automatically spell doom. If care, love, intelligence, and creativity go into a project, then the film will be good and memorable. It doesn't hurt that most of these films feature some form of diversity.
Way back in January, a little British family comedy opened to rave reviews. Paddington bear made his glorious big screen debut in this charming and quite lovely movie. The trailers made it seem like another pandering kiddie flick with slapstick humor but the film itself is a gem, kooky and sweet all at once. The human cast with Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, and Julie Walters, is quite fun. Ben Whishaw plays the titular bear with wit and adorableness. This film is pure unexpected magic. The script is sharp and the look is splendid all around.
When cult favorite director Edgar Wright dropped out of Ant-Man, the person who took his place had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Peyton Reed, director of Bring It On and Down with Love, filled Wright's shoes and made the film his own. There continues to be a debate on what parts belonged to which director. However, Reed handled himself with dignity and class during the promotion for the film. He knew he was in between a rock and a hard place, but succeeded nonetheless. And he's been rehired for the sequel coming in a few years.
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, and Sean Baker
This summer, a little 90 minute screwball comedy titled Tangerine debuted with two noteworthy aspects: transgender characters actually played by transgender actors and that it was shot on an iPhone. Stars Rodriguez and Taylor along with director Baker crafted this insane, funny, sweet, and cruel Christmas comedy about the LA sex work subculture. Tangerine has a lot of life and heart, and the iPhone thing barely even feels relevant. The film looks energetic and frenetic, and the soundtrack is killer. Tangerine is streaming on Netflix: you have 0 reasons not to watch it.
Irish actress Saoirse (pronounced sir-sha) Ronan is having a great year with the release of her glorious romance Brooklyn. Her performance in the film is spellbinding. Since her breakout in 2007's Atonement, Ronan had some trouble finding her place mainly due to the fact that she's an actress years ahead of her age. Brooklyn is the perfect launchpad for her adult career. It's a nuanced, harrowing piece of work and she carries the film on her shoulders effortlessly. I'm not sure if Ronan will win the Oscar for it but part of me hopes she does.
Pixar hasn't been so great since about 2011. The films they released were good and obviously looked magical. But the public was worried they had lost their touch. This summer, the studio released one of its best films yet, the emotionally devastating and very funny Inside Out. The film, about the varying emotions inside a twelve-year-old's head, features two instantly iconic characters: Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Joy (Amy Poehler). The pair revealed the complexity of their respective emotions. Together they showed that you can't have one without the other and the film's emotional themes became resonant and highly insightful.
With the Emmy-winning sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, stand up comic Amy Schumer ascended to the mainstream. But her breakout came with the raunchy and romantic comedy film Trainwreck. The film, written by and starring Schumer, opened to rave reviews and grossed almost $140 million worldwide. The film is getting some awards attention, with 2 nominations at the Golden Globes and several critics award nominations. Schumer has been singled out as having a fun comic style, with some interesting insights about modern life.
This past year I've really gotten into podcasts, specifically comedy podcasts. It started when I was studying for the bar and needed some new content while I chained myself to the public library desks. It was nice feeling like I had friends making me laugh! Sponteaneation, which is an improvisational podcast, was the one show I listened to from the start (well, I think I was 2 weeks late) and I loved listening to it grow and hone its strengths. The podcast is just a joy, with a stellar roster of comedians and other funny people. Host Paul F. Tompkins is just one of the warmest people to listen to and the show is absolutely delightful.
If any actor deserves to be 2015's true breakout star, it has to be Alicia Vikander. The Swedish actress was in about six films this year, including the art house darling Ex Machina, the awards movie The Danish Girl (for which she is primed for an Oscar nomination), the stylish but forgettable The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and the acclaimed British war film Testament of Youth. She also narrated the Ingrid Bergman documentary In Her Own Words. Vikander essentially owned each film she was in. While I'm not big on The Danish Girl, I hope she gets that nomination as a capper for an awesome year. And honestly, how great is her name?
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