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spoilers!)
I was 10 years old when
Phanthom Menace came out. I remember how the toys inspired by the movie were everywhere and everyone was talking about this film. I had not seen this one in the cinema but I did see
Attack of the Clones. By the time
Revenge of the Sith came out the new trilogy was already such a subject of ridicule I watched it solely for the laughs.
I wish I was born 15 years later or 20 years sooner. It must be so dope to be a kid and grow up with actual good Star Wars films. But what
George Lucas tarnished for my generation, the new one is getting thanks to Disney and
JJ Abrams. I'm not gonna sit here and lie - this film has one of the least ballsy scripts of the year. It follows the formula of
A New Hope, it relies so heavily on nostalgia and it plays everything very safe. But I think this is a small sin comparing to the alternative - Lucas' prequels were no doubt creative. Creative to the point we wanted to rip out our eyeballs and shove them into our ears as plugs, just so we don't have to experience that creativity anymore.
I have been eagerly waiting for the movie since I first heard about it
last year when the first news and rumors from Sundance started pouring
in. I love the horror genre and movies about witches and there is really
not enough of the latter. We have one half decent show on TV (Salem)
and time and time again someone does new spin on The Crucible. But
that's it. There are generic money grabbing uninspired spins on the
witches, portrayals of modern witches which are incredibly insulting
(how Wiccans were portrayed in season 4 of True Blood) or interesting concepts
trapped in a meddled mess (AHS: Coven). So when I heard that there is
honest to God (well...) good story out there about witches set in the
most fascinating time you can possibly set a story like that in I
couldn't wait.
Yesterday we looked at the best scenes in 2015, today it is time to take a look at the most glorious single shots that mesmerized me last year. Fury Road, my win for cinematography, takes the top spot with 3 mentions but there is something else entirely on the spot. 
Here we go again. I have published some 
A tree. A cloud. A tree. A cloud. Leo DiCaprio moaning.
All right, since the late release of The Revenant in my country made it impossible for me to see the movie by now - and finish my final list for 2015 and complete my best shots, best scenes and best performances list, I can only publish one list other than 
In early 2002, the Boston Globe covered the criminal prosecutions of five Roman Catholic priests in an article that won an uncontested Pulitzer Prize. The issue of child rape and sexual assault of Roman Catholic children became a national scandal The coverage of these cases encouraged others to come forward with allegations of abuse, resulting in more lawsuits and criminal cases. Spotlight tells the story of reporters who researched and wrote the article.
Justin Kurzel's Macbeth, which is one of the most cinematic Shakespearean works, opens with the still shot of a dead child laying on the ground, surrounded by heather. The film's tone is set from the very start - as raw, grim and filled with great sadness. This is a dark, bloody affair and an unpleasant one too.
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Queen of Earth is a cryptic, difficult movie. I've seen a lot of movies depicting the mental collapse - because of my own experiences with it, it's comforting to see the people on screen go through similar things. Black Swan and Mulholland Drive occupy the highest places in my all time favorite list. Repulsion follows close. Queen of Earth is not on the level of those movies, the director's vision not as clear, the movie not as mysterious and rewatchable, but it definitely portrays the decay of mind in a very insightful and fascinating way.
Marvel's reign over what seems to be the entire world - they have been getting our attention and our money for years now - has recently started to become a bit shaky. Age of Ultron, sequel to their most profitable movie yet, Avengers was disappointing. Not financially, of course, but the reception was underwhelming. And who can blame the people who were let down - Ultron repeated the sin of formulaic storyline, bland villain and frankly it was just bizarre. I mean what the hell was up with the"hey kids, gather around and we will tell you about that time Black Widow's ovaries got removed!" thing?
Gillian Flynn's books are a dream material for movie makers. At least they should be, but for some reason the hype and the fame in Hollywood that accompanied Flynn when Gone Girl was released last year appears to be something that sparkled too much, very briefly and intensely, and died. She is reportedly doing HBO series with Fincher, but what of her other books? The most cinematic one, called Sharp Objects was rumored to be in the works to become a TV series but there are no news, there isn't even one casting tidbit. And what about Dark Places?
I love Melissa McCarthy. There are plenty of people who find her
crude, annoying and unfunny but I'm not one of those people. I am still
baffled that there are those out there who actually hated The Heat,
which I think is one of the funniest comedies in recent years. And
McCarthy's nomination for her wonderful work in Bridesmaids is one of
my all time favorite Oscar nominations. To top these two movies would be tough, but
that is exactly what Spy managed to do.
It's really hard to describe Mad Max: Fury Road. It is first and foremost a film you need to experience. No amount of words and descriptions can really help you understand or prepare you for the film's hellish pace, spellbinding visuals and intensity.
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