I'm fairly certain I watched less new film releases last year than I have in the previous 5-7 years. I got stuck in a weird cycle of only watching the same films over and over for 2-3 months. Then I got on a super television kick where I binge-watched roughly 245 seasons of new shows. While 2015 felt very lackluster in the film department to me, a few films and moments stood out and really stuck with me until today. They stuck with me enough to keep encouraging me to document and fangirl about them on this blog. So, that is what I shall do. I hope you find them interesting or feel inspired to watch the films in their entirety. Or I at least hope they provide you with a wonderful distraction from studying/work/life. 5. "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." boat chase I don't think I can quite express how ardently I ADORE this film. I watched it 3 times in one weekend. I made my friends and parents watch it and silently willed them to love it as much as I do. It is a visually beautiful film. The music is top notch and the editing gave me whiplash in a really good way. Yes, there is a good way. I loved all three lead characters and I found myself rooting for them during the film and hoping for good lives for them in their unknown futures. When I wish for fictional characters' happiness, that's when I know I enjoyed a film. Anyway, one scene in particular stood out to me. Illya (Armie Hammer) and Solo (Henry Cavill) are spies for two different agencies reluctantly working together to stop Germany from making a nuclear bomb. In this scene the two are attempting to escape from a compound that they had broken into. Illya commandeers a speedboat and leads German officials on a boat chase. Solo is soon tossed off and the following scene made me so happy that I re-watched it 3 more times during my first viewing. 4. "Creed" training montage I don't care about Rocky. I think I've seen the most iconic scenes from the first Rocky film and that's about it. It just never resonated with me. Creed was different. I love the director, Ryan Coogler, and I love the star, Michael B. Jordan, so it already had my undivided attention. I loved this movie. I loved it so much that when it received almost no love from award shows this season I was legitimately upset. Anyway, this film made me care about Rocky. It made me care about Creed. It made me care about the relationship between man and sport and just how symbiotic those two things can be. Every sports movie that is worth something in my book has an excellent training montage. This one has an EXCELLENT training montage. What made it stand out to me was the effortless fusion of the classic Rocky anthem and a hip-hop score fitting of this film's setting and time. It gave me chills and I immediately bought the song when I went home. Now, I listen to it when I work out and think about this scene and the purely visceral reaction from a character filled with so much emotion and expectation. 3. "Dope" ending monologue I had no idea what this movie was supposed to be about when I went into the theater last year to watch it. I enjoyed it as I watched but it began to feel like a typical hardcore "let's see what drug gags we can get away with" comedy a la "Pineapple Express." Then, the ending scene happened and I literally whispered "wow" to myself and thought about it for days, even months, after. It touches upon our inherent gut reaction to pre-judge people based on color and not personality. To assume who they are and what they aspire to be is to be determined purely by the color of their skin. It's a powerful scene and doesn't need the context of the movie to make sense or resonate deeply. At least I hope it resonates deeply for you. 2. "Ex Machina" dance scene I watch this scene at least 3 times a week. It seems wildly unnecessary to the film as a whole unless you count it as further proof that the character is a completely narcissistic, reclusive weirdo. But I am so glad it is in there. I love its absurdity. This is a sci-fi film, y'all. I love sci-fi films. I also LOVE the actor, Oscar Isaac ( Please look up his filmography. You're welcome), so everything about this dance in this type of film makes me giggle and appreciate it so much more. Also, here's a bonus Oscar Isaac gif. You're welcome. Again. 1. Rey Rey is neither a scene nor a moment. She is a fiercely compelling MAIN character in the biggest film franchise of all time. Oh, and she's a woman. Hollywood has a lot of problems with diversity. I could go on about it all day but I'll keep this one about women. There are issues of actress under 30 getting roles originally written for women over 30. This creates awkward age gaps between men and women in romanic scenarios on film. It hinders older actresses from getting meaty roles or even any role unless they are Meryl Streep. This doesn't even really count the complete lack of roles for women of color. Women are side-pieces, objects of affection and doormats only there for the ever present male gaze. So many films have 5-6 men and 1 women and we are expected to applaud their inclusion. I mean, I guess it could have been ALL men. We are so lucky. The original Star Wars trilogy gave us Princess Leia, a strong woman worthy of admiration from millions of young girls. Those films were largely about Luke Skywalker, though, and his journey. Han Solo arguably became the more famous of the characters. The most iconic thing about Leia is her hair buns and the slave outfit. She is known for her physical attributes and not the fact that she saved the other two various times and was an exemplary leader. This is further proven by her becoming a "General" in The Force Awakens. But this isn't about Leia. It's about Rey and how Rey is the main character of the new Star Wars films. She is a lead female in a franchise that means so much to so many people but is so often only relatable to white men. She isn't the sidekick or the background token woman. She is the star and what I believe the main focus of the future films will be around. She's as strong a character as Leia but is more present and prominent on the screen. This is so important. She is fierce, intelligent, resourceful, strong but also vulnerable, complex and feminine in a way that never degrades her or allows her to look like less than her male companions. I love Rey. What I love more is that so many little girls love Rey. What I love most is that they even HAVE Rey. So, those are some of my favorite moments from films in 2015. I hope you found some enjoyable moments for yourself or at least re-watched some old favorites. I'd love to know some of your faves because I'm always looking to expand my viewing habits!
Until next time...
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