Sam Tremayne, award-winning writer and director loves watching films as much as he loves making them. We asked Sam to give us his 10 best movie moments for the year, and the answers were certainly surprising!
10. Pixar Magic – Inside Out
Pixar are the Spaghetti Bolognaise of film. They’re almost always good. The last few years have been tough for this Disney tendril in a market a lot more saturated with animated films. However in 2015 they reminded us why they are king, delivering a thought provoking, funny, bittersweet and touching story set inside the mind of a young girl, that had this reviewer reaching for tissues.
The last time a film did that was again Pixar, in Toy Story 3.
9. The Dressmaker
Australian film continues to grow and prosper internationally. The Dressmaker showed that a uniquely Australian story starring a female lead could attract audiences of all ages and genders. It was funny, zany, over the top and satisfying. It encapsulates the potential for our local industry to make products both domestically and overseas that can be well received based off a good story, not a gimmick.
8. Billion Dollar babies, Jurassic World, Avengers, Fast 7
There could be a correlation between movie tickets being more expensive than ever or the fact 2015 released sequels to the biggest movie franchises of the modern era, perhaps a combination of both. But Jurassic World, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Fast 7 all made over a billion dollars at the box office this year and cemented their places in the top 10 highest grossing films of all time. Say what you will about the quality of these pictures, but respect and credit where its due to a massive achievement.
7. Low Budget Triumphs
On the other end of the spectrum, a slew of films were released this year that perhaps you didn’t see; but definitely should. Ex Machina, Brookyln and Black Sea are three examples of movies that flew under most people’s radar but have acclaimed reviews and success in their own right. These are what I’d call 2015’s hipster cred movies.
6. The Big Directors flexing their muscles
This year saw the arrival of a number of huge directors making returns to the screen to epic blockbuster success or praise. Steven Spielberg teamed up with his leading man Tom Hanks for ‘Bridge of Spies’ we had Guy Ritchie with ‘The man from U.N.C.L.E’ and finally Ridley Scott churned out something memorable and masterful again with ‘The Martian” after a few misses of late. The year isn’t even over yet but Tarantino will squeeze in his next release before New Year with ‘The Hateful Eight”.
5. Surprise Shits
As is the case with big movie studios, there would inevitably be some stinkers that people may have thought would be good movies, but were the furthest thing from it. 50 Shades of Grey was tripe, Chappie was crappie and Terminator did its best to erase any trace of the first two films of its series, the only decent relics of a franchise that needs to end. There isn’t enough room in this article to go into Fantastic Four but safe to say it’s time Fox handed those reigns over to Disney/Marvel who know how to make a good superhero movie.
4. Surprise Hits
Of course with the bad comes the good, and several films this year that blew away expectations and garnered massive success due to word of mouth, great reviews and fresh ideas or takes on stale genres. Notable mentions go to ‘Straight outta Compton,’ ‘Creed,’ ‘The Walk’ and the most surprised I was by a film this year in Melissa McCarthy’s ‘Spy’, which had me literally lol-ing several times.
3. Paul Walker sign off in Fast 7
Fast and the Furious fan or not, the tragic death of Paul Walker during the filming of the movie ‘Fast 7’ moved many over the world. He was a prime example of ‘too soon’, a guy genuinely nice and liked, and his loss in a business sense almost ended production. Movie magic and CGI using Paul’s brother completed the film, and everyone was guessing how they’d write Paul’s character Brian O’Connor out of the series. Despite the series famous for cheese, cliché and explosions, the farewell was done tastefully, with subtlety and emotion.
2. Mad Max
You’ve probably seen this movie, even if you haven’t you know why it’s so high in this list. Aussie George Miller retook the reigns of his fabled Mad Max series and delivered a film unlike anything seen in many years. Weird, creepy and immersive with an unconventional plot and amazing art design and practical effects, this film is a triumph of cinema and a modern day classic.
1. Star Wars release
I know the film isn’t out yet. But as if it’s not the biggest moment of the year in film. The biggest movie franchise of all time, Star Wars is a culture in itself, it has shaped so much about what a movie is, and despite forgettable prequels back in early 2000’s, with J.J Abrams directing and the original cast returning, I am – as you should be too – all aboard the hype train, with trailers that give instant nostalgia goose bumps this is an extremely exciting time to be a movie lover.
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Here’s to a great year of film. See you in 2015!
