As the year draws to a close, critics have been giving us their thoughts on the best movies of 2015. Sound and Fury magazine got the views of 168 film critics and their top ten include some surprises (and more than a few you'll never have heard of). Interestingly, seven of the films involved strong female leads.
Although no Irish movies made the top of the list they did feature well up the pack, with critics naming Lobster starring Colin Farrell and Room, Lenny Abrahamson's adaptation of Emma Donoghue's best-seller in joint place at number 26. The Irish box office hit, Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan and directed by John Crowley is named in joint 58th place alongside the likes of new release Bridge of Spies.
1. The Assassin (France/Hong Kong/Taiwan)
This martial arts film won the Best Director prize at Cannes and goes on release here in January when we can judge for yourselves. Set in the ninth century, it follows a female assassin who is sent to kill corrupt government officials.
2. Carol (UK/USA)
Only hitting Irish cinemas today, this is one of the most lauded movies of 2015 and it seems fairly certain that Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara will need a new frock for Oscar night. Todd Haynes' tale of forbidden same-sex love in 1950s New York, Carol has left critics swooning. TEN's five star review said the movie "resonates on many levels and is a truly transportative experience".
3. Mad Max Fury Road (Australia/USA)
This one may surprise a few people. It did huge business on its release and won widespread praise for its breathtaking visuals and kinetic direction - however many critics (including TEN's reviewer) were a tad lukewarm on the overall merits of George Miller's reboot of his 1979 classic with Tom Hardy taking over from Mel Gibson in the lead role. Well not these critics it seems.
4. Arabian Nights (Switzerland/France/Germany/Portugal)
Portugal's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at next year's Oscars, this doesn't hit cinemas here until next Spring. Running to a ass-numbing 338 minutes, this comedy-drama is quite the endurance test - but has been getting great notice all year from critics since it first screened at festivals.
5. Cemetery of Splendour (France/UK/GermanyMalaysia/Thailand)
This Thai film revolved around an epidemic of sleeping sickness which leaves victims hallucinating and lose their grip on reality. Cemetery of Splendour picked up a lot of love from the festival circuit after first screening at Cannes.
6. No Home Movie (Belgium/France)
No Home Movie is a documentary in which the filmmaker Chantal Akerman presents a portrait of her mother, Natalia, who fled Poland in 1938 and came to Brussels.
7. 45 Years (UK)
A double prize winner at the Berlin Film Festival, Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years follows Kate Mercer (Charlotte Rampling) and her husband (Tom Courtenay) in the turbulent five days leading up to their 45th wedding anniversary. TEN's review gave it four stars describing it as "an absorbing take on old age, its frustrations and small pleasures".
8. Son of Saul (Hungary)
Hungarian-Jewish prisoner Saul Ausländer burning the bodies of the dead in the Auschwitz concentration camp. When he finds the body of a child he realises is his son, he tries to arrange a clandestine burial rather than have him burnt. Due for release in Ireland next April.
9. Amy (UK)
Asif Kapadia's film about the late singer Amy Winehouse broke box office records in the UK and Ireland for a documentary when it went on release during the summer. Sad, poignant and searingly honest its a warts and all account of pops lost girl who died so tragically at the age of 27. TEN's review said it's "the truest portrait of her, both angel and demon, you are likely to see."
10. Inherent Vice (USA)
This may be the ultimate example of a movie adored by critics, but reviled by the public. Tales of walkouts by bored and bewildered patrons abounded when this went on release early this year. Director Paul Thomas Anderson is an acquired taste at the best of times, but his adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's book of the same name, gave Joaquin Phoenix one of his better roles in years but its certainly a divisive film. TEN's review summed it up saying "the acting is excellent; it's just a pity the cast didn't get more entertaining stuff to work with".
