2015 Ticket Stub Review
2015 Was a good year for movies with many that I enjoyed. The movies listed below are ones I liked enough for a second viewing. I will include my usual disclaimer: I’m not saying these are good, just that I liked them.
It turns out the 2008 financial meltdown that left many homeless, jobless, and moneyless was anticipated by a few astute financial wizards. The Big Short takes a complex financial situation and makes it accessible to all. Part comedy, part tragedy. Rated R. [rating=3]
Brooklyn tells the story of a sweet Irish girl who moves to America for a better life during the early 1950’s. Heartwarming, simple and sincere this movie hits all the right notes without ever straying into melodrama. One of my favorite movies of 2015. Rated PG-13 [rating=4]
Cate Blanchett and Lily James breathe new life into this classic tale. Definitely the sweetest movie of 2015. Rated PG. [rating=3]
Dope tells the improbable story of three teens obsessed with 90’s culture who get caught in a game with scary rules and scarier players. Funny, gritty, and a little stupid but sure to entertain. Rated R. [rating=3]
I think Google’s self driving cars are both very cool and a little scary. Ex Machina’s female automaton is cooler and much scarier. Basically a three person play set in an exotic retreat. Rated R. [rating=3]
What if you could look into the mind of a pre-teen girl and understand her emotions and thinking process? It would probably look like this. Kids will like this movie, adults will enjoy it just as much or more. Rated PG. [rating=4]
It follows is one of the most original horror movie in years. More suspenseful than scary, it slowly creeps up on you and sucks you in. Most horror movies have rules that you must follow to stay alive, but in It Follows only a few rules are known to our heroes and they must discern the rest while trying to stay alive. Rated R. [rating=3]
Hollywood hit a homerun with The Martian. They managed to take a great book and adapt it to an accessible techno-drama. Nerds like me loved the book so if you’re a nerd read the book first. Everyone else should see this on the big screen. Rated PG-13. [rating=4]
I have a soft spot for disaster flicks like Deep Impact and Twister. For some reason the cartoonish destruction of earth and all its inhabitants gives me immense joy. And while I mostly don’t want to see California slip into the Pacific ocean I did enjoy seeing another man vs. nature movie. Dwane “The Rock” Johnson spends the entire movie stealing cars, boats, airplanes, and helicopters all to rescue his daughter and save his family. Definitely worth renting. Rated PG-13. [rating=3]
Spotlight is the name of the Boston Globe’s investigative journalist team that exposed the Catholic Church’s systematic coverup of child molestation by its priests. Spotlight is a procedural drama that examines all the parties that turned a blind eye to the abuse and allowed it to continue for years. [rating=3]
Melissa McCarthy is at the top of her game with this sly satare of James Bond and other super spy films. She is very much an every day slob that is thrust into dangerous waters. Jason Statham plays the idiot foil against all his previous super agent he-man roles. Spy is fun all the way through. Rated R. [rating=3]
Amy Schumer wrote and starred in this romantic comedy that is raunchy on the outside yet sweet and funny on the inside. Amy plays a career woman with commitment issues and drinking problems who in short she is a trainwreck. The funniest movie from 2015. Rated R. [rating=4]