Alright, so you’ve probably caught on to the trend of making anniversary lists for some cinematic classics, and although the 20-year mark is scary to realise, the 10-year mark is somehow even more unsettling when you think about how quickly time has gone. 2015 was, however, one of the best (if not the best) years for film in the 2010s, and just going over the list now, one forgets how much fun was had inside the movie theatre that year.
Here are 8 (new-ish) classics that will make you say, “It’s already been 10 years?!”
Sicario
Prior to this film, I had never heard of Denis Villeneuve, and in some ways, this was his coming out party to the world. Yes, Prisoners (2013) is incredible, but Sicario took the Mexican cartel/cop genre and turned it into a Chinatown-esque murder/mystery/thriller of unparalleled proportions. “You saw things you shouldn’t have seen,” Josh Brolin tells Emily Blunt in the film, referring to the coldest hitman ever put to screen in the form of a hauntingly taciturn Benicio Del Toro. Even just writing this description is making the hair on my neck stand up, and if you haven’t already seen it, I am truly jealous that you get to experience it for the first time. And perhaps even more shocking is that the sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), is also very, very good.
Straight Outta Compton
One of my oldest friends, who hates rap music and whose musical diet is reduced to Bon Iver and other indie bands that consist of acoustic guitars, fiddles, and mustaches, called me after seeing this film, practically hyperventilating on the phone, telling me how incredible it was. If you like rap music, then the true story of rap’s most legendary and dangerous group is already somewhat engrained into the cultural psyche, but for a story like this to captivate the hearts of the uninformed, if not dismissive, outsider? Well, that’s special. N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton is still the hardest rap record ever made, and this is the greatest rap biopic ever made (closely tied with 8 Mile). Although it was rightfully nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, it deserved so, so much more.
The Lobster
Another coming out party for a then relatively unknown director, this terrifying yet funny satirical take on modern dating by the, now multi-Oscar nominated, Yorgos Lanthimos was truly a film ahead, and of, its time. Introducing the world to his awkward structure of deadpan actors delivering lines in the most robotic way possible, this put Collin Farrel in a new light (he’s a bit overweight and not very charming or handsome), and although Lanthimos’s films of the last 10 years have won countless Oscars across several categories, in my opinion, The Lobster reigns supreme in his catalog.
The Hateful Eight
Rounding up the usual suspects of the Tarantino glossary, The Hateful Eight saw Quentin caging his favourite actors inside a snowed-in bar in the woods during the wild wild west days – naturally, a lot of swearing, shooting, bloodshed, and indelible one-liners ensues. Jennifer Jason Leigh was deservedly nominated for an Oscar in her performance, but one can’t help but feel that a certain someone who happens to love Stealer’s Wheel steals the show.
The Big Short
Wait, the guy who made Anchorman can also make a really good, yet very funny, ‘serious’ movie? This was director Adam McKay’s statement to the world that he had more to give than just Ron Burgundy one-liners, and he delivered one of the best, most quotable films ever made on not just the true story about the 2008 financial crash, but about Wall Street corruption in general. Ryan Gosling, Steve Carrell, Brad Pitt, and Christian Bale in yet another ‘how the hell did he do that?’ performance, puts this film in the ‘deserves an immediate rewatch’ category.
Victoria
One can argue that the ‘one shot take’ film has now been exhausted, but this German, adrenalised crime thriller about an unsuspecting girl who delves into the pit of the Berlin underworld remains one of the most impressive, low-budget films ever made, one that will be studied for decades to come. Unlike the WWI epic, 1917 (terrific film, by the way), which was made to look like it was shot in one take although it wasn’t, this film actually was shot in one take, and they pulled it off in its entirety on the third attempt. Truly a spectacle to behold, and one so unhinged you’ll start having heart palpitations about twenty minutes into the film.
Steve Jobs
Aaron Sorkin returned to the world of tech billionaires with his wildly creative script that completely flipped the biopic genre on its head. Instead of the generic retelling of someone’s upbringing, Sorkin told the biography of Steve Jobs through three seminal moments in the Apple founder’s career, showcasing the highs, lows, and disreputable attitude of Jobs himself. Directed by Danny Boyle and starring Michael Fassbender as Jobs (although one could argue his Irish dialect slips through a few times), this remains one of the most innovatively structured biopics of all time.
Tangerine
After winning the Cannes Film Festival with Anora, Sean Baker is now at the top of the list to win basically everything at the Oscars this year, and rightfully so. But the king of indie filmmaking gave ‘low budget’ a new meaning with Tangerine, which was filmed entirely on two separate iPhones, one of which is now sitting inside the Academy Award museum in Los Angeles. The soundtrack was sourced from unknown artists on SoundCloud, and the actors were all found at homeless shelters, at the local YMCA, or simply scouted from the streets of LA. For any aspiring filmmaker, or artist of any domain, this is proof that you don’t need a lot of money, you just need a story to tell.
Notable mentions: Spotlight, Spectre, Burnt, The VVitch, End of the Tour, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Knight of Cups.
