Top 10 movies of 2015

10. Ant-Man: As silly as I thought this movie was going to be, I still really enjoyed it. Even if the plot was basically the first Iron Man redone, it still had a lot of wit and humor. 

9. Avengers: Age of Ultron:  Even though I felt like I'd seen this before with the first Avengers, I still thought this was fun. James Spader was great as Ultron.

8. Tomorrowland: This was a super fun movie with a great message that was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.

7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens:  The plot was basically A New Hope all over again, but it was still fun, and there was enough originality for me to feel like it wasn't a complete remake.

6. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: This movie was FUN! I enjoyed everything from the acting to the score.

5. Peanuts:  Charles Schultz would be proud of this movie. It feels very true to the comics, and left me with a sense of childhood nostalgia.

4.  The Gallows:  This movie was so creepy. It takes the feeling of being  alone in a dark abandoned building and cranks it up to 1000. It was very well done.

3. Minions:  I didn't think the Minions would be able to carry their own movie since they don't speak English, but surprisingly it works. There was plenty of humor and I loved it.

2: Jurassic World: Chris Pratt was great as always, and the entire movie had a nostalgic feel to it.

And the number 1 movie of 2015 is:

Inside Out: This movie was super original and everyone can relate to it. It's clear a lot of thought (no pun intended) was put into this movie. And the mature feel of this movie makes up for the childish "Cars 2" and "Brave". Pixar feels great again. 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The first line in this movie is "This will begin to make things right." I feel like that's a jab at the prequels. "Hey, we know the prequels were awful, but this new movie will begin to make things right." Probably not intentional, but clever nonetheless. My goodness, this movie is so well done! The parallels and metaphors are so cleverly written. Even if you haven't seen any Star Wars movies before, you can watch this as a standalone. Will you get more out of it if you've seen the original trilogy? Of course. Is it essential viewing before going into this one? No. The plot does at times feel "Been there, seen that," because it is essentially a remake of A New Hope. However, there's enough new bits in the story that left me satisfied. The practical effects are so well done, and the very little CGI in the movie looks more realistic than the prequels ever did. There's an important message in the movie, and the characters are relatable. Unlike some of the characters in the prequels, you care about what happens to these new characters. They're acting is great, and the classic actors still feel like their characters. Harrison Ford is still great with the zingers, and C-3PO is still the worrisome robot we all love. J. J. Abrams has restored what we all love about Star Wars. Even before the classic characters show up, it still feels like a Star Wars movie. If the upcoming films are even 1/4 as good as this was, there's a new hope for the Star Wars franchise.

Grade: A-  9/10 4/5 stars

Krampus

I'll just say this right now: to enjoy this movie you need to go in with the right mindset. If you're expecting straight-up horror that will make it hard to fall asleep at night, this is not the film for you. However, if you're expecting dark comedy than you will most likely enjoy this film. It's obvious it was influenced by "Gremlins" and "Poltergeist" in some parts. Without giving too much away, I will say that if you were a child of the '80's you will definitely be reminiscing about those movies. That's not to say it's a straight ripoff of them, though. It's definitely got some originality to it. If you're a "Nightmare Before Christmas" fan, you'll probably enjoy "Krampus." There's even a flashback sequence entirely animated in stop-motion and it's beautifully done. Even during the parts that are supposed to be scary, it's so over-the-top and goofy that it's hard to take those parts seriously. That's not a complaint. I enjoyed that. I was smiling and laughing nearly the whole time. Even the score takes classic Christmas music and gives it a dark, warped feeling. You will never be able to hear "Carol of the Bells" the same way again. So, if you're tired of the cliche "we love each other" saccharine sweet Christmas films and you're looking for something different,  this is the film for you. I have a feeling that in about 10-20 years this will be considered a classic like "A Christmas Story," "Elf," Nightmare Before Christmas" and of course "Gremlins."

Grade: A-   9/10  4/5 stars