Top
Ten of 2015
When this year began, I was skeptical. In
addition to way too many sequels, the first film I reviewed was Fifty Shades of Grey. Ugh. To my utter
joy, this slow start turned into a light speed finish – the best year for film
since 2009 – and I didn’t even see half the films I wanted. Here are my top
ten:
1.
The
Drop Box – Five Reels. A documentary on the ministry of Pastor Jong-rak Lee who has saved the lives of hundreds of
abandoned babies in South Korea. If the most important measure of any
movie is its ability to covert souls for the Kingdom, this is one of the
greatest films of all time.
2.
It
Follows – Five Reels. A disturbing yet expertly crafted horror film
about the tragic consequences of the sexual revolution.
3.
Inside
Out – Five Reels. Pixar returns to full form with a look inside the
mind of a preteen struggling with a recent move to San Francisco. Bring
tissues.
4.
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for
Freedom – Five Reels. Religion, including the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church, plays a central role in a former Soviet bloc country’s struggle to
break free from Putin’s grasp and create a future of its own.
5.
Hotel
Transylvania 2 – Five Reels. In the most unexpected turn of the year,
an Adam Sandler written monster comedy breaks into the top ten. Wow.
6.
The
Walk – Robert Zemeckis’ riveting adaptation of Philippe Petit’s
tightrope walk across the towers. Timely and beautiful.
7.
Shaun
the Sheep: The Movie – A simply adorable tale even toddlers can enjoy.
8.
Beasts
of No Nation – The importance of family becomes devastatingly apparent
in this horrific tale of a child soldier in central Africa.
9.
The Martian – One film reviewer
called this tale of a marooned astronaut on Mars “the year’s best recruitment
tool for engineering.”
10.
War
Room – Orson Welles once quipped that sex and prayer could never be
convincingly shown onscreen. This film proves him wrong on the latter…and maybe
Fifty Shades proves him right on the
former.
Honorable
Mention:
The Divergent
Series: Insurgent, Going Clear, The Good Dinosaur, Jurassic World, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens
This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on January 4th, 2016.
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