Is MAD MAX: FURY ROAD The Best Movie of 2015?
I have a confession. I don't even know if this is acceptable to say on a site that extensively covers film, but here goes: I only liked Mad Max: Fury Road, I didn't love it. Whew — glad to have that off my chest. The movie is a phenomenal piece of filmmaking, especially from someone as old as George Miller, but while the action was cool and the visuals and world-building aspects were impressive (among a bunch of other positives), the film just didn't click for me as much as it did for seemingly everyone else who saw it.
The National Board of Review doesn't agree with me, though, because they've just named it the Best Film of 2015. Here's a selection of some of their awards:
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: Ridley Scott – The Martian
Best Actor: Matt Damon – The Martian
Best Actress: Brie Larson – Room
Best Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone – Creed
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino – The Hateful Eight
Best Adapted Screenplay: Drew Goddard – The Martian
Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
Top Films
Bridge of Spies
Creed
The Hateful Eight
Inside Out
Spotlight
The Martian
Room
Sicario
Straight Outta Compton
I really like their selection of Top Films, but it's hard to get too worked up about these awards because the National Board of Review is a notoriously mysterious organization that doesn't really have much impact on awards season as a whole. The whole reason I'm writing about this is just to get you all thinking about some of your favorite films of 2015, and to see how many of you agree with their decision that Mad Max: Fury Road deserves the top slot (because, let's face it, it's not winning Best Picture at the Oscars).
Meanwhile, The Playlist points out that IMDb has released its own list of the top 10 films and TV shows of the year, according to its user ratings. There are some surprising choices in here — namely that mega-hits like Jurassic World and Furious 7 were left off — but again, as the year comes to a close, it's time to start thinking about your favorite movies and TV shows and ranking them accordingly. I know I'll be posting at least one year-end list in the coming weeks, and some of my colleagues here may be writing up lists of their own, but in the meantime, let us know what you think about Mad Max taking the top spot from the National Board of Review and start getting your own lists ready.