| Title |
Year |
Rating |
Rank |
Review |
| 12 Years a Slave | 2013 | 100 | 1 | (full review) |
| Boyhood | 2014 | 100 | 1 | (full review) - In bringing this epic story to the big screen and taking a moving picture of life itself, Richard Linklater truly seizes this moment in cinematic history by letting the moment seize us. It's a spectacular motion picture that simultaneously turns life into art and art into life. |
| Me and Earl and the Dying Girl | 2015 | 100 | 1 | (full review) - If Wes Anderson and John Hughes were to have collaborated on a film, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl would have been the wacky, entertaining byproduct of their efforts. |
| The Big Short | 2015 | 98 | 4 | (full review) - Blending some of the best elements of Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street and J. C. Chandor's Margin Call, the finance-themed comedy drama from Anchorman director Adam McKay serves up both irreverent humor and gut-wrenching drama in perfect doses. |
| Whiplash | 2014 | 98 | 4 | (full review) - Paying homage to jazz greats like Charlie Parker, Jo Jones, and Buddy Rich. Chazelle pulls out all the stops to create this gripping yet comedic cinematic experience that will reel moviegoers in for the duration of its all too brief runtime. |
| Creed | 2015 | 97 | 6 | (full review) - A knockout from the opening credits, Creed surpassed every expectation I had for it. Ryan Coogler rises to the occasion in his second feature film and delivers one compelling boxing drama. |
| Ex Machina | 2015 | 97 | 6 | (full review) - Ex Machina is undoubtedly an homage to those sci-fi films of the past that showcase this clash of man and self-aware machines. Unlike other films that bake this theme into expansive worlds with lots of colorful characters, Ex Machina boasts a far more intimate film. |
| Fruitvale Station | 2013 | 97 | 6 | (full review) |
| Inside Out | 2015 | 97 | 6 | (full review) - Running the gamut of emotions, Docter does something that defines the best films by capturing that lightning in a bottle called movie magic. On top of this, we have a delightful and beautiful animated short with James Ford Murphy's musical Lava kicking things off. |
| Mad Max: Fury Road | 2015 | 97 | 6 | (full review) - It's safe to say that we can't afford to wait another thirty years for director George Miller to craft the next installment in the Mad Max franchise. This post-apocalyptic thriller is a breath of fresh air at the mainstream box office. It's something different. It's something inventive. It's something throwback. |
| Mr. Holmes | 2015 | 97 | 6 | (full review) - Mr. Holmes is an outstanding motion picture that uses the greatest fictional detective of all time to demonstrate the struggles of old age in a dignified way. |
| Selma | 2014 | 97 | 6 | (full review) - Sometimes films about the past illuminate the present. |
| The Martian | 2015 | 97 | 6 | (full review) - Boldly envisioned, meticulously crafted, and beautifully executed, this film finds Scott in rare form. |
| Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation | 2015 | 93 | 14 | (full review) - Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get to the box office this weekend. The Impossible Mission Force (IMF) is back on the scene. Agent Ethan Hunt is back in action. You can disavow any notion that this newest entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise is just another noisy, explosive blockbuster in the barrage of summer movies we've seen. |
| Ant-Man | 2015 | 88 | 15 | (full review) - For his part as Scott Lang and one of the two titular characters, Paul Rudd follows in the footsteps of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Chris Pratt's Star-Lord by finding his funny bone. He's the chill slacker who shrinks to become the hero he was born to be. |
| Before Midnight | 2013 | 88 | 15 | (full review) |
| Butler, The (2013 F Whitaker by Lee Daniels) | 2013 | 88 | 15 | (full review) |
| Kingsman: The Secret Service | 2015 | 88 | 15 | (full review) - With all its gadgets, stylized fight sequences, and self-aware dialogue, Kingsman: The Secret Service is one lovable ode to the spy movies of old. |
| Serpico | 1973 | 88 | 15 | (full review) |
| The Imitation Game | 2014 | 88 | 15 | (full review) - The Imitation Game is a history lesson all should see. |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2015 | 84 | 21 | (full review) - The film's greatest asset is not the action, the comedy, or even its glut of new characters. It's the villainy. It's Ultron. James Spader's persona reminds me quite a bit of Hugo Weaving's performances as Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy with an extra shot of menace. Popping up everywhere with money quotes on the inevitability of his peacekeeping mission, Spader oozes with malice in every move he makes and every step he takes. |
| Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | 2014 | 84 | 21 | (full review) - Marked by outstanding motion capture special effects, rich performances from its robust cast, and an engaging storyline that expands on the success of its predecessor, this new foray into the world of apes has invigorated the sleepy summer box office. |
| The Theory of Everything | 2014 | 84 | 21 | (full review) - In the iconic role of Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne gives what may one day be considered a career-defining performance. Redmayne looks like Hawking. He moves like him. He has that defiant glow about him just like Hawking. |
| Frank | 2014 | 80 | 24 | (full review) - It's a relentlessly inventive film that somehow manages to oscillate between frivolity and seriousness with ease. |
| Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The | 2014 | 80 | 24 | (full review) - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is undoubtedly the best of The Hobbit trilogy. While it has nothing on The Lord of the Rings films, it does offer director Peter Jackson a chance to do what he does best, make war |
| In a World... | 2013 | 80 | 24 | (full review) |
| Kill the Messenger | 2014 | 80 | 24 | (full review) - Featuring a stellar ensemble that delivers the goods, Cuesta's Kill the Messenger is one taut thriller that brings a national sin back to the forefront that should have never been forgotten. |
| Love & Mercy | 2015 | 80 | 24 | (full review) - A musical heavyweight whose career went sideways thanks to drug addiction, mental illness, and abuse by his doctor is the stuff of which biopics are made. The proof is in the pudding because director Bill Pohlad concocts one delightfully quirky film in Love & Mercy. |
| Neighbors | 2014 | 80 | 24 | (full review) |
| Results | 2015 | 80 | 24 | (full review) - Quirky, low key, and oddly enough romantic, Results is that movie for me. |
| Spectre | 2015 | 80 | 24 | (full review) - After 53 years of MI6, I'm sure it's challenging to conjure up new and inventive narratives each time around. That being said, Spectre has a copycat problem. As many longtime Bond viewers are sure to notice, the latest Bond film borrows quite a bit from a certain 1964 film and to a lesser extent other 007 films long gone. |
| Spy | 2015 | 80 | 24 | (full review) - It’s a rare and precious thing to find a comedy with a full tank of laughs. |
| The Equalizer | 2014 | 80 | 24 | (full review) - While Washington has made both exceptional and mediocre thrillers over the years, The Equalizer doesn't quite land in either bucket. Still, it's much closer to exceptionalism than mediocrity. |
| Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | 2011 | 80 | 24 | (full review) |
| Total Recall (1990) | 1990 | 80 | 24 | (full review) |
| Begin Again | 2014 | 75 | 36 | (full review) - As a guy in my twenties who has steered away from the subpar music landscape of today, I wholeheartedly believe that the industry has gone to hell. A film for music aficionados, the sugary Begin Again shows us the path to find the new pearls of this endangered art today. |
| Foxcatcher | 2014 | 70 | 37 | (full review) - Foxcatcher is one intense thriller that's got plenty of film critics fawning all over it. There's just one tiny problem. I'm not one of them. |
| Jurassic World | 2015 | 70 | 37 | (full review) - In Jurassic World, corporations find a way. |
| The Hundred-Foot Journey | 2014 | 70 | 37 | (full review) - The Hundred-Foot Journey has a slow opening act, but it quickly recovers. When it does so, we get one endearing flick with some mouthwatering dishes. |
| Wedding Ringer, The | 2015 | 70 | 37 | (full review) |
| Bad Teacher | 2011 | 61 | 41 | (full review) |
| Big Eyes | 2014 | 61 | 41 | (full review) - I won't go shouting to the mountaintops about Big Eyes, but I will say that it's a decent drama from Tim Burton that's solid entertainment on a quiet afternoon. |
| DUFF, The | 2015 | 61 | 41 | (full review) - On the one hand, it's a decently entertaining romp that plays to its strengths and tries to modernize the teen comedy. On the other hand, it's simply anything but the next great coming-of-age movie. |
| Lawless | 2012 | 61 | 41 | (full review) |
| Mr. Peabody & Sherman | 2014 | 61 | 41 | (full review) |
| Nightcrawler | 2014 | 61 | 41 | (full review) - Sure, there are plenty of intense, disastrous developments served up with a side of extra gore, but that's not enough. Nightcrawler lacks a certain potency or depth that would take it to the next level. |
| The Intern | 2015 | 61 | 41 | (full review) - This weekend's The Intern won't win any awards. It won't do wonders at the box office. It won't be beloved by critics. What Nancy Meyers's comedy will do is offer a fun, lighthearted romp featuring two heavyweight actors and a lovable supporting cast. |
| The Interview | 2014 | 61 | 41 | (full review) - Setting aside the politics of The Interview, I must say that the film starts as one promising satire. As the runtime drags, the film quickly devolves from amusing social commentary to a poorly conceived gag reel on North Korea. |
| The Judge | 2014 | 61 | 41 | (full review) - Boasting a nearly two and a half hour runtime and never diverging from the legal drama playbook, the film is one long reminder that there's always a dud in the awards season. |
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | 2015 | 61 | 41 | (full review) - Though I have my gripes, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is not the worst movie that's come my way this summer. |
| Joy | 2015 | 52 | 51 | (full review) - Joy is a sloppy film that lacks cohesiveness in every sense of the word. |
| Fantastic Four | 2015 | 43 | 52 | (full review) - We spend the bulk of Fantastic Four working our way up to the events on Planet Zero in the Negative Zone. This means we spend the bulk of the film watching a rather drab science project being carried out by a bunch of young adults with attitude problems. |
| White House Down | 2013 | 43 | 52 | (full review) |
| Larry Crowne | 2011 | 34 | 54 | (full review) |
| Aloha | 2015 | 25 | 55 | (full review) - No one wants their romantic comedy with a side of nuclear warfare. Moreover, the consistently relaxed, upbeat tone that defines Aloha just doesn't fit here. It suffices to say that Crowe’s script brings all these disparate themes and stories together and offers a lesson in how not to make a movie. |
| Let's Be Cops | 2014 | 25 | 55 | (full review) - Let's Be Cops is one colossal let-down devoid of humor or anything else that would spark a viewer's interest. The curse of August movies strikes again. |
| Pixels | 2015 | 11.6 | 57 | (full review) - The cast of Pixels is either underwhelming or overwhelming. There's no middle ground. |
