As the end of the year approaches, we’ve all seen our fair share of 2015’s blockbuster movies. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t seen the new Avengers movie, or the latest installation of the James Bond series. However, some quality movies aren’t promoted as vigorously, and outside of the United States, only movies with astronomical budgets or massive crossover appeal can afford international press events. This list contains a few of the underdogs of the movie industry that the casual moviegoer may have missed in the past year.
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1. Mad Max: Fury Road
The original Mad Max trilogy was a series of action films starring a young Mel Gibson, which garnered a cult following and influenced many aspects of popular culture still followed today—a typical example is the Fallout video game, which cites Mad Max as a major inspiration for the series. Many people went into this movie expecting nothing more than a cash-grab remake of the original, but it turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year.
Mad Max is set in a high-octane post apocalyptic desert. The new world is run by a cult, which worships cars and the V8 engine. As you can imagine, this film has a staggering number of cars on screen at any given moment and action-lovers will be pleased to hear that nearly all of them are destroyed over the course of the film. Destruction on a massive scale isn’t uncommon these days, but what sets Mad Max above and beyond the likes of the Transformers movies is that little to no CGI was utilized in its development. Director George Miller insisted on the use of practical effects and even drew the storyboard of the film before the script was ever conceived to make sure that the movie’s plot was driven by action, not disjointed dialogue and exposition like most action films today.
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
The title of The Grand Budapest Hotel left much to the imagination for those hearing it for the first time. While possibly evoking memories of other more serious historical films, The Grand Budapest Hotel turned out to be one of the finest comedies released this year. It appeals greatly to those with a preference for the drier sense of humor and doesn’t resort to the slapstick fat-guy-falling-down-the-stairs laugh tactics of a certain mall cop movie and its ilk.
It is set in the fictional country, Zubrowka, which has taken Austria’s place in world history. It tells the life story of Zero Mustafa, an immigrant and bellboy at the hotel, his struggle against a criminal conspiracy, and eventual rise to fame and fortune. This film — which was very well acted by its star-studded cast containing everything from a Bond girl, to the Green Goblin, to a Ghostbuster, to a T-Rex’s dinner, and even to He Who Must Not be Named — is a definite must-see.
3. Ex Machina
Ex Machina is the story of a computer programmer who is directed by his IT Billionaire boss to perform the Turing Test on his newly developed robot. The Turing test was named after Alan Turing, the father of the computer, who also investigated the possibility of artificial intelligence. The test involves a human conversing with a machine and if they are unable to identify it as non-human, artificial intelligence has been achieved. The film tackles the AI question in a more intellectual and philosophical way, compared to the ‘guns a blazin’, us-or-them’ style of the classic Terminator films or the latest iteration of the Fallout video game series. It identifies what artificial intelligence truly is by asking the question: What does it mean to be human? This cabin-in-the-woods style thriller is fascinating from start to finish as the dark mystery behind the eccentric billionaire genius unfolds.
4. Southpaw
Southpaw is an example of how a film can be carried by its cast. It tells the story of Billy “the Great” Hope, a Rocky Balboa-esque boxer-brawler. In true Kurt Sutter, writer of Sons of Anarchy, style, it is primarily the story of a father doing his best to give his child a better life. While this movie isn’t breaking new ground when it comes to plot, the well-acted interactions between the characters carry the movie beyond the shortcomings in the story. Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams compliment Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays the titular character Billy Hope, perfectly. Gyllenhaal is in top form both physically and dramatically in this film, and he gives an extremely dedicated performance which breathes life into this otherwise forgettable film.
5. Mr. Holmes
On the more somber side, Mr. Holmes tells the story of the final days of the genius detective, as callous and prickly as ever. Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes on the verge of senility, having outlived all his friends and family, seeks to write the story of his final case and deepest regret. With the desperation of an arthritic concert pianist playing his final song, he scrambles to gather his now fragmented wits and memories to tell the world the truth behind his final case, which sent him into a self-imposed isolation, and reverse the rewritten history according to John Watson. Sherlock, now practically a hermit, finds companionship and joy once again when he takes on a young protégé in the form of his house keeper’s son. The boy, a huge fan, turns out to be the salvation of the increasingly fatalistic Holmes and is the driving force that leads Sherlock to complete the epitaph of his career. This film, which encapsulates struggle that is the human condition, is a definite must-watch, Sherlock Holmes fan or not.
The Christmas season is upon us and with it, the next lineup of earth shattering movie premiers and movies waiting for their day in the sun. The average movie buff might have seen many if not all of these films upon release, but hopefully those who missed out on few have found something more obscure to watch this Christmas Break.
