Best and Worst of Entertainment 2015: Take 2

[FAS]

TOP 10 BEST SONGS OF 2015 (Not exactly in order aside from the )

10. Elastic Heart by Sia: I don't hear that much, but it's a pretty upbeat song. Better than that other Sia song Chandelier. The beats are very catchy (sorry Bieber).

9. Can't Feel My Face by The Weeknd:  As much I can't stand him, this is by far the only song I liked from him. Why? Well he doesn't sound that annoying here like he does in the other songs. Not to mention, he sounds like Bruno Mars here and in the Night rather than being a black Justin Bieber clone.

8. Ex's & Oh's by Elle King: I love this song mainly for the strong rock/country influences. Am I the only that get a Taylor Swift vibe from this song (just read the song title, sounds like a song that Swift can write for)?

7. Locked Away by R City feat Adam Levine

6. Good for You by Selena Gomez feat ASAP Rocky: I know some people hate this song (including here), but I kinda love how calm her voice is in this song. I don't see why some might like Same Old Love over this but oh well. At least ASAP Rocky's verse is decent and not your typical in your face modern rap crap.

5. Like I'm Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor: Not exactly top 5 material, but the song had a nice jazzy instrumental that you typical hear in Trainor's songs. The lyrics aren't the best but they are passable.

4. Hit the Quan by IHeart Memphis: Don't hate me for this me, but believe it or not, this rapper share the same birthday as me (January 25, we're only 4 years apart). I know there's a bunch of people who hate current rap music and I can't blame you for this, but you all are gonna stay away from bashing this because this is one of the (emphasized) best rap songs I've heard out of this otherwise disappointing decade in rap music. Why? Well, it felt like an older rap song where the lyrics aren't that lazy nor having DJ Mustard's generic beat take over the song as well as the whiny autotune voice (this rapper voice is decent, very old school-ish). Also the fact I used to be a dancer back in the day. So if you realize, this is the only rap song that is my top 10 list of 2015 and you'll see why when you get to the bottom list.

3. Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift: I might hear this one a lot but I kinda love it. It does make me like TS a little more since at least her music is passable. I wasn't feeling this song at first but it grew on me after more than 10 listens. I would say the same reason why I love this song as below.

2. Style by Taylor Swift: It's the production and chorus that kinda me love this song (even moreso than the rest of her music). I love the instrumental version a little more especially the verse. The chorus part of the song, I can actually say that to those who "out of style."

1. Hello by Adele: "Hello...it's me" jokes aside, I really love this song. The lyrics are very meaningful, the production is creative. That's pretty much what I think of this song. Of course, that introduction line is a little annoying since people are making jokes out of it but I'll let that slide.

 

BOTTOM 15 WORST SONGS OF 2015!!! (Beware a lot of them are rap songs) (The first 5 listed are dishonorable mentions)

15. No Type by Rae Sremmurd: It's a really bad song with some cringey lyrics (one of the rappers mentioned Kim Kardashian), but Mike Will Made it's beat saved it from being awful. Still better than DJ Mustard's generic beats by a long shot. A few other songs from them can still qualify but like I said, Mike Will Made It's beat prevented from being here. There's only one more song from them in this list.

14. See You Again by Wiz Khalifa: Knowing that Wiz's music had went down the drain since around 2013 I'm not surprised. I used to think this is a good song, but the more I think about it, the more sappier it gets. Someone who listed this song on their worst song of 2015 pretty much took the words out of my mouth.

13. What Do You Mean? by Justin Bieber: You know how much I can't stand JB in general? Well, he's back with another generic song. Why do I even bother putting the reason why I hate this song? (The song I liked from him is Beauty and the beat)

12. This Could Be Us by Rae Sremmurd: This song is much worse. Honestly, both of the rappers of this group are using Autotune and using it excessively is an automatic bad song. Sorry Rae Sremmurd, but you two are not getting any nowhere with this. At least No Type had a catchier beat. This song's beat is generic. This rap group is so lame (And Throw Some More is their best song but that's still meh to me).

11.  Lean On by Major Lazer: Sorry fans of this group, but I can't really stand this song that much. The beat in the verse are okay and probably the lyrics, however, I can't help by feel annoyed by that weird melody during the chorus and don't make me get started on that Japanese sounding beat near the end.

10. The Hills by The Weeknd: Thankfully it's not the most annoying song ever from him, but it's still a pain in the ass song. The lyrics are laughably obnoxious, and the Weeknd just have a lousy voice. Nuff said.

9. Only by Nicki Minaj feat Chris Brown, Drake, and Lil Wayne: This song may come out on the same album as Anaconda, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible song all the way through. The synths production though very repetitive, is a better than what Anaconda offered to us since most of the song was a big sample to Baby Got Back. Either way, this song is still terrible due to the fact that the lyrics are almost as bad as Anaconda. Truffle Butter got those two songs beat but it still isn't good either.

8. Earned it by The Weeknd: This is most likely my least favorite from the Weeknd. It doesn't help that it from a movie full of sex so to make thing worse, the lyrics aren't that creative. it's just constant lazy rhyming. That's all.

7. Confident by Demi Lovato: This song gets on my nervous for some apparent reason. I'm not as confident as Demi, but geez, the chorus is bothersome to me. The lyrics isn't that good either.

6. Sorry by Justin Bieber: There's no description why I hate this song , but I will give him this. At least his new songs aren't that atrocious as the bottom 5 and that's saying something.

5. Post to Be by Omarion feat Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko: Yeah this song just blows. From the moment you heard "Mustard on the beats, yo" and the autotune this is just an automatic failure. The fact that they repeat the song's title throughout the song isn't helping matters either.

4. Watch Me Whip by Silentco: Oh yes, the song that is the epitome of what wrong with modern rap music since later 2013/early 2014 (I am not sure when rap started to suck). No words need to be example since I'm sure some of you had tear this song apart.

3. Me Myself and I by G-Eazy feat Bebe Rexha: Oh my god! My stepsister keep listening to this damn song. Wanna know what i think of it? It sucked so badly that I feel like I can't escape from the awfulness of this song. It's so annoying and not to mention like someone said here, G-Eazy sounds like Drake. Like wow, that is so uncreative...

2. Antidote by Travis Scott: Ugh! Why is this POS song even a hit? It's so annoying with the constant autotune and the repetitive lyrics. I also felt like the song goes on forever and I always want to end. Travis Scott needs to stick to producing not make songs with an annoying whiny voice.

1. Jumpman by Drake and Future: Let's just say I hate this song as much as I hate Anaconda. The lyrics doesn't make sense and oh my god, that chorus, that chorus, man. So repetitive and annoying. I'm starting to hate Future now. I want to stay away from this song as far as possible but sadly most of the songs in this bottom list they're a hit. Sigh...

 

Geez, this is sad, it isn't? Now I can see why some of you think rap music had been declining in quality for years. In fact, it only took me until somewhere in 2014 when I realize that there's more rap songs that I hate.

I hope you enjoyed this list since I know may get some flak for a few songs but these are my opinions and you gotta respect that. Sorry that it's late though...

[Clappy]

Well after rubbing the stink off of from all the bad stuff this year, and boy was it bad, it’s time for me to dive into the stuff that I actually liked.  And while I still stand by my statement that 2015 was not as good as the financial numbers and the film industry insiders make it up to be, I will say that I think I liked a majority of my best list this year more than a majority of my best list from last year.  That’s not me saying 2015 was really good.  It’s just me saying that these past few years don’t even come close to matching up how fucking awesome 2012 was for movies in the 2010s, hell 2013 wasn’t really all that bad either as a whole in retrospect.  God I sure hope the film industry gets their acts together please and stop underwhelming me.  Because I seriously do love watching movies.  I wish I can do this for my career.  I’ve never been as passionate about any form of media as I am for music and saying save the best for the last always rings true for me because yeah sure I can enjoy knowing I’ve watched a good television show or listened to a good song, but a good movie makes a far better impression on me because I know that it would have been money well spent or time well wasted for the past hour and a half.  So when I honor these choices below, it’s not with just going with the public opinion on some of these or just pointing at their Rotten Tomatoes scores as a reason or how well one does at the box office.  Nope.  It’s my seal of approval which means more to me than any other criteria I just listed.

For the forseeable future when it comes to doing these entertainment lists, I’m saving film for last.  It allows me enough time to actually watch more material so I can have more variety to choose from since there are usually 600 something movies released a year.  I consider myself lucky when I’m able to catch at least 100 in theater, DVD, cable, online, etc.

Anyway, enough preamble, let’s just get into the stuff I’ve been asked about that I really liked.

Honorable Mentions:

Keep in mind, these are in no particular order.

Ant-Man

2015 was not the best year for the MCU, which had two spots in my top five last year.  The more I look at Age of Ultron, the more it’s a massive disappointment to me.  So spoiler alert, but you’re not going to see Age of Ultron anywhere near this list.  However, I would like to highlight Ant Man which completely defied my expectations.  Would I have rather seen what Edgar Wright could have done with this movie?  Hell yes.  But for what happened with that disaster of a pre-production timeline full of inner conflicts and having to replace Wright at the last minute with the guy who made Bring It On….I was actually really impressed.  While this comes nowhere close to being one of the best MCU movies, this was still an absolute joyful surprise taking this weird concept and making it work with great action sequences, hilarious one liners, and just a well-rounded cast of intriguing characters.  I really can’t wait to see what they do with this franchise from here because it just goes to show why the MCU deserves all the praise it gets.

It Follows

The alleged best horror movie of 2015…is not going to be on my best list.  But I still really liked what they did with this.  Because you know what horror movie cliché has been done to death?  Killing people after sex.  So why not utilize this cliché as your plot?  Killer sex.  And just like a sexually transmitted disease, this movie leaves you with a sting.  Because not only is the comedy in this movie funny, this movie is genuinely terrifying at times.  My only complaint is I just wish the ending was far more memorable.  Like it was ok…but the rest of the movie is just so much better than the ending.  I didn’t hate the ending but I was ridiculously underwhelmed by it.  All one or two of you that saw it on the forums know what I’m talking about and might defend it, but I’m sorry.  That was as cliché as the horror movie cliché the plot for this movie is.  Still a definite recommendation for anyone though.

Cinderella

Yeah who would have thought that Cinderella and Kenneth Brannagh would go together this well?  Actually, I remember years ago in chat when people were up and arms about Disney going through their animated film library to do live action adaptations.  My exact words were:

“It’s not the end of the world.  If Disney hires the perfect people for each one, they will be able to manage to surprise us.”

Well boy was I right on the money with that quote and this movie.  Kenneth Brannagh was the perfect director for a movie like this.  He excels in old time British period pieces as well as fantasy and what better tale to tell for him than the classic tale of Cinderella?  The costume design here is magnificent and I freaking love Cate Blanchett as the Stepmother.  She’s simply one of the best actresses of this generation and she always commits to every role she’s in.  I don’t know much about Ella James yet, but she’s going to be big.  She has everything Hollywood looks for in rising stars.  But hands down the best Disney live action adaptation of the 2010s and with all the dreck that’s coming in 2016, I’m sure it will stay that way for at the very least the next year.

The Peanuts Movie

This year’s winner of how to hit me right in the nostalgia.  I’ve always loved The Peanuts comic strips, cartoon series, movies, etc.  All my initial fears of this movie came down to how Blue Sky was going to handle this property.  Would they modernize it for today’s youth?  Would they overcomplicate something Charles Schultz intentionally made simple?  My fears were justified, but Peanuts was executed the way it needed to be.  And that’s all I ever wanted was a movie that remained to Schultz’s storytelling with these characters and that’s exactly what we got.  I do wish more characters got a chance to get more lines in like Schroeder and somewhat Linus over one note ones like Violet and Patty who were sideline characters at best in the comic strips, but The Peanuts Movie got to me in the best ways imaginable.  Not out of this world great, but just right.

Furious 7

Yes I know I had 6 on my Best List of 2013…but my first two years of doing my best lists were shit since I tried to rush through those before seeing more films.  I only say that because this was way better than 6 and is easily the second best movie of the Fast franchise.  While Fast Five is nearly untouchable when it comes to the Fast and Furious movies, what seven has going for it is that it seriously does feel like the end of an era.  Even though like two or three more sequels are coming, this movie franchise is never going to feel the same.  Because Paul Walker’s character Brian was as crucial to this franchise as Vin Diesel’s Dom.  Watching those two together doing one last heist and one last ride was liking watching my childhood end.  While at the same time, watching these two do some of the most over the top ridiculous action scenes in years

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

…well fanboys here it is.  The biggest movie of all time and it’s….good, not great.  But the potential for Disney to achieve greatness with their new franchise is there.  They did a damn good job establishing the new characters while utilizing the older characters pretty well too.  Does it dive into the pool of A New Hope way too much?  Yes, but at least it’s not like the last time JJ Abrams blatantly ripped off of a movie (seriously fuck the ending to the last Star Trek move so hard).  I seriously am annoyed with my many nitpicks I have with this movie because they are such simple fixes that they could have easily done.  But when it comes down to it, does it give me hope for the future of Star Wars?  Yes and that’s all this movie needed to do for me to be in my good graces.  Because all I wanted was a Star Wars movie that felt like a Star Wars movie and by god did this feel like one.  A fun blockbuster that doesn’t reach the greatness of any of the original trilogy, it makes me feel giddy just thinking of where this goes from here long term.

Spotlight

Yeah there is no iconic moment in this movie that makes me think, wow this is the best picture of the year.  But if you look beyond that, you see a very well written movie that gets the best out of its actors.  As I’ve previously stated in the awards season thread, I love journalism movies and watching how these characters aren’t portrayed to be stars for their discovery is honestly some of the realest truth to journalism out there.  That the writers that undercover these huge stories should not be idolized for their discoveries.  They should look like what they are.  Reporters just doing their day job and who want to give a good story that does justice for those who are wrong.  I still disagree with the Academy's decision, but this is still a movie I'm not going to dismiss by any means of the imagination.  I recommend watching it at least once.

Trainwreck

By no means of the imagination would I recommend hiring Amy Schumer as a screenwriter based off this movie solely.  This script is a literal trainwreck.  Amy has tons of work to improve on there.  But rewatching this the other day at least opened my mind up a little more and I liked it enough to warrant this a rewatch to those of you who might have not liked this the first time around.  Kinda like all Judd Apatow movies, the structure can be all over the place, but it's still a realistic comedy by all means of the imagination.  If there is one thing Judd Apatow excels at over his peers, it's character structure.  And I really dug all the characters in this movie.  Amy felt like a real character with real problems in terms of commitment.  I don't know guys.  It's a messy movie, but it really struck a chord with me recently that I think it's spot on here is definitely warranted.

 

CLAPPY'S TOP 10 BEST FILMS OF 2015

Spoiler

As much as I love his movies, I have to admit that Matthew Vaughn is a huge asshole.  He always comes off as someone ridiculously full of himself and after reading some of his interviews, he certainly does love to drink his own kool-aid.  I remember reading multiple articles in particular about his thoughts on the public’s perception of dark superhero movies and how the public is sick of them.  Yeah…coming from the guy who made a X-Men movie and is responsible for adapting a dark graphic novel about superheroes in Kick-Ass, I honestly don’t want to hear another one of his ludicrous statements about it ever again.  But it was one of his past interviews this year about spy movies not being fun anymore.  Are you fucking kidding me?  I still love me my James Bond, Bourne, etc. and just because they aren’t over the top fun like the spy films of yesteryear and take themselves more seriously doesn’t make them entertaining.  Matthew Vaughn, you are a fucking douche.    

10. Kingsman: The Secret Service

A mad genius who puts his own metaphorical foot in his mouth constantly, yet keeps making movies that I love.  I’ll be honest that I never read the source material this was based off of, but damn was this a bloody good time.  There were tons of James Bond references that I seriously wish Vaughn would shut up about because he falls for basically the same spy movie clichés that this movie openly mocks.  Rather hypocritical yes, but my god there are so many memorably violent sequences to make me forget my nitpicking criticisms.  Honestly in a year where I feel like that my list mainly consisted of critically praised movies, this is the one film that I think defies that ruling.  Sure it got good reviews, but how many best lists do you actually expect this to land on besides WhoBob’s?

Manners maketh man.  Indeed Colin Firth indeed.  I love you Matthew Vaughn…just please shut the fuck up.

 

Spoiler

Congratulations Leonardo DiCaprio, you finally won your long heralded Oscar for best actor.  I’m going to sorely miss all the Leo/Oscar memes and in a just world they would still continue because while The Revenant is a tolerable enough movie that I absolutely never want to sit through ever again….Leo should have been deprived from the best actor trophy once again this year.  Because he doesn’t deserve it.  This guy does.

9. The Martian

 

Take your Jason Bournes and your Good Will Huntings and push them aside.  This will be the role that defines Matt Damon’s career for me.  Because this movie couldn’t have worked nearly as well as it did if it wasn’t for Matt Damon.  As probably the only person who actually read the story this movie was based off of, I knew what I was getting into coming in with Mark Watney being a smartass who finds the comedy in everything.  This movie did not disappoint in that either.  This was a genuinely funny movie the entire time and it was serious when it needed to be.  Yeah this may not have been better than Gravity, which I still love two years later, but The Martian is still a damn good movie.  Welcome back to good film making Ridley Scott.  Please don’t let Alien: Covenant suck.

 

Spoiler

I honestly don’t know what else to say in the preamble for this next selection except this is the most non-traditional choice for a year end film best list I’ve seen yet.  Maybe it’s because very few people actually went out to see this, but this is me telling you all to go check this out when you get the chance.

8. The End of the Tour

 

I’ve always liked Jason Segel, but ever since The Muppets, he has done nothing but disappoint me.  That also includes How I Met Your Mother where whatever episodes I did like of the last two season were most certainly not because of him.  But his role here as David Foster Wallace was perfect casting.  Same goes for Jesse Eisenberg, who I’ve always liked as Rolling Stones reporter David Lipsky.  The natural chemistry between these two is the focal point of the movie and it excels at it.  It makes me wonder if these two are friends in real life because everything just feels unforced and just goes with the flow perfectly.  It’s outstanding to watch these two characters just interact which is pretty much what this movie is.  A talking movie.  But unlike….say Bridge of Spies….everything here just runs naturally and absolutely nothing feels overcomplicated.  As a matter of fact, this movie moved me to tears and I won’t spoil as to why.  Please go see this.  You won’t regret it.

 

Spoiler

One of the music critics on this site loved this movie.  Surprise!

7. Straight Outta Compton

So I’ll be honest…most musical biopics suck.  I can only name a mere handful that actually worked (Walk the Line) over the millions and millions that didn’t (Get Rich or Die Tryin’) and when I heard that NWA was going to be getting one, I rolled my eyes.  I saw Ice Cube’s name attached and this immediately gave me the thoughts of passion project ala 50 Cent’s failed biopic about his rise to stardom.  But after seeing this, I thought to myself what the hell was I thinking.  Ice Cube has managed to stay relevant in the entertainment industry for three decades now.  He knows a thing or two about how to do this so of course he’s going to help make a biopic like this compelling as fuck.

So hindsight 101, NWA did not have it easy becoming the famed rap group they are.  Of course a movie about transforming the negative world around you into angry, profane, vibrant and singular personal expression.  And that’s what this movie does.  It turns into what the group’s success meant to Compton and the atmosphere that developed because of the fact that NWA was a provocative group.  But what this biopic does that I wish more musical biopics did is have the songs take center stage.  That’s when the movie transcends most biopic clichés and I love it further more for that.

 

Spoiler

Just about a year ago, I kept telling you all

GO SEE INSIDE OUT

6. Inside Out

…and you did.  I’m proud of you fam.  But I’m not sure if it’s even Pixar Top 5 anymore.  Rewatching this did hurt the luster a bit.  The whole scene regarding Joy and Bing Bong escaping the pit of despair is flawed scene.  Having Bing Bong fade away and not Joy is utter convenience and that bothers me….but I forgive it.  It was aiming for emotional impact and damn did it succeed even if there are holes over the logical consistency of the plot device.  I’m willing to push that aside because by god everything else about the movie is pretty fantastic.  And truth be told, I love living in a world where we have great Pixar movies and this year brought Pixar back in my eyes after a four year gap of disappointing movies to me (I still haven’t seen The Good Dinosaur so no judgments from me on that front).

 

Spoiler

So four years ago, I started to take on the initiative to see every single Best Picture nominated movie.  This year set a record pace when it came to trying to catch them all.  This goal has helped open my eyes and my mind up for my own interpretation against the Academy to see if they really got it right?  As you all can guess by now…of course they didn’t.  Let’s see what was better than this year’s “Best Picture”…shall we?

5. Room

I will give the Academy this.  They certainly got Best Actress right.  As a matter of fact, this movie contained the best acting out of all the nominees and certainly is this movie’s strong point.  Because the acting of Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay…my god get both of these two more work please.  The emotional depths of despair here is absolutely heartbreaking.  All these two knew for a good portion of their lives was that “room” as it kept them safe from the outside world of darkness and it’s sad knowing why they were in there in the first place.  All they had were each other and it’s that emotional bond between mother and son that makes this movie work for me.

 

Spoiler

As for the movie that should have won Best Picture at the Oscars the other night?

4. The Big Short

 

The reason I respect the hell out of The Big Short is because I could have told you from the get go that Mad Max was going to be one hell of a good time.  I sure as hell did not expect to be absolutely entertained about a movie about banking and the stock market crash.  It has damn near everything to do with the directing and writing of one Adam McKay.  He tries really hard to make you care about something so boring that about 5 percent or less of modern America actually gives a damn about.  And it works.  This movie broke the proverbial fourth wall before Deadpool made it cool two months later.  This movie actually took the time to actually give you in depth lessons about what the hell they are talking about with cameos from the likes of beautiful women, celebrity chefs, etc. so you can actually pay attention. 

Steve Carrell and Christian Bale in particular where phenomenal.  Both performances should have gotten more reward recognition in hindsight, but I think the one who deserved it the most was Adam McKay.  It still baffles me that the man behind such Academy Award caliber classics like Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers can actually be taken serious as an Oscar winning talent, but my god I can’t wait for the next Adam McKay movie now.  While I wouldn’t mind another Will Ferrell comedy as much as the next guy, I hope he dives back into awards bait movies again.  What a breath of fresh air.

 

Spoiler

But Clappy you just said, you thought The Big Short should have won Best Picture.  Yes I did WhoBob loyal readers.  But who am I kidding?  This was the better movie overall.

3. Mad Max: Fury Road

 

As one of three people on this site who have actually watched the rest of the Mad Max saga, George Miller didn’t prepare me for this.  He didn’t prepare me to be amazed by a nonstop adrenaline rush of a good time. All you want is here: roaring car chases, belching fire, massive explosions, ludicrous acrobatics, crunching fights. Fury Road is perpetually moving, but never gets repetitive or monotonous. Miller has stocked his movie with so many ingenious practical effects that what could be a fairly simple chase movie becomes something uniquely breathtaking.

And how about the best part of the movie?  Not even Mad Max himself.  Furiosa was an absolute ass kicker and I want to know more about her as a character.  That spin-off can’t come soon enough.  Out of all the choices on my best list, this is the one that I can watch endlessly without ever getting tired of.

 

Spoiler

As if you couldn’t tell by the Mad Max gushing above, 2015 was the year where Hollywood dove back into the nostalgia pool in terms of rebooting popular franchises of yesteryear.  And while Jurassic World and Star Wars may have been the most financially successful, it was the guys who made Fruitvale Station that made the best quality movie from start to finish.

2. Creed

 

Congratulations Ryan Coogler.  You have made a fan for life.  I don’t think it’s humanely possible for you to make a bad movie.  Both of your movies have made my best list each year…in the Top 4 mind you.  Better go ahead and reserve a spot for Black Panther in 2018.

No seriously.  Rebooting Rocky?  Who the hell would have thought that such a thing would be even possible in 2015?  Sylvester Stallone has been making nothing but cheesy cash ins on his dying popularity for the past five years.  Who expected him to have another all time great performance left in him?  Okay this was more Michael B. Jordan’s movie more than anything else and clearly we can all let Fan4stic slide because this movie cemented Michael B. Jordan as a superstar.  But damn…is it wrong of me to say that I love this movie more than I did Rocky?  And Rocky is a damn great movie.

I fucking loved this movie.  Sure it doesn’t change the Rocky story at all, but it doesn’t need to break the mold.  It represents why the mold exists for a reason.  It humanizes a once deemed immortal legend in Rocky Balboa and shines down and makes Adonis Creed a human we can all root for.  I hope Creed inspires more Rocky movies…hell I wouldn’t mind seeing him fight a robot or Hulk Hogan again.  Im excited for more Creed movies….just as I’m disappointed that Sly got robbed of Best Supporting Actor….fuck Bridge of Spies.

 

Spoiler

When it all came down to it, only one movie was going to top this list.  All year I was contemplating whether it was going to be Fury Road or Inside Out…until I rented this “critically claimed indie darling” that completely blew my expectations out of the water and I hope is influential for the many many years to come…

1. Ex Machina

 

…yeah I know.  Having Ex Machina top another person’s best films list isn’t all that original.  But I dare you all to go see this again.  And if you have seen it, go see it again.  It’s a thinking man’s science fiction movie.  It doesn’t rely supremely heavy on special effects like most science fiction movies.  It’s engaging as fuck.  It’s a much needed shot into the arm that this genre has badly needed.  Actually, this reminds me a lot more of the classic Frankenstein story except replace stitches and neck bolts with gears and robotics, but it’s basically the same story.

The acting here is phenomenal.  I’ve always liked Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac, both who I hope their careers were taken to a whole other level this year…which maybe tying themselves to the Star Wars franchise eventually does that anyway.  But the real MVP of this movie is 2015’s female breakout star of the year (sorry Amy Schumer), Alicia Vikander.  She dominated this movie from the moment she was built until the very end.  I was amazed by her performance and she won Best Supporting Actress for this role and not that overrated piece of trash period piece The Danish Girl, fuck that movie.

I can’t wait to see what Alex Garland does next.  He was 2015’s Damien Chazelle by taking one movie to make me eagerly anticipate his next feature film.  I was wowed by this movie from start to finish and I hope this movie does leave an impact on modern Hollywood film making.  This is a perfect example at its finest as to why I love movies.  They make you think and leaves a lasting impression you after the near two hours it has finished.

 

And there you have it.  Damn near took me long enough to post this and finish these lists altogether.  It seriously took a lot out of me this year with all of these extended travels for work.  I sure hope you all enjoyed reading these best of and worst of lists because now I can finally get out of 2015....

Oh fuck me....welp.  Time for me to stay back in 2015 for just a tad longer.  Hope you are all enjoying 2016 while I'm still stuck in the past.

[WhoBibbles]

I loved how you teased me.  

#1 was unpredictable af, I admit , I did like the movie a lot anyway. I agree with every choice on the list, even if I didn't watch Creed or The End of the Tour.

Thanks Clappy and I'd like to thank everyone else for joining together for making lists as well, I enjoyed a lot.

[Katniss]

damn it now I still have to finish my best movies list

Good list, Claps! I gotta see some of these movies, but I definitely agree with certain ones that you have on there. Didn't see #1 coming though  

[terminoob]

Hey, someone else that saw The End of the Tour.

Man, what a great movie. Segel got snubbed hard.

[Clappy]

44 minutes ago, Boxy Robot said:

Hey, someone else that saw The End of the Tour.

Man, what a great movie. Segel got snubbed hard.

Jason Segel moved me to tears man.

[Steel Sponge]

Just a little note, my Best Animations of 2015 list is still happening. I still need the time I can get to binge on some of the stuff I want to see/catch up with. (Expect me to do a lot of that during my spring break.)

Also good lists Claps even though I've only seen Inside Out and Mockingjay Part 2 of all the movies that appeared on your lists.

And yes, surprisingly I haven't seen The Peanuts movie yet while I seem like the guy who has. I just couldn't spare the time in order to see it when it was in theaters.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Steel Sponge

[Katniss]

"Hey Katniss, isn't it May?"

Yes, yes I know. I procrastinated so hard on this that I deserve a medal. I didn't even get to see a good bit of the 2015 movies I wanted to see. Blame not only procrastination but school and other personal issues for that. Still, I did manage to see a few that I liked quite a bit.

Kat's Top 10 8 Films of 2015

Honorable mentions:

Trainwreck: It doesn't hit all of the right notes, but Amy Schumer's comedy did do a good job for the most part when it came to delivering laughs and even some emotional moments. 

Ant-Man: I wasn't sure how this film was going to do without Edgar Wright's involvement, but it ended up being pretty damn fun. Paul Rudd is hilarious as Ant-Man and I love how this is a heist film on a smaller scale instead of typical having to save the universe. Hope van Dyne was pretty cool and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in the sequel, though I felt the romance between her and Scott was a tad bit rushed. And the villain wasn't anything too special, typical Marvel. Despite the flaws though, I loved Ant-Man.

Cinderella: I've been cynical about Disney's love affair with live-action remakes, but this one was quite magical. I especially liked Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother, and I commend the film for actually giving the prince some character development.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Part of me isn't surprised that this film wasn't a huge success. It's based on some spy series from the 60s that isn't well-known enough to have nostalgic appeal. But for me, this film was pretty awesome. Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, and Alicia Vikander have good chemistry together and I enjoyed the amount of witty banter exchanged amongst their characters. Elizabeth Debicki's femme fatale isn't a super menacing villain but I still enjoyed her performance. Mix the humor and characters with a cool early 60s setting, sweet music, and a good dose of intrigue/suspense, and you've got an underrated movie that defied my expectation.

 

Now for the main list!

The Martian: I’m not a big sci-fi fan usually, but this movie captivated me. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how Mark Watney would survive on Mars. This is primarily Matt Damon’s movie, and what a good thing that is, because he kills it. He manages to strike a balance between being pretty funny as well as conveying emotion about his situation of being stranded on a foreign planet. Even the supporting cast is pretty good in their roles, although I do wish we could’ve seen more of the Ares 3 crew. The original book is pretty good as well, but the story becomes even better once envisioned on screen.

Carol: I thought this film was lovely. I can’t say I’ve watched too many same-sex romance films, but I liked the way this one played out. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have good chemistry and I can see why Carol would fall for Therese and vice versa. It’s such a beautiful film with great cinematography and direction to boot. Do I wish Carol’s husband had more dimension other than an angry, bigoted man? Yeah, that would’ve been nice, but it didn’t detract my enjoyment of the film too much.

The Big Short: I’ve never been a person who was that invested in economics, even when I was taking a class on it in high school. However, I still thought this film was pretty good. It’s a smart, excellent comedy that does a good job of explaining the 2007-2008 financial crisis to those who aren’t economically savvy without feeling like it’s talking down to you. (Side note: the celebrity cameos are great.) The ending is a downer, but I kinda like that there isn’t a happily-ever-after in this case, because unfortunately that was the reality for so many affected by the crisis.

 

Brooklyn: Brooklyn may seem like a simple story about a woman immigrating to America during the 1950s, but I managed to fall in love with it still. Saoirse Ronan is a talented young actress who really made me feel for her as her character Eilis struggles to make herself at home in the titular Brooklyn and later as she is torn between America and her old home of Ireland. The love story between Eilis and Italian-American Tony is really sweet. I did feel like the love triangle was a tad unnecessary or at least underdeveloped, but I can’t deny how much of a solid actor Domnhall Gleeson is. Brooklyn is such a wonderful little film.

Inside Out: It’s easy to be skeptical of the hype that certain movies bring. I was wondering if Inside Out was everything that the raving word-of-mouth and critical acclaim had made it out to be---and it was. What a great concept, getting inside someone’s head and exploring their emotions. Inside Out was such a heartfelt story that had me close to tears in some parts. I especially loved seeing Joy and Sadness’s journey and how that led to some character-changing moments. I’m sure there are some plot holes to worry about, but I brush them aside because this isn’t just a damn good animated movie, but it’s a great movie period.

 

Creed: I’ve never seen a single Rocky film, yet I still loved this movie a lot. Michael B. Jordan is a fantastic actor and I’m disappointed he didn’t get any major award recognition, even though Sylvester Stallone was good too. In addition to strong performances, Creed is a compelling sports drama. I was really rooting for Adonis to prove he was more than just the son of a famous boxer and prove himself in his own way. The fights were well-done, even though they got too bloody for me sometimes. This film is a knock-out success in my back.

 

Ex Machina: I’ll just cut to the chase and say that this film blew my mind. It’s visually stunning and sets up a dark, suspenseful atmosphere. Oscar Isaac makes a fine villainous character in Nathan, and Domnhall Gleeson is good, but the performance that really stood out to me was Alicia Vikander as the AI Ava. If only she’d won the Oscar for this role, huh? She transforms herself so well into the character. It’s a twisted, amazing movie.

Room: I really enjoy every film on this list, but Room is the one that stuck with me the most after I’d finished watching it. I’d already been endeared to Brie Larson thanks to her previous roles in 21 Jump Street, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and The Spectacular Now, but she truly knocks it out of the park with this film. I found her performance as a young mom trapped in a shed to be quite emotionally gripping. And Jacob Tremblay, who plays her son, definitely holds his own in one of the finest performances I’ve seen from a child actor. Room may not be the most dazzling film of 2015, but it left an impact on me. I’m such a sucker for family stories, plus the way Brie Larson’s character struggled to adjust to the outside world hit me in the gut. It actually pained me to see her dealing with PTSD from being trapped for so long. It’s a harrowing portrait of a mom and son and how they manage to survive despite the circumstances we first find them in. It won’t be an easy film to rewatch but it’ll be one I’ll always appreciate.

[WhoBibbles]

9 hours ago, Katniss said:

"Hey Katniss, isn't it May?"

Yes, yes I know. I procrastinated so hard on this that I deserve a medal. I didn't even get to see a good bit of the 2015 movies I wanted to see. Blame not only procrastination but school and other personal issues for that. Still, I did manage to see a few that I liked quite a bit.

Kat's Top 10 8 Films of 2015

Honorable mentions:

Trainwreck: It doesn't hit all of the right notes, but Amy Schumer's comedy did do a good job for the most part when it came to delivering laughs and even some emotional moments. 

Ant-Man: I wasn't sure how this film was going to do without Edgar Wright's involvement, but it ended up being pretty damn fun. Paul Rudd is hilarious as Ant-Man and I love how this is a heist film on a smaller scale instead of typical having to save the universe. Hope van Dyne was pretty cool and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in the sequel, though I felt the romance between her and Scott was a tad bit rushed. And the villain wasn't anything too special, typical Marvel. Despite the flaws though, I loved Ant-Man.

Cinderella: I've been cynical about Disney's love affair with live-action remakes, but this one was quite magical. I especially liked Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother, and I commend the film for actually giving the prince some character development.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Part of me isn't surprised that this film wasn't a huge success. It's based on some spy series from the 60s that isn't well-known enough to have nostalgic appeal. But for me, this film was pretty awesome. Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, and Alicia Vikander have good chemistry together and I enjoyed the amount of witty banter exchanged amongst their characters. Elizabeth Debicki's femme fatale isn't a super menacing villain but I still enjoyed her performance. Mix the humor and characters with a cool early 60s setting, sweet music, and a good dose of intrigue/suspense, and you've got an underrated movie that defied my expectation.

 

Now for the main list!

The Martian: I’m not a big sci-fi fan usually, but this movie captivated me. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how Mark Watney would survive on Mars. This is primarily Matt Damon’s movie, and what a good thing that is, because he kills it. He manages to strike a balance between being pretty funny as well as conveying emotion about his situation of being stranded on a foreign planet. Even the supporting cast is pretty good in their roles, although I do wish we could’ve seen more of the Ares 3 crew. The original book is pretty good as well, but the story becomes even better once envisioned on screen.

Carol: I thought this film was lovely. I can’t say I’ve watched too many same-sex romance films, but I liked the way this one played out. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have good chemistry and I can see why Carol would fall for Therese and vice versa. It’s such a beautiful film with great cinematography and direction to boot. Do I wish Carol’s husband had more dimension other than an angry, bigoted man? Yeah, that would’ve been nice, but it didn’t detract my enjoyment of the film too much.

The Big Short: I’ve never been a person who was that invested in economics, even when I was taking a class on it in high school. However, I still thought this film was pretty good. It’s a smart, excellent comedy that does a good job of explaining the 2007-2008 financial crisis to those who aren’t economically savvy without feeling like it’s talking down to you. (Side note: the celebrity cameos are great.) The ending is a downer, but I kinda like that there isn’t a happily-ever-after in this case, because unfortunately that was the reality for so many affected by the crisis.

 

Brooklyn: Brooklyn may seem like a simple story about a woman immigrating to America during the 1950s, but I managed to fall in love with it still. Saoirse Ronan is a talented young actress who really made me feel for her as her character Eilis struggles to make herself at home in the titular Brooklyn and later as she is torn between America and her old home of Ireland. The love story between Eilis and Italian-American Tony is really sweet. I did feel like the love triangle was a tad unnecessary or at least underdeveloped, but I can’t deny how much of a solid actor Domnhall Gleeson is. Brooklyn is such a wonderful little film.

Inside Out: It’s easy to be skeptical of the hype that certain movies bring. I was wondering if Inside Out was everything that the raving word-of-mouth and critical acclaim had made it out to be---and it was. What a great concept, getting inside someone’s head and exploring their emotions. Inside Out was such a heartfelt story that had me close to tears in some parts. I especially loved seeing Joy and Sadness’s journey and how that led to some character-changing moments. I’m sure there are some plot holes to worry about, but I brush them aside because this isn’t just a damn good animated movie, but it’s a great movie period.

 

Creed: I’ve never seen a single Rocky film, yet I still loved this movie a lot. Michael B. Jordan is a fantastic actor and I’m disappointed he didn’t get any major award recognition, even though Sylvester Stallone was good too. In addition to strong performances, Creed is a compelling sports drama. I was really rooting for Adonis to prove he was more than just the son of a famous boxer and prove himself in his own way. The fights were well-done, even though they got too bloody for me sometimes. This film is a knock-out success in my back.

 

Ex Machina: I’ll just cut to the chase and say that this film blew my mind. It’s visually stunning and sets up a dark, suspenseful atmosphere. Oscar Isaac makes a fine villainous character in Nathan, and Domnhall Gleeson is good, but the performance that really stood out to me was Alicia Vikander as the AI Ava. If only she’d won the Oscar for this role, huh? She transforms herself so well into the character. It’s a twisted, amazing movie.

Room: I really enjoy every film on this list, but Room is the one that stuck with me the most after I’d finished watching it. I’d already been endeared to Brie Larson thanks to her previous roles in 21 Jump Street, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and The Spectacular Now, but she truly knocks it out of the park with this film. I found her performance as a young mom trapped in a shed to be quite emotionally gripping. And Jacob Tremblay, who plays her son, definitely holds his own in one of the finest performances I’ve seen from a child actor. Room may not be the most dazzling film of 2015, but it left an impact on me. I’m such a sucker for family stories, plus the way Brie Larson’s character struggled to adjust to the outside world hit me in the gut. It actually pained me to see her dealing with PTSD from being trapped for so long. It’s a harrowing portrait of a mom and son and how they manage to survive despite the circumstances we first find them in. It won’t be an easy film to rewatch but it’ll be one I’ll always appreciate.

Hooray <3

[JCM]

16 hours ago, Katniss said:

Creed: I’ve never seen a single Rocky film, yet I still loved this movie a lot. Michael B. Jordan is a fantastic actor and I’m disappointed he didn’t get any major award recognition, even though Sylvester Stallone was good too. In addition to strong performances, Creed is a compelling sports drama. I was really rooting for Adonis to prove he was more than just the son of a famous boxer and prove himself in his own way. The fights were well-done, even though they got too bloody for me sometimes. This film is a knock-out success in my back.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. You should watch the first Rocky film, at least. It's a classic.

[Steel Sponge]

What month is it? The end of May? Well, I sure held you guys long enough, even since June/July is usually mid-year review season. The time has finally come: my full report on some of the best animated products of 2015. And just how can I define 2015 in terms of animation? It was spectacular! It was much like 2014 for how good it was, even though I wouldn't say 2015 is "way up there" with the previous year. (I'll definitely get to that later on.) Again, this list took long to organize, but there was a process to it. I had a careful conscious on what animated shows and movies would be considered as one of the best for the year, so I did have to do some thinking. While I have managed to get my top ten, there were definitely a bunch of other animated shows and movies that I would've taken the time to see. There are some shows that I didn't have a good time trying to keep up with, or some that I'm trying to keep up with. I'm currently watching Season 1 of Rick and Morty, but I haven't seen Season 2 yet. I've still seen only a selected few episodes of Adventure Time, so sadly, AT being on my list can't happen. I even have interest in some of the lesser known animated movies like April and the Extraordinary World and Anomalisa, but they are out of question since I was never able to muster up the time to watch other animated movies like those.

I do have some honorable mentions in mind, but it's pretty short. I did watch most of the Season 2 episodes of Wander Over Yonder that aired in 2015, but it's not on the top 10 because it hasn't impressed me as much as Season 1 did. I do like Season 2, but it could've been stronger. Phineas and Ferb and SpongeBob are also a couple of options, but they would have a better chance at cracking the top 10 if they aired more episodes that year. This isn't much of an animation enthusiast's top 10 list, but it's still honest, and my choices are certainly some of the best I've seen this year.

Alright, that's enough for my preamble. Here it is, fellas....:

 

Steel's Top 10 Best Animations of 2015

 

Spoiler

 

One of my biggest gripes with Disney Channel right now is their decision to suddenly turn away from interest in producing animated shows, aside from the Disney Junior block. They are now a full-fledged live-action channel while Disney XD is slowly turning into the shadow of its former self, and the sister (or brother) network has redeemed itself for me that way, since DXD does care about animated shows unlike DC. It may still lead the way for cheap/cheesy imported Canadian cartoons and DXD live-action originals ranging from okay (Lab Rats) to downright garbage (Kirby Buckets, even though it's also a hybrid of an animated show), but DXD's original animated series have been mostly great, if some are awful (Pickle & Peanut). On that spectrum of excellence is Star Vs. The Forces of Evil....

 

10. Star Vs. the Forces of Evil

 

Best episodes: Mewnipendance Day, St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses, Cheer Up Star

 

I'll confess that I haven't seen all of Season 1, but I'm definitely not far behind since Season 1 is short and the next season is taking so long to premiere. From what I've seen, this show is really great. In general, I really like the premise behind Star being a foreign exchange student from another world. Speaking of the main character, the show's biggest strength is Star Butterfly herself. Star is what easily makes this show so interesting with her colorful, zany personality and traits. Her quirks are almost always so funny. On the plus side, the show also accesses Star to some of her faults that makes her such a great character. Like, in "Mewnipendance Day," Star uses her sense of morality at the end to show kindness towards one of Ludo's henchmen, Buff Frog, which is what make the episode one of my biggest favorites so far. I also enjoyed the plotline for "St. Olga's," which only has me wandering on what the end of the episode will lead up to for Season 2. I haven't seen the season finale yet, but I'm aware that it shows importance to what Season 2 could lead up to. More on-topic with the characters, there's the other main character, Marco. He's enjoyable, but it's mostly his relationships with Star as her friend and sidekick that makes him great. Overall, the animation is great, the characters are interesting, and it's also really funny.

 

 

Spoiler

 

I'm not a big fan of Total Drama. I do like it and I'm usually very willing to watch the main series, but between Season 1 and every other season, it's a tough act to follow. Island was great, Action was....okay, honestly. World Tour, at first, was good, but the latter half was disappointing. Revenge is mediocre and wasn't really worth looking into. The first half of Season 5 aged poorly, as All-Stars is my worst season as of now, while the second half of Season 5 is alright, and to the point where Pahkitew Island is the second best installment behind Season 1. After the end of Season 5, a spin-off was created as a homage to The Amazing Race, and it got me loving the Total Drama franchise like I used to.

 

9. Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race

 

Best episodes: I Love Ridonc and Roll, None Down - Eighteen to Go, How Deep is Your Love

 

The best place to begin is with the characters, or otherwise the host and the pairs. The biggest highlight for the spin-off was its characters who were mostly easily memorable (some exceptions being the LARPers, Tennis Rivals, Adversity Twins, and Mother & Daughter), and most importantly, likeable. (except the Dater-Haters) Most of the characters were developed in some of the best ways possible. We finally get some more screen-time with Noah (who sides with Owen), enough for him to have a romantic storyline alongside Emma. While I'm not so big of a contender for Noah and Emma's interactions, it was a reasonable ploltine and it was pretty neat to see another side of Noah's character. As a couple more examples, we got The Stepbrothers' one-note sibling rivalry before they become friends and stay friends before they ended up getting eliminated, The Rockers show themselves as a great team after Spud was able to help himself and Rock get first place during one race, and we also get more to know about The Goths the longer they stayed during the game. There's also the longevity for each teams, most of them are understandable, a few of them were not. The Fashion Bloggers were definitely one of the most interesting teams and they got voted off too early. Heck, I'd also wanted to see more from The Vegans. The Best Friends' storyline obviously dragged on for too long, especially when it revolves around them trying to tell one another about their feelings but are unable to due to sheer unluckiness. There's also Devin's breakup with Shelly and the stages of his breakup, and that was when I was worried that they'll end up in the Final 2, but I'm glad the writers got the two to confess and downplayed their chances of being in the finale in due to Devin's injuries. The Dater-Haters also overstayed their welcome and their plotline was getting repetitive. Still, as far as they've gotten, I'm glad Stephanie and Ryan reconciled for their elimination episode and were able to interact with the other characters regardless. However, one of two of my favorite teams were the Ice Dancers. Josee's breakdowns for not coming in first were hysterical, and the role that she and Jacques played as the main villains worked really well. They had a lot of personality and had their faults (i.e. Josee's claustrophobia), they were essentially my favorite Total Drama villains since Heather. Yep. My favorite team was definitely the Police Cadets, and I was really happy to see them make it to the Final 2. Not only were they entertaining, but they showed a lot of development in being a team. MacArthur became more supportive of Sanders while Sanders started showing more of her guts during the challenges, even with a broken arm. I could say more, but I'll leave it here: The Ridonculous Race is one of the most charming installments to Total Drama as of recent.

 

 

Spoiler

 

Cartoon Network has been showing a lot of improvement in quality in the past few years. We do got Teen Titans Go and Uncle Grandpa (depending on who you ask) to worry about, but just last year, we got another good show from them.

 

8. We Bare Bears

 

Best episodes (2015): Chloe and Ice Bear, Pet Shop, Burrito, My Clique

 

There's not so much for me to say, but it's indeed one of Cartoon Network's current funniest outputs, as well as one of the most charming, as an animated comedy. I like the characters all the same, namely Grizz's outgoing personality, Panda's awkwardness, and anything that defines Ice Bear's character. Even more-so, I also have a liking for Chloe's interactions with the bears, as it's always interesting to see her relationship with them. It's also got its heartwarming values when it comes to episodes like "Burrito," "Chloe and Ice Bear," "The Road," and "Pet Shop." There's a lot of episodes from this show that's worth watching. Most of the episodes are able to get a laugh out of me. On a sidenote, I also love how well the scenery in the show captures the imagery of San Francisco, it makes the look of We Bare Bears a lot more pleasant.

 

 

Spoiler

 

It may look unusual to some people that I'm placing this show on the top ten, but the same could be said for my next entry after that. This show's placement on the countdown also strongly proves that there's one more brony sticking around in these forums.

 

7. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Best episodes (2015): Amending Fences, The Mane Attraction, The Cutie Map, Brotherhooves Social, Crusaders of the Lost Mark

 

For the longest time, I've been an occasional brony, and after binging on Season 5, it's clear to me now that I need to be more active in watching the show. I'm not far behind or anything since I have a clear understanding of each season (except Season 3, I've only seen three episodes from it). What I really want to say is that no other season struck a chord on me for my admiration of this series. Season 5, by far, is my absolute favorite compared to the previous seasons. One of the best things Season 5 had to offer was that every episode was memorable and/or special in one or more ways. Most importantly, character development and establishment was all over the place. "Amending Fences" is easily one of the best episodes I've seen, even in general. We learn about Twilight's relationships with other past friends in Canterlot, as well as her relationship with Moon Dancer and how Twilight missing something important to Moon Dancer affected her. We also get a bigger perspective from Big Macintosh in "Brotherhooves Social," and see how important it is for him to try and spend time with Apple Bloom. We learn about Luna's struggles with her actions as Nightmare Moon in "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?." We get to the reasons behind Diamond Tiara's actions in "Crusaders of the Lost Mark," as well as being able to see the Crusaders finally get their marks. "What About Discord," we see Discord getting closer with the other ponies of the Mane Six. If there's one small problem I have though, it's Starlight's role as a villain during the big finale, and the finale itself. Her excuse is reasonable enough for why she would set up a town of equal ponies, but I feel like there needs to be a bigger commitment for Starlight to go as extreme as to change the fabric of time than just the Mane Six stopping her plans. I also feel "The Cutie Re-Mark" could have been more established with the alternate timelines, namely for Discord and Tirek, because it's clear they show different meanings, like who even stopped Nightmare Moon, Sombra or even Queen Chrysalis during those alternate timelines when those events also could've happened? The reformation of Starlight Glimmer also feels expected, but in the end, she was an alright villain, but not developed as strongly as Nightmare Moon and Discord. Like with The Ridonculous Race, I could say more, but I've already said enough. Season 5 is something that's definitely worth watching.

 

 

Spoiler

 

In 2015, Pixar released one of their most loved movies in a while: Inside Out. They had one other movie planned for released in 2014, but it was moved for story-related reasons, so 2015 had another Pixar movie, and from my perspective....let me be one to say this film is underrated:

 

6. The Good Dinosaur

 

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, allow me to explain why this film works so well for me. I'll start by acknowledging some of the common criticisms I've seen for the film: the story is unimaginative, it's also too similar to Land Before Time, it's not as memorable or unpredictable as some of Pixar's best films. Honestly, I can never come into terms of what popular opinion states, but the movie does have some flaws, I'll admit. The point is, I respect this movie a lot more than I should have. In that case, I legitimately think The Good Dinosaur is certainly something special. The storyline is simple and already gives you an idea about how it develops, but to me, it's more about how the story is executed and how it is able to receive its very own special identity. When it comes to the story, I'm in favor of its central concept: fear. I really like the movie's insight and perspective of fear and how it explains that one can't erase their greatest fears but can overcome that feeling, so that they'll then know true potential. Arlo spends most of his time being afraid of all things around him that he finds dangerous, as he gets too wrapped around the thought of being scared. Another strong point for the plotline is Arlo's development of learning about showing how capable he is while in the outlook of danger. What he goes through to save Spot's life, fending off the velociraptors single-handedly and entering the flash flood, is one of the best moments from the film, next to Arlo and Spot's developing interactions in general. The scene where they both talk about their families was one of the most endearing, as well as when Arlo has to let go of Spot before reuniting with his family. More on the characters, I find them pretty memorable. I enjoyed the family of Tyrannosaurus ranchers, I enjoyed the scene with Forrest Woodbush, and I also liked Arlo's relationship with his father, mostly for the scene where Arlo has a vision of him. Easily one of the best things about the movie is the visuals, as the scenery is just a beauty. The cartoonish looking Arlo can be an eyesore, but I don't mind. I think the personality and looks of Arlo is a way to connect with the audience, and for the most part, he still looks like a dinosaur. The movie does have its flaws though. The Good Dinosaur is the type of movie that I felt could've been stronger. Like, I felt there could've been more interactions towards him and the rest of his family, and I'd want to know how his family would feel about Arlo's disappearance. I also felt there could've been more thought on the apparent, smaller premise of the meteor missing the Earth. Surely, it speaks for itself that the dinosaurs become intelligent enough to raise crops and farm other animals, and that they're living in the same era as the neanderthals, but I think the premise could've been acknowledged better. Overall, I think this was a wonderful movie. It obviously can't top some of Pixar's greatest movies like Inside Out, Wall-E, Up, and Finding Nemo, but still, from my point of view, it's DEFINITELY not in terms of quality as Cars and Brave.

 

 

Spoiler

 

When the new SpongeBob movie was being produced, we got word of Stephen Hillenburg doing some more production work for the show. Hillenburg also played an important role on the production for the second SpongeBob movie, and that's just one reason why it impressed me so much.

 

5. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

 

I'm a SpongeBob fan, of course this movie had the chance to make my list. I've expressed my praise for this movie in its own discussion thread, but while I'm going to acknowledge some of the thoughts I've already expressed, I have some more points to state. I can see the second movie as a way to not only entertain its audiences, but a way to reconnect with its older fans, providing clever wit from the first three seasons. While I'm still a fan even during the post-movie seasons, Sponge Out of Water was a shining moment for SpongeBob to reintroduce some of its old roots and introduce some new aspects while keeping in touch with the original show's humor. One of two of the best things about this movie was the humor, being able to get a lot of laughs out of me, and the animation. Not only does it resurrect the traditional look, the movie also introduces us some very good looking CGI models of the characters, and bringing some other animation elements, such as stop motion. I can't write so much about the story, but I liked the whole thing about the formula disappearing and Plankton getting framed for it, as well as the characters going super. The main villain Burgerbeard is pretty flawed, mostly because he doesn't show any some sort of attachment to any of the actual SpongeBob characters. So yeah, it's an overall excellent film to one of my favorite animated shows.

 

 

Spoiler

 

You know, it's weird that I feel more attached to an adaptation of the newspaper comics that I wasn't so big of a fan of, than the new SpongeBob movie....

 

4. The Peanuts Movie

 

Yep, I finally got myself the time to see this movie. To make myself clear, I did grow up with the Peanuts and watched the cartoons at some points in times. I enjoyed them, but I can't really say I'm a big fan. Besides that, I can easily determine that everything about the characters and moments that Blue Sky Studios adapted from the original source feels absolutely right. The characters and their designs are amazing, the storyline is amazing, and the jokes work pretty well. I can really tell that Blue Sky has done their research, especially considering that they got two of Schulz' family members to be involved with it. If this company can do a lot of things right with Horton Hears a Who, then they have done just about everything they could do to make the Peanuts movie look as faithful, witty, and endearing as the original comics. Overall, my thoughts are already straightforward: the movie is one of the most faithful and well-done adaptations as of recent.

 

 

Spoiler

 

If the behavior of the fanbase has prevented you from enjoying this one show, then consider yourself lucky that you're reading from someone who isn't an obnoxious fan. Although, I need to tell you that Steven Universe is definitely worth anyone's time.

 

3. Steven Universe

Best episodes (2015): On the Run, Rose's Scabbard, Sworn to the Sword, The Return/Jail Break, When It Rains

 

After getting into Steven Universe, I can easily say that I've become a fan. What I like about this show is that each episode serves a good amount of importance to the plot and characters, making them so very memorable. For all the new episodes SU had to offer in 2015, they introduced to us a lot of interesting storylines. We get some strong emotional dept and backstory from Amethyst in "On the Run," we get to know more about Pearl's memories and relationship from Rose in "Rose's Scabbard," and we also get to see Steven and Connie's friendship/relationship develop exponentially through episodes like, "Alone Together," "Sworn to the Sword," and "Full Disclosure." It's not just Steven and the Crystal Gems that make the show so interesting, the main story develops with the establishment of Homeworld's conflict with the Crystal Gems, we get introduced to characters like Jasper and Peridot, we get a chunk of episodes detailing the conflict behind Pearl wanting to fuse with Garnet into Sardonyx, as well as the introduction to the Cluster. Aside from the main story, SU also shares some other interesting concepts and plots, such as "Winter Forecast," where Steven is warned about the negative outcomes when trying to get Connie back home during a blizzard, "Chille Tid" where Steven accesses into talking with Lapis while dreaming, and "Story for Steven," as well as "We Need to Talk," where Greg talks about his time with Rose from when he met her to when he learns about fusion. Overall, the characters are very interesting, and the episodes are just really great and intriguing to boot, and that's just the episodes that aired in 2015 that I've discussed.

 

 

Spoiler

 

What can I say about the best animated film of 2015? When in doubt, Inside Out

 

2. Inside Out

 

 

Pun aside, this is easily the best animated film from that year, and one of Pixar's finest since a while. It's a plot about the emotions inside a human's head and what they do. Of course, they built around that so cleverly, and established it into such a creative open world. The movie really nails it with the storyline with Riley's struggle adjusting to her new lifestyle while Joy and Sadness get separated from the headquarters of her mind. Its strongest point is its emotional scenes and depth. Certainly, there was a lot of those. To exemplify, I really liked the climax, or otherwise, Sadness' scene where Joy relies on her to use empathy to fix Riley's problems. Likewise, there was also the scene where Joy realizes how important Sadness was to Riley's memories and emotions. I also can't forget about Bing Bongs role in this film, and it was pretty sad to see him sacrifice himself for Joy. For what Inside Out shapes up as, it's emotionally moving, and very intriguing and unpredictable in terms of its storyline.

 

 

Spoiler

 

It was kinda hard choosing between Inside Out and this next choice as my absolute favorite animated product of 2015. I can't really give a hint about this one, you guys can already tell that my #1 is Gravity Falls.

 

1. Gravity Falls

Best episodes (2015): Northwest Mansion Mystery, A Tale of Two Stans, Not What He Seems, Weirdmageddon Parts 1 & 2

 

I've said it before that Gravity Falls has evolved into a timeless classic. I can't say this is agreeable for everyone, but I still stand by what I've said. Gravity Falls has been one of my favorite animated shows since I first saw it sometime after it premiered. The story about the mysteries behind Stan, the towns, and the journals, as well as the wonderful hand-drawn artwork are already a couple things to gush about, but how Gravity Falls made 2015 in animation is when the series got to its point of solving its mysteries and wrapping things up. In 2015, we finally get to know why Stan has been trying to work a portal hidden in the Mystery Shack, we finally get to know about who wrote the journals and the story behind the author's lifetime with his brother Stan, and we get to know what attack Bill Cipher has planned against the town. There's just a lot of other things noteworthy about the show over the course of 2015, such as the writing for "Northwest Mansion Mystery" but it's best said that Alex Hirsch and his staff were the best at delivering with the series' art, the jokes, and the story-driven plot, which is absolutely why Gravity Falls is the #1 best animated product of 2015.

 

 

That wraps up my countdown. Here's to hoping that I will get a top ten list for 2016's best animations earlier than this.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Steel Sponge

[Jane]

I saw most of the animated movies in 2015 and only saw one or two live action films from 2015, so I'll list the best animated films.

1. Inside Out

I think it needs no further explanation. A well-crafted film with a great script that contains a lot of depth and dramatic moments. Liked the allegory to depression throughout the story and the wizards at Pixar went above and beyond in general. Only real issue are a few small plot holes. A return to form for Pixar and hopefully their following films are more like this. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was and it caught me entirely off-guard.

2. Shaun the Sheep Movie

I'm shocked this movie flew under the radar and wasn't as appreciated as it should be. It's another gem from Aardman, containing beautiful animation, great writing and surprising emotional moments. Even more impressive is how the film has no dialogue and is still able to craft a believable story with great characters.

3. The Peanuts Movie

While the script has it's issues, it's incredibly faithful to Schulz' work in not just animation, but in the characterization and general feel. It has a lot of heart and some funny humor and stays true to the classic formula. The animation is also astounding and a technical achievement. It looks exactly like the classic comics, just translated into computer animation. The art department and animators knocked it out of the park on this one.

4. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

This is the most polarizing animated film of the year to me personally. I loved it at first and thought it was a return to form for SpongeBob but upon further re-watch the problems start to seep through the cracks.

While I adore the lovely traditional animation, the movie at it's core was very flawed and I can't help but feel like Viacom meddled with it significantly.

I still concur that the CGI/Live-Action scenes come out of nowhere and break the entire flow of the movie and they were just there for marketing and selling toys. 

I'd love to see the original animatic for the movie before Viacom got more involved.

I'll list the flaws of the film: the pacing is very off. There is zero breathing room and there are a lot of odd character motivations that are dropped and weird leaps in logic, even for SpongeBob. For example: the time travel sequence is immediately forgotten. While fun it was largely inconsequential and only used for Bubbles to reappear towards the climax. The rest of the gang trying to kill SpongeBob is immediately forgotten and that would've made for some great drama and character interaction. It's just weird. The film shifts from one idea to the next and they should've focused on once. Plankton being framed for stealing the formula was compelling, so was an apocalyptic Bikini Bottom after SpongeBob. The characterization of SpongeBob is also very flawed. He's not annoying like he was in much of the post-movie episodes but is still pretty stupid. He's supposed to be this child-like guy who's very misguided and naive. They only nail some of that. Patrick's is also awful and he's a complete asshole and it's hard to watch. I get it's a cartoon but I wouldn't wanna be friends with someone who stabbed me in the back and tried to kill me.

 

 

[Joe Biden]

15 hours ago, Steel Sponge said:

What month is it? The end of May? Well, I sure held you guys long enough, even since June/July is usually mid-year review season. The time has finally come: my full report on some of the best animated products of 2015. And just how can I define 2015 in terms of animation? It was spectacular! It was much like 2014 for how good it was, even though I wouldn't say 2015 is "way up there" with the previous year. (I'll definitely get to that later on.) Again, this list took long to organize, but there was a process to it. I had a careful conscious on what animated shows and movies would be considered as one of the best for the year, so I did have to do some thinking. While I have managed to get my top ten, there were definitely a bunch of other animated shows and movies that I would've taken the time to see. There are some shows that I didn't have a good time trying to keep up with, or some that I'm trying to keep up with. I'm currently watching Season 1 of Rick and Morty, but I haven't seen Season 2 yet. I've still seen only a selected few episodes of Adventure Time, so sadly, AT being on my list can't happen. I even have interest in some of the lesser known animated movies like April and the Extraordinary World and Anomalisa, but they are out of question since I was never able to muster up the time to watch other animated movies like those.

I do have some honorable mentions in mind, but it's pretty short. I did watch most of the Season 2 episodes of Wander Over Yonder that aired in 2015, but it's not on the top 10 because it hasn't impressed me as much as Season 1 did. I do like Season 2, but it could've been stronger. Phineas and Ferb and SpongeBob are also a couple of options, but they would have a better chance at cracking the top 10 if they aired more episodes that year. This isn't much of an animation enthusiast's top 10 list, but it's still honest, and my choices are certainly some of the best I've seen this year.

Alright, that's enough for my preamble. Here it is, fellas....:

 

Steel's Top 10 Best Animations of 2015

 

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One of my biggest gripes with Disney Channel right now is their decision to suddenly turn away from interest in producing animated shows, aside from the Disney Junior block. They are now a full-fledged live-action channel while Disney XD is slowly turning into the shadow of its former self, and the sister (or brother) network has redeemed itself for me that way, since DXD does care about animated shows unlike DC. It may still lead the way for cheap/cheesy imported Canadian cartoons and DXD live-action originals ranging from okay (Lab Rats) to downright garbage (Kirby Buckets, even though it's also a hybrid of an animated show), but DXD's original animated series have been mostly great, if some are awful (Pickle & Peanut). On that spectrum of excellence is Star Vs. The Forces of Evil....

 

10. Star Vs. the Forces of Evil

 

Best episodes: Mewnipendance Day, St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses, Cheer Up Star

 

I'll confess that I haven't seen all of Season 1, but I'm definitely not far behind since Season 1 is short and the next season is taking so long to premiere. From what I've seen, this show is really great. In general, I really like the premise behind Star being a foreign exchange student from another world. Speaking of the main character, the show's biggest strength is Star Butterfly herself. Star is what easily makes this show so interesting with her colorful, zany personality and traits. Her quirks are almost always so funny. On the plus side, the show also accesses Star to some of her faults that makes her such a great character. Like, in "Mewnipendance Day," Star uses her sense of morality at the end to show kindness towards one of Ludo's henchmen, Buff Frog, which is what make the episode one of my biggest favorites so far. I also enjoyed the plotline for "St. Olga's," which only has me wandering on what the end of the episode will lead up to for Season 2. I haven't seen the season finale yet, but I'm aware that it shows importance to what Season 2 could lead up to. More on-topic with the characters, there's the other main character, Marco. He's enjoyable, but it's mostly his relationships with Star as her friend and sidekick that makes him great. Overall, the animation is great, the characters are interesting, and it's also really funny.

 

 

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I'm not a big fan of Total Drama. I do like it and I'm usually very willing to watch the main series, but between Season 1 and every other season, it's a tough act to follow. Island was great, Action was....okay, honestly. World Tour, at first, was good, but the latter half was disappointing. Revenge is mediocre and wasn't really worth looking into. The first half of Season 5 aged poorly, as All-Stars is my worst season as of now, while the second half of Season 5 is alright, and to the point where Pahkitew Island is the second best installment behind Season 1. After the end of Season 5, a spin-off was created as a homage to The Amazing Race, and it got me loving the Total Drama franchise like I used to.

 

9. Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race

 

Best episodes: I Love Ridonc and Roll, None Down - Eighteen to Go, How Deep is Your Love

 

The best place to begin is with the characters, or otherwise the host and the pairs. The biggest highlight for the spin-off was its characters who were mostly easily memorable (some exceptions being the LARPers, Tennis Rivals, Adversity Twins, and Mother & Daughter), and most importantly, likeable. (except the Dater-Haters) Most of the characters were developed in some of the best ways possible. We finally get some more screen-time with Noah (who sides with Owen), enough for him to have a romantic storyline alongside Emma. While I'm not so big of a contender for Noah and Emma's interactions, it was a reasonable ploltine and it was pretty neat to see another side of Noah's character. As a couple more examples, we got The Stepbrothers' one-note sibling rivalry before they become friends and stay friends before they ended up getting eliminated, The Rockers show themselves as a great team after Spud was able to help himself and Rock get first place during one race, and we also get more to know about The Goths the longer they stayed during the game. There's also the longevity for each teams, most of them are understandable, a few of them were not. The Fashion Bloggers were definitely one of the most interesting teams and they got voted off too early. Heck, I'd also wanted to see more from The Vegans. The Best Friends' storyline obviously dragged on for too long, especially when it revolves around them trying to tell one another about their feelings but are unable to due to sheer unluckiness. There's also Devin's breakup with Shelly and the stages of his breakup, and that was when I was worried that they'll end up in the Final 2, but I'm glad the writers got the two to confess and downplayed their chances of being in the finale in due to Devin's injuries. The Dater-Haters also overstayed their welcome and their plotline was getting repetitive. Still, as far as they've gotten, I'm glad Stephanie and Ryan reconciled for their elimination episode and were able to interact with the other characters regardless. However, one of two of my favorite teams were the Ice Dancers. Josee's breakdowns for not coming in first were hysterical, and the role that she and Jacques played as the main villains worked really well. They had a lot of personality and had their faults (i.e. Josee's claustrophobia), they were essentially my favorite Total Drama villains since Heather. Yep. My favorite team was definitely the Police Cadets, and I was really happy to see them make it to the Final 2. Not only were they entertaining, but they showed a lot of development in being a team. MacArthur became more supportive of Sanders while Sanders started showing more of her guts during the challenges, even with a broken arm. I could say more, but I'll leave it here: The Ridonculous Race is one of the most charming installments to Total Drama as of recent.

 

 

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Cartoon Network has been showing a lot of improvement in quality in the past few years. We do got Teen Titans Go and Uncle Grandpa (depending on who you ask) to worry about, but just last year, we got another good show from them.

 

8. We Bare Bears

 

Best episodes (2015): Chloe and Ice Bear, Pet Shop, Burrito, My Clique

 

There's not so much for me to say, but it's indeed one of Cartoon Network's current funniest outputs, as well as one of the most charming, as an animated comedy. I like the characters all the same, namely Grizz's outgoing personality, Panda's awkwardness, and anything that defines Ice Bear's character. Even more-so, I also have a liking for Chloe's interactions with the bears, as it's always interesting to see her relationship with them. It's also got its heartwarming values when it comes to episodes like "Burrito," "Chloe and Ice Bear," "The Road," and "Pet Shop." There's a lot of episodes from this show that's worth watching. Most of the episodes are able to get a laugh out of me. On a sidenote, I also love how well the scenery in the show captures the imagery of San Francisco, it makes the look of We Bare Bears a lot more pleasant.

 

 

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It may look unusual to some people that I'm placing this show on the top ten, but the same could be said for my next entry after that. This show's placement on the countdown also strongly proves that there's one more brony sticking around in these forums.

 

7. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Best episodes (2015): Amending Fences, The Mane Attraction, The Cutie Map, Brotherhooves Social, Crusaders of the Lost Mark

 

For the longest time, I've been an occasional brony, and after binging on Season 5, it's clear to me now that I need to be more active in watching the show. I'm not far behind or anything since I have a clear understanding of each season (except Season 3, I've only seen three episodes from it). What I really want to say is that no other season struck a chord on me for my admiration of this series. Season 5, by far, is my absolute favorite compared to the previous seasons. One of the best things Season 5 had to offer was that every episode was memorable and/or special in one or more ways. Most importantly, character development and establishment was all over the place. "Amending Fences" is easily one of the best episodes I've seen, even in general. We learn about Twilight's relationships with other past friends in Canterlot, as well as her relationship with Moon Dancer and how Twilight missing something important to Moon Dancer affected her. We also get a bigger perspective from Big Macintosh in "Brotherhooves Social," and see how important it is for him to try and spend time with Apple Bloom. We learn about Luna's struggles with her actions as Nightmare Moon in "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?." We get to the reasons behind Diamond Tiara's actions in "Crusaders of the Lost Mark," as well as being able to see the Crusaders finally get their marks. "What About Discord," we see Discord getting closer with the other ponies of the Mane Six. If there's one small problem I have though, it's Starlight's role as a villain during the big finale, and the finale itself. Her excuse is reasonable enough for why she would set up a town of equal ponies, but I feel like there needs to be a bigger commitment for Starlight to go as extreme as to change the fabric of time than just the Mane Six stopping her plans. I also feel "The Cutie Re-Mark" could have been more established with the alternate timelines, namely for Discord and Tirek, because it's clear they show different meanings, like who even stopped Nightmare Moon, Sombra or even Queen Chrysalis during those alternate timelines when those events also could've happened? The reformation of Starlight Glimmer also feels expected, but in the end, she was an alright villain, but not developed as strongly as Nightmare Moon and Discord. Like with The Ridonculous Race, I could say more, but I've already said enough. Season 5 is something that's definitely worth watching.

 

 

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In 2015, Pixar released one of their most loved movies in a while: Inside Out. They had one other movie planned for released in 2014, but it was moved for story-related reasons, so 2015 had another Pixar movie, and from my perspective....let me be one to say this film is underrated:

 

6. The Good Dinosaur

 

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, allow me to explain why this film works so well for me. I'll start by acknowledging some of the common criticisms I've seen for the film: the story is unimaginative, it's also too similar to Land Before Time, it's not as memorable or unpredictable as some of Pixar's best films. Honestly, I can never come into terms of what popular opinion states, but the movie does have some flaws, I'll admit. The point is, I respect this movie a lot more than I should have. In that case, I legitimately think The Good Dinosaur is certainly something special. The storyline is simple and already gives you an idea about how it develops, but to me, it's more about how the story is executed and how it is able to receive its very own special identity. When it comes to the story, I'm in favor of its central concept: fear. I really like the movie's insight and perspective of fear and how it explains that one can't erase their greatest fears but can overcome that feeling, so that they'll then know true potential. Arlo spends most of his time being afraid of all things around him that he finds dangerous, as he gets too wrapped around the thought of being scared. Another strong point for the plotline is Arlo's development of learning about showing how capable he is while in the outlook of danger. What he goes through to save Spot's life, fending off the velociraptors single-handedly and entering the flash flood, is one of the best moments from the film, next to Arlo and Spot's developing interactions in general. The scene where they both talk about their families was one of the most endearing, as well as when Arlo has to let go of Spot before reuniting with his family. More on the characters, I find them pretty memorable. I enjoyed the family of Tyrannosaurus ranchers, I enjoyed the scene with Forrest Woodbush, and I also liked Arlo's relationship with his father, mostly for the scene where Arlo has a vision of him. Easily one of the best things about the movie is the visuals, as the scenery is just a beauty. The cartoonish looking Arlo can be an eyesore, but I don't mind. I think the personality and looks of Arlo is a way to connect with the audience, and for the most part, he still looks like a dinosaur. The movie does have its flaws though. The Good Dinosaur is the type of movie that I felt could've been stronger. Like, I felt there could've been more interactions towards him and the rest of his family, and I'd want to know how his family would feel about Arlo's disappearance. I also felt there could've been more thought on the apparent, smaller premise of the meteor missing the Earth. Surely, it speaks for itself that the dinosaurs become intelligent enough to raise crops and farm other animals, and that they're living in the same era as the neanderthals, but I think the premise could've been acknowledged better. Overall, I think this was a wonderful movie. It obviously can't top some of Pixar's greatest movies like Inside Out, Wall-E, Up, and Finding Nemo, but still, from my point of view, it's DEFINITELY not in terms of quality as Cars and Brave.

 

 

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When the new SpongeBob movie was being produced, we got word of Stephen Hillenburg doing some more production work for the show. Hillenburg also played an important role on the production for the second SpongeBob movie, and that's just one reason why it impressed me so much.

 

5. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

 

I'm a SpongeBob fan, of course this movie had the chance to make my list. I've expressed my praise for this movie in its own discussion thread, but while I'm going to acknowledge some of the thoughts I've already expressed, I have some more points to state. I can see the second movie as a way to not only entertain its audiences, but a way to reconnect with its older fans, providing clever wit from the first three seasons. While I'm still a fan even during the post-movie seasons, Sponge Out of Water was a shining moment for SpongeBob to reintroduce some of its old roots and introduce some new aspects while keeping in touch with the original show's humor. One of two of the best things about this movie was the humor, being able to get a lot of laughs out of me, and the animation. Not only does it resurrect the traditional look, the movie also introduces us some very good looking CGI models of the characters, and bringing some other animation elements, such as stop motion. I can't write so much about the story, but I liked the whole thing about the formula disappearing and Plankton getting framed for it, as well as the characters going super. The main villain Burgerbeard is pretty flawed, mostly because he doesn't show any some sort of attachment to any of the actual SpongeBob characters. So yeah, it's an overall excellent film to one of my favorite animated shows.

 

 

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You know, it's weird that I feel more attached to an adaptation of the newspaper comics that I wasn't so big of a fan of, than the new SpongeBob movie....

 

4. The Peanuts Movie

 

Yep, I finally got myself the time to see this movie. To make myself clear, I did grow up with the Peanuts and watched the cartoons at some points in times. I enjoyed them, but I can't really say I'm a big fan. Besides that, I can easily determine that everything about the characters and moments that Blue Sky Studios adapted from the original source feels absolutely right. The characters and their designs are amazing, the storyline is amazing, and the jokes work pretty well. I can really tell that Blue Sky has done their research, especially considering that they got two of Schulz' family members to be involved with it. If this company can do a lot of things right with Horton Hears a Who, then they have done just about everything they could do to make the Peanuts movie look as faithful, witty, and endearing as the original comics. Overall, my thoughts are already straightforward: the movie is one of the most faithful and well-done adaptations as of recent.

 

 

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If the behavior of the fanbase has prevented you from enjoying this one show, then consider yourself lucky that you're reading from someone who isn't an obnoxious fan. Although, I need to tell you that Steven Universe is definitely worth anyone's time.

 

3. Steven Universe

Best episodes (2015): On the Run, Rose's Scabbard, Sworn to the Sword, The Return/Jail Break, When It Rains

 

After getting into Steven Universe, I can easily say that I've become a fan. What I like about this show is that each episode serves a good amount of importance to the plot and characters, making them so very memorable. For all the new episodes SU had to offer in 2015, they introduced to us a lot of interesting storylines. We get some strong emotional dept and backstory from Amethyst in "On the Run," we get to know more about Pearl's memories and relationship from Rose in "Rose's Scabbard," and we also get to see Steven and Connie's friendship/relationship develop exponentially through episodes like, "Alone Together," "Sworn to the Sword," and "Full Disclosure." It's not just Steven and the Crystal Gems that make the show so interesting, the main story develops with the establishment of Homeworld's conflict with the Crystal Gems, we get introduced to characters like Jasper and Peridot, we get a chunk of episodes detailing the conflict behind Pearl wanting to fuse with Garnet into Sardonyx, as well as the introduction to the Cluster. Aside from the main story, SU also shares some other interesting concepts and plots, such as "Winter Forecast," where Steven is warned about the negative outcomes when trying to get Connie back home during a blizzard, "Chille Tid" where Steven accesses into talking with Lapis while dreaming, and "Story for Steven," as well as "We Need to Talk," where Greg talks about his time with Rose from when he met her to when he learns about fusion. Overall, the characters are very interesting, and the episodes are just really great and intriguing to boot, and that's just the episodes that aired in 2015 that I've discussed.

 

 

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What can I say about the best animated film of 2015? When in doubt, Inside Out

 

2. Inside Out

 

 

Pun aside, this is easily the best animated film from that year, and one of Pixar's finest since a while. It's a plot about the emotions inside a human's head and what they do. Of course, they built around that so cleverly, and established it into such a creative open world. The movie really nails it with the storyline with Riley's struggle adjusting to her new lifestyle while Joy and Sadness get separated from the headquarters of her mind. Its strongest point is its emotional scenes and depth. Certainly, there was a lot of those. To exemplify, I really liked the climax, or otherwise, Sadness' scene where Joy relies on her to use empathy to fix Riley's problems. Likewise, there was also the scene where Joy realizes how important Sadness was to Riley's memories and emotions. I also can't forget about Bing Bongs role in this film, and it was pretty sad to see him sacrifice himself for Joy. For what Inside Out shapes up as, it's emotionally moving, and very intriguing and unpredictable in terms of its storyline.

 

 

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It was kinda hard choosing between Inside Out and this next choice as my absolute favorite animated product of 2015. I can't really give a hint about this one, you guys can already tell that my #1 is Gravity Falls.

 

1. Gravity Falls

Best episodes (2015): Northwest Mansion Mystery, A Tale of Two Stans, Not What He Seems, Weirdmageddon Parts 1 & 2

 

I've said it before that Gravity Falls has evolved into a timeless classic. I can't say this is agreeable for everyone, but I still stand by what I've said. Gravity Falls has been one of my favorite animated shows since I first saw it sometime after it premiered. The story about the mysteries behind Stan, the towns, and the journals, as well as the wonderful hand-drawn artwork are already a couple things to gush about, but how Gravity Falls made 2015 in animation is when the series got to its point of solving its mysteries and wrapping things up. In 2015, we finally get to know why Stan has been trying to work a portal hidden in the Mystery Shack, we finally get to know about who wrote the journals and the story behind the author's lifetime with his brother Stan, and we get to know what attack Bill Cipher has planned against the town. There's just a lot of other things noteworthy about the show over the course of 2015, such as the writing for "Northwest Mansion Mystery" but it's best said that Alex Hirsch and his staff were the best at delivering with the series' art, the jokes, and the story-driven plot, which is absolutely why Gravity Falls is the #1 best animated product of 2015.

 

 

That wraps up my countdown. Here's to hoping that I will get a top ten list for 2016's best animations earlier than this.

Spoiler

Because of that last season, Gravity Falls really deserves the #1 spot.

 

[Steel Sponge]

On 5/31/2016 at 9:59 PM, Teamwork said:

4. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

This is the most polarizing animated film of the year to me personally. I loved it at first and thought it was a return to form for SpongeBob but upon further re-watch the problems start to seep through the cracks.

While I adore the lovely traditional animation, the movie at it's core was very flawed and I can't help but feel like Viacom meddled with it significantly.

I still concur that the CGI/Live-Action scenes come out of nowhere and break the entire flow of the movie and they were just there for marketing and selling toys. 

I'd love to see the original animatic for the movie before Viacom got more involved.

I'll list the flaws of the film: the pacing is very off. There is zero breathing room and there are a lot of odd character motivations that are dropped and weird leaps in logic, even for SpongeBob. For example: the time travel sequence is immediately forgotten. While fun it was largely inconsequential and only used for Bubbles to reappear towards the climax. The rest of the gang trying to kill SpongeBob is immediately forgotten and that would've made for some great drama and character interaction. It's just weird. The film shifts from one idea to the next and they should've focused on once. Plankton being framed for stealing the formula was compelling, so was an apocalyptic Bikini Bottom after SpongeBob. The characterization of SpongeBob is also very flawed. He's not annoying like he was in much of the post-movie episodes but is still pretty stupid. He's supposed to be this child-like guy who's very misguided and naive. They only nail some of that. Patrick's is also awful and he's a complete asshole and it's hard to watch. I get it's a cartoon but I wouldn't wanna be friends with someone who stabbed me in the back and tried to kill me.

If this is one of your best animated films, why are you implying that you no longer liked it?

Sorry, but I also have a few arguments with some of your thoughts:

-How did Viacom have creative control of the movie? I might've missed something, but still.....
-The movie never intended to be marketable. Heck, the Cars movies didn't exist just to make money. It made money because it happened to be marketable. This is just me saying this, but the SpongeBob characters never experienced having the CGI look outside of video games, and the staff made the experience worthwhile. Also, if the staff could nail the stop motion models for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas," then they could nail making the SpongeBob characters CGI. More-so, it felt like making the SpongeBob characters CGI for a few scenes seemed like the best thing to make the movie successful, considering that Hollywood currently has zero demand for hand-drawn movies. At the very least, the CGI wasn't as realistic and ugly-looking as...say, live-action Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, and Garfield. That was my greatest fear of what the CGI could've looked like, and I was instantly happy that it didn't when I saw the look of the CGI SpongeBob characters. In other words, I'm probably just one of few people who think the CGI in the movie was a good thing.
-SpongeBob was out of character? He was still his happy little self, spite not being incredibly naive.
-Comparing Patrick's character to someone trying to kill you is rather extreme. I mean, he's part of the angry mob, and they wanted to use SpongeBob as a sacrifice, but I think the whole idea is that nobody, even the townspeople have any idea what happened to the secret formula, as it disappeared, so they have to resort to extremes. Also, Patrick's character does get better by the time the main characters enter the real world.
-Continuing on, it's logical for the townspeople to resort to extremes, because without the formula, no one can make Krabby Patties, and they think Plankton is hiding it. It's also logical for the townspeople to turn against SpongeBob for siding with Plankton. I think the main idea is that the townspeople wanting to use SpongeBob as a sacrifice, because they think they betrayed him, is too silly to take so seriously.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Steel Sponge

[Jane]

1 hour ago, Steel Sponge said:

If this is one of your best animated films, why are you implying that you no longer liked it?

Sorry, but I also have a few arguments with some of your thoughts:

-How did Viacom have creative control of the movie? I might've missed something, but still.....
-The movie never intended to be marketable. Heck, the Cars movies didn't exist just to make money. It made money because it happened to be marketable. This is just me saying this, but the SpongeBob characters never experienced having the CGI look outside of video games, and the staff made the experience worthwhile. Also, if the staff could nail the stop motion models for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas," then they could nail making the SpongeBob characters CGI. More-so, it felt like making the SpongeBob characters CGI for a few scenes seemed like the best thing to make the movie successful, considering that Hollywood currently has zero demand for hand-drawn movies. At the very least, the CGI wasn't as realistic and ugly-looking as...say, live-action Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, and Garfield. That was my greatest fear of what the CGI could've looked like, and I was instantly happy that it didn't when I saw the look of the CGI SpongeBob characters. In other words, I'm probably just one of few people who think the CGI in the movie was a good thing.
-SpongeBob was out of character? He was still his happy little self, spite not being incredibly naive.
-Comparing Patrick's character to someone trying to kill you is rather extreme. I mean, he's part of the angry mob, and they wanted to use SpongeBob as a sacrifice, but I think the whole idea is that nobody, even the townspeople have any idea what happened to the secret formula, as it disappeared, so they have to resort to extremes. Also, Patrick's character does get better by the time the main characters enter the real world.
-Continuing on, it's logical for the townspeople to resort to extremes, because without the formula, no one can make Krabby Patties, and they think Plankton is hiding it. It's also logical for the townspeople to turn against SpongeBob for siding with Plankton. I think the main idea is that the townspeople wanting to use SpongeBob as a sacrifice, because they think they betrayed him, is too silly to take so seriously.

I still like it, but it's a flawed film. It's similar to my thoughts on the Ratchet & Clank movie. I got enjoyment out of it, but it was still very flawed as a movie.

-Vincent and other crew, like Paul I believe have implied that Viacom got more involved starting with post movie and demanded tighter deadlines and cut the animation budget, and allegedly some people were reworking drawings and boards so they'd be easier to animate and save on retakes. That's what I've been told though, so don't quote me on that. It makes sense considering it's one of Viacom's most profitable IPs.

-The CGI was obviously there to sell tickets and toys. Alvin and the Chimpmunks and the superhero craze are the obvious reasons. I agree the CG was well-done and actually looked pretty great and faithful to the hand drawn animation, but it didn't need to be there.

-I haven't seen the movie in a few months but I remember he did some very stupid things, even for SpongeBob. The opening scene with the ketchup farting was OOC. Granted, they improved on him being annoying, so that's a step up in my book.

-Eh, him ditching SpongeBob at the beginning is still kinda weird. I remember there was some concept art with him in the place of Plankton at first. Personally they should've used Squidward. He has a very interesting dynamic with SB.

-You have a point here, but the pacing of that moment is broken when they suddenly go on land and become CGI.