34 is an odd number to start a ranking with, but we all will have to make do. Let's do it.
#34
I have known about this movie for a long time, ever since I was a kid in fact. But I have never actually sat down and watched it before. I love John Candy, I love Steve Martin, so it was long overdue that I watched this.
The movie's main character is Steve Martin, who is his usually cranky self. He is trying to get back home from across the country, but his plans keep falling apart. Flights cancelled, bad weather shutting everything down, etc. So he has to take the long way home - by taking buses and trains and the like. He is accompanied by John Candy, a bumbling, stumbling oaf he just happens to meet on the road by chance.
Candy is the comic relief who keeps messing things up because he is so clumsy and dimwitted. The two go through a ton of misadventures on the road. Steve Martin can't seem to shake him, and Candy can't seem to take a hint. The two fight and bicker. Its a pretty funny movie.
Finally at the end of the movie, right when Steve Martin is about to explode, we found out that John Candy's wife had died shortly before the two met. That's why Candy was being so clingy because it was lonely and it was the holiday season and he had no one. It's a big moment, and one of the things that separates this from being your typical dysfunctional buddy movie.
The movie is funny, it has heart, and there is never a dull moment. I was a fan.
#33
Well, I really didn't have any idea what I was getting into when I watched this. I was expecting a 40-Year Old Virgin type of movie and instead what I got was a raunchy stoner film with more inappropriate moments than I could count.
But that is a good thing! I like low-class style humor, and this movie definitely delivers it in boat loads. I like stoner movies too, so it was like the best of both worlds when it comes to comedies for me.
I love the characters and the setting of the film. Just the fact that these guys work designing video games makes them that much more appealing and relatable to me. It appealed to my nerd sense. I know this isn't a great movie, and ask me again in 10 years and I probably won't be able to remember anything about it. But I had a very fun time watching it and that is all that matters. Definitely one of the more fun comedies I have watched this year.
#32
I kind of had some harsh words for Mockingjay Part 2, which I didn't feel really did the series justice in its closing chapter. Although the critics seemed to like Part 2 better than Part 1, I had the complete opposite reaction.
Perhaps it was because I knew the series wasn't ending just yet that I was able to enjoy this movie. I love the Hunger Games. I wanted more Hunger Games. I knew that the first part of Mockingjay the book was kinda so-so. As a result, I had lower expectations for the first Mockingjay film.
I think this movie definitely more than did the source material justice. I didn't like the opening part of the book that much, but this movie was able to present the story to the audience in a fresh way that made it exciting and seem like things were actually happening. This whole movie is setting up its second half, but it does it in a way where it doesn't seem like the whole film is mindless filler.
I still prefer the first two Hunger Games movie to this one, but I had a really good time here. It just shows you how expectations play a part in how you like a movie. I had low expectations for this, and when it turned out it was good it gets a high ranking from me. I had very high expectations for the sequel, and when it turned out to be just okay, it took a huge hit on my ranking.
So even though the movies probably aren't THAT different quality wise, this one stuck with me whereas the second one did not.
#31
Just reading the description of this movie, it didn't really seem like something I would be interested in. I don't really like this kind of music, nor do I understand its appeal. And who wants to see a mean teacher bully some kid for 2 hours?
It turns out there is more to the movie than that. This movie is about the quest for perfection, and how some people will do anything to make it happen. The acting really pushes the movie for me. Great performances all around, especially from the teacher. You can cut the tension in the air in this movie with a butter knife, it is so high strung. I really liked the on edge, intense feel of the whole movie.
This was definitely a nice surprise for me. Any movie that can take a subject I don't really care for and get me interested in it is obviously doing something right. I wasn't AS ecstatic about it as the critics were, but I still enjoyed it.
#30
I have seen this movie a handful of times now, but my wife had never seen it prior to our 2015 viewing. It was Halloween time and we were taking turns picking out movies. She had never seen this before, and was actually willing to watch it (she hates John Cusack so I never thought she'd give it a shot).
It's always more fun watching a movie with someone who hasn't seen it before. If I had sat down to watch this alone, I might have lost interest since I had seen it a few times before. But it was fun watching it with her.
Love the way the movie sets up the hotel and the haunted room. Once we get into 1408, however, I found that things weren't quite as scary as I remembered. In fact, a lot of the things that happen in the room are kind of funny and had us laughing on several occasions. I think Cusack's extreme reactions to things, and how he often gets mad and starts destroying things was our main cause of amusement.
But even though we laughed in inappropriate parts, we still had a great time. This movie is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed watching it last year. This is one of the many "silly but fun" updates you will undoubtedly be seeing on this particular entry.
#29
We all know that these types of films aren't my favorite out there, but I must say I really do enjoy Frozen. The movie is stunning to look at, all the effects are just incredible. We weren't going to watch it this year but we got a new big high definition TV and wanted to watch it on Blu Ray.
I love the story, I love the characters, it is funny, and for once I actually liked the music in a Disney movie.
Let it Go is one of my guilty pleasures, I must say. I don't mind the other songs either. Do you wanna build a snow maaaaaaan?
It is a cute movie, and it has it all. It ranks right up there with Wall-E and the Lion King as one of my favorite animated flicks of all time.
#28
Well here it is, the highest ranking Harry Potter on my list. As you can remember, Deathly Hallows Part One had a relatively low ranking here. A lot depends on my mood watching these movies. If I am not in the mood to watch something - or for some reason can't get into it, that lowers my opinion of a film no matter how good it is.
My attitude watching these 2 movies was night and day. Whereas I couldn't really get into part one, I thought part 2 was a ton of fun. I got into it in a way that the first one couldn't match.
There is a lot of action in this film, and it is all so very pretty to look at. The Gringott's caper, the dragon ride, all the battles at Hogwarts.... this movie is a ton of fun.
Definitely a great send off to the Harry Potter movies. It was the first one without a single dull moment whatsoever. I had a blast watching this one.
#27
Like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles this is a movie I have known about basically my whole life, yet for one reason or another I never actually sat down and watched.
It was the Christmas season, my wife had bought this movie because she figured it would be "my kind" of humor, and we watched it. Despite my low expectations, I came to find that I actually liked the movie.
Big, dysfunctional family gets together for the holidays. Annoying, yuppy neighbors. A bumbling dad who means well but can't seem to do anything right. Lots of slapstick humor and comic mishaps. There is even a kidnapping at the end!
This movie had it all. There is never a dull moment. Even though I tend to not like comedies much, the movie never lost me at any point. I liked the characters, plus the movie has a ton of iconic moments (see, kitten in the Christmas tree). Although a lot of things that happen here seem outlandish and unrealistic, the movie never seems too dated or too eye-rollingly stupid at any point.
The family is relatable even through its dysfunction. The movie has a big heart. I thought it would just be slapstick idiocy, but it turned out to be much more than that. There is a reason this movie is considered a classic by so many people.
#26
Here is a case of a movie that I didn't have high expectations for completely shocking the crap out of me.
I had seen the trailers. A raccoon, a big tree, some weird looking alien people. I did not have high hopes for this. I like Marvel movies, but I had never heard of any of these characters. I thought this was going to be really hokey and not my kind of movie.
But hey! Almost immediately the film proved me wrong. First of all, this is one of the most gorgeous movies I have ever seen. I know looks aren't everything, but when you do a movie with lots of CGI and lots of outlandish alien creatures, you run the risk of having things look really cheesy or awful. But everything is really believable here. And the landscapes and set pieces are stunning.
The action is a lot of fun, I was interested in the story line. But the characters drive the film for me. There is so much to love about Rocket, Star Lord, and the others. Especially Groot. I love Groot so much ,you guys don't even know. Not only is the movie fast paced with a lot of action, but it is funny and it has heart too. The funniest line from the movie for me is when Groot is asked a question toward the end and before he can answer Star Lord says "I'm pretty sure the answer is I am Groot."
Great musical score here too, which really adds to the movie's personality. No humor, no fun 70's/80's music, and the movie loses a lot of what made it so unique and special. My only knock is that the story line, while it serves its purpose in driving the characters and the action, is mostly forgettable when all is said and done.
Still, this is probably one of my favorite superhero movies ever, to be honest with you. Which I never would have expected when I started watching this.
#25
For anyone who has a long memory, this movie actually won my ranking list the year it came out. This is back when I used to rank on message boards as opposed to this blog, so I don't think there is any evidence of it remaining.
I had been caught up in Avatar fever, I am sorry to admit, and really was wowed by the effects and the 3D in the movie theaters. I liked the story too, and really got sucked in by the movie and thought it was incredible. Which it was really, I had never anything like it at the time. The world this film creates, the colors, the effects, the mythology. Fantastic.
My Avatar fever has died down a bit since then, but I still enjoy the movie. My wife and I decided to watch it this year on Blu-Ray on our brand new big TV. It wasn't the same as seeing it in the theater, but it was still really cool to look at.
It may not be the most original movie, and I know that a lot of people like to mock it (unfairly - I may add), but I had a fun time watching it.
#24
I seem to have a different reaction to this movie every time I watch it. If I can recall correctly, last year it had a relatively low ranking on my list. I mean, you can see why I wouldn't like it right? It is completely different in tone than the first movie, which I consider a classic. It is like comparing A Phantom Menace to a New Hope. Bad acting, lots of CGI, over the top action scenes with no slow build whatsoever.
Despite the movie's flaws, I really enjoyed watching it this year. Why watch movies if not to have fun? And this movie (if you come in knowing what to expect) can be a lot of fun. Sure it is corny in spots, and can seem like it was designed by a 5th grader with ADD. But if you come in with an open mind, knowing it is not the greatest movie of all time, you can actually just sit back and enjoy yourself. And that is what I did in 2015.
By no means is this movie better than the original Jurassic Park (which had a very low ranking on this year's list) . So why does it place so much higher? It is not a movie I have seen too many times, so it was more of a fresh viewing experience for me. I didn't zone out watching it, I didn't fall asleep or play games on my phone. I just had fun and enjoyed the film for what it is.
Now next year, if I watch it, I will probably go back to hating it again. I can never seem to make up my mind on this movie.
#23
This is another one, like Avatar, Jurassic Park 3, 1408, et cetera you can classify as silly but fun. Big effects, big action. No cinematic masterpiece, but a classic in their own rights to people who like those kind of movies. Which I do.
Whenever I can I try to watch this movie on July 4th. I was up north this year in Channing Michigan on July 4th, but I had brought this movie along hoping I would get the opportunity to watch it. Luckily, after viewing some Independence Day fireworks I was able to set aside some time at the cabin to watch this movie. I was with my wife's family, and most of everyone else was off doing other things or out at the fire.
I sat there and watched this from beginning to end, with people coming in and flitting around and watching some of it and then getting up and leaving. It was fun. I had a great time watching this. This is a movie I have seen a million times before, but just the whole energy in the air and atmosphere as I watched this made it even better.
It doesn't hurt that I was a little buzzed too. That tends to make a lot of things a little better.
#22
When I first started watching this, I think I had it confused with Ex Machina. I expected to see an actual artificial woman rather than just hear her voice, and that didn't happen. Still, though, once the movie got going I was not disappointed at all.
This film seems to take the concept of people talking to their phones (Siri!) to a new level. Joaquin Phoenix's character creates a personalized computer assistant that develops into what seems like a living, breathing, reacting, feeling, intelligence inside the system that he falls in love with.
I found the whole thing to be quite fascinating. Even I, the detached observer, really had an interest in their relationship. What seems like on the surface to be a really odd thing doesn't seem that odd after all.
There is humor, romance, and heart break all set against a sci fi background. I really enjoyed this movie and was pleasantly surprised. I thought I would be bored or not like it much but it turned out to be one of the better movies I watched in 2015.
Bonus points for this:
#21
This is another documentary that had been on my Netflix queue for ages. I thought it would be boring, more focused on the technical side of making games. To my delight, I was way wrong.
This movie dives into the history of games, focusing on a lot of influential games that have shaped the industry into what it is today. It also focuses on today's technology and where games have left to go from here. I found it really interesting.
I couldn't help but nerd out over the "montages" in this documentary. Every so often the movie cuts away to a music montage of clips from classic games. I felt like a kid at a candy store... "I've played that one! And that one! Hey, I love that game!" I knew almost everything they showed.
This documentary was a real treat for a life long gamer like me.
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All right, we have made it to the Top 20. Next update coming.... in the next few days.
Remaining movies, in random order:
Gone Girl
You're Next
Chappie
Star Trek Generations
The Lego Movie
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Catching Fire
Unbroken
Mad Max: Fury Road
These Final Hours
TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze
How to Train Your Dragon
The Theory of Everything
Friday the 13th
Wild
The Imposter
Life of Pi
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Boyhood
Jurassic World
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