Best Movies and Performances of Summer 2015

The Summer 2015 movie season has come to a close.  It was a solid summer for movies, though the blockbusters disappointed a bit.  But, some of the best movies of 2015 were released this summer and we were given some great performances.  So with that, let’s look back at some of the best movies and performances of summer 2015.

TOP 5 MOVIES

 

5- Inside Out – Welcome back Pixar!  After a few mediocre films, Pixar has finally made another classic with Inside Out.  This is one of the most emotional and adult films Pixar has ever made.  They fully dive into the human emotion and give the audience a message that resonates with everyone of all ages. It’s beautifully animated and features one of the best ensemble casts of the year. Here’s hoping for more greatness from Pixar in the coming future.

 

 

4- The End of the Tour – Director James Ponsoldt continues to amaze us with yet another near masterpiece. On paper, The End of the Tour could have been a run of the mill road movie about a troubled artist.  But, in the hands of Ponsoldt, it becomes an enthralling film-going experience. Jason Segel immerses himself as famed author David Foster Wallace and gives the best performance of 2015. Add an almost equally good Jesse Eisenberg, and you have an unorthodox, yet fascinating buddy movie about fame, lonliness, friendship, and life.

 

3- Straight Outta Compton – A captivating and epic film, Straight Outta Compton is everything I hoped for and more. Telling the story of the iconic rap group N.W.A, director F. Gary Gray doesn’t sugarcoat anything and gives us a hot-blooded, no holds barred, socially relevant biopic. With a scale as grand as it is ambitious, a killer soundtrack, and the best cast of the year so far, “Straight Outta Compton” is one of the greatest musical bio-pics I have ever seen and does justice to one of the icons of rap.

 

2- Amy – The most emotional experience I’ve had at the movies in a long time.  Amy is a harrowing and tragic look at the life of late singer Amy Winehouse.  Director Asif Kapadia proves why he is arguably the best documentarian working today.  Using a combination of interviews, voiceovers, amazing found footage, and some shocking images, he gives us an intimate and raw look at the trouble singer’s life.  The movie makes you smile, cry, and reminisce about the brilliant artist that Winehouse was.  2015 has been a great year for documentaries, but “Amy” is the crown jewel of them all.

 

1- Mad Max: Fury Road – This is the reason we go to the movies.  George Miller’s rousing, fun, insane fourth installment of the legendary Mad Max series is the best of the group.  With some of the most exhilarating and practical action sequences ever on film and a Charlize Theron performance that will go down as one of the best cinematic action heroines of all-time, Mad Max: Fury Road is not only the best film of the summer, but it is currently the best movie of 2015.

 

BEST OF THE REST

BEST DIRECTOR – George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner Up – F. Gary Gray – Straight Outta Compton

BEST ACTOR – Jason Segel – The End of the Tour

Runner Up – Jake Gyllenhaal – Southpaw

BEST ACTRESS – Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner Up – Amy Schumer – Trainwreck

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- Forest Whitaker – Southpaw

Runner Up – O’Shea Jackson Jr. – Straight Outta Compton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- Olivia Cooke – Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl

Runner Up – Jada Pinkett Smith – Magic Mike XXL

BEST COMEDY – Trainwreck

Runner Up – Ted 2

BEST ACTION MOVIE – Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner Up – The Man From U.N.C.L.E

BEST SEQUEL – Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner Up – Ted 2

BIGGEST SURPRISE – The Man From U.N.C.L.E

Runner Up – Amy

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT – Me, Earl, & the Dying Girl

Runner Up – Southpaw

 

5 WORST MOVIES

1 – Terminator Genisys – Stupid, boring, and poorly acted.

2- Fantastic Four – A great cast is wasted by a terrible script and terrible direction.

3- Insidious: Chapter 3 – Not scary.

4- Entourage – Not a bad movie, but if you aren’t a fan of the show, this movie will be worthless to you.

5- Jurassic World – Not a terrible movie, but it tried to be something it is not and tried way too hard to be the original.

 

What do you think the best movies and performances of summer 2015 were?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix or on Facebook at Kevflix.