EDGE Best Lists :: Frank J. Avella on the Year in Film

What seems to have marked the 2015 film year more than anything else is the bountiful number of outstanding films that were driven by female leads.

From studio blockbusters like "Mad Max: Fury Road," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" to hit Hollywood comedies like "Trainwreck," "Spy" and "Sisters" to celebrated indies like "Carol," "Brooklyn" and "Room" to acclaimed foreign-language films like "The Second Mother," "Phoenix" and "Mustang," the ladies ruled the big screen.

Despite the title, the most fascinating performance in "The Danish Girl" was from Alicia Vikander as Eddie Redmayne's wife.

"Clouds of Sils Maria" explored a tricky relationship between Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart (who finally showed more than one emotion in a movie).

Engrossing empowering films like "Suffragette," "Truth" and the remake of "Far from the Madding Crowd" focused on the plight of women to be heard and taken seriously. Two were period pieces; one was set a little more than decade ago.

Women over 65 were the primary focus of gems like, "Grandma," "The Lady in the Van," "45 Years," "The Woman in Gold," "I'll See You in My Dreams" and "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."

Greta Gerwig led a female-centric cast in one of the overlooked delights of the year, "Mistress America," while Sarah Silverman proved her dramatic acting chops in "I Smile Back," and, of course, Jennifer Lawrence continued to show she can open films with no help from the male species with "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2." And she found time to tackle dramedy in this month's "Joy."

Some of the best documentaries had women as their subjects: "Amy," "Janis: Little Girl Blue," "What Happened, Miss Simone?," "Heart of a Dog," "He Named Me Malala," "Ingrid Bergman - In Her Own Words" and "Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict."

I look forward to a time when I no longer need to laud a banner year for the gals because every year provides female actors with meaty roles as well as equal opportunities to direct and write.

And do not get me started on the absence of women of color, who are conquering television but still having an impossible time getting decent (or ANY) roles in motion pictures. Wake up and smell the diversity, moviemakers!

Finally, while LGBT-themed films are thriving and focusing on more varied and personal subject matter ("Stuff," "Wasp," "Lyle," "Summer," "Of Girls and Horses," "Beautiful Something," and "Jess and James" to name but a few of the best), mainstream LGBT films are still pretty scarce. "Carol," "The Danish Girl," "Freeheld" and, to a lesser (subject matter) degree, "Grandma" being this years notable exceptions.

The Top 15

Below is my Top 15:

Note: Since I have separate categories for Documentaries, Foreign-Language Films and LGBT films, I've tried not to duplicate -- in some cases triplicate -- unless I felt the absolute necessity to do so ("Carol").

15. "Mistress America"

Greta Gerwig is the Parker Posey of today's indie films. And that is a very good thing. Posey was queen of the indies back in the '90s, until the term began to work against her. Gerwig has delivered one layered performance after another in a host of recent films and has practically gone unnoticed ("Frances Ha," "Maggie's Plan," "The Humbling," and "Lola Versus," to name four). With "Mistress America" she stars in and co-writes, with director Noah Baumbach, one of the most clever yet resonant comedies of 2015.

14. "James White"

Josh Mond's heartbreaking yet exhilarating feature debut about the surreal yet palpable journey of its titular character (a potent Christopher Abbott) from reckless fuck-up to devoted caregiver. Cynthia Nixon delivers a personal best turn as White's ailing mom in this strangely cathartic gem.

13. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's fresh and inventive indie tells the tale of a high school senior (brilliantly embodied by Thomas Mann) who is asked to befriend a dying girl (Olivia Cooke). What could have gone so clich� and wrong takes a invigorating, bracingly original route as the director pushes past the usual and gives us something real...and surreal. Jesse Andrews deftly adapts his own novel and shows a true talent for screenwriting.

12. "The Look of Silence"

The content in Joshua Oppenheimer's 2013 doc, "The Act of Killing" was insane and monstrous as we watched Indonesian death squad leaders happily discuss and reenact their crimes. In "The Look of Silence," Oppenheimer keeps the focus mostly on one man (and his family) who lost his brother in the genocide and the results are hair-raising in terms of what is uncovered as well as how it's presented cinematically. This is truly one of the most important documentaries of our time.

11. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

A film I was looking forward to like plague and was completely captivated by. J.J. Abrams pays homage to the original but dares to go dark in "Episode Seven" of the Lucas franchise. In 1977, "Star Wars," ruined the film industry (if you care about quality) by forcing movies to be almost completely reliant on the young boy demographic as well as a slave to the opening weekend box office tally. Almost 40 years later, Abrams and his team give us lead characters that celebrate diversity and a strong female lead (Daisy Ridley) that isn't just there to support her BF but to kick some ass. Will it change the way the way studios make and market films? Probably not. But it's a good start. And it's a rousing film that shows promise of probing much deeper into that galaxy far, far away in the next installments.

10. "The Revenant"

Stirring, immersive cinema, this is a powerful and visceral filmic experience that teeter-totters on the spiritually transcendent. I am convinced that after another viewing or two, Alejandro Inarritu's poetic and sublime film will have an even more profound effect on me, the way "Birdman" did (a film about so much more than what is seems on the surface). "The Revenant" will earn Leonardo DiCaprio his long overdue first Oscar. Of that, I am certain.

9. "Youth"

Sure Jane Fonda's angry, gritty and pained turn as actress and Hollywood survivor, Brenda Morel, is one of the major reasons I loved Paolo Sorrentino's gorgeous film. In a few minutes of screen time she creates such a damaged, yet brutally honest heroine, we pray the director writes an entire feature for the character and actress. But "Youth" has many more riches in store for those who allow themselves to remain open to this transcendent cinematic poem including superb work by Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Paul Dano and Rachel Weisz.

8. "Mad Max Fury Road"

I've never been a big "Mad Max" fan. The trilogy's magic eludes me. And action films usually end up giving me a headache. So why was I so blown away by "MMFR?" George Miller never gives in to the trappings of most actions films. And this film centers on the post-apocalyptic women with Charlize Theron's Furiosa giving us a bold new heroine. Max (Tom Hardy) takes a backseat to this ballsy babe in this frantic, bizarre and thrilling franchise reboot.

7. "Room"

Lenny Abrahamson's nerve-destroying psychological thriller could have gone so bad. The assumption was that once our two main characters left the "room," the taut and gripping film would fall apart. And just the opposite happened. "Room" not only sustained our interest, but it deepened the intrigue as mom (a simply revelatory Brie Larson) and son (an astonishing Jacob Tremblay) escaped to the real world. Who'd have thought that I would actually love a child actor so much? That alone puts this "Room" at the top!

6. "The Big Short"

A ridiculous plot that's actually based on factual events! Subject matter that is impossible to comprehend, and yet we are able to make some sense of it. A sublime cast of actors that are actually given meaty roles to play the shit out of. An urgent and intelligent film that is also extremely entertaining. This one gobsmacked me and made me want to immediately watch it again. And the ensemble is uniformly wonderful.

5. "The Martian"

One of the great surprises of 2016 is the return of Ridley Scott as a Class A filmmaker. And Matt Damon has his best role in years as well. "The Martian" is a gripping, eye-popping delight, part fable and part survival science fiction but with a twist-fully rounded characters that actually care about one another and a kick-ass supporting cast led by Jessica Chastain and Jeff Daniels. And all the Damon disco moments help make this film a total treat.

4. "Spotlight"

A taut, impressive odyssey about the investigative journalists who had the courage to take on one of the most impervious of all institutions: the Catholic Church. This is the true story of the fearless gaggle of reporters who broke the Catholic sex abuse scandal wide open in Boston in 2002 (and as a result of these brave, intrepid heroes abuse continues to be reported all over the world). Directed in a deceptively understated manner by Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight's" power creeps under your skin. The movie also boasts the best ensemble of 2015. I only wish the filmmakers had the chutzpah to go beyond condemning Cardinal Law and dared to speak the truth about complicity and guilt of Popes John Paul II and Benedict. That would have required another two hours, at least. Perhaps in the sequel.

3. "Brooklyn"

John Crowley's jewel is an exquisite and enchanting film that truly captures the bittersweet immigrant experience like no movie I have seen since "The Godfather Part II." Saoirse Ronan delivers one of the most refreshing and understated performances of the year (in a year bubbling over with remarkable female turns), allowing her beatific face to reveal the contradictory and converging feelings of a young girl in a new land, newly in love. Emory Cohen channels Brando, Clift and Dean to create an uncharacteristically vulnerable blue collar suitor. I fell deeply and madly in love with all the characters and the film.

2. "Steve Jobs"

Michael Fassbender's towering performance as the enigmatic, titular character is just one of many reasons why this Danny Boyle, Aaron Sorkin creation is one of most significant films of 2015. "Steve Jobs" is highly ambitious filmmaking that discards the standard biopic rules in favor of a more nuanced examination of the psychology and sociology of the iconoclast as well as how the man and his work were so interrelated, often like they were one and the same. With a dynamic supporting cast that includes a superb Kate Winslet, "Jobs" should have driven Award Season but this masterwork has been largely cast aside because it had the audacity to not make much money at the box office. Rest assured, though, it will be remembered and appreciated in the years to come.

1. "Carol"

I've watched Todd Haynes's sumptuous cinematic feast, "Carol," five times now and each time I find something new to savor. Besides the loving homage to '50s cinema infused with just enough modern awareness, the film's messy love story between two fascinating women, transfixes. I find I'm still on the edge of my seat until the very end. Rooney Mara's boundary pushing performance as Therese is so beguiling; I totally understand why Carol is under her spell. And Cate Blanchett's lightly calculating, wholly seductive, vulnerable yet strong titular character solidifies the actress as her generation's Streep.

Runners-up

These (alphabetical) runners-up might have made the cut in any other year:

"Clouds of Sils Maria"
"The Danish Girl"
"Ex Machina"
"Jess and James"
"The Man from UNCLE"
"99 Homes"
"The Second Mother"
"Slow West"
"Son of Saul"
"Spy"
"Straight Outta Compton"
"Trainwreck"
"Truth"

Foreign-Language Film
1. "The Second Mother" (Brazil)
2. "Son of Saul" (Hungary)
3. "Phoenix" (Germany)
4. "The New Girlfriend" (France)
5. "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence" (Sweden)
6. "Mustang" (France, Turkish)
7. "Mia Madre" (Italy)
8. "Viva" (Ireland, Spanish)
9. "The Fencer" (Estonia)
10. "Victoria" (Germany)

Documentary Feature
1. "The Look of Silence"
2. "Listen to Me Marlon"
3. "Best of Enemies"
4. "Amy"
5. "The Hunting Ground"
6. "Where to Invade Next"
7. "What Happened, Miss Simone?"
8. "Cartel Land"
9. "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief"
10. "What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy"
and
"Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict"

LGBT Films
Here, I've included films that have not yet received distribution or were released directly to Home Entertainment platforms. I'd like to cite Santiago Giralt's "Jess and James" as one of the most exceptional gay films I saw in 2015. It played the Festival route and is now available on DVD.

1. "Carol"
2. "Jess and James"
3. "The Danish Girl"
4. "Grandma"
5. "Beautiful Something"
6. "Henry Gamble's Birthday Party"
7. "Eastern Boys"
8. "Tangerine"
9. "Tab Hunter Confidential"
10. "Dreams from Strangers"

Best in Acting and Major Creative categories

Below are choices for acting and major creatives:

Lead Actor

In a year where there were a slew of amazing performances by younger actors, I wish the Academy would get on board and nominate a few newbies. That said, the best performance was a thesp who delivers consistently incredible work ("Hunger," "Shame," "12 Years a Slave,") but rarely gets the accolades for them.
Sure, it's Leo's year, but Michael Fassbender is his generations Daniel Day Lewis and deserves his due.

A word on Bryan Cranston in "Trumbo." He's certainly good but the film should have been better considering the subject matter (the Hollywood 10 and the Blacklist).

1. Michael Fassbender in "Steve Jobs"
2. Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Revenant"
3. Thomas Mann in "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
4. Christopher Abbott in "James White"
5. Andrew Garfield in "99 Homes"

Runners-up
Matt Damon in "The Martian"
Geza Rohrig in "Son of Saul"
Michael Caine in "Youth"
Eddie Redmayne in "The Danish Girl"
Ian McKellen in "Mr. Holmes"

Lead Actress
As mentioned earlier, this has been a truly extraordinary year for the ladies across the boards (hence, my ridiculous number of runners-up). It's also been a year where no one knows what category to place anyone in. Nowhere is this more obvious than with Rooney Mara ("Carol") and Alicia Vikander ("The Danish Girl"), but if you've actually seen those films, these tremendous performances are Lead and should be considered as Lead. I refuse to take part in category fraud.

1. Saoirse Ronan in "Brooklyn"
2. Cate Blanchett in "Carol" & "Truth"
3. Alicia Vikander in "The Danish Girl"
4. Rooney Mara in "Carol"
5. Brie Larson in "Room"

Runners-up
Lily Tomlin in "Grandma"
Regina Case in "The Second Mother"
Juliette Binoche in "Clouds of Sis Maria"
Charlotte Rampling in "45 Years"
Maggie Smith in "The Lady in the Van"
Charlize Theron in "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Nina Hoss in "Phoenix"
Carey Mulligan in "Suffragette"
Greta Gerwig in "Mistress America"
Melissa McCarthy in "Spy"
Amy Schumer in "Trainwreck"
Sarah Silverman in "I Smile Back"

Supporting Actress

A true supporting actress "supports" the lead performances and/or makes her mark via a few powerful scenes (I just made that up but I like the way it sounds). These are among the best. They complemented their fellow actors but also made the most of what they were given to play.

1. Jane Fonda in "Youth"
2. Kate Winslet in "Steve Jobs"
3. Cynthia Nixon in "James White"
4. Rachel McAdams in "Spotlight"
5. Rachel Weisz in "Youth"

Runners-up
Rose Byrne in "Spy"
Alicia Vikander in "Ex Machina" & "Man from UNCLE"
Marion Cotillard in "MacBeth"
Elizabeth Banks in "Love and Mercy"
Julie Walters in "Brooklyn"
Tessa Thompson in "Creed"
Jessica Chastain in "The Martian"
Zoe Saldana in "Infinitely Polar Bear"
Mya Taylor in "Tangerine"

Supporting Actor

There's a wealth of talent here as well, many as part of a killer ensemble. But a handful stood out (okay, two handfuls).

1. Michael Keaton in "Spotlight"
2. Emory Cohen in "Brooklyn"
3. Michael Shannon in "99 Homes"
4. Christian Bale in "The Big Short"
5. Mark Ruffalo in "Spotlight"

Runners-up
Jacob Tremblay in "Room"
Paul Dano in "Love and Mercy"
Benicio Del Toro in "Sicario"
Harvey Keitel in "Youth"
Idris Elba in "Beasts of No Nation"
Walton Goggins in "The Hateful Eight"
Oscar Isaac in "Ex Machina"

Director

Haynes' work stands out as both a tribute to cinema and the kind of exciting narrative storytelling that mesmerizes and transports.

1. Todd Haynes for "Carol"
2. Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu for "The Revenant"
3. Danny Boyle for "Steve Jobs"
4. Ridley Scott for "The Martian"
4. Tom McCarthy for "Spotlight"

Runners-up
John Crowley for "Brooklyn"
George Miller for "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Adam McKay for The "Big Short"
Paolo Sorrentino for "Youth"
Lenny Abrahamson for "Room"
J.J. Abrams for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Original Screenplay

1. "Spotlight" by Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer
2. "99 Homes" by Ramin Bahrani, Amir Nader, Bahareh Azimi
3. "Trainwreck" by Amy Schumer
4. "Youth" by Paolo Sorrentino
5. "Mistress America" by Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig

Runners-up
"Clouds of Sils Maria" by Olivier Assayas
"Ex Machina" by Alex Garland
"Suffragette" by Abi Morgan
"Slow West" by John Maclean

Adapted Screenplay

1. "Steve Jobs" by Aaron Sorkin
2. "Carol" by Phyllis Nagy
3. "Brooklyn" by Nick Hornby
4. "The Big Short" by Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
5. "The Martian" by Drew Goddard

Runners-up
"Room" by Emma Donahue
"Truth" by James Vanderbilt
"Anomalisa" by Charlie Kaufman
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews