Best Movies of 2015
1.Mad Max Fury Roadマッドマックス 怒りのデス・ロード
2.Spotlight スポットライト
2.Inside Out インサイド・ヘッド
4.Star Wars : The Force Awakens スターウォーズ／フォースの覚醒
5.Ash vs Evil Dead (TV series) 「死霊のはらわた」TVシリーズ
6.Love & Mercy ラブ&マーシー
6.White God ホワイト・ゴッド
7.Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
8.Timbktu ティンブクトゥ
9.What Happened Miss Simone? ニーナ・シモン魂の歌
Selma
"Selma" is actually a really good powerful movie with a strong narrative and superb ensemble acting, especially from Oscar worthy David Oyelowo who played Martin Luther King Jr. How long, not long, MLK said, after the successful completion of the Selma to Montgomery March which led to the Voting Rights Act. Now, after almost 50 years from the march, how soon?
The Interview
Of course, "The Interview" was already watchable through free file sharing. It was more descent than expected and overall still meaningful to release it.
It is a bromance comedy with low humor taking place in a geopolitical setting, but still make sense that they insisted to use Kim Jong-Un name instead of obvious fake name. And it is still subversive enough for North Korea, not because of Kim's assassination, but because it clearly said the problem is not Kim, but North Korea's system itself and it suggested revolution, even though the film is essentially nothing to do with North Korea.
Actually annoyed by James Franco character most of the times because he is so stupid and not very funny. But in the end, his character paid off and the climax was surprisingly moving(!). Rogen/Franco just followed their own formula of silly bromance comedy as they did in "This Is the End" : Franco character is such a jerk, but still he has some gold in his heart. It was as good as "This Is the End" (this is a compliment), and this movie has some gold although 90% is a hit-and miss silly jokes.
I think NYT review took this movie too seriously with saying "Its lesson is that American pop culture is inescapable, our great achievement and most popular export, the weapon we wield abroad and the glue trap we struggle with at home. In the mirror the movie holds up, we are at our best when we are funny, stupid, sincere and immature, and that’s why everybody loves us". Although it is somewhat true and I assume Rogen /Franco was aware of it, summarizing in that way, kills the very pleasure of watching just an entertainment, at least for its target audience. Let the kids play.
Unbroken
アンジェリーナ・ジョリーが監督した映画「Unbroken」は、日本兵が米軍捕虜を虐待する場面が、日本で話題になっているようですが、私にとっては、この退屈な作品に2時間以上縛られたこと自体が拷問でした。ネットでは日本軍が人肉を食う場面があるとか騒がれてますが、そんなこともなく、捕虜の虐待は、他の戦争映画に比べてことさら酷いようには見えなかった。というか、嘘を誠と信じさせる映画の力が見事に欠如した作品なので(事実に基づいた作品ではありますが)、主人公に感情移入できず、拷問を受けようがどうしようが気にならない。拷問場面に限らず、映画館の観客の反応もありませんでした。
People in Japan are concerned about torture scenes in Japanese prison camps on USA Olympian Louis Zamperini, but real torture is sitting through this very flat movie. The script is OK, but direction and camerawork is so boring and banal that almost no thrill and devoid of movie magic which makes us believe real and palpable.
All the characters including Zamperini are not interesting. Only exception is a sadistic Japanese guard who torture Zamperini played by Miyavi. He is no great actor, but at least he showed some personality. Since no personality felt from Zamperini and other POW, torture scenes was nothing visceral and those are not that violent as a war film anyway. There was no reaction from audience when Zamperini was tortured (I was only Japanese in the theater) and seemed like more people went to the bathroom than usual. The best scene came to the very end and very brief- the footage of real Zamperini running as a torch bearer in Nagano Winter Olympic. This good true story deserves better direction.
恐怖の足跡
カルト映画の傑作『恐怖の足跡』 は、ベルイマンのような画像とロメロのホラーが出会ったような作品で、ロメロとリンチに影響を与えた。息をのむほどきれいで非常に効果的に怖い。不気味なオルガン音楽も最高。
Herk Harvey’s cult masterpiece 'Carnival of Souls' is like Bergman's look meet Romero horror story, and in fact, it influenced Romero and Lynch. Utterly beautiful, very effectively scary and awesome eerie organ music!
