Guess who's back?
Back again?
I am back.
Sorry.
And now for a list, because that is how the Jeff do. These are my top 10 favorite movies of the year so far. No honorable mentions, no tom foolery. This is serious business.
10. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour
Not the most original vampire movie out there (it shares a lot of similar themes with Let The Right One In), but still a very welcome inclusion to the largely poor horror sub-genre -- even though I would be hard-pressed to call this a "horror" movie at all. Though technically American, this Iranian pseudo-romantic horror drama is stylish, beautiful, and thoroughly engrossing from start to finish.
9. Spring
Directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Yet another movie that finds similarities to Let The Right One In in the semi-romantic-not-entirely-what-I-would-consider-horror sub-sub-genre (yes, I would consider that its own sub-genre at this point), only this movie focuses more on the relationship between the two leads than on the victims of the supernatural half of the pair. I was competely drawn into this story, and was left feeling surprisingly moved by it.
8. Kingsman: The Secret Service
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Watching trailers of this, I assumed it would be a very dumb movie that I wouldn't really like at all. Dumb as it may be at times, this is also an extremely entertaining movie with just enough plot twists and surprises to surpass most of its spy/espionage film brethren and stand up as one of the more entertaining of its kind in recent years. Funny, exciting, and another great showcase for Colin Firth to prove just how awesome he really is.
7. Spy
Directed by Paul Feig
When I first saw trailers of this, I was ashamed of myself for wanting to watch it as much as I did. Upon leaving the theater, I couldn't regret a single laugh this movie inflicted on me (of which there were plenty). Paul Feig, a director I have a very love/hate relationship with, delivered here in the best kind of way. Funny from beginning to end and a great showcase for Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham. Yes, it's formulaic, but it's also one of the funniest movies I've ever seen in theaters, so I think I can forgive it.
6. Jurassic World
Directed by Colin Trevorrow
"Uh oh, it's another Jurassic Park movie...run!" That's the kind of reaction a reasonable person might have to hearing or seeing anything about this movie, but I saw it as an opportunity for the series to redeem itself, and redeem itself it did. No, it's nowhere near as good as the original, any idiot could tell you that. But it was fun, exciting, and knew just how much it needed to call back from the original (along with the new) to keep things interesting. Nostalgic, but not desperately so, this is basically the best you could expect from a movie like this. I really dug it.
5. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Directed by David Zellner
One of the most completely original and entertainingly whimsical movies in recent years, and a great example of just how life reflects art -- and vice versa. Equal parts comedy, drama, and fantasy, this cinematic adventure is extremely difficult for movie lovers not to love, and ultimately illustrating in the most literal way just how big of an impact film and media can have on our lives and the paths we take on them. Fantastic.
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
Directed by George Miller
There isn't a thing I could say about this movie that hasn't already been said about 50,000 times at this point, but this really is one of the most entertaining action movies in the past several years, and an excellent comeback film for the post-apocalyptic action genre. It's nice to see a Mad Max film that's *actually* Mad Max and not just some stupid Costnerian-style imitation (yeah, I still haven't gotten over Waterworld). If you enjoy stylish action movies with loads of explosions, dystopian set pieces, plenty of body/facepaint, and spikes on cars and even more explosions, this just might be the movie for you.
3. What We Do In The Shadows
Directed by Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement
One of the best possible uses of the found-footage faux-documentary/mockumentary style of filmmaking is in parody. From Christopher Guest's Best In Show and A Mighty Wind to Woody Allen's Zelig, and now to this. Waititi and Clement, also in starring roles, prove to be one of the funniest pairs in comedy today. What is with vampire movies this year? When did vampires decide they could be interesting again?
2. Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck
Directed by Brett Morgen
One of the best music bios I've ever seen, this is an example of just how vibrant and alive a documentary can be while also being incredibly intimate and informative. Filled with intriguing animated sequences and immersive audio recordings from Cobain himself, this is everything a Cobain fan could ask for. This is already one of my favorite documentaries of the past decade.
1. Inside Out
Directed by Pete Docter
I'm happy to report - for the first time in 5 years - that Pixar does indeed still have it. This is one of the best movies the animation studio has ever produced. A complete assault on the senses, this is one of the most vibrantly alive computer-animated movies I've seen, and also boasts some of the best 3D I've ever seen in a movie. Funny, sweet, exhilarating, and really emotional, this movie is able to fulfill all the needs a Pixar fan has come to expect. I didn't think I would like this movie, but damned if I was completely wrong: I loved this movie.
So there you have it. Check these movies out if you haven't already. This is shaping up to be a pretty great year for movies. Thanks for stopping for a look.
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