From Mad Max Fury Road to Inside Out: Here are the best Hollywood films of 2015

2015 was a strange year for cinema buffs; most of the anticipated movies turned out to be duds, but the least likely films offered pleasant surprises. It’s hard to pick just ten films because at least 40 movies that came this year are worthy of mention. The ones listed below have been ranked according to the magnitude of emotion they elicited, and also their repeat value. 10. Victoria

German filmmaker Sebastien Schipper’s film played out like Before Sunrise with a thriller twist, unfolding in real time between 4 to 6:30 in the morning. Its major selling point was that it was shot in one single take, but the film brilliantly uses the technique as a legitimate new form of visual art rather than as a gimmick. And apart from being a bonafide cinematic achievement it was a very thrilling story. 9. Cartel Land

Those who thought Sicario was a thrilling film about Mexican drug cartels have no idea what awaits them in Cartel Land. Director Matthew Heineman’s film is supposed to be a documentary but it’s got more cinematic power than most feature thrillers. The cameras travel deep within the darkest section of the drug trade, chronicling the effects it has on the people embroiled in it, and a group of vigilantes fighting for the people because the cops themselves are on the cartels’ side. 8. Anomalisa

Charlie Kaufman’s strange and depressing outlook on love, relationships and the futility of looking for someone who completes you is at the forefront of his stop motion drama he co directs with Duke Johnson. Often times a film’s visual style doesn’t corroborate with the plot but Anomalisa answers pretty early on why Kaufman made this film in stop motion instead of doing a regular feature. And even with the restrictive filmmaking tools like puppets that exude less emotion than human actors or computer animation the film still somehow manages to make you ponder over some of its existentialist themes. 7. Inside Out

There’s no other way to say it - Inside Out is a flat out masterpiece. It’s not only the best Pixar film in years but also so complex, so intimate and so enjoyably lovely it becomes a special moment in your life when you’re watching it in the theatre for the first time. And director Pete Docter ensures that repeat viewing are just as exquisite. With Monsters Inc, Up and now Inside Out Docter is officially on Miyazaki levels of greatness. 6. Kurt Kobain Montage of Heck

Anyone born in the 80’s and even remotely connected to pop culture will be in tears by the time this film ends. Kurt Cobain’s life and legacy has been chronicled many times but never with so much passion and artistry. Cobain’s drug addiction as depicted in the film’s never before seen footage is unsettling to say the least. In fact this is the best, most devastating film on addiction since Requiem for a Dream. And just like that movie, Montage of Heck is difficult to watch for a second time because it is just so disturbing. 5. Blind

Norwegian Eskil Vogt, who was responsible for the terrific Oslo, August 31 and Reprise makes a stunning directorial debut in Blind. The film is a weird tragicomedy about a blind woman so suspicious of her husband’s faithfulness that she begins writing bizarre possibilities of her husband’s sexcapades with other women, and somehow finds a way to control his life through her writing. The final reveal is handcrafted for long, post movie discussions. 4. The Tribe

A film like this has never been made before. Starring a cast made entirely of deaf mute actors, Ukranian filmmaker Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s movie plays out wordlessly with ambient sounds, as if through the point of view of a deaf and mute person. That it must have been difficult to make the film is obvious, but to pull off such a thrilling watch without the use of any ‘thriller tools’ is insane. 3. Eden

Are you a fan of EDM? Then this movie is going to blow you away. And if you’re not a fan, a single watch of the film is going to turn you into one. Mia Hansen Love’s film is the ultimate sendoff to the rise of EDM in 90’s France, as seen through the eyes of a young college student who moonlights as a DJ. 2. Mad Max Fury Road

What a film. What a lovely film. George Miller, with his years of experience and physical sets showed the CGI friendly blockbuster filmmakers how they are mucking things up and how things should be done . 1.Meru

An astonishing achievement in filmmaking, Meru is an onslaught of eye watering imagery and emotions. The cameras follow filmmaker Jimmy Chin, legendary climber Conrad Anker and their team on a mission to become the first people to climb Meru, the most difficult mountain in the world. Not only does the film explore the challenges of trekking a peak that is more difficult than the Everest, but it also gets into why people are crazy enough to climb mountains, risk their lives, lose team members in the process and still strive to do it all over again against all odds. If you’re in the need for a fix of inspiration, one viewing of the film ought to last you a year. (Do note that at the time of writing this article films like Son of Saul, The Revenant and Spotlight have not yet been screened. All of these have prominently been featured in other ‘best of the year’ lists)