Itâs been a truly great year for movies, from the criminally overlooked to the best of the best. There was something for everyone. The CG-animated Inside Out emerged as one of Pixarâs finest, while Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Mad Max: Fury Road satisfied blockbuster urges and redefined the âreboot.â Celebrated filmmakers like Ridley Scott (The Martian), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), and Todd Haynes (Carol) brought their A-game, as newcomers like Alex Garland, with his Ex Machina, staked their claim. But all of these excellent entries wouldnât be much without their stellar performances. There were a literal ton of outstanding turns on film this year, so sincerest apologies to those who didnât make the cut, but here are 30 of the yearâs best.
Of all the breakout stars of HBOâs celebrated Sex and the City, itâs Miranda, aka Cynthia Nixon, whoâs had the most intriguing post-SATC career. Sheâs dazzled in everything from indies (Rampart) to TV films (Warm Springs) to Broadway (Wit). Like her Tony-nominated turn in Wit, Josh Mondâs James White sees Nixon play a woman dying of cancer who must turn to her troubled son for help. Itâs a personal role for Nixon, who not only survived her own cancer scare but also lost her mother to the diseaseâand wore her late motherâs jewelry in the filmâand it shows, as she imbues her Gail White with motherly grace and fortitude in the face of insurmountable odds, while vividly capturing the cruelties of her mental and physical decline.
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Despite grossing more than $110 million in North America and receiving stellar reviews, Paul Feigâs Spy somehow managed to fly relatively under the radarâwhich is a shame, because the film boasted a bevy of fine comedic turns, from predictable (Melissa McCarthy) and unlikely (Jason Statham, really) sources. But itâs Rose Byrneâs over-the-top turn as the accented villain Rayna Boyanov who stands out most. As in Bridesmaids, Byrne can play an icy, holier-than-thou bitch better than just about any other actress, and here, she steals every scene sheâs in, firing one witty, terribly biting rejoinder after another. An absolute riot.
I went into John Crowleyâs Brooklyn an Emory Cohen hater, and came out a major fan. His turn as Bradley Cooperâs white-trash pseudo-gangsta son in The Place Beyond the Pines irked me to no end, but here, as Brooklyn-Italian lover-boy Tony Fiorello, he oozes charisma. Itâs the most James Dean-iest performance of the year, and while his romantic counterpart Saoirse Ronan is earning all the press, itâs Cohen who leaps off the screen.
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Stealthily released in the awards boneyard of March, Noah Baumbachâs keenly observed tale about the generational divide between adults and millennials was passed over by most. Itâs a shame, really, because the villain that Girls breakout Driver plays here, an alluring and amiable Brooklyn hipster named Jamie, is far more evil than his Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Jamie epitomizes everything infuriating about millennialsâthe cultural whimsy, reappropriation, and counterfeit currency. Heâs a morally bankrupt, bloodsucking leech in skin-tight jeans and a fedora, and utterly terrifying.
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As far as villains go, few were more bone-chilling than Idris Elbaâs West African warlord, known only as Commandant. The imposing Commandant takes a young boy whoâs just lost his father, Agu (Abraham Attah), under his wing, molding him into a brainwashed killing machine. The scene where Commandant first initiates Agu into his rebel army will send chills up your spine, while the way he transforms the impressionable boy into a submissive will leave you horrified and demanding justice.
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Itâs extraordinarily difficult to turn in an impressive performance in a film like Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The dialogue is jibber-jabber, youâre in front of a green screen, and surrounded by robots and costumed aliens. But British newcomer Daisy Ridley, who was working at her local pub when she landed the role of Rey, blows everyone else off the screen, bringing to her scavenger-rebel fighter a deft mixture of valor and vulnerability. Oh, and sheâs a dead ringer for Keira Knightley, which certainly doesnât hurt.
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âYou are not a wolf. And this is a land of wolves now,â Benicio del Toroâs enigmatic government spook tells Emily Bluntâs shell-shocked FBI agent. Wolfman in-joke aside, del Toro is the living embodiment of dread looming over Denis Villeneuveâs engrossing cartel thriller. He wears the pain and torment inflicted by the cartels in his haunted visage. He is Godâs lonely man. Itâs a companion role of sorts to del Toroâs turn as an anguished ex-con in Inarrituâs 21 Grams, and every bit as gripping.
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While Ice Cubeâs real-life son OâShea Jackson Jr. has received the lionâs share of the buzz for playing his dad in this surprisingly absorbing biopic of rap group N.W.A, itâs newcomer Jason Mitchellâs turn as Eazy-E that gives the film its beating heart. Throughout Eazy-Eâs journey from drug-dealing gangsta to shrewd architect of N.W.A to a man dying of AIDS, Mitchell elegantly captures the charm, danger, and sensitivity that made Eazy the hip-hop icon that he is.
Universal Pictures
As his star-making turn in Fruitvale Station proved, filmmaker Ryan Coogler can get the very best out of the talented Michael B. Jordan, and in Creed, he transformed him into a bona fide movie star. He can go from disarmingly sweet (the pas de deux with Tessa Thompson) to heroic (the expertly lensed fight sequences). And his poignant scenes with an ailing Rocky Balboa, played beautifully by Sylvester Stallone, serve as a fitting passing of the torch. Adonis Creed is this generationâs Rocky Balboa, and Jordan embodies that fighting spirit.
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Itâs very difficult to play the âstraightâ role opposite the showier one, and Cate Blanchettâs disillusioned Jersey housewife in Carol is a scene-chewing force of nature. But here, as starry-eyed shopgirl Therese Belivet, Mara is absolute dynamite. Sheâs Garbo inert; an actress whoâs at her best playing characters that are so bottled-up emotionally theyâre bursting at the seams, and as such, Mara is the eye of Blanchettâs storm.
Awards committees are just about as biased against Hollywood blockbusters as they are comedies, which is a crying shame given how watchable Swede Rebecca Ferguson is in the latest Mission: Impossible. She resembles a cross between Lauren Bacall and fellow countrywoman Ingrid Bergmanâonly she can snap your neck at a momentâs notice. Tom Cruise, who is as compelling an actor as they come, hasnât been this thoroughly outmatched onscreen since⌠maybe ever. What a find.
Brie Larson should have been nominated for an Oscar for her stunning turn as a teen crisis counselor in Short Term 12. They wonât make the same mistake twice. Here, as Ma, a woman kidnapped at 17 and forced to live in the titular room with her now 5-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay), Larson is riveting during the movieâs first half, shielding her son from the horror of their situation via the most potent elixir of all: motherly love.
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Lost in the awards mix is Thomas Vinterbergâs little gem of a film, quietly released May 1. The fourth cinema adaptation of Thomas Hardyâs 1874 novel is arguably the best, and much of the credit is due to Mulligan, whose Bathsheba Everdene is so enchanting and strong-willed that we donât doubt for a second sheâd leave the trio of Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, and Matthias Schoenaerts weak at the knees.
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Yes, Amy Schumer deserves serious awards consideration for her turn as an out of control thirtysomething whoâs forced to clean up her act when she falls for an impossibly kind sports doc. We expected her comedic timing to be aces, but what nobody could have foreseen was how good of a dramatic actor sheâd be as well. Her eulogy for her bastard of a father is an âOscar momentâ personified.
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Itâs a real bummer that Legend isnât a better film, because if it was, Tom Hardyâs magnetic turn(s) as the notoriously volatile Kray twins would be the talk of Tinseltown. Hardy is one of our finest screen actorsâand one of the only people who could make a 90-minute conference call inside of a car seem spellbinding. Heâs crossed another feat off his list here, breathing life into two disparate twins who terrorized London with their intoxicating mix of brutality and charisma.
Universal Pictures
There was a time when Emily Blunt, whoâs proven to be an arresting screen presence since her scene-stealing turn in My Summer of Love, made horrible decisions. Gulliverâs Travels. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. The Wolfman. But sheâs seemed to find her niche as a conflicted badass (Looper, Edge of Tomorrow). And sheâs never been better than she is here. As over-her-head FBI agent Kate Macer, she is the vessel through which we absorb Americaâs role in the complicated mess that is the War on Drugs. The expression on her face throughout the Juarez extraction sequence says it all.
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Itâs easy for audiences to overlook a great Matt Damon performance. He is, after all, one of the most reliable actors in Hollywood and should have won an Oscar by now (for The Talented Mr. Ripley). But here, he delivers the biggest movie star turn of his career as an astronaut marooned on Mars. For long stretches of the film, itâs just Damon there troubleshooting and delivering confessionals into the camera, but he holds our attention with his charm and likeability. Growing plants has never been this captivating.
Fox
Alex Garlandâs suffocating sci-fi drama should find its way on many criticsâ top 10 lists. And there were few more intoxicating performances this year than Alicia Vikanderâs delicate turn as Ava, an android whoâs been groomed and conditioned by a megalomaniacal tech wiz (Oscar Isaac). She perfectly captures Avaâs sense of wonder, confusion, and inner anguish, making her robot the most human character in the film.
With all due respect to Christoph Waltz, nobody makes Quentin Tarantinoâs delicious dialogue sound like poetry quite like Samuel L. Jackson. And, as an ex-Union Army major navigating the unbridled racism and machismo of post-Civil War America, he is an utter riot. Itâs Jacksonâs best performance since Pulp Fiction, and the monologue he delivers about a rival Confederate Army generalâs son will have you in stitches.
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As Inside Llewyn Davis proved, Oscar Isaac excels at playing garrulous, holier-than-thou cynics. Here, as a diabolical tech billionaire whoâs harvested a lifelike android (Alicia Vikander), whether heâs delivering philosophical musings or dancing like nobodyâs watching, he expertly captures the megalomania, creativity, and exploitation of Silicon Valley.
Universal Pictures International
Michael Fassbender looks nothing like Steve Jobs. Through sheer gravitas and force of will, he convinces us that he is the tech visionary who changed the world. Fassbender handles Aaron Sorkinâs rapid-fire dialogue with aplomb, from impassioned monologues to walk-and-talks, and somehow manages to capture all of the obsession, brilliance, and mania that made Jobs realize what others couldnât even dream of.
Universal Pictures
From The Night Porter and The Verdict to Swimming Pool, Charlotte Rampling has long been one of cinemaâs most seductive and entrancing screen presences. And the role of Kate Mercer, a married woman whose entire perspective on her relationship changes as she approaches her 45th anniversary, in Andrew Haighâs drama 45 Years is one big, shining monument to the actress. With her soulfulâand soul-searchingâgaze, Rampling manages to interpret all the little moments that make up a long-term relationship.
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Iâm seriously hoping that DiCaprioâs turn as 19th-century fur trapper Hugh Glass finally wins him his long-overdue Oscar, if for no other reason than I donât want to know what heâll subject himself to next. In Alejandro Inarrituâs sprawling survival epic, DiCaprio delivers a ferocious and grueling performance as a man buried alive and left for dead who weathers the harsh winter and unforgiving terrain (and eats a live fish, and buries himself in a horse carcass) to seek revenge on the man who killed his son. Itâs safe to say that no actor endured more for a role this year, and dammit, it shows.
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
The plot to Olivier Assayasâs latest is secondary. This is, first and foremost, a cinematic tĂŞte-Ă -tĂŞte between two of our finest actressesâJuliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart. Binoche plays an actress in the twilight of her career facing the indignity of accommodating a Lohan-like starlet, while Stewart is her trusty personal assistant and confidante. Binocheâs Euro elegance coalesces beautifully with Stewartâs lived-in, nervy turn, resulting in a prickly, loving interplay between the two in this absorbing meta-satire. Few ever manage to get the better of Binoche, but Stewart does so here.
One of the more slept-on movies of the year is this, James Ponsoldtâs spot-on depiction of the celebrity profile-writing process. The sight of the guy from Forgetting Sarah Marshall in a bandana and glasses as celebrated literary titan David Foster Wallace is enough to scream CARICATURE, and yet, Segel captures Wallaceâs rhythms and pangs of brilliance beautifully here. His monologue about his love and appreciation for Alanis Morissette is damn fine acting, and Segel deserves to join his fellow Apatow apprentice Jonah Hill as an Academy Award nominee.
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The latest in Cate Blanchettâs women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown series, following her Oscar-winning turn in Blue Jasmine and award-worthy one as Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire, is Carol, a disenchanted Jersey housewife who finds herself drawn closer to the fairer sex. Since sheâs living in the closed-minded 1950s, this puts her in quite the predicament, and as Carol and her shopgirl-love Therese (Rooney Mara) take their romance on the road, and away from societyâs suffocating mores, we see their romance blossom into something truly magical. Blanchett is a tornado of emotion here, so buckle up and soak in her beautiful chaos.
Wilson Webb
From the opening moments of Alex Ross Perryâs searing drama, Moss has you firmly in her grasp. With the camera tight on her face, Moss delivers a tear-filled monologue that evolves from sentimental to spiteful, capturing nearly the entire spectrum of human emotion. As she descends further and further into madness, Moss continually ups the ante, making mincemeat of the scenery and anyone who dares come into her path.
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Germanyâs Nina Hoss is the greatest actress youâve probably never heard of, and her filmmaking relationship with director Christian Petzold is one of the most fruitful around. Here, theyâve created their masterpiece: a film that follows Nelly Lenz (Hoss), a Holocaust survivor and ex-cabaret singer desperately clinging to the life she once knew, and in the process, manages to depict the agony and ecstasy of a life destroyed and built anew. It will take you weeksânay, monthsâto get the jaw-dropping final scene out of your head.
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While the title of the film is Mad Max, it very well could have been The Fast and the Furiosa, since George Millerâs long-in-the-works reboot masterpiece is really about Imperator Furiosa, the most badass screen heroine since Ellen Ripley. With her shaved head, robot arm, and sneer, Theron is as macho as they come. She makes Tom Hardyâs Max feel downright effeminate by comparison. Give this character her own movie now, please.
Warner Bros. Entertainment
Itâs next to impossible to articulate the artistic process behind creating a song for the ages, but as Beach Boys visionary Brian Wilson, Dano does it here. The sequences where heâs tinkering with the plethora of vocal harmonies on Pet Sounds is a pitch-perfect portrait of a mad genius at work. Dear Academy, please give Dano the respect he deserves.
The Spotlight ensemble seemed every bit like an investigative journalism unit, leaning on and testing each other in search of the truth. Never has the reporting process been captured this realistically. And the terrific cast of The Big Short brought outstanding clarity and humor to the very complex and depressing financial crisis.
Kerry Hayes
