2015: Looking Back

WE MADE IT!! 2015 is finally over, and what a year it’s been.

Around about this time of year everyone puts up a sort of arbitrary “Best of *insert year*” post where they look at the various things that happened this year and give their thoughts. So I figured “if I can’t beat them, why not join them?”. This is going to be an incredibly brief breakdown of my favourite films, and albums that 2015 had to offer. I’ve decided to limit myself to two films and one album in order to keep this list vaguely concise (as let’s face it – I could talk about this stuff for hours!!). With all that out the way let’s get started on our list!

FILMS

I’m going to be perfectly honest with you guys I found it quite hard to narrow this down to two films. I remember sitting looking at all of the films that were coming out this year and I couldn’t help but get excited. We had revivals of beloved franchises like Jurassic Park, Terminator (but we can look over that one) and yes STAR WARS, great animated films such as Inside Out, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Song Of The Sea, and incredibly interesting gems that took me by surprise (such as Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Lobster and Tangerine). However, they were just beaten to the post by these films

Ex Machina

Ex Machina was a wonderful little Sci Fi gem that came out in January (before my blog was really a thing). It’s the classic bluebeard story with all the makings of a classic psychological thriller with an incredibly tense claustrophobic atmosphere and great central performances by Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander. This film was placed joint 3rd on my list of films I was most looking forward to in 2015. It took a while for me to completely connect with the films, however, upon multiple viewings I absolutely loved it and couldn’t stop thinking about it. If you’re into really intelligent Sci Fi films then this film is totally for you.

Crimson Peak

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that Guillermo Del Toro is one of my favourite directors working at the moment. His films just have this phenomenal attention to detail and craftsmanship, and Crimson Peak is his most lavish film to date. A lot of people gave this film a lukewarm reception, however I thought it was incredible. It was absolutely stunning to look at from a visual point of view (with its giant mansion with long dingy corridors and red ooze seeping through the floor boards), the performances were great (with Jessica Chastain absolutely killing it as the monstrous Lucile) and the entire thing was seeped in all of the troupes of classic Gothic literature. This film received the highest rating of any film I reviewed this year (9.4) and I really can’t sing this films praises enough.

You can check out my full review of Crimson Peak here: https://reelreviewdude.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/crimson-peak-movie-review/

MUSIC

Music was a huge part of this year for me. I’m the kind of person who likes to have music playing whenever possible. As such I have quite a varied music taste and do a lot of exploration and experimentation with what I listen to. There were a lot of albums that I was really looking forward to, such as the new albums by Muse and Of Monsters and Men (two of my favourite bands) and one of my favourite vocalists Chris Cornell’s “Higher Truth”. However, there was one album in particular that took me completely by surprise.

Tomorrow Is Nearly Yesterday and Everyday Is Stupid – Crywank

I stumbled on a lot of really new and interesting upcoming albums this year, such as “dc snuff film/waste yrself” by Teen Suicide and “The Ark Work” by Liturgy. But with one of the greatest band/album names ever “Tomorrow Is Nearly Yesterday and Everyday Is Stupid” by Crywank takes the spot. With a sound reminiscent of The Smiths (my favourite band) with a slightly acoustic folk twist, this album is absolutely perfect. The lyrics capture teenage melancholy brilliantly and the awesome instrumental work makes this album worth coming back to time and time again. This album was on loop for pretty much all of 2015 and I feel that everyone needs to listen to it at least once in their lives.

Favourite Songs: Leech Boy, Notches, and If I Were You I’d Be Throwing Up

Thank You so much for reading (it means a lot!!). I hope your 2016 has kicked off to a good start and that the rest of the year brings you love, friendship, great memories, and everything you could possibly ever hope for.

Much Love

Sam 🙂 x

4 comments

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    1. ahhhh thanks 🙂 Ex Machina was absolute great. Crimson Peak is a bit of an acquired taste i think (a lot of people have given it horrible reviews expecting it to be a horror movie). However, i think its more the case of knowing what you’re getting into before you watch it. Its not really a horror film as such (yes it has ghosts and the odd “scary” bit) but its much more of a classic Gothic affair, with all of the costumes and troupes you’d expect from your standard piece of Gothic literature. If you’re into that kind of stuff then i think you’ll like it, i really loved it!!

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