Best Films of 2015
midlandsmovies • November 1, 2019
Best Films of 2015
Well, with my regular “Best Of” lists (or favourites if you prefer) starting from January 1st each year, it’s easy to forget the films that get released in the UK in the January-February period that go towards Oscar consideration. With that in mind, it’s easy to think of those films as last year’s movies but as I’ve consistently used a full calendar year, 2015 will be no different in that respect. I’ve included links to Midlands Movies reviews for readers to see our thoughts at the time.
The scoring will not necessarily equate to where the film appears in the list – especially with months of hindsight and any hype dying down – so the films have been finalised this month (December) and published as close to the end of the year as possible.
For a bit of context there are many critically acclaimed films I have not seen yet including Suffragette, Black Mass, Brooklyn, Assasin and Carol so they’ve haven’t been missed out because of quality but owing to my own busy and burgeoning schedule.
Also, a couple of films were in the list but then dropped out including Age of Ultron and Foxcatcher – both scored highly but in retrospect they both had flaws that have gnawed at me ever since – whilst I thought Big Hero 6 and Inside Out (one of the most overrated flicks of the year and i LOVE Pixar) were solid animations but nothing more for me. A Most Violent Year was very close as was The Visit and Montage of Heck and I enjoyed Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes as well as the film-centred documentaries of Electric Boogaloo: The Story of Cannon Films and The Death of Superman Lives.
For me, disappointments included It Follows (unsettling but the horror hype machine spoilt this one) and Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk – an interesting story made dull by CGI. Maybe a 3-D IMAX viewing would have got my juices flowing. I recommend the far superior Man on Wire documentary which tells the same story with much more tension. Click here for my Worst Films of 2015 list – some real shockers this year so venture at your own risk – but here are my (Midlands Movies Editor Mike Sales) Top 20 favourite films of 2015.
20. Trainwreck (7.5/10)
19. Going Clear (8/10)
18. Tangerine (7.5/10)
17. White Bird in a Blizzard (7.5/10)
16. Ant-Man (7.5/10)
15. American Sniper (8/10)
14. Ex Machina (8/10)
13. John Wick (8/10)
12. The Voices (7/10)
11. Love and Mercy (7.5/10)
10. The Theory of Everything (9/10)
9. Sicario (8/10)
8. Legend (8/10)
7. The Force Awakens (8/10)
6. The Martian (8/10)
5. Amy (8/10)
4. Predestination (9/10)
3. Birdman (9/10)
2. Whiplash (9/10)
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (9.5/10)
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett & Matt Burkey for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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