20 Best Films Of 2015

2. Birdman

Birdman was released in the UK on 2nd January 2015. So yes, not only does it qualify for this list (it was otherwise too late to make the 2014 list), but it means we saw one of the best movies of the year when the New Year's Eve hangover was still a very real memory. Rather than speak of a lacklustre twelve months after though, all this really does is show how good Alejandro Iñárritu's dissection of ego really is. The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance is a triumph on almost every level. It's got an indelible script that is simultaneously feels incredibly of its time (the jumping off point for the whole thing is the current state of cinema) and regrettably timeless (its themes are grand, and the short story it's based on is over thirty years old). And also an enviable cast who all bring their all in off-kilter self-portrayals they fully invest in. And also a cinematic eye that makes for an image that is variably expansive and claustrophobic. And also the revealing one-take illusion that pushes things even more into the theatrical. There's just so much going on in this full house of a movie that it could probably win the hand with just one of its aces. It may have been a shame that it ultimately beat the marginally superior Boyhood (last year's #1) to the Best Picture Oscar, but when you're dealing with a film that is damn near flawless in just about every way, that's a minor quibble; it's the most deserving winner of the prize since The Lord Of The Rings and destined to be regarded as a classic.