Thoughtful reviews, the Boulder film scene

Betty Blue

There can be beauty in tragedy, particularly when the key ingredient is the same in both —Marty Mapes (review...)

Betty arrives like a bolt from the Blue

" I am the monster’s mother "
— Sigourney Weaver, Alien Resurrection

MRQE Top Critic

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Happy New Year, and thanks for reading Movie Habit.

Our three top contributors (Robert Denerstein, Marty Mapes, and Matt Anderson) have each reflected on the year in movies and found 2015 good. Robert and Marty agree that there were fewer standouts but more solid, good movies than usual. Matt noticed that 2015 was packed with enough revivals, sequels, and remakes to make 2015 look like the 1980s or 1990s.

They differed more this year than usual — there was less overlap between their lists. Although look at their honorable mentions and you’ll start to see more confluence.

We decided to do some math from the three lists and compile a "Movie Habit Top 25." As usual, we weighted the lists by number of reviews published. That gives Robert’s selections a heavier weight, which we think is fair given that he probably saw more movies and spent more time thinking about them than Marty or Matt.

You can find links to the authors’ individual lists, along with better summaries and explanations, in the sidebar. Meanwhile, here is this year’s list:

  • Score: 118
Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
  • Score: 100
Spotlight
  • Score: 83
The Big Short
  • Score: 65
Love & Mercy
  • Score: 44
The Lobster
  • Score: 45
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • Score: 56
Room
  • Score: 47
Timbuktu
  • Score: 34
White God
  • Score: 39
The Revenant
  • Score: 37
Mad Max Fury Road
  • Score: 37
In the Heart of the Sea
  • Score: 35
Chevalier
  • Score: 28
Mission: Impossible
  • Score: 31
Ex Machina
  • Score: 23
45 Years
  • Score: 15
Inside Out
  • Score: 17
Creed
  • Score: 21
The Assassin
  • Score: 18
End of the Tour
  • Score: 13
Sicario
  • Score: 19
The Hateful Eight
  • Score: 13
Bridge of Spies
  • Score: 4
Victoria
  • Score: 2
Call Me Marianna