Director/Star Ross Partridge and Oona Laurence in LAMB

by: S. Scott Stanikmas – Senior Staff Writer

Hello Indie Revolver faithful! Hard to believe that six months has already passed since I did my Top and Bottom of 2015. And I said at the end of that piece that I was going to go to even more movies this year (despite working a full-time job already) to give our readers a fuller look at the movies that have come out this year and to give you the best possible year-end article I can.

Well I’m glad to say I’ve succeeded in that aspect. As of the end of June I’ve seen as many movies in six months as I did in the entirety of 2015. Crazy, right? So since I’ve been a cinematic beast this year I’ve decided to up my game and give you the readers a prequel to my Top Ten at the end of the year.

Just so you know, I’m not going to give my rankings along with these films (Letter or Star). I’ll simply tell you that these films all ranked at an A- or 4 Stars or higher on my overall rankings.

DEADPOOL – A flat-out crazy comic book movie that set the bar pretty high for the year. Ryan Reynolds captured the spirit of Wade Wilson perfectly and delivered one of his best comedic performances in years.

LAMB – Creepy but redeemingly soulful, Lamb took me out of my comfort zone and had me expecting the worst but hoping for the best from the moment the main characters (A middle-aged man and a pre-teen girl) meet up.

ZOOTOPIA – The first of two Disney movies featuring talking animals on my list. It was cute and light but still had a great message for kids without being too sappy to be enjoyable for adults.

HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS – Sally Field can do no wrong in this film. A movie that shows you’re never too old to have a coming of age. Funny but emotional and bittersweet at times.

EYE IN THE SKY – Intense thriller that has a stellar cast and ratchets up the intensity as each minute ticks by. I’m not sure as to how this will hold up on multiple viewings but it needs to be seen at least once.

EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! – A love letter to the eighties that doesn’t wink slyly at the camera as if to say “Look at how silly we were back then.” A super fun movie with a great cast that are all bound to breakout sooner rather than later.

JUNGLE BOOK – The other talking animal movie from the House of Mouse. So damn real you’d swear Disney taught animals how to talk. And you’re also saying this was shot primarily on green screen? Unbelievable. One of the most beautifully produced movies this year.

SING STREET – Just a pure joy to watch. Heartwarming story and catchy music combine for a film that made me smile, cry and laugh (sometimes all at once). John Carney adds another great musical to his list of accomplishments.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR – The third film in the Captain America franchise may be the best of the bunch and it’s easily one of the best films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Great story, bombastic fight sequences and it got fans talking by introducing two new characters (Black Panther and Spider-Man) to the MCU.

A BIGGER SPLASH – A slice-of-life picture (if your life was that of a lounging rock star recovering from throat surgery). Tilda Swinton takes control of every scene she’s in, sometimes with just a raspy whisper. And Ralph Fiennes’ manic energy will keep you entertained until the end. Yet again another film with a beautiful backdrop and great soundtrack.

THE NICE GUYS – A great 70’s crime caper. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe have such great chemistry together onscreen that this just begs for a sequel…or three! Shane Black delivers another noir-ish masterpiece.

So there we have it folks – the tip of my cinematic iceberg. There were so many other great films that almost made the cut. Movies like The Witch, Midnight Special, The Lobster, Green Room and so many more just came in under the top notch mark but were still great films and deserve to be seen.

Also keep in mind that we still have six more months (and Oscar Season) to get through. I’d bet 3/4 of this list most likely won’t be here come year’s end. But for now these are the films I’ve enjoyed the most so far this year.

Keep checking back as new reviews get added weekly and my Top Ten / Bottom Five will show up at the end of the year!