The Best of 2015: The Best New Movies I Saw

With a few hours left to go in 2015, I've watched 151 movies this year.

For my purposes, 53 of them were new releases, including some that for Academy Award purposes, or for list makers who have better access to everything, or for the main IMDB parentheses date, are officially 2014 movies.

But several of the "prestige films" that may have opened in New York or LA in December 2014 didn't hit Chicago area cinemas until January, February.

In a couple cases, movies may have played one screen in Chicago--typically the Century or River East--around Christmas 2014, but didn't open in the suburbs until awhile later.

Then there are movies--many of them foreign--that may have played film festivals throughout 2014 but didn't actually open anywhere in Chicago, or even on any U.S. screens beyond festivals, until sometime in 2015. (I'm really not sure how film festival screenings count against Academy Award eligibility for a given year.)

So while acknowledging the imperfections, I am essentially counting as eligible any movies I watched over the past 12 months that I didn't have a reasonable chance to see previously.

I realize that this logic could theoretically make eligible films that showed up for a week at the Siskel Film Center, Facets or the Music Box in, say, 2012--or didn't even--but only came to DVD, cable or Netflix in 2015, but in reality it means that I'm looping into the choices below about 7 movies technically from 2014 that I didn't get to see until 2015.

Given my erosive memory, there's always the possibility that films seen almost a year ago may suffer in my thought process next to ones seen just this week or month, but it's also possible I may recall something as even better than I would now find it to be.

So, take my rankings for what they're worth.

To augment my rankings, I also provide the Top 10 choices of my friends Dave and Brad, both--like me--members of the Chicago Film Discussion Meetup Group.

Obviously there are numerous other lists like this but I enjoy pointing out Paste Magazine's list of The 50 Best Movies of 2015, which further serves to reveal how many substantive movies I didn't see this year, whether I could have or not.

For no entirely explainable reason, I've decided to cite my favorite documentaries separate from feature films, possibly because some were never released in theaters.

Anyway, enough with the preamble, here are my:

Best New Movies Seen in 2015 -
Feature Films 
(F = Foreign; 14 = Officially a 2014 release)

1. Selma (14) 
2. Room

3. Phoenix (F)

4. Two Days, One Night (F, 14)

5. 99 Homes

6. The End of the Tour

7. Love & Mercy

8. Wild Tales (F)

9. Spotlight
10. Carol
11. Still Alice (14)

12. The Martian

13. The Big Short

14. American Sniper (14)

15. Ex Machina

16. Brooklyn

17. The Gift

18. The Danish Girl

19. Trumbo
20. Bridge of Spies

Honorable Mention (in preference order)

A Most Violent Year (14)
Grandma

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Experimenter
Son of Saul
Tangerine

Straight Outta Compton
Force Majeure 

Desert Dancer
A Borrowed Identity (F)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
The Last Five Years
Leviathan (F)

Notable 2015 Movies Not Yet Seen
Anomalisa, Chi-Raq, Steve Jobs, Sicario, The Revenant, White God, The Tribe, Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amselem, The Peanuts Movie, It Follows

Notable Movies Seen But Not Cited Above 

The Hateful Eight, Trainwreck, Youth, Mad Max: Fury Road, While We're Young, Far From the Madding Crowd, Woman in Gold, Joy, Z for Zachariah

The Best New Documentaries Seen in 2015

1. The Jam: About the Young Idea
2. Keith Richards: Under the Influence
3. Amy
4. Lambert & Stamp
5. Red Army (14)

Didn't see: Cartel Land, Janis: Little Girl Blue, Iris, Seymour: An Introduction

Saw, didn't love: Cobain: Montage of Heck

Dave's Top 20 Movies of 2015

1. Wild Tales (F)
2. Human Capital (F, 13)
3. Tangerine
4. Mommy (F, 14)
5. Two Days, One Night (F, 14)
6. Steve Jobs
7. Carol
8. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (F, 14)
9. Spotlight
10. Goodnight, Mommy (F, 14)
11. Victoria (F)
12. The Gift
13. Bridge of Spies
14. Phoenix (F)
15. The End of the Tour
16. Leviathan
17. Selma
18. Inside Out
19. Inherent Vice
20. The Hateful Eight  

Brad's Top 11 Movies of 2015

1. Inside Out  
2. Mountains May Depart (F)
3. Mad Max: Fury Road 
4. The Hateful Eight 
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
6. Son of Saul (F) 
7. Tangerine 
8. Anomalisa 
9. It Follows 
10. Love & Mercy
11. Spotlight

The Best of 2015: The Most Enjoyable & Enlightening Museums, Exhibitions and Attractions I Experienced

Like many, I predominantly visit museums and other tourist attractions while, well, being a tourist.

Which isn't to say I didn't find illumination within museums, exhibits and the like in & around Chicago, including Skokie, Elmhurst and Rockford.

But though each was relatively brief, trips to Mexico City, New York City, Detroit and Miami provided ample and enriching explorations, as the lists below exposit.

As with all of my Best Of lists, there are imperfections in terms of definition and delineation.

It seems apt to split museum and non-museum attractions, but while the latter could theoretically include ballparks, restaurants or live performances, I'm not looping such things in here.

And even in terms of the museum listings, in some cases I cite particularly great Special Exhibitions, while in others simply a visit to the museum itself. The point is more to highlight than to rank these, though in the case of Special Exhibitions, most have come and gone.

In the specific case of the Art Institute of Chicago, I have visited it for so long and so often--including a few times this year--here I will merely consider special exhibits I saw this year, although the museum as a whole could always rank near the top My Favorite Museums list.

My Favorite Museum Visits of 2015

1. Secretaria de Educacion Publico - Mexico City (Mexico City recap & photos) - Not technically a museum, but hundreds of murals by Diego Rivera adorn its courtyard walls. This also applies to some other venues I've included in this list, rather than the one below.

2. National Anthropology Museum - Mexico City

3. Frida Kahlo Museum - Mexico City

4. Templo Mayor Site & Museum - Mexico City

5. Chapultepec Castle - Mexico City

6. Detroit Institute of Arts, including the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit Exhibit (my review)

7. Ernest Hemingway House - Key West, FL (included in this Miami trip recap)

8. Norton Museum of Art - West Palm Beach, FL

9. Milwaukee Art Museum - Van Gogh to Pollack: Modern Rebels exhibit (works from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo) (my review)

10. Neue Galerie - New York, NY

11. Palacio de Bellas Artes - Mexico City

Honorable Mention

- Holocaust Memorial Center - Farmington Hills, MI (Detroit area)
- Museo Mural Diego Rivera - Mexico City
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens - Miami
- Light & Noir exhibit plus Museum Tour, Illinois Holocaust Museum - Skokie, IL (my review) - Exhibit ongoing through Jan. 10, 2016
- Museo de Arte Moderno - Mexico City
- Museum on Eldridge St. (a former synagogue) - New York
- DuSable Museum of African-American History - Chicago
- Native Haute Couture, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian - Evanston, IL 
Exhibit ongoing through January 2016
- Making Place: The Architecture of David Adjaye, Art Institute of Chicago
Exhibit ongoing through Jan. 3, 2016
- Chicago Architecture Biennial, Main Exhibit, Chicago Cultural Center
- New American Paintings, Midwest Edition, Elmhurst Art Museum
- My own online art exhibition on Stuart Davis 


Best Non-Museum Attractions Visited in 2015

1. Teotihuacan - anthropological site near Mexico City

2. Art Deco district - Miami Beach, FL

3. Key West Historic District - Key West, FL

4. Jungle Island - Miami

5. Carnegie Hall tour - New York

6. Anderson Japanese Gardens - Rockford, IL

7. Chicago Botanic Garden - Glencoe, IL

8. Lambs Farm - Libertyville, IL (photo gallery)

9. Metropolitan Cathedral - Mexico City

10. St. Mary of the Angels church - Chicago

11. House of Tiles - Mexico City

Honorable Mention

- Biltmore Hotel - Miami, FL
- Home architecture of Coral Gables, FL

Special Mention

Ebertfest Film Festival - Champaign, IL

The Best of 2015: My Favorite Songs -- A Spotify Playlist

Why is this Best of 2015 list different than all other Seth Saith Best of 2015 lists? 

Well, as opposed to Best Musicals, Best Plays, Best Concerts and the upcoming Best Albums and Best Movies, my choices of Best Songs of 2015 are not presented in ranked order. (Though some other possible upcoming lists may not be ranked either.)

But perhaps most uniquely, this list is interactive.

Via the power of Spotify, you can listen to the playlist below--or via my Spotify Profile page or a vanity URL you can enter in any browser--to actually hear the 22 new songs I came to like best over the past 12 months. 


This is the URL (i.e. web address) you can click or enter for direct access to the playlist, anywhere you have internet access--desktop, laptop or mobile. You must be a registered Spotify user (or become one) but it is both Free and easy.

GroovyTunes.xyz

But since you're here already, you can just click play and hear some groovy tunes as you go about your day. Again, the songs are ranked in any order, but sequenced for what I hope is a pleasant listen.

My Favorite Songs of 2015

The Best of 2015: The Plays of the Year (dramatically speaking)

Occasionally I sense, or simply imagine, a certain dubiousness over how many shows I highly rate on my Seth Saith @@@@@ scale.

While understanding that no critic can expect anything close to 100% congruency with any given reader--let alone all of them--and without apologizing for the great number of shows I substantially enjoy (across various idioms and genres, within and beyond theater), I believe there is at least one logical rationalization for my high percentage of @@@@ and above reviews:

I primarily go to shows I expect to like.

Unlike a paid professional who may get assigned to see anything and everything, I specifically select what I see--excepting works in my Broadway in Chicago and Goodman Theatre subscriptions.

In terms of rock concerts, the acts I see are predominantly repeats; several I've seen 5-10+ times, so I can pretty much count on the latest show being satisfying, or even superb. (See my picks for the Best Concerts of 2015.)

A lot of theater that I attend ad hoc is based upon the recommendations of professional critics, most notably Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune. And even shows within subscription series have usually passed some muster, whether having succeeded on Broadway or otherwise convincing esteemed Artistic Directors of their merits.

But for those who still see me as a softie, let me note of the 27 plays I saw in 2015, while I at least "liked" the vast majority, I bestowed less than sterling @@@1/2 ratings upon the 2013 Tony-winning play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (which I saw staged by Chicago's Goodman Theatre), one of the classics of the American theater canon, The Little Foxes, and seemingly the longest-running local production in 2015 (spanning three separate venues), Bad Jews. 

And while my ranking of the musicals I liked best in 2015 includes seven shows I felt merited @@@@@ and another 13 that got @@@@1/2, I gave only one play the former--the top choice below--and just seven more the latter.

So while I was again greatly enriched by an abundance of excellent dramatic and comedic theater, most featuring wonderful performances and well-worth others' attention, I can in fact be somewhat discriminating.

Or so I like to think.

And no, the top two selections being from the same theater just a mile from my home is in no way based on homerism.

Anyway, here are...

The Best Plays I Saw in 2015
All were in the Chicago area unless noted. New/recent works are denoted with an *.

1. Outside Mullingar* - Northlight Theatre (my review)
written by John Patrick Shanley; directed by BJ Jones

2. Funnyman* - Northlight Theatre (my review)

written by Bruce Graham; directed by BJ Jones

3. The Mecca Tales* - Chicago Dramatists (my review)
written by Rohina Malik; directed by Rachel Edwards Harvith

4. Assassination Theater* - Museum of Broadcast Communications (my review) written by Hillel Levin; directed by Kevin Christopher Fox

5. Skylight - Golden Theatre, New York 

written by David Hare; directed by Stephen Daldry

6. The Herd* - Steppenwolf Theatre (my review)
written by Rory Kinnear; directed by Frank Galati

7. Churchill* - The Greenhouse (my review)
written by Ronald Keaton; directed by Kurt Johns

8. The Royale* - American Theater Company (my review)
written by Marco Ramirez; directed by Jaime Casteneda

9. Good for Otto* - The Gift Theatre (my review)
written by David Rabe; directed by Michael Patrick Thornton

10. A Christmas Carol - Goodman Theatre (my review)

Adapted by Tom Creamer; directed by Henry Wishcamper

11. Disgraced* - Goodman Theatre (my review)
written by Ayad Akhtar; directed by Kimberly Senior

Honorable Mention

Beast on the Moon - Raven Theatre (my review)
written by Richard Kalinoski; directed by Michael Menendian

Never the Sinner - Victory Gardens Theatre (my review)
written by John Logan; directed by Gary Griffin

Marvin's Room - Shattered Globe at Theater Wit (my review)
written by Scott McPherson; directed by Sandy Shinner

Maya's Last Poem* - Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre (my review)
written & directed by Tim Rhoze

Two Trains Running - Goodman Theatre (my review) @@@@
written by August Wilson; directed by Chuck Smith

The Best of 2015: The Best Rock Concerts I Attended (plus some Classical and Jazz)

No, folks, you haven't somehow stumbled upon a year-end blog post chronicling the best concerts of 1996 or 1987 or 1971.

Blogs didn't exist back then. 

But yes, every one of the 21 acts that delivered my favorite rock shows of 2015 could well have done so in any one of the above years, if not two or all three. (With the caveat that some didn't actually tour in those years or may have been performing under different incarnations; e.g. Noel Gallagher with Oasis. Also, for most of 1971, I was only 2 years old.)

I would worry--kinda, though not really--about being seen as a fossil, glorifying the virtues of musical dinosaurs, oblivious to what's happening in the here & now, if not for a couple mitigating rationales:

A) The acts I've long loved continue to play numerous songs I love--and they're still really good at it. I wouldn't repeatedly make a point of seeing the Rolling Stones, Who, AC/DC, Robert Plant, etc., etc., if I felt they were delivering shoddy, piss-poor shows that diminished their legacy. Those who don't want to believe it, won't, but the gigs they and others gave in 2015 genuinely rocked.  

B) While I'm not a big fan of festivals nor general admission venues without seating options, I'm not adverse to seeing great new, young bands; I just don't know any. If there's a rock band comprised of members in their 20s who you believe can deliver a fantastic, 2-hour concert in a 10,000+ seat venue, I beg you to tell me about them. 

Anyway, it's not like I didn't see anyone "new" in 2015; Manic Street Preachers, Jesus & Mary Chain and Judas Priest are all acts I saw for the first time, although each has existed for well over 20 years. And I did see one relatively recent band, The Fratellis, but found them disappointing compared to previous shows.

So archaic as they may seem to some, I was rather excited and delighted by...

My Favorite Rock Concerts of 2015
Notable opening acts cited, but rankings are based on headliner performance only.

The top two artists could take up the top 5 berths, but I decided to list them just once.

Venues in Chicago unless noted.

1. U2 - June 24, 25, 28 - United Center (my review)

2. The Rolling Stones - June 23, Summerfest, Milwaukee w/ Buddy Guy (my review); July 8, Comerica Park, Detroit (my review)

3. The Who w/ Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - May 13 - Allstate Arena (my review)

4. Manic Street Preachers - April 29 - Metro (my review)

5. AC/DC - September 15 - Wrigley Field (my review)

6. Foo Fighters w/ Cheap Trick, Urge Overkill, Naked Raygun - August 29 - Wrigley Field (my review)

7. Robert Plant - September 23 - FirstMerit Bank Pavilion (my review)

8. Jesus & Mary Chain - May 5 - Riviera Theatre (my review)

9. Bob Mould w/ Jason Narducy - October 11 - SPACE, Evanston (my review)

10. Willie Nile - February 13 - SPACE, Evanston (my review)

11. John Mellencamp w/ Carlene Carter - February 18 - Chicago Theatre (my review)

Honorable Mention (in preference order)

The Waterboys w/ The Blue Bonnets - May 6 - House of Blues (my review)

The Replacements w/ Smoking Popes - April 30 - Riviera Theatre (my review)

Smashing Pumpkins w/ Marilyn Manson - August 7 - FirstMerit Bank Pavilion (my review)

Van Halen w/ Kenny Wayne Shepherd - July 24 - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park (my review)

Rush - June 12 - United Center (my review)

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - May 29 - Riviera Theatre (my review)

Paul Weller - June 17 - The Vic (my review)

Judas Priest w/ Saxon - May 21 - Rosemont Theatre (my review)

Garbage - October 17 - Riviera Theatre (my review)

Chicago - August 23 - Ravinia, Highland Park (my review)

(You may wish to also see my recent ranking of the 25 Best Live Rock Acts, currently, but regardless of concerts this year)

Classical and Jazz
It's probably not idyllic to shoehorn them into this piece, but I saw a few stellar Classical and Jazz concerts in 2015 that I wanted to cite, but not enough for their own post. From a total of 10 performances seen, I'll highlight 3 in each genre, without ranking them. (A few concerts bridged both musical forms.)

- Lang Lang in Recital - May 9 - Civic Opera House (my review)
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven's 5th Symphony - February 8 (my review)
(same piece also performed impressively by the NEIU Student Orchestra around the same time)
- Itzhak Perlman and Emanuel Ax - September 9 - Ravinia
- Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra featuring Trio Globo - April 24 
  - North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie (my review)
- Trio 3 (jazz combo) - March 27 - Village Vanguard, New York
- McCoy Tyner Trio, Geri Allen, Danilo Pérez - December 4 - Symphony Center (my review)