AT THE MOVIES: Susan Granger’s 10 BEST for 2015 (listed alphabetically):
PICTURE:
“Bridge of Spies” – Fact-based spy-swap story, set during the Cold War.
“Creed” – Re-birth of the “Rocky” legend for another generation.
“Ex Machina” – A scientist creates a remarkably life-like cyborg.
“Inside Out” – Pixar Animation delightfully details how our minds work.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” – Explosive, post-apocalyptic action epic.
“The Martian” – A rousing sci-fi adventure about an astronaut stranded on Mars.
“Son of Saul” – Holocaust drama set in the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.
“Spotlight” – Boston Globe reporters expose the Catholic Church’s pedophilia cover-up.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” – Revival of the galactic, good vs. evil adventure.
“Trumbo” – Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo battles the Hollywood blacklist.
DIRECTOR:
J.J. Abrams for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Ryan Coogler for “Creed”
Pete Docter for “Inside Out”
Alex Garland for “Ex Machina”
Tom McCarthy for “Spotlight”
George Miller for “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Lazlo Nemes for “Son of Saul”
Jay Roach for “Trumbo”
Ridley Scott for “The Martian”
Steven Spielberg for “Bridge of Spies”
ACTOR:
Michael Caine in “Youth”
Bryan Cranston in “Trumbo”
Matt Damon in “The Martian”
Johnny Depp in “Black Mass”
Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Revenant”
Michael Fassbender in “Steve Jobs”
Al Pacino in “Danny Collins”
Ian McKellen in “Mr. Holmes”
Eddie Redmayne in “The Danish Girl”
Mark Ruffalo in “Infinitely Polar Bear”
ACTRESS:
Cate Blanchett in “Truth”
Patricia Clarkson in “Learning to Drive”
Brie Larson in “Room”
Helen Mirren in “Woman in Gold”
Carey Mulligan in “Suffragette”
Charlotte Rampling in “45 Years”
Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn”
Amy Schumer in “Trainwreck”
Maggie Smith in “The Lady in the Van”
Alicia Vikander in “The Danish Girl”
SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Tom Courtenay in “45 Years”
Idris Elba in “Beasts of No Nation”
Joel Edgerton in “Black Mass”
Oscar Isaac in “Ex Machina”
Harvey Keitel in “Youth”
Mark Ruffalo in “Spotlight”
Mark Rylance in “Bridge of Spies”
Michael Shannon in “99 Homes”
Sylvester Stallone in “Creed”
Jacob Tremblay in “Room”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Elizabeth Banks in “Love and Mercy”
Jennifer Jason Leigh in “The Hateful Eight”
Laura Linney in “Mr. Holmes”
Rooney Mara in “Carol”
Rachel McAdams in “Spotlight”
Helen Mirren in “Trumbo”
Kristen Stewart in “Clouds of Sils Maria”
Alicia Vikander in “Ex Machina”
Julie Walters in “Brooklyn”
Kate Winslet in “Steve Jobs”