‘A good year, not a great one’ – Pundits weigh in on year in cinema

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We asked Variety’s top critics and awards afi cionados to discuss how 2015 shaped up cinematically.

Here they answer the following questions:

1. How do you rate 2015 against previous years cinematically?

2. What is the scandal/most talked about or not talked about issue of the year?

3. What aspect of the year in fi lm made you stand up and cheer? Justin Chang, Chief Film Critic 1. A good year, not a great one. If I were forced to redo my year-end list for 2015, I would probably call fi rst place a tie between “The Assassin” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (1) — both long-gestating action movies, directed by auteurs working at the height of their powers — followed by about 20 or 30 unranked honorable mentions.

2. The ongoing challenges of diversity and representation have shaken the industry to the core, and not a moment too soon. With the recent outcry on behalf of women and people of color — and the Academy’s honorable attempts to rectify the situation among its ranks — I think we’re clearly experiencing growing pains. Progress has been made. Hopefully more awaits.

3. I was one of the few dissenters on Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Act of Killing,” but his “The Look of Silence” held me spellbound. I’m less enamored than most of the Chinese director Jia Zhangke, but “Mountains May Depart” (which recently opened in US theaters) is the most affecting thing he’s done in ages. Nothing earns a “bravo” quite like the realization that a fi lmmaker you had earlier discounted can still surprise you. Tim Gray, Senior Vice President, Awards Editor

1. I won’t be able to rate 2015 until 2035, and we see what held up. Meanwhile, I think there are a lot of B-plus movies, and just a few that are A or A-plus (“Mad Max,” “Cartel Land”). And the artisan work this year was beyond great.

2. This year, the word “Oscar” is synonymous with “diversity problem.” However, people in the fi lm industry seem to agree that this is not the Academy’s fault, but rather a fundamental problem in the system of funding and greenlighting. If all of this leads to long-overdue changes in the industry, 2015 could be remembered as a watershed year. So cross your fi ngers.

3. Two things cheered me up. One is that decision-makers seem to be taking the protests seriously (even though they don’t like to address it on the record). And artistically, there was great work from artisans … and several blockbusters that did what Hollywood does best (spectacle, thrills) while retaining a personal director’s vision. Kristopher Tapley, Co-Awards Editor

1. Honestly it felt a bit muted. I liked plenty, but the passion wasn’t quite there, for me, on a broad level. In some ways it seems like I won’t know the answer to this question until a few years down the line, when the movies have a chance to resonate (or not).

2. The nuance about why fi lms like “Creed” and “Beasts of No Nation” missed out on Oscar nominations was missing in the diversity debate. The former, for instance, wasn’t a focused push for Warner Bros until late in the game (why that is, could certainly make for a second debate). The latter may have been harmed by the Netfl ix branding, setting it apart as a streaming title more than a theatrical one.

3. One could only sit in awe at what director George Miller was able to accomplish at 70 years of age with “Mad Max: Fury Road.” It’s far and away his greatest achievement. Jenelle Riley, Deputy Awards & Features Editor

1. It was a good year for movies, but not a great one. Lots of solid, entertaining, thoughtful and well-made fi lms emerged, but only a few will likely be remembered as seminal in 10 years. Most big-budget spectacles failed to impress me (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” being an obvious exception) while smaller-budgeted fi lms like “Room,” “Spotlight” and “Ex Machina” (2) showed remarkable ingenuity and originality.

2. It would be hard to top #OscarsSoWhite because rarely has hashtag activism resulted in actual action. 3. It was exciting to see so many great actresses delivering knockout performances this year. Daisy Ridley emerged from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as a star to be reckoned with. Alicia Vikander had no fewer than three great turns with “Ex Machina,” “Testament of Youth” and “The Danish Girl”— and I’ll even throw in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” for pure fun. As previously mentioned, comedy greats Melissa McCarthy and Amy Schumer showed their box offi ce clout with “Spy” and “Trainwreck.” Even established performers like Cate Blanchett continued to wow us with breathtaking turns in fi lms like “Carol.” Peter Debruge, Chief Int’l Film Critic

1. Overall, I’d say it was an encouraging year for American cinema, with a number of massive blockbuster hits bucking the trend toward dumbing things down for younger and non-English- speaking audiences. “Mad Max: Fury Road” and the “Hunger Games” fi nale both boldly encouraged audiences to think critically about what our leaders (and the media) are feeding us, while “The Martian” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” represent smart, thrilling examples of science fact and fi ction.

2. From my perch in Paris, I’d say pretty much everything to do with the Donald Trump presidential campaign has been outrageous. And lest you reprimand me for bringing politics into this, let me clarify that I’m not talking about his incendiary views so much as the strategy by which the loud-mouth “The Apprentice” honcho has managed to play the media nearly every step of the way.

3. I’m happy to report it was a great year for French cinema as well, with a number of “local” fi lms being as good or better than the eight Englishlanguage movies the Academy picked to compete for its top prize. Best of the bunch was “Mustang” (which is nominated for a foreign-language Oscar), though there was also Maiwenn’s “Mon roi,” the Frenchifi ed Florence Foster Jenkins biopic “Marguerite” and two holdovers from Cannes 2014, “L’il Quinquin” and “Girlhood” that fi nally opened in the US.

By Tim Gray

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