Far be it from me to disagree with our staff, but I would hard-pressed to name 30 films from 2015 that I would consider among the “best” of the year. The same can’t be said for film music, though. As predictable as each superhero template or franchise reboot may have been this year, composers keep …
2015 was yet another strong year for movies, so much so that we had over 100 films submitted by our numerous contributors for consideration. In the end, these are the 30 that made the cut for PopOptiq’s Best of the Year. Enjoy! 30.) Shaun the Sheep Aardman Studios is the stop-motion clay animation equivalent …
In the modern era of filmmaking, ushered in when Steven Spielberg accidentally created the summer blockbuster with Jaws, cinema has become increasingly linked with nostalgia. For example, the early films of Spielberg and George Lucas were inspired by their childhood love of 40’s and 50’s adventure serials, yet directors from the next generation (most notably …
Either I’ve been staying on top of my homework or 2015 has been an exceptionally strong year for film scores already. From blockbuster disappointments to indie oddities and mindless action sequels, film music has once again shown it can transcend its respective dreck just as much as it can enhance the cinematic experience. With film festival season …
There’s something special about the pure feeling that animated films give their viewers. There’s a certain depth of emotion that comes from these moments, and it’s the kind of depth that translates well to both critics and general audiences. Just look at the opening of Up, where we meet Carl as a young man, and …
For those who have seen Inside Out, it’s a scary movie: the fear of moving away, of being unable to feel anything at all, of having your childhood memories that most defined you erased in the existential dilemma of growing up. Heavy stuff. But it’s not quite a horror movie, and some now very unhappy …
Don’t you even dare call it a “kid’s movie.” Animation has been around for a while now, starting with silent experiments such as Gertie the Dinosaur, followed by the more traditional Disney fare such as Snow White or Cinderella, and becoming more modern with another round of Disney hits like The Lion King or Beauty …
By transforming nebulous emotions into relatable characters, directors Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen have created nothing short of a roadmap into the pre-pubescent mind. It’s not always a happy place, which is entirely the point. Often surreal and always delightful, ‘Inside Out’ is a rousing tribute to pure imagination.
Film scores are pretty ephemeral to a large chunk of the movie-going populace, where music isn’t noticeable unless a triumphant fanfare or sweeping ballad draws enough attention to itself. So if scoring is already the film industry’s unappreciated middle child, how silly is a list about ones that haven’t been released yet? Very silly. Oftentimes, …
Valentine Road Directed by Marta Cunningham 2013, Usa This gripping American documentary focus’ on a school shooting in 2008 where a student was shot for allegedly being an LGBT person. The film is essentially split up into three phases: the retelling of the incident, character studies of the two boys and societal critiques of the …
Submerge Directed by Sophie O’Connor Written by Sophie O’Connor and Kat Holmes 2012, Australia Submerge follows a young Australian University student Jordan as she struggles to balance her studies with her competitive swimming and a newly burgeoning social life. When Jordan begins to neglect all of her responsibilities for an affair she is having …
Inside Out 2011: Our Top Five Most Anticipated Films Circumstance (Dir. Maryam Keshavarz) – Audience award winner at Sundance, this coming-of-age story takes us inside a part of modern Iran hidden from the authorities: a world of underground nightclubs, progressive influences, and sexual experimentation. Renee (Dir. Eric Drath) – In 1976, trans athlete Renee Richards …
The String (Le Fil) Directed by Mehdi Ben Attia Have you ever wondered what a soap opera would look like if it was feature-length? Well, The String (Le Fil) is the answer. While I should give it some credit for being better written, better acted (this thing’s got Claudia Cardinale for god’s sakes) and funnier …