Your Pick for Best Movie of 2015

[chf]

Not captured this way, but this is the general idea. Legit, digital versions.

I saw a version of Star Wars online the other day was absolute trash. You could see shadows of heads, MST3K style. I expect to see high quality within a week or so.

So you get the name of the movie that pops up every few minutes in the middle of the screen? I used to get those, now and then, but found them too annoying to watch and enjoy.

 

[chf]

Interesting discussion on Mad Max.

For what is essentially a 2 hour car chase, they did a faaaaan-tastic job of making you give a shvt about the characters. So that's admirable. I don't see it as an oscar winner though. It's still a 2 hour car chase.

 

[calsnowskier]

So you get the name of the movie that pops up every few minutes in the middle of the screen? I used to get those, now and then, but found them too annoying to watch and enjoy.

Ok, not THAT legit...

The copy of H8 that I saw had some white markings on the top edge of the screen. I figured it was a final, pre-release copy. Just needed minor trimming.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I never had a 1080, so I can't compare the image I get now to that, but the 4K compared to my 720 is amazing.

I believe there needs to be a 4K signal from your TV to see an improvement from that signal, but BluRay and streaming can get you the 4K quality now. In the future, there will be 4K signal from cable as well. This is where the tech is going.

I was on the road today and stopped by a Best Buy store. Rose from the ashes of Future Shop.

Saw several 65" 4K sets. Stunning, but I knew that.

They didn't have anything larger set up.

Seems like in every size they have good, better, best from the same manufacturer.

I'm searching for a "good" 80" er.

 

[beardown07]

This may sound kind of crazy, but the best movie I've seen from 2015, was Pixar's Inside Out. It was great.

 

[GNG]

Star Wars

 

[Hank Kingsley]

This may sound kind of crazy, but the best movie I've seen from 2015, was Pixar's Inside Out. It was great.

Call me stodgy if you will but I can't handle that animation style.

I grew up on the old Disney stuff and much prefer it.

 

[beardown07]

Call me stodgy if you will but I can't handle that animation style.

I grew up on the old Disney stuff and much prefer it.

I'm an animation whore. I grew up on the same, but I didn't give two shits about Disney movies until I was much older. Loved the animation, but thought the content sucked. Warner Bros. were so much better.

I love the old animation too, but as far as the content and story lines of the shows, Pixar is far superior IMHumbleO.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I'm an animation whore. I grew up on the same, but I didn't give two shits about Disney movies until I was much older. Loved the animation, but thought the content sucked. Warner Bros. were so much better.

I love the old animation too, but as far as the content and story lines of the shows, Pixar is far superior IMHumbleO.

I saw every Disney movie more or less.

Love the old WBs as well.

Today I don't care about content since I don't watch.

 

[Wazmankg]

Saw The Big Short today. It was very entertaining. Highly recommended. A well presented story. Fine performances overall, especially Bale and Carell. It was funny but not a comedy. 8.5 maybe a 9.The only other on the list I've seen is The Martian. I really enjoyed that one too. 8

 

[mr.hockey4242]

H8 was pretty darn good.

SLJ(duh) and Goggins killed it.

 

[Smart]

I've seen about 20 films put out this year, which was low for me. Creed was my favorite. The Gift and Ex Machina were right there, but both screwed up the ending pretty poorly.

 

[chf]

I've seen about 20 films put out this year, which was low for me. Creed was my favorite. The Gift and Ex Machina were right there, but both screwed up the ending pretty poorly.

I'm curious as to what kind of ending for Ex Machina you would have preferred?

 

[Smart]

I'm curious as to what kind of ending for Ex Machina you would have preferred?

I don't know what the right ending would be, but I think there was a fundamental flaw with the ending which absolutely killed the message of the movie:

Spoiler: SPOILER

Based on the entire movie, all Ava seemingly wanted was to be a normal human. Yet she was designed specifically to be appealing to one person, who would have unconditionally welcomed her into society to live a normal life, and she killed him. She was never going to live a more normal life than she did with Caleb, and killing him made for a shocking ending which made no sense.

 

[chf]

THere's a bunch of different questions that get begged by the ending of the movie, and I think the film maker left things purposely vague. You get to make up your mind about them.

She wanted agency, the ability to be self determining.

My take on the ending was that she decided she couldn't leave it up to chance, that her freedom wouldn't be curtailed if she didn't take that action from your spoiler.

At its essence though, the overarching question of AI was still the biggie, was she really human and capable of human emotion including love? Or was she merely faking those responses to get her desired end? (to survive).

THe whole concept of a Turing test is to see if there is true intelligence, not just programming to mimic it.

So, no the ending did make sense, it just wasn't the warm fuzzy ending that maybe would have been the most satisfying.

I was kinda hoping that the movie wouldn't necessarily take the luddite, technology will lead us to ruin side of things.

Sci-fi authors like the recently departed Ian M. Banks have posited a future where AI is not only a positive, but advances humanity by leaps and bounds (his 'Culture' novels)

 

[Clayton]

This may sound kind of crazy, but the best movie I've seen from 2015, was Pixar's Inside Out. It was great.

Surprised it wasn't on the list but a movie like Carol was.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

I don't know what the right ending would be, but I think there was a fundamental flaw with the ending which absolutely killed the message of the movie:

Spoiler: SPOILER

Based on the entire movie, all Ava seemingly wanted was to be a normal human. Yet she was designed specifically to be appealing to one person, who would have unconditionally welcomed her into society to live a normal life, and she killed him. She was never going to live a more normal life than she did with Caleb, and killing him made for a shocking ending which made no sense.

That didn't even cross my mind. I was more curious about how all the skin fit perfectly on her and why the pilot didn't ask any questions before flying her away. Those were really my only two minor complaints about that film though.

 

[Smart]

THere's a bunch of different questions that get begged by the ending of the movie, and I think the film maker left things purposely vague. You get to make up your mind about them.

She wanted agency, the ability to be self determining.

My take on the ending was that she decided she couldn't leave it up to chance, that her freedom wouldn't be curtailed if she didn't take that action from your spoiler.

At its essence though, the overarching question of AI was still the biggie, was she really human and capable of human emotion including love? Or was she merely faking those responses to get her desired end? (to survive).

THe whole concept of a Turing test is to see if there is true intelligence, not just programming to mimic it.

So, no the ending did make sense, it just wasn't the warm fuzzy ending that maybe would have been the most satisfying.

I was kinda hoping that the movie wouldn't necessarily take the luddite, technology will lead us to ruin side of things.

Sci-fi authors like the recently departed Ian M. Banks have posited a future where AI is not only a positive, but advances humanity by leaps and bounds (his 'Culture' novels)

Here's a better ending:

Spoiler: SPOILER

Everything plays out the same until Nathan KOs Caleb. That never happens. Instead, they are both in the location where Nathan was in the movie. Ava then attacks Nathan in front of Caleb, who is conflicted and scared in the corner. Ava finishes off Nathan just like in the movie. Caleb goes with her as she exits the facility, clearly shocked by what he has just seen.

Then, they go to the helicopter and Ava slaughters the pilot and throws him in the forest. Caleb is obviously scared shitless. They fly back to society and Ava and him go back to the city. He has a chance to leave Ava, who he now knows to be a murderer, but then Ava seduces him once again and explains how all she ever wanted was to be human. Despite seeing her murder two people in cold blood, Caleb is so programmed to her and convinced by her "humanity" that he stays with her. We see them a year later living a normal and happy life

That ending stays with the two big themes of the movie: How technology which adapts to the person can cloud common sense and how Ava quests to be a normal person.

It manages to show us the positive of technology (Caleb being undeniably happy) while simultaneously showing us that maybe convenience and "happiness" is diminishing our humanity. I think it makes us think a lot more than the current, simple

Spoiler: SPOILER

technology is simply evil

ending.

Again, I think my ending is much more vague in its view of technology, creates characters whose actions make more sense based on their motivations, and has a much stronger message.

 

[chf]

But I fundamentally disagree that the ending we're left with says that technology IS completely evil. She escapes back into society, doesn't bring about the apocalypse, and lives anonymously and quietly. That's an ending you CAN have in your own imagination.

Or she can escape and make more of her and they can wipe out society. Or try to.

Again, totally left up to the viewer.

But if she takes your alternate ending, she's still fundamentally at Caleb's mercy.

The point of Caleb's hapiness or unhappiness isn't the point, since that's not what she was designed to do. She was designed to be essentially human.

And given what her creator was going to do with her, (murder her), is it really any wonder she couldn't trust Caleb to do the right thing?

 

[MilkSpiller22]

I don't know what the right ending would be, but I think there was a fundamental flaw with the ending which absolutely killed the message of the movie:

Spoiler: SPOILER

Based on the entire movie, all Ava seemingly wanted was to be a normal human. Yet she was designed specifically to be appealing to one person, who would have unconditionally welcomed her into society to live a normal life, and she killed him. She was never going to live a more normal life than she did with Caleb, and killing him made for a shocking ending which made no sense.

Was she trying to be "human" or just survive.. Didn't the maker even warn caleb that she was USING him?