I’ve hit 100 movies watched and even though I’m behind on a movie day it’s still a marker and to commemorate my first 100 movies I’ll give you my top 15 movies that I’ve watched to this point.  I’m still catching up on reviews so a few of these don’t have full write ups yet, but they’re coming.  So here’s the class of the films I’ve watched to this point, enjoy!

15) Interstellar – The most visually stunning film I’ve seen to date, hands down.  An ambitious movie that in the end bites off a little more than it can chew but Interstellar ultimately reaches for the stars and gets there.  A story about hope and family and love played against a backdrop of global warming and planetary destruction, Christopher Nolan is a master storyteller who weaves a tale of rescue with black holes and multiple dimensions, it’s certainly one to see.

14) John Wick – Damn this movie is fun.  Keanu Reeves returns to the action genre with a straight forward, hit man revenge flick that satisfies from the opening frame.  Outstanding set pieces and solid writing, plus it creates a fully realized world to play in.

13) Birdman – The Oscar winner for Best Picture by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu that despite an ending that just didn’t work for me, was the most vibrant and energetic film so far.  An almost constant jazz score and a camera that seemingly never leaves the players all adds to the frenetic energy that surrounds each scene.  Michael Keaton puts in a stellar performance but Edward Norton stole the show for me.

12) Her – A love story that perfectly encapsulates meeting that someone and falling completely head over heels.  A fantastic lead performance by Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely, kind-hearted man who develops feelings for his phone’s AI and can’t let her, or it, go.  The genius of the movie is that at some point the fact that Samantha, voiced perfectly by Scarlett Johansson, is artificial seems to fade and we’re left with the scenes and stories of two people falling in love.

11) Blue Ruin – I picked Blue Ruin simply because the Netflix thumbnail looked cryptic and for days later I couldn’t get it out of my head.  A revenge fantasy film that doesn’t play out at all like you’d expect.  A story that’s small in scope but big on ambition and punch.  I was enthralled by the basic story right from the start and was so impressed by how much the movie makes you feel every decision and consequence.

10) Life Itself – A stunning portrayal of the most well known movie critic of my generation, Roger Ebert.  A documentary about who he was, how he entertained us all and a diary of his life after a cancer diagnosis and physical ailments that never dampened his charm and spirit.  It’s so well put together but at the heart is a love story between Roger and his wife Chaz Ebert and a celebration of the medium he loved.

9) Kingsman – There’s so much style to Kingsman that it almost literally jumps off the screen.  A perfect send up of the spy movies we all grew up on complete with over the top villains and stunning set pieces.  Clever, funny and self aware with all the gadgets an action fan could ask for, plus there’s one action scene that is so memorable I went back a second time just to experience it again.

8) It Follows – Horror films can be a hard sell but when you get it right, horror is a genre that can also be more impactful because it taps into your base instinct of fear.  It Follows does exactly that on so many levels while also being clever and beautifully shot.  A pretty simple premise opens the door to all kind of psychological scares and moral ambiguity that is aided by such a smart script and a brilliant, throwback score.  One of the best horror films I’ve seen to date as well as one of my favorite movies so far.

7) Gone Girl – When you watch Gone Girl you get the impression why this book was so popular and also why a movie adaptation would be so difficult.  I never read the book but you definitely see this as two movies and both are done so well by director David Fincher.  Fincher uses color schemes to achieve different moods throughout the film and even as scenes play out, you get the impression that he’s not always showing you everything.  By the time you figure out what the movie really is you’re both shocked and invigorated to see how it all will end and for me, I thought it ended really smart.

6) The One I Love – This is a really hard film to say anything about because it’s just better to go in knowing nothing.  What you get ultimately is a unique look at relationships and the people we become in them, but done with a smart and fun twist.  The acting in this film is especially strong with Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss essentially being the entire movie.  I had heard about this movie from several “end of the year” lists and once I saw it I had to add it to this one.

5) Whiplash – There’s one scene in Whiplash that took me out of the movie and seemed a little far fetched, but aside from that, this is filmmaking of the highest order.  A small story about jazz percussion that is elevated by stunning performances and expert storytelling.  J.K. Simmons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his bombastic take on an obsessive teacher striving for perfection but everything that Simmons exudes outwardly, Miles Teller encapsulates inwardly.  Simmons is the star of the show but Teller holds this movie together at its emotional core. Damien Chazelle’s movie explores the obsessive nature of art and has an ending that is one of the most satisfying I’ve seen.

4) Locke – Who would’ve guessed that locking Tom Hardy in a car for 85 minutes would result in such a fantastic movie?  The story of one man who has perfectly calculated and structured a life only to have it all fall apart because of one decision.  All of this plays out on a car ride as Hardy’s character desperately tries to keep everything together while also being forced to look at himself.  Hardy’s performance is just brilliant as he needs to emote a range of emotions with only voices to play off of and we see that another risky choice has paid incredible dividends for an actor who continues to impress.

3) Foxcatcher – A movie with such a sense of dread and danger that pervades every scene almost from the beginning and drives towards an ending that is either already known or painfully obvious, yet is mesmerizing and so well acted that you can’t help but be pulled in.  Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo all take turns turning stellar performances one after another and it really is these characters that stand out above all else.  Bennett Miller crafts an excellent picture around them with meticulous detail but what you walk away with is a true sense of who these men are and the tragedy that befell them because each actor wholly embodies them.

2) Nightcrawler – Lou Bloom is a small time hustler and con artist at the beginning of Nightcrawler who we soon find has aspirations for bigger and better things.  Over the course of the film we find out what Bloom really is and it’s terrifying.  Keep in mind this isn’t a horror film yet some of the repercussions of Bloom’s actions have horrifying consequences and it all comes down to an outstanding script by Dan Gilroy and an Oscar worthy performance by Jake Gyllenhaal.  Bloom’s trajectory is so perfectly mapped out and Gilroy’s script has almost no fat on it.  Every scene leads to another and has a purpose to both the character and the story.  In Gyllenhaal, Gilroy found a fearless leading man willing to completely lose himself in a role that had to be in high demand and maybe Gyllenhaal wouldn’t have been your first choice but as the credits roll you come to realize that he was the best one.

1) Calvary – John Michael McDonagh’s first feature, The Guard, is a subversive black comedy and one hell of a debut.  With Calvary he’s not only bested that effort but put together a film that is poignant and timely as well as being a modern classic of storytelling.  The film opens with a priest, played by Brendan Gleeson, receiving a confession and also a promise of murder in one week.  The entire scene is focused on Gleeson and as the mystery confessor relates his story we see an actor of the highest class show exactly what he can do.  The rest of the film is a murder mystery without a body and an examination of faith and regret.  Gleeson’s character, Father James, tries to continue his work in his small Irish town but as he comes closer to his fate we see everything around him start to fall apart along with his courage.  Brendan Gleeson is the anchor of what is a very good cast and his performance is just as resolute as it is heartbreaking, he is this film.  Calvary is the best film I’ve seen this year, from the script to the story to the acting, it’s all excellence and with only two films John Michael McDonagh has placed himself on a very short list of filmmakers to watch.