Herewith my annual no doubt inadequate attempt to hone down 2015 in film to just ten elite choices. Here I am presented with the usual dilemma. Are these my ten favourite films of the year, or the ten most cinematically important? Such a division could create two very different lists, so to qualify for inclusion the films in question must at least contain a modicum of entertainment value. Hence why the likes of, say, Michael Haneke’s Amour will never make any top ten lists.

I also want to add a small caveat: I have yet to see Ron Howard’s Moby Dick inspired In the Heart of the Sea, which could either be a whale of a tale, or a wet fish. If it merits a place in this list, I shall update it accordingly.

Anyway, herewith the choices. To qualify, the film has to have been released in the UK within the 2015 calendar year.

This year’s, just-missed-out honourable mentions: The Gift, Mad Max: Fury Road, Macbeth, Amy, and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

And the top ten looks like this:

10. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – Yes, I know a lot of people thought this was style over substance, but not me. By turns utterly bonkers, disturbing and oddly touching, this Iranian monochrome skateboarding spaghetti western vampire love story had me captivated.

Best bit – The phenomenally acted, trance-like, utterly hypnotic scene where “The Girl” brings Arash to her lair, yet instead of killing him, falls in love with him to the strains of Death by White Lies. 24 carat cinema in one utterly mesmerising shot.

9. Bridge of Spies – Strong performances from Tom Hanks and especially Mark Rylance form the centre of this Steven Spielberg directed fact based Cold War drama. With rigorous attention to period detail, this feels akin to a Le Carre spy novel, but with much more warmth and unfashionable but irresistible idealism.

Best bit – The moment Tom Hanks sees Mark Rylance being ushered into the car. If you’ve seen it you’ll know what I’m talking about.

8. Carol – Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett pursue each other (and Oscar nominations) in Todd Haynes sublimely directed, scripted and acted tale of forbidden love in 1950s New York.

Best bit – The seen-from-two-perspectives Brief Encounter inspired scene in the café.

7. The Falling – Carol Morley’s eerie, unsettling tale of an inexplicable fainting epidemic at a repressive girl’s school in the 1960s, features Maisie Williams in a terrific central role. A melancholy, mesmerising and menacing masterpiece, guaranteed to beguile and infuriate in equal measure.

Best bit – Although some critics felt it undermined the earlier ambiguity, I rather liked the shock Greek tragedy style revelations of the final act.

6. Sicario – A trio of superb performances from Emily Blunt, Benecio Del Toro and Josh Brolin underpin this riveting film about the dubious methods employed in an “inter-departmental taskforce” (ie CIA) operation against Mexican drug cartels. The best thriller of the year.

Best bit – The taskforce silhouetted against a melancholy sunset before a raid on a subterranean drug tunnel network; a metaphorical descent into the underworld. Pure visual poetry from cinematographer Roger “Give him an Oscar already” Deakins.

5. Steve Jobs – A terrific central performance from Michael Fassbender. Tremendous support from the likes of Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels. Confident direction from Danny Boyle. A first-rate screenplay from Aaron Sorkin containing surprisingly fresh insights into the hoary old genius-who-is-terrible-with-people premise. Why on earth did this Steve Jobs biopic flop at the box office?

Best bit – The dramatic fireworks during Steve Wozniak’s climactic rebuke of Jobs’ sins of omission: “It’s not binary. You can be decent and gifted at the same time”.

4. Whiplash – Full Metal Jacket in a prestigious music college best describes this singular two-hander, featuring Miles Teller as an up and coming jazz drummer determined to be one of the greats, and an Oscar winning JK Simmons giving a whole new meaning to the term “extreme mentoring”.

Best bit – The finale, which oddly feels like the climax of Rocky, given the graphic, perspiring, slow-motion close-ups of dripping blood and sweat falling on the drums as Teller pounds the hell out of them.

3. Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro G Inarritu’s fascinating, pseudo-one take glimpse into a fading actor’s ego, with Michael Keaton giving a career-best performance and superb support from the likes of Edward Norton and Emma Stone. As Keaton’s ex-wife astutely observes, “you’ve mistaken admiration for love”.

Best bit – Keaton awkwardly traipsing through Times Square to regain access to the theatre he has been locked out of.

2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens – It doesn’t scale the impossible heights of the original trilogy, but JJ Abrams nevertheless triumphantly revived my favourite film franchise. The biggest plus points include Harrison Ford’s return as Han Solo and the most interesting new character, Adam Driver’s villainous Kylo Ren. Cinematic escapism of the first order (boom boom).

Best bit – Really difficult to choose, and I am still wary of potential spoilers. So let’s just go with the lightsabre fight and leave it at that.

1. Inside Out – Pixar’s incredible return to form is a superb, delightfully offbeat adventure inside the mind of a young girl called Riley, featuring characters based on her emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger. Funny, touching and very wise, this provoked floods of tears from yours truly on both occasions I saw it at the cinema.

Best bit – Again, too many to choose from, but for the purposes of this article, let’s pick the hilarious moment when Joy and companions made an ill-advised trip into the abstract thought part of Riley’s mind, and end up changing shape into various surreal forms (“Oh no! We’re non-figurative!”).

Plenty to look forward to next year, with potential Awards season heavy hitters like The Revenant, The Assassin, Joy, Spotlight, Room and The Danish Girl; Tarantino’s second western The Hateful Eight, the return to the Bourne franchise and Rocky spin-off Creed; superhero action with Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse, Captain America: Civil War and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice; animated fun with Pixar’s long awaited Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory, a live action take on The Jungle Book and Steven Spielberg’s version of The BFG, not to mention the first Star Wars spin-off at the end of the year, Rogue One.

But for now, I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Oh, regarding that film quotes quiz I sent out, my wife won the competition, without cheating. No really, it wasn’t rigged. Other people entered, but she won fair and square. That makes her officially better than you.

Simon Dillon, December 2015.

I know of nothing guaranteed to stir excitement in a cinema audience like the words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” followed by the yellow words Star Wars emblazoned over outer space, accompanied by the familiar blast of John Williams’ magnificent, pulse-pounding fanfare. It is the cue for a million heroic childhood dreams, and now a rite of passage passed on from generation to generation. Only the opening gun-barrel of the James Bond franchise comes close to capturing that truly extraordinary, impossibly thrilling sense that anything could happen.

Of course, the original Star Wars changed the course of cinema in ways unlike any other movie before or since. The initial sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, were similarly groundbreaking and are beloved by so many that they have attained near mythological status. Then came the prequels, and with them crushing disappointment at what might have been. With George Lucas selling Lucasfilm (and therefore the Star Wars franchise) to Disney, The Force Awakens, arrives with a weight of expectation unprecedented in cinema history. Surely this film cannot possibly deliver in the outstanding way the first movies did?

The answer is of course not. The original film was lightning in a bottle; a landmark in cinema that divided film history into two distinct epochs BC/AD style, ie before and after Star Wars. The Force Awakens cannot possibly repeat that trick, but it is – I am pleased to report – for the most part an enjoyable continuation of the Star Wars story, and certainly a vast improvement on the much maligned prequels.

Director JJ Abrams has so far managed to keep the plot entirely under wraps, so I am not going to discuss story specifics in this review. Instead, I will merely state that this looks and feel like an authentic Star Wars picture. The screenplay (by Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt) skillfully strips back the excesses of the prequels and returns to basics, delivering a streamlined, thrill-ride packed with excitement and adventure, albeit one that relies too heavily on nostalgia and plot beats reminiscent of the original film. In some cases, particularly towards the end, unfavourable comparisons with major Star Wars set pieces are invited, with one battle in particular lacking the nail-biting tension of it’s counterpart in the original film. That said, Abrams and co inject just enough originality, mystery, and intriguing plot threads that set up the next film to get away with the more blatant moments of homage/rehash (depending on how charitable one feels). Additionally, it is worth mentioning the film is surprisingly funny in places, which always helps.

The new characters are certainly far more engaging than those introduced in the prequels, though still loosely sketched enough to leave one craving deeper development in subsequent films. Said characters are depicted by Daisy Ridley, playing desert planet scavenger Rey, John Boyega, as AWOL stormtrooper Finn, Oscar Isaac, as daring X-wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron, and best of all Adam Driver’s splendid new villain Kylo Ren, whose character is easily the most three-dimensional and intriguing. Able support is provided by the likes of Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Lupita Nyong’o, Max von Sydow and Andy Serkis, with series regulars Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) returning, as well as the original big three: Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker – whose absence from all publicity material underscores a critical element of the plot). Han gets a very big role in this movie, with his character arc proving surprisingly pivotal. Oh – and there’s a really cool new droid in the form of BB-8, who looks set to become as iconic as his robotic predecessors.

Speaking of BB-8, it goes without saying that the special effects are first-rate, with Abrams relying largely on old-school models for the spaceships, prosthetics and puppetry for the monsters and aliens, and CGI sparingly, where no practical alternative is feasible. Visually this returns to the clean lines and simple but effective designs of the original saga, and the resultant movie is an absolute joy to look at. The film is also a feast for the ears, with iconic Star Wars sound effects guru Ben Burtt present and correct, and John Williams revisiting and expanding his musical masterpiece in fresh and fulfilling ways. It hardly needs saying but for goodness sake see this on the biggest screen possible.

The popularity of the Star Wars saga has often been attributed to its universally relatable themes. Certainly those themes are further explored here, including unlikely heroism, sacrifice, and how the mistakes of older generations can affect the younger. In one sense, The Force Awakens is about the choice between good and evil. At key points in the film, one character chooses to make a stand for what is right, whilst another deliberately chooses evil.

It is worth reiterating that Star Wars isn’t really science fiction at all, as these themes have always been more akin to its cousin genre fantasy. Lucas’s original guiding concept was “space fantasy” and there has always been an argument that Star Wars is essentially The Lord of the Rings in space. Certainly The Force Awakens remains true to this dynamic, and as such it would appear the future of the franchise is in good hands.

Ultimately The Force Awakens does exactly what it needs to: provide a joyful, satisfying, occasionally exhilarating adventure story for the entire family to enjoy. It could never be the groundbreaking movie that the original film was, but despite an overreliance on nostalgia, it is the must-see blockbuster for the festive season.

Funny, filthy and surprisingly touching summarises Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s new comedy Sisters. Essentially a variation on Animal House antics with a mid-life crisis twist, director Jason Moore’s comedy works surprisingly well.

Sisters Maura and Kate Ellis (Poehler and Fey respectively) discover to their dismay that their parents (James Brolin and Dianne Wiest) are selling their family home. Asked by their already moved out parents to clear their bedrooms, the sisters decide to throw a huge party for their forty-something friends in an effort to recapture lost youth and to give Maura a chance to let rip, since during their teenage years she was always the “designated Mum” at such events. Along the way potential love interest for the divorced Poehler crops up in the form of gardener and all-round handyman James (Ike Barinholtz). However, needless to say things get rapidly out of hand, with drug dealers and uninvited former high-school rivals complicating matters.

So far, so Animal House, Risky Business and so on. But Sisters is very, very funny, although it is worth being aware of the very strong language and what the BBFC calls “strong sexual references” that punctuate almost every scene. Amid the f-word ridden laughs the film does have genuine heart, with themes of forgiveness buried beneath the filth, as well as a touching central sibling relationship. Also the idea that the children of the main characters (Kate has a teenage daughter) are more responsible than their parents is a neat conceit which amusingly turns the genre dynamic on its head.

In short, although emphatically not for the easily offended, Sisters is a hoot.

The anarchic spirit of Gremlins is alive and well in Krampus, director Michael Dougherty’s wonderfully nasty tale of festive cheer gone very, very wrong. Satirical, funny and frightening, Krampus cuts through the glut of saccharine perpetuated by so many other Christmas movies. Ironically as a result it actually presents a far more potent Christmas message, essentially in the form of a very dark cautionary fairy tale.

The film opens with a superbly telling slow motion sequence of Christmas shoppers assaulting one another over purchases whilst “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” plays on the soundtrack. Scenes such as these have become all too familiar in recent years, and immediately the viewer begins to feel a sense of just why Krampus, the evil shadow of Saint Nicholas, might visit these people over Christmas, instead of Saint Nick himself.

That is exactly what young Max (the excellent Emjay Anthony) inflicts on his family, albeit unintentionally, when his truly ghastly relatives come to visit over Christmas. Humiliated into having the Christmas spirit driven from him, Max tears up his letter to Santa Claus and throws it out of the window, inadvertently summoning Krampus and his horrifying minions (including demon snowmen, some very nasty elves, cannibal clowns and nail gun wielding gingerbread men). Cut off by a horrific snowstorm with no electricity or heating, Max and his family are forced to defend their home as Krampus and his nasties start to pick them off one by one.

The film ends up being a well above average B-movie horror pic for several reasons. First the cast, which also includes Adam Scott and Toni Colette, all contribute winning performances. Visual effects are generally old school prosthetics and people in costume or masks, with minimal CGI. Dougherty balances the scares and laughs fairly well, and his direction is assured and atmospheric. The film echoes Gremlins in several key ways (including Krista Stadler’s wise old German grandmother, akin to the Keye Luke character in Gremlins) as well as other offbeat movies like Rare Exports.

Krampus shares a similar subtext to Gremlins – for example the idea of materialism, greed and selfishness crushing the true spirit of Christmas. In addition, the film has an implied Judeo-Christian undercurrent not only in its be-careful-what-you-wish-for narrative, but also references to Christmas being about sacrifice. In that sense, despite superficial trappings of pagan mythology, beneath the surface is a very good message that Christian viewers should cheer, as I have already indicated. Mind you, I doubt they will. This is a horror film after all.

All things considered, Krampus may not quite scale the impossible heights of Gremlins, but it does provide a pleasingly sharp alternative to sugary and unconvincing Christmas movies.

Johnny Depp seems determined to secure an Oscar nomination for his performance as notorious real life Boston criminal kingpin Whitey Bulger. I think perhaps he will, despite stiff competition, but I doubt Black Mass will actually win any awards. The film is good, but falls short of greatness for a number of reasons, not all of them dodgy wig related.

The plot follows Bulger’s rise to power throughout the late 1970s and early 80s. Brother to state senator Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch), Bulger became an FBI informant to get rid of a Mafia family invading his territory, in return for being left to his own devices. Bulger’s corrupt handler John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) also grew up with him and his brother, which leads others in the FBI – notably Charles McGuire (Kevin Bacon) and Brian Halloran (Peter Sarsgaard) – to take a dim view of their dubious arrangement.

“Solid” is the adjective I would generally use to describe both the direction from Scott Cooper and performances. Speaking of which, honourable mentions for Jesse Plemons, as well as the wasted Dakota Johnson and Juno Temple in a memorable bit-part. Good location work and sense of period also work in the film’s favour, and it is never less than gripping.

However, Black Mass overreaches in its unwise evocation of sequences from much better gangster pictures, most notably a moment which brings to mind the “Funny how?” scene from Goodfellas. This is always a very dangerous game to play, because it risks reminding the audience of the earlier, better film, and kindling within them a wish that they were watching it instead. Additionally the film concludes with a whimper rather than a bang, replete with the usual lazy here’s-what-happened-to-everyone-afterwards postscripts. I would have liked a bit more dramatic fire, as well as a bit more of an indication of what made Bulger tick. I should add that the violence is very gruesome in certain scenes, and the usual warning about swearing also applies. That said, I imagine the audience knows what to expect from this kind of film, and for that reason nothing felt gratuitous.

In the end, Black Mass works reasonably well, and if you are a fan of the genre it is worth checking out. But it is not the masterpiece some critics are proclaiming. There are a few dodgy wigs too.