Best films of 2015: Mad Max, Spotlight, Ex Machina and more make Eli Glasner's cut

Here we arehurtling towards 2016, another year almost behind us. Onscreen, thesame patterns continue; the movies get bigger, with celluloid withering away as 3D reigns supreme. But behind the blockbusters and formulaic franchises, there wereas always flickering bright spots:Movies that brought new life into old genres, love stories of aching emotion and moments of humanity to help us make sense of this chaotic world. Here are the movies that moved and inspired me most in 2015. Enjoy.

Spotlight

One of the amazing things about awell-made film is itsability to concentrate and condense a complex story, bringingthe audience into a tightly knit community and distilling acomplicated case into a single, two-hour journey. Spotlight is a film that does exactlythat. Amovie about thebattlebetween the Catholic Church and the reporters of the Boston Globe, it progressesat breakneck speed, yet there's a richness there as well in thedrudgeryof building a case in awhispered word in a barbetween friends as theChurch appliespressure. This is a battle of institutions, each wounded in a different way. That director Tom McCarthy managed to make Spotlight so rivetingis atestamentto his understated talent.

Mad Max: Fury Road

A film with a furious momentum,little dialogue anda cinematic language all its own, Fury Road is a reminder of what happens when you replace computer effects with rust,guts and glory.If director George Miller's sequel was just an empty-headed action film, it would be impressive. However,aterse Tom Hardy andCharlizeTheronas weary warrior seeking redemption raise Mad Maxto a masterpiece.

Tangerine

An independentfilm set as aday-in-the-life of twotransgenderworking girls, the topicality of Tangerine might seem a little too earnest at first glance. But there'snothingprecious about AlexandraandSin-dee,who eke out a living on the Sunset Strip. Shot in a loose and lively style oniPhones(!),Tangerine offers no apologizes. But walk a mile inSin-dee'sheelsand you'll see the world differently.

In Her Place

Set in the ruralcountryside of South Korea,In HerPlace beginsquietlyandbuilds to a harrowing conclusion. With this story revolving aroundadoption,a young woman and her parents,Canadianrising star filmmaker AlbertShin takes his time to untangle the relationships onscreen. The performances areviceraland the result isunforgettable.

The Big Short

There is arighteoussense of indignation that motivates The Big Short, a wildly entertainingdramedysetagainstthe 2008financialcrisis. Where too many other films about Wall St. feature self-important heroes bendingthe world to their wills, leave it to AnchormanauteurAdamMcKaytogivethe bigbanks the treatment they deserve. You will learn,laugh and ifMcKayhas his way get very, very angry.

Brooklyn

Saoirse Ronan is her name and it's hightime you learned how to pronounce it ("SIR-sha,"rhymes with inertia). You'll behearing it a lot more often, this time thanks to herold-fashioned romance that'sgrander than the ocean that divides the drama'slovers.

Ex Machina

A chamber piece starring three of this year's most exciting performers (Alicia Vikander, Oscar Issac and Domhnall Gleeson), the stunningly sophisticated Ex Machina afirst featurefrom Alex Garlandis a sounding board for our own assumptions.Atalented programmer interviews an A.I. program with a sexy silhouetteand subroutine drawn from our own desires.

Paddington

Paddington is back and has the soul of Buster Keaton in this delightful retelling, starringeveryone's favourite bear from Peru. A film filled with slapstick, artful touches and Nicole Kidman's best work in years, Paddington is astory about immigration and creating family where you find it.

Timbuktu

Filled with moments ofsearing beauty and gentle absurdity, Timbuktu puts a human face on ISIS, showing the jihadistgroup infiltratinga West African village. The scene depicting agroup of boys playing soccer, without a ball for fear of invoking the group's wrath,is one of the most powerfully poetic moments caught on film thisyear.

The Last 5 Years

It quietly slipped off the radar in 2015, but this musical starring Anna Kendrick was everything Pitch Perfect 2 should have been:awildly inventive, non-linear love story and the best example of her screwball talents. Check out this Summer in Ohio performance to get a glimpse of the film's irreverentwit and style.Unlikemany musicals, The Last 5 Years grabs the camera by the lens and never lets go. This is your next favourite cult musical.