‘Carol’, ‘Mad Max’ lead AP’s top 10 movies of the year

Associated Press film writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr’s favorite movies of the year span blockbusters, arthouse films and, yes, even Star Wars.

Jake Coyle 

1. Carol, Todd Haynes’s gorgeous 1950s film with a dreamy score about hidden romance.

2. About Elly, an Iranian psychological thriller from Asghar Farhad, set in a Caspian Sea resort.

3. Phoenix, a haunting, Hitchcockian drama set in post-World War II Germany, directed by Christian Petzold.

4. Spotlight, Tom McCarthy’s workmanlike procedural about the Boston Globe’s investigation into the Catholic Church.

5. Chi-Raq and 99 Homes, issue films from Spike Lee and Ramin Bahrani that bristle with palpable rage.

6. Stray Dog, Debra Granik’s documentary about a haunted, motorcycle-riding Vietnam veteran with American history written all over him.

7. Anomalisa, stop-motion animation from screenwriter Charlie Kauffman that captures more soulful emotions than most films even contemplate.

8. Creed and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fun yet respectful restorations of the durable American cinematic myths Rocky and Star Wars, born six months apart in the late 1970s.

9. 45 Years, Andrew Haigh’s disquieting drama about a longtime married couple.

10. Diary of a Teenage Girl and Testament of Youth, two tender coming-of-age stories, worlds apart, led by tremendous newcomers.

Honorable mentions: Heart of a Dog; Bridge of Spies; 71; Mad Max: Fury Road; Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter; Going Clear; Inside Out; It Follows; and The Salt of the Earth. 

Lindsey Bahr 

1. Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller’s riveting, post-apocalyptic action film.

2. Clouds of Sils Maria, Olivier Assayas’s brilliant and atmospheric drama about art, life, and aging.

3. Ex Machina, a thrilling and intense sci-fi spectacle from Alex Garland.

4. Tangerine, Sean Baker’s boisterous and alive story about transgender sex workers.

5. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, the spellbinding tale of a Japanese girl who believes that the Coen brothers’ 1996 film Fargo is real.

6. Brooklyn, about an Irish immigrant girl in early-1950s New York just figuring out what she wants in life.

7. The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Marielle Heller’s story about a girl who gets swept up in an affair with her mother’s boyfriend.

8. Carol, Todd Haynes’s exquisitely composed romance involving a 1950s shop girl and the housewife she falls for.

9. The Big Short, a darkly humorous film from Adam McKay about the collapse of the American housing bubble.

10. Spy, Paul Feig’s riotously funny comedy with heart that serves as a perfect showcase for the talents of Melissa McCarthy.

Honorable mentions: The Hateful Eight, Steve Jobs, Spotlight, The Mend, Love & Mercy, Sicario, I’ll See You In My Dreams, and 45 Years. AP