The Golden Globes have been awarded. Oscar nominations have been released. But now it's time for the awards that really count -- my annual Milo Awards for Best Movies, Actors, Directors and Songs.
This year there are six movies that really standout for me -- and another 10 or so that are truly outstanding. There is no common theme other than that they are engaging and well-crafted.
Note: I have seen most of this year's notable movies, but there are a few that are not included because I have not seen them, among them: Room, The Danish Girl, Steve Jobs, Trumbo and Anamolisa.
Here are my Milo Award winners:
BEST MOVIES (Top 20)
Winner: The Big Short -- This film about the 2008 financial crisis takes a topic that is almost incomprehensible, and not only explains it, but thanks to incredible writing, acting and directing, makes it a remarkably gripping and entertaining movie. Steve Carell and Christian Bale turn in remarkable performances.
2. Brooklyn -- This is the way romance movies should be made -- It's not just a boy/girl romance. The movie tells the story of an immigrant Irish girl in the early 1950s torn between her family and a known life of some comfort back in Ireland, and a life of uncertainty but unrestrained promise among strangers in Brooklyn. It's a choice between looking back and looking forward. This is tour de force by Saoirse Ronan, who is simply spellbinding, and deft directing by John Crowley who knows how to use Saoirse Ronan's eyes to tell a story.
3. Bridge of Spies -- This is storytelling at its best, an evocative and compelling story of the tension-filled years at the height of the Cold War. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are at their best. So is Mark Rylance as the multi-faceted Russian spy at the center of events. Based on a true story.
4. Chi-Raq -- Spike Lee's retelling of the Greek play Lysistrata in the context of urban gun violence in present-day Chicago is pure genius. The script is remarkable, the acting powerful, a the direction is spot on.
5. Straight Out of Compton -- This story of NWA, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Easy E is powerful, inspiring and tragic. The script and direction take a story that could have been a mess, or worse, a trite melodrama, and make it a powerful film.
6. Ex Machina -- Original. Suspenseful. Provocative. The best science fiction film in the past dozen years. Can't say more for fear of spoiling it. Just make sure you watch it.
7. Carol -- This too is a love story, but one between two women trapped in the world of 1950s New York. Cate Blanchette and Rooney Mara are outstanding in this deeply textured movie. The uncredited star of this movie is 1950s New York City. The only down side of this movie is the lack of joy at any point in any relationship.
8. Beasts of No Nation -- This is a brutal unforgettable film that follows a young boy caught up in the indecipherable political violence of central Africa. Idris Elba is the rebel commander and Abraham Attah is Abu, the boy whose family is killed by government troops. They were snubbed by the major awards, but their performances are griping. After his village is decimated, Abu wonders into a rebel camp where he is transformed into a soldier willing to kill on demand. But beneath the violence, he still remains a boy, and there is some hope in that. Streaming now on Netflix.
9. Creed -- Oh no! Someone trying to milk one more movie out of the tired Rocky series. That's what I thought. But good reviews convinced me to go see it. And I was blown away. This is a reboot that is better than any movie in the series except the original -- and it even gives the original Rocky a run for its money. Sylvester Stallone delivers the best performance of his career, and young Michael B. Jordan is outstanding.
10. Spotlight -- Perhaps the best inside journalism movie since All The President's Men some 40 years ago. It is the newspaper equivalent of a police procedural. Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo lead an excellent cast. But whether it's because we all know the end, or because we don't feel a real fear that the Catholic Church will hire a hitman to do away with the reporters to keep its secrets, the movie lacks a bit of tension.
11. Mad Max: Fury Road -- Another surprise for me. I didn't like the Mel Gibson original Mad Max movies -- except for Tina Turner. But this update drew me in from the start. It is well written, well paced, and the acting is top notch.
12. Room -- Highly regarded emotional drama. Brie Larson has won all the best actress awards, and she is very good. But the movie belongs to 8-year-old Jacob Tremblay.
13. The Revenant -- I know this won the Golden Globe for Best Drama. I put it this high on my list largely because of the performances by Leonardo DeCaprio and Tom Hardy. It is a well-made movie. But unlike t many movies on this list, I really don't have a desire to see it again.
14. The Martian -- This is Apollo 13 meets Castaway. Matt Damon does a great job of injecting a bit of believable humor into his dire situation. But did we really think we were going to sit through a 2+ hour movie only to have the guy who was on camera 90% of the time die in the end?
15. Tangerine -- This movie got a lot of publicity for being entirely filmed with an iPhone. But it deserved attention for far more than this technical oddity. A transgender prostitute is released from jail on Christmas Eve, and spends the day seeking out her cab driver / pimp who has cheated on her while she was in jail. Meanwhile, the cabby is trying to keep his secret life from his family and particularly a disbelieving snooping mother-in-law from the old country. It is a slice of street life, with fascinating characters that take you through a range of emotions from sadness, to anger, to isolation. It also includes perhaps the funniest scene of any movie I've seen this year. Streaming now on Netflix.
16. Trainwreck -- Rude, crude and pee-your-pants funny. I'm not a big fan of comedies, but the struggles of Amy Schumer's flawed character clicked with me.
17. Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- The biggest money-maker in film history takes its place as a deserving part of the Star Wars legend. But tell the truth -- didn't it seem like you had seen this movie before a long time ago in a theater far far away?
18. The Walk -- Having already seen the award-winning documentary Man on Wire about this same event, I wondered if it would hold my attention. It did. Warning: If you have vertigo, this may not be the best movie for you. I actually flinched at one point when he was on the wire -- something I never do in theaters.
19. Spectre -- I know that reviews of this last and perhaps final installment of the Daniel Craig version of James Bond didn't set critics on fire. But I really liked this, particularly as a concluding segment to Craig's Bond. For those of us who have been Bond fans since the beginning, and have a love affair with the character as created by Ian Fleming in the books and Sean Connery in the movies, this was a nice way to wrap things up -- until the next Bond comes along.
20. Man from UNCLE -- This was one of the most delightful surprises of this year. Those in charge wisely elected to keep the movie set in the 1960s, as was the original television series. The action is fun and exciting, and unlike all the Mission Impossible movies, the plot is not so convoluted as to defy understanding. This is just plain old movie fun.
21. Mr. Holmes - Ian McKellen brings to life an elderly Sherlock Holmes after WWII, now concerned with his failing intellect, and being looked after by a housekeeper and her son. It's a movie more about aging and regrets than solving a mystery, although that is there, too.
22. Far From the Madding Crowd -- This is like a richly woven tapestry. A wonderful version of the Thomas Hardy classic. Carey Mulligan and Tom Sturride play the star-crossed loves who cannot cross the societal barrier into being lovers.
23. Dark Places -- This second movie made from Gyllian Flynn's books far outpaces Gone Girl. The story centers on a girl who was the sole witness and only survivor of a family massacre for which her brother was convicted. Now an adult and in need of money, she turns to a group that has an unhealthy interest in sensational crimes. The movie is very true to the book, and Charlize Theron's performance is riveting.
Other movies of note: Paddington, Inside Out, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, A Walk in the Woods
Most Disappointing Movie of the Year:
Joy -- Okay, I know it got a Golden Globe Nomination and Jennifer Lawrence won the award for Best Actress (Musical or Comedy). But there was no joy in this movie, outside of Bradley Cooper's performance. The script was nonsensical.
Worst Movie of the Year:
Sicario -- A lot of critics liked this for some reason. But the entire scenario just didn't make sense. Is the CIA really going to take along an FBI agent as a witness when it sets up a plan to start assassinating people, including families? Is the CIA going to stand by while a rogue criminal threatens to kill an FBI agent? One word comes to mind: contrived.
Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio -- The Revenant
Tom Hanks - Bridge of Spies
Matt Damon - The Martian
Michael B. Jordan - Creed
Steve Carell - The Big Short
Abraham Attah - Beasts of No Nation
Best actress --
Winner: Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn
Cate Blanchette - Carol
Amy Schumer - Trainwreck
Brie Larson - Room
Charlize Theron - Dark Places / Mad Max
Best supporting actor --
Winner: Sylvester Stallone - Creed
Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Tom Hardy - The Revenant
Christian Bale - The Big Short
Idris Elba - Beasts of No Nation
Jacob Tremblay -- Room
Nick Nolte -- A Walk in the Woods
Best Supporting Actress:
Winner: Rooney Mara - Carol
Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina
Mary Steenburgen - A Walk in the Woods
Joan Allen -- Room
Olivia Cook - Me and Earl and the Dying
Best Supporting Actor (Non-Human):
The Bear -- The Relevant
Best Cameo:
LeBron James - Trainwreck (He was VERY funny)
Best Director:
John Crowley - Brooklyn
Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant
Todd Haynes -- Carol
Adam McKay -- The Big Short
Alex Garland -- Ex Machina
Lenny Abrahamson -- Room
Best Song:
Winner: See You Again - Furious 7 (Inexplicably not even nominated for Oscar)
Writing's on the Wall (Sam Smith) - Spectre (Likely Oscar winner)
Love Me Like You Do (Ellie Goulding) - Fifty Shades of Grey
Til It Happens To You (Lady Gaga) - The Hunting Ground”
The 2002 movie is more richly textured. It features an Oscar-nominated (and deservedly so) performance by Michael Caine as a jaundiced aging British reporter trying to hold on to his relationship with a young Vietnamese girl. Brandon Frasier is the quiet American, a CIA operative posing as an economic development attache'. 
