The 14 Best Movies of 2015

This romantic indie had a quiet release this Fall, but for those who sought out the tale of a young Irish woman (Saoirse Ronan) who immigrates to 1950s Brooklyn, NY, the reward was great. Ronan's performance isn't flashy; she just is Eilis, someone who's discovering independence, backbone, and romantic love for the first time. Anyone who's ever been homesick or in love can relate, and happily, the movie is now getting lots of award recognition, as it should.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried during Furious 7. You know why? Because not only is it an excellent tribute to the late Paul Walker, but it's also a superbly constructed action film. This franchise has done the impossible by getting better (and yes, more ridiculous) with every installment. The fact that Kurt Russell shows up in this one might make it the best one since the original.

Room split me in two and then put me back together, which is not what I was expecting from a story about a woman who is imprisoned for a decade by a sadist, raped, and forced to raise her child in a tiny shed. But not only is the heinous tale handled delicately, stars Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay wholeheartedly throw themselves into the roles, giving us a mother-son relationship unlike anything you've ever seen — and two performances that are going to be talked about for years.

Every moviegoer needs to make time for a theater experience that's just plain fun, and Magic Mike XXL certainly was that (in additon to being very, very sexy). Making up for the (slow, melodramatic) shortcomings of the first movie, Channing Tatum and the boys danced their ways into our hearts yet again, with better moves, funnier jokes, and a more lighthearded vibe all around. Oh, and they made us all feel like queens while doing so.

Not that into Star Wars? It doesn't matter. This film will not only please diehard fans, but those of us who have only had a passing interest in the franchise. While there's a lot to know if you really want to get into it, you can also pick up right where the story starts and get ready for a fantastic movie. It's the Star Wars movie women have been waiting for, and it's worth the wait.

Expecting a Pixar movie to be good is a foregone conclusion at this point, but somehow, the animation powerhouse managed to one-up itself with Inside Out. By making emotions the star, the animated movie both went high concept and gave voices to the inner feelings of all people, adult and child. It helped that those voices were that of Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Mindy Kaling, so there's just as much humor in those feelings.

You know what sounds kind of boring? A movie about a guy who uses a lot of science to survive on Mars by himself. You know what's not boring? The Martian, a movie about just that. Of course, a lot of the movie owes its charm to star Matt Damon, but the writing is brilliant thanks to the original bestseller it's based on. It's been nominated for several Golden Globes, so if you're still wavering, it's time to pull the trigger.

Kingsman: The Secret Service made it onto our list of underrated movies from 2015, but it's worth bringing up again. This little action movie owes much of its charm to leads Colin Firth and Taron Egerton (who we're obsessed with) as a secret agent and his young protégé. The story is tightly woven, the jokes are rapid-fire, and the action sequences rival some Bond films.

Not only is Trainwreck the best romantic comedy of the year, but it's one of the best movies of the year, period. Amy Schumer's big film debut didn't disappoint, with her script just building on the dirty/brilliant legacy her comedy series Inside Amy Schumer had already established. It also subverted the usual mainstream comedy expectations with a lot of realness, such as her father's battle with MS (one of Schumer's true-to-life references). It seems extremely just that Schumer is getting the awards recognition she deserves.

Alicia Vikander is garnering a lot of award season buzz for her role in The Danish Girl, which is great, but you really need to see her in Ex Machina. She plays an advanced AI (aka an artificially intelligent robot), a creation of a mysterious billionaire. A young man (Domhnall Gleeson) comes to test her, but it's hard to determine who is really testing whom. The twists in this movie will keep you on the edge of your seat; it's truly not like any other recent film.

It's unfortunate that the first thing you have to do when telling people about this movie is defend it. Yes, it's written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, but it's good, I swear! It's also both funny and terrifying, so your emotions will be all over the place watching this flick about kids visiting their estranged grandparents. I urge you to experience it for yourself, but if you want to ruin it, go ahead.

The subject matter of Spotlight is a hard pill to swallow — it explores the Catholic Church's cover-up of decades of molestation by the clergy. But since the lens is through a small group of Boston reporters (including Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams), it becomes a taut journalism drama, fast-paced and fascinating. No single performance is flashy, and instead the ensemble is a team made stronger by the sum of its parts.

It's tough to make a good holiday movie. Often they can be too sappy or just straight-up bad, but The Night Before is the perfect antidote to all the Christmas movies that will make you cry. Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie play a trio of best friends on their annual night out before Christmas. Rogen steals the show as an expectant father who's in the middle of a drug-induced psychotic break. It's funnier than it sounds.

Who knew this reboot of an '80s action thriller would actually be a feminist epic? Tom Hardy may be the titular character, but it's Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa who's the hero. She — along with the clan of women she brings to safety from an oppressive patriarch — redefines the female role in action movies. Now we just need more films like this.