A couple years ago, I was so excited for 2015’s releases that I could barely contain myself. However, as some release dates shifted (such as “Batman vs. Superman” jumping to March 2016 and developing everything from a bad subtitle to a bloated character slate) and some films simply failed to impress me as I hoped (I’m looking at you, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), things started to look grim.

Fortunately, 2015 got stronger as the year went by, and the bigger event films from later in the calendar started to catch my attention. My best-of-the-year list often impresses me because there’s a nice diversity of tent pole releases, award-bait movies and independent choices. This year is unique in that it sees two documentaries into the ranks, but it’s also somewhat typical because it includes a couple animation selections (which I tend to love) and of course the return of “Star Wars.” On to the best of 2015…
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