Best Performances: Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock (also: my revised list of Top 20 Films of 2015)

It's always fun to re-evaluate actors and actresses. In the past few years watching more of these two actors' film work has gained me a new appreciation of their talents. Which just goes to show you can't always base your liking of thespians on first impressions (which for me was unfortunately, 'The Proposal'. Ugh, dreadful film.)

Ryan Reynolds

5. Buried

Certainly no Locke but I would say that's more due to the unimaginative direction and problematic concept--a character being buried alive makes for a great set-piece (see: Kill Bill Vol. 2) but dragged on through a whole film, it loses a great deal of its momentum. I can't fault Reynolds at all for his efforts here though as he gives an invested, realtistic performance that carries what little substance his film has. Within extreme limitations, he doesn't quite pull off a Tom Hardy with his one-man show but I would say with better material, he could've come close.

4. Definitely, Maybe

Reynolds plays Will, a father in the midst of a divorce who tells his daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) the story of how he met her mother. It's effectively a sort of precursor to How I Met Your Mother in that the twist here is that he tells stories of his different relationships with three women (played by Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Rachel Weisz) and turns his lovelife into a sort of a love mystery, as the audience tries to guess who was the mother. Reynolds is wonderfully charismatic and endearing as the starry-eyed, idealistic Will of the past and shares a great deal of chemistry, with the right sort of variations between his three female co-stars to suggest a different sort of dynamic with each of them. His most impressive scenes however are the present-day scenes with Breslin where he shows such a heartfelt, fatherly tenderness with Breslin as well as the right degree of maturity brought about by his experiences. It's not the most complex role or film ever, but Reynolds gives a very strong performance that perfectly encapsulates his appeal as a leading man. 

3. The Voices

This is an odd film which runs the very thin line between black comedy, and pure malevolence. I won't say it quite succeeds in avoiding being a mean-spirited and cruel film, but Reynolds is a hoot in it as Jerry, an Average Joe with a crush on his co-worker, who's unfortunately guided in his affairs of the heart by his evil, talking pets: an evil cat and a well-meaning dog, voiced by...Reynolds. The vocal work he does here for the two pets is just great, with the cat  Mr Whiskers he has this menacing, Scottish-esque drawl and with the dog Bosco he employs an unrecognizable deep, heartfelt voice. They're absolutely uprarious. As Jerry himself Reynolds gives a very convincing portrayal of a deeply damaged man who's genuinely trying to do the right thing, and Reynolds' moving portrayal of this predicament makes one sympathize with the character even if one finds his actions, and the film in general, a bit off-putting an repulsive. 

2. Deadpool

Clearly the role he was born to play. Need I say more?

1. Mississippi Grind

Re-watching this a few days ago I'm astounded at how strongly Reynolds' performance has stayed with me. As an ultimate 'people person' Curtis, an extreme extroverted poker player who just also happens to be the most charming, quick-witted and endearing character in any room at any point, Reynolds has never been a more likable presence. He brings it all into the role and makes it so obvious how he and the down-on-his-luck Gerry (an incredible Ben Mendelsohn) become fast friends so quickly. This is a gambling film, but despite having little to no knowledge about the intricacies of poker I thoroughly loved the film due to the chemistry between Mendelsohn and Reynolds as they, alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel in The End of the Tour, present two pairs of characters from 2015 films I just loved watching interact onscreen, and talking, talking, talking just about anything. Mendelsohn has the role with the stronger dramatic heft, and he's amazing, but Reynolds is no slouch either. He invigorates not only Gerry but the film with such dynamic energy and utilises all his charm as an actor to give a great, heartfelt performance. 

Sandra Bullock

5. The Heat

Not the most complex comedy ever and I must confess beyond Bridesmaids I'm finding Melissa McCarthy's schtick a bit over-exposed, but I liked her a great deal here and a great deal of credit for her appeal in this must go to Bullock. Bullock gives her a great 'straight man' to work with as she's so convincing as a 'badass' cop and gives the role 100% conviction, making it all the funnier when she pratfalls and gets in on the comedic fun. Just a thoroughly enjoyable perforamnce, though not the best example of her comedic talents. 

4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

A fairly limited role in the grand scheme of the film, but one which leaves a great deal of impact. Alongside Max Von  Sydow she acts as the film's beating heart. Where the film falters a bit as an exploration of a child's reactions to the aftermath of 9/11, Bullock manages to salvage some genuinely heartbreaking moments through her mostly reactive performance as the mother of the protagonist Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn). Her little side story within the margins of the film is a very effectively portrayal of a grieving mother struggling to connect with her son, and makes the ending of the film far more moving than it should've been. 

3. The Lake House

Bullock and Keanu Reeves made an endearing couple in Speed and here they're just as good together as a pair of lovers literally divided by time. I won't go into explaining the whole concept of time in this film as it's frankly a bit problematic and doesn't make a lot of sense, I didn't really mind though as those things aren't really one looks for in a romantic film of this sort. Anyway, though I like Reeves just fine as an actor in his breezier roles, and find him quite great in the likes of A Scanner Darkly, John Wick and Thumbsucker, I'll be the first to admit that he's nor the best at finding the dramatic heft of the role (although again that's besides A Scanner Darkly and John Wick) requires, but it doesn't matter here because he has Ms Bullock who does similarly to what she did in Extremely Loud, give a heartfelt, moving and emotional performance that helps sell the relationship. She has some particularly outstanding moments, including a scene where she's stood up in a restaurant, and a heartwrenching break down at the titular lake house. Despite not really sharing much in the way of scnes together she and Reeves make the central long-distance relationship resonate very strongly. 

2. Miss Congeniality

Just a really fun performance and like Reynolds, the role she was born to play as the smart, astute and incredibly competent secret agent forced to go undercover as a beauty pageant contestant. I like the film just fine but Bullock is great in depicting this rather hilarious, sweet journey of Gracie Hart. 

1. Gravity

Now this is a performance I'd like to wait a bit longer before going too extensively into, as it's taken a few re-watches for me to truly appreciate its brilliance. Gravity is a masterclass in direction and cinematography, as it so brilliantly conveys the tension of an astronaut stranded in space. The whole film is one long, extended set-piece and it works incredibly well, but all the directorial flourishes and stylistic innovations would have been wasted had the leading performance of Bullock been anything short of great. Well, surprise, surprise, Bullock is great. She remarkably conveys the nervousness of Ryan Stone's first space mission alongside a burgeoning friendship with Matt Kowalski (George Clooney who I actually liked a great deal even with his limited screentime), and when the situation begins to go dire she never wastes a single moment in her performance to show the incredible strain and intensity of her situation reflected in her physical performance. Emotionally, it's the greatest she's ever been as she gradually unravels her character's background and tragedy, and compels us to root for her. Bullock never gets lost in the epic scope of the film and instead enhances it, and stands out as a truly great performance. 

Also, after re-watching Missisipi Grind and watching Anomalisa, and Son of Saul, here are my revised list of top 20 films of 2015:

1. Carol (5/5)
2. Brooklyn (5/5)
3. Creed (5/5)
4. Mad Max: Fury Road (5/5)
5. The Hateful Eight (5/5)
6. The Martian (5/5)
7. The End of the Tour (5/5)
8. Mississippi Grind (5/5)
9. Room (5/5)
10. Ex Machina (5/5)
11. Mr Holmes (5/5)
12. Bridge of Spies (5/5)
13. Sicario (5/5)
14. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (4.5/5)
15. Son of Saul (4.5/5)
16. Anomalisa (4.5/5)
17. Spotlight (4.5/5)
18. Bone Tomahawk (4.5/5)
19. Inside Out (4.5/5)
20. The Gift (4.5/5)
21. Far From the Madding Crowd (4/5)
22. Pawn Sacrifice (4/5)
23. The Revenant (4/5)
24. Beasts of No Nation (4/5)
25. Straight Outta Compton (4/5)
26. Spectre (4/5)
27. The Lady in the Van (4/5)
28. Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation (4/5)
29. The Man From U.N.C.L.E (3.5/5)
30. Legend (3.5/5)
31. Trumbo (3.5/5)
32. Suffragette (3.5/5)
33. Black Mass (3.5/5)
34. Cinderella (3.5/5)
35. Ant-Man (3.5/5)
36. The Danish Girl (3.5/5)
37. 45 Years (3.5/5)
38. Paper Towns (3.5/5)
39. Spy (3.5/5)
40. Concussion (3.5/5)
41. Fast and Furious 7 (3.5/5)
42. Mistress America (3.5/5)
43. Ted 2 (3.5/5)
44. Crimson Peak (3/5)
45. Steve Jobs (3/5)
46. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II 
47. Everest (3/5)
48. Macbeth (3/5)
49. Danny Collins (3/5)
50. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (3/5)
51. The Lobster (3/5)
52. American Ultra (3/5)
53. The Walk (2.5/5)
54. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2.5/5)
55. Trainwreck (2.5/5)
56. The Program (2.5/5)
57. Life (2.5/5)
58. Woman in Gold (2.5/5)
59. Victor Frankenstein (2.5/5)
60. Pan (2.5/5)
61. Jurassic World (2.5/5)
62. Suite Française (2.5/5)
63. Child 44 (2.5/5)
64. Focus (2.5/5)
65. The Gunman (2.5/5)
66. Slow West (2.5/5)
67. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl (2.5/5) 
68. Southpaw (2/5)
69. Youth (2/5)
70. Pitch Perfect 2 (1.5/5)
71. Chappie (1.5/5)
72. Terminator Genisys (1.5/5)
73. Mortdecai (1.5/5)
74. Fantastic Four (1/5)
75. Fifty Shades of Gray (1/5)
76. Jupiter Ascending (0)