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Summer 2015’s Top Movies

A&E analyzes the top ten summer box office hits

The summer movie season had a diverse mix of big-budget blockbusters, comedies and smaller indie films. Some thrilled the senses and captivated the imagination, while others disappointed. As moviegoers trade blockbusters for Oscar bait, it’s a good time to take stock of the best films this summer had to offer. For the sake of this list, “summer” will be defined as the first weekend of May up to the last weekend in August, excluding movies like “Furious 7” and “Ex Machina” that debuted in April.

1. “Inside Out”

Not only the best movie of the summer, “Inside Out” is also the best of the year so far. The film is quintessential Pixar, with a powerful story about growing up and embracing sadness — simultaneously personal yet universally relatable. The voice cast is stellar, and the setting inside the mind makes for some of the most creative and out-there moments of any Pixar movie.

2. “ Mad Max: Fury Road”

From its insane action scenes to its thoughtful story, this franchise revival shows that there is room for creativity within pre-existing properties. While Tom Hardy stars as the titular character, Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa steals the show. This movie also gave us the Doof Warrior — the flamethrowing guitarist and the coolest movie character of the year.

3. “ Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”

This Sundance Film Festival hit sports a very quirky, Wes Anderson-esque style that sets it apart from other high school coming-of-age stories. The core story is excellent, impactful, and thogtons of heart for a fresh spin on the high-school coming of age story, when an awkward kid who prides himself on being invisible in a sea of high school cliques is forced into a real relationship with a girl diagnosed with cancer.

4. “ Spy”

Full of silly mayhem, this film is a downright hilarious spoof of spy movies that never lets up. The smartest move was in making Melissa McCarthy’s undervalued desk agent an excellent spy in her own right — making for her best performance since “Bridesmaids” — while Jason Statham’s character could tell absurd tough-guy stories forever.

5. “Straight Outta Compton”

The NWA story is given an electric telling while touching on still-relevant themes like free speech and police brutality. The movie’s greatest is in allowing the origins of NWA’s music to jump out in all its gritty realism — making the group’s subsequent success and influence after they broke up feel rightfully earned.

6. “Trainwreck”

Amy Schumer’s first big screen project hit all the right notes. The film provided Schumer a platform to showcase her comedic chops with the screenplay as well as her surprising range of acting, as the film’s star The cherry on top of Judd Apatow’s direction and a great ensemble is Lebron James’ hilarious supporting turn as a fictionalized version of himself.

7. “Dope”

This is a great stereotype-busting coming-of-age story set in “The Bottoms” neighborhood in Inglewood, where a drug deal gone wrong threatens a geek student’s chances of going to Harvard. High energy and a great cast propel this Sundance release.

8. “Jurassic World”

Sure, it has its issues (high heels, anyone?), but there’s a good reason “Jurassic World” broke box office records this summer — it’s a whole lot of fun for anyone at the movies. Colin Trevorrow channels vintage Spielberg in crafting a thrilling update of the original classic that features a great mix of new ideas and callbacks to the original.

9. “Love & Mercy”

“Love & Mercy” presents a great exploration into the life of Brian Wilson, from his musical genius to his mental struggles. Paul Dano and John Cusack both give excellent performances as Wilson at different stages in his life — first as he creates landmark music and later in his struggles with mental illness while under the abuse of a manipulating psychologist. The scenes depicting the creation of “Pet Sounds” are a highlight.

10. “The End of the Tour”

A quiet and low-key movie that showcases the great pairing of Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel, with Segel starring influential author David Foster Wallace. Their conversations about modern life and consumerism, even though set in the mid-1990s, still ring true today and provoke solid thought.

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