Saint Mort’s Top 10 Movies That I Finally Saw In 2015!

I’m not known for seeing movies in theaters, and more often than not I end up seeing the films years (sometimes decades) after they’ve been released. Because of this I struggle to make “best of” lists. Instead of telling you about the top 10 movies of 2015 for Matt “Saint Mort” Kelly (which honestly most likely will contain 85% of the same films everyone else has in their list) I decided to discuss the Top 10 Movies I Discovered in 2015

10) Miami Connection  (1987)

I wish I could explain anything about Miami Connection. It’s a confusing Kung-Fu Musical Comedy? That question mark is intentional. I’ve never been more confused by a movie. I remember I watched this with friends, I remember I loved every second of it but I struggle to be able to find a way to explain the plot in any way, shape or form. Just trust me… it’s incredible.

9) Paul Williams Still Alive (2011)

Paul Williams is probably one of your favorite songwriters and more likely than not you have no clue who he is. While this isn’t as great at the music documentary “Who is Harry Nilsson (And why is everybody talkin about him)” it is another fantastic look at an incredibly underrated singer/songwriter. A few years ago when I first saw Who is Harry Nilsson I became a massive Nilsson fan and started buying all his albums. Paul Williams was the Harry Nilsson of 2015 for me. I already liked a bunch of his songs (he even wrote Rainbow Connection my favorite song of all time) but this doc introduced me deeper into his discography. The film dabs in obsessive fan-fiction obsessionism but at the end of the day it’s about a man who choose the simple life instead of continuing to be a celebrity.

8) Commando (1985)

How the hell did I take 30 years to see Commando? This movie is what dumb action films were all about. It’s a fast-paced, fun and frantic action film packed with over the top violence and shitty one liners. Chances are I’m the last person on Earth to have seen this so I’m not going to waste too much time going any deeper than this.

7) The Final Girls (2015)

This is one of the few films released this year that I saw this year. It is a mega-meta horror film about a group of friends who get trapped in a shitty Friday the 13th knock-off film. It’s up to them to use their knowledge of slasher films to survive. While it’s not the love letter that Scream was, the movie is still hyper-self aware of the horror but also has the Wet Hot American Summer comedic touch. It’s not a perfect horror comedy, but it’s a very good horror comedy.

6) Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Every once and a while you watch a movie because you feel like you’re supposed to. Usually you go into the movie with low expectations and they absolutely blow you away. A few years ago Fame was that movie for me… this year it was Saturday Night Fever. I saw the film was available on Netflix and decided what the hell. I was blown away by not just the story but how amazingly cinematic it was. There were definitely downsides to this movie. The rape element of the story isn’t very necessary but beyond that it’s a great film.

5) Crimewave (1985)

I feel like of all the films on this list this might be the least well known of them, which is ridiculous. This is a film written by the Coen Brothers and directed by a post-Evil Dead pre-Evil Dead 2 Sam Raimi. It was one of the most unique and bizarre films I’ve ever seen. There aren’t words to properly summarize the plot-line. At it’s core… it’s a crime film but it plays like a Marx Brothers comedy mixed with live action cartoon. One of my all-time favorite movies is Freaked. I have no doubt in my mind that Alex Winter and Tom Stern were aiming to make their own Crimewave with their infamous 1993 comedy.

4) Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)

Every Thursday I host Weird Ass Movie Night at my house. It’s an event where a group of friends get together to watch a film together. Usually the movie comes from my horrible selection (I don’t have the moniker “Proprietor of all that is shit” for nothing) but every so often one of the movie night attendees steps up with a film. Hard Ticket to Hawaii came from my friend Cloar. I had heard legend of this movie, Paste Magazine named it the #1 “so bad it’s good” movie … they did not oversell that title. This film is bonkers. It follows a gang of female secret agents trying to find snakes injected with AIDS to stop them from infecting Hawaii… or something. There’s a ton of nudity, there’s ridiculous death scenes (including two internet famous scenes involving skateboarding with a blow-up doll & a razorblade frisbee) and there were at least two moments in the film where my entire basement gave the film a standing ovation. Buy this movie, call up some friends and have a great time.

3) Found (2012)

I first heard of Found through the Killer POV podcast, the premise grabbed my attention so I checked it out as soon as it was available on Netflix. I loved this movie. It left me feeling unsettled, which isn’t something many horror movies have done. It’s not the best film in history by a long shot. The acting is bad and the story goes a little long… but at the end of the day it’s a great concept that ends on one of the most unsettling final shots I’ve ever seen.

2) Electric Boogaloo: The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)

I love documentaries about film. I fucking LOVE them. I’ve watched the 4 hour “Never Sleep Again” more times than I can count. I love weird “Behind the scenes” stories. That’s what Electric Boogaloo is… 90+ minutes of weird “Behind the Scenes” stories. Depending on your taste in cinema Cannon gave you some of your favorite … or your least favorite movies of all time. Ever want to find out how the hell movies like Superman IV, Lifeforce and Masters of the Universe were made? This film will answer it all (but quick spoiler alert … cocaine).

1) Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Not only was Phantom of the Paradise my favorite film I discovered in 2015… it was also the film I watched the most this year. I made so many people watch this movie, it’s not even funny. I love this film, I quote this film, I listen to this films soundtrack on the reg. Phantom of the Paradise is a demented 70’s musical from Brian De Palma. It tells a rock-n-roll version of the Phantom of the Opera while mixing in elements of Faust and Portrait of Dorian Grey. It stars Paul Williams and features original music by him. It features a character named Beef who is legitamitely the greatest character in film history. That’s all I’m gonna give you. If you’ve seen it… you’re part of the legion of fans… if you haven’t it’s time you join our weird cult of Phantom fans!