I love all the end-of-the-year movie wrap-ups that pop up as New Year’s Eve approaches and I want to join in the fun but I always feel compelled to state the painfully obvious caveats. Besides just being personal opinions (duh — but the word “best” always sticks in my craw), most lists are invalidated by the fact that few of the people writing them have seen every film released during the year in question. God knows, I haven’t — I’m aghast at some of the films that slipped through the cracks for me even though I’ve probably seen more than the typical moviegoer.

Last year I had a frontrunner that was far and away my favorite film of 2014 (Richard Linklater’s Boyhood) but in the absence of that, I’m just going to post my current ten favorite films of the year in alphabetical order, not by rank. For added fun, I’m putting the current domestic gross for each film (as of today) in parentheses, followed by the number of theaters the film played during its widest release. Believe me, I am NOT making a link between box office success and the quality of the film, far from it, but I think it’s interesting to look at. Note that a few of the films on my list opened over the holidays and will undoubtedly end up with MUCH higher box office numbers as they move to wider releases in January. There were a lot of great documentaries this year, too, but I’ll put those on a separate list.

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The Ten Best Films of 2015 (in alphabetical order)

Brooklyn ($18.6M, 947). The always great Soairse Ronan is exquisite in this lush 1952 period piece about a young woman immigrating from Ireland to Brooklyn. Nick Hornby wrote the screenplay based on Colm Tóibín’s novel and it’s a simple yet emotionally complex story that I really appreciated. I especially loved every moment in the Brooklyn boarding house run by Julie Walters.

45 Years ($90K, 3). Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay display the best acting you’ll see this year in Andrew Haigh’s incisive look at a older couple dealing with a clink in their relationship as they’re busy planning their anniversary party. Again, a small, simple story of real people that packs a major emotional wallop.

The Hateful Eight ($5.6M, 2,474). Tarantino is an acquired taste for many but I thoroughly enjoyed this violent, vulgar, and very Quentin-y look at eight ne’er-do-wells in post-Civil War Wyoming. Everyone’s great in the film but for me Jennifer Jason Leigh was a standout as the scenery-chewing Daisy Domergue. See it in 70mm if you can!

Inside Out ($356.4M, 4,158). The most innovative and moving Disney/Pixar film in years examines the interconnectedness of human emotions such as joy, sadness, fear, disgust, and anger. I laughed! I cried! Great animation and a talented voice cast including Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, and Mindy Kaling.

Mad Max: Fury Road ($153.6M, 3,722). While I wasn’t as gaga as some people were over George Miller’s reboot (if that’s the appropriate thing to call it), I still thought it was an amazing, over-the-top, fascinating extravaganza that brought new life to the franchise. Charlize Theron is 100% kick-ass as Imperator Furiosa. Not a film for everyone, though — my wife walked out after about 40 minutes!

The Revenant ($592.3K, 4). I was a little reluctant to slog through this very long film with little dialogue, but I found it absolutely riveting, thanks to Alejando Iñárritu’s great writing and direction, the gorgeous and terrifyingly realistic look of the film, and the fantastic performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. I predict Leo’s fifth Oscar nomination and first win.

Room ($4.7M, 198). Definitely one of the most powerful films of the year, even if parts of it are difficult to watch. Amanda Donohgue wrote the screenplay (based on her own novel) about a woman and her young son who have been held captive for years in a very small space. Superb performances by everyone involved from Brie Larson and Joan Allen down to seven-year-old Jacob Tremblay.

Son of Saul ($97K, 4). An uncompromising look at two days in the life of Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz who is part of the Sonderkommando, the people responsible for disposing the dead after they are gassed. I’ve deliberately left foreign films off this list since I was going to do that separately but couldn’t bring myself to not include this Hungarian movie directed by László Nemes with a haunting performance by Géza Rohrig.

Spotlight ($25.1M, 1,089). A beautifully realized film about the Boston Globe’s breaking of the scandal involving the widespread sex abuse of boys by Roman Catholic priests. Investigative newspaper teams like the one depicted in this movie barely exist anymore, which is a real shame. This is a great ensemble piece, with skilled performances by Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Shcreiber, John Slattery, and others.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($571.4M, 4,134). As a confirmed Star Wars fan, I have to confess that there was no movie I was looking forward to more in 2015. I had very high expectations, mostly involving the original cast, and I’m happy (and a bit surprised) that I wasn’t disappointed on that front. The film is going to break all records and for once I’m not cynical about a global box office juggernaut! Let’s hear it for General Organa!

A few runner-up films that I enjoyed very much: Tangerine, Carol, Chi-raq, Love & Mercy, Mistress America, Shaun the Sheep Movie, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, I’ll See You in My Dreams, Danny Collins, Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Age of Adaline, Jurassic World, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Martian, Trumbo, The Good Dinosaur, Creed

Films I can’t believe I haven’t seen yet (whose absence invalidates my whole list): Ex Machina, Mr. Holmes, Woman in Gold, Far from the Madding Crowd, Sicario, Straight Outta Compton, Anomalisa, Steve Jobs, Bridge of Spies, The Big Short

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The Ten Worst Films of 2015 (in alphabetical order)

The Boy Next Door ($35.4M, 2,615). Jennifer Lopez, who I normally like, should be ashamed of herself for producing and starring in this ghastly “erotic thriller” (which is about as erotic as root canal). I was particularly incensed at the misogynistic way Kristin Chenowith’s character was treated. Ugh. The only interesting part of the movie was seeing how many different ways they find to have Lopez take off her clothes. We get it, Jennifer, you’re 46 and still have a killer bod. Yay, you!

Entourage ($32.3M, 3,108). Sometimes you really need to leave well enough alone. I liked the first few seasons of this HBO series but it definitely did not transfer well to the screen. Every character was so insufferable I was hoping for a crossover with this year’s disaster movie, San Andreas. Let’s put everyone out of their misery, shall we?

Fantastic Four ($56.1M, 4,004). This will forever be known as the film that proved that not all Marvel movies are guaranteed hits. A misfire on every front, I kind of feel sorry for director Josh Trank since this bomb lost him his chance to direct one of the upcoming Star Wars movies. Even the attractive and talented young cast couldn’t save this tonally off movie.

Fifty Shades of Grey ($166.1M, 3,655). I have contempt for every penny of the $166 million this film has earned at the U.S. box office ($570 million internationally!). Thank God we’re spared the sequels until 2017 and 2018, we can all breathe a little easier in the coming year. Despite my hatred of this horrendous and exploitive film, I did find Dakota Johnson (Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson’s daughter) charming. Get that woman into an well-made indie, STAT! Zero chemistry, however, between her and the painfully boring Jamie Dornan.

Hot Pursuit ($34.5M, 3,037). I may have laughed a few times during this film, thanks to the natural appeal and comedy chops of Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara, but this movie is a hot mess and deserves every horrible review it received. Both of these women are so talented I wanted to avert my eyes from the screen out of respect. I wouldn’t even watch this on an airplane.

Knock Knock ($36K, 22). I said I wasn’t ranking the films on this list, but this film gets special mention as the worst, most offensive film of the decade. I used to defend Keanu Reeves when people criticized his acting ability but he stinks up the joint in this hideous Eli Roth film that tries to pass itself off as some kind of feminist erotic thriller. It’s the polar opposite of feminist and it’s about as erotic as the Iran-Contra hearings. This was the only press day I ever turned down on the grounds of, “What could I possibly say to anyone involved other than WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!”

Magic Mike XXL ($66M, 3,376). I know, I know, both films in this series have a LOT of fans but I hated them, this one slightly more than the first. And believe me, it has nothing to do with the male stripping, I thought Channing Tatum did a good job with that. But I just don’t get what others see in these badly written and mildly offensive films. I enjoyed Jada Pinkett Smith’s ridiculous character here but that was about it. Does anyone really find these films sexy?

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 ($71M, 3,633). Can someone please stop encouraging Kevin James? Is there anything even remotely funny about this film? Oh well, at least it provides some well-rounded, complex roles for women. (Hahahaha!) Despite the abysmal 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I’m sure Mall Cop 3 is just around the corner.

Pitch Perfect 2 ($184.2M, 3,660). It pains me to put this film on this list because I absolutely LOVED 2012’s Pitch Perfect and this one is certainly not in the same class as Knock Knock or Paul Blart, but I was supremely disappointed in this sequel. I’m a huge Elizabeth Banks fan but as a director I think she can do much better — at least I hope she can. I love Anna Kendrick, too, but found her completely unbelievable here. The only scenes I loved were the ones involving Das Sound Machine with Birgitte Horst Sorenson and Flula Borg. Now those were funny! P.S. It’s really time for Rebel Wilson to hang up the fat jokes. Ugh.

Stonewall ($187.6K, 129). There are few topics as film-worthy than the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York that helped kick off the gay liberation movement of the 1970s. But, despite a few decent performances, this Roland Emmerich film manages to severely trivialize this important event. Every criticism you’ve heard about the film whitewashing the role of the drag queens and people of color during this period is true. Why on earth did they have to create the fictional whiter-than-white pretty boy Danny Winters who is actually seen throwing the first brick that kicked off the riots? Uh-uh, no excuse for that. Danny needs to join Rose DeWitt and Jack Dawson on that raft near the Titanic as leaders of the Superfluous Fake History Movement.

And there you have it, folks. Feel free to vehemently disagree and call me an idiot! See you at the movies in 2016!