Sixth and seventh place are claimed by a couple of whimsical titles that remembered that the entire point of making movies is to provide escapist entertainment to the audience. The LEGO Movie did just that by hurling the viewer into a land where LEGOs are real and Batman is kind of a douche. Then, it pulled back the curtain to reveal that the real location of the LEGO universe is anywhere someone imagines it to be. The Grand Budapest Hotel has a more specific location in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka. There, a dedicated concierge with the fabulous name of Monsieur Gustave H. seduces the elderly while teaching the young how to offer five-star service while keeping one’s clothes on. The work of Wes Anderson has never been more accessible and rarely as entertaining.

Our finally three selections are an awards contender, the second most popular film of the year, and yet another great Tom Cruise action flick. Selma has proven to be a divisive film during awards season since its overwhelming quality creates a sense of depression for the viewer. Our staff was undeterred as demonstrated by our recognition of the film’s crew in several categories. As for Guardians of the Galaxy, what more can be said? Ostensibly a Serenity clone, it was treated like the box office love child of Star Wars and The Avengers. And our staff adored it for its whimsical nature and fantastic cast.

Edge of Tomorrow evolved from being a box office disappointment over the summer into a film whose overriding quality provided it a second life on home video. More than once, we heard a fan ask, “What’s Live. Die. Repeat.? And how did I miss it in theaters?” Many of our staff, myself included, wound up placing it in our top five for the year. In combination with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, it’s fair to say that Tom Cruise is officially out of our doghouse.

Take a gander at the table below to see the films our staff selected as the best 25 of the year. Films worthy of nomination that just missed qualification for the attached chart include Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Under the Skin, Snowpiercer, Big Hero 6, Foxcatcher, American Sniper, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Imitation Game, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Nightcrawler, 22 Jump Street, Stranger by the Lake, The Theory of Everything, Begin Again and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

2015 Calvin Awards
Calvins Intro
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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