The Long-Overdue Solzy Awards for Film in 2015

The Solzy Awards

I never got around to posting The Solzy Awards in 2015 as I was dealing with a lot of shit at the time, mostly coming out as transgender while living under the roof of my in-denial parents.  As 2017 comes to a close, I decided that I should finally get around to posting the awards.  Better late than never, am I right?

I didn’t see Star Wars: The Force Awakens under the best of circumstances–major dysphoria, y’all–so the rewatch leading up to the press screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi two weeks ago was much-needed.  Even though I own The Big Short on Blu-ray, I should probably watch it again not to see if it holds up but to enjoy it under better circumstances.  The night I saw it was a horribly bad day and even though I needed the film, I was in not in the best state to see a movie (In-denial parents returned yet another package of clothing I ordered).

Top Twenty Films for 2015

  1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  2. Jurassic World
  3. The Big Short
  4. Spotlight
  5. Bridge of Spies
  6. Brooklyn
  7. Trainwreck
  8. Tangerine
  9. Boy Meets Girl
  10. Inside Out
  11. Room
  12. Ant-Man
  13. The Martian
  14. Sisters
  15. Spy
  16. Sicario
  17. The Revenant
  18. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
  19. Love & Mercy
  20. I’ll See You in My Dreams

Honorable Mentions:

  • Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead
  • Fort Tilden
  • Kingsman
  • Larry Gaye
  • Live from New York!
  • Misery Loves Comedy
  • Welcome to Me
  • Woman in Gold

Drama

  • Best Drama: Spotlight
  • Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
  • Best Actress: Brie Larson, Room
  • Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
  • Best Supporting Actress: Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
  • Breakthrough Performance by an Actor in Drama: Jacob Tremblay, Room
  • Breakthrough Performance by an Actress in Drama (tie): Michelle Hendley, Boy Meets Girl; Mya Taylor/Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Tangerine

Comedy

  • Best Comedy: The Big Short
  • Best Actor: Christian Bale, The Big Short
  • Best Actress: Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
  • Best Supporting Actor: Jason Statham, Spy
  • Best Supporting Actress: Rose Byrne, Spy
  • Breakthrough Performance by an Actress in Comedy: Bridey Elliott, Fort Tilden

Best Director: Adam McKay, The Big Short
Best Original Screenplay: Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay: Adam McKay and Charles Randolph, The Big Short

Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
Best Action Movie (tie): Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World
Best Documentary: Live from New York!

It’s hard to do a rundown of my favorite comedies like in most years as I wouldn’t be able to do that great a job without ignoring many films since I don’t have my 2015 wall calendar on me.  Those that made my top twenty films were the films that really stood out for me without looking them up.

Films like Boy Meets Girl and Tangerine helped play a role in my coming out, whether they knew it or not at the time.  It took the increased transgender education and awareness during the year to help pave the way for my coming out as transgender in November 2015.  Other contributing factors included Laverne Cox, Transparent, and Caitlyn Jenner.

The year saw a good amount of nostalgia with the release of both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic WorldInside Out moved to the top of my Pixar rankings, taking over Toy Story 3.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.

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