2015 Summer Movie Awards

The sci-fi thriller “Ex Machina” led the way this summer with four awards. Also having a strong summer was “Mad Max: Fury Road” with three awards won.

On the action front, “Jurassic World” led the way winning Best Action and Best Action Scene.

Best Movie – Ex Machina

There were some solid pictures that I reviewed from May through August like “Southpaw” and “Straight Outta Compton,” however, none were better than the sci-fi thriller “Ex Machina.”

Director Alex Garland, with the help of great performances from Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander, was able to create a fantastic mind-bending story that keeps one guessing.

Runner-Up: Jurassic World

Best Family – Inside Out

This one was pretty obvious, it’s hard to go against Pixar. The film didn’t just win by default, though. “Inside Out” was a great movie with a lot of heart and energy.

Like most Pixar films, the movie was able to have a fun, adventurous plot while at the same time explore real life experiences.

Best Comedy – Spy

Melissa McCarthy has had her ups and downs in Hollywood, but she knocked it out of the park with the comedy “Spy.” The film was able to balance out its slapstick comedy with witty humor and good satire on the spy genre which really made it work more than just an average comedy.

McCarthy was great in the lead role and Jason Statham was surprisingly hilarious in his part.

Runner-Up: Trainwreck

Best Action – Jurassic World

“Jurassic World” narrowly beat out “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” for the top spot for my favorite summer action film. Simply put, I had much more fun with “Jurassic World.”

It was great to revisit the Jurassic universe again and see a true successor to the original. The film was helped by a great performance from Chris Pratt, some good humor and an amazing climax.

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Actor – Jake Gyllenhaal, Southpaw

While “Southpaw” was a bit clichéd, there’s no doubt that Jake Gyllenhaal delivered a phenomenal performance as the boxer Billy Hope. The character goes through an intense emotional roller coaster through the whole picture and

Gyllenhaal displays all of it, the rage, the sadness, the passion, it’s all there. So far, it’s one of the best performances of the year.

Runner-Up: Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton

Best Actress – Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

Part of what made “Ex Machina such a strong film was Vikander’s performance as the robot Ava. Her performance was able to perfectly display the thin line between simply a machine and a self-aware being.

Runner-Up: Amy Schumer, Trainwreck

Best Supporting Actor – O’Shea Jackson Jr., Straight Outta Compton

“Straight Outta Compton” followed multiple people’s lives and many of the performances were spot on. None were better, though, than O’Shea Jackson Jr. who played his father Ice Cube.

As a rapper, Cube brought a lot of fire and passion to his music and Jackson captured this very well in his performance. Jackson was able to display his character’s anger at his surroundings and his energy that he brought to the N.W.A.

Runner-Up: Jason Statham, Spy

Best Supporting Actress – Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road

Talk about stealing the show. While the film is called “Mad Max,” Charlize Theron’s character Imperator Furiosa captured the spotlight for most of the runtime and will likely be an icon for years to come.

It’s for good reason, too. Theron’s Furiosa was a tough, passionate and driven character who carried the movie through certain portions.

Runner-Up: Oona Laurence, Southpaw

Best Action Scene – T-Rex and Raptor Tag Team, Jurassic World

This was probably the easiest choice to make. Despite going up against competition like the Avengers vs. Ultron and the action sequences in “Rogue Nation,” the final battle in “Jurassic World” still came out on top.

The whole climactic scene was loud and intense, exactly how a ‘monster’ battle should be. It was the perfect way to end a fun summer blockbuster.

Runner-Up: Opera Scene, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Best Sound – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Runner-Up: San Andreas

Best Cinematography – Ex Machina

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Writing – Ex Machina

Runner-Up: Straight Outta Compton

Best Special Effects – Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: San Andreas

Best Stunt/Choreography –  Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation