2015 in film was one of expansion. And by expansion I mean that of the kind of film released in the year, with Hollywood and Independent film getting farther and farther apart. Hollywood, most of it at least, is determined to prevent original films from happening again. Along sequels of released recently original movies, a current trend is taking movies that came out in the '90s and '80s and picking them back up, cashing in with nostalgia value, like "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" and "Jurassic World." And why not? They were first and second in the box office in 2015, respectively, according to boxofficemojo.com.

Some Hollywood films stood out for, in a way, sticking it to the system. "Mad Max: Fury Road," though a sequel, was monumental for its actual stunts, and a hopeful start to a decline from the CGI that plagued 2000s Hollywood. "Inside Out" was not only an original film by Pixar, a company that is going to release "Finding Dory," "Cars 3," "Toy Story 4" and "The Incredibles 2" very, very soon, but also a highly imaginative film.

The indie scene again kicks ass when it comes to critics in 2015. Though only four of the nine films nominated for Best Picture were Independent, "Spotlight," "Carol," and many others were included in several top ten movies of 2015 lists. Distribution and funding have also made some interesting developments. Netflix distributed "Beasts of No Nation" and "Anomalisa" was funded completely through Kickstarter.

Another story in indie film in 2015 was the strong turn of performances by women. Star turns from the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, and Brie Larson are a nice comeback after the male-dominant 2014.

But, when it comes down to it, what are the best movies of 2015? Here they are from ten to one:

10. "The Night Before"

After a nice ten year run, I thought I was going to jump off of the Seth Rogen bandwagon. After wowing me in the 2000s with the Judd Apatow films (either directed-written or produced) "Superbad," "Knocked Up," and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," my three favorite comedies of all time, I appreciated 2014's "Neighbors" and the same year's release "The Interview." I found that this steady decline was in part of the protagonists' lack of internal struggle, something I talked about in my November article. "The Night Before" immediately pits us, however, in the struggle that is the lives of these three friends: Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Chris (Anthony Mackie), and Isaac (Rogen). Yes, they embark on a drug-induced, over-the-top journey, but the struggle they go through underneath, through the chaos, gave us that certain kind of spirit.

9. "Mistress America"

Three years after the critically loved "Frances Ha," Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig are back with "Mistress America," a close examination of what Baumbach does best: growing up. This film, in particular, tells this story in mirrored but staggered journeys. We have Tracy Fishko (Lola Kirke), a literary-concious, wide-eyed college freshman, and the wild, outgoing Brooke Cardinas (Gerwig), a late-twenties New Yorker with a series of part-time jobs and a dream to open a restaurant. Baumbach and Gerwig give us a hilarious story that doesn't sell its characters for anything less than who they are: human. And despite how scary this film can be, one of uncertainty and fear for the future, it is one of the most light-hearted of the year, full of witty one-liners and a tremendous house sequence that takes up the majority of the film. Baumbach started well early in 2015 with his middle-aged tale "While We're Young," but he even improves himself further with "Mistress America."

8. "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens"

"The Force Awakens" sure did exceed our expectations by doing something that, after 38 years, is the essence of making a great Star Wars film: making it great. And though seeing old faces like Han and Chewy were great, the best part of the film, including me, was the new characters. Rey gave this series a long-needed strong female character, Finn a relatable, reluctant, Han Solo-esque leading man, Poe Dameron, the fearless tie fighter pilot, and Kylo Ren, a three-dimensional villain in a sometimes two-dimensional saga. And let's not forget BB-8. His chemistry with Finn was fantastic! But what am I to tell you about "The Force Awakens" that you don't already know? I'm assuing you've seen it, given that it's the highest grossing domestic film of all time. But let me not that, to me, at least, it's not even the best film of 2015.

7. "The Big Short"

People who say they watch movies to "escape from reality" sure won't take a liking to this film: a recount of the buildup and follow-through of the 2008 stock market crash. Adam McKay unexpectedly transitioned to the realm of "serious film" while still not compromising his famous humor shown in comedy classic the likes of "Anchorman" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Though this film isn't the best of 2015--it's a little too wild for its own good in some parts and a little too grounded in others--this is the 2015 film all Americans should see, so we can learn our history so we won't, excuse me for the cliche, be doomed to repeat it.

6. "Brooklyn"

Coming into this film, I thought it would be about the importance that Brooklyn has to our country, given it's timely release despite its 1950s setting. Coming out, though, I found a much personal experience, which I'm very glad it did. This is about Ellis (Saiorse Ronan), an Irish immigrant who comes to America to be what she wants while still not entirely knowing what she wants. In "Brooklyn" we see an intimate study to see the constant struggles and rare, but rewarding, breakthroughs of a little spec in a big world, whether it be an immigrant in 1950s Brooklyn or a college freshman on move-in day. So despite its specific story, it emanates to all of us, reminding us of our own Brooklyn.

5. "The End of the Tour"

This small indie doesn't amount to much. In scale, I mean.There's little more than conversations. Conversations at a diner. Conversations on a plane. Conversations in a car. For some, it may be arduous, but it doesn't take too much to understand how interesting these conversations are, getting more layered as the film goes on. James Ponsoldt's screenplay plays with the audience's expectations: literary hopefuls that just want to be immersed in the mind of the late David Foster Wallace, played in this film by Jason Segel, to find what he thinks of life. David Lipsky (played here by Jesse Eisenberg) plays the role of that person. But as time goes on in the film we slowly realize the flaws of Wallace, how he can be the object of disdain almost as much as admiration, and that we can all be capable of great things while great things might not always be what's great for us.

4. "Room"

As of January 23rd, 2016, "Room" has only grossed little over $6 million dollars, according to boxofficemojo.com, but it's not only the best of the nominees but also of 2015. This film is, in a way, a portrait of minimalism, discovering things like they are new and truly examining them, shown through the character Jack (Jacob Tremblay) who actually does so after five years of being confined to a single room with his mother Ma (Brie Larson), after she was kidnapped by a man. They do break out early in the film, in a sequence that is my favorite of the year, propelling the film to a more complicated story than its premise even suggests. Clocking in at just two minutes shorts of two hours, Room will compel you from start to after the finish.

3. "Carol"

I've found that this film has been summarized as a lesbian love story. And yes, though it technically is, a story about Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett) and Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), two women, falling in love, the film embarked me as one no more than a love story, one mainly about what it's like, as Conor Oberst would say, "to love and to be loved." Yes, the complications of this 1950s New York love story do come in, but it's given only as a bureaucratic complication the characters are trying to get over. "Carol shines, in particular, through its directing (Todd Haynes) and, specifically, the color palettes to give the film a old-timey, warm effect, something that you can get just as lost in as Carol and Therese get lost in each other.

2. "Inside Out"

My experience with "Inside Out" was similar to that of "The Night Before" surprisingly. I hadn't seen a Pixar film I found compelling since 2008's "Wall-E" and, yes, that includes 2010's "Toy Story 3." But from the beginning "Inside Out" hooked me in. I applaud Pete Doctor's attention of detail here, personifying every nook and cranny of the brain, shown to screen entertainingly. And despite the self-esteem boosting contemporary device animation films have had to a fault, "Inside Out" given a much more practical and balanced idea that sometimes we need a little sadness in our life. And from what it looks like to be decades until we see another original Pixar movies, we still have this original, high-concept "Inside Out."

1. "Spotlight"

With a compelling yet understated screenplay, appropriate, objective directing, and a stellar turn of performances from its ensemble cast, "Spotlight" is a perfect film. Not the perfect film but a perfect film. And despite its apparent strike at the Catholic Church, its conscious enough, as a true journalism film, to criticize whomever there is to be blamed, which sometimes is the main characters themselves. In a world where journalism has been reduced to gif lists and tweets, Spotlight is a testament to the power that true journalism really has--and how it can change the world for the better. Take that, Ted Cruz.