The DePaulia’s staff and writers have chosen the films that have made them laugh, cry and scream so far in 2015. Here are their top 10.

Erin Yarnall, Arts & Life Editor

What I feel towards my favorite films of 2015 (so far) is shock. I never thought an HBO documentary on one of my favorite musicians, Kurt Cobain, would leave me crying for days (seriously) about the loss of such a talented artist. I never thought “Jurassic World,” would be able to capture the fun, intensity and adventure of the previous films in the series. I never thought my favorite show as a child, Spongebob Squarepants, which I watched slowly dwindle into a shell of itself in later years, would come back with a second movie, and that second movie would leave me laughing throughout its entire duration.

Most of all, I never thought anything of “Mad Max Fury Road” besides, “They’re just driving around? Really? This looks so stupid.” I have never been more wrong. The film was a surprisingly brilliant feminist masterpiece — a film with characters so intense and drive that I (until I snapped out of it) wanted to live in the terrible dystopia of Mad Max, if only to see the incredible powerhouse Imperator Furiosa is in real life.

So far, 2015 has shocked me, humored me and made me connect with cinema in a beautiful way. With this impressive films that have been released so far, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for movie-goers.

1. “Mad Max Fury Road”
2. “The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water”
3. “Inside Out”
4. “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck”
5. “Ex Machina”
6. “The Overnight”
7. “Trainwreck”
8. “Jurassic World”
9. “Welcome to Me”
10. “Amy”

Pat Mullane, Staff Writer

While there is nothing more subjective than ranking your favorite films of the past seven months, I do believe, given the chance, that each film on this list could be thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by every individual. (The exception being number nine — I mean just look at the film’s title, “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence.” Yes it’s a phenomenal film from Norway, but just not for everyone.)

And while we’ve only found ourselves halfway through 2015, there has been no shortage of originality and excellence in a variety of different genres this year.  Starting with an indie film (“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”) that takes a teen melodrama and pivots itself into a sharp analysis of pity vs. pain, to six barbaric and outrageous short films compiled together to create one of the most satirically brilliant comedies in years (“Wild Tales”). Then there is even the 30-year old action franchise (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) that just gave every superhero a run for their money.  We’re more than halfway through 2015, and it’s already proved itself to be something pretty special.

1. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”
2. “Wild Tales”
3. “Mad Max: Fury Road”
4. “The End of the Tour”
5. “Girlhood”
6. “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”
7. “It Follows”
8. “Ex Machina”
9. “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence”
10. “Kingsman: Secret Service”

[box]Read: The DePaulia’s top albums of 2015, so far[/box]

Matt Koske, Contributing Writer

Independent filmmaking is shining at last, as 2015 marks the beginning of a future full of creativity and opportunity.  The year is well underway and emerging from behind their unique aspirations are directors who seek to impact and evoke emotion and they’ve expanded the comfort zones in today’s film industry. Expect blockbusters to make their cash and independent projects to seek light for moviegoers.

1. “Ex Machina”
2. “It Follows”
3. “Mad Max: Fury Road”
4. “Wild Tales”
5. “The Stanford Prison Experiment”
6. “Inside Out”
7. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”
8. “Red Army”
9. “The Wolfpack”
10. “Little Boy”