2015 has been the year of the blockbuster movie. So far in 2015, four films have made over $1 billion worldwide.  Universal Studios has made three movies in 2015 that have joined the billion-dollar club. With the newest “Star Wars”, “James Bond” and “Hunger Games” films coming out in the next couple of months, that number of billion-dollar films in 2015 will most certainly rise.

With all of the money that has gone to the major Hollywood studios this summer, some movie fans may find themselves wondering, “where are all of the original movies?” They may have gone way under the radar this year, but there have been many critically acclaimed “smaller” films that arrived in 2015. Here is a list of five films you might have missed so far. in 2015.

Unfriended

Many films have come and gone in 2015, but one surprisingly entertaining flick never really grabbed the attention of the American people, even if it did bring in a nice chunk of cash at the box office. “Unfriended” is an incredibly small budgeted horror film all taking place on the computer screens of a group of teenage friends.  One by one, they are tormented by an unknown villain, forcing them to face the secrets of their past and to play games for their survival. It sounds ridiculously corny, and the trailer had me laughing at them, not with them, but the movie itself surprised the hell out of me. Led by a strong performance from Heather Sossaman and a smart script written by Nelson Greaves, this gimmicky movie presents a lot of fun and original scares, while keeping the audience on their toes throughout.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

A film festival darling that was begging for a theatrical release in the states, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” scored very well with both critics and audiences. However, there are still plenty who missed out on the brilliantly acted, hilarious and painfully sad indie film.

The movie centers on a sarcastic and quick-witted teen named Greg (Thomas Mann), who fits in nicely with the cliques in his high school, avoiding conflict and drama at all costs. When his mother (Connie Britton) informs him that an acquaintance he has at school named Rachel (Olivia Cooke) has been diagnosed with cancer, she pushes him to go over to Rachel’s house to spend some time with her. When Greg reluctantly visits Rachel, he quickly develops a friendship with her, and soon brings his lifelong “co-worker” Earl (RJ Cyler) along with him. The three of them end up hanging out quite a bit, leading to a really funny film that also rips your heart out several times throughout. Although this is a sad film at its core, everyone in the audience can relate to all of these characters, as we have all almost certainly been all of these characters at one time.

Ex Machina

One of the best-reviewed films of 2015, “Ex Machina” is shaping up to be a potential Oscar contender.  With a brilliant cast of only three people (Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac), this small budgeted science-fiction thriller offers beautiful cinematography along with compelling drama. Paul Booth, a communications professor at DePaul, made sure “Ex Machina” was one of the films that he went out to see in 2015. “‘Ex Machina’ is a top film and a brilliant take on artificial intelligence,” Booth said.

Directed sharply by Alex Garland, “Ex Machina” leaves the audience on the edge of their seats (the few people that actually saw this movie). Vikander gives an Oscar-worthy performance as the sentient robot built by Nathan (Isaac). Caleb (Gleeson) is a 20-something IT worker for Nathan’s “Googleesque” company when he wins a contest set up by Nathan. When Caleb arrives at Nathan’s remote cabin in the woods on steroids, he quickly finds that there is more to Nathan than meets the eye, and that the robot that Nathan has built has some secrets of its own.

The End of the Tour

A rare Oscar contender released in the summer, “The End of the Tour” is an intriguing character study based on a true story. The film is based on the real life events of the famous interview process that took place between Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and “Infinite Jest” author David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel). A film about a week long interview between two writers would usually not be entertaining, yet director James Ponsoldt pulls it off, mostly due to Segel, who gives a performance unlike any he has given before.  Eisenberg is also excellent as the curious and cocky writer, playing a much different character than his usual awkward and timid young adult.

If you are looking for recommendations from someone a little more qualified than me, look no further than DePaul Media and Cinema Studies professor Michael DeAngelis, who lists  “The End of the Tour” amongst the best films he has seen this year.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl

The best film of the entire year, is “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” I knew little about the movie going in to the theater, only that it was about a teenage girl who was discovering her sexuality. I expected a rather formulaic film about a teenager finding herself, which would have been a fine film in its own right. But this movie was so much more.

Bel Powley is a revelation as Minnie, a 15-year-old girl trying to get through life in San Francisco in the 1970s. Her mother (Kristen Wiig), is a well intentioned but drug-addicted woman who is dating a seemingly responsible, put together man named Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard). When Minnie’s mother has plans one evening, she suggests Minnie and Monroe go out and get to know each other. What starts out as simple flirting due to alcohol consumption escalates extremely quickly into an aggressive secret relationship between the grown man and the teenage girl. Skarsgard gives the performance of a lifetime as the somehow sympathetic creep who fell in love with a teenager, and everything that follows for the remainder of the film is as intense and unnerving as one might imagine.

I was very pleased when I talked to Michael DeAngelis about what his favorite movies of the year were, and he told me this was it. Well readers, we have that in common. “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is the best movie of 2015.