Best movies of 2009
Yep, it's that time again. Best movies of the previous year, I'll start (and don't feel compelled to post a full list, I'm just a nerd):
10) Duplicity -- It's easy to forget this one since it came out so early in 2009, but this was a really enjoyable, well made and twisty film that's constantly pulling the rug out from under you (in a good way).
9) District 9 -- Gritty, thought-provoking and fun. It's been a pretty good year for sci-fi.
The Hurt Locker -- Amazingly tense almost all the way through.
7) Moon -- This is the type of smart, well-crafted sci-fi that only comes around once every few years.
6) Up -- Pixar can do no wrong.
5) Fantastic Mr. Fox -- A really charming animated film that retains pretty much everything that's great about Wes Anderson's live action stuff.
4) Avatar -- James Cameron does it again.
3) Up in the Air -- Funny and touching, with a perfect performance from George Clooney.
2) Taken -- Liam Neeson is pretty much the ultimate badass in this movie. So much fun.
1) Star Trek -- When I heard "Star Trek reboot" I immediately braced myself for something embarrassingly bad that would barely resemble the Trek we know and love (especially coming from JJ Abrams, whose aborted Superman film was rumoured to contain a Kryptonian Lex Luthor). However this turned out to be surprisingly faithful to the original material while still being its own thing. Pretty much a perfect summer blockbuster.
And just for fun, the worst:
10) 12 Rounds -- Coming from Renny Harlin, who directed some classic action films (including Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger) this was a pretty big disappointment.
9) Fast and Furious -- This actually started out with a surprisingly decent action set piece, but it was all downhill from there.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra -- This wasn't nearly as fun as it was clearly trying to be.
7) The Girlfriend Experience -- It pains me to put a Steven Soderbergh film on a "worst of" list but this was so agonizingly dull.
6) The Stepfather -- One of the worst horror remakes in a while (and that's saying something). Speaking of which...
5) Friday the 13th -- I hate Platinum Dunes so much (that's Michael Bay's low-budget horror production company, for those unaware).
4) Obsessed -- I'm generally pretty forgiving when it comes to cheesy thrillers like this, but this was terrible on pretty much every level.
3) Halloween II -- I think Rob Zombie has some promise as a director, but he should definitely stick to his own stuff.
2) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -- An awful, awful mess of a film. So boring...
1) Capitalism: A Love Story -- I hate Michael Moore so much. Not because of his politics, but because he is a shitty filmmaker. One of the least entertaining films I've seen in a long time.
10) Duplicity -- It's easy to forget this one since it came out so early in 2009, but this was a really enjoyable, well made and twisty film that's constantly pulling the rug out from under you (in a good way).
9) District 9 -- Gritty, thought-provoking and fun. It's been a pretty good year for sci-fi.
The Hurt Locker -- Amazingly tense almost all the way through.7) Moon -- This is the type of smart, well-crafted sci-fi that only comes around once every few years.
6) Up -- Pixar can do no wrong.
5) Fantastic Mr. Fox -- A really charming animated film that retains pretty much everything that's great about Wes Anderson's live action stuff.
4) Avatar -- James Cameron does it again.
3) Up in the Air -- Funny and touching, with a perfect performance from George Clooney.
2) Taken -- Liam Neeson is pretty much the ultimate badass in this movie. So much fun.
1) Star Trek -- When I heard "Star Trek reboot" I immediately braced myself for something embarrassingly bad that would barely resemble the Trek we know and love (especially coming from JJ Abrams, whose aborted Superman film was rumoured to contain a Kryptonian Lex Luthor). However this turned out to be surprisingly faithful to the original material while still being its own thing. Pretty much a perfect summer blockbuster.
And just for fun, the worst:
10) 12 Rounds -- Coming from Renny Harlin, who directed some classic action films (including Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger) this was a pretty big disappointment.
9) Fast and Furious -- This actually started out with a surprisingly decent action set piece, but it was all downhill from there.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra -- This wasn't nearly as fun as it was clearly trying to be.7) The Girlfriend Experience -- It pains me to put a Steven Soderbergh film on a "worst of" list but this was so agonizingly dull.
6) The Stepfather -- One of the worst horror remakes in a while (and that's saying something). Speaking of which...
5) Friday the 13th -- I hate Platinum Dunes so much (that's Michael Bay's low-budget horror production company, for those unaware).
4) Obsessed -- I'm generally pretty forgiving when it comes to cheesy thrillers like this, but this was terrible on pretty much every level.
3) Halloween II -- I think Rob Zombie has some promise as a director, but he should definitely stick to his own stuff.
2) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -- An awful, awful mess of a film. So boring...
1) Capitalism: A Love Story -- I hate Michael Moore so much. Not because of his politics, but because he is a shitty filmmaker. One of the least entertaining films I've seen in a long time.
13 Comments
griefer_queaferhurt locker, 35 shots of rum, silent light, the headless woman, an education, tulpan, hunger, the man from london
calvadosThe Road = muy bueno.
deputydogIn The Loop and Where The Wild Things Are - best of the year I think.
dagComment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)
Star Trek was a fun reboot - but best of the year? Here are the movies I enjoyed the most in 2009.
6. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
5. Star Trek
4. Knowing
3. Inglorious Basterds
2. Moon
1. Avatar
EklekSo far for me it's this list, but still some fine releases to see from last year..
1. Mammoth
2. Das Weisse Band
3. The Wrestler
4. Inglorious Basterds
5. Avatar
6. Slumdog Millionaire
7. 35 Rhums
8. Bright Star
9. Ricky
10. Knowing
Farhad20006. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
5. Star Trek
4. The Wrestler
3. In The Loop
2. Moon
1. Avatar
EDDI've become too spoiled.
I feel like the best film I saw this year was Up, but that too was somewhat of a disappointment because of all the uber-hype; as for all the Avatars and Star Treks, and Moons, and Slumdog Millionaires - yes, they were very enjoyable, but all either felt like pure entertainment movies with little substance (the former two) or really good films with a couple of unforgivable weaknesses (latter ones)
Haven't seen The Road or The Wrestler yet, though. Also thought Inglorious Basterds was extremely overrated and the only REALLY good thing about it was Cristopher Waltz.
rougyThe Wrestler was the only flick that lived up to its promise, for me.
Though I did like Avatar, Star Trek, Slumdog, and a few of the others mentioned above.
Basterds was okay--loved the bar scene--and it really did keep you wondering how it would end...but it wasn't a film I could watch twice.
"Harvard Beats Yale 29-29" was from 2008, but for a documentary where you know the ending right off the bat, I was honestly on the edge of my seat from about halfway through the film to the very end.
"Food, Inc." is also highly recommended.
enochdefiance
the wrestler
star trek
avatar
the road
mary and max
the hurt locker
kulpimsFrygtelig lykkelig/Terribly Happy
Moon
Låt den rätte komma in/Let the right one in
Los abrazos rotos/Broken Embraces
Tahaan
Avatar
In the loop
Nord/North
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
The Reader
kymbosYeah, I 'm down with Basterds, Moon, In the Loop and Avatar.
dystopianfuturetodayI'm late to this best of party, and I haven't seen 'In the Loop', 'Moon' and a few others that people have included in their lists, but here goes....
Best (in no particular order):
-Inglorious Basterds
-Where the Wild Things Are
-Watchmen
-Yeardly
-District 9
-Up in the Air
-Mr. Fantastic Fox
-The Hangover
-Capitalism (Not Moore's best, but any film that attempts to make honest discussion of capitalism less taboo in American culture earns my respect. Despite a meandering structure and the inclusion of youtube videos on the big screen, there is plenty to like here.)
Worst (It's pretty easy to avoid bad movies these days, but I managed to see a few)
-Antichrist - I usually like movies by Lars, but he seems to have purposely made this ode to genital mutilation to be unlikable/unwatchable, which must make its inclusion in my list a badge of honor. Well done, you sick pretentious fuck.
-Paranormal Activity - At 90 minutes, this over-hyped D grade student film was 70 minutes too long, with across the board failings in direction, acting and writing categories..... but still infinitely better than....
-2012 - One of the worst films I've ever seen. Mind bogglingly dumb, boring and entirely too long. Even the elaborate, expensive CGI/action sequences were lifeless, dull and uninspired. Zero entertainment value. When you can't make the destruction of the Earth even vaguely entertaining, you should probably stop making movies.
ThrobbinMoon - I had never heard of it, saw a blog posting by Dag, checked it out, and it's now a favourite of mine.
Avatar - great film by someone named James Cameron. You may have heard of it.
District 9 - racial themes are always fun.
The Hurt Locker - really enjoyable for reasons I still don't know.
Invictus - my homeboy Morgan Freeman delivers again.
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