2009 was a pretty good year at the movies. Most people would probably agree with that, although probably no one will agree exactly which movies made it so great. It was a year where even the breakthrough blockbusters proved polarizing. The films stuck with you, however, and I loved that.
I know lists are a little silly, but I felt compelled to do it. It forces me to think about the films I loved and reevaluate them. First, a few honorable mentions:
Away We Go- A perfect example of a 2009 film. This one really divided audiences when it debuted in July. I thought it was a perfect remedy for an increasingly bombastic summer. A real charmer.
Watchmen- Again, another film that isn't quite for everybody. Yes, it turned out it was impossible to translate the great Alan Moore comic to the big screen. Watchmen, as a film, is something else entirely, but if you're able to separate yourself from the book, you'll find it has its own wonders.
The Hangover- I'd call this a guilty pleasure, but I really think this is a legitimately good film. Great casting and surprisingly nuanced writing make this an exceptional boys-will-be-boys comedy. This is one of those films that you will revisit over and over again.
Avatar- Yes, this is Dances With Wolves in space. You know what? I'm perfectly fine with that. Sci-fi has always been about archetypes and pathos anyway, so I can't fault this genre hybrid for that. It's a great film, dense with wild imagery and dazzling visual effects.
#10- A Serious Man- I still haven't figured this film out, and I doubt I ever will. Is it a 20th century retelling of the book of Job, or is something even more sinister? This is one to talk (or argue) about with friends.
#9- The Damned United- If Invictus is about overcoming the odds, The Damned United is about succumbing to them. Filmed with meticulous detail and great visual flair, I enjoyed every moment of director Tom Hooper's directing debut.
#8- (500) Days Of Summer- This one is, in turns, funny, charming, frustrating, and deeply moving. A surprisingly intelligent film that, for a change, manages to find beauty in Los Angeles.
#7- Moon- One of the most haunting films of 2009, the one most likely to either sneak into your dreams or creep into your nightmares. Sam Rockwell is exceptional in what is essentially a one-man show (kinda). If Avatar is a sci-fi film for the heart, Moon is a sci-fi film for the mind.
I know lists are a little silly, but I felt compelled to do it. It forces me to think about the films I loved and reevaluate them. First, a few honorable mentions:
Away We Go- A perfect example of a 2009 film. This one really divided audiences when it debuted in July. I thought it was a perfect remedy for an increasingly bombastic summer. A real charmer.
Watchmen- Again, another film that isn't quite for everybody. Yes, it turned out it was impossible to translate the great Alan Moore comic to the big screen. Watchmen, as a film, is something else entirely, but if you're able to separate yourself from the book, you'll find it has its own wonders.
The Hangover- I'd call this a guilty pleasure, but I really think this is a legitimately good film. Great casting and surprisingly nuanced writing make this an exceptional boys-will-be-boys comedy. This is one of those films that you will revisit over and over again.
Avatar- Yes, this is Dances With Wolves in space. You know what? I'm perfectly fine with that. Sci-fi has always been about archetypes and pathos anyway, so I can't fault this genre hybrid for that. It's a great film, dense with wild imagery and dazzling visual effects.
#10- A Serious Man- I still haven't figured this film out, and I doubt I ever will. Is it a 20th century retelling of the book of Job, or is something even more sinister? This is one to talk (or argue) about with friends.
#9- The Damned United- If Invictus is about overcoming the odds, The Damned United is about succumbing to them. Filmed with meticulous detail and great visual flair, I enjoyed every moment of director Tom Hooper's directing debut.
#8- (500) Days Of Summer- This one is, in turns, funny, charming, frustrating, and deeply moving. A surprisingly intelligent film that, for a change, manages to find beauty in Los Angeles.
#7- Moon- One of the most haunting films of 2009, the one most likely to either sneak into your dreams or creep into your nightmares. Sam Rockwell is exceptional in what is essentially a one-man show (kinda). If Avatar is a sci-fi film for the heart, Moon is a sci-fi film for the mind.
#6- Up In The Air- A heavy-hearted film that comes across with a great sense of buoyancy. See it, and you'll know what I mean.
#5- The Messenger- This one stuck with me. The Messenger is about two soldiers with one of the most unenviable jobs imaginable: giving notice to the families of fallen soldiers. It's heartbreaking to watch and all the victories are small ones. However, it features some of the best writing and acting I've seen this year, and I'd be glad to return to this film.
#4- District 9- 2009 was a return to the Thinking Man's sci-fi. Yes, there's action and neat special effects, but it's all there to serve the story. It does what great sci-fi should do: show us another world to help us see this one better.
#3- The Hurt Locker- This was the most intense movie-going experience of 2009. No other film this year felt so immediate, so real. The film follows Sergeant First Class William James on a tour with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. Those scenes with William disarming the explosives are brilliantly filmed and, for a moment, you feel you're watching what is perhaps the best documentary of the year.
#2- Inglourious Basterds- The Hurt Locker is a movie about war. Inglorious Basterds is a movie about war movies. It's rude, playful, and not afraid of the occasional flight of fancy. I hate dutiful movies, the kind that's overtested, overcooked, and generally afraid to offend. Inglourious Basterds is not a film like that. It's sheer punk rock.
#1- Up- Not many films can make you cry. Even fewer can make you cry within the first ten minutes. This is a family film about the passage of time and the decisions we make versus the decisions life makes for us. Up just may be aimed more at the adults in the audience than the kids, though there is plenty there for them, too. Squirrel!
2009 was a great year, full of great change and forward momentum. I'm glad it's over, but glad it happened. Throughout it all, I was relieved the movies were there to help. It's the cheapest form of psychiatry I know.
Flippo
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