Monday, February 1, 2010

My Top 10 Of 2009

I know, we're already a month into 2010 and I should have posted this as soon as the new year arrived. However, unlike all those film critics who actually make a living out of sharing their opinions of movies, I have other jobs and other means of making a living, which usually conflicts with my film reviews. Also, in regards to what I just mentioned, I didn't get a chance to see all of the years films I had originally hoped to see, but I feel like a got in a majority of them. Just to get this out of the way, I have yet to see Up in the Air and Julie and Julia. I hear those are great films, but for obvious reasons, if I haven't seen it, I can't review it. With all that being said, here are my top 10 favorite films of 2009.

10. Funny People
Opinions about Funny People were generally mixed, but I'm in the pool of critics who very much enjoyed this film. Adam Sandler gives one of his most impressive performances in years in a film that both makes you laugh and tugs at your heart strings. The supporting cast all brough their charm to the table and creating a very amusing and heartfelt move. If the editors could have trimmed 20 minutes from the runtime and director Judd Apatow didn't feel the need to give every famous comedian a cameo, I probably would have ranked this movie higher. Nonetheless, it is still a great movie and a solid #10 spot.


9. Up
When you have a film by Pixar, you can all but guarantee that the movie will be great, and Up is no exception. A lot of people I know have told me that Up is Pixar's best and one of the greatest movies ever made. Those are some strong statements, but I don't completely agree. When compared to 2008's Wall-E, Up doesn't even hold a candle. The storyline starts out extremely strong, but fizzles out a tad by the second act when it falls into kid-movie territory. That being said, the animation is still excellent, the characters are amusing, and the story is quite heart-felt. A great family movie and my pick for #9.


8. Zombieland
I was completely surprised by how funny this movie was. When I saw the trailers, I didn't think it looked bad per se, but I failed to see anything truely special about it. Zombieland, however, had some of the most creative and hilarious characters I've seen in a long time. The pacing was great, the slapstick made me laugh, the dialogue was witty, and the tributes/spoofs to classic zombie movies were right on the money. Last but not least, Bill Murray's cameo had me laughing in stitches. I'm not a huge fan of celebrity cameos, but this was by far one of the funniest guest appearances I've ever seen. A definite watch!


7. Paranormal Activity
Even though this movie technically was released in 2007, it didn't get a wide release until 09, so it still counts. I'm a huge horror movie fan, but even I will admit that the genre is generally below average. However, good horror movies are not nearly as hard to find as many people think, you just have to know where to look. Look no further than Paranormal Activity, this suspenseful thriller knew exactly how to keep you on the edge of your seat. It builds tension and terror in a way that few scary movies have even come close.


6. Avatar
Yeah, I know everyone's still talking about how this is one of the most amazing movies of all time. From a technical standpoint, this is true. The cgi, motion capture, and cinematography is absolutely mind blowing. Also, the 3D effects were by far the best I've ever seen in a feature length movie. If James Cameron just put a little more effort into the storyline and characters, I would probably ranked this #1. Still a must see though, and definitely one I'll be buying on Blu Ray.


5. Watchmen
Director Zach Snyder's adaptation of the legendary graphic novel may not have been up to the same calibre as its source material, but it still made for an awesome movie. Great cinematography, clever editing, and well done cgi made for one of the better comic adaptation in recent memory. Its no Dark Knight and the plot wasn't always perfect, but Jackie Earl Haley's performance as Rorshach was the glue that held the movie together. For any comic book fans, this is a must see.


4. Star Trek
Leave it to J.J. Abrams to reboot the iconic series into an outstanding film for a new era. Balancing the fine line between seriousness and camp has generally not been a strong point for the previous films. Don't tell me exactly how, but Abrams found that fine line and created a movie that was fun but had just enough drama to keep it from being just another stupid sci-fi flick. Was it the best in the series? Ask me again when I've seen all 11 movies and I'll let you know.

3. Inglorious Basterds
The top three films I had a really hard time trying to decide between. I was seriously tempted to give Quentin Tarantino's WWII drama the #1 spot, but I felt the next two were just a little bit better. Trying to explain a Tarantino film is next to impossible, you have to see one to know how they work. The acting is unlike anything I've ever seen, the dialogue is some of the most clever I've heard, the plots are unique and original, and the cinematography and editing is always creative and stylish. Inglorious Basterds is no exception. One thing I can say about it though, is that Christoph Waltz's portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa is one of the greatest villains I've ever seen in a movie!

2. The Hurt Locker
This one kind of snuck into theatres, but I'm really glad I got the chance to see it. Its actually one of the best war films I've ever seen. Made on a low budget with guerrilla style filmmaking, this movie breaks a lot of the genre's cliches and makes for a very unique spin on the War on Terror. If I say much more than that, I'm afraid I'll spoil the movie, so just trust me when I say go see this film.

1. District 9
This film totally blew me away, it was by far one of the most interesting sci-fi/alien films I've ever seen. While I wouldn't call the this movie "low budget," $30 Million dollars is quite low compared to all the summer blockbusters. When you figure into the fact that the cgi looks as if not more impressive than most of the highest budget cg blockbusters, thats quite an accomplishment. The animation looks very realistic and the emotions conveyed in the aliens was very powerful. On top of that, the story was excellent, the pacing was perfect, and every performance was top notch. This was a fantastic movie in every sense of the word and definitely my choice for #1.

So, those are my top films of 2009, if you haven't seen them yet, go check them out, you'll probably enjoy them.

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