Films of 2009.

Here is part 2/4 of my top 10s of 2009. Films. There were a bunch of films I didn't get a chance to see that I wanted to see. They kind of snuck up on me and it's just too expensive to see everything in the theater. So here we go. Possible spoilers, but I will keep them to a minimum, if any.

10. Fantastic Mr. Fox



Taking up the end of the list is this animated gem that I found myself enjoying more than the kids I took to see it. I had wanted to see it, but thought of it as a two-birds-with-one-stone situation. I loved the not-so-smooth stop animation as a welcomed break from the shiny and clean pixar-esque films this year. This film also kept me laughing all through out which is rare for a "family" film.


9. The Hangover



A piss-and-fart-joke comedy that took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting too much when I walked into the theaters to see this bad boy, but I found myself laughing more at this movie than any other comedy this year. Upon watching it a second time, I was still in stitches. I loved all the characters and almost how episodic it was.


8. (500) Days of Summer



Just recently watched this on our new HDTV. I had wanted to see this since before it came out so I had an inclination that I would enjoy this film, but not to this extent. I'm emotional and enjoy a good romantic story, which this was. But I wouldn't say it's a love story because that would insinuate a happy ending...at least to me it would. I love their love for The Smiths. It also has an amazing cameo by a certain someone from the Star Wars trilogy.


7. District 9



Here is another movie I went into with mediocre expectations which were exceeded almost immediately. The way the material was handled was clever in the sense that they fused the mockumentary style with sci-fi narrative. The central character is another main reason for my love of this film. He is flawed and viewed pretty much as a racist, but he has such...charm, I guess, that we are rooting for him anyway. Also had an awesome and unique ad campaign. This film is incredibly fun.


6. The Road



Having read the book of the same name by author Cormac McCarthy and it being in my top 5 books of all time, I was somewhat skeptic about this film. Also, the fact that it was shelved for almost a year due to sub par reviews and some reconstruction of story elements did not help either. That said, Viggo and John Hillcoat (the director who also did 2005's The Proposition which was an excellent jaunt back into the western genre) were two reasons I was willing to still give it a shot. Whatever they did in that year of down time worked, because the film, while straying a little bit from the book managed to have the same dark tones and themes while keeping the majority of the emotion that the book had.


5. The Hurt Locker



This film had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath from the first scene. About an Army bomb squad unit, Jeremy Renner plays a good smart-ass-tough-guy with the sensitive guy on the inside character. An interesting look into an occupation we so rarely get to see. Beautifully shot and gripping all the way through. I can't wait to see this again since I saw it earlier this year.


4. Where The Wild Things Are



A book that I didn't have when I was a kid and one I didn't read until in my 20's, Where The Wild Things Are came and kicked my heart my chest and handed it back politely when it was finished. Everything from the costumes and sets, to the boy Max who played Max and Karen O and the Kid's heart warming soundtrack, this is the kind of film that you want to live inside with all your friends. I feel like this is a kid's film made for adults and can't wait to watch it on blu-ray under my covers in the confines of my own home.


3. Up In The Air



This film has more heart than most people I know. I guess ultimately this film can be categorized as a "romantic comedy" which it is to some extent, but it's also so much more than that. This is the role that George Clooney was born to play. I'm sure I read that somewhere, but that's because it's true. He's also surrounded by an excellent comedic cast who don't try and steal screen time, but instead compliment Clooney's performance. Overall, this movie had me from the get go. I did not want this movie to end.

2. Moon



Some will say District 9 was THE science fiction film of the year. Others will say Avatar (which I have yet to see) is it. For me though, this quiet space story directed by David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, grabbed this spot. It's lack of special effects as well as Sam Rockwell's performance shaped this film to be out of this world (pun intended). The drab colors and the space station's calming celebrity voice instantly reminded me of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey in only the best of ways.


1. Inglourious Basterds



This years number one film for me was Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (spelled differently for his own unknown reasons). Being an avid Tarantino fan and it being about scalping Nazis, I thought I was in heaven. A simple misunderstanding though. Brad Pitt's accent and delivery of his lines had just the right amount of humor in it, while Christoph Waltz playing the die hard Nazi hunter will almost for certain win an Oscar. Completed with voice cameos by Tarantino favorites Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel, this film delivers 110%. While I'm still up in the air about this being QT's masterpiece, I would definitely say it is one of my top 3 QT films.


So close...

Drag Me To Hell
The Watchmen
Zombieland
Up
The Cove


There are a number of films I have yet to see that just might or might not influence this list. Those are:

Avatar
A Serious Man
A Single Man
An Education
The White Ribbon
Precious
The Informant!
Ponyo
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Nine
Anvil
Crazy Heart
Food Inc.
The Messanger
Invictus
Anti Christ
This Side of the Truth