It’s a little late, but better late than never I always say. Or I have said a few times probably. This isn’t gonna be better than that Belated Birthday card, because it doesn’t have $20 in it. Or does it? Read to the end to find out! 2009 was a good year for movies, I liked a lot of them that I saw. Here are the ones I super-enjoyed:
The Hurt Locker- I am not a war movie fan. But I am a fan of movies about war that are freaking amazing. And that’s what this one is. It is intense. If there was a word that meant absolutely freakishly intense, it would be that. It’s the best action movie of the year because it’s real. It never sits down and it never allows you to get up. Like if you could be tied up and incapacitated by a movie and be really happy about it, this would be the movie to do so. It’s an action movie that doubles as a character study of the men who make our current war go. It’s startling and Jeremy Renner deserves a lot of attention for his aggressive cowboy of a bomb squad leader. It’s not a movie I will watch repeatedly as it is a draining experience, but it’s the best movie I saw this year.
UP- Wow, Pixar continues to just dominate. They have yet to fail. They are the friend of yours who is good at everything and you kinda hate them and then they do something really well for you and you love them again. But really they’re just better than everyone else at making movies. They get it. Their movies appeal to many demographics and this one is the second straight one to make me tear up. If you didn’t get a little misty while watching some of the scenes in this beauty, then good luck finding batteries to keep you running Mr. or Mrs. Robot, because I’m not helping you. I’ll never forget several scenes from this movie, great cinema and a lovely personal story that reminds me that sometimes cartoons get people better than people do.
Drag Me To Hell- Apparently this was a heck of a year for horror. In addition to Paranormal Activity (yet to see) and The House of the Devil (also haven’t seen yet), we had Sam Raimi’s return to his kinda screwball horror. And it was everything we’d imagined and hoped it would be. Fantastic gross outs, hilarious scenes marrying to goofy funnies perfectly. I love that Raimi still uses props and not just CGIs everything. This was just a really enjoyable movie viewing experience that I think a lot of people missed out on.
Inglorious Basterds- I think when the year started and I was thinking about movies I was excited for, this one was near the top of the list with Where The Wild Things Are. And it destroyed my expectations. I expected a Nazi blood bath. And what I got was even better, it was an extremely well-made movie and well-told story about a Nazi blood bath. Not only that, Tarantino managed to make a history-altering ending work. I didn’t even flinch. Brad Pitt is dominant as Aldo “The Apache” Raine and gives one of my top 3 performances of this year. You must see this, it’s now my favorite Tarantino film.
The Hangover- Thank you Hollywood for giving Zach Galifinakis his due. The man is obviously one of the funniest people alive and this film finally put him into the larger consciousness. What I superloved about this movie was that it takes one of my favorite things in life, recapping a fun night and made it a movie. I could never figure out how to do it and these guys did. So very funny and so many parts that you missed the first time (trust me, watch it again!). Would love to see this movie get some kind of award.
In The Loop- The Aughts’ Dr. Strangelove. Seriously, a fantastic film about miscommunication, the jokes fly faster than you can manage to keep up with. And for all you Ari Gold fans, he’s met his match in Malcolm Tucker. Just a sublime movie about political wrangling and posturing. It will have you rolling on the floor. And it’s smart. Please watch it. It’s from England and it’s worth a purchase in my mind. James Gandolfini is also freaking hilarious in it. Oh just watch it already. Smartest comedy of the year.
Up In The Air- George Clooney is fantastic as a disconnected professional firer. As you can guess, a man whose job it is to let people go isn’t necessarily the most compassionate man in the world. But what’s great about this movie is that he learns a little something all along the way from various players in his life and you get the feeling (though you are never specifically told this) that he may in fact have become a better man. There is an ending which I certainly didn’t see coming and one that makes the movie all the more realistic and all the more affecting. I think the obvious, overriding, and striking theme is one’s desire to find connection in life, something Clooney learns he may need. It’s the basics of human life and it’s engrossing, sad, and humorous all at the same time. This is a superbly acted and directed movie, but it is not a happy movie.
Zombieland- This is in a battle with The Hangover for movie from ’09 I will watch the most. And currently it leads. I think this is one of the most clever movies of the year and I am still surprised about how much I LOVE it. It’s funny as all get out, it’s smart, and it’s just good movie making. Woody Harrelson turns in one of my favorite performance of the year as a ramblin’, zombie-killin’ man and he just kills it. I also fell in love with Emma Stone as a result of her role in this flick. And it has the best cameo I can ever remember. The “rule” device used in this movie is one of my favorite things all year in any type of pop culture, I constantly quote the rule book even though I’m occasionally not being chased by zombies.
(500) Days of Summer- Well I’ve already written extensively on my feelings about this one. But I’ll throw one more thing I’m not sure I included in the first write-up. There is a scene with split-screen which shows the main character’s expectations of a situation vs. what actually happens. It is freaking awesome. That is all.
Star Trek- This is what a blockbuster movie should be! It was fun, it used Hollywood’s current go-to formula (bankable franchises), and it was appealing to both long-time Trek fans and those uninitiated. Trek was a tour de force, it had humor, great action, and the story actually made sense (kindaish!). Take note summer blockbusters, your bar’s been set. I also like what my roommate said about J.J. Abrams: He’s portraying every type of time travel through various mediums, so that if we ever achieve time travel, he can say “Told ya so!”
Avatar- The reason this post is so late. Took me awhile to see it and boy am I glad I saw it, in theaters in 3D. Bold statement: Best Movie Going Experience Of My Life. I have never felt so absolutely transported by a movie as I did when watching this one. The story is almost secondary to the spectacle James Cameron has created. It is literally like nothing I’ve ever seen or experienced before. I can’t overstate how epic this film is. The scope is just mind-blowing and the world Cameron and Co. created, Pandora, is impeccable. The story is SERVICEABLE, but what Cameron does is elevate the visual above the story. There are lots of political allusions (Iraq war, Native American resettlement, etc.) and the script basically brains you with them anytime you may have forgotten, so that was a little annoying. But again, you HAVE to see this in theaters, in 3D, it is wildly enjoyable.
District 9- A lot of people are forgetting about this one as Avatar has taken the sci-fi reins, but this movie, while not as epic and sprawling features some touchstones of great filmmaking that Avatar neglects, like a good story, a good script, and good acting. So there’s that. D9 is like nothing else that came out this year and that demands to be recognized. An enthralling story that gets right to its breaking point and then becomes a no-holds-barred action extravaganza. Essentially a chase movie, we watch the transformation of the lead character from human to something in between human and alien. This movie is great because it hearkens back to what sci-fi used to do, it used to offer an allusion or allegory and recent sci-fi has by and large gotten away from that. I hope to see Mr. Blomkamp continue his success, nice find Peter Jackson!
Others you should catch: Adventureland, The Brothers Bloom, Where the Wild Things Are
Good list, a few of my own comments-Inglorious Basterds, while I loved all the performances the whole time you can feel Tarintino high-fiving himself. Really he needs to get over himself, no one ever ever ever needs that much dialogue. Move it the hell along bro.
See Paranormal activity-it was the scariest movie in decades.
AVATAR-loved seeing it, great experience and you get totally taken in by the world cameron creates-however, the plot was incredably predictable and pretty much word for word from the movie “Fern Gully”. I’m pretty sure he saw that cartoon and said ‘i’m going to make it 3D’. either way the story is secondary as you said.
Nice list! Makes me realize I need to add a lot to my Netflix queue!
Completely agree with you on District 9. Very well done, exciting, and politically relevant.
I’ve seen Avatar twice and was blown away both times, once in 3D and once in traditional viewing. Not much of an original story, but with the technology WHO CARES? I’d see it again!
Thanks for including The Hangover! That was my guilty pleasure movie. So much better and funnier than I ever imagined!
Only other one I’d included? Sherlock Holmes! I know it came out right at the end of 2009, but I loved it! I’m a huge fan of the books, so I thought it’d be terrible, but I actually really enjoyed it. It was faithful enough to keep the diehards hooked, but also action packed and have a cool story!