Best Movies of 2009

My Favorite movies from 2009. A little late, I admit, but I was late seeing some of these. You shouldn't be.

1. Inglourious Basterds
It took a second viewing for this movie to really sink in for me. But there will be many more viewings to come. From Brad Pitt's Aldo Raine "speaking" Italian to counting how many times Stiglitz stabs that Nazi in the head and neck - a great movie.

2. Hurt Locker
The intensity doesn't stop. It's a shame so many people have missed out on this movie. Here's to Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar.

3. Away We Go
Some reviews call this "smug." I didn't feel that way at all. I loved the two main characters and the scene in the club in Montreal will break your heart and stay with you. Funny when it needs to be and touching when it needs to be. Smug? I don't think so.

4. Up
How does Pixar just keep getting better? From the early montage to Doug the talking dog, this movie hits all the right notes and made me care more about animated characters than I do about most real people.

5. Avatar Imax 3D
I didn't see it in regular 2D and I don't think I ever would. On the IMAX screen, it's fantastic. It's an old story, but told so beautifully, you can ignore the clunky dialogue (or at least I could - except the "flux vortex"). Somehow Zoe Saldana got me to love a 12 foot tall blue alien.

6. District 9
Note to the makers of Wolverine - this is what Sci-Fi movies should be. The first ten minutes are amazingly edited and seamlessly catch you up on years of information. The last 15 minutes leave you sweating through your clothes and your mouth wide open.

7. Role Models
The Hangover had the higher concept, sold all the tickets and had some funny parts, but Role Models is fucking laugh out-loud hilarious. It reminded us that Sean William Scott and children swearing are both funny.

8. Up In The Air
The abrupt ending keeps this one a little further down my list than most. Vera Farmiga is great, Clooney is so natural, sometimes it doesn't even seem like a movie. Jason Reitman makes us think that the few good parts of Juno were a lot more him and less the forced, desperate "dialogue."

9. 500 Days of Summer
A little cute? Yeah. A little too cute? Maybe. A friend of mine spent ten minutes complaining about the art direction. Maybe it was trying too hard at times, but still a very true telling of a story 99% of people can relate to. For me, the Expectation vs. Reality scene was one of my favorites of the year.

10. Precious/Star Trek
Hard to pick just one, because these two movies are so similar... One was a popcorn re-boot that re-energized a dying franchise and the other is a small, heartfelt character journey that breaks your heart repeatedly. Both deserve a spot.


Underrated:

Law Abiding Citizen - not as bad as reviewers made it out to be. Very watchable and makes Wolverine look like a Sci-Fi movie of the week.
Fired Up! - If they'd made a hard R-rated version, we'd be talking about an all time classic. But some producer pussied out and we're still left with a very quotable, non irritating Juno-esque movie that always makes me laugh. "none of that HMO Bullshit!"
Perfect Getaway - Not sure why Timoth Olyphant isn't a bigger star. This thriller was completely overlooked early in 2009 but hopefully it will find an audience on DVD. It's like Red Eye in tone and pacing, doesn't try to be overly clever and is well worth a rental.
Knowing - I know this movie is bad. I saw it. But it's not terrible. It has some good stuff in it. The plane crash alone freaked me the hell out. Nicolas Cage has somehow morphed into one of the worst actors in Hollywood. Everything he says sounds fake. His hair is a total joke - Marv Albert went bald more gracefully. But watch this movie some night, and you'll be surprised. But don't expect it to make too much sense.

Overrated:

A Serious Man - I fully believe that people are afraid to dislike a Coen Brothers movie out of fear of seeming stupid. I didn't like this movie. I didn't get this movie. I also hated hated HATED "Burn After Reading." Maybe I'm not afraid to look stupid. Maybe I'm just stupid.
X-Men Origins:Wolverine - People know this movie is bad. They know. What bothers me is all the shit that's thrown at the Transformers sequel while this movie basically gets a pass. Why? It was definitely worse. At least Transformers looked good. And Wolverine completely wasted Ryan Reynolds and Liev Schreiber - two very charismatic actors. It appeared to be made by a college student. There was no cliche left unturned.
Funny People - Not funny. Not deep. Just annoying. The script, screener and Pressbook we were mailed touting Seth Rogen for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar is pretty wishful thinking.
Observe and Report - This was supposed to be funny, right? If nothing else, I think this movie officially put to bed the whole "penises are funny" trend because in this movie, not even that was funny.


Most Ridiculous, Unbelievable Plot/Story Cheat

Terminator:Salvation - Really? That's how this movie is going to end? How many writers worked on this thing? How long has it been gestating and sitting in development and pre-production and this is what they all can come up with? Really? REALLY? Are you kidding me? I laughed out loud in the theater. So much time and money were wasted on this movie, which likely had no real shot the moment they put it in the hands of the guy who directed Charlie's Angels. A guy whose full name is three letters.


Only Time It's Okay To Laugh at an Innocent Woman Getting Shot by a Man

Taken - Best moment of the movie. You can't believe he just did that. You can't believe it. Somehow, I ended up laughing I was so shocked and amused. The line "apologize to your wife for me" is nothing short of a classic.
Side note: How the hell is this movie rated PG-13?