Your Favorite Movies of 2009

Oh my God. Where The Wild Things Are is love.
 
Updated for Where the Wild Things Are and Moon:

WATCHMEN
I'm not sure how to rate this. It's good but not great. Enjoyable. A worthy adaptation. Probably the closest we'll come to a great film version of Watchmen. But there are still flaws... flaws that would always be there because it was a comic, not a film. But yeah... it's good enough for me. 4 might be too high but 2 might be too low, so I think 3 is right for me. The movie made me realise even more how brilliant the story Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons have created is and I doubt I will ever see this again as I'd rather read the graphic novel instead.

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
Predictable story but great animation and a brilliant voice cast. Really enjoyable and a lot of fun.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
A lot of potential that is completely wasted. A movie that is sometimes about Wolverine but mainly all over the place. I had low expectations and even I was incredibly disappointed. I can't believe filmmakers get away with stuff like this after comic movies like Iron Man and The Dark Knight.

STAR TREK
I loved it. I had high expectations for this movie and it met them. It is flawed but so well done that the flaws don't matter - incredibly enjoyable and just a fantastic experience all over.

ANGELS & DEMONS
A decent movie with a pretty good cast that seem to be wasted. It's entertaining and an average thriller and worth seeing but I doubt I'll ever bother seeing it again. Tom Hanks deserves to be in better movies than this.

STATE OF PLAY
An interesting thriller and an entertaining movie. Some of it does get bogged down with the twists but the excellent cast makes up for it. Like DSF, I now want to see the original mini series and it has me interested in a career in journalism. I don't know if it will stand up on repeated viewings so it may lose a point in the future.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
I didn't like it as much as the first one but it was still an entertaining action movie. Some of it was annoying and some of it was actually really funny. Not sure if the comedy is a good or a bad thing. Wanted to see more of Isabel Lucas (Alice, the Decepticon Pretender that went after Sam at college). Some really epic fights and amazing special effects. The more I think about this though, the more I think how different it would be if I got a crack at it. And it sort of disappoints me that this is what we have to settle with.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
While some of it is really stupid, it doesn't take you out of the movie and the cast's charm and strength makes up for any mistakes. The movies are mediocre adaptations from the books (I wonder how well I would enjoy them if I hadn't read the books, for example) but I really like the style and the tone of each movie as the series progresses. While I disagree with the idea of splitting the last movie into two, I will see them, probably enjoy them, but probably never have a desire to see them again. More than anything, these movies make me realise how much I enjoyed the books, and I guess that's a good enough reason for seeing the movie.

PUBLIC ENEMIES
I was really excited for this but was prepared for disappointment when I heard the mixed reviews. I was always worried about Mann and his camera and while it did get pretty annoying sometimes, I got used to it and I think this is the first time I've been fine with it. I really liked the cast and while there wasn't much characterization, it was still a lot of fun. And those guns were badass.

CORALINE
This was good. I think I still prefer The Nightmare Before Christmas but this was still a great animated movie. And man... some of that animation was amazing. I loved how unique it was. It was like Selick's previous animated movies on another level. The story was good too (Neil Gaiman knows how to tell a story) though there were a few iffy bits which I don't think were explained well enough or at all. However, these were few and far between and didn't subtract from the overall charm of this film.

DISTRICT 9
One of the most unique movies I've seen in years and incredibly well done. A lot of effort and thought has been put into this movie and it's really fun. Great special effects and action while remaining quite intelligent. Very recommended.

KNOWING
This movie has an interesting idea but is let down by basically everything else in the movie. The cast is wasted (Nicholas Cage is terribly boring and Rose Byrne is wasted), the special effects are iffy (the plane sequence was fantastic and I thought the train sequence was poor, but the stuff at the end was neat) and all the other technical bits (lighting, sound etc.) seemed really off for some reason. I wanted to like this but I just couldn't.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
I'm a massive Tarantino fan so I might be biased, but I loved this movie. If you thought Death Proof was weak, then you'll be glad Tarantino is back. This is so essentially Tarantino yet so completely different - I don't know how to explain it. The characters, dialogue and soundtrack are just as fantastic as they've always been. My audience loved it and applauded at the end, which is a very rare occasion in my cinema-going history here. I don't know if it's his masterpiece but it's up there. Great movie and now I enter the depressingly long wait until his next, and I fear this may be his last... :(

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT
I thought this was pretty mediocre until the point where Sinestro goes to the Qwardian Weaponer and gets his yellow ring. And then I started paying attention. It got pretty awesome. I think most of this would be perfect for the live action Green Lantern movie. I hope they don't **** that up. Anyway, the voice cast was of a particular high quality, especially Victor Garber as Sinestro, who was badass.

OBSERVE AND REPORT
I think this might be brilliant. It's so radical and yet so simple. For some reason, I thought this was another Judd Apatow production (I guess because Seth Rogen was involved) but now that I see it's by this Jody Hill guy, I want to go back and watch The Foot Fist Way and Eastbound & Down. The cast was unusual yet perfect in their small doses and I continue to really like Seth Rogen, no matter how deranged he becomes. I'm not sure if this is a great movie (or even a particularly good one) but it seemed so different to every other comedy I've seen recently, and I like it for that.

ADVENTURELAND
This was really sweet. I am a fan of these recent teenage drama comedy things (Superbad, Juno etc.) because I am at a similar age and they make me rethink things I've experienced in my life and whether I did the right thing or if I'm on the right path. The soundtrack and cast were great (especially the lead guy who I've never seen before - I guess he's the new Michael Cera?) and I'm really looking forward to Mottola's next movie, Paul.

I LOVE YOU, MAN
For such a simple movie, this was surprisingly good. I thought this was really funny and I laughed at it a lot more than any other comedy this year. Jason Segel and Paul Rudd have great chemistry together and I'd love to see the two together in an insane adventure movie in the vein of Pineapple Express. Some of the stuff Rudd said was ridiculously hilarious. I would be his friend.

CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE
This was ridiculous. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. I like these movie for their insanity but I got bored during this one. Jason Statham is cool but he's cooler in movies like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, where he's much more subtle rather than movies like Crank and The Transporter where he's allowed to go nuts. Amy Smart is nice but I wish Statham would have chopped Bai Ling's head off. She was so annoying.

UP
This was fantastic. I think it's probably the best Pixar movie I've ever seen. I loved all the characters, the storyline was simple but brilliant, and the animation was fantastic. The moment where the balloons first pop out of the house and it lifts off the ground... magical. Total Miyazaki moment right there. Pixar continue to be the masters of animated films and are constantly proving that they are an entirely credible medium. Every Pixar movie I see inspires me to try and write something on that level and I thank them for the inspiration.

THE BOX
This could have been so good. The premise is amazingly simple yet brilliant - a mysterious man offers you a box with a button - press the button, you get $1 million... but someone dies. Do you press the button? I don't think I like Richard Kelly. Donnie Darko is an interesting movie but one I don't particularly enjoy. Southland Tales was an incomprehensible mess. The Box lies somewhere in between. Half of it is really good... and the other half is just boring, typical Richard Kelly stuff - weird **** that doesn't get explained. I can understand directors that do this in order for the audience to make up their own mind - Stanley Kubrick and 2001 comes to mind - but at least Kubrick had an idea for what 2001 was about. I don't know if Kelly does. He obviously has a lot of unique ideas but I think he needs to figure out what he's doing. He is talented and the movie is well directed but I just didn't care about it because I was wondering what the **** was going on for the whole time. You can't let the audience fill in the story three times in a row. I think that's a cheat. I have no desire to see it again.

BRUNO
This was pretty funny but it wasn't as good as Borat. While Borat seemed very real, Bruno seemed very set up - I got the impression that a lot of it was staged. I don't know if this is true or not but it sort of took me out of the movie. I still think Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliant and this was still an enjoyable movie but he has done better. Now that he's so well known, I am interested to see what he does next.

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123
I really enjoyed this. It's not a great film but it's very entertaining. I am a fan of these Tony Scott/Denzel Washington collaborations and while they're both capable of making better films, sometimes I just want to sit back and watch a movie like this and not have to think. And while I would like to see Unstoppable, I think it's a mistake to do another train movie right after this one.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
Poor, poor Heath Ledger. He was becoming such a great actor. I'm so happy that Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell helped Gilliam finish the movie - because it was a fantastic experience. Delightfully insane and scarily beautiful, this is Gilliam having fun. All of the references to death and fate were very bizarre, considering what happened to Ledger but I think they help make the film that much more effective. The entire cast was fantastic - the gorgeous Valentina, the amusing Anton and Percy, the sinister Mr Nick and of course, the extraordinary Doctor Parnassus. The visual effects were absolutely mindboggling. It was like nothing I had seen before and while I haven't seen all of Gilliam's films (the ones I haven't have definitely moved up my list), I think this one is my favourite. A film from Heath Ledger and friends indeed.

THE BROTHERS BLOOM
I was... underwhelmed. It wasn't a bad movie, it just failed to keep me interested. I found this odd considering the great cast. Brick sort of did the same thing. Both movies were neat though.

DRAG ME TO HELL
I didn't think I would like this but I was pleasantly surprised. Just the right amount of horror and comedy.
I knew that Justin Long had taken the button and I expected it to end with him being dragged to hell, which I thought would have been a better ending. I was disappointed that she went through all that only to lose.

A SERIOUS MAN
Damn. That was brilliant. The Coen Bros. continue to prove why they're currently the best filmmakers in America. Perhaps even better than No Country For Old Men. See it.

THE INVENTION OF LYING
Despite the fact that when you apply actual thought to this movie it doesn't work at all, it is still very entertaining, thanks to the delightful cast. Seeing one of my heroes interact with all of these great comedic actors was fun to behold. While it won't be ranked among The Office or Extras or The Ricky Gervais Show, I still found it quite funny and it was better than I thought it would be. I am much more excited for his next movie, Cemetery Junction, which is co written and co directed with Stephen Merchant, which both Ghost Town and this movie lacked (though I did enjoy his cameo). I'm thinking about vanilla with skunks flavoured ice cream.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
I have been waiting for this for years. I kept hearing mixed reviews and was scared that it might disappoint... but I loved it. On the surface it doesn't seem like there's much to it but the more I think about it, the more I am amazed at how much Spike Jonze was able to achieve. I loved Max, the monsters, the cinematography, the soundtrack... this movie is love. This is a kid's movie viewed through the eye's of an adult and therefore it is quite personal... and I think that makes it Spike Jonze's best. Those that like it probably decided they did before they ever saw it and those that didn't like it... well, obviously they don't have a Wild Thing inside of them.

MOON
A movie I've been quite excited for ever since I stumbled upon it on the Internet randomly one day but missed when it was here on a limited release... I downloaded a DVD rip and just watched it tonight. Superb. I've always liked Sam Rockwell but this movie proves how great an actor he really is. I can't believe this movie was made for only $5 million. This puts most blockbusters to shame. There is no reason for these rubbish movies to have hundreds of millions of dollars wasted on them when you can tell a great story like this one for such a low cost. The set design/special effects were beautiful. The soundtrack was haunting. The movie was sad and touching yet surprisingly funny. I look forward to future Duncan Jones movies (I've heard about three of them and they all sound great). I hope it wins something because it definitely deserves it.

TERMINATOR SALVATION
This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. But it also wasn't that good either. It just felt... unnecessary. I think you could make a great Terminator movie showing what happened in the future and how John sends Kyle back but this wasn't it. It was a lot of wasted potential. The entire cast was wasted except for Sam Worthington as Marcus, who was the best thing about the movie. I can't believe that McG (I don't care whether your family calls you that name, it's still a ****ing joke) wants to direct not one but TWO more. What would they be about? And why?

THE HURT LOCKER
Middle East war movies are boring. Jarhead is boring. The Kingdom is boring. Body of Lies is boring. This one, however, is the exception. It feels unique yet more authentic, possibly because it focuses on one guy and one team that dismantles bombs and that's it. I like that they had big names like Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes and didn't need to rely on them
(and Guy Pearce dies in the opening scene. That takes guts).
While it is a good movie, I don't think it deserves Best Picture. I definitely approve of Jeremy Renner playing Hawkeye.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN
This was surprisingly entertaining. It's not a great movie but it's worth seeing just for Gerard Butler's performance. This guy can be a great actor. He needs to do less romantic comedies and more roles like this. He was like The Punisher. I thought the story was quite unpredictable, which was good. There seems to be a lot of hate because of how it ended... but I thought it worked.

Next up: Antichrist, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and Funny People.
 
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Holy ****! I forgot how completely balls to the wall, crazy, bat-**** insane and hilarious The Hangover was.


Utter hilarity.
 
1. Where The Wild Things Are - 9.5/10 - A nearly perfect film... Possibly Spike Jonze's best work. I know some people were underwhelmed by this, but I don't think i've ever seen a more honest or compelling portrayal of childhood wonder and anxiety and fear and loneliness as in this film. Max Record was incredible, and James Gandolfini was beyond phenomenal. I can't wait to see it again.

2. Coraline - 9.5/10 - The first movie I've ever seen to use 3D to enhance the experience rather than for cheap thrills. A Brilliant movie. By far Sellick's best work, and that includes Nightmare Before Christmas. Seeing this again reminded me of its brilliance, and I hope it beats Up for Best Animated at the Oscars (although we'll have to see if Ponyo blows both out of the water)

3. Fantastic Mr. Fox - 9.5/10 - Further consideration might place this ahead of Coraline, but just know that this is a ****ing phenomenal film that everybody should see.

4. Inglourious Basterds - 9/10 - Dang, Quentin, you've done it again. The film might not be shot with the exquisite care Tarantino typically gives his films, but at the same time, it doesn't mean that this wasn't great. Hans Landa is already one of my favorite characters of all time.

5. The Informant! - 9/10 - Despite Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds, Matt Damon puts in my favorite role of the year thusfar. This film is more complicated than it seems at first glance. It's funny and when it starts to novedive into the insanity of what Mark Whitacre did, it's amazing.

6. In The Loop - 9/10 - Very well executed critique of British and American actions before the start of an unnamed war (which can very much be assumed to be Iraq). Absolutely hilarious, there are laugh out loud moments throughout.

7. The Cove - 9/10 - A dark beautiful documentary about the ****ed up **** going on in Japan in regard to their ruthless and overwhelmingly pointless slaughter of dolphins. The end of the film is hard to watch... But its important that people see this movie. People need to know.

8. Up - 9/10 - Another brilliant escapade by the fantastic people at Pixar. I wasn't all that interested in this movie, but it won me over in the first few minutes.

9. Funny People - 8.5/10 - Clearly not a perfect movie, but everything that it does well succeeds wildly. Seth Rogen is amazing, as is the entire supporting cast. The funniest drama i've ever seen, but it really isn't a Comedy... It's not a happy movie. And that's a ballsy move by Apatow I really respect.

10. The Brothers Bloom - 8.5/10 - Rian Johnston continues to be one my favorite up-and-coming directors. I don't know that I like this more than Brick, but still a fantastic film.

11. District 9 - 8.5/10 - A good film, but not the great one everyone seems convinced it is... I definitely think all the Oscar talk is overstating it... It could make it in one of the ten slots, but it wouldn't make it in the five. But still, props need to be given to such an original science-fiction concept. Its an unbalanced film, and the characters aren't as fully realized as they should be, and neither are the Aliens. The Action is brilliant, though, and this is a movie any fan of the genre needs to see.

12. Drag Me To Hell - 8/10 - Fun, Scary... A far cry better than Raimi's mediocre at best work on the Spider-Man moves.

13. (500) Days of Summer - 8/10 - Upon first seeing this, I was prepared to put it at the very top of my list for 2009, but seeing the movie again really helped me see a lot of the problems it suffers... My friends ended up hating it, but I still think its a beautiful, sweet movie... And Joseph Gordon Levitt should be in everything forever.

14. Star Trek - 8/10 - Pure, Unadulterated Fun... A little less overwhelmingly awesome on the second go, and there are certainly problems, but this was a great reintroduction to the universe of Star Trek

15. State of Play - 8/10 - Great Acting. Great Story... This makes me want to be an investigative reporter as much as it makes me want to watch the original BBC miniseries.

16. Moon - 8/10 - Great first film for Mr. Jones. Parts of it dragged, but Sam Rockwell was incredible in this movie, and it was great to see something so original in the Sci-Fi genre.

17. Zombieland - 8/10 - A solid, fun comedy. Much better than expected. Still nowhere near the subtle brilliance of Shaun of the Dead.

18. Ponyo - 8/10 - Not one of Miyazaki's best. The Animation is beautiful, though, and I loved Tina Fey's voice acting. Its a fun, adorable movie, but not nearly as deep or moving as his last three films.

19. Adventureland - 8/10 - A sweet movie, but nothing all that original to it. Doesn't really deal well with the deeper issues it tries to address, but still an enjoyable film.

20. Humpday - 8/10 - A good movie about friendship... Despite this, probably not the movie you should watch with your best guy friend. That will probably just get uncomfortable.

21. Paper Heart - 7.5/10 - Sweet little psedo-documentary about love. Doubt I'll see it a second time, but glad I saw it once.

22. Trick 'r Treat - 7.5/10 - Not the brilliant tour-de-force of Horror Comedy that some of the blogs made it out to be, but this is a quality party film. If you have a bunch of people over on Halloween next year, and you want to watch something gruesome, and funny, this is the best pic.

23. Terminator Salvation - 7.5/10 - Much better than I expected, although it should have focused entirely on Kyle Reese and John Connor... Any scene with just Marcus was lame and unnecessary.

24. 17 Again - 7.5/10 - This film had no right being as good, as funny, or as heartwarming as it ended up being.

25. Bruno - 7.5/10 - Funny. Not quite as good as Borat, but I might have laughed a little harder this time around.

26. Observe and Report - 7.5/10 - Lacks the real punch of Eastbound & Down, but does a lot to show Seth Rogen's range as an actor... Look forward to seeing more dark, ****ed up comedies from Jody Hill.

27. Julie and Julia - 7.5/10 - Cute. Sweet. Proves Amy Adams is a versatile actress despite her section of the film being the least interesting. Meryl Streyp's section was really good, although maybe a little bland.

28. Last Chance Harvey - 7.5/10 - This film wouldn't be anything without Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman, but with them it becomes a rather touching romantic comedy that never gets too sappy.

29. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 7.5/10 - The best looking and probably best acted of the HP franchise. Most of its problems come in its failure to set up the Deathly Hallows films... Probably the most cohesive story yet, so despite my disappointment, I have to admit I was pretty pleased overall.

30. Knowing - 7/10 - This is a fun movie that ramps up to silly and ridiculous and not in a fun way towards the end. I think it could have been much much better, but I approve of these "Twilight Zone" style movies.

31. Angels & Demons - 7/10 - I could have sworn that I had reviewed this on here... I saw it back in Ireland for pete's sake... Anyways, this was better than the first film but not by far.

32. Monsters vs. Aliens - 7/10 - By no means a great movie, but a lot of fun, and a surprising amount of heart. Enjoyed it much more than I expected to.

33. Jennifer's Body - 6.5/10 - A mediocre film... I mean, I fully expected to hate it, and sure... it's got the same fake slang everyone grew to loathe in Juno, but it also has some good moments. But for each good moment there's a terrible one. A weirdly balanced film, overall.

34. Taking Woodstock - 6.5/10 - Eh... Suprisingly mediocre. Having characters be Secretly Gay is now apparently Ang Lee's . And I mean... That's fine and all, but this time it just seemed unnecessary. Like, either make him openly gay, or make it a central plot that he hasn't come out. Operating in the middle is meaningless. Liev Schrieber is great, though.

35. The Men Who Stare At Goats - 6.5/10 - Another surprisingly mediocre film. There just isn't much to this movie, which really had the potential to be something special. Worth seeing at least once just to hear about the crazy **** that really happened in the military, but for that, you'd be better off reading the book anyway.

36. The Hangover - 6.5/10 - Disappointingly Mediocre. Didn't laugh once, and I never believed the friendship between these guys like I did with Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn in the far superior Old School (by the same director)

37. He's Just Not That Into You - 6.5/10 - Not an awful movie, just mostly uninteresting... And incredibly predictable. And not as cute as it wanted to be.

38. Watchmen - 6.5/10 - In the end I liked it more then I didn't like it. It got a lot right, more than certainly I ever expected. But at the end of the day it just wasn't capable of packing the punch of the original.

39. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - 6/10 - Incredibly stupid, but a lot of fun... It was cartoony and ridiculous, but never pretended it wasn't... JGL had the perfect voice as the Doctor, and they shouldn't have changed it for the last 20 minutes. The Cobra Commander outfit was pretty much awful. But I had fun, and I would totally see a sequel.

40. I Love You, Man - 6/10 - Disappointingly mediocre. Has some good moments, and I still love the concept, but it just didn't follow through at all.

41. 2012 - 6/10 - Stupid. Fun. Lots of Explosions. Ends with a poop joke. This is exactly what you expect it to be, and if you go into this film conscious of all that, you'll have a damn good time.

42. Taken - 6/10 - Liam Neeson sleepwalks through this movie, in regards to his acting, I'll admit he's pretty bad-***, but its a mediocre film at best... I had actually forgotten to add it to my list, despite having seen it almost 3 months ago now.

43. Public Enemies - 6/10 - An Aimless, Pointless film. The shaky cam was completely unnecessary. The script was terrible. Not a single character was remotely developed. The acting was good, but far from impressive. I thought this looked good, but god, it just pissed me off how bad it was.

44. X-Men: Origins - Wolverine - 5.5/10 - Everything they needed for a halfway decent film was in there, but they just didn't follow through.

45. The Year One - 5/10 - Meh. You'll get a few laughs, then never really want to see it again.

46. Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel - 5/10 - Mediocre Sci-Fi comedy shlock that has some good moments and some good ideas, but in the end just leaves you with a wholly mediocre film.

47. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen - 5/10 - Bad on every level other than CGI, I suppose, but even the Transformers mythology was bland and uninteresting... I wasn't expecting much, but Jesus, this was a piece of **** move.

48. Land of the Lost - 3/10 - Why did I watch this movie? Cruder than funny, and too stupid to find vaguely interesting.

Films I want to see:

A Serious Man - Coen Brothers, baby.
The Road - I hope this is good. Expecting to be disappointed.
Me and Orson Welles - Not because I'm in love with Efron or anything like that...
The Lovely Bones - Peter Jackson. Let's see what happens.
The Princess and the Frog - While I hope for greatness, if it sucks, I'll still see it just to support traditional animation.
Up in the Air - This looks like Jason Reitman's best film yet.
Avatar - Color me curious.
Sherlock Holmes - Robert Downey Jr... Nuff Said.
 
  • Star trek 4.9/5
  • Wonder Woman 4.9/5
  • Coraline 4.8/5
  • Turtles forever 4.8/5
  • Night at the Museum 4.8/5
  • Watchmen 4.7/5
  • Monsters Vs Aliens 4.7/5
  • The wrestler 4.7 / 5
  • Wolverine 4.6 / 5
  • Superman/Batman: Public Enemies 4.6/5
  • Lesbian Vampire Killers 4.6 /5
  • Hulk Vs 4.5 / 5
  • Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 4/5
  • Dragonball Evolution 3/5
  • Race to Witch Mountain 2.7/5
  • Bolt 2.5 / 5
  • Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 2/5
  • Adventureland 1/5
  • Terminator Salvation 0.5 / 5
  • Street Fighter - The Legend Of Chun-Li 0/10
 
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updated above list for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
 
Updated above for Terminator Salvation and The Hurt Locker.
 
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