Top Ten Movies of 2009

Alright gang, it’s a new year, a new decade and hopefully a year where I’ll apply myself more to even the easiest and most insignificant of tasks like writing on my blog. This means more reviews and humourous articles and less one sentence posts. To start things off I want to list my Top Ten Favourite Films of 2009. That’s right, what you’re about to read will be totally objective and won’t really give you any indication of what the real world is like or how it works. The following will be my opinion and if you don’t like that then that means you hate honesty and possibly even freedom, it’s ok for me to say these kind of things because I’m being subjective (or did you not read the disclaimer?).

Of course there were some seemingly great films that I missed last year, examples being Up, A Serious Man and others that could have easily made it into this category had I seen them but none the less here are the ten new films, that I saw in 2009 that I enjoyed the most, provided with a brief review for fun (that’s right there will be fun somewhere in here, hidden probably).

Starting from the bottom we have:

10. Crank: High Voltage

Following the events of Crank straight afterwards, Crank: High Voltage was more or less a Die Hard 2, in the sense that it was a sequel that heavily emulated its predecessor, only unlike Die Hard 2 it was a superior edition. Less storyline but more jokes, better action sequences and much like Mad Max 2 we have the same kind of stuff as before but with more confidence and a better established and stylised world for the film to be set in.

With plenty of unexpected cameos (not to mention unrecognisable) and a score by former Faith No More and Mr. Bungle front-man, Mike Patton, Crank: High Voltage is essentially an adrenaline fueled goodie bag for your not-faint-of-heart action movie fans. Here’s hoping for a 3rd, 4th, 5th or even all the way up to 10 (actually better make that up to 11 cause then that means I made a Spinal Tap reference so people know I can reference movies and that makes me good at this).

9. Avatar

James Cameron’s higly anticipated return as a feature director seemed overblown in marketing, however it proved to be a feast for the eyes. Avatar is a simple enough story that has a resonance of certain film stories of yesteryear. None the less it takes its audience to another world while still maintaining a certain amount of scientific plausibility (although let’s face it, some of it is just magic).

A bit lengthy but still pleasing, think Fern Gully meets Small Soldiers (except they’re not toys) on the canvas of The Lion King, probably with a bit of Jurassic Park in there too. Perhaps not the screenplay of the decade but certainly a step forward in visuals and design and the first film that I’ve seen with a favorable argument for the continuation of 3-D films.

8. District 9

Neil Blonkamp’s feature debut proved a mighty treat with an excellent blend of CGI and puppetry. Borrowing visually from the world of computer gaming and using the hardcore science fiction technique of story telling by showing you one thing while really saying something else (maybe not too subtly), District 9 gives and insightful perspective in its story of an alien spacecraft that is marooned in the middle of Johannesburg whose surviving masses of extra terrestrial lifeforms are forced to immigrate locally.

With a powerful performance from relative unknown Sharlto Copley, District 9 does swiftly evolve into an action adventure however it still sustains a smart message about humanity and survival. A sequel will perhaps not go amiss.

To read the full review click here.

7. Let The Right One In

Breaking borders and earning a large english speaking audience, Let The Right One In proved to be a classic vampire movie with intricate drama, deep performances and simplistic and therefore, powerful story telling using the old school style of horror film making, focusing on what you don’t see rather than what you do.

Intriguing motives, ambiguous backgrounds and delicately laced with questionable morality Let The Right One In is an excellent horror film but also a very clever drama that pulls you in and knows what to do when it has your attention. Here’s hoping to see more classy vampire films with real depth.

6. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Terry Gilliam did it again this year delivering a magical, albeit disjointed, feature about not so much God versus the Devil or good versus evil but more simply and perhaps more accurately the internal (I said internal not eternal) struggle of good will and imagination against ignorance and temptation, which it can be said, is something we all face.

Its messy structure can perhaps be attributed to the tragic death of leading actor Heath Ledger, during its production which delayed its release and caused Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to step in and take his place therefore changing much of the films tone and rearranging its scenes. However it is very much a film driven by ideas and these ideas still come through with a conclusion that doesn’t feel like a detour from where it was originally heading.

With greatly charming and oddball performances all around, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus deserves to stand among Gilliam’s other classics succeeding in a few areas his other greats had not quite.

5. Fantastic Mr. Fox

Charming, witty, slick and simply gorgeous to look at Wes Anderson’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic novel (which is among many) delivered everything necessary to bring that old Dahl charm to the screen once again while maintaining a perfect amount of individuality with Wes Anderson’s particular style of film making. While we have seen other films that have given us faith in the world of 3-D and CGI this film really makes a case for the survival of the craft and earthy vintage goodness (which I admit makes it sound like I’m talking about a Werther’s Original) in modern film making.

Flawlessly shifting the characters of the book from the UK to the US (this process can go awry, believe me) the ensemble cast of voice acting is equally as rich as the colour and design. It makes me happy to see that there is still good strong representation of Dahl’s work available for young audiences, let alone the fact that there is simply good kids entertainment out there being made.

4. Synecdoche New York

Charlie Kaufman’s first film as director (but certainly not as writer) was anticipated with much curiosity as to not only the competence of his direction but also the style, as he had collaborated with directors before with distinct approaches. His style in the end, was not dissimilar to Spike Jonze who had directed two of his scripts previously (Being John Malkovich & Adaptation) giving a subtle, real life perspective to a bizarre situation, although Michel Gondry had this same dry touch to many of the sequences in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Something that is notable about Synecdoche New York in comparison with Charlie Kaufman’s other work, is that it reached deeper into his own vision of the world and our place in it.

Synecdoche New York is essentially a film about dealing with being alive as a living person is and that means being confused, falling behind, making observations around you while not feeling completely apart of your surroundings, and conclusively trying to make your own summary of the way things are, despite no summary being possible. A much more ambigious and far less linear film to Charlie Kaufman’s previous work, Synecdoche New York is a film that brings to its viewers an identifiable form of pain in everyday life, that I don’t think has ever quite been portrayed on screen before. This film may not be the best possible portrayal of it but it very well could stand as a film that paves the way for other films to do more.

3. Star Trek

Boldly going where many had felt it was unnecessary to go, J.J. Abrams entered a potentially hostile territory in recasting and reinterpreting a franchise that had already been well established and had a large fanbase so dedicated that it pretty much defined what a fanbase is. Star Trek was a film that could only have struck a chord or broken every string on the guitar, fortunately it did the former and what was produced was a brilliantly adventurous action fantasy with well rounded genuinely likable characters, that was applicable to a fresh audience, while still staying remarkably true to its source material by ironically breaking a couple of rules and simply keeping nothing but the utmost respect for the original show.

Some actors, despite great performances, didn’t quite fit as their characters for me, examples being John Cho (Sulu), Zoe Saldana (Uhura) and even Chris Pine (Kirk), but these in particular were very out of place for their original roles story-wise and I’m sure by the next film (boy, there better be a sequel) they’ll seem more in sync. Meanwhile Karl Urban (Bones), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Anton Yelchin (Chekov) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) give pitch perfect performances showing their own portrayals of the characters, while really appearing to be the characters at a younger age. Quinto’s Spock is particularly exceptional and there is a lot of focus on his performance (probably more than any other character) as the half human-half vulcan, trapped between two worlds.

Smart, funny, brave and overall just plain fun, Star Trek for me has earned its place as a very close 3rd to its victors in this list.

2. Where The Wild Things Are

Being Spike Jonze’s first film without screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (as mentioned in 4), Where The Wild Things Are proves the director to have a his distinct approach and yet a wide range within his skills as a film maker. Simple and true to the original short children’s book, yet incredibly deep not to mention ambiguous, Where The Wild Things Are is not so much a film for children but one about children and childhood itself, showing the joy and imagination in being a child while also exposing the sadness, anger and loneliness of feeling left behind and living among giants, as it were.

The film doesn’t conclude the process of childhood so much as it simply projects its being. With a strong and impressive performance from the young star Max Records as the lead role Max, neither a happy or sad film, Where The Wild Things Are is a film about, not the process, but the existence of childhood, particularly the transitional time when it feels as though you will never change but the world around you constantly is.

1. Inglourious Basterds

Cocky, funny and just the right amount of madness Inglourious Basterds for me was 2009s best film. Set “Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied France…”, it is a sharp talky-spaghetti western with something of a comic book tone that tells its story through a selection of chapters, almost feeling like it were formerly a mini-series, at times completely breaking itself from its audience, only to hook you back in once again.

With a fantastic ensemble cast it can easily be said that the film has no lead or rather that there is no protagonist… But there is and it’s Col. Hans Landa played by Christoph Waltz. Waltz’s performance as the diabolical Nazi nicknamed “The Jew Hunter”, is an excellent portayal of the perfect kind of evil villian, as in that he’s so good at being evil, you almost (almost) kind of like him, or rather love to hate him. Without giving too much away (although I wouldn’t advise reading my reviews before seeing the film that much, or any review for that matter), the film really begins and ends with Landa and he is the only real character that goes through a change. Played cruel, atriculate and cocky, he is so completely a Nazi written by Tarantino.

This film was one I was unsure based on its misleading trailer, however its one that I’d certainly rank among Tarantino’s best.

To read the full review click here.

Honourable Mention: Moon

Sadly Duncan Jones’ directorial debut Moon did not make the list for this years top 10. However it is definitely a film that I feel deserves mentioning. Being one of the four science fiction films to be discussed in this article I didn’t feel that it would suit to have anymore and even though no film is truly original, Moon is an old fashioned pulpy sci-fi story that walks a little too firmly in the footsteps of its predecessors.

In spite of this it is still a very well made film with excellent performances from Sam Rockwell alone (I know what I said) along with the voice acting of Kevin Spacey and brief appearances others. Good pacing and unwinding structure, Moon tells an old fashioned story in an old fashioned way and even though it didn’t make the list it definitely deserves to be mentioned and recommended.

To read the full review click here.

Stinker of the Year: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The worst movie I saw this year has got to be X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Bad Script. Bad Acting. Bad Effects. Bad Title. Bad Everything!

Worse then Dragonball Evolution? Yes because as bad as Dragonball Evolution was, it was harmless, and even though as a fan of the source material, I do believe in the possibility of a good Dragonball movie, I doubt it’s audience would be that marketable and therefore it’s unlikely to happen, so it at the end of the day, it wasn’t that much of a lost opportunity. X-Men Origins: Wolverine however could have had something to say and was riding on the shoulders of a saga that held X-Men and X-Men 2 that were two really great movies. Of course X-Men 3: The Last Stand was very poor but it now it doesn’t look half bad compared to the shit-house made of retarded knives that is X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Dragonball Evolution made me laugh but X-Men Origins: Wolverine felt like a waste of time (not to mention money).

Worse then Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen? I didn’t actually see the new Transformers movie so who knows actually?

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Anyways, that’s all for now. See you next year, although hopefully before then because that’s kind of a long time from now.

- Pine Out