I realize that it is a little late perhaps to make a best-of list almost two-months after the year is over. I do so however, because it takes a while for me to see a lot of releases, and I often wait for DVD on a lot of them. It is my opinion that 2009 has been a dry year for movies. There are not many great films or even fun films which I would recommend to friends. Oh well, we can't have 2005 every year. Anyway, here's my list [at the time of this writing, the Oscars have not yet been handed out, just the nominees.]
Top Ten:
1: Avatar -- I told myself I wouldn't (and couldn't) like it, but I confess, I have been sucked in. Biggest spectacle I can remember next to the first time I saw The Fellowship Of The Ring. But Spectacle isn't everything, and this one would be severely diminished once bereft of the famous 3D presentation. As much as I like it, it's not Oscar material. Come on.
2: Public Enemies -- My favorite filmmaker (Michael Mann) delivers yet another grand entry into his canon. While this is not one of his top films, it is a cut above many of the other releases coming out these days. I loved the music and most of the script as well. I would have preferred more slick cinematography and a longer running time so we could grow to care for the characters a little more.
3: Zombieland -- What can I say? It was very gory but one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time.
4: An Education -- This is the sad story of a brilliant young girl who loses her innocence at the hands of a manipulative older man. A family member went so far as to say that this excellent film is kind of a Jane Austen story (and I agree). There is a brilliant heroine, a weak but well intentioned family, and a journey through the conflict of evolving generational cultures and expectations. What else can I say? The script itself is very well written (by Nick Hornby!) and the cast was excellent. Carey Mulligan gives a great performance. In the realm of witty-er than life teenage girls, Mulligan's character trumps Juno in my book. Ultimately, I feel like this is an important film in terms of its themes. I think it was very under appreciated.
5: Red Cliff (Chi Bi) -- It bears mentioning that this film was released in the U.S. theatrically in a lengthy 148 minute cut. However, the film's DVD release includes the option of an even longer 288 minute cut (released internationally). The version I have seen is the international cut. I would be interested in seeing the theatrical cut because others have mentioned that it too is pretty good. It would be an interesting demonstration of the power of editing in the shaping of a film and story. Anyway, Red Cliff is a spectacular picture in almost every regard. Like many films in this genre, there are moments of indescribable visual craft. The cinematography, the visual effects, the special effects and the choreography all come together to create a veritable dance on the screen. The acting was serviceable, but given the characters as they were written, I don't think there was much room for actors to play around in. It was a treat to see Tony Leung in the lead though (remember him as Broken Sword in
Hero?). The story is simple enough, but the writers have been able to stretch out the details to fill out the considerable length of the film. Despite the length, I felt it just flew by. I would love to see this again.
6: Where the Wild Things Are -- A woefully mismarketed delight. It is not a family film by any stretch. It is an overblown art film. The now classic movie trailer featuring the immortal Arcade Fire track "Wake Up" is much much better than the actual movie turned out to be, but that is a big shoe to fill.
7: Crazy Heart -- I found this film to be quite moving. In some ways, it had some obvious parallels with Tender Mercies (for which Robert Duval wont his Oscar). As good as Crazy Heart is however, it does not surpass the power of Tender Mercies. The first item of note in Crazy Heart is the top-notch soundtrack from T-Bone Burnett. The songs are certainly within the country genre, but they have such a rich and rootsy flavor. The music felt genuine--a far cry from much of the country music I have heard. As the film mentions, there is a strong blues influence in a number of the songs too, which I appreciate. Jeff Bridges does his own vocals excellently. He could probably have a career in music too if he so wished it. His voice is both worn and tender. The crowning achievement is the Oscar-winning song "The Weary Kind" performed by Colin Farrell (in the film) and Ryan Bingham (in the credits). This glowing ballad evokes the importance of amplifying selflessness and perseverance in the face of personal unimportance and obstacles. It is a beautiful song which I hope will be successful for years to come. Other than the music, the film features the Oscar nominated performance by Jeff Bridges which indeed does deserve the praise. I have a feeling that the character "Bad" Blake is the closest to Bridges own self he has every played. I could be wrong, but how else can a man exhibit such a person so completely? The story itself we have all seen before: a musician at the end of his career must battle his imperfections (alcoholism, absentee parenthood, humble circumstances) and find meaning for his life. But the strength is in Bridges' character who elicits our sympathy so completely that the unoriginality of the story does not hamper it. The film also has a nice visual look to it which showcases the beautiful southern landscapes. Ultimately, I felt like this was a story which showed some of the best which the southern culture has given to the U.S. It kind of makes me want to travel through that region again. After all is said and done, my new ambition in life is to become Jeff Bridges who is possibly the coolest dude in America. :)
8: Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' By Sapphire -- This was an unexpected success. I knew the reviews were good, but I did not expect to find such a cliched story told in such a powerful and fresh way. Stories like this one are good because it reminds people like me that unbelievable suffering is occurring in my neighborhood, and it reminds people like Precious that victims of circumstance can break the cycle. In addition to the 'message' of the piece, the film itself has merit. I found the sequences of Precious' fantasies (escapes) to be funny, touching, heart-breaking. The sequences were very well-designed. The acting was good all around--yes, including Maria Carey, Lenny Kravitz and most shockingly, Monique. Monique's performance as Precious' abusive mother was perfect. It's hard to believe she is the same woman. Gabourney Sidibe is also very good, considering that she is not a trained actress. All in all, this was a very good film, even though it was difficult. I wonder if it should have won best picture this year.
9: The Blindside -- I was amazed to see what I would label an "inspirational drama" achieve in the way The Blindside has. It seems like the sports film almost invariably steers to the tear-jerker realm and palette. This film is not exception, but for once, the characters
earn the right to make us tear up. The film's power is boosted considerably by the fact that it is based on real and very recent events. Each of the characters are very real, believable, and likable. There were no true antagonists in this film which is refreshing. Not every victory must result in a loser who is evil. I also appreciated the realistic portrayals of "right-wing" conservatives--and southerners at that. I find it extremely annoying and yawn-inducing when filmmakers turn to their worn-out scapegoats (white-dubiously christian-southerners) as tools to make the audience feel better about their own evils ("at least I don't look stupid like that"). The only hindrance for me in enjoying this film completely was the fact that the Toueys were very rich. I wonder if the triumph and achievement would have been possible without the generous financial help from the Toueys. They paid for a private tutor and I assume they paid for Michael's education in college. Finally, I should mention that the kid who plays the character SJ was an absolute delight! Very good comic relief. Did Sandra Bullock deserve her Oscar for this role? I find myself surprised to say yes, I think she did. By halfway through the film I began to forget that Sandra was even in the movie; I just saw her character.
10: The Hurt Locker -- It is overrated, but still very well done. I kept thinking of Oliver Stone's
Platoon while I watched it. Hurt Locker seems comparable to that wonderful film because it is a war film which focuses on characters, not epic battles and tragedy. I realize this is a bad year for movies, but I would not have thought this was Oscar material.
Honorable mentions:
Whatever Works -- I actually found this to be refreshing dose of typical Woody Allen fare. Larry David is a charming substitute for the man himself and I hope to see him in more movies (I haven't seen his show which is apparently similar). Is it
Annie Hall? No, but it is better than a lot of the other Woody Allen films of the last few years (no I did not wet my pants over
Match Point).
The Lovely Bones -- I really wanted to like this better but I couldn't. I didn't like the book very much, but I had hopes for this adaptation. I know Peter Jackson gets criticized for the length of his films, but I think this one suffered from the more marketable running time. I think many of its problems could have been made better by allowing the characters and situations to breathe. There are so many great scenes in this film but they are not cut together well; the story is an editing nightmare. The writers had some good ideas, but I do not think they could find a way to fit them all together coherently.
District 9 -- I enjoyed the refreshingly original storyline as well as the realistic production design. I did think that the Prawns (aliens) were a little hokey, but what other designs are left to cinematic off-worlders? I did think that I would like to see more stories within the world of this film, so a sequel is more than welcome by me. But honestly, a best picture nomination? No way.
Star Trek -- Again, this has been a bad year for movies. I only mention that here because I did not imagine that this fun, but forgetful movie would make my top-ten for the year [EDIT: This was bumped down from #10 on the top ten from when I first put up the post]. As I said, this film was a lot of fun. There is wild spectacle, decent humor, a respected history (it's fun to see with trekkies), and it was a special treat to see Eric Bana as an alien baddie. I also enjoyed that little green alien who followed Simon Pegg around--possibly my new favorite trek character. :) But yes, despite it all, I can't imagine myself pining to see this again unless friends are watching it. I'll rent it again someday. I am looking forward to seeing more installments however and will gladly catch them on the big screen.
My Sister's Keeper -- I don't typically put sentimental pop-dramas very high in the grand scheme of things, but this one surprised me in its quality. The performances were good, the turns (while broad) were good, and the technical elements were good. I felt for these characters and their plights got me to think of a lot of deep-life things. That is more than you could say for a lot of films in this genre. [Edit: no longer #6 on the top ten].
Up In The Air -- It shouldn't come as a surprise to me that this film was nominated this year as the pickings were generally slim for the voters. Still, I would not have thought this was best picture material in a normal year. However, the recognition it received for its screenplay was certainly deserved. This film had an excellent script. Each scene was vibrant and fresh. Otherwise, the opening sequence was one of the more inventive ones in recent memory. While all the cast was good, Anna Kendrick stood out to me. She maintained a level of cuteness (no other word for it) while sustaining a believable reality.
Shrink -- While flawed, I found this entry in the genre to be quite entertaining. I'm not sure what genre I mean though. I guess you could call it lonely, stylized, comic, city-dwelling angst movies. I kind of want to see this again.
Sherlock Holmes -- Mostly disappointing, but I had high expectations. It turned out to be pretty much as the trailer portrayed it (a little bland and unfocused). I liked the concept, the casting was perfect (Rachael McAdams couldn't help her badly written character), the score was one of the best of the year, and Guy Richie at the helm sounded like a dream come true. Not so much. I would rather have waited for DVD.
Up -- I did not really like this. Big disappointment. It is only here because it was daring, original, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny (the frog being the biggest). I simply cannot believe that this was nominated for best picture this year. If any Pixar picture should have been nominated it was Wal-E.
Terminator Salvation -- I am shocked at how badly this was received. I found it to be a fun sci-fi action film with a great cast and great music (surprise). What was everyone thinking? Did anyone expect it to live up to T2?
Bright Star -- I had high hopes for this beautiful looking movie but the screenplay was too flat. The film is very well made, it's just that I did not really know the characters that well and did not sympathise with them very much.
A Serious Man -- The latest film from the always compelling, sometimes appalling, Coen Brothers is one of my favorites of theirs. I will be upfront: the ending is abrupt and bothersome. At first I was annoyed by it, but after a day or two, I really do not care anymore. What I liked about the film was everything which led up to the ending and frankly, that is enough for once. Here is my reasoning: As I think about what it means to have an abrupt ending, I realize that what we are missing initially is a narrative cap on the story which in a way "gives" the story to us to process and think about with a few pointers on where to start. In the case of "A Serious Man," its ending does not grant us this cap. At one point the storytellers just have nothing more to say, so the film just ends. To make matters worse, there is an unexplained beginning scene which is unrelated to the rest of the story (an opening short film...kind of). Throughout the main feature, I was waiting to see where the opening story would connect with the current one but it never does. In retrospect, I am able to say "oh well." So the opening scene wasn't connected to the rest of the movie. So what? It was a good scene wasn't it? The whole movie is made up of good scenes. It just does not have a coherent narrative thread. But enough about that: the film has great acting, great cinematography, and highly amusing scenes--I smiled often, but only laughed at a few choice moments. But that is okay isn't it? Anyway, what does a story about a boring, dysfunctional jewish family in the 1960s American midwest have to do with me? Absolutely nothing. But to borrow a great moment of dialogue from the film itself: "Who cares?"
Pirate Radio (aka "The Boat That Rocked")-- This film was a lot of fun. It has great music, an incomparable cast (Hoffman, Thompson, Nighy, Branaugh, etc.), and one of the most promising plots I have heard of in a long time. It has a palatable sense of humor though I rarely laughed out loud--but that's okay really! It is more fun than funny if that makes any sense (kind of like the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man"). What Pirate Radio has to a "T" is a sense of cool. The film's characters seem to be designed to be impossibly cool to the point of caricature. I wanted to be some of these characters or at least hang out with them and absorb their energy and spirit. Coupled with a superb set of songs for the soundtrack and we have, again, a very cool movie. However, I have to be honest when I say that the moral content of the movie cast me down a bit. I do not take issue with the depiction of sexual immorality and substance abuse in films unless they occur without comment. That is, if the audience is meant to condone or are encouraged to participate in immoral behavior rather than learn from it, then I take issue with the immoral content. There was little if no redeeming content in the film at all. It's all sin, so to speak. To top it off, the conservative opposition is portrayed as impossibly square and hypocritical. Many cultural leaders seem to align themselves with this reasoning: if you are not careless and impulsive, then you are boring and dangerous, and therefore, you are wrong. I understand that censorship (the sole voice of conservative outlooks in the film) is of dubious cultural value. However, the implicit message in most criticisms of censorship is that
self-censorship is also harmful to society. In other words, by holding to moral standards which encourage self-control and even self-improvement. I suppose the conflict between the two worldviews is really over what it means to be good. Anyway, perhaps the fact that the film raises these controversies at all is good in and of itself.
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus-- Coinciding with my expectations, this movie was quite weird. I was looking forward to seeing Heath Ledger in his last film, though I tried my best not to burden the film with his death. I also was interested to see how the added cast members were used to fill in the gaps in Ledgers performance. What I didn't expect was that the film would have its own appeal. I enjoyed the humor--let this be a lesson to me: humor can make nearly any kind of story or character bearable. I began to care about some of the characters and took great delight in seeing Christopher Plummer play a fantastic wizard-type person. The film is overall not very remarkable in and of itself; only that it provided a unique film experience which kept me on my toes aesthetically.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox-- I was expecting this to be much more pretentious; as in, I did not expect to enjoy it. Often established auteurs like Wes Anderson find pleasure in lording their privileged voice over the obligatory cult audience. In the case of this film however, it seemed to hold broad appeal over a variety of audience types. First, it is funny--very funny at times. Second, it is charming--not the same thing as humor. Third, it is clever--a tight, witty script with surprisingly complex characters. Fourth, the animation is wonderful--if not slightly unsettling at times. In short, I would gladly watch this again.
The Road-- This film is remarkable only in that it sincerely tried to do justice to the much loved source material--the novel by Cormac McCarthy. Sadly, the film failed to live up to the great book. The film's strengths were in its restraint (very like the book) and its casting. Viggo Mortensen portrays his character in a very unheroic way. His performance makes his character seem like a real, flesh and blood, man--a man scared to death of the world and all that is in it. And yet we still empathize with him. Had this film been an original screenplay, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. However, because I have seen how the material soars to great heights in the novel, I was sad to see the film achieve so little.
Movies from 2009 which I want to see:
A Christmas Carol
(Untitled)
Hunger
So that's that.
