Best Movies of 2009
What are the best movies of 2009? Michael Muniz weighs in with the 10 best films of 2009 in this special article exclusive to A1 Movie Reviews. From raunchy comedies to comic book adaptations, this list covers 10 movies you have to see.
10. Broken Embraces – Pedro Almodovar’s best stories are about simple, primal desires. A man and a woman meet and want each other. A man goes insane with jealous wrath. All the seven deadly sins and then some are on display here, with complex characters weaving this intricate narrative fabric that Almodovar creates so effectively. Penelope Cruz gives a wonderful performance as the vulnerable Lena, and the film marks a strong rebound for Almodovar from 2006’s lackluster Volver.
9. District 9 – Looking for a smart action thriller with a superb cast, plot, and remarkable special effects? This is it! It starts out a bit slow, but once things get going, it’s a true adrenaline shot filled with high octane intensity, and it raises some surprisingly moralistic questions that don’t often arise when people are getting blown to bits by plasmic blasts. Director Neill Blomkamp did a terrific job of creating the story world and throwing the viewer right into the fray alongside Wikus. It’ll keep you clinging tight until the end.
8. Fanboys – It was great to see a film that paid such a poignant and endearing homage to Star Wars fans. After all, the franchise’s interstellar success stems directly from them. Star Wars changed the way audiences looked at movies, and its popularity has remained so strong through the years because of the fans undying love for Wookiees, lightsabers, and Jar Jar Binks…well, maybe not Jar Jar. With a clever script and fun performances, this comedy is a standout in any galaxy.
7. The Hangover – Few comedies ever live up to the hype, but this one managed to exceed all expectations. Stomach-hurting hilarity at its best. Casting was definitely the key here, and the awesome ensemble cast played off each other with tremendous timing and precision. Zach Galifianakis stole the show, and how could a movie with Baby Carlos not make the 10 Best Films of 2009?
6. Drag Me to Hell – The perfect horror movies not only scare us, but they also make us laugh. Throughout his career, director Sam Raimi has had a great understanding of this. The character development was also great here, which is a rare thing for the horror genre (or most films of 2009, for that matter). Alison Lohman and Justin Long were fun to watch, but how awesome was Lorna Raver as Mrs. Ganush? You have to love when a working professional takes this kind of role and just runs wild with it. She leaves the viewer terrified but dying to see more.
5. Up in the Air – It’s hard to make a good movie about protagonists who don’t know what they want, but it’s even harder to make a great one. Mike Nichols did it with The Graduate and Jason Reitman does it here. This is a painful story about awakening. George Clooney gives an inspiring performance as Ryan Bingham, a guy who thinks he has things all figured out until two women enter his life and change his entire scope. Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick both turned in marvelous performances alongside Clooney, who is truly the Cary Grant of our generation.
4. Watchmen – Superhero action films used to be a mindless affair, but in recent years audiences demonstrated a need for substance to go with the flash. Sure, action enthusiasts will chide Watchmen for its lack of explosions and being forced to stare at a blue penis for so long, but that’s not the audience director Zack Snyder was going after. Michael Bay can have them. Instead, Snyder delivered an intelligent, riveting, character-driven story that redefined the superhero genre just as Alan Moore did in comics with his famed series. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was brilliant as The Comedian.
3. Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino makes a return to form with brilliant dialogue, top notch performances and suspense that builds like a pressure cooker. You almost have to get up and pace at some points. What works well here is the finely researched screenplay that feels very authentic, even with the vintage Tarantino humor. However, the driving force of the film is Christoph Waltz. Hans Landa is one of the best movie villains in years. The beautiful Melanie Laurent also shines. It was nice to go into this expecting Kill Bill with Nazis, but instead seeing a smart, edgy foreign thriller (it’s essentially a foreign film due to so many subtitles) that cements Tarantino’s status as one of the finest filmmakers of our generation.
2. (500) Days of Summer – This was an amazing film and, actually, technology aside, the best film of 2009. With a wonderful screenplay penned by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel play the kind of young couple we all are, were, or will be one day. We’ve all had to endure these kinds of relationships: doing the couple thing without being exclusive, then seeing how long you can go before one of you breaks. Set to an awesome soundtrack, Marc Webb’s direction brought an innovative eye and became his subtle ode to classic film genres. A pleasure for other filmmakers to watch. The scene that contrasts expectation to reality? Painfully beautiful and brilliant. The ironic ending was the capper on absolute cinematic perfection.
1. Avatar (3D) – Notice the 3D is parentheses? That’s because James Cameron shot his 14-year passion project in 3D, so that’s specifically how he wanted you to experience the film. If the three-dimensional effects were stripped away, would this film still be in my top spot? Absolutely not. However, while this was a pretty good movie even by normal standards, it’s the experience of seeing it in 3D that makes it a transformational experience. When I watched Avatar in 3D IMAX, I felt the way I imagine people must have when watching The Lumiere Brothers’ classic silent film, Arrival at a Train Station, in 1896 nickelodeons. Avatar conveys a tremendous sense of awe, spectacle, and bewilderment, all things you rarely experience during your average film. Despite the large range of films I see each year, I was still immersed and enthralled by Cameron’s vision. It’s an experience that every fan of cinema should have, as they don’t come around very often. That’s why Avatar (3D) ranks as the best movie of 2009.
But why stop with the best movies of 2009? At Only Good Movies, we have movie recommendations for every year and genre imaginable. Just take a look at some of the options below.
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 9:00 pm and is filed under Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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