Top Ten Tuesday: Best Movies of 2009

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or… the craziest for some, but it’s a time of year when many are giving and receiving gifts of some kind. So, the Movie Geeks want to give you something as well… the best movies of the year, surprise! 2009 was an interesting year for movies, producing incredible movies from various genres. We saw many great films ranging from drama to comedy, sci-fi to animation, old school to new technology. There was something for everyone. We’ve tossed and turned and toiled, even lost some sleep to give you the perfect list of movies we feel are the Top Ten Best Movies of 2009.

10. THE HURT LOCKER

As much as you will hear about Jeremy Renner’s performance, which is a great performance, to me this is a film that really shines the spotlight on the film’s director, Kathryn Bigelow.   A director who has fought through a male oriented business to direct films in a genre that is usually directed by males.   Bigelow, who previously directed Point Break, Near Dark and Strange Days, ratchets the tension by using the view from the majority of America and their feelings of the war and Iraq against us.   While the film will likely date itself in the future due to it’s heavy footing in political set drop, Renner and Bigelow work together to give us some of the most gut-wrenching films I have seen in a long time.   It is a must see film.

9. AWAY WE GO

This follow up film to RESERVATION ROAD from Sam Mendes is off-beat, charming and thoughtful. This movie follows a modern couple, pregnant with child, as they set out on a cross-country trip to visit family and friends, searching for what their perfect family should look like. They visit family and friends, filled with quirky stereotypes of modern dysfunctional families. In the process, the couple comes to realize there is no such thing as the perfect family. The movie is filled with great performances, especially from Maggie Gyllenhaal, and writing that is nothing short of memorable.

8. DISTRICT 9

2009 was a great year for the science fiction genre and the groundbreaking and incredible entries into it, not the least of which was DISTRICT 9, Neill Blomkamp’s introduction to the world of feature film making.  Backed by Peter Jackson, the film is a triumph is atmospheric effects, violent and moving depictions of poverty, and an engrossing lead character fleshed out by an engaging performance by Sharlto Copley.  The film had so much more going for it than hardcore and bloody action, which makes up the film’s back half.  The themes running underneath give weight to the pools of blood being spilled.  Most other years, DISTRICT 9 would have found its way to the top of the sci-fi list.  In a year such as 2009, it’s recognition enough putting it on here.

7. AN EDUCATION

Based on the autobiography of British author Lynn Barber, AN EDUCATION is a coming-of-age drama about an intelligent, lovely teenager, Jenny (Carey Mulligan), living in London during the 1960’s who has dreams of one day attending Oxford. But those hopes are dashed when she’s whisked away from her dull life by a handsome, older man, David (Peter Sarsgaard) to Paris, filled with art, music, and excitement. Against the advice of her father (Alfred Molina) and her Head-Mistress (Emma Thompson), Jenny leaves school and receives a most smarting education when her Prince Charming isn’t all he seems to be. With her star-making,  Audrey Hepburn-type performance, a slew of critics awards, and a Golden Globe nomination, Mulligan is currently the front-runner to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. From director Lone Scherfig and a captivating screenplay by Nick Hornby, AN EDUCATION won rave reviews when it debuted at The Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The film comes with an enchanting, hypnotic score from Paul Englishby. With its smattering of 60’s pop songs and artists, including the great Mel Torme and Ray Charles, one of the highlights was written especially for the film – Duffy’s ballad “Smoke Without Fire.”

6. AVATAR

It may have been impossible for James Cameron’s massively expensive epic to live up to the ridiculous hype, but it came pretty close. Featuring some of the best CG work in cinema to date and an incredible 3D experience, Avatar manages to be greatly entertaining for its 2.5 hour runtime. Now let’s just hope the sequel doesn’t take another 12 years.

5. UP

UP is yet another triumph from the incredible Pixar studios, who don’t just make great kid’s movies — they make great movies. Much more than just a movie about flying houses and talking dogs, UP had the perfect balance of material for the kids and for grown-ups. The action scenes in UP are thrilling and inventive but it’s the film’s many quiet moments that will stay with me. And has there ever been a movie with funnier dog jokes?

4. STAR TREK

The idea of someone, anyone, coming in to “reboot” the STAR TREK series was met with some livid fans in the years leading up to J.J. Abrams’ film’s release.  Many of them, myself included, ate some crow that day, as STAR TREK proved itself to be a true game changer when it came to the franchise.  Great character filled by amazing and hip actors set against an equally appealing story.  That’s what STAR TREK has to offer, and the special effects in it are pretty awesome, too.  Nearly every aspect of the film was a slight improvement on anything we had seen before in the series, and some even make the claim that it trumps the previous series best, WRATH OF KAHN.  J.J. Abrams took the series where it never gone before, and here’s hoping he comes back to do it again.

3. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER

“This is not a love story. It’s a story about love.” How true this statement is and so perfectly it captures the heart of this film. Affectionately called an “anti-romantic comedy” by many, this film vividly illustrates the emotions and complex interpersonal dynamics of a relationship and the expectations we have of them This first-time writing duo of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber creatively translate the ups and downs of dating to the visual medium with a flair for great dialogue, delivered perfectly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

2.  MOON

I was a fortunate one when I saw MOON early this year at the South by Southwest Film Festival.  I didn’t know much about Duncan Jones’ debut film other than it starred Sam Rockwell, and it was a sci-fi movie.  If you are lucky, as well, you will see MOON knowing little more than that, as the story that unfolds is breathtakingly simple yet emotionally powerful.  Rockwell gives the performance of his career, and Kevin Spacey, providing the voice of a computer, is incredible, too.  MOON is a low budget sci-fi movie, a  sub genre  that generally brings out the best in story.  It succeeds in every way  imaginable.

1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Quentin Tarantino’s WWII epic hit theaters in August and cracked audiences in the face with it’s cutting and enthralling dialogue and outlandish violence. The film tells stories in chapters (same as QT’s previous film KILL BILL), introducing characters on both sides of the Axis/Allies parties. The Basterds are a Nazi hunting gang of Jewish-American soldiers that are sent in ahead of the calvary to instill fear in the hearts of the German forces. The film also follows the story of a survivor of Colonel Hans Landa’s Jew-Hunting mission and her personal revenge plot. With outstanding casting, brilliant storytelling, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is definitely worthy of being our favorite of the year.