Your Favorite Movies of 2009

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.
 
Last edited:
Updated for Ponyo and The Soloist.

1. Up A
2. District 9 A
3. Ponyo A
4. Coraline A
5. Star Trek A-
6. Observe and Report A-
7. The Hangover A-
8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince A-
9. Drag Me To Hell B+
10. Adam B+
11. Taken B+
12. Knowing B+
13. I Love You, Man B
14. Funny People B
15. Brüno B-
16. Adventureland B-
17. Confessions of a Shopaholic B-
18. Watchmen B-
19. Monsters vs. Aliens B-
20. Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian C+
21. The Soloist C
22. X-Men Origins: Wolverine C-
23. Push C-
 
Wall*E - 9/10
Watchmen - 5/10
Wonder Woman - 9/10
The Soloist - 7/10
Star Trek - 10/10
Terminator Salvation - 5/10
Valkyrie - 7/10
Taken - 8/10
The Forbidden Kingdom - 7/10
The Wrestler - 10/10
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - 7/10
Bruno - 7/10
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - 7/10
Green Lantern: First Flight - 8/10
Funny People - 9/10
Inglourious Basterds - 8/10
 
Watchmen - Pretty good. Not how I would've done it, but they put so much effort into how they did it that it payed off. A book-accurate Ozymandias might've made it a whole point higher. It's basically in the same category of b-t-f adaptations as the Potter films - no match for the book, but very cool to see for fans of it. And once in a while, sheer magic. 8.5/10.

Taken - Exciting, straight-forward, cool. Neeson is cool. 6.5/10.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - I enjoyed this, but basically, they just weren't making a good movie. So they just pumped up what they had as best as they could, and it turned out okay. It also just felt kind of dated.... seenitamilliontimes.... know what I mean? 6/10

Star Trek - First movie I can remember seeing in a while where the special effects actually impressed me. A great, fun action-adventure with a cast that completely sells it. I want more emotion and depth in a film, but this was the rare "great" movie that still manages without it. I hope it's there in the sequels, though. 8.5/10.

Terminator: Salvation - Pointless, dry, completely unengaging. Anton Yelchin was awesome, and Sam Worthington, for some reason, just really has something. I look forward to seeing more of both of them. But Conner was flat and the plot went absolutely nowhere. I'm disappointed in Bale for being so involved with this. And that stupid alternate ending they wanted to use.... damn.... 5/10

Outlander - This was pretty cool. A humanoid alien crash-lands in Viking-Era Norway. I like Jim Caviziel a lot and overall thought this was done pretty well. 8/10.

UP - The best, most touching thing I've seen from Pixar in years. I still wanted more, but as it was there wasn't really anything wrong with it. 9/10.

Tranformers: Revenge Of The Fallen - SFX porn with a likeable cast, especially Sam and his parents. I don't think this one felt as epic as the first, but it was good. 7/10.

Knowing - Stunning. Why isn't Shyamalan capable of this kind of thing anymore? Refreshing, creative, very suspenseful, amazing disaster sequences.... not to overhype it, but maybe the most I've enjoyed a movie this year. They clearly believed in the film they were making, which is more than I can say for a lot of films. 9/10

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince - Probably the best one yet, and certainly the most unique, beautiful, and magical to me. The problems that all the films have had still apply, but even those not as much. I loved it. 9/10.

Push - Fun, fast, good effects and well-directed action sequences.... the plot was extremely confusing in brief spurts, but I was pretty satisfied by it. A lot of the stuff that made Heroes good in the first place works here. 7.5/10[/QUOTE]

Horsemen - Detective movie about serial killers patterning themselves after the biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse. Good premise, only okay execution. Clearly made by people who really love Se7en, but aren't in the same leage. Patrick Fugit, the kid from Almost Famous, was the best part. 6/10

Funny People - Has lots of flaws and lots of good stuff. Sandler truly carries the picture, but everyone in it is good. A different and very personal step from Apatow. Odd for a director's third film, it feels more like a tenth. I guess that's the case for Sandler, though. What would really be interesting is if he stops making the type of movies they spoof in the film. 7.75/10

The Great Buck Howard - Swell. Colin Hanks is good here, but I'd really like to see him do a much less reserved, really emotional role soon. The movie is a must-see for any John Malkovich fan and overall was just really sweet and well-done. 7.5/10

I Love You, Man - I'm not usually big on the whole "bromance" thing, but this was awesome. It was really funny first and foremost, but the Segel-Rudd relationship is so much damn fun and steals the show, even when it's not being funny but just plain honest and raw. The whole cast is great and the film is enhanced by the fact that I love Rush. The extended concert scene on the DVD was a ****ing blast. 8/10

District 9 - A completely enthralling, edge-of-your-seat film experience, the most unique in ages. I feel like the whole "documentary/shaky-cam/handicam" thing a lot of them have been trying to use recently to make it feel more like you're actually there was finally perfected by this, with the perfect blend it uses. For the first time since I think 2007..... it's a solid 10/10.

Inglourious Basterds - Sometimes in all the hype and fanfare and his behind-the-scenes persona I forget just what a rich, superb film-maker Tarantino is. So suspenseful, so satisfying, amazing acting and direction and dialouge.... I will be riding high on this movie for quite a while. For the first time since last week...... 10/10.
 
So Inglourious Basterds was badass. Not nearly as violent as some of you made it out to be. Two great movies one weekend after the other. District 9 and now this. Great time for movie goers.
 
Updated for Inglourious Basterds and The Great Buck Howard.

1. Inglourious Basterds A
2. Up A
3. District 9 A
4. Ponyo A
5. Coraline A
6. Star Trek A-
7. Observe and Report A-
8. The Hangover A-
9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince A-
10. Drag Me To Hell B+
11. The Great Buck Howard B+
12. Adam B+
13. Taken B+
14. Knowing B+
15. I Love You, Man B
16. Funny People B
17. Brüno B-
18. Adventureland B-
19. Confessions of a Shopaholic B-
20. Watchmen B-
21. Monsters vs. Aliens B-
22. Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian C+
23. The Soloist C
24. X-Men Origins: Wolverine C-
25. Push C-
 
I didn't do this yet...

WATCHMEN - Good film, poorly told. Too loud, too loving, and too stupid. But that's all in how it was told. What was there was gold.

STAR TREK - Stupid film, brilliantly told. Very exciting, engaging, and charismatic, despite it being unbelievably average and contrived.

CHANGELING - A well-crafted, intriguing film with a great supporting cast and antagonists that help create a compelling protagonist in Angelina Jolie. Some of J Michael Straczynski's writing ticks are still too obvious and superficial, but it's extremely slight and the movie is very exciting indeed.

GHOST TOWN - A good return to classic comedy in which the main protagonist is actually unlikeable yet still compelling, Ricky Gervais is a rare talent like Bill Murray or Charles Grodin. Unfortunately, despite his wonderful performance, Gervais is stuck in an awfully bland movie that is formulaic and insipid. Lacking any insight at all, Gervais' fine performance is wasted.

LAST CHANCE HARVEY - A somewhat pleasant romantic drama, but unfortunately, lacks any real impetus or resolution. It has almost no story to it, and it never feels like this is truly Harvey's last chance for love.

RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN - A dull, insipidly shallow Disney movie that is written with terrible cliches and contrivances. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson however, is wonderfully entertaining because that's just who he is. Thankfully, he's on screen for so much of the movie, the movie becomes palatable purely because of him.

THE HANGOVER - A base, vulgar comedy that, while quite genuinely funny at points, lacks any substance at all. Setting itself up as a 'comedy mystery', it fundamentally has no plot or purpose, and is far too shallow and poorly constructed to be rewatchable. It is funny for the most part though.

BIG MAN JAPAN - Working on good faith, the film is enjoyable but slow for the first 90 minutes, then it ends with a very bad joke and forgets to have an ending or story. An insulting waste of everyone's time.

SEVEN POUNDS - Will Smith's latest attempt at desperately trying to get an Oscar. It's unfortunate because he's a very accomplished actor and just needs to be given a good film. This movie acts like it's a suspenseful mystery about love and redemption, but is confusing because it is so terribly obvious. It also makes an amateur mistake - hiding the protagonist's desire is idiotic as the film has no spine and appears to be a bizarre melange of scenes. Which is what this is. It struggles desperately for a point, only to reveal a dull, boring point that you already new from the trailer and never gives you a reason to care. It is a poor vehicle for actors; it traps talented actors with the promise of a wide range of emotional suffering but grants no context to those scenes, so the actor's tears seem unnecessary and insincere.

UP - Pixar are geniuses. From the opening six-minute cartoon PARTLY CLOUDY, to the fantastic end duel, this film is unbridled joy and wonder. Tip top filmmaking.

FROST/NIXON - An entertaining, interesting film of political cat and mouse. Unfortunately, in the wake of George W Bush, Richard Nixon appears saint-like and much of the teeth of the story dissipates. Granted, one can understand that at the time this was important, but today, it seems somewhat unimportant. The film makes its case very well, and is indeed very intriguing, but it is ever so slightly distant simply because GW Bush is a far worse Nixon who has gotten away with it.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - A rollicking rollercoaster movie that uses World War 2 as a romantic ficitionalized setting to have outrageous black comedy and gripping drama. Possessing a large cast of nothing but wonderful characters, the chief villain, Landa the Jew-Hunter steals the show away from wonderful characters like Aldo Raines the Apache, The Bear Jew, Hugo, and Lt Wilcox. Incredible fun.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - Okay, this didn't come out this year, but I saw it this year and I have to say that it is a masterpiece that, when watching it, demands your full, unbridled attention. Wow.
 
Updated for Tyson.

1. Inglourious Basterds A
2. Up A
3. District 9 A
4. Ponyo A
5. Coraline A
6. Star Trek A-
7. Observe and Report A-
8. The Hangover A-
9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince A-
10. Drag Me To Hell B+
11. The Great Buck Howard B+
12. Adam B+
13. Taken B+
14. Knowing B+
15. I Love You, Man B
16. Tyson B
17. Funny People B
18. Brüno B-
19. Adventureland B-
20. Confessions of a Shopaholic B-
21. Watchmen B-
22. Monsters vs. Aliens B-
23. Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian C+
24. The Soloist C
25. X-Men Origins: Wolverine C-
26. Push C-
 

Latest posts

Back
Top