Solo and William went goodbye and a soldier disarmed bombs to get a high. A serious man had some crappy luck and a white ribbon symbolized why people suck. Avatar symbolized a new cinematic boon while an old man, ranger scout, princess and frog were all in tune. We asked who's watching our heroes and a downsizing expert learned his life was a zero. In the end, Precious would inspire us, but for, Julia we're not ready to trust.
This past years seems like a year of extremes. Many of the premiere films of 2009 were under the radar of mainstream theaters. However, there were some phenomenal blockbusters as well. I don't want to yammer on here so lets get down to it. If you like you can check out the amended top 25s from 2007 and 2008. And like every year I like to give a nod to some of the films others have liked that I've missed. Possible additions to the top 25 at the end of next year could be — 12, 35 SHOTS OF RUM, AMREEKA, ANTICHRIST, ANVIL!: THE STORY OF ANVIL, BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS, BEACHES OF AGNES, BIG FAN, BROKEN EMBRACES, BRONSON, COLLAPSE, CRAZY HEART, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE DAMNED UNITED, DEPARTURES, DISGRACE, EVERLASTING MOMENTS, THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, GOMMORAH, THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD, HUMPDAY, HUNGER, IL DIVO, IN THE LOOP, THE INVENTION OF LYING, JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY, KATYN, THE LAST STATION, LORNA'S SILENCE, LYMELIFE, ME AND ORSON WELLES, MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY, THE MERRY GENTLEMAN, THE MESSENGER, MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT, MOON, MUNYURANGABO, MUST READ AFTER MY DEATH, MY ONE AND ONLY, MY SISTER'S KEEPER, OF TIME AND THE CITY, O'HORTEN, ORPHAN, PARIS, PASSING STRANGE, POLICE OBJECTIVE, REVANCHE, THE SECRET OF GRAIN, THE SECRETS, SERAPHINE, A SINGLE MAN, SITA SINGS THE BLUES, SKIN, STILL WALKING, SUMMER HOURS, TOKYO SONATA, TULPAN, TRUCKER, (UNTITLED), WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS?, and YOU: THE LIVING.
1) GOODBYE SOLO
Ramin Bahrani's indie drama takes inspiration from the Cannes-winning Iranian film, TASTE OF CHERRY, and creates something brand new and refreshing. In this age when remakes abound, this film shows how an idea can be retold in powerful new ways. Souleymane Sy Savane gives one of the best performances of the year as Solo, an immigrant cab driver from Senegal who picks up William (Red West) one night. The old man wants Solo to take him to a remote mountain in 10 days without a planned return trip. Solo is afraid of what he might have planned, so in his own dynamic way, he tries to persuade William against doing harm to himself. This unlikely friendship will reveal great depths about both characters, who are similar in ways they would never think. This is a film that surprises us with discovery. If getting to know a character is like uncovering a mystery if it's done well, Bahrani is the real Sherlock Holmes of 2009.
2) THE HURT LOCKER
Kathryn Bigelow's war thriller is the best film to be set in the Iraq War thus far. It's not a political film, but a precise character study, following an elite bomb squad. Jeremy Renner has established himself as a star as the adrenaline junkie SSgt. William James. His brash actions put him in conflict with his teammates Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), who just wants to do his duty and go home, and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), a green soldier who has been rattled by battle. In its look at these characters, the film also addresses issues about war in general. A quote starts out the film – war is a drug – the film then goes ahead and proves it powerfully.
3) A SERIOUS MAN
In his review of this film, Todd McCarthy said, "This is the kind of film you get to make after winning an Oscar." Ethan and Joel Coen's 1967-set black comedic take on the Book of Job asks difficult religious questions. Larry Gopnik, played by Michael Shuhlbarg in one of the best performances of the year, is a man who has done anything wrong, but has a lot of bad things happen to him. Why do bad things happen to good people? What makes someone a good person? How does God communicate answers to us? Larry seeks the answers to these questions as he deals with his wife leaving him, his troublesome kids, his criminal brother and a student who wants to bribe him and then blackmail him for taking a bribe he didn't take. From its unconnected prologue to its cryptic ending, the Coens are making hilarious and thought-provoking films like no one else working in mainstream cinema.
4) THE WHITE RIBBON
Michael Haneke's Cannes winning crime thriller is a unique mystery is how it resolves its story without tying knots on all its ribbons. Set in Northern Germany right before the start of World War I, the film looks into the psychological underpinnings of why people would follow the Nazis. A kind school teacher (Christian Friedel) tries to get to the bottom of a series of crimes and deaths in his small village, but he will find out what happens when you challenge the power structure. Haneke delves into areas of human cruelty that will be disturbing for many viewers and he allows the viewer to make up their minds on what exactly has transpired. This leaves a far more haunting experience than if everything was spelled out in a closing speech.
5) AVATAR
James Cameron's epic sci-fi event lived up to the hype and more so. In the creation of the world of Pandora, he has pushed the boundaries of visual storytelling to new realms. Wheelchair-bound soldier Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) heads to the dangerous planet to become an operator of a flesh and blood replica of the indigenous people, the Na'vi. He meets their future religious leader, Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana in a performance capture performance worthy of an Oscar, who teaches him the ways of her people. Meanwhile, Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang) wants intel on the enemy, who he wants to wipe out so that the corporate hack Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) can get the valuable power source he desires. Mixing many of the themes on the environment and greed from his previous films with a visual style inspired by his love of the ocean, Cameron has made a visually enthralling entertainment that never talks down to its audience while it whisks them away to a world only cinema could take them.
6-TIE) THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG & UP
Disney brought animation to feature films in a major way. Pixar took up its mantel of quality in recent years, but in 2009 both companies released fantastic examples of what can be accomplished in animation. Disney's return to 2D hand-drawn animation follows an ambitious black woman named Tiana who dreams of owning her own restaurant until a cursed prince named Naveen transforms her into a frog and she must find a way to be human again. This new princess tale takes what has been done before but moves the princess ideal into the 21st century where wishing on a star won't get you your dreams. Pixar's UP tells a totally different tale of an old man named Carl who regrets how life got in the way of his dreams with his now deceased wife Ellie. But on his epic adventure to South America in his house strapped to balloons, he befriends an ambitious young ranger scout named Russell and learns what life is all about. Few films animated or not attain the visual poetry of either of these films.
7) WATCHMEN
The more times I see Zack Snyder's adaptation of Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel the more I love it. In an alternative Earth, Richard Nixon serves three terms as president and the U.S. won Vietnam. This is all in part to masked superheroes mainly the first super-powered hero Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) who is like a god and sees human life from a vastly different perspective. Now masks are turning up dead like the cruel Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the ruthless vigilante Rorschach, played wonderfully by Jackie Earle Haley, wants to know why. He spurs Night Owl (Patrick Wilson) and Silver Spectre II (Malin Akerman) to come out of retirement. Snyder stays faithful to the spirit of the original work, dealing with complex issues of right and wrong in the face of the greater good.
8) UP IN THE AIR
Jason Reitman's dramedy seems like the right film for this year. George Clooney brings his regular charm to an easily unlikeable character. Ryan Bingham is a downsizing expert who travels the country constantly firing people. Natalie Keener, in a star-making turn by Anna Kendrick, is a student with an idea that would change Ryan's life completely. He is forced to take her out on the road and teach her the business. Meanwhile, Ryan meets Alex Goran, played by Vera Farmiga with her regular confidence, a woman much like him. Bingham gives speeches about lightening your backpack in life, because it gives you freedom. With its well-developed characters and complex themes, this look at modern romance and business has something to say about how our lives have become disconnected.
9) PRECIOUS
Lee Daniels' painful drama takes its overweight and troubled title character through great trials and tribulations in an inspiring tale of perseverance. Gabourey Sidibe makes a subtle and remarkable screen debut as Precious, a teen who has two children by way of her father. She lives at home with her mother Mary, played by Mo'Nique in a performance worthy of an Oscar, a woman who has been so beaten down by life that she has given up and spends her days taking out her heartbreak on her daughter. In comes Precious's new teacher Blu Rain (Paula Patton) and social worker Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey), the first people to take an interest in Precious's welfare. They inspire her to simply try. Precious isn't a remarkable student or has some hidden talent. In presenting her story, the film shows the value of all people no matter who they are.
10) JULIA
Tilda Swinton gives the best female performance of the year in this indie thriller that bases all its twists and turns around the faults of its title character. Julia is a party girl and an alcoholic. But when she sobers up she's no less of a mess. At an AA meeting she meets an on-the-verge woman desperate to get her child back from her father. She wants to kidnap him. Julia doesn't want to be bothered at first, but decides that kidnapping the boy herself is a quick way to get rich. She is barely capable to take care of herself let alone pull off a caper or, more dangerous, take care of a young boy. This character study understands Julia and knows that she will be herself no matter what we think of her. Each act works as a new film. The first is a probing look at a drunk. The second is a kidnap thriller. The third moves to Mexico where things really get interesting.
11) INVICTUS
Clint Eastwood tells the inspiring story of Nelson Mandela, played uncannily by Morgan Freeman, as he tries to rally the white and blacks of South Africa with the help of national rugby captain Francois Pienaar, played with humility by Matt Damon.
12) SIN NOMBRE
Debut director Cary Fukunaga makes a powerful statement about illegal immigration and Latino gangs in this emotional drama.
13) THE ROAD
The personal metaphor of the epic responsibility of parenting from Cormac McCarthy's great novel is honored in John Hillcoat's screen adaptation. Viggo Mortensen is again wonderful as the father and Robert Duvall makes a unforgettable cameo.
14) WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Spike Jonze takes Maurice Sendak's picture book and expands it into a dark and spirited ode to the confusion of growing up.
15-TIE) (500) DAYS OF SUMMER & AN EDUCATION
Marc Webb's SUMMER and Lone Scherfig's EDUCATION are two love stories about that defining relationship in our lives – the one that teaches us the most about who we are looking for and who we are. In SUMMER, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Tom is smitten with Zooey Deschanel's Summer even though she doesn't believe in love. In EDUCATION, Carey Mulligan makes a star-making turn as a young high school student who gets a whole new perspective on life with an affair with David (Peter Sarsgaard), a man nearly twice her age.
16) THE INFORMANT!
Matt Damon gives another great performance in Steven Soderbergh's dry comedy about a whistleblower who turns out to be a compulsive liar.
17) DISTRICT 9
In another one of the year's great directorial debuts, Neil Blomkamp creates a unique commentary on the refugee crisis in South Africa with this sci-fi actioner that teams a wimpy hack from a multinational corporation with a determined alien and his son.
18) PONYO
Animation legend Hayao Miyazaki returns with this joyous fantasy about a young boy who befriends a goldfish who wants to be human.
19) DRAG ME TO HELL
Sam Raimi returns to horror in this hilarious and frightening curse tale that remembers that events are scarier when we care about the characters around them.
20) 9
Shane Acker's visually arresting animated feature was an underrated parable with charming characters and thrilling action.
21) FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book is a quirky adventure about family dynamics that was cussin' funny.
22) INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Quentin Tarantino delves into an epic WWII tale where U.S. assassins, led by the daring Southern solider Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), set out to kill as many Nazis as possible while a young Jewish girl named Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) tries to avenge the slaughter of her family. Christoph Waltz creates the iconic villain Hans Landa, a Jew hunting detective with a devious agenda.
23) THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
This skeptical satire of the U.S. government's history with testing psychic spies is driven by wonderfully oft kilter performances from George Clooney, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey.
24) NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Robbed of theatrical release due to the demise of its studio, this fictionalized take on the Judith Miller scandal has Kate Beckinsale in one of her best performances playing a journalist who goes to prison to protect the source who outed a CIA agent, played powerfully by Vera Farmiga.
25) THE COVE
The best doc of 2009, this film pulls together a team of activists that try to expose the slaughter of dolphins in a secluded Japanese inlet.
Honorable Mentioned
ADVENTURELAND
BRIGHT STAR
THE BROTHERS BLOOM
BROTHERS
BRUNO
CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
CHERI
CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT
COCO BEFORE CHANEL
CORALINE
DUPLICITY
FOOD, INC.
FUNNY PEOPLE
GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT
GREY GARDENS
THE HANGOVER
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
I LOVE YOU, MAN
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS
THE INTERNATIONAL
THE LOVELY BONES
NINE
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
PUBLIC ENEMIES
STAR TREK
STATE OF PLAY
SUGAR
TAKING WOODSTOCK
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
TYSON
Amendment
1) Goodbye Solo
2) The Hurt Locker
3) A Serious Man
4) The White Ribbon
5) Avatar
6-tie) Up
6-tie) The Princess and the Frog
7) Watchmen
8) Up in the Air
9) Precious
10-tie) Anvil!: The Story of Anvil (Added 12/30/10)
10-tie) We Live In Public (Added 12/30/10)
11) Julia
12) Invictus
13) Sin Nombre
14) The Road
15) Where the Wild Things Are
16-tie) An Education
16-tie) (500) Days of Summer
17) The Informant!
18) District 9
19) Ponyo
20) Drag Me To Hell
21) 9
22) Fantastic Mr. Fox
23) Inglourious Basterds
24-tie) The Men Who Stare at Goats
24-tie) The Messenger (Added on 12/30/10)
25) Nothing But the Truth
Honorable Mentioned
Adventureland
Amreeka (Added 12/30/10)
Antichrist (Added 12/30/10)
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (Added 12/30/10)
Big Fan (Added 12/30/10)
Bright Star
Brothers
The Brothers Bloom
Bruno
Capitalism: A Love Story
Cheri
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Coco Before Chanel
Coraline
The Cove
Crazy Heart (Added 12/30/10)
Disgrace (Added 12/30/10)
Duplicity
Food, Inc.
Funny People
Green Lantern: First Flight
Grey Gardens
The Hangover
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Hunger (Added 12/30/10)
I Love You, Man
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
In the Loop (Added 12/30/10)
The International
Katyn (Added 12/30/10)
The Lovely Bones
Me and Orson Welles (Added 12/30/11)
Medicine for Melancholy (Added 12/30/10)
Moon (Added 12/30/10)
Nine
Orphan (Added 12/30/10)
Paranormal Activity
Public Enemies
Star Trek
State of Play
Sugar
Taking Woodstock
The Time Traveler's Wife
Tyson
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
