Top 10 Films of 2009

[Pat K]

If we're giving year-end props here, I think Andy Breckman's supporting turn in A Serious Man deserves some special consideration. Maybe this is the year the Academy will finally start to recognize his work.

[bonnaventure]

I don't think I saw 10 new movies this year. I however loved the following films:

Moon
500 days of summer
and...
The Hangover

[Trotskie]

Unless you are epileptic or suffer from stress induced migraines, I'd highly recommend this one:



Very fun!

[Matt]

1. IN THE LOOP (The best movie of 2009. The rest are in no order.)
2. THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX
3. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
4. DRAG ME TO HELL/HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
5. CORALINE
6. A SERIOUS MAN
7. MOON/STAR TREK/DISTRICT 9 (A pretty solid year for mainstream sci-fi! Excuse me - syfy.)
8. THE INFORMANT!
9. THE HURT LOCKER
10. GOMORRAH

Haven't seen: BIG FAN, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, BRONSON, JULIA, AVATAR, BAD LIEUTENANT, THE WHITE RIBBON, PONYO, AFTERSCHOOL.

[Joe Rogaine]

Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great. Also thought Up In The Air was pretty good anybody seen it yet?

[thom]

Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.

I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.

[Chris L]

Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.

I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.

I didn't have problems with the ending at all.  What else would have worked?

[thom]

Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.

I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.

I didn't have problems with the ending at all.  What else would have worked?

It should have ended in the grocery store with a cut to black, without that godsmack army commercial ending. I was fully satisfied with the story at that point and knew what I needed to know about that character.

[Chris L]

Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.

I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.

I didn't have problems with the ending at all.  What else would have worked?

It should have ended in the grocery store with a cut to black, without that godsmack army commercial ending. I was fully satisfied with the story at that point and knew what I needed to know about that character.

SPOILER
SPOILER
THE HURT SPOILER

That would have made some army commercial.  Go Army... to your inextricable doom! Ending it at that point without him making the choice to go back would have nullified the whole purpose of the film.  The ending gives you everything you need to know about his eventual fate without actually showing it.

[thom]

Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.

I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.

I didn't have problems with the ending at all.  What else would have worked?

It should have ended in the grocery store with a cut to black, without that godsmack army commercial ending. I was fully satisfied with the story at that point and knew what I needed to know about that character.

SPOILER
SPOILER
THE HURT SPOILER

That would have made some army commercial.  Go Army... to your inextricable doom! Ending it at that point without him making the choice to go back would have nullified the whole purpose of the film.  The ending gives you everything you need to know about his eventual fate without actually showing it.

HURT LOCKER, THE: SPOILER: OH NO!
He obviously felt lifeless and useless and alienated back in the states. It was clear that he wished to go back. It's far more powerful to see him so unhappy in the safe environment he was fighting for, knowing he doesn't feel whole as a father or husband but rather as a crazy bomb guy.
Then again, I kinda want every movie to end like No Country for Old Men. So, there's that.

[Joe Rogaine]

Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.

I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.

I wished it would have ended with him at home some way too. I could have done without the slow motion shots seemed unnecessary also the psychiatrist  being too nice to the Iraqs was a little over the top.

[JustNicole]

Top 5 Faves of 2009:

5.Where the Wild Things Are
4.Whatever Works
3.The Hangover
2.The Reader
1.Precious

Top 5 I still want to see:

5.Watchmen
4.The Princess and the Frog
3.500 Days of Summer
2.Up in the Air
1.Fantastic Mr. Fox

[Matt]

1. IN THE LOOP (The best movie of 2009. The rest are in no order.)
2. THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX
3. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
4. DRAG ME TO HELL/HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
5. CORALINE
6. A SERIOUS MAN
7. MOON/STAR TREK/DISTRICT 9 (A pretty solid year for mainstream sci-fi! Excuse me - syfy.)
8. THE INFORMANT!
9. THE HURT LOCKER
10. GOMORRAH

Haven't seen: BIG FAN, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, BRONSON, JULIA, AVATAR, BAD LIEUTENANT, THE WHITE RIBBON, PONYO, AFTERSCHOOL.

Whoops, I forgot about THE LIMITS OF CONTROL! I'm sure a lot of people thought it was a snooze, but I was quite taken with it. So taken with it, in fact, that I mistakenly omitted it from my Top Ten list.

So, THE INFORMANT! is out, and THE LIMITS OF CONTROL is in. I thought THE INFORMANT! was kinda weak until the last half hour, anyway.

[Jim McGriddles]

Here's mine: the top 3 are set in stone, and the rest of the list was more just me trying to remember what I had seen this year.

1. A Serious Man
2. In The Loop
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call: New Orleans
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. Sherlock Holmes
7. Star Trek
8. Adventureland
9. Public Enemies
10. District 9

I haven't seen A Single Man, Julia, or Tetro yet, so those might have made the cut. Hunger and The Limits Of Control were good, but I also forgot that I had seen them.

Most disappointing movie was easily Terminator: Salvation: I should have known better, but I got suckered in by that Nine Inch Nails trailer.

I also got suckered into sitting through Watchmen. I never leave movies mid-stream, but I came close with that one.

In related list news, Roger Ebert has Knowing on his "Best Of Mainstream Films" list:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/12/the_best_films_of_2009.html

[harris]

In related list news, Roger Ebert has Knowing on his "Best Of Mainstream Films" list:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/12/the_best_films_of_2009.html

I can't wait until I can go to the UA Stadium 16 and catch a showing of Michael Haneke's new mainstream flick, "The White Ribbon."