Best of 2009 (So Far) - Page 2

1. Tetro
2. Araya
3. Bronson
4. Saw VI
5. Chelsea on the Rocks

Saw VI ?

Note: haven't seen THE HURT LOCKER (yet).

1. DRAG ME TO HELL
2. WATCHMEN
3. THE INFORMANT!
4. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
5. DISTRICT 9
6. THE HANGOVER
7. STATE OF PLAY
8. CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE
9. ZOMBIELAND
10. STAR TREK
11. CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
12. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
13. LAND OF THE LOST
14. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
15. TAKEN
16. ADVENTURELAND
17. OBSERVE AND REPORT
18. DUPLICITY
19. PUBLIC ENEMIES
20. FUNNY PEOPLE

Well, he needs to show he likes silly horror films and isn't some arthouse snob with his head up his ass. Or he only saw 5 movies this year.

Even if you feel Apatow failed in what he was trying to do, putting Funny People below Duplicity (a horrible movie people don't think is because it has a nice pedigree) is cruel. Also, The Hangover is not a very good movie, and having it in any top ten indicates not seeing enough good comedy. In the Loop, dammit. See it at the first possible opportunity. The British again show us how it's done.

Top ten:
1. Where the Wild Things Are
2. District 9
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Moon
6. Coraline or Up
8. In the Loop
9. A Serious Man
10. Ponyo

1. Up
1. Coraline
2. Moon
3. Inglorious Basterds


Haven't seen Anti-christ, A Serious Man, Sin Nombre, or Thirst.

1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Up
3. Moon
4. Where The Wild Things Are
5. District 9
6. Anvil! The Story of Anvil
7. Hurt Locker
8. Watchmen
9. Observe And Report
10. Adventureland

In no particular order (haven't seen Moon, A Serious Man or The Hurt Locker, World's Greatest Dad, and many others yet):

Adventureland
Observe & Report
Drag Me To Hell
Up
Away We Go
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
District 9
Inglourious Basterds
The Informant
Antichrist

Geez, I keep forgetting about AWAY WE GO. WORLD'S GREATEST DAD, too.

This has been a fantastic year, if you knew where to look.

This is so wrong.

Uh, the Hangover sucked. A coworker told me it was the funniest film she'd ever seen.
Uh, no.

Like honestly, what the fuck is funny about this? A naked asian man coming out of a trunk, a semi-retarded brother in law? So fucking overrated.

It's not Arrested Development, nor is it the best comedy of the last 5 years, but the movie is sure as hell funny. And seriously, you sure make a great case for it.

I really though you would have connected more with Zach Galifianakis character's retardation.

I'm pretty nitpicky when it comes to comedies. I rarely ever laugh out loud, but THE HANGOVER had me in stitches from start to finish. When I saw it a second time, I think I laughed even more.

So, yeah, that's my case and I'm sticking with it.

I wasn't expecting much from THE HANGOVER going in, but ended up enjoying the hell out of it. Difficult to see how somebody who'd pay for a ticket to see that movie didn't enjoy it. But it's all so subjective, to each his own, blah blah...

My diverging opinion is of another widely embraced movie, DISTRICT 9. Kind of had the opposite experience that I had with THE HANGOVER. Expected to love DISTRICT 9 and totally came out of it lukewarm. I mean, it's good film making creatively and technically, but I just didn't make much of a connection with it. Not a bad movie, but it was a disappointment for me. I'll give it another shot when it comes to DVD, though. Another disappointment for me this year: WATCHMEN. I think I liked that more than DISTRICT 9, though.

I'm not sure what my favorite movies of the year are so far because I still have a lot left to see. Looks like I'll be catching up on a good bit of it through Netflix. But here's a stab at my top 5 from this year in alphabetical order:

DRAG ME TO HELL
THE HANGOVER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
STAR TREK
UP


Other 2009 movies I've seen this year:
DISTRICT 9
MONSTERS VS ALIENS
TERMINATOR: SALVATION
WATCHMEN
ZOMBIELAND


Partial list of 2009 movies I want to see:
THE HURT LOCKER
A SERIOUS MAN
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
ADVENTURELAND
THE BROTHERS BLOOM
MOON
ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL
OBSERVE AND REPORT
THE INFORMANT!
AWAY WE GO

The Hangover was a great time at the theater. I made sure to go on opening weekend for that experience when I heard that it PLAYED. But it's not a movie I plan to see again anytime soon. Same thing with the Crank movies.

I chuckled here and there with The Hangover, but The Informant! is what killed me.

With the overly serious James Bond music, the inspired title cards, the narration consisting of nothing but Damon's random thoughts, a comparison between Arrested Development and The Informant! would be most accurate. Even the exclamation mark in the title, and Damon's face on the poster gets me.

Sort of can't believe I'm saying this because I've never been real big on STAR TREK, but I think seeing the new movie might've been the most fun I've had in a theater all year. Not my favorite 2009 movie overall, but it was just pure entertainment.

Same here, Ryan.

If someone told me a year ago that STAR TREK would get me in the theater twice, I'd have laughed in disbelief.

I didn't see it twice, but like you, I was stunned by how much I like Star Trek, despite the huge and obvious plot holes. I never really loved any Trek series or movies, with the exception of Khan and First Contact.

I liked Star Trek a lot, but it's still not in my top 15, mostly due to the rough script, Scotty in the water tubes, and Zoe Saldana (I don't think she's a very good actress).
The thing that surprises me the most this year is that despite everything, Coraline still remains in my top 10. And that the bench is so deep that great movies like Drag Me to Hell and The Informant! land barely outside my top 10.
And it's not like I didn't enjoy The Hangover. But I'd already seen In the Loop, which puts American comedies to shame, and will remain a perennial classic of political satire. The Hangover's greatest flaw is that its strongest actor was missing for most of the movie. And yes, I do mean Justin Bartha.
Its other flaws include: Ken Jeong, who is not funny, the shrill evil bitch, who doesn't even remotely resemble a human being, some poor music choices, and oh, Bradley Cooper is irritating. Liked Helms and Gailfinakis okay.
I have a bad feeling that Up may plummet in ranking next time I see it. Though, probably not if I cry as much as I did the two times I saw it in theaters.

Inglourious Basterds is still number one of the year for me. Of the others that I've seen (and I missed a bunch), these are some of the ones I really liked:

Public Enemies (yep, really liked it - deal with it)
Away We Go
An Education
Up
Fantastic Mr Fox
Observe and Report
Antichrist
Watchmen
Moon
District 9
Land of the Lost
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Drag Me To Hell

Didn't see:
The Hurt Locker, Crank 2, State of Play, Adventureland, Zombieland

Hasn't yet come out here:
A Serious Man, The Informant!, Men Who Stare at Goats

Didn't like as much as you:
Star Trek, Let the Right One In

I realise that last one will get me castigated round these parts, and I won't say it wasn't a good film, cos it was damn good. It just didn't do it for me.

ETA: Drag Me To Hell. Sorry, Ryan. Totally forgot that one and, yes, love it to bits.

Still have so much catch up to do this year, but currently, Antichrist is having a knock-down, drag-out fight with Inglorious Basterds for the top slot.

Antichrist wins the cinematography award. No contest.

But its a bloody difficult film, both to watch and to get inside of.

From the looks of this thread, the Joe Publics* aren't the only ones who underlove DRAG ME TO HELL. What an unexpected surprise that one was from Raimi. I love it to pieces.

*Or whatever we're calling casual movie-goers these days. What does Devin call them again? 'Norms' or something?

When I saw DRAG ME TO HELL for the first time, I had that "I'm watching a modern classic" giddiness. It's a feeling that only comes every so often, and when it does, I know it's authentic.

I can't argue against that, Ray. It's effin' brilliant. Might even be my favorite movie of the year, but haven't decided yet.

I think I can say pretty safely that A SERIOUS MAN is the top contender for "best movie I've seen all damn year", though we'll see how that goes after I catch ANTICHRIST.

1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Drag Me to Hell
3. It’s Not Me, I Swear!
4. Where the Wild Things Are
5. District 9
6. World’s Greatest Dad
7. Moon
8. Bronson
9. The Hurt Locker
10. Law Abiding Citizen

In a semi-order.

1. The Hurt Locker
2. District 9
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. The Fantastic Mr.Fox
5. Up
6. Summer Hours
7. Ponyo
8. The Brothers Bloom
9. Adventureland
10. Coraline
11. Where the Wild Things Are
12. Observe and Report
13. Watchmen
14. Zombieland
15. Crank 2
16. Away We Go
17. Jennifer's Body
18. Gomorrah
19. Taking Woodstock
20. Monsters vs Aliens
21. Ice Age
22. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
23. Sunshine Cleaning

Going with a Top Fifteen, because I couldn't bear to leave some films off.

1) Inglourious Basterds
2) Up
3) In The Loop
4) Adventureland
5) District 9
6) Moon
7) The Hurt Locker
8) The Brothers Bloom
9) The Fantastic Mr Fox
10) Drag Me To Hell
11) A Serious Man
12) Antichrist
13) Coraline
14) Where the Wild Things Are
15) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Stephen King's top 10 from EW:

1. The Hurt Locker
2. The Last House on the Left
3. The Road
4. Disgrace
5. The Reader
6. District 9
7. Law Abiding Citizen
8. The Taking of Pelham 123
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox
10. 2012

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,2032...3816_2,00.html

Revised 'cause I'm still catching up:

THE BROTHERS BLOOM
THIRST
BAADER-MEINHOFF COMPLEX
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL
A CHRISTMAS TALE (technically last year, but I only caught it on DVD recently)
A SERIOUS MAN
DISTRICT 9
SIN NOMBRE
FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Honorable mentions: THE GOOD THE BAD THE WEIRD, UP, DRAG ME TO HELL, THE HURT LOCKER, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, THE YOUNG VICTORIA, MOON, GOMMORAH, SHERLOCK HOLMES, and OBSERVE & REPORT.

1. Up
2. Inglorious Basterds
3. Julia
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Hunger
6. Two Lovers
7. A Serious man
8. Antichrist
9. Moon
10. Drag Me To Hell

Honorable Mention:

Where the Wild Things Are
The Girlfriend Experience
District 9
A Single Man
Summer Hours

Haven't Seen:

Fantastic Mr. Fox
In the Loop
Tetro
Ponyo
Bad Lt: POCNO

1. Inglorious Basterds
2. Funny People
3. The Hurt Locker
4. District 9
5. Observe & Report
6. Public Enemies
7. Adventureland
8. Drag Me To Hell
9. The Road
10 Brothers Bloom

Honorable Mention:
* Taking Woodstock
* Knowing
*The World's Greatest Dad
* Gran Torino

Shamefully, haven't seen:

* A Serious Man
* Moon
* Antichrist
* Fantastic Mr. Fox
* In the Loop

Yeah, that film doesn't get enough love. It takes three things that have been done to death--mental illness, love triangles, and Jewish families--and weaves a very true, masterful, and beautiful story with them.

Note A: Officially going with 15. This year was too fucking great to stick with 10.
Note B: The bottom 2/3 of this list ain't a done deal by any stretch, as there's a list about 20 films long I still have every intention on getting seen before this month is through, but short of a revelation, I'd say the top 5 are locked.

1. Up
2. Antichrist
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. District 9
5. Watchmen: Director's Cut
6. Where The Wild Things Are
7. Moon
8. Avatar
9. Observe and Report
10. Sleep Dealer
11. Zombieland
12. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
13. Coraline
14. Drag Me To Hell
15. Paper Heart


Missed It By That Much: Star Trek, The Hurt Locker, Crank 2, World's Greatest Dad, Paranormal Activity

As I've looked at my remaining cash and realized I can't afford to go to the theater until February, except the second-run, this is probably my top fifteen (everyone's doin' it!).
A+
1. Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze)

A
2. District 9 (Neill Blomkamp)
3. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
4. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
5. Moon (Duncan Jones)
6. Up (Pete Docter & Bob Peterson)
7. Coraline (Henry Selick)

A-
8. In the Loop (Armando Ianucci)
9. A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen)
10. The Messenger (Oren Moverman)
11. Collapse (Chris Smith)
12. Sin Nombre (Cary Fukunaga)

B+

13. Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki)
14. Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi)
15. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)

Wow, four animated films. Looking forward to seeing Mary and Max someday and possibly maybe making it five? Truly a great year for that medium.

Still haven't seen Up In The Air, Gommorah, Crazy Heart, A Prophet, White Ribbon, Invictus, A Serious Man, Me and Orson Wells, and a Serious Man.

Damn I have some catching up to do.

1. Hurt Locker
2. District 9
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. 500 days of Summer
5. Observe and Report
6. In The Loop
7. Crank 2
8. Moon
9. Up
10. Hunger

Yeah, it was very good. Both Two Lovers and Julia are playing on Netflix Instant View right now. I strongly recommend both of them. Two of the best surprises of the year.

My final...Best Of 2009!
1) G.I. Joe: Rise Of Cobra
2) Watchmen
3) Ninja Assassin
4) X-Men Origins: Wolverine
5) Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
6) Nine
7) Taken
8) Star Trek
9) Crank: High Voltage
10) Black Dynamite
11) Ong Bak 2
12) Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
13) Inglourious Basterds

Here's mine... missed FANTASTIC MR. FOX unfortunately and STAR TREK, THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS, OBSERVE & REPORT, THE INFORMANT, RED CLIFF & CORALINE all get honourable mentions...

20. Thirst
19. Splinter
18. Zombieland
17. The Burrowers
16. Where The Wild Things Are
15. The Brothers Bloom
14. Adventureland
13. Trick R Treat
12. Up In The Air
11. A Serious Man
10. Drag Me To Hell
09. The Hurt Locker
08. Antichrist
07. Martyrs
06. Watchmen: Director's Cut
05. In The Loop
04. Moon
03. District 9
02. Let The Right One In
01. Inglorious Basterds

+1

on Two Lovers
one of my top films of the year. Sad to see it off so many critics lists.(even though it scored well on RT)

OK, sure. Ain't seen Crazy Heart or An Education. That may change, if I'm not distracted by the likes of Daybreakers and Legion.

1. Inglourious Bastards
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox
3. Antichrist
4. Observe and Report
5. District 9
6. Watchmen
7. Up
8. The Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans
9. Coraline
10. The Hurt Locker
HM: Bruno, Drag Me to Hell, World's Greatest Dad

Here is every 2009 release I saw, from best to worst:

1. Taken
2. Inglorious Basterds
3. Zombieland
4. Star Trek
5. GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra
6. JonBenet Ramsey Her Story
7. Bruno
8. Sherlock Holmes

I will be viewing Wolverine later tonight, and I expect it to snatch at least the #2 spot!

Revised and updated list!

Very good movies
1. Taken
2. The Hangover
3. Avatar
4. Zombieland

Enjoyable/good enough movies
5. Inglorious Basterds
6. Star Trek
7. GI Joe Rise of the Cobra
8. Bruno

Shitty movies
9. Sherlock Holmes
10. Paranormal Activity
11. the first 40 minutes of X-Men Origins Wolverine
12. the first 25 minutes of Dragonball Evolution

1. Antichrist
2. Adventureland
3. In The Loop
4. Inglorious Basterds
5. Moon
6. A Single Man
7. The Hurt Locker
8. A Serious Man
9. An Education
10. Drag Me To Hell

Only the first 25 minutes?

1. Inglorious Basterds
2. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
3. A Serious Man
4. Observe & Report
5. Funny People
6. District 9
7. Public Enemies
8. The Hurt Locker
9. Drag Me To Hell.
10 Adventureland
11 Where The Wild Things Are
12 Knowing
13 The Brothers Bloom
14 Moon
15 Crazy Heart
16 The House of the Devil
17 Taking Woodstock
18 Up
19 Away We Go
20 In The Loop
21 Sunshine Cleaning