Top 10 movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009
10 best films of 2009
The box office was healthy in 2009, but so much of that money came from prequels, sequels, remakes and special effects-driven action movies that the creative situation appeared less healthy.
Filmmaking technology made some terrific leaps in these big-budget spectacles. But we were reminded that technology in itself is cold without a humane purpose behind it.
This year’s most anticipated big-budget picture, James Cameron’s “Avatar,” is like the blue-hued poster child for today’s Hollywood. The 3-D process is so wonderfully immersive that one can almost excuse the one-dimensional characters and storytelling.
This movie’s ecology-minded premise obviously scores points for good intentions, despite Cameron’s formulaic scripting. As for his dialogue, well, at least the accompanying visuals are strong.
The special effects that made the greatest impression in this year’s top films typically were the humane effects achieved by gifted directors, screenwriters and actors. Impressive computer-generated imagery certainly had a lot to do with the deserved success of the latest “Star Trek,” but it was the geeky characters we cherished as they set about saving the universe.
Among the smaller-scale movies that made a big impression, let’s hear it for the English poet John Keats, who managed to write great poetry without a computer in “Bright Star,” and for Julia Child, who championed the slow-food movement in a fast-food world in “Julie and Julia.”
1. “Up in the Air”
USA, director Jason Reitman
Corporate downsizing was the unfortunately topical subject of this melancholic screwball comedy. George Clooney enjoyed one of his best roles as a guy whose job it is to fire people at companies all over America. There was great chemistry between Clooney and Vera Farmiga as the equally high-flying executive with whom he has an affair. It was very funny and also kind of sad.
2. “Bright Star”
Great Britain, director Jane Campion
Nineteenth-century romantic poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) adores Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), but theirs is an ill-fated romance. As in Keats’ poetry, the movie made metaphoric connections between mankind and nature. The result was a poetic movie as literate as it was lovely.
3. “Julie and Julia”
USA, director Nora Ephron
Savor this deliberately paced movie as you would a great meal. Meryl Streep delightfully embodied Julia Child early in the cookbook author’s career, and Amy Adams was endearing as a contemporary blogger determined to successfully follow every one of Child’s recipes. Also worth noting on the cinematic menu here was Stanley Tucci’s understated performance as Child’s devoted husband.
4. “The Messenger”
USA, director Oren Moverman
Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster gave first-rate performances as Casualty Notification officers who must break the worst possible news to families living near a domestic military base. Samantha Morton was among those newly widowed women whose husbands were killed in Iraq. The notification scenes hit viewers in the gut and lingered in the memory.
5. “Tetro”
USA, director Francis Ford Coppola
This drama concerned half-brothers Vincent Gallo and Alden Ehrenreich, reunited in Argentina. One can quibble with melodramatic aspects of Coppola’s script, but the director’s black-and-white cinematography was so gorgeous that the movie became a visual treat.
6. “Invictus”
USA, director Clint Eastwood
Combine an inspirational sports story with an inspirational civil rights story and you have a whole lot of inspiration. Despite the story’s predictability, Clint Eastwood’s straightforward direction yielded a fine character study centering on the relationship between South African president Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman, in a role he was born to play) and a white rugby player (Matt Damon).
7. “Star Trek”
USA, director J.J. Abrams
A vintage sci-fi franchise was zestfully rebooted here. Much of the credit has to go to the fine performances by Chris Pine as Captain James Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock. Old-school fan boys will also appreciate the cameo by Leonard Nimoy. The sleek and clever adventure represented commercial filmmaking operating at warp speed.
8. “A Serious Man”
USA, directors Joel and Ethan Coen
Perhaps more situation than story, this comedy was nevertheless well served by the Coen brothers (“Fargo”). They incisively deployed their satirical skills to explore the world of their own Jewish upbringing as experienced by a nerdy college physics professor (Michael Stuhlbarg) in Minneapolis in the late 1960s.
9. “Inglourious Basterds”
USA, director Quentin Tarantino
As quirky as its incorrectly spelled title, Quentin Tarantino’s World War II revenge fantasy encompassed many characters, moods and historical incidents. It was joltingly uneven, but always remained entertaining.
10. “Everybody’s Fine”
USA, director Kirk Jones
Although it was shamelessly manipulative in making the tears flow, what really mattered was that it worked. Robert De Niro gave one of his best recent performances as a retired man who sets off to visit his adult children scattered around the country. Get out your handkerchiefs and indulge in a good cry.
Honorable mentions
“Avatar,” “Up,” “The Cove,” “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” “The September Issue,” “The Road”
Worst movie of the year
“Saw V
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