Hey all. Since Mr. Zombie did a list of his top movies in 2009, I decided to make one as well. You can read his article here. I just couldn’t stop at 10 movies, because I didn’t have the heart not to mention all of these great films. So here are my top 20 best movies of 2009. Surprisingly it has been an interesting movie year especially for animation, comedy and science fiction.
SPECIAL MENTION: I KILLED MY MOTHER (J’ai tué ma mère)
I felt compelled to include this film to my list. Firstly because it’s a damn fine movie about a young homosexual boy and his relationship to his mother. Secondly for it’s amazingly well written script, and finally because of who made it. Xavier Dolan is a 20 year old Canadian kid who wrote, directed, produced and played the main character, all of which he did impeccably. If this is what he can do with his debut film at the age of 20, what can he do in 10 years time..?
20. STAR TREK
J.J. Abrams’s reboot or prequel to the famous series is definitely the most entertaining movie of the year. Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock are absolutely perfectly casted, and the chemistry between the two characters is what keeps the movie going. I also really liked the way the movie looked, even (or especially) the audience blinding lens flares and white mac/apple like bridge. We can probably expect at least two sequels to the movie which I of course embrace with open arms.
19. THIRST (Bakjwi)
Thirst is a vampire movie with a twist. Director Chan-wook Park’s interpretation of the vampire genre was refreshingly different. In the movie a failed medical experiment turns a man of faith into a vampire. I loved the fact that being a vampire wasn’t glorified at all, but the condition was a decease more than anything. I also love Park’s dark sense of humor. So weather you’re a fan of the genre or not, this is a must see vampire movie of the year.
18. NORTH (Nord)
North is a heart warming and hilarious road-movie from Norway. It made me laugh like crazy. Following a nervous breakdown, ski athlete Jomar has isolated himself in a lonely existence as the guard of a ski park. When he learns that he might be the father of a child way up north, he sets on a strange and poetic journey through Norway on a snowmobile, with 5 liters of alcohol as sole provisions. Feel good movie of the year!
17. IN THE LOOP
In the Loop is directed by Armando Iannucci and it is a spinoff from the BBC TV series The Thick of It. In the film, the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom are looking to launch a war in the Middle East. The plot follows government officials and advisers in their behind-the-scenes efforts either to promote the war or prevent it. It stars Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander and James Gandolfini. Amazingly funny political satire.
16. THE MESSENGER
The Messenger is the directorial debut of Oren Moverman and that shows a little bit, but he is either an amazing actor director or he just casted the perfect people for the perfect roles. Either or, the films true magic lies in the performances by Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster. Foster plays Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who has returned home from Iraq, and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Montgomery is partnered with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), to give notice to the families of fallen soldiers.
15. THE HANGOVER
The Hangover is almost a perfect comedy. It goes a little over the top, but other than that it is a super funny and crazy comedy with a surprisingly good script. Starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and my favorite actor from The Office, Ed Helms. The plot follows four friends who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, only to wake up the next morning not remembering a thing and missing the groom, whose wedding is scheduled to occur the next day. The best part is that the film was inspired by the filmmakers’ real life misadventures. LOL.
14. METROPIA
Metropia is a beautiful and very weird looking animation from Sweden and it is directed by Tarik Saleh. The very impressing voice cast includes Vincent Gallo, Juliette Lewis, Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander Skarsgård and Udo Kier. Metropia takes place in a not-so-distant future. The world is running out of oil and the undergrounds have been connected into a gigantic subway network beneath Europe. Whenever Roger (Vincent Gallo) from Stockholm enters this system he hears a stranger’s voice in his head. He looks to the mysterious Nina (Juliette Lewis) to help him escape the disturbing web of the Metro, but the farther they travel, the deeper he’s involved in a dark conspiracy.
Read my full review here.
13. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
(500) Days of Summer is one of the most original and best written scripts of the year, and a desperately needed boost to the romantic comedy genre. In the beginning of the movie it is clearly stated that this is not love story. And that’s exactly what you get. An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn’t believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
12. PONYO (Gake no ue no Ponyo)
There’s just no one like Hayao Miyazaki when it comes to animation. In Ponyo the plot centers on a goldfish named Ponyo who befriends a five-year-old human boy, Sōsuke, and wants to become a human girl. So it is almost like a reconstruction of the classic tale of Little Mermaid. Fantastically told story and the beautiful animation are true Miyazaki trade marks. Ponyo is an absolute must for all Miyazaki fans.
11. DEAD SNOW (Død snø)
Dead Snow is a Norwegian nazi zombie movie that is one of the funniest and entertaining movies of the year and most definitely the best zombie film of the year. I can’t remember when was the last time I laughed so hard during a movie. Director Tommy Wirkola has found the perfect balance mixing pure comedy, horror and slasher genres. In the story a ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.
Here’s Timo’s review of Dead Snow.
10. THE ROAD
The Road is a hopeless and sad post-apocalyptic tale of a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) trying to survive by any means possible in a world where most of the population has died and the world is dying along with them. The rusty and beautiful production design appealed to especially. Directed by John Hillcoat and based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy, whose masterpiece No Country for Old Men was adapted to the silver screen by the Coen brothers in 2007.
9. THE HURT LOCKER
The Hurt Locker wasn’t a very big success financially, but has received praise and numerous awards from all over the world and it is also a very strong candidate for this years Oscar race. The movie is set during the Iraq war and focuses on an elite Army bomb squad. The theme of the movie is clearly stated in the quote from War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning that opens the film: “The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug”. The best part for me was the performance of Jeremy Renner who was absolutely amazing in portraying a war-addicted SSgt. William James. No doubt The Hurt Locker is director Kathryn Bigelow’s best work to date.
8. THE WHITE RIBBON (Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte)
The most powerful and visual work Michael Haneke has ever done and definitely one of his best, although not my personal favorite from his body of work. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2009 where it won the Palme d’Or. The story is set in a village in northern Germany just before World War I and according to Haneke himself, the film is about the origin of every type of terrorism, be it of political or religious nature.
7. MOON
Moon is set in future where the worlds energy crisis has been solved by using resources found from the moon. It is a story about a solitary lunar employee who experiences a personal crisis as his three-year contract nears it’s end. It is an amazing directorial debut from Duncan Jones, and one of the best scifi movies of the year. Sam Rockwell is made for the role of Sam Bell and Kevin Spacey as the voice of GERTY was the icing on the near perfect cake.
6. UP
Up is probably the best movie Pixar has ever done and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets a lot of attention at the Academy awards this year. Maybe even the first animation to win Best Picture… The first 20 minutes of the film are amazingly moving and the whole feel and over all look of the movie is just spectacular. Especially in 3D. They did go a bit over the top into to just being entertaining and silly with the talking dogs etc, but that aside, Up is a great piece of animation art with a great story to go with it.
5. MARY AND MAX
After I saw Up I thought that nothing could be better than that, and then along came Mary and Max. An Australian animation (stopmotion claymation) from Melodrama Pictures. It’s a story of a friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary (Toni Collette), a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York. The movie looks absolutely amazing, has a touching and sad story, but it is good to keep in mind that it is not for kids.
4. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
The enjoyment I got from watching Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds is just unbelievable. Most definitely one of Quantin Tarantino’s best work to date. The opening scene of the movie is probably the best of the year, only competing with the Tavern scene that came a bit later. As a viewer I felt my intelligence was respected especially with the use of language in the film. Also Christoph Waltz brought the house down with his performance of Col. Hans Landa. Tarantino’s movie is entertaining, smart, bold and unapologetic. Just the way I like it!
3. AVATAR
Avatar is director James Cameron’s first film in 12 years after Titanic and it was well worth the wait. For me Avatar was the movie experience of the year. I felt like a little kid again watching Jurassic Park or Indiana Jones for the first time. The revolutionary 3D technology used in the movie was just extraordinary and it set a pretty big bench mark for all film makers. I also liked the story a lot, it was a good old fashion epic adventure movie that will will be talked about for years to come. I for one feel privileged to have witnessed the birth of a phenomenon!
2. A SERIOUS MAN
After I saw A Serious Man, I said that I’m officially elevating the Coen Brothers to God status. The movie is so well written, it just blew my mind! Best script of the year hands down. A Serious Man is also a movie you could only do after winning an Oscar. Meaning that the fairly unknown cast, religious subject matter and dark under tones of the story might not go too well with studio executives (or distributors for that matter) other wise. And even now it was made only with 7 million dollars. But who needs tons of money with this kind of visionaries behind the camera.
1. LOOKING FOR ERIC
I have to say it wasn’t easy to decide between A Serious Man and Ken Loach’s Looking for Eric, but after a long consideration I chose the latter because of the pure originality and warmth that the movie offers. In the film, Eric a football fanatic postman whose life is descending in to crisis receives some life coaching from the famously philosophical Eric Cantona. The movie is moving, funny and serious all at the same time. Eric Cantona is so awesome in this movie I can’t even tell you. Also great performances from the whole cast. An absolutely perfect film and the must see movie of the year!
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ALSO GOOD THIS YEAR:
Adventureland
The Box
Coraline
District 9
The Informant!
Mammoth
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And in case you are wondering why some films are missing from my list, keep in mind that I haven’t yet seen these (all of which I’m desperately eager to see):
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
An Education
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The Lovely Bones
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
A Single Man
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are
That’s it. What were your favorite films of 2009? Drop a comment below.
The Zombies want to wish you a happy New Year 2010!
