1. Star Trek
I saw this movie four times! Four! That is a new record for me! And would have seen it five or six times if my schedule allowed. I was not actually expecting to like this film as much as I do, and went to see it the first time just because it was one of the first big summer movies and I tend to like SciFi stuff. Right out of the gate, it blew me away. The first space battle is so emotional, beautifully rendered, and well scored on top of everything. I knew I was hooked for sure the moment I heard that futuristic Nokia ringtone (#AudioBrandingGeek) and "Sabotage" started blasting on the car radio. And that was all before Chris Pine was even on screen.
If you know me well, then you know this movie has made me fall in love with Mr. Pine (so much so that I flew to Cali to see him in Farragut North. From his interviews during his Star Trek press tour, he seems like a fairly grounded, stand-up guy. And he has great taste in sneakers and shades). He does a fine job as Kirk, nailing the cockiness, swagger, and humor established by William Shatner, while making the character all his own. The Kobayashi Maru sequence with the perfectly timed and nuanced apple bite is a fantastic scene. The rest of the cast is also stellar. Karl Urban is superb as Bones McCoy ("Dammit, man! I'm a doctor, not a physicist!"), and the ever-terrific Simon Pegg has Scotty down pat. Of course I also loved the time travel element of the plot, and think the involvement of Leonard Nimoy is a great way to get the franchise reboot off on the right foot - acknowledging the past and moving forward at the same time.
To me, everything about this film is perfect. The theater I first saw it in had big comfy seats and I kicked off my flip-flops and curled up in the chair with a huge grin on my face to sit back and relax for the entire wild ride. The pure joy and giddiness did not go away with subsequent viewings. JJ Abrams has managed to concoct the perfect balance between emotion, humanity, character, plot, and action. I am sure there are things missing from the movie, and things that could have been done better, but few films inspire this type of awe and devotion within me.
2. In The Loop
"Difficult, difficult, lemon difficult." Any movie about politics in which that phrase is used half seriously can count me as a fan. I have not laughed so much and so hard as I did during this film in such a long time. The profanity, the posturing, the brilliant script and fantastic acting. This film is so British and so good. Tom Hollander was such fun to watch, as was Peter Capaldi. The elements of the ridiculous on display are even more entertaining due to the notion that all of this could actually be quite close to reality.
3. District 9
Another visually stunning film with a killer plot and script, and great acting, not to mention extraordinarily well designed aliens. For an alien action movie, this movie creates a surprisingly deep well of emotion. Wikus, Christopher, and his son are all such sympathetic characters all struggling to fight for survival. The movie is so powerful because it reminds us that, at the most basic level, everyone is simply out to survive, but that in tough conditions, it is not only survival that matters, but also compassion for others and the recognition that survival is not always possible without the selfless support of others.
4. Bright Star
This film about a poet is like a poem itself. It is carefully composed and ordered, infused with a pervasive sense of beauty and truth. The love between Fanny and John is extremely believable, thanks to the fine acting by Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. The sets and costumes provide eye-candy to complement the relationships portrayed. This is a film about love and beauty, and those themes are embodied by every element of the film itself.
5. Inglorious Basterds
I wasn't expecting to like this film very much. Even though I would consider myself a Tarantino fan, the advance press on this movie had me feeling a bit skeptical. However, I ended up being pleasantly surprised and highly entertained. At its core, just like all Tarantino films, Basterds is about entertainment and the fulfillment of fantasies. In many ways, Basterds is just what a film should be: an entertaining escape from the world outside the theater.
6. The Hurt Locker
This film had me on the edge of my seat for its duration. It is a proper, involving war movie in the vein of Blackhawk Down; a film which makes me feel that I am there along side the characters. Of course, the excellent directing and editing greatly contributed to that effect as well as the strong, minimalist acting. These characters are so isolated from others and themselves, yet audience members are still allowed a glimpse into their souls and what makes them tick. Showing the origin of the isolation in combat, rather than its after-effects upon return home, sets this war movie apart from others and makes it all the more powerful and lasting.
7. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
One of the last films I saw this year, Parnassus totally blew me away. I hope it receives a wide release in 2010 so that more people can witness this wonderful spectacle. The visuals are sumptuous, surrealist landscapes contrasted among the gray industrialized edges of modern London life. Heath Leger gives a final performance that transcends all the hype surrounding it, while Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell do Ledger justice with their guest turns. Johnny Depp is ever the charming rapscallion. Jude Law conveys wide-eyed wonder and naiveté, with something darker lurking beneath, as only he can. And I dare say that Farrell seems better suited for his sequence as Tony than even Ledger would have been. Terry Gilliam and crew have created a truly transportive film.
8. Up In The Air
No movie captures the zeitgeist (hey, I could write for Vanity Fair) of 2009 better than this one. It also manages to make bad times seem just a little glamorous, at least to a girl who dreams of first class air travel and the exotic novelty of staying in new, finer hotels. One of the reasons this movie resonates for me is that I know exactly where George Clooney's character is coming from on an emotional level. The fact that a main-stream, glossy movie acknowledges that not everyone lives in a perfect rom-com world is refreshing. Yet, at the same time this movie is an escape from ordinary, everyday life because of the concierge keys, gold cards, and priority access. In essence, this film is about elite people with pedestrian problems, which in the end, makes them no more than mere pedestrians protected by plastic armour.
9. Sherlock Holmes
One of my good friends was involved on the production side of this movie, so I have been excited to see it since he first told me about it over a year ago. I am happy to say that I wasn't disappointed in the least. Of course I am a Guy Richie fan (LOVE RocknRolla), not to mention a Robert Downey Jr fan and a Jude Law fan (he is getting much better, in both acting skills and looks, as he matures), so they would have had to screw this up pretty badly for me not to enjoy it. Suffice it to say, the chemistry between RDJ and Jude was fabulously spot-on. Neither of them was as enjoyable to watch solo as when they were together. On top of that, the mystery was well thought out and seemed quite authentic to Conan Doyle's Sherlock stories. And the London set pieces were terrific as well. However, Rachel McAdams seemed kind of pointless during it all, except for doing a great job of doing nothing while fulfilling Hollywood's demand for a female lead. While certainly not the best movie ever, Holmes is a satisfying holiday blockbuster that will be joining my DVD collection as soon as it's available to do so.
10. Fighting
You may be wondering how I could rank Fighting (a gerund movie for chrisakes!) above Avatar. The answer is that my Top #__ lists tend to capture the media that I most enjoyed during the year and that is most memorable to me. While Fighting is decidedly a low-rent popcorn flick for which I had extremely low expectations, the fact of the matter is it actually exceeded those expectations and did a damn good job of being a low-rent, gerundively-titled popcorn flick. I went to see the movie because I know the guys who scored it, and I am pretty sure this is the first movie I have been able to see for which I personally know people with their names on the movie poster. I ended up being quite entertained by the well choreographed (and well scored!) fight scenes and the ridiculousness that is Channing Tatum. Seeing it in a theater in Washington DC in the middle of a lovely April afternoon enhanced the viewing experience as well. And that is why Fighting gets my number 10 spot for 2009.
11. Avatar
As New York Magazine and The Boston Globe pointed out, this film is Dances with Wolves, Ferngully, and The New World. So no wonder it made my list: I love Ferngully and Dances with Wolves! But seriously, while the plot may be a little thin (and borrowed), the visuals are truly stunning and live up to the hype, and I didn't even see it in 3D. James Cameron has finally found a way to convey emotion through CGI and create eyes that have the spark of life behind them. And the bioluminescent junglescapes! Gorgeous! I also think it was a wise choice to cast less well-known and/or humble (yet very fine) actors so that the visuals were allowed to be the centerpiece of the film while being supported by the acting, rather than competing against star-wattage.
12. A Single Man
Tom Ford's fashion background is front and center in this film, as the whole thing has the appearance of an Avedon photo session come to life. In addition to the gorgeous period atmospherics, Colin Firth and Nicholas Hoult both turn in fabulous performances that show a whole new range for each actor. This role is such a departure from the version of himself that Firth usually seems to play. Another film with heartbreakingly realistic characters, the everyday tragedy of the story reminds me a bit of a Patrick Hamilton novel.
13. Taken
Just a good action flick. Liam Neeson kicks ass. That is all.
14. The International
Gotta love it for the shoot-out in the Guggenheim. Oh, and for Clive Owen in linen suits and glasses.
15. Fantastic Mr. Fox
This is what kids movies should be - full of joy and irreverence, gorgeous to look at, yet smart as hell. The movie that I keep likening it to is Beauty & the Beast. Classic.
