My REAL Top 10 Movies of 2009

Okay, now for my serious list. Keep in mind, there are a lot of movies I haven’t seen this year.Its been a weird year for me, and as a result, not a lot of movies were seen. But of the ones that I did, these were the ones I enjoyed the most.

10. The Informant!

The informant was a very interesting look at a character which you will really have trouble wrapping your head around. And I mean that in a good way. Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, and FBI informant who cannot be figured out by anyone. Its a lot of fun to see just what this character is going to end up doing next.

9. The Hangover

Is it a perfect comedy? No, not by any stretch. But damn did it make me laugh. It had hilarious yet natural jokes, great comedic performances (with an exception or 2), and a story that was engaging and interesting.

8. District 9

District 9 took the movie going world my storm in August, and for good reason. It was an original look at science fiction stories, with a group of alien refugees coming to earth. This film had a very distinctive style and tone, and the story and action only got better as the movie went on.

7. Watchmen

A lot of people were torn with this movie, but I liked it a lot. The performances were great (again, with 1 or 2 exceptions), the story was coherent, especially considering the depth of the source material, and it jsut looked great.

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Yes, there’s a little bit of bias here, as I am a big HP fan. But I thought that this film, the 6th so far, was really solid. I would put it as 3rd best in the franchise, underneath the amazing Prisoner of Azkaban and the masterful Philosopher’s Stone which started things off so well.

5. Where the Wild Things Are

Yes, there is some debate about what audience this movie is really for. I can only judge it based on myself being the audience, and I thought it was near brilliance. What a refreshingly original look and feel to this film, which actually does invoke the memories of the picture book I was read to in elementary school. The fact that they went with suits instead of CGI was also a great, great choice.

4. Inglourious Basterds

Tarantino has decided to delve into the war film genre, with spectacular results. There are some minor flaws, which are the only thing repventing it from reaching the level of his masterpiece Pulp Fiction. This is an engaging and thought-provoking look at the Nazi occupation of France, while also being a gritty yet fun romp as different storylines all wind together for one final climax.

3. Up

Wall*E was my favourite film of last year, but I was still skeptical of Up. But it won me over very quickly with a wonderful and heartbreaking first 15 minutes, and characters which I really cared about. Even though the story is about an old man, a kid, a talking dog, and a wacky bird in the jungle, this is a love story, and an extremely touching one at that.

2. Star Trek

I loved this movie. I was always a semi-trekkie. I am familiar with the world and characters of star trek and I enjoy and appreciate the series’, but I was never a huge massive nerd, the way I am for Star Wars and LOTR. It feels as though this movie was made just for people like me. Star Trek reinvented itself here, yet found a smart and very star trekish way of doing in. The performances were great, especially Chris Pine as Kirk, which is really what sold this movie for me.

1. Avatar

Yes, I am on the Avatar bandwagon. I loved this movie. It reminded me of why I love movies in the first place, in the same way that other adventure movies like Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones made me love movies in the first place. The effects, cinematography, and overall imagination here were spectacular. And even though the story was familiar, I embraced it completely. A fantastic vision and a great adventure.