Since it seems unlikely that any more movies will be released this year I thought that I’d offer my uninformed and entirely subjective opinions on the films that I’ve enjoyed the most…
It’s probably best not to analyse it too much. More than anything else it displays how few films I’ve seen, and how mainstream those films are. This was the year I struggled to get to the cinema because of work and personal commitments, and when I did it was often for tentpole movies that I felt I needed to see more than anything else.
There’s still some that I haven’t seen (Moon, Let the Right One In) and some that I thought were awful (Star Trek) but there were some definite gems, and in alphabetical order these be the top 10…
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Avatar
Cameron returned with a film that was almost as good as we’d been promised, and nearly the game changer that we’d thought it might be. It was deeply flawed in parts, most noticeably some awful dialogue and a slightly hokey story, but it was still the most barnstorming film of the year. Nobody does epic quite like Cameron and it really was a brave attempt to develop an original story, a new technology and an exciting alternate world. Even the 3D kind of worked… |
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Coraline
Kids films these days tend to lack a certain chutzpah, but 2009 really was the year of terrific films for the young’uns. Coraline was a classic example of embracing the darkness and trusting that children can handle serious themes. Beautiful stop motion animation, loving design and a story that tapped into the most basic of childhood themes. It was a genuine delight. |
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District 9
A great deal has been said of this unexpected sci-fi hit and I don’t think I can add much more to the cannon. It was a terrifically entertaining movie that was genuinely inventive… plus the design was exemplary, effects seamless and subtext well considered. I sincerely hope that in 10 years time District 9 is mentioned in the same breath as Blade Runner and Alien. It deserves it. |
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Fantastic Mr Fox
I just really liked this. I thought the design was great, especially the lo-fi aesthetic and wayward plot rewriting. I don’t care whether foxes have American accents or not, I care about entertainment and Jarvis’ improvised song was worth the price of admission alone. |
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In the Loop
As anyone who knows anything about anything knows The Thick of It is pretty much perfect television, and it was a delight to see it transfer to the big screen. It did lose a certain amount of bite in the translation admittedly but it was still the fiercest and most savage satire we saw in the whole 2009. Plus, y’know, Malcolm Tucker swearing at Americans… |
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Inglourious Basterds
Tarantino has tended to piss me off as much as he did entertain me with his last few movies, and while Basterds still contained some annoying indulgences it was by far his freshest piece of work in years. It was a very brave movie; deliriously inventive and impressively leftfield. Ironically it was the titular heroes who were the least interesting thing in the movie, the story of Shosanna being such a dramatic and gripping tale it forced everything else into the shade. A genuinely brilliant movie. |
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Slumdog Millionaire
Yes, I know that it was the most popular film of last year – the big Oscar winner that it’s not terribly savvy to admit to liking, but I loved this. Boyle crafted a thrilling and beautiful movie that deserved all it’s success, and I had a genuinely great time in the cinema. Also; Danny Boyle gives the best award acceptance speeches. |
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Synecdoche, New York
Just a brilliant film that I found deeply affecting and fascinating on a multitude of levels. Educated, non-conformist, unrelenting, experimental – it’s everything that thoughful cinema should be and I can’t wait for Kauffman’s next film. |
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Up
Any year that doesn’t feature a new Pixar film is a year I don’t want to know about, and any year in which they don’t better themselves is rare. Up continued their fine tradition of being more thoughful, considered, entertaining and hilarious than 90% of all other films released in the year – they’re simply some of the best filmmakers on the planet. |
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Where the Wild Things Are
The year of the kids film ended with this magnificent ode to the dramas and dangers of childhood, fully wrapped up and bursting with invention and production design delights. The wild rumpus and the fort building sequences in particular were magnificent, but the whole film is a pleasure to behold – a messed up, melancholy and introspective masterpiece. |
