Top 25 Movies of 2009: Honorable Mentions and Movies #21 – 25
So many worthy movies, a top ten just wasn't enough
 | A Serious Man |
The Coen brothers' latest film has stuck with me since I saw it back in September. It's the only review on the site without a letter grade attached to it and I'm anxious to see it again, wondering if I will be able to sort out my feelings the next time. Reasons of curiosity are what earned it the #25 spot on this list and they're the same reasons that could have easily earned The Informant! the same spot, but Focus at least didn't pull the rug out from under me with this one, which gives it a proper leg up on Soderbergh's feature.
Considering it did minuscule numbers at the box-office ($8.9 million domestically), I doubt the Blu-ray release will be filled with extras helping sort out the madness of this feature. Then again, I wouldn't expect the Coens to go much deeper than to say "It's all on the screen" anyway. Nevertheless, I still anticipate another sit down with one of 2009's more obscure films once more and at the very least take in the stark and barren cinematography of Roger Deakins. Now give that great trailer a watch one more time before moving on to #24.
 | Antichrist |
I just called A Serious Man one of the "more obscure" films of 2009, which leaves me to wonder what I should call Lars von Trier's Antichrist. While I hope to come to some conclusion on what A Serious Man means to me, I can only pray for such understanding of Antichrist, which is exactly why it's made this list. This film is so expertly made and hypnotic I couldn't help but give it a spot.
It's been misclassified due to controversy over content by those only looking at the film on a surface level, when they should be looking deeper. It's a common problem with moviegoers and considering any such controversial material comes so late in the film it's a wonder those offended by it even made it that far. As I wrote in my review of the film, "there's an inherent evil (presumed or otherwise) eating away at the surface of both of [the lead character's] souls that soon culminates in a violent third act that is far more representative of the film's tortured storyline than it is prurient or visually shocking."
Look at this film for what it's trying to say and I think you'll find more than shocking material. I'm not saying Antichrist has a clear message and I'm not saying it won't catch you by surprise with its imagery. But if you perhaps sit back and think about why things are portrayed the way they are rather than focus on the portrayal, you may find a deeper appreciation.
 | Broken Embraces |
Pedro Almodovar is one of the few directors working today that seems to still believe in the magic of film and the magic of storytelling. His films are elegant and filled with themes we can all connect to and Broken Embraces delivers on all of them while once again offering up fantastic performances from all involved. As I said in my review, I still have some catching up to do with Almodovar's works, but if you have yet to take in one of his features either Broken Embraces, or in my opinion, Volver would be excellent places to start.
 | The Young Victoria |
I experienced a "first" while watching this film in the theater. I had no knowledge of who had written the screenplay, but as I watched it was so clear I had little doubt Julian Fellowes' hand was the culprit, and I was right. It was the first time I can remember going into a film with no knowledge of the screenwriter and figuring it out purely based on what I was hearing. Fellowes' snappy dialogue and entertaining one-liners kept the film moving at an extraordinarily brisk pace, transforming it from a typically stuffy period piece into a legitimately entertaining biopic (with dramatic liberties).
Beyond the screenplay I also enjoyed the performances immensely, most notably those of Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend and Jim Broadbent. This is a film I would recommend in a heartbeat, but I will warn you it ends before I think it should, going to a text-on-the-screen epilogue as opposed to an additional 30 minutes to tie things up. No matter, it's still a joy to watch.
 | Red Cliff |
I am excited at the prospect of checking out the four hour and 48 minute international cut of Red Cliff once it hits Blu-ray on March 30, 2010. Considering I enjoyed the two-and-a-half-hour cut of John Woo's first film since Paycheck in 2003 and his his first Asian born film since Hard Boiled in 1992, I can only imagine what I'll take away from the fully restored version on high-definition Blu-ray.
Red Cliff is an immensely entertaining historical epic in the vein of a Hollywood blockbuster. It's a curious mix of genres with an obvious goal of entertaining its audience. However, I wonder if the full version will add unnecessary exposition or just a well-blended mix of everything I love about the edited version. Either way, I can't wait to find out.
| QUICK NAV: | #21-25 | #11-20 | #1-10 |
That's it for this installment, but you can continue to explore the rest of my Top 25 using the navigation directly above. Also, be sure to take part in the nomination process as I am hoping to figure out the top ten films as decided by the RopeofSilicon readers. Round 2 is already underway, so click here to get involved.
You can begin listing your personal lists in the comments below or save your top tens for the comments on my top ten list when I post it on Wednesday. Either way, we have a week's worth of celebrating the movies of 2009 ahead of us and we are just getting started. Remember, the awards season is also around the corner with the Golden Globes on January 17th, the Screen Actors Guild Awards on the 23rd and many others leading up to the Oscars on March 7th.
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I thought Away We Go was one of the best movies of the year and am a bit surprised it missed your top 25 list.
On another note, how about a top 10 list of the decade Brad? seems relevant. The Lord of the Rings trilogy would be on my top spot btw.
I thought it was a good year for films. I agree with you about Drag Me To Hell,but the ending still rocks.
I couldn't agree more with the "honorable mention" list. The hangover is a comedy classic (already?! Whatever.) But its second didn't hold uo as well as imagined. Same thing with "drag me to hell". Sadly rewatchability (who cares if its a word!?) Is important in "best of lists" and you"re right about them both.
The heaped praise makes me want to rent "away we go" immediately, if my tiny town video store has it that is.
Watchmen wasn't met with "mixed-to-highly-negative-reviews", Brad. You may not have liked it, but it scored 65% on RT, 7.9 on IMDb, was appreciated by most fans of the original and was generally considered arguably the best Watchmen adaptation one could have hoped for. To put it in the same league with ROTF, TS, G.I. Joe and A&D is ridiculous.
As to personal lists, well, I got a Top-12 list but I feel like I should wait till the time you put your own Top 10 list out.
As adu said, a top movies of the decade list would be very interesting!
@maja and @adu: I am going to do some kind of retrospective for the decade and it will probably come out the second week of January.
Good picks here. I'm not surprised The Hangover dropped on your list, the first time I saw that film, I knew audiences were on a high and that there was no way a second viewing could match that. I'll be seeing Broken Embraces today, which is one I'm very excited to see. I will as well be doing a bunch of honorable mentions on my list, but I seem to be one of the few people who think 2009 was just an average year for movies. I thought there were many very good pictures, but only a handful of great ones. Oh well, I look forward to the rest of your list.
What about a Top 10 list of the decade??? That should be interesting!!!
Am I the only one who liked The Hangover considerably more on a second viewing?
Where have you seen this criticism of Adventureland? I've seen it almost unanimously praised (as it should be).
Also, Watchmen is excellent, I don't like Up, and damn it all, I enjoyed the hell out of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Oh, and I love your reccomendation of World's Greatest Dad. It really, really, really needs a larger audience.
I'm calling it right now. "In the Loop" will be Brad's #1.
@PinstripedJon: i'll take you up on that bet – i believe its going to be Push
How is The Hangover not in the top 25….
I think the repeat viewing effect has a little too much influence on these lists. How is it that one can love a movie the first time and then not like it as much the second time and then change their mind on the movie altogether. Obviously for repeat viewings of certain movies, you already know the punchlines and gags are coming, but it's not like the movie gets worse the second time you know? I find that's why comedies rarely make end-of-year lists.
But how many times can you watch Paranormal Activity? Or Antichrist? It seems to me that those movies will get boring after the 10th viewing…
It's just hard to believe at the halfway mark of the year, The Hangover is almost #1 and in just 6 months, the film doesn't cut the top 25? Weird. The re-watchibility factor plays too much of a large role sometimes for these lists.
I loved The Hangover on a rewatch. The first time I saw it, I merely liked it.
I just got to see the full version of Red Cliff at the Detroit Institute of the Arts this weekend. I don't think you'll be disappointed when you see it. Even at nearly 5 hours, nothing felt unnecessary. It's an amazing achievement, and it's my number one film of the year.