Top Ten Movies Midway Through 2009
Six months down, what bubbles to the top?
 | Drag Me to Hell |
I would say this film is easily the surprise of the year so far for me and I don't expect anything to eclipse that surprise as I am not a big Sam Raimi fan by any stretch but enjoyed almost every minute of this film. I can't wait to see it again on Blu-ray as it may actually be one of the films on this list to get better the more I see it, which would make it an interesting addition to my year end top ten should it manage to make it that far.
 | Star Trek |
This one dropped a notch with me over the weekend as I just caught Star Trek for the second time. When I reviewed it I handed it a B+, but I would have to take it down to a B now, primarily because the story is just so absolutely ridiculous. However, this film proves how important character development is to a movie. Star Trek is a fabulous character story filled with some of the best casting in a long time. It makes you want to see a sequel just so you can see that cast together again. It also is an absolutely fantastic piece of sound work. I fully expect Oscar nominations in the sound categories for this one.
 | Tetro |
I guess you could also call this one a surprise for me as I never expected to like this film this much and had it not been for the extremely melodramatic ending Tetro may have found its way into my top three. I can't wait to see what Francis Ford Coppola tackles next.
 | Sunshine Cleaning |
This would be my "Make Sure You Catch This One On DVD" entry on this list. This is another film made up of perfect casting and along with Marion Cotillard in Public Enemies, I would say Emily Blunt's performance in this one is perhaps my favorite of the year. However, along with Blunt, Amy Adams is great, so is Alan Arkin and "24" regular Mary Lynn Rajskub adds a lot to the proceedings. Hopefully this one finds an audience on DVD because it's my pick for most overlooked title of the year so far. Oh, it hits DVD and Blu-ray on August 25 if you want to mark it on your calendar.
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What… no Transformers?!
1. Watchmen. Never been a fan of GN, and read it a couple of months before release, thought it was great, and since then have been eagerly anticipating the film. And it didn't disappoint. The only flaws I thought were Carla Gugino's acting and overuse of blood – I'm only talking the scene in which guy's hands are cut off on-screen, I mean, that scene made Watchmen look like Hostel. But other than that, everything was great. Visually it was brilliant, the acting was top-notch, the soundtrack rocked and the changed ending absolutely worked. And the film never was boring, which means a lot considering its length. Watchmen is one of the two films I saw twice in theater this year, and I'll be rewatching it on DVD, again and again.
2. Star Trek. No matter how much money TF2 eventually makes, everybody knows that ST is THE summer blockbuster of 2009. It has it all: an engaging story, flawed, but pretty good nonetheless; great character development, which is very important in this kind of film; flawless effects and sound, awesome soundtrack, excellent humor. It’s no TDK great, but excellent in every way, very rewatchable and overall one of the most entertaining summer blockbusters in recent years.
3. Up. I didn’t think it was a masterpiece. I really didn’t. It wouldn’t even end up in my list of Top 5 Pixar movies. But that means little, because it’s still very, very, very good. The animation is great, the characters are fun, the humor for the most part is excellent, and the action sequences are flawlessly done. There is drama and depth there, and Michael Giacchino’s score is in my opinion this year’s best so far. Everything is pretty great, but as I went out of the theater, I felt it hasn’t reached the height of Nemo, Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E and Toy Story. Maybe it just wasn’t as appealing to me, I dunno really. But that’s it: no masterpiece, but still excellent bordering on great.
4. The Boat That Rocked. It was released here in April, I saw it and thought it was awesome. The story isn’t great, but it’s not important here. The real treasures are the characters and soundtrack. Thanks for the great cast, each character was absolutely great and very funny, but it was Rhys Ifans and Philip Seymour Hoffman who did the best job. And the soundtrack, well, to say it was brilliant is to underestimate. Many were disappointed with the length, but I wouldn’t want a single minute cut out of it. Overall, to put it simply, it was the movie that totally rocked.
5. The Hangover. Another great comedy, hugely entertaining and extremely funny throughout. The interactions between the cast were priceless, the story, while a little flawed, was very good, and overall, it was great fun.
6. Coraline. Haven’t read the book, but the film was very enjoyable, with slick and fun characters and humor, nice story and brilliant visuals. Not as great as Nightmare before Christmas, but a great return to form for Henry Selick.
7. State of Play. A solid, very entertaining thriller, with an engaging plot and some great acting. Really liked it and will rewatch it again.
For the first time in a long time, my top three favorite films came out in the Summer. Usually, there is something I enjoyed in the Spring, but this year, it seems like there were a lot of quality coming out for the blockbuster season. And no, I'm not talking Transformers 2. Up, Star Trek, and The Hangover take my top three in that order, and then followed by Tyson (almost a Summer release) and Knowing (glad someone else has thought it was a thoughtful, engrossing film despite Nicolas Cage). I was looking forward to big films coming out that had strong characters (Star Trek) and great storytelling (UP) and were genuinely hilarious without ringing false (The Hangover). But alas, Transformers came and pushed us back into the middle ages as far as film quality goes. Sigh. Great list by the way.
Great article, Brad. Here would be my 7 best so far.
1. Watchmen
2. Two Lovers
3. Up
4. Adventureland
5. Drag Me To Hell
6. Star Trek
7. Public Enemies
8. Sunshine Cleaning
I was not very high on The Hangover. I think it started out great and got less funny as it went along, but it's still fascinating to see how great it's doing at the box office.
As far as your other movies in the list, I have not yet seen Away We Go, but I am really looking forward to that. I also haven't seen The Hurt Locker, that should be great.
I think Up and Hangover are up there for best so far in 2009. I've seen other movies too, but none worth mentioning as "best so far". Those would be good but not great. I'm also eagerly waiting to see some like Public Enemies and Star Trek.
1. Star Trek
2. Public Enemies
3. Sunshine Cleaning
4. Up
5. Knowing
6. Taken
7. Hangover
8. Away We Go
The rest are just too close to choose between. I cannot wait for Shutter Island and Lovel Bones to come out in October and Decemeber. And just to throw out a Christmas film, since it is the greatest time of year, I am looking forward to seeing Robert Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" remake. Polar Express was amazing and i cant wait to see what he does with this timeless classic.
*Lovely
My Top 7 :
1. Star Trek
2. The Hangover
3. Up
4. Watchmen
5. Taken
6. Drag Me To Hell
7. The Hurt Locker
Peace OUt !
Its been a varied and interesting six months. I have to admit, I am quite relieved that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences will include ten nominees at next years Oscars. I'm always upset when quality films from summer or spring are long forgotten by awards season. Now I'm certain that Public Enemies, Up & maybe even…(hushed whisper)…Star Trek will score some Oscar nods.
Which brings me to my list. First off, I must mention that my list is incomplete, as I only have nine top films. Why? Unfortunately, I've not been able to attend screenings of Away we Go or Tetro.
Second, I'm sure you are all wondering what the hell Star Trek is doing at number one. It's simple. No film released this year affected me the way J.J. Abrams reboot did. I was hooked from the first scene: an epic Space Battle, a tragic birth and a series is reborn. The acting was brilliant, the story (well, okay it was a bit out-there), the action and overall impact left we spellbound. While Public Enemies might have had the top-notch talent and Up made me cry, Star Trek just delivered the wow-factor. I enjoyed Trek more than any other film this…so far.
Finally, yes, Watchmen was the third-best-film I saw this year. While it wasn't the best, it certainly wins the award for originality. It was a faithful adaptation of the groundbreaking comic and it made Wolverine look a bunch of scary kids playing in the sandbox. Along with The Dark Knight (yes, I just dared make that comparison), the future of dark, humorless, comic adaptations is secure.
1. Star Trek
2. Public Enemies
3. Watchmen
4. Up
5. The Hangover
6. Taken
7. Drag Me to Hell
8. The Hurt Locker
9. Coraline
Transformers 2 and Wolverine win the award for most disappointing films of the year. They don't deserve any more mention than that. As for the rest of the year, I'm very hopeful about returning to Hogwarts (Harry Potter VI), I can't wait to see what shenanigans Sacha Baron Cohen will get involved in (Bruno), I'm ready to fly the friendly skies with an American Icon (Amelia) and I'm quite certain I might just find a nominee for Best Picture locked up at the Asylum (Shutter Island).
Just a short tirade about "Whatever Works". I had the misfortune of seeing this load of hot garbage and it confirmed what I already suspected, Woody Allen needs to be institutionalized. This movie had a budget of 15M and so far has grossed less than 1M so it's no hit, it's junk. Avoid at all costs! Save yourself 10 bucks.
here are my top ten
10. Taken
9. Watchmen
8. Public Enemies
7. monster vs aliens
6. Up
5. The hurt locker
4.slumdog millionaire
3. star trek
2. the hangover
1. Bruno
I like the list despite not seeing a few of the films yet. I would have ranked Public Enemies higher i thought it was awesome. And thank you for not putting Taken on ur list. I dont know what you thought of it but i feel like im the only person on the planet who things its ridiculous that one man can disarm 35 people with only hand to hand combat.
@AJ: SLUMDOG? really? it won the oscar for last year. i don't care when you saw it. it came out last year. and you have it #4? if it is in the movies "you" saw this year then it should be #1 with no contest beside hurt locker
Nice to see Watchmen getting some love
Here's my top ten:
1. The Hurt Locker
2. Two Lovers
3. Moon
4. Tetro
5. Drag me to Hell
6. I Love you, Man
7. Star Trek
8. The Hangover
9. Coraline
10. Away We Go
I would have loved public enemies, state of play, and adventureland; if intent and some very good parts made a movie, but it doesn't. Public enemies and state of play have too many flaws even though there are things that i like, hell, love in them and adventureland is getting too much credit by critics. it's not that big of deal and it shouldn't have tried too mix in comedy like corn dog jokes. But away we go did exactly what it was trying to do and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Oh, Sin Nombre and Girlfriend Experience almost made my list.
Watchmen
Drag Me To Hell
Star Trek
The Hangover
Knowing
Taken
I enjoyed Transformers 2 but it's definatly not a best picture nom
This Year I haven't been into movies as much as years past.
No One is giving I love you, man love? wtf? That movie has another great performance by Jason Segal. He is a legitimate actor and builds a character with little idiosyncrasies every time out and can't wait too see what he does with his career. Out of all the apatow guys he is the most talented. yes it was a little too stupid at times but the smart and brilliant and hilarious outweighed the poorly executed and stupid by far.
I disagree with the poster who hated Whatever Works, and think the person must be a young male, not ot be too sexist.
I think it was quite sweet and also funny…although, it is not meant to be Apatow type funny. It was just…endearing. I don't understand the critics and people who don't get that Boris is a misanthrope, an asshole beacuse he is scared of life…not just death…life! but, Melody…an absolutely lovely and lovable Evan Rachel Wood…helps him to see the good and the things worth loving about life. I know it's an old story, but so are most of the ones out there.
I also agree with ROS saying that it just missed. I do think Woody kinda let his best character…Melody…down a bit. Near the end, as a writer, he seemed to have abandoned her. I think that was the biggest mistake. She was the breath of fresh air and the heart of the film!
Still, I enjoyed it, and do not regret seeing it!
I keep seeing Hurt Locker 2008. Is it eligible for Oscar this year?
@Steve: Yes, and you only see that because that's when it first hit the film festival circuit.
In all likelihood, UP is a lock for one of those 10 best picture spots. First and foremost, it was a superb film, plus you have the "we owe you" factor coming into play with Pixar being snubbed for both Ratatouille and Wall-E, and a nomination would be a way to finally recognize Pixars entire body of work thus far.
I would like to believe that Hangover could also be nominated, but I just can't see a raunchy rated-R comedy making it. I do hope I'm wrong though. I'll be seeing the Hurt Locker tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it.
1.UP
2.The Hurt Locker
3.Star Trek
4.The Hangover
5.Away we Go
6.Adventureland
7.Public Enemies
@Raichu:
I find the Pixar movies are in a tough spot because now you figure Up is either being nominated for best picture in the new over-saturated category or winning the best animated feature oscar in a category with obviously sub-par movies lol what's the lesser of two evils here.
I absolutely can not wait until more people see (500) Days of Summer, which is the best film I've seen this year. I can't wait to watch it again upon it's release a week from Friday!
@Zack Solomon: Well actually, if you live anywhere outside of America, it IS 2009, as it was released, as most Oscar-tipped films are, in January internationally.
Man…after reading this list I realized I gotta get out to the theaters more. I really want to get out to The Hurt Locker, plus I was surprised to see Drag Me To Hell in the list as horrors dont generally make the cut so ill have to get out to that one as well.
1. (500) Days of Summer
2. Up
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Cold Souls
5. Skills Like This
6. That Evening Sun
7. Morris: A Life With Bells On (Never would have saw this without your help)
8. Moon
9. Adoration
10. Goodbye Solo
My lineup right now. SIFF rules.
1) Up
2) The Hangover
3) Watchmen
4) Star Trek
5) Away We Go
6) Taken
7) Knowing
8) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
9) Observe and Report
10) Terminator Salvation
I don't see as many movies as you do, Brad, and I haven't gotten a chance to see "The Hurt Locker" or "Moon" yet, but here's my humble list. The last three were pretty solid, but not top ten material; they just happened to make it on the list because we're only halfway through the year (and I'll have you know I've been keeping track of every movie I've watched this year and keeping a list of best-to-worst).
just got back from seeing hangover – it released late here :( and i must say the number three spot is deserving… but since i havent seen hurt locker or in the loop yet – i would put the hangover on #1
The best part about this list is the variety of films and genres on display. There is horro, action, comedy and drama. It's very exciting, considering that in the general sense the "great" movies in any given year are released near Oscar time, and yet this year so many different types of films are making a dent.
The Hangover is the only movie on the official Rope list that i have seen and would remove. I just didn't get it. I laughed very little and felt the story was complete non sense and went no where.
Also, I really enjoyed Watchmen, and think it says something that a movie that long, dark and violent can get made today.
This year really is back loaded though… I mean the 20 movie list posted earlier this week was missing a few of my personal choices, while still being a list of 20 movies i am interested in. I do not think when this year is said and done that many if ANY of these will show up on final lists. Although for me, UP! i think will i'm head over heels in love with everythig about that movie. It's sad then exciting then heartbreaking then enthralling. I just cannot say enough about it. I cared more about those characters than any other movie so far this year.
1) UP!
2) Watchmen
3) Drag Me To Hell
4) Star Trek
5) Knowing
6) Public Enemies
7) I Love You, Man
8) Observe and Report (highly underrated maybe even by me… This may be our generations Taxi Driver… I don't know. I feel like I need to see it a few more times)
9) Coraline
10) Taken
There are a plethora of movies I still have not seen Like Humpday, The Hurt Locker, Moon, Tetro, In the Loop, Brothers Bloom, Gigantic…ect.ect. So my list is probably as far from complete as possible but there it is…
P.S. I am very excited to see so much love for Away We Go! I have not had the chance to see it yet, but written by one of my all time fav authors (Dave Eggers) and his wife, Directed by Sam Mendes is all i really needed to be jazzed about it, Can't Wait.
@Am123: It doesn't matter when you saw it, unless you are a critic. if you are not a critic then it's just when it ever it came out actually. and it was on limited release in early november and wide in december so your wrong.
@Ross: Thank you I forgot observe and report. it's a much worse history of violence/ taxi driver mixed with cable guy and about at the level of cable guy. augmented top ten:
1. The Hurt Locker
2. Drag me To hell
3. Moon
4. Tetro
5. I love You, Man
6. Star Trek
7. Two Lovers
7. Observe and Report
8. The Hangover
9. Public Enemies
10. Away we go
Coraline was very good, but not my bag and even though public enemies has problems, it has parts that are very good and are completely toward my taste.
Top 5:
1. Up
2. Gommorah
3. Public Enemies
4. Sin Nombre
5. Coraline
1. the hangover
2. up
3. star trek
4. taken
5. i love you, man
6. the soloist
7. terminator salvation
8. public enemies
9. the merry gentlemen
10. paul blart:mall cop
(these are the top ten movies ive enjoyed so far this year. you can agree or disagree with me i realy dont care)
kso, whats this?
no transformers 2?
uhm ok ..
and half these movies.
shouldnt be on here
what the hell is sunshine cleaners?
i havent seenthat on any other list !
1. Up
2. Star Trek
3. The Hangover
4. 500 Days of Summer
5. Watchmen
6. The Soloist
7. Funny People
8. Knowing
9. I Love You, Man
10. Coraline
i think that i have a top 5 my top is……
5.the taken
4.watchmen
3.push
2.star trek
1.g-force or gi joe sorry but they are pretty close and im unable to choose
thnkss
my top 5
1.harry potter and the half blood prince (i am a fan)
2.transformers revenge of the fallen (they trashed eachother)
3.g-force (they are so cute)
4.up!
5.ice age 3
Finally I find someone that agrees with me! 'In The Loop' is the best film so far of the year, easily. 'The Hangover' was awesome, as was 'Up', 'Away We Go' and 'Star Trek'. However I don't see 'Coraline', 'Observe and Report' or 'Funny People' on your list. Here's my opinion of the best so far of 2009-
1. In The Loop
2. Coraline
3. Up
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
5. Funny People
6. Away We Go
7. Last House on the Left
8. Observe and Report
9. The Hangover
10. Brüno
Check out all the latest movie news on my blog, Popcorn Junkie.
Glad to see I am not the only one who really, really enjoyed Watchmen. I bought the Blu-Ray as soon as it was available. I don't agree with all the choices on the list but I heartily recommend In The Loop. I saw it about a week ago with kind of a sparse crowd. Still, it got plenty of laughs and I loved it. Also, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs was a lot better than I anticipated. If there's any justice, Bill Hader will be a big star someday.
@MovieLover:
what the fuck are you saying bitch
twilight?
Uhhhh….my top five are: 1.Avatar, 2.Up, 3.Star Trek, 4.Harry Potter, 5.Watchmen.