2009 Films in Reflection

So 2009 was a big year for movies. We saw huge films being released all year long. According to Box Office Mojo here's your top ten highest grossing films:

• #1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $929.4

• #2 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Fox $887.6
  

• #3 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: $835.0
  

• #4 Avatar: $745.1
  

• #5 2012: $734.3
  

• #6 Up: $683.0
  

• #7 The Twilight Saga: New Moon: $665.4
  

• #8 Angels & Demons: $485.9
  

• #9 The Hangover: $459.4
  

• #10 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: $412.7
  

As you can see, 3 of the top grossing films are children's movies, 6 if you want to count the ones geared towards teenagers. So once again, the old adage claiming that kids rule the box office rings true.

Of those movies listed, I saw two of them, Avatar and The Hangover, both of which are actually decent movies. 2009 was a decent year for me and the cinema as well. Being that at my job I get to go see movies for free, I definitely took advantage of this through and through on a regular basis and saw some really fantastic movies.

So in order to do up a blog entry, I'm going to resort to stealing. Just like Mr. Ebert does every year, here are my top 10 films of '09 in no particular order:

• #10 The Hangover

This was probably the best comedy I saw all year. Zach Galafinakis really stole the show and the constant 180 turns the movie made were hilarious. From start to finish, The Hangover was awesome.

• #9 The Men Who Stare at Goats

Loosely based on an actual military organization, Men Who Stare at Goats follows the story of Ewan Mcgregor who plays a reporter disillusioned with life who gets tangled up in the Iraq war with a 'psychic warrior-monk' played by George Clooney. This was a really underrated movie that I positively enjoyed. I was the only person in the theatre laughing his ass off too. If you like Clooney you're not going to go wrong with this movie.

• #8 Zombieland
  

A close second for funniest movie of the year. I love survivalist zombie fiction, and this was a really good comedic take on that genre. This well cast, well acted, over-the-top violence, plenty of gun action mixed in with a fair clip of slapstick comedy movie was one of the funnest movies this year. Plus it had Bill Murray.

• #7 Is Anybody There?

This light-drama starring Micheal Caine flew so far under the radar I count myself lucky as to having seen it at all. Basically, Micheal Caine plays a retired magician suffering from senility in his old age. This was a touching film that deals with moving on in life. I can't really explain it much further than that, but it was definitely one of '09s best. If you're walking through a movie store and see this on the shelf, be sure to give it a shot.

• #6 The Road

I'm a real sucker for the post-apocalyptic genre, and this will go down as a shining example of how to perfectly portray a dying world. It's long, quiet, filled with lots of contemplation, and sometimes makes you feel a little sick to be human. It's not for everyone, and I don't think I've left a theatre feeling more depressed, but this was an excellent movie. Unfortunately it'll never get the recognition it deserves because it's just not a hollywood style movie.

• #5 Inglorious Basterds

Quentin Tarantino rarely puts something out that I don't like, and this was no exception. The punchy dialogue, the shocking violence, the zany characters, Inglorious Basterds had it all! There wasn't a single moment of this film I didn't enjoy. Not only that, but for a change the characters actually spoke the language they historically should have been speaking. Nothing kills the immersion into a movie for me more than when I start wondering why every foreign character talks in english.
I saw this one about a month after it came out, and I knew going in I'd love for the reasons people who told me about it hated it.

"It's too long! Everyone talked in french! There's was almost no action!"

Perfect, just perfect. Another Tarantino flick for me to adore over the years to come.

• #4 District 9

This was unlike any other science fiction I've seen. The setting of the movie as well was fantastic, and rarely do movies actually have such insane gritty realism. If you haven't seen District 9 yet, go now! Sci-fi has been all Star Wars and space battles lately. District 9 was a rare gem that shows just how different, and relevant the science fiction genre can be

• #3 Star Trek

Action packed, good bits of dialogue, some comedy, and an amazing cast. There's nothing more I can say.

• #2 Away We Go

A bizarely cast movie starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, Away We Go is about a couple who are looking for somewhere to live and raise their soon-to-be-born child. It had a nice, evenly paced story with lots of different elements and chances to get to know the characters. It's geared directly towards the hipster crowd so I understand why it didn't appeal to a major market, but I can say that is far better than the usual 'couples movie' you might find at the rental store.

• #1 One Week

I absolutely loved this movie! Some of my family described this as "...another low budget Canadian film..." But these days it seems that low-budget indie films offer their audience far more story, depth, and enjoyment than anything coming out of mainstream Hollywood. This was about a cancer-ridden man who buys a motorbike, abandons his fiance, and drives across Canada. It was hilarious, touching, and really sad all at the same time. One Week might be a little tough to rent at your average store, but if you see it, check it out.

And yes, despite the fact I said these were listed in no particular order, One Week is my top pick for movies of 2009.

So, did you see any really amazing movies this year?