2009 was a big year in movies, and I was compelled to share with all of you what I felt were the top ten movies of this year. Keep in mind that this is only my opinion, and I am by no means some sort of professional.
10) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
I know that I might draw some bad press with this one, but I actually enjoyed it when I watched it. It had a lot of action and a plot full of holes, but this is one of those movies that you just watch for the pretty girls and big explosions. Nothing more, nothing less.
9) Watchmen
For those of us who read the graphic novel, Zack Synder's film is an ultimate homage to Alan Moore's deconstructionist piece. For everyone else, the film came off as strange and uninviting. I was part of the former camp, and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It remains near the bottom of this list because of its pacing and inaccessibility.
8) Taken
Liam Neeson has never been as kickass as he's been in Taken, playing the role of a retired secret agent whose daughter has been kidnapped by Eastern European sex traffickers. The action and Neeson's peformance is believable and intense. The flash cutting works here, something many directors try and fail to do time and time again. A perfect example is Quantum of Solace, which failed to give the audience a clear view of the action among other things. Out of Liam Neeson's many roles, this stands out as one of his best, right up there with Darkman, Ra's Al Ghul, and Qui Gon Jin.
8) Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
While I didn't read the original book, this was a fun and creative movie with some stellar voice work, including Mr T. I didn't even recognize Mr. T. until the movie was almost finished. Not much to say about this movie, just a solid one that caught me off guard.
7) Angels and Demons
For the record, I never read this book either. However, this movie felt very tense throughout and never lets up until the very end. The not-so-subtle themes about religion and science are present, and discussed in an intelligent manner. Both sides are presented without leaning towards another, and the movie successfully delivers a message about the co-existence of religion and science.
6) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
It's hard to be excited about a book/movie franchise that has been around almost as long as I have. Nevertheless, watching a Harry Potter film has become somewhat of a small tradition. I never make it a priority to see one, but I somehow end up seeing it anyway. So, when I wound up watching this one, I had no expectations for it. Much more than I anticipated, this film was a whole lot more than just a cash in.
5) Defiance
To me, this is Daniel Craig's best performance. While Craig might overshadow the other performances, it never strays from the amazing true life story this movie is based on. It is an incredible human drama that succeeds in telling the story of 600 plus refugees during World War II.
4) Zombieland
Compared to the rest of the movies on this list, this movie rarely takes itself seriously. If you've watched Zombieland, then you know that's a good thing. Hilarious from the start, Zombieland refuses to let up on the laughs and is a welcome change of pace from the usual zombie mold.
3) Star Trek
J.J Abrams' reboot of the Star Trek franchise really brought a lot of newcomers like myself into the fold. I'll admit, I've only watched a couple of episodes and movies (the definition of a closet Star Trek fan), but watching new Star Trek has brought me out of my shell.
2) Up
For my money, Pixar has always made films that are a cut above the rest in comparison to the competition. But Up simply blew everyone away with how emotionally involved its audience becomes as the movie progresses. Compared to Planet 51 and Cloudy, Up is in a word spectacular.
1) District 9 and Avatar
In my opinion, 2009 was the year of science fiction. Whereas 2008 was the rise of superhero films, i.e. Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and The Incredible Hulk, this year saw a revival of science fiction. This year's trifecta is Avatar, District 9, and Star Trek. Avatar and District 9 represent two distinct and important sides of movies. District 9 is a unique look at aliens on Earth, and Avatar is James Cameron's beautiful realization of the planet Pandora. One is the little movie that could (District 9), and the other is a man's vision fully realized and committed to film (Avatar). In writing this list, I could not pick a clear victor. I loved both movies and gave them perfect reviews. Both films have pushed the medium that much more and have set the bar exceptionally high for not only science fiction, but movies in general.
The Future:
As a bonus, I wanted to offer my insight on what to look forward to in 2010. I can sum 2010 in three words.
Iron.
Man.
2.
Behind the shadow of Iron Man 2, lies a number of gems waiting to be discovered such as The Green Hornet, Toy Story 3, Priest, The Last Airbender, How to Train Your Dragon, The Last Airbender, Alice In Wonderland, Shutter Island, Robin Hood, and Prince of Persia.
Thanks for reading my Top Ten Best Movies of 2009, I plan on following up with the Top Ten Worst Movies of 2009 as well.