Yes, I realize that 2009 was six weeks ago. And yes, I realize that most of the year-end Top Ten lists were published eight or ten weeks ago. But, hey. I'm not a professional film critic. It takes time for me to actually see enough of the movies to even make a list.
So, for the sake of context: I’ve seen thirty-five feature films that were released theatrically in the 2009 calendar year. These are my ten favorite (or maybe it’s eleven), plus some honorable mentions:
11. This Is It
Sony. Directed by Kenny Ortega.
Look, I don’t even know how to talk about this movie, which is why I couldn't really include it in the top ten, but I couldn’t exclude it either. It’s entirely devoid of any sort of narrative structure, unless the likely song order of the This Is It shows counts as narrative structure. It isn’t a documentary, but it isn’t a concert film either, as there’s, ya know, no concert. And then, on a fan level—the songs are all abbreviated; the setlist doesn’t include any surprises; we don’t even get to see most of the talked-about theatricality. But to get a glimpse of Michael Jackson’s process, to see the creativity oozing out of him, leaking out of his limbs at every moment… And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that the songs are all so good. What a show this would’ve been. What a show.
10. Sherlock Holmes
Warner Bros. Written by four different credited guys, plus some other people probably. Directed by Guy Ritchie.
I know as well as anyone the liberties that this film takes with the source material. But I’d argue that it stays true to the spirit of the original Conan Doyle stories. Plus lots of stuff blowing up. And some slow-motion boxing. Robert Downey Jr. is an actor who simply can’t miss right now. Jude Law holds his own. And Guy Ritchie proves he’s a better director than his last few films would have you believe.
9. The Informant!
Warner Bros. Written by Scott Z. Burns. Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
An unsung little oddball gem that probably should’ve come out closer to the end of the year. Soderbergh is on top of his game as always. (And could this guy be any more productive? This and The Girlfriend Experience this year. Che parts one and two last year. Thirteen feature films this decade. Plus all the producing and the TV shows and the running Section 8 for a while. Oh, he shoots and edits his own films too. Sheesh.) Matt Damon gives the performance that probably earned him his Oscar nod for Invictus. And, holy crap: Don’t miss the Smothers brothers!
8. Inglourious Basterds
The Weinstein Company/Universal. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Quentin’s seventh feature as director (since 1992, to give Soderbergh’s output some context), and he still hasn’t missed, in my opinion. Brad Pitt chews the scenery a little bit, but in exactly the right way for the material. I actually even enjoyed Mike Myers’s brief performance. But, of course, Christoph Waltz steals the show (regardless of how lame an interview he gave Letterman this week). Having said all that, I actually like this movie less than a lot of people, and I’m surprised at its Best Picture nod. Oh, and Eli Roth is a deplorable human being who shouldn’t be allowed near film sets. But I digress.
7. A Serious Man
Focus Features. Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
Listen. The Coen brothers simply might be the best filmmakers working today. Even when they misfire (2003’s Intolerable Cruelty, for instance), they make entertaining, compelling pictures. And they certainly don’t misfire here. This isn’t, quite, on the level of their great comedies (Fargo, Raising Arizona), but it’s not far off at all. It certainly made me laugh, and I didn’t even get most of the biblical/Judaism humor and references.
6. Up in the Air
Paramount. Written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner. Directed by Jason Reitman.
This year’s Xmas movie. Everything you’ve heard is true. George Clooney gives what’s probably his best or second best performance. (This is the second time in his career that Clooney, in a brilliant bit of meta screen idoldom, has knowingly, self-consciously, noddingly, almost winkingly shed huge chunks of his built-up screen persona to give a wow performance. This is the thing about Clooney that people seem to ignore that really does make him a sort of post-modern Cary Grant. The first time, by the way, was 1998’s Out of Sight. Gaining thirty pounds and growing a beard for Syriana is a whole different—less impressive, in my estimation—thing.) Jason Reitman continues to make interesting, grown-up pictures. I still think, though, that his masterpiece is ahead of him.
5. Away We Go
Focus Features. Written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. Directed by Sam Mendes.
Dave Eggers makes his first appearance on my list (he’ll be back). And Sam Mendes pops up with what is—I’m sorry, but it is—a better movie than was Revolutionary Road. This is the sort of film that a lot of people find pretentious. I find those people pretentious. An excellent ensemble supports John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, but Allison Janney tears her scenes up something fierce.
4. Up
Pixar/Disney. Written by Bob Peterson, Pete Doctor, and Thomas McCarthy. Directed by Pete Doctor and Bob Peterson.
If it seems like the Pixar movie makes it onto my top ten list every year, that’s because it does. They just never miss. Even Cars is better than Shrek and all its sequels put together. I’ll tell you what, though. I wish these people would just bite the bullet and make a silent film. The first ten minutes of Up recall the efficient, nearly dialogueless storytelling of the first hour of Wall·E. It’s almost a letdown when the characters start talking in these movies. Almost, but not quite.
3. Duplicity
Universal. Written and directed by Tony Gilroy.
I’m a sucker for twisty, turny, con artisty, spy vs. spy-y movies. I’m a sucker for movies made with the Soderbergh/Clooney cadre of actors and filmmakers (of which Julia Roberts is a full-share member and Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, and Tom Wilkinson are all on the support staff). And I’m a sucker for Tony Gilroy. This is a smart, funny, quickly-paced little movie made for grownups. And there aren't that many of those any more. Which isn’t evidenced at all by
2. In the Loop
IFC Films. Written by, like, six different guys. Directed by Armando Iannucci.
As much as I’ve laughed at a movie in as long as I can remember. Foul-mouthed British political farce, and it pokes fun at them and their stupidity as much as us and ours. Maybe more. And how’s about my girl (see what I did there?), Anna Chlumsky, showing up with the dirty mouth and the, well, pretty mouth and the pretty everything else too?
1. Where the Wild Things Are
Warner Bros. Written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers. Directed by Spike Jonze.
About as melancholy as a ‘children’s’ movie gets, but the adaptation is just about perfect. Does everything right that movies like the Ron Howard Grinch do wrong. And it doesn’t hurt that the source material is among the very best of American literature, say nothing about American children’s literature. Maurice Sendak, Dave Eggers, Spike Jonze. Whoa. This is the only movie that came out in 2009 that I truly loved, that I ache to see again, that left me with a little hole in the pit of my stomach from the beauty and wonder and sadness of it.
Some movies I haven’t seen yet that I think might effect some change here somewhere:
Brothers, An Education, Fantastic Mr. Fox (even though I hate Wes Anderson), The Girlfriend Experience, Invictus (even though I hate Clint Eastwood), A Single Man.
And the honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
Avatar
Fox. Written and directed by James Cameron.
It’s certainly eye candy. And it’s not at all a bad movie. And it’s such big entertainment that it isn’t really fair to ask the story or the characters to surprise you (which is the same thing I’ve been saying about Titanic for thirteen years now). But, I guess I just want my movies to be more interesting than this. Even æsthetically. Like, I’m more impressed with the way every frame of A Serious Man is beautiful than with the way Avatar is beautiful. But maybe that’s just me.
The Hurt Locker
Summit. Written by Mark Boal. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
A good, serious, well-crafted war film. I’m just not that interested in war films. And I should mention: However well-made this movie is, it hasn’t reframed Kathryn Bigelow’s
Strange Days (1995) as some sort of ignored masterpiece as
certain critics would have you believe. It just hasn’t.
The Men Who Stare at Goats
BBC. Written by Peter Straughan. Directed by Grant Heslov.
Another movie that made me laugh out loud a number of times. If it just weren’t for the total derailment of its third act…
Moon
Sony. Written by Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker. Directed by Duncan Jones.
Gorgeous. You’d never know the shoestringness of its budget if you didn’t know the shoestringness of its budget. Duncan Jones is a filmmaker to be reckoned with. And Sam Rockwell’s not being nominated for Best Actor(s) is bald thievery. But the ultimate explanation of what's going on in the movie bores me a little. Sorry. That said, it’s the best one-sheet design of the year, bar none.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Fox. Written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (how this movie has two writers and In the Loop has fourteen or whatever, I'll never know). Directed by Shawn Levy.
The only movie I’m honorably mentioning because of the ways that it’s better than I expected (rather than for the reasons it didn’t make it into the top ten list proper). Look, these Night at the Museum movies aren’t good movies. But they certainly are fun. And while the premise here is a whole new kind of ridiculous, I find myself charmed by what’s happening onscreen regardless. It’s just too bad that I’m not nine instead of thirtysomething. And by the way: Hank Azaria just continues to be one of the best, most boundlessly talented actors working. And everyone just continues not to notice.
Public Enemies
Universal. Written by Ronan Bennett, Michael Mann, and Ann Biderman. Directed by Michael Mann.
This is a movie that I really want to love. It’s a worthy entry into the Bonnie & Clyde-style gangster film œuvre. Johnny Depp gives the compelling, sexy, not-gratuitous performance you’d hope for. And Michael Mann is one of my very favorite directors. But holy smokes, did he make a glaring error of judgment here. A 1930s and ’40s-era gangster film simply should not look like it was downloaded from YouTube. It just shouldn’t. Either shoot it on film or do something to compensate for the limitations of HD video. Otherwise, your intelligent, lyrical crime film looks like an episode of Cops.
Next I’ll be, believe it or not, working on a Best of the Decade list. And yes, you tools, it is a new decade now. This isn't the same thing as centuries or millennia. We name decades. The ‘nineties’ ran from 1990 through 1999. By definition. Similarly, the eighteen hundreds ran from 1800 through 1899. The nineteenth century, on the other hand… But anyway. Best of the Aughties, coming up.
