The Best of 2009, Part One

At midnight, 2009 is officially over. Six documentaries, several sets, a film festival, 72 new films, three Supporting Actress Sundays, 189 posts. And, of course, we must make do with these traditional year-end lists.

Of the seventy-two 2009 releases I had the pleasure (and sometimes displeasure) of seeing, I have managed to actually find 26 titles that, if I used a grading scale, would deserve a B- or more. Some of my peers believe this has to do with me being, for lack of a better term, "an easy lay". I say, if you can't find that many films in a given year to be excited about, don't rain on my parade. Fuckhead.

But why discuss something so sad? Presenting, mes amis, items 25 - 11 of my Top Ten. Some of these may be at variance with the Top Ten on the sidebar, but I always said it was subject to change. You never know how you'll feel when the time comes.

25. HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE and WHIP IT!

This was, interestingly enough, a tough call. Both are female-driven films with a teenage protagonist. Both are surprisingly affecting. While Hannah Montana is the fourth feature from Peter Chelsom, Whip It! is the directorial debut of the lovely Drew Barrymore. Both manage to get career-best work from their leads. Great soundtracks, too.

24. IT'S COMPLICATED

Utterly charming. I'm so sorry I haven't reviewed it yet, but consider this to be it: despite a rocky start and repetitive dialogue, the movie is a delight to be with. Meryl Streep and Steve Martin are adorable; John Krasinski and Alec Baldwin are funny, too. The costumes by Sonia Grande are beautiful. Fun and laugh-out-loud hilarious.

23. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
(Number Fourteen on 25 Most Anticipated)

An epic-sized rewriting of history. The ensemble here is a game one, diving fearlessly into Tarantino's pulp dialogue. Christoph Waltz will probably win an Oscar for his surprisingly charming portrayal of The Jew Hunter. Diane Kruger, thank God, managed to get a deserved SAG Nomination. And that finale is a knock-out.

22. PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE

Despite Lee Daniels' best efforts to make it all about him, I can't get Gabourey Sidibe's lead performance out of my head. The movie, bittersweet ending and all, is hopeful. And despite the depressing surroundings, it manages to be a funny one, too. I'm glad the rest of the world caught up with me in their adoration of Mo'Nique. I knew she had it in her.

21. ZOMBIELAND

It's a zombie flick, a road movie, and a family film all in one. I haven't seen The Messenger, but I do wish Woody Harrelson was getting Oscar buzz for this movie. His Tallahassee is a memorable one. Despite how meta it is, the cameo is hilarious. Just when you thought nothing could match Shaun of the Dead...

20. STAR TREK

A talented (and very attractive) cast. A ludicrously awesome story. A rousing score. And flares, flares, flares. It's pure popcorn, and it revels in it. Have I ever waited for a non-Batman sequel this eagerly?

19. THE HANGOVER

I don't think I have ever laughed as heartily in a movie theater. Ever.

18. WATCHMEN
(Number Four on 25 Most Anticipated)

Zack Snyder was courageous in his vision, almost slavishly faithful to the source, yet willing to "mend" some elements here and there. Even if it's mostly a collection of montages, at least they are beautiful ones: the opening credits, the origin of Dr. Manhattan, the sex scene. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jackie Earle Haley are so cool.

17. THE INFORMANT!
(Number Seventeen on 25 Most Anticipated)

Matt Damon is excellent. Steven Soderbergh's choices are odd and genius. A true-life thriller becomes a wacky comedy, a 90s setting is given a 70s vibe. Add Marvin Hamlisch's score and you've got a funny yet thoughtful look at one of the strangest cases of corporate greed to make it to press. Also, Scott Effing Bakula.

16. BREAKING UPWARDS

Though only released in New York City, I got to see this at the Tallahassee Film Festival. A couple, played by co-writer Zoe Lister-Jones and co-writer/director Daryl Wein, strategize their own break-up, based on the real-life relationship between the filmmakers. Andrea Martin and Julie White play their mothers; some of the best supporting actressing this year.

15. AN EDUCATION

A career-making performance from Carey Mulligan centers a solid, relatable film. Great performances from the whole cast, though Rosamund Pike and Cara Seymour are true stand-outs. Lovely costumes, too. Mulligan could be the new Hepburn.

14. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
(Number Four on 25 Most Anticipated)

The more I think on this, the more I love it. I love watching a movie and seeing myself in it. Anyone who remembers their childhood is sure to relate to this movie. It's magical in its ability to bring to life those feelings of freedom and insecurity. Great voicework by James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper and Catherine O'Hara.

13. NINE
(Number Two on 25 Most Anticipated)

Such a flawed movie. Yet I am in love with it. So. Much. Oh, Sophia Loren, please say you're back for good.

12. MOON

Sam Rockwell carried an entire film by himself. Not only did he play multiple roles...he played multiple aspects of one man. And brilliantly at that. Clint Mansell's simple score is haunting. It's unbelievable what Duncan Jones does with his budget. Dig it.

11. IN THE LOOP

I don't think I have ever as heartily in the comfort of my own home. Ever. Fuckity-bye-bye, then.

Check out the Top Ten later on. And remember, I've still a long way to go before I see all the 2009 releases: New York, I Love You, Sherlock Holmes, Notorious, Duplicity, Monsters vs. Aliens, My Bloody Valentine, A Single Man, etc.

Say Whaaaat?

With Warner Bros' Oscar site updated for the 2009 race, three things come to mind concerning The Informant!, the only film they have listed as of now.

1) The song that closes out the movie, "Trust Me," is an honest-to-goodness Original Song. That's pretty neat. It's got that classy Rat Pack vibe that I like, though I would have gone with Tom Jones as vocalist rather than Steve Tyrell. Anyhow, add this to the list of contenders.

2) Matt Damon may be getting the only acting campaign of the film, and that's unfair. Scott Bakula, at the very least, deserves a shot at Supporting Actor, his being one of the better performances of the first nine months of 2009! His work is just as strong as Damon's, I feel. Maybe when they see what the other studios offer up, they'll reconsider.

3) Their Ensemble only consists of four people: Damon, Bakula, Joel McHale and Melanie Lynskey? I am always confused by this "Ensemble" category. Million Dollar Baby only submitted the three leads -- Eastwood, Swank, Freeman -- as their ensemble, yet Margo Martindale, Jay Baruchel, Anthony Mackie, and Brian F. O'Byrne all had substantial roles in the film. Tess Harper was included in the Ensemble for No Country for Old Men, but poor Beth Grant and Kathy Lamkin, who made more lasting impressions, were left out in the cold. Is there a limit to how many can be listed? It seems unfair that only a handful of actors be eligible.

Catch-Up: Part Two

Six movies, five sentences each, and I'm all caught up. I'm glad these are mostly positive. Sometimes, I think I'm fairly easy to please; other times, I think most everybody else is just being bitchy. Just because you can deliver the snark doesn't mean every film deserves it.

Anyway, off the soapbox and onto the films:

THE FINAL DESTINATION: 3D

Blood spurts, body parts fly, fire roars through the screen and into our faces. It's your typical Final Destination flick, but in another dimension, so it's automatically awesomer. I like the lead, Bobby Campo, and I hoep we see more work from him, as he seems capable of doing more than just guilty pleasure fare like this. Director David R. Ellis (Snakes on a Plane) and writer Eric Bress give the movie a sick sense of fun that is refreshing after too-serious horror fare like the Prom Night and Friday the 13th remakes. Probably not as fun in 2D, but holy hell did I have a good time.


GAMER

Smart action flick with ADD editing and directing from the team that brought you the Crank movies. It's not just the welcome presence of Michael C. Hall and Kyra Sedgwick: the movie actually has some brilliant ideas underneath all the confusion. Poor Gerard Butler is the only one stuck without a character, just a Hero that we should root for because he's the hero, though he does try, God bless him. Alison Lohman is actually given a character, meanwhile, and just sucks, a disappointment after her triumphant performance in Drag Me to Hell. Works as a guilty pleasure, but if you're willing to find more to it than that, there are many layers here.


THE INFORMANT!

Fun little gem with a 1970s vibe, yet set in the 1990s. Matt Damon gives a fantastic, layered performance as a corporate whistle-blower who, though smarter than most give him credit for, is not as slick as he thinks he is. Scott Bakula plays his FBI handler, almost walking away with the entire show, with a host of under-used comedians and character actors in supporting roles. Film is both amusing and sad, but builds slowly, believably, to that sour note. I wish Marvin Hamlisch could score my life.


MYSTERY TEAM

YouTube sensation Derrick Comedy has their first movie out, one of the most independently independent I've ever seen...and it's hilarious. More than just a drawn-out sketch, we get an actual mystery to solve when three high school sleuths wind up investigating a double-homicide. Laughs come from a combination of the situational and the absurdly random, but it all works, and the climax is a thing of beauty. Aubrey Plaza is the anti-ingenue, and between this and Funny People, I think we've got a welcome new talent on our hands. Y'all should support it, but I think it's being given the roadshow treatment right now.


O' HORTEN

Intriguing Norwegian film about a recently retired train conductor (Baard Owe) going through life, with questions of mortality lingering throughout every scene. Owe gives a tender, haunting performance that stays with you long after the film. It's a little slow-going, certainly, and feels a LOT longer than its 90-minute running time, but it's worth it. John Christian Rosenlund's cinematography is beautiful, and between this and Let the Right One In, I am suddenly very intrigued by Scandinavian cinema. Good to rent if you're in the mood for it.


THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Intriguing doc about the behind-the-scenes magic behind Vogue's September issue, the largest and most important fashion publication of the year. We certainly get a picture of the devil in Prada, Anna Wintour: guarded, all-business, very serious about fashion; also self-conscious and insecure - though she's established herself, she is clearly hurt by how her siblings find her career "amusing". Creative director Grace Coddington is the film's true star, however, a woman just as formidable as, yet more open than Ms. Wintour. The work is outstanding and breathtaking, and these ladies demand and deserve respect. Worth seeing just to get a glimpse into a world you're not a part of.