Yes, yes here I am doing a "best of" list because, whatever, they're fun and I'm so often in disagreement with those of "experts" that it makes me feel better to see my own superior list on the internet. For me, 2009 holds the distinction of studying abroad in Germany for a semester, which was a pretty ok time even if it means I missed a lot of new movies. I think I'm pretty caught up now though, and even more appreciative of the use of subtitles in US theaters (as opposed to seeing every English-language movie with vaguely comedic German dubbing whilst abroad). Here are my favorites of the year, in alphabetical order because I can't quite decide on #1- it's a tie between Thirst and Moon. If something seems missing, it might be because I haven't seen it yet! I've yet to catch The Fantastic Mr Fox, Nine, or Bright Star, among others.
Bakjwi (Thirst)
Yes, I know I've already written about it twice, so I won't go into too much more detail about how awesome this Korean priest-turned-vampire drama is. But seriously, it's so rad. Also, it introduced me to one of my new favorite actors, Song Kang-Ho! And finally got me to start watching Park Chan-Wook movies! What a life-altering film.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
I've been holding out on this list until I could see this movie. After waiting at least a year for its US release, I've been increasingly excited, as Gilliam is one of my favorite directors. He didn't disappoint. This film is gorgeous and wonderfully imaginative, with cool performances and a lot of weirdness. I'm really glad they were able to finish it despite Heath Ledger's death, even though it felt a little eerie to see him.
Moon
Aw, dang, how cool is this movie? A fascinating character study situated in an ambiguously futuristic and abysmally lonely lunar energy station, with Sam Rockwell impressing everyone with his excellent acting chops. Both visually and narratively inventive, Duncan Jones's debut feature does just about everything right.
A Serious Man
Those Coens can do no wrong it seems, adding yet another spectacular feature to their impressive repertoire. This tale of a mild-mannered, Jewish physics professor coping with divorce, blackmail, anti-Semitism, a sick brother, and other hang-ups in 1960's suburbia is captivating in its visual details, understated humor, and great performances.
Whip It
Oh man, that sports movie about ladies made by ladies! Exciting! This is just so fun and well-done, filled with rad music, good jokes, an engaging coming-of-age story, and an impressive female-dominated cast. While not perfect, its empowering message, entertaining premise, and wholly satisfying, un-cliched ending gets it in my top 5 easily. Plus it exposed me to the awesome sport of roller derby!
Honorable Mentions
Coraline
District 9
In The Loop
Up
Where The Wild Things Are
Zombieland
Monday, December 28, 2009
Top Five: Favorite Movies of 2009
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besides dr. parnassus [haven't seen it], this is identical to my list!
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, I've only seen two of your five...but I really dug both of 'em so kudos! A SERIOUS MAN was *this* close to making my five, but got usurped by PRECIOUS at the last moment.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have a few minutes, you should check out my podcast. Univarn and I talked about our top fives of the year :)
No "Inglourious Basterds"? Well, I guess I can understand that -- it's kind of what you'd call an acquired taste. Tarantino's a little too smug and dark for some.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see "A Serious Man," but I'm impatiently awaiting its DVD release. I'm pretty obsessed with the brothers Coen, and buzz surrounding this has been overwhelmingly positive.
Nicole: great job, I guess we have almost 100% movie correlation this year!
ReplyDeleteHatter: Well you should get going on seeing more 09 movies if you haven't seen all of these yet! Also, i'll be checking out your podcast tonight- i'm looking forward to hearing your and Univarn's lists!
M Carter: Admittedly I really don't think Inglourious Basterds is as great as most people seem to. I liked it, but it just didn't wow me, I guess. I generally like Tarantino, but for me this isn't as good as some of his earlier films. Also, I hope you enjoy A Serious Man- it's honestly just SO good!
Whip it is an interesting choice! I didn't really like it that much although I really wanted to like it. I was going to watch Parnassus this week but somehow ran out of time. Will watch it next week :)
ReplyDeleteI will have to see Thirst. I've heard a bit about it, and it sounds pretty intriguing, and it seems as though everyone that's seen it has loved it.
ReplyDeleteYour numbers 2 and 3 will be right up there on my list. I have mixed feelings on 4 and have not seen (and remain uninterested in) 5.