bradcar77 and Loosi tackle the best films 2009 had to offer.
10) The Road
I’m not sure if this was helped by not reading the book beforehand (I’m in the middle of reading the novel as I write this), but going in, I really had no preconceived notions of what to expect. And while it seems to have gotten a ho-hum reception, I really thought it was incredibly well done, due in large part to Viggo Mortenson’s performance. And, despite the desolate backdrop, I found it to be one of the most beautifully shot films of the year.
9) Inglourious Basterds
I wouldn’t call this Tarantino’s best film, personally, but damn if it isn’t a heck of a lot of fun. It incorporates a lot of the characteristics that make a Tarantino film what it is, and instead of reintroducing new audiences to a faded star of yesterday, this time he uses the opportunity to bring attention to European actors like Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent that are unknown to American audiences. And with their performances, I’m almost ready to forgive him for Travolta. Not quite, but almost.
8)Zombieland
While I have an admittedly pro-zombie bias, I don’t think I had more fun in any movie than I did in this one. Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg made a great team, and while I might crack a smile or a smirk or two during most comedies, it’s one of the few films where I actually, really busted out the full on dork laugh. Can’t wait for the inevitable sequel.
7) Katyn
Andrzej Wajda’s epic tale surrounding the massacre of 20,000 Poles in the Katyn Forest was one of the nominations they got right in the 2007 foreign film race. While it seems to have come and gone on these shores during 2009 with little notice, it’s an incredible tale, looking at the everything that led to the massacre and what was left in its wake. Wajda makes some smart moves in letting the tale unfold and I found it to be one of the more interesting epics of the past few years by focusing less on the war itself and more on it’s aftermath.
6) Mammoth
Thank heavens Lukas Moodysson got his head out of his ass after the absolutely abominable A Hole In My Heart and delivered a grownup tale. While the film’s structure of interweaving three different stories has been overused this decade, I think Mammoth stands among the better of them. Michelle Williams is particularly wonderful, and Moodysson does a great job, not only in weaving the stories together, but also in smartly incorporating the soundtrack into the film. Welcome back to my good graces, Mr. Moodysson.
5) Lorna’s Silence
My appreciation of the Dardennes Brothers films seems to be slowly growing with time. I’ve steadily liked each film of their more than the one I saw before it, and found this one to be thoroughly compelling. I could have spent at least another hour in these characters’ world.
4) Il Divo
It’s rare, but every so often, I’ll sit down and watch a movie and just know instantly that I’m in for a treat of a film. This is how I felt when I popped Il Divo in and those opening credits rolled with such energy to a kickass soundtrack, and I just knew I was going to adore the film. Toni Servillo is excellent as Giullio Andreotti and along with 2008’s Gomorrah (also starring Servillo), they make excellent companion pieces showing a darker side of Italy’s past and present.
3) Everlasting Moments
I can’t help but to feel Ingmar Bergman’s presence lingering over this story of the Larsson family, a struggling family at the turn of the century in Malmo, Sweden. While the Larsson’s are often faced with grim circumstances, usually resulting from the boorish, abusive alcoholic father’s actions, the film still manages to charm, mostly due to a pitch-perfect performance by Maria Heiskanen, as the matriarch who finds an outlet for expression through photography.
2) The Hurt Locker
While it took awhile to get this one to domestic theaters, it was well worth the wait. Kathryn Bigelow bring s the big explosions that would expect with such a story, I think the film’s strength lies in the tension she manages to create in building these scenes up. And while Bigelow and star Jeremy Renner seem to be racking up the accolades this awards season, I really hope that Anthony Mackie doesn’t go completely ignored for the Oscar. His work here is absolutely marvelous.
1) An Education
Going into the fall, I never would have expected this to emerge as my favorite film of the year. The trailer looked like it would be a familiar story suffocated with tastefulness and it just wasn’t piquing my interest as much as some other films. But I was immediately taken in by the film due to the superb writing by Nick Hornby, the nicely handled work by Peter Sarsgaard and the absolute breath of fresh air that is Carey Mulligan. She’s effortlessly charming and perfectly embodies the role of a girl whose intelligence may be beyond her years but whose lack of life experience leaves her with a lot left to learn. An absolutely wonderful film.
Just as a postscript, I should mention that there were two films that absolutely would have made the top of this list, but they don’t get their official releases in the US until this year. Both Terribly Happy and A Prophet were films I would have happily declared the best film of 2009, but it looks like I will have to leave them for the 2010 list, unless of course, I see ten better films, in which case, we have a phenomenal year of film ahead of us. In the meantime, I can only urge everyone to put these two at the top of your must see list for 2010.
–bradcar77
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