Best Movies of 2009

Well, 2009 is over and it is now awards season. It's also the season for for lists to come out, and why not release my top movies of 2009. Here are my favorite movies of 2009.

*Note that I haven't seen Precious, which may alter this list after I see them. So for now, here are the current standings.


9) Inglourious Basterds
A good solid film, with great characters. Tarantino's Spagetti-western influences makes for an uniquely entertaining film about a gonzo group of American soldiers in Nazi-occupied France. This is definitely a step up from his last movie.



8) District 9
Despite some problems I have with this film, I feel this is a unique take on the science fiction genre, and particularly well made docu-cinema with good visual effects based off of it's low-budget.



7) Food Inc.
An interesting look into where our food comes from. This is basically the book Fast Food Nation turned into a documentary (and I understand that there is actually a Fast Food Nation movie). Lot's of eww, and gross moments but still real and deserving.


6) Avatar
Where, oh, where was this going to be on my list? Yes, it's Dances with Wolves and Pocahontas, with blue people, and lots of predictable and "just in the nick of time" moments. However, it is an astonishing technological achievement, that's not loud and annoying like Transformers 2. It is not the best movie out there, but manages to fulfill a sentimental value and also ass-kicking action, particularly the end sequence with the Colonel.

5) (500) Days of Summer
Yes, I sapped up. A story that touches the heart of the many who has ever fallin' in love with the person who thought was the one. Awe... It is heartbreakingly more realistic than most Hollywood movies where the oddly perfect couple ends up with each other.



4) Sin Nombre
Not exactly an upbeat film. However, it opens your eyes to what's going on just beyond the border and the will it takes to get into the United States.



3) Star Trek
I'm not a Star Trek fan so I was equally impressed that this reboot managed to work on a lot of levels. There's still the Star Trek geek-dome associated within this movie, however, J.J. Abrahms did a great job of defining it for a larger audience.


2) The Hangover
I wasn't expecting much going into this movie and I came out of the theater laughing. Definitely the funniest movie of the year and I am glad that this won a Golden Globe for best Comedy (which is more of a true comedy instead of it usually going to a dramatic-comedy or a musical).


and Drum Roll please.....


1) Up In The Air
A well made film, from the director of Juno and Thank You For Smoking, that's both funny and poignant. The writing is especially well, in that it is sharp and quick witted. The film also manages to take a personal look into the current dilemma happening in modern economical society. Up in the Air will be looked back upon as the one film that defines life in the first decade of the new millennium.






Best movies of 2008