Favorite Movies of 2009

Maybe you do not care. I am not a movie critic, so you probably shouldn't care. I am in fact a movie buff. As much as I love books, and have picked up a sick fascination with reading, movies are still my first love. Disclaimer: this is a list of movies that I have seen. I'm sure you are saying, "Wait, but Josh, I thought you said you are a movie buff." Do not be mistaken, I am, but my lack of funds have caused me to miss certain movies that would probably top the list. Therefore, I have suffered and waited for them to hit the dollar theatre (for you lynchburgers). I am sure my list would be different tomorrow, but as of today, this is what it is. Also, please let me know your favorite movie of 2009 and if I left off a crucial one. I would not dare mean to.

10. Zombieland- This could actually be higher on other lists. The lack of appeal and audience may have hurt this one, but if you were privileged to see....awesome. It does not lack a lot. Good pieces in place for good acting and dialogue. Jesse Eisenberg is the poor man's Michael Cera. He reminds me of Cera a lot. Harrelson was actually a bright spot for this movie. I was not sure about him in this movie at first, but he played the role well. The cameo of Bill Murray was a great addition. A great, witty, and disgustingly funny movie.

9. Sherlock Holmes- Even though this one just came out, It came out and I saw it in 2009. At first glance, I thought this might be a guilty pleasure movie. I thought it had potential, but overall, would disappoint to be quality cinema even with Downey Jr. I was mistaken. The trailers do not give it justice. The plot is outstanding I thought. Downey is becoming one the few actors I want to see every movie he comes out with. He and Jude Law have some of the best chemistry I have seen on screen in a long time. They were outstanding together. Ritchie directed it in a manner where I saw some similarities with Snatch, and that is a good thing. Good filming, dialogue, chemistry, and cool action. Check it out.

8. (500) Days of Summer- Usually, the "romantic comedy" genre would not interest me, but this one did (i.e. Zooey). It was a witty movie with tons of artistic qualities. Very whimsical. It is not the typical love story which I appreciate. Spoiler alert: he doesn't get "the girl". I like that. It speaks to true reality and humanity and the hurt we all can go through, and also, how much fun love is.

7. District 9- Another movie that I had low expectations and was very skeptical about. This movie did not disappoint. Peter Jackson is a good director, and this was the equivalent of an indie movie for him to direct. No big name stars, not a ton of hype (see Lord of the Rings and King Kong...hyped). Never have I seen an alien/action movie be so emotional and soft. Throughout all the destruction and fighting, I couldn't help but hope the main character somehow got back with his wife and the matter was resolved. It also speaks to prejudice and segregation which is still prevalent. I loved the type of filming that was used. It had interview style filming, documentary style filming, and regular ole movie filming. I liked it a lot. You can also never go wrong with folks talking in South African accents. Overall, good concept and good movie.

6. The Hangover- This is raunchy comedy at it's best. I have very mixed feelings about the movie. Even though I felt dirty after watching it, and would probably not recommend it, it is what it is. It is undeniably hilarious. Great performances from all the cast. They played their characters right on. I have liked Bradley Cooper since Wedding Crashers, and he did not disappoint in this one. The best performance though came from Zach Galifianakis. He stole every scene he was in. Ed Helms was also a funny supporting role. They wanted this movie to be perverted, disgusting, and raunchy. They succeeded.

5. Star Trek- Some of you may disagree, but if you look at the piece of work from a "what it's supposed to be" perspective, you might agree. I was skeptical about this movie all along, but something grabbed my attention to where I thought this movie could surprise me. It surprised me. With no big time actors playing the roles, I thought it would be sketchy. Abrams is great though. He brought the franchise back to where it should be, and that is an exciting and adventurous place. Pine did great I thought. The action sequences were great and the filming was on point. The acting was also surprisingly good. This movie would be the dark horse of this list meaning I would never have thought it would make it. The one negative is Abrams' fascination with time travel (this movie and LOST). I do not like it that much. Oh well, still good movie.

4. Fantastic Mr. Fox- I loved this movie...a lot. This is one I can watch continuously and appreciate. Another director in Wes Anderson I am not greatly fond of. He is good in his own way, but really has not done anything for me to be excited about until now. A witty, funny, and emotionally intact movie. I am a fan of good dialogue, and this one was excellent. I rank it behind Inglorious for best dialogue. All the characters were great. George Clooney continues to bring it. I also love Meryl Streep. The movie has more of an adult audience (which I appreciate), and for that, it will get more of a fan base with time. The resurrection of stop motion was a great plus for me as well. Overall, an excellent film, and I believe, Anderson's best.

3. Avatar- truly fantastic movie just for the visually stunning effects. I believe that this movie is the Star Wars of this generation. Purely innovative in the way it is made and the imagination that comes behind it. James Cameron, to be honest, is not a favorite director of mine, but he did a splendid job on a movie that I had preconceived ideas of it being terrible. It has a lot of main key things movies should have: plot, good story, romance, action, and cinematography. The dialogue to me was suspect. Some of the lines were cheesy, yet well executed. Never have I thought a cheesy line could have such good delivery. But, this is one thing that held it from the top spot.

2. Up- never have I thought a cartoon could be this high on the list, but in reviewing all I have seen, Up stands alone atop the hill of cartoon movies this year. It makes for a great family movie as well as movie you can enjoy for the pure tenderness it brings to the screen. It speaks to all people: people dealing with loss, abandoned dreams, and people who will never give up on adventure. Just a spectacular movie all around. Pixar might have their best one yet.

1. Inglourious Basterds- some may not like it because of Tarantino's ability to make blood and gore funny. I thought the movie was absolutely brilliant. It had everything for me: comedy, great acting, good story, great dialogue, memorable characters, wittiness, and Brad Pitt (he's in my favorite movie of all time but thats a different topic). I do believe it is Quentin's best film as of yet and I am a big fan of Kill Bill. If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor and go see it immediately. It will not disappoint, unless of course you have no movie taste at all.

Honorable mentions: Away We Go, Where the Wild Things Are, Coraline

Movies I am sure would have made it if I had seen them: Up in the Air, Precious, Invictus

Movies that would probably not make a top 20 list or top 100 list, but were enjoyable to me: Blind Side (Wouldn't make top 20), New Moon (wouldn't make top 100)