Best of 2009

Ok, so I sucked big time on the one post at a time business. Sorry about that. But I still wanted to share my personal bests of 2009, in movies at least. Along with the rundown of every movie I saw and where it falls on the spectrum. So let's start with my top 10. This year, I decided to judge on two things:
1. The feeling I left the theater with.
2. The film's watchability—would I want to watch it again and again?

So here we go...

Top 10 movies of 2009

(500) Days of Summer
I'm a sucker—this has been well documented. I have accepted it but this doesn't make this movie any less adorable, fun and still heartbreaking. Perhaps it was when I watched it, but i think we all can relate to the feeling Joesph Gordan-Levitt feels in this movie—only remembering the good and overlooking the bad. Sure, movies have been told out of order before but even though we know how it ends for Summer and Tom, that doesn't make it any less fun to watch. From the inclusion of the infamous penis game (which friends of mine—you know who you are—have played many times) to the heartbreaking split screen showing Tom's expectations versus reality set to Regina Spektor, no other movie made me so eager to laugh and cry over and over again.

Fantastic Mr. Fox
It's rare for a movie to literally make me smile the entire time and keep that smile as I walk out the theater and even as i make my way home. Fantastic doesn't begin to describe this one. I loved everything about it—the jerky animated puppets, the father issues, the cussing. You know I love a movie when the only thing I can say about is EEEEE!


Adventureland
It's hard to nail down exactly why I like this movie so much. It's a well-known fact i can't stand Kirsten Stewart or her mouth, but I was able to overlook it for this sweet, funny coming-of-age in the 80s tale. I liked that it was cool 80s, not cheesy 80s like The Wedding Singer. I think most people my age have had that job (summer) or otherwise where the people you work with become your best friends for a period of time. Jesse Eisenberg is an unlikely leading man, like Michael Cera before him, but by the end of the movie, he'd won me over. As had Ryan Reynolds. Any movie that can do that deserves recognition.

Up in the Air
Sometimes its refreshing to see a movie for adults where adults act like adults and talk like them. Now George Clooney is always a good idea, clearly. But an even better idea is casting hims as the old news. Sparring with a young whippersnapper brings out the best in him. Not to mention sparring with a romantic equal his own age. The last time he did that, he defined sexy banter in Out of Sight. This time it's just as fun if more reserved. I love the ending image. Full of sadness but still possibility.

Star Trek
I was always a Star Wars versus star Star Trek kind of girl. Mostly, because I had never really seen Star Trek. My parents used to watch The Next Generation, but i barely remember much beyond Patrick Stewart's captain's log. So I went into this with a complete ignorance of prior Star Trek knowledge. I was blown away. I'm clearly okay with the time travel stuff (ahem, Lost) so I bought and enjoyed every minute of this. Enough that I went and tried to rent on the old Star Trek's and was disappointed to find they aren't on Netflix. Boo.

Avatar
This inspired another sort of emotion while watching and leaving the theater. To be honest, I had my doubts. When I saw the preview, like many others, I was skeptical. I knew I'd still see it, after all I have a weird faith in James Cameron and my friend Clint had worked on it down in New Zealand. But then the advance word of mouth captured my attention. So I rushed to get a last minute ticket to a 3D IMAX show on opening weekend. I was floored. I'm not stupid. The story is predictable and the dialogue clunky. So is Titanic. So is Star Wars. However, like Titanic and Star Wars, I was completely taken to a new place and isn't that what movies are all about? Honestly, it made me sad thinking that I couldn't go see it with my dad. I literally can't remember leaving a theater and being so giddy that i felt the need to call everyone i knew and talk about it. Is it Shakespeare? No. Is it incredibly entertaining and visually stunning? Absolutely.

Up
An animated movie that can make you cry in the first fifteen minutes is something special. I loved the bird, loved the talking dog and loved the grumpy old man.Though I think the first half is much stronger than the second half, I still wept like a baby at the end and marveled at the 3D.


District 9
It's been a good year for smart sci-fi (see Star Trek above) and this film, which for those that don't know, shows a world where aliens have arrived and quickly been segregated from the human population. The film is shot in rough documentary style and can be shocking in its splatter effects, but is affecting nonetheless. Though I had to turn away often to escape the sickening images, the film was still incredibly entertaining. Plus I'm all for films having a message and knowing that this serves an allegory for apartheid, but not having it explicitly shoved down your throat was refreshing.

The September Issue
It's no secret I adore magazines. Thought I'm not a regular reader of Vogue, I do enjoy reading about the innerworkings of the place. Since i know how magazines operate, getting a peek into the top ones are always a treat. This documentary follows Editor-Chief, and Devil Wears Prada inspiration Anna Wintour and her team as they put together the largest issue of Vogue ever. But the real story is watching Grace Coddington, Vogue's creative director, do battle with the Wintour and seeing how much she loves and lives her job, even though she gets little recognition for how much she does. Sure, a fashion magazine seems a frivolous subject for a genre that usually tackles much more serious subjects, but I still found this one incredibly fascinating and entertaining, and just reinforced my love of my profession, even if where I work feels very far from Vogue.

A Single Man
This snuck in right at the end of my viewing cutoff. Directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, I can say with confidence this was one of the most stylish films i saw this year. Colin Firth, always in style stars as man who is devastated when his longtime lover (the always attractive Matthew Goode) suddenly dies. It's set in the early 1960s, therefore he is unable to show his grief in public. This film's power is really in silences and Colin Firth has never been less Darcy-ish. Still impeccably charming, but you can really see his grief in every scene and he's never been more affecting.