So, it’s finally time for my year end rundown of the films I saw during the past twelve months. It’s a little late this year, as I wanted to see Sherlock Holmes before writing, just in case. Turns out, as I expected, I needn’t have bothered waiting, as it was a perfectly average film, not deserving of inclusion on any of my lists. That being said, these lists are culled from the 50 films I saw that were released theatrically in 2009. While that number is still down from the norm, it was a particularly good year for me for back catalogue titles, as I saw an additional 55 titles on DVD and Blu-ray that I had not previously viewed.
Now, without further ado, the lists.
Most Surprising:
Fanboys – With all of the script and production problems this film faced, I didn’t expect much. What we got, however, was a surprisingly poignant love letter to Star Wars and it’s fans. It doesn’t laugh at geeks (ala Big Bang Theory and Chuck) but rather with them.
Push – Dumped in February, marketed as a third rate action flick, this is one that most people missed, which is too bad. It has some great performances, fantastic visual flair, and an intriguing premise. A few script problems (and the lack of an audience) are all that kept this from becoming the franchise it could have been.
Whip It – Initially I had no interest in seeing this film, as it looked like another banal “girl power” attempt, this time from Drew Barrymore, who I’ve never been much of a fan of. Their Comic-Con presence, however, convinced me to check it out, and I’m glad I did. The story is fairly paint-by-numbers, but there are some interesting twists, and it’s not nearly the chick-flick it was marketed as.
Adventureland – Marketed as another typical teen sex romp, I didn’t expect anything. Audiences, burned out on Judd Apatow films, stayed away, which is really too bad. The film bears more resemblance to a John Hughes film than anything else. Truly moving and real, this is one that should have been a hit.
District 9 – This is another film that I went to see mainly because of its fantastic Comic-Con presentation. Made on a miniscule budget, this is one of the best sci-fi films of the decade.
Most Disappointing:
Men Who Stare At Goats – Could have been a really funny film, and it had the actors to pull it off, but the script just wasn’t there. Never really found its footing.
The International – What could have been a tight, international thriller became nothing more than a boring, drawn out game of cat and mouse thanks to and overly vague plot.
Duplicity – It wanted to be a splashy heist film in the vein of the recent Ocean’s 11 films, but it had one too many twists for its own good and couldn’t quite convince the audience to care.
9 – Great, stylistic animation and a post-apocalyptic story should have made this an easy win. Instead, despite its relatively short runtime, it felt bloated, with too many obvious signs of padding, and was filled with uninteresting characters.
Wolverine – The first two X-Men films were great. Then Brett Ratner came in and destroyed the franchise. Wolverine had the potential to return it to its glory. Instead we got awful dialogue, a plot that didn’t make sense, and a mutant freak version of Deadpool with his mouth stitched shut. That’s how deeply the creators didn’t understand the source material. They took a character whose chief defining trait is his banter (he’s called the “merc with the mouth” for a reason) and took away that trait.
Worst films of the year:
Honourable Mention: Ninja Assassin – This gets an honourable mention because it really is a film no one should bother seeing, but it also did exactly what it wanted to. It was supposed to be completely over the top, almost silly levels of violence and ninja action, taking the wildest scenes from every ninja film and combining them into one whole. It did precisely that, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth seeing.
5: Underworld 3 – A story that had already been told far more effectively in the second film, a clunky script, actors who can’t act, and sets that look like they came from a high school drama class.
4: Fired Up – Not a funny line to be found, combined with a plot that even the most casual viewer will have figured out in the first ten minutes. Not a single reason to see it, unless it’s to avoid seeing something further down on this list.
3: Year One – Jack Black as Jack Black, Michael Cera as Michael Cera. Another “comedy” lacking any humour. The premise had potential, but the script squandered it all.
2: Wolverine – Trouble started early on this film, with rumours of studio interference. Then it was leaked early on the internet and everyone hated it. The studio assured us that the leak was a very early print and the the final version was much different and much better. When the final version came out, it was identical to the leak, with the exception of some really poor CG being inserted in the greenscreen shots. The fact that it made a ton of money makes me weep for humanity.
1: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – There’s really nothing to add to my original review, so I’ll just quote it here:
“This is what happens when you let Michael Bay work without adult supervision. I describer the first Transformers as big, loud, dumb, and fun. This one is bigger, louder, and completely brain-dead. Worst of all, it lacks any of the original’s fun. I didn't expect Shakespeare, but I also didn’t expect to be bored for large portions. The visual effects here are great, and there are three really good fight scenes (even if one of them goes on about 20 minutes too long), Megan Fox runs in slow-mo several times (and that’s not me being a pervert, they’re actually some of the better moments of the film, which says a lot about how poor the rest was) and the banter between Lebeouf and Fox is entertaining. The rest of the dialogue is at an elementary level, it’s almost completely lacking a plot, about 45 minutes too long, and it’s filled with elements that make you scratch your head wondering how anyone ever let them make it into the final film, like robot testicles and the ridiculously racist black caricature Twins. But it’s all unabashedly Bay - wall to wall explosions targeted squarely at the lowest common denominator. While The Dark Knight raised the sophistication of the summer blockbuster to heights not seen for decades, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen drags it back down to new depths.”
Best films:
Honourable Mention: Up in the Air – This one gets an honourable mention because I couldn’t stand the idea of it not being included in my “best films” list, but the truth is that there were ten better films this year. That being said, this is still a film you should check out. A great script exploring interesting ideas.
11: Hurt Locker – A look at how different people respond to addiction, this film follows a bomb squad in Afghanistan. Everything here is great, from the script to the acting to the directing.
10: Avatar – While the plot is fairly basic, it is more than made up for in the fantastic visuals. This film will change the way blockbusters are made for at least the next decade. Go see this in 3D, and in IMAX if you can.
9: Coraline – In a great year for animation, this was one of the standouts. A dark, suitably adult story which can still be enjoyed by older kids. This is a beautiful film, highlighting the very best of modern stop-motion techniques.
8: Zombieland – The Comic-Con presentation sold me on this film, convincing me it had more to offer than the gags shown in the trailer. A deeply funny film, definitely worth checking out.
7: Adventureland – All that was great about John Hughes’ films is present here in this nostalgic, affecting, and subtly funny film.
6: District 9 – A return to true science fiction, as opposed to the action movie in space. This film looks at human rights in the third world through the lens of a race of aliens trapped on earth.
5: Star Trek – J.J. Abrams directs this film to perfection, updating the all but dead Star Trek franchise. Sure, it’s not as cerebral as District 9 or Moon, but it’s a whole lot of fun.
4: Moon – A terrific performance by Sam Rockwell, this film looks at what is means to be human, as well as the effects of isolation. Stark visuals and an excellent script round out the package.
3: Fantastic Mr. Fox – In contrast to the slick stop-motion of Coraline, this film uses some of the oldest stop-motion techniques , for a truly handmade feel. Full of Wes Anderson’s quirky humour, this is a film about a midlife crisis for adults which kids can still enjoy.
2: Inglourious Basterds – Filled with Tarantino’s trademark dialogue and eye for fantastic visuals, this is not at all the war epic the trailers make it out to be. It is, however, one of his best films and one that really needs to be seen.
1: Up – For the second year in a row, I feel the best film of the year came from Pixar. The opening sequence alone, where they manage to introduce a character and make you care about her enough that when she dies literally five minutes later there’s not a dry eye in the house, is enough to earn it this position. The rest of the film is filled with great character work, beautiful animation, and pitch-perfect humour. One of Pixar’s all-time best, and not to be missed.
Well, that’s it. Not too much in the way of trends on the lists this year. It seems that Comic-Con motivated me to see some really great films I likely would have otherwise missed. I’m also a little surprised that so many of the films on my “Best” list were major studio releases. Typically there’s more representation from the indie scene. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with the big studios actually making good films. ‘til next year.
Sleep well,
DTE
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Songs of the moment:
Cold War Kids – Hang Me Up To Dry; Matthew Good – Last Parade; Switchfoot – Mess of Me
Music while I wrote:
Switchfoot – The Beautiful Letdown
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