2009: A Year in Film

My movie-watching experience in 2009 was fruitful. With the help of Movieweb's list of films released in 2009, I was able to look back at all the good- and bad- films I've invested or wasted my time on this year.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Watchmen
I Love You, Man
Sunshine Cleaning
Adventureland
State of Play
Monsters Vs Aliens
Star Trek
The Hangover
Year One
Public Enemies
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
G-Force
Bruno
Up
District 9
Julie and Julia
Inglourious Basterds
9
Extract
Zombieland
Surrogates
The Informant!
It Might Get Loud
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Capitalism: A Love Story
Avatar
Sherlock Holmes

Oh my god! I saw that many films?! I don't know why I'm surprised. It's probably because many of them were marginally good, and were quickly forgotten (State of Play). A likelier case is that many of them were horrible (ie: Paul Blart, Year One, even though I love Jack Black). A few of these films, however, have earned spots on my favorites list.

Watchmen: Oh, how I nerd-raged when this film was released. I am a fan of vigilante justice, and Watchmen really hit the spot. Its graphic novel-to-screen adaptation was brilliant; I liked the film ending better than the original.

Inglourious Basterds: This film was hands-down my favorite of the year. It was a departure (almost) from the fluffy dialogue and maniacal violence of Tarantino's other films, and I respected the heavy use of native languages and subtitles to make the film feel more authentic (especially considering the alternate ending to World War II). The film isn't all serious though- the voiceovers by Samuel L. Jackson; Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and his desire for "Natzi scalps" add a touch of comedy, albeit dark, to an otherwise dark subject.

Avatar: Plot= Fern Gully, a ripoff at best. Special effects= completely astounding! This movie can only be truly enjoyed in 3D.

The Hangover: One of the most ridiculous films I've ever seen. The on-screen shenanigans were hilarious (such as everything that came out of Zach Galafinakis' mouth, the naked asian man, the tiger in the bathroom, etc). This replaces Anchorman as my favorite movie of the "completely-and-totally-ridiculousness-comedy" genre.

Other favorites (that I don't feel like discussing but are definitely worth checking out :P): The Informant!, Zombieland, 9, The Men Who Stare At Goats (love Jeff Bridges!)

All-in-all, 2009 was lackluster at best for film, even though there were a couple homeruns. Let's hope 2010 brings us some true gems!