I’ve often been asked throughout the latter part of 2009 why I should have the gall to consider it the best year of film product in a decade. It’s such a subjective circumstance that, of course, the only answer is, “I liked a lot of movies.” That’s not enough for most. Hard and fast evidence is necessary. A carefully outlined, persuasive argument is expected.
I just liked a lot of movies.
The year began slowly, as they tend to do. The first film I saw that cried for end-of-the-year remembrance was a modest baseball drama I caught at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in February. Then it was all the way into the summer before a blockbuster banged the first four-star gong, followed shortly by a happenstance viewing of an unconventional British biopic at the Los Angeles Film Festival and a catch-up viewing of one of the year’s Sundance hits.
Sprinkled throughout was top-tier animated product, a Comic-Con screening of one of the best sci-fi outings in years (and a homefront viewing of another first-time filmmaker’s fascinating foray into the genre), not to mention finally catching up with one of two exemplary war dramas that debuted in Toronto last fall.
Before long, the summer, with all its surprise delights, both substantial and appropriately frothy, began to wind down. The fall awards season picked up steam as Telluride fired the starting gun and, after that, it seemed every trip to a darkened theater brought some form of satisfaction. Even the entertainments seemed to satisfy completely.
How can one defend the position any more succinctly? I liked. A lot. Of movies. And I relish the opportunity now to pay tribute to the year’s best, some 30 titles, each of which could have been a top 10 finalist in any other year.
Filling out the field:
“THE BURNING PLAIN”
Guillermo Arriaga’s measured character study is perhaps the writer’s best work to date. Serving here as a first time director as well, Arriaga fends off derivation (though I’m sure many would disagree) and tells a fresh story.
“CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY”
Michael Moore’s latest documentary is much fairer than one might have anticipated, if still treading the expected stylistic territory. But this is what Moore does, and he does it well.
“A CHRISTMAS CAROL”
Robert Zemeckis’s third performance-capture foray takes a number of steps forward. Though the filmmaker seems to be bringing up the rear of a field WETA is revolutionizing, there is plenty of room for his less sincere vision.
“CRAZY HEART”
Scott Cooper’s two parts Merle Haggard, one part Thomas Cobb recipe served up the role of a lifetime for Jeff Bridges and the makings of a slow burn we don’t often see. T Bone Burnett and his music crew deserve major commendation as well.
“DISTRICT 9”
Neil Blomkamp’s alien saga, spun off of his own short film “Alive in Joburg,” was of a piece with something of a banner year in sci-fi cinema. Sharlto Copley’s lead performance is a star-making moment and a high water mark for the year in acting.
“FOOD, INC.”
Robert Kenner’s pull-back-the-veil study of a seemingly Machiavellian food industry might not be a seminal work, but it is a definitive one. Equally affecting and galvanizing, the film moves briskly and makes a compelling case from beginning to end.
“GOODBYE SOLO”
Ramin Bahrani’s third effort to date isn’t quite in league with “Chop Shop,” but it does represent a benchmark in thematic maturity for the director. Souleymane Sy Savane’s lead performance is one of the year’s absolute best portrayals.
“THE INFORMERS”
Gregor Jordan’s adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel is surprisingly effective with its mishmash of tone and genre. Absurdist on one hand, oddly penetrating on the other, the film is a seductive study of youth wasted on the young.
“JULIE & JULIA”
Nora Ephron’s dual biopic comedy is a skillful navigation of two pre-existing works that maintains its balance throughout. Meryl Streep’s oft-praised turn as Julia Child perpetuates her level of consistency as of late.
“PARANORMAL ACTIVITY”
Oren Peli’s “found footage” thriller is the most arresting of its kind, a twisted take on what initially seems to be a haunted house yarn. Creative practical effects and effective sound editing sell the suspense perfectly.
“PUBLIC ENEMIES”
Michael Mann’s sleek-noir character study gives Johnny Depp a prime opportunity as legendary criminal John Dillinger, one the actor nailed even if he admits he didn’t quite have a handle on it. Co-star Marion Cotillard also shines in a strong female role.
“SHERLOCK HOLMES”
Guy Ritchie’s agile adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work serves up a surprisingly satisfying buffet of action, wit and even performance value. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law spark unmistakable chemistry throughout.
“UNDER OUR SKIN”
Andy Abrahams Wilson’s exposé on the worldwide epidemic of Lyme disease serves as both cautionary, informative cinema and indictment of a complicit health care industry. A cross-section of study cases makes for a compelling through-line.
“UP”
Pete Docter’s latest Pixar effort is a home run for mature animated storytelling. An outrageous sense of humor and compelling thematic ideas serve as the mortar for an imaginative, moving narrative that might be the studio’s funniest offering yet.
“ZOMBIELAND”
Ruben Fleischer’s genre installment takes zombie cinema to a new, exciting level. A creative screenplay and an overall non-traditional handling of the material makes for one of the more enjoyable movie experiences of the year.
Oh so close:
#15
“THE HURT LOCKER”
Kathryn Bigelow’s direction of a meticulously detailed, yet philosophically ponderous Mark Boal screenplay makes for an engrossing account of war. Jeremy Renner owns the screen with a thoroughly lived-in portrayal.
#14
“THE MESSENGER”
Oren Moverman’s account of casualty notification officers is raw and powerful, a cut above most depictions of the modern military conflict. The film’s ensemble is perhaps the year’s best, performing fascinating vignettes of a grief-stricken nation.
#13
“MOON”
Duncan Jones’s feature debut sports a tour de force performance from Sam Rockwell and a sci-fi narrative that is remarkably relevant. The film’s grasp of humanity amid futuristic notions makes for a premium payoff.
#12
“SUGAR”
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Half Nelson” follow-up is a step forward for the duo, a fascinating look at America as a foreign land through the eyes of a fresh-faced Dominican baseball recruit. Newcomer Algenis Perez Soto is a spectacular find.
#11
“STAR TREK”
J.J. Abrams’s reboot of the popular television series is more of a creative detour that mercifully spares decades of continuity and plants the seeds of further adventure. It’s also an engaging piece of popcorn entertainment.
The top 10:
#10
“THE LOVELY BONES”
Directed by Peter Jackson
Perhaps the most unfairly maligned film of the year turned out to be a martyr for uncompromising artistry and visionary storytelling. Director Peter Jackson adapted Alice Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones” as an exercise in the power of suggestion, testing the boundaries of what’s possible in the filmmaking medium. An arresting performance by Stanley Tucci and a delicate handling of the lead role by youngster Saoirse Ronan are accompanied by expert photography from lenser Andrew Lesnie and the most effective sound design of the year.
#9
“BRONSON”
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Every once in a while a completely unexpected cinematic experience comes along. This year, Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Bronson,” with its outrageous visual treatise on coveted celebrity featuring a blistering lead performance, was that film. Actor Tom Hardy owns both role and screen with a brilliant, committed portrayal, but Refn’s expressionistic vision makes for a fascinatingly creative portrait, an unsettling sort of reverence seeping through that ultimately becomes the chilling point. If there is a true champion of the 2009 indie circuit, this might be it.
#8
“MARY AND MAX”
Directed by Adam Elliot
In a banner year for animated feature filmmaking, perhaps the best of all time, a single effort stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field. With “Mary and Max,” writer/director Adam Elliot has crafted a bittersweet tale of friendship and empathy, refreshing in its non-traditional storytelling approach and featuring a pair of voice performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette that melt the heart and sell the narrative effortlessly. The claymation itself is gorgeous, making for a beautiful color palette.
#7
“AN EDUCATION”
Directed by Lone Scherfig
Author Nick Hornby’s work has been the stuff of movies for a number of filmmakers along the way, but he didn’t find screenwriting success himself until journalist Lynn Barber’s memoirs crossed his path. The result is “An Education,” a social and character study that also happens to be a love letter to the bliss of youth, and how precious it is. The material is handled immaculately by Danish Dogme95 vet Lone Scherfig. In the lead role, Carey Mulligan manages an authentic, head-spinning portrayal joined by one of the year’s finest ensembles.
#6
“PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE”
Directed by Lee Daniels
For those willing to consider Lee Daniels’s “Precious” on levels other than the literal, a rewarding, eclectic piece of cinema is in store. Spinning off of Sapphire’s “Push,” Daniels conveys heavy thematic notions with the swift agility of the avant-garde. He taps into a fierce rhythm, every shot and cut in service to something greater than the part. Most attention has been paid to Mo’Nique’s vile portrayal of a wounded soul revisiting her psychological despair on her daughter, but it’s Gabourey Sidibe’s feature debut that deserves the lion’s share of accolades.
#5
“AVATAR”
Directed by James Cameron
It is almost unbelievable that director James Cameron was able to deliver on the seemingly unsustainable hype leading up to the unveiling of “Avatar.” A decade in the making and sporting a significant price tag, the film is the very essence of ambition…and fulfilled promise. To say it is a milestone in cinema history would both understate the implications and overshadow the fact that it is a beautifully realized piece of metaphorical storytelling. The movie-going experience of a generation has once again been defined by a meticulous craftsman.
#4
“THE COVE”
Directed by Louie Psihoyos
Documentaries can be informative, inspiring calls to arms or delightful profiles of individuality. But the art of telling a non-fiction narrative effectively can be as challenging as spinning a yarn from whole cloth, if not more so. With “The Cove,” filmmaker Louie Psihoyos, along with a brave crew and tenacious activist Ric O’Barry, has crafted a landmark of the genre, a tense espionage saga with justice in its sights. The film is a definitive indictment of animal cruelty, yes, but it is also a thorough exposé of health concerns and corruption.
#3
“ANTICHRIST”
Directed by Lars Von Trier
All filmmakers reveal something of their souls when moving images are committed to film, but none seemed to utilize the medium to the point of catharsis in 2009 like Lars Von Trier. “Antichrist” is his psychotherapy writ large on a gorgeous canvas of despair and suffering, a metaphorical masterwork misunderstood and dismissed as sensationalist. This is what filmmaking can be at its purest artistic best, a profound expression of the power of self over trauma and the destructive capabilities of outside influence and perspective on that recuperation.
#2
“UP IN THE AIR”
Directed by Jason Reitman
Second-generation filmmaker Jason Reitman continued a stellar latter-decade start to his career in features with “Up in the Air,” a zeitgeist-engaging study of selfishness and connectivity. The film is at once a sophisticated character piece and a comedic star vehicle that works on Hollywood’s terms. In so many words, it is a miracle hybrid of art and commerce. But it is also a treatise on the steady decline of tangible human interaction, and as such, a socially relevant piece of cinema in entertainment’s clothing. It will define Reitman and his work forever.
#1
“A SERIOUS MAN”
Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
The best film of the year is perhaps one of the best films of the decade. The Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, made considerable waves two years ago with an Oscar-winning adaptation, but it is the more abstract, thematically refined original work “A Serious Man” that became the duo’s best film in 13 years. A fatalistic depiction wrapped in a Job story and smothered with Jewish theology, the film is also curiously universal and penetrating for its insistence on a world as perfectly ordered as it is maddeningly, punishingly random.
That wraps up the way I saw the year. For you, it may have been a weak 12 months. For others, maybe only slightly above average. For me, following what was undeniably (I think most would agree) one of the weaker years of the decade, it was refreshing to end things on such a glorious high note. I will remember it fondly.
The top 10 films of 2009:
1. “A Serious Man”
2. “Up in the Air”
3. “Antichrist”
4. “The Cove”
5. “Avatar”
6. “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
7. “An Education”
8. “Mary and Max”
9. “Bronson”
10. “The Lovely Bones”
(Note: This year-end wrap-up column is taking the place of the usual Monday Off the Carpet column. I’ll be updating the sidebar predictions later this afternoon. Be sure to check back Wednesday for my annual “if I had a ballot” post.)
What are your favorite films of 2009? Have your say in the comments section below!
Comments
120 responses to “Going out with a bang: the best films of 2009”
A very diverse 30, well done.
Can complain about some, can champion others, can point out those you missed.
It was a good year but more importantly, it was a great decade.
I was very pleased to see your love for Antichrist and Mary & Max, both magnificent films. I’m frankly surprised that more critics haven’t gotten behind Mary & Max as their animated darling this year. However, since a good chunk of the accolades are going to Fantastic Mr. Fox (which may very well end up as my choice for the year’s best film, period), I can’t complain too much. I’ll be excited to see your personal ballot on Wednesday.
Up
Precious
Inglorious Basterds
District 9
An education
The hurt locker
Avatar??
The lovely bones??
Up in the air??
Invictus??
Nine??
A Serious Man also tops my list of the best of 2009, followed by The Fantastic Mr Fox, The Hurt Locker, [500] Days of Summer and Avatar.
Hated your #3. Good list overall though.
Well done, sir. Even though I have yet to see 6 of the films on your top ten list, it will be hard for anything to top A Serious Man for me.
It is indeed the best film of the year.
I can’t believe The Hurt Locker missed you top 10! Weren’t you all over the film in the beginning? I also expected a top 10 spot for Public Enemies and Star Trek.
The Lovely Bones is fighting a loosing battle with the critics. To be fair, the most frequently mentioned criticism is that it is very unlike the book.
But a good Top 10. I’ll be sure to check out Bronson. Are there no foreign language films that you liked much this year? Have you yet managed to see The White Ribbon and Police, Adjective?
Of the films I’ve seen so far (excluding Avatar, Up in the Air and The Lovely Bones) these are my Top 10:
10. (500) Days of Summer
9. Antichrist
8. A Prophet
7. District 9
6. The Hurt Locker
5. The White Ribbon
4. Up
3. Inglourious Basterds
2. A Serious Man
1. Where the Wild Things Are
I haven’t seen The Lovely Bones yet, but that argument that it is not like the book is rubbish because this is an adaptation to film, not a recreation of the book. Plus, critics always say that the book was better than the film, no matter who’s in it.
1. A Serious Man
2. Where the Wild Things Are
3. Antichrist
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Drag Me to Hell
6. The Hurt Locker
7. Moon
8. The Girlfriend Experience
9. The Hangover
10. The Informant!
Diverse list indeed, I don’t agree with most if it and in my mind you are missing some. Pissed it missed Bronson during its NYC run. Eagerly awaiting the DVD/Blu release.
Very much liked your colum, Kris. I also found this year to be a welcome reprieve from 2008, though I don’t think ’09 was nearly as rewarding as, say, 2007.
I caught up with “The Cove” last night, and I’m still reeling!
I missed two of these (“Mary and Max” and “The Cove,” which I would’ve replaced with “The Messenger” and “Star Trek”) but I think I predicted all of the others, albeit in a different order.
Liking your mention of “Zombieland,” Kris. Not normal bait for runners-up of a Top Ten list, but it’ll be one of my runners-up, as well.
I still have quite a few films to see before I can even think about making my top ten (which should be done by February, at the latest), but I can tell you that “Precious” will be nearly impossible to stop.
Make that “impossible to top.” lol. Takes on a different, but relatable, meaning.
Love your list this year – especially since there was Bolt last year….
My Top Ten
1. Up
2. Lorna’s Silence
3. Thirst
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox
5. Antichrist.
6. Inglourious Basterds
7. A Serious Man
8. Two Lovers
9. Goodbye Solo
10. Where the Wild Things Are
red_wine: Police, Adjective is literally the one movie I didn’t get to in time. I’ll see it, of course, but as for foreign films, I didn’t think it was a great year on the whole. If A Prophet had a US release this year, it would certainly have been up there. And Haneke’s work never has been and, apparently, never will be for me. But like I said, I struggled with finding foreign films I liked this year. The closest to the list would have been Sin Nombre, and even that is a bit derivative.
This may be the first year we have zero overlap in top 10 Kris. Nice list though.
I’m surprised “Avatar” isn’t your number one choice. I thought you said it was the best filmmaking experience of your life.
I LOVED “A Serious Man”! It is such a great film! It is currently in my top 5.
My Top 10 of the year is still in development (I have yet to see “Avatar”, “A Prophet”, “The White Ribbon”, “Nine”, “Invictus” and “The Lovely Bones”)
This is the very best kind of list, one that not only assembles a bunch of random quality titles, but knits them into a kind of collective that reveals much of yourself in the process.
As such, it’s irrelevant which inclusions I applaud and which I take issue with — though there are several on both sides — because the whole makes so much sense coming from you. Great piece.
(OK, I’ll single out one title: I realize “Mary & Max” was a late-breaking inclusion for you, so I couldn’t be more thrilled that you’re on my team with that one. What a gem it is.)
seriously though, where did Bright Star go? No one but me seems to think its one of the very best films of the year.
But still, it’s a strong list especially with A Serious Man at number 1.
@Red Wine: When you refer to Kris being “all over” The Hurt Locker earlier in the year, you might be thinking of the four-star review that I wrote.
@Harry: Kris has never been keen on Bright Star. Again, I’ve been the film’s champion on this site.
Me.: I said it was the most amazing cinematic experience I’ve ever had, which it was, on a spectacle/visceral level, absolutely. But frankly, to me, that doesn’t mean it is as refined a piece of art as the other films higher on the list (but it does a lot of heavy lifting to get it high up in the top 10).
mostly good choices (“The Cove” would be my #1), but “Antichrist” sticks out like a sore thumb on this otherwise strong list. Couldn’t stand it.
Oh no Guy, I know you wrote that review. Its just that Kris was one of the first people to predict Bigelow and generally seemed to like the film a lot.
So glad to see you giving The Lovely Bones a spot. It is such a great great film. I have seen it twice now and I am kind of stumped at some the criticisms it has faced. It is nowhere near as bad as some people are saying. I can see if you love the book you might not like the changes but for me a film is a film and a book is a book. I think the film has been treated incredibly unfairly but some of the over the top hate directed at it. I can understand not liking it or thinking it was average but is it not the “disaster” that some critics have claimed. Not even close.
Top ten films of 2009
10. Star Trek
9. Coraline
8. Inglorious Basterds
7. Avatar
6. A Serious Man
5. (500) Days of Summer
4. The Hurt Locker
3. Up
2. Up in the Air
1 Where the Wild Things Are
Kris:
Visceral spectacles aside, what would you say the best film(s) you’ve seen is, based on story structure , character development, etc?
red_wine: I DO like the film a lot. It’s just not in the top 10 films from what I consider to be a very strong year.
Cameron: I don’t know, I’m a boring sort. Citizen Kane, probably.
Where are the Basterds?
Nice list, Kris. Particularly the third and first spot.
When are we getting the top ten of the decade? Have I missed it?
Next week. If I finish it in time.
Nice job. Guess I’d better watch my Bronson and Burning Plain screeners. Got a copy of Mary and Max? As for Antichrist, yes, von Trier has great filmmaking chops. But what the hell is he trying to say? It makes no sense.
I’m not ready to throw a list out there yet, with so much still to see. A Serious Man stands atop as the only A-grade I’ve awarded so far, and Moon and Star Trek are the only A-minus grades. But I agree with you that it’s been a good year — I can’t remember when I’ve given a B to such a high percentage of films that I’ve seen. Hopefully December finds me a few more A’s, though.
I’m with Guy, though. I think this list really does a nice job of capturing Kris Tapley, the audience member. It’s also, as usual, uncompromised. Good work.
Well there’s one thing we can absolutely, 100% agree on: “A Serious Man”. And I echo the statement that it’s one of the best films of the decade.
Goodbye Solo? We haven’t had enough of old white men being “saved” by plucky foreigners yet? Jesus.
I have to agree with Anne Thompson in terms of Von Trier’s message. I think the film is worth seeing for the great performances and the undeniable skill with which it is made, but the cloudiness of the director’s themes dampened the experience for me. I respected what I saw on the screen, but a big part of me still wonders why it was worth sitting through.
Adam: What are you talking about? The old man in Goodbye Solo wasn’t saved. It was a bit of a slap in the face to films that portray what you are condemning.
I’d have to agree that it was an uncommonly good year, and I also agree with a lot of your choices – Bronson and Antichrist were pleasant surprises and A Serious Man at first even more so. A miracle movie, indeed.
I have yet to understand all the love for A Serious Man. I would rather jab myself in the eyeball with a knife than sit through that again.
Kris..any thoughts on Red Cliff??
Uhhh…what James D. said.
And Red Cliff was an absolute mess, I thought. Great costumes, though!
As for Antichrist, I think it has a lot to say about how we cope individually, and ultimately, how none of that even matters in the greater scope of a random world.
Figure I will offer something more substantive.
Of your list, I have only seen 12 (A Serious Man, Antichrist, Star Trek, Sugar, Moon, The Hurt Locker, Zombieland, Public Enemies, Julie & Julia, Goodbye Solo, Food, Inc., Capitalism: A Love Story). I will get to the rest, with the exception of a few I have no interest in. Of these 12, I have some varied reactions.
Hated: Antichrist.
Mediocre: Julie & Julia, Public Enemies, Food, Inc., Sugar.
Good: Zombieland, Capitalism: A Love Story, A Serious Man.
Top 10 worthy: The Hurt Locker, Moon, Star Trek, Goodbye Solo.
As for my own Top Ten, it will take some time, given my status as a a suburban moviegoer. However, nothing that is left appears able to move Inglourious Basterds from the top spot. If I had to guess, The Road, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, The Cove, and The White Ribbon will join my Top Ten (The Hangover is the only other one in that list).
As an aside, I wish you talked more about these films. I understand that many of them fall outside of the Oscar realm this site covers, but more film coverage of serious, but it would be nice.
I guess I’m having trouble understanding the “random world” part. I don’t get the relevance at all.
Also had trouble interpreting the religious references. I think some of this might be Von Trier just playing with us, and that’s something I definitely respect, but to put a film like that in the year’s best, there has to be something more.
It’s one thing if a film (like A Serious Man) raises questions that you can think about afterward, but when Antichrist ended, I didn’t even know what questions I was supposed to be asking myself.
That last sentence is an abomination. It should say “…but more film coverage of serious work that falls outside the awards radar would be nice”.
Nice list Kris. Do you think you could do a top performances of the year list? I would like to see that.
It is with surprise and delight I see Mary and Max on this list.
The film is magical. Great choice, Kris. The whole list is excellent, but I had to single out that selection.
This just in:
Awards Daily has the Indiana Film Critics Awards up.
If you liked Where the Wild Things Are, you’re in for a treat.
1. A Serious Man
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Bright Star
4. Antichrist
5. Mary and Max
6. Inglourious Basterds
7. Duplicity
8. Zombieland
9. Up
10. Up in the Air
I’m yet to see Nine, Invictus and Avatar (booked my IMAX ticket booya).
I’m glad to see we agree on A Serious Man.
Danny: I don’t know if you want me to defend the choice any further. You don’t have to see it my way. I’ve said my piece on the matter and have spoken up on it a few times this season. I’m not interested in changing your mind or anything.
On the point of religion, I frankly don’t think it says anything about it other than what it says about the general idea of coping, that no one (and nothing) has the power to get you through trauma like yourself. Which makes the “random world” aspect entirely relevant, actually. There is no order. You are your own shepherd.
But this is a film that, I think, is open to numerous interpretations. And it isn’t asking questions. I don’t think it has to ask questions, frankly. It’s an abstract example of expression from a singular voice.
Thank God for filmmakers like Von Trier. Themes are cloudy? Great. Nothing is worse than sitting through a film that’s intent on selling me a clear cut theme.