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”
Nice job, Kris. One of the most diverse and honest lists I’ve seen this year.
“A Serious Man” is my favorite of the year as well.
Everyone thinks A Serious Man is a very great film. Thats why I feel surprised that it hasn’t won a single big prize up till now. Even in LA, it did not even feature as runner-up in any category. Maybe the NSFC will go for it.
Kris: Not looking for you to change my mind, I just want to hear your opinion on the things that confused me in the film. I must’ve missed your previous posts on Antichrist, so I apologize if I’m making you repeat yourself. My desire for the questions I think stemmed from the fact that the film didn’t seem (to me) to provide any real answers about anything. I’m struggling to find the gravity of simply stating that people need to look within themselves to overcome trauma.
Chad: I’m not saying Von Trier has to write out his theme in letters on the screen, but I do think there should be enough present to actually draw some conclusions about what the guy is saying. I’d be curious to know what you took home from this film besides the fact that Von Trier is a gifted filmmaker and can get some great performances in the process.
The Informers? Really?
This was one of the worst reviewed films at Sundance this year. It currently sits at a 14% tomatoemeter.
you know you have sunken too far into school when, out of the top 10, you have only seen one… hot damn i need to catch up
Danny: Maybe it’s a personal thing. Speaking for myself, I totally see the gravity of that sort of a statement committed to visual storytelling art.
Filmoholic: I didn’t realize I needed to consult the Tomatometer before offering up a list of films I liked this year. I’ll keep that in mind for next year.
Kris, that is not what I meant. I’m just implying that you are in the minority on this one. I really had no idea that someone actually liked The Informers. But what the hell, I’ll give it it a shot.
“In the Loop,” anyone?
Oh, no implication necessary. I’m in the minority on plenty of films year in and year out.
Love the selections. I’m seeing Antichrist for the first time tomorrow, so I’ll know how I feel about its inclusion soon. (Or maybe not.)
No Inglourious Basterds, though? It was, for me, one of those trips to the cinema where you can hardly believe the movie is as aesthetically and intellectually on point as it is. It has flaws, for sure, but I tend to love flawed films the most. (For instance, There Will Be Blood is probably my favorite film of the decade.)
Kris, just wondering, did you ever get around to seeing “(500) Days of Summer” or “Harry Potter”? Both of those are on my current top 10, although my own list is far from finalized, as there are still a number of December movies that I need to see (Lovely Bones, Up in the Air, Avatar, Nine, etc.)
I HATED 500 Days. I fell asleep in Harry Potter (I have no idea what’s going on in that series anymore). So yeah, I saw ’em.
You hated 500 Days?
=(
I also really liked this new Harry Potter installment.
Well then. Fair enough.
Kris, thanks for singling out The Informers. Thought I was alone with that one. I found the whole thing a fascinating guilty pleasure and kind of loved every second of it. “Mishmash of tone and genre” is the perfect description. I can’t say for sure it’ll make my top 10 until I’ve seen everything, but it’s definitely up there.
No Love for UP??
:(
Great read–puts the year in an interesting perspective, even if I experienced it quite differently myself.
Love your choice for #1.
Up’s on there, in the also-rans.
Out of topic but I’m making my Golden Globe predictions and, are the following films considered as dramas or comedies:
Up in the Air
Inglourious Basterds
Where the Wild Things Are
A Serious Man
??
Thanks.
Up in the Air, Where the Wild Things Are, and Inglourious Basterds are probably Drama, and A Serious Man is bizarrely going as Comedy.
I can’t argue with your top two picks. Bravo.
Yeah, well, you know, that’s just like your opinion, man.
Just kidding. Good list. Still need to see some of the movies on it but I can agree with most but probably in a different order. Won’t bother going into my list cause nobody really cares.
I haven’t seen all the releases yet but so far the following will be on my 10 best list:
Bright Star
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Messenger
An Education
Possibles:
Summer Hours
Adventureland
Up in the Air
A Single Man
Star Trek
I want to have A Prophet on my 10 best list which I saw in Toronto but it wasn’t released this year!
Still need to see:
Avatar, Nine, The Lovely Bones, Invictus, Zombieland, The White Ribbon
Three films that won’t make my list because I don’t love them as much as everyone else:
The Hurt Locker
Up!
A Serious Man
I won’t be able to make my final 10 best list until the end of the year!
I forgot to mention how much I loved The Beaches of Agnes. May make my top 10.
Currently my list looks something like…
1. Goodbye Solo (wish it had been higher here…)
2. Up
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Maria Larsson’s Everlasting Moments
6. Lorna’s Silence
7. The Princess and the Frog
8. Mary and Max
9. Food Inc
10. Tokyo Sonata
With honorable mentions to Seraphine, Where the Wild Things Are, State of Play, Star Trek and Zombieland
If Mesrine’s US release hadn’t gotten pulled last second, it’d have grabbed the 10th spot.
I still have a fair bit to see though to be fair.
But Kris, if you’re looking for good foreign films, any of Everlasting Moments, Lorna’s Silence, Tokyo Sonata, Seraphine, Tony Manero, Thirst… not a GREAT year for foreign film but there’s certainly been worse.
Seeing your list shows me I have a lot of movies that I haven’t seen, lol. I want to see TLB though.
Nice list.
Interesting since a lot of people have complained that this is a suck year to go to 10.
Docx3, Sci-fi critical//hit x2, Unseen critical hit, Animated x2…Mary & Max interesting. Director-acclaimed Locker at just 15, below acting-acclaimed Messenger.
So your T10 predictions: half in T7, no love for Invictus/Nine/Basterds.
Without putting them in order and without the inclusion of The Lovely Bones, Avatar or Invictus, which I haven’t seen:
The Hurt Locker
District 9
An Education
Fantastic Mr. Fox
A Single Man
Up in the Air
Star Trek
Disappointments (for good measure):
Nine
The Road
Brothers
I have Everlasting Moments on my DVR. I must watch it.
Was Goodbye Solo released in the US this year? I saw it last year in Toronto. I get confused because it was nominated last year at the Spirit Awards.
I wasn’t aware you were so big on “Antichrist”. Such an interesting top 15. Can’t say I agree with them all – “A Serious Man” didn’t hit me on any deep level whatsoever and “Star Trek” was mostly a big fat bore – but the titles I have seen that you list are all various levels of good. Love the inclusion of “Mary and Max”, although to say 2009 is the best year for animation ever is a bit silly since animated titles have only been coming out in such frequency for the past decade.
I just hope “The Messanger” and “Sugar” get released here in Australia within the next six months. If they don’t I’ll probably forget about them and never see them, which would be a shame.
Excellent list Kris, and beautifully reasoned.
Great seeing A Serious Man on top and Sugar high, as well. There are still many films I have yet to see (#2 thru 10, in fact). Hopefully, lots more good stuff to take in.
For now, here’s my ten:
1. A Serious Man
2. Hunger
3. Silent Light
4. The Hurt Locker
5. In the Loop
6. Thirst
7. Sugar
8. The Messenger
9. Three Monkeys
10. District 9
1. Micmacs
2. Where the Wild Things Are
3. Bright Star
4. A Serious Man
5. Baaria
6. Broken Embraces
7. Creation
8. (500) Days of Summer
9. The Hurt Locker
10. Inglourious Basterds
That’s my list so far although some rankings could change and I have yet to see Avatar, White Ribbon, A Prophet, Invictus, Nine and Lovely Bones.
I didn’t care for Precious or Up in the Air.
Also, Mary & Max looks really good. I need to check that.
I was about to say Me is crazy, but no. lol.
I just don’t get the hate for “Precious” around these parts, but oh well.
I do not get the love for Precious AT ALL. While the performances by Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique were indeed impressive, the film is NOT. The whole point is about how Precious overcomes all of the depressive obsticles in her life but director Lee Daniels overdid the whole drama (rape, verbal and physical abuse etc). In the end, the images with Precious being raped, or the images with her mother throwing her a television, or the images with her mother telling her that she SPOILERS has hiv were the ones that stayed with me.
Meanwhile, a geniune, refreshing, incredibly original and overall extraordinary film called “Micmacs” (Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s latest achievement) struggles to find a distributor in the United States. It makes no sense.
Davey, ya, Goodbye Solo is this year in the US. One of the best of the decade for me, Bahrani gets better with every film for me, and I loved his first one!
Also, do get to Everlasting Moments, beautiful film and I can’t imagine anyone seeing it and not nominating Heiskanen.
[…] Kris Tapley always does a great end of the year piece. This year he gives top ranks to A Serious Man. [In Contention] […]
Hmm Kris no love for The Hangover or The White Ribbon?
I thought The Messenger would have been higher for you.
And I must not be on the same page as everyone on Bronson and Antichrist. Did not like those at all. Although I was very fond of the lead performances in them.
Back to Harry Potter….I’m making the prediction here that the next one will be nominated for Best Picture.
This is the first one that isn’t set at Hogwarts and is apparently a verite style action film in the vein of Greengrass. David Yates is normally a very good director.
And how many verite style action films in the vein of Greengrass have Best Picture nominations? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t being set at Hogwarts that kept all the other Harry Potter films off the list. Keep dreaming Alex.
sequels don’t happen at oscars unless first one was nominated.
I’m glad to see “Bronson” at No. 9. It is definitely one of the most under-appreciated films of 2009.
Well Anne The Dark Knight is a sequel and that almost got in with only five nominees.
That being said I thought the Harry Potter series took a step back with Half Blood Prince.
Up until a few years ago, I was similarly convinced/hopeful that the Academy would reward the Harry Potter series with a Best Picture nomination for the seventh movie (somewhat similar to “Return of the King” finally winning for LOTR, only if you replace “winning” with “being nominated”). But then Warner decided to split the seventh book into two movies, and I think AMPAS will be hesitant to nominate an incomplete film for Best Picture. Shame.
Harry Potter movies aren’t nominated simply because they are not worth nominating. I found Half Blood, which received so much praise, to be an extremely second rate movie. And inspite of the good reviews, who is actually gonna put it in their Top 10 of the year? No one.
My favorite films of the year would be in no part. order:
Where the Wild Things Are
Precious
Sugar
Up in the Air
Black Dynamite
American Violet
The Informant!
The Princess and the Frog
Good Hair
Tyson
American Son-Came out last year but just recently saw it and thought ir was great.
@Me: I’m sure I’ve told you this before, but “Micmacs” isn’t struggling to find a U.S. distributor! Sony Pictures Classics acquired it before its Toronto premiere and it’ll be released in 2010.
sorry but i cant take this list seriously. I remember when Goodbye Solo came out Kris said it wasnt all that, now he is saying its one of the years best.
Then he said Avatar is the greatest thing that ever happened to him and its only number 5.
And the film that tops his list isnt going to win an Oscar?? And this happens pretty much every year. I think we have a minature Armond White on our hands.
The Other Mike: I think you’re confusing my views with Kris’s when it comes to “Goodbye Solo.” I reviewed the film out of the London fest last year and wasn’t that keen on it — when it came out in the U.S. in the spring I wrote a follow-up article saying much the same thing. Kris hasn’t written much about the film on the site.
He addressed your second point in comment #21.
Your third point makes no sense whatsoever. Why on earth should Kris’s choices have to line up with the Academy’s? I think we can all agree that the Oscars aren’t some holy arbiter of artistic value.