My Top Nine of 2009

There's honestly too much TV for me to try and remember which episodes of Supernatural aired this year, and I would only be repeating Karen in saying that Torchwood is the BEST five hours of television you could find in 2009, so I’m moving onto my top films of 2009. I'm going with 9 films for right now, not out of some douchey tie-in like "9 from '09!" (even though I totally take advantage of that in my title), but because I know there are movies that I haven't seen from this past year that would make it on here. I'd rather be able to revisit this list and add an entry or two then potentially bloat it now. With further ado, my Top 9 Film from 2009:

The Hurt Locker

This is the best movie of 2009 because it is not what we would expect from films considered among its ilk; it can’t be called a war film, a high-octane action movie, or a character study because it does all of that. Focusing on a bomb disposal team in the Iraq War, we see how the three members of this squad (Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty) each reconcile putting their lives on the line on a daily basis. Renner has a breakthrough performance as the squad leader of the unit who lives off of the thrill of his work. He’s an artist, and his masterpieces are all of the ways in which he has cheated death. For Renner’s William James, the challenge of the next bomb is the only thing that makes him feel alive. What makes Locker transcendent of other war films is that this mindset is not a comment on the necessities or evils of war. It is free of a political agenda or even an inkling of an opinion on the Iraq War. The comment is on how people live with what they experience in war. The series of vignettes that depict a "day in the life" for these men do not concern themselves with politics or ideologies because it isn’t an idea that could end them--it’s the bomb right in front of them.

Inglourious Basterds

Locker may be the best movie of 2009, but I didn’t have more fun at any film this past year then when I saw Basterds for the first, second and third times. This alternate WWII tale is funny, suspenseful, action-packed, and surprising. Tarantino masters the art of conversation in a way that he had yet to achieve since Jackie Brown, if ever, and flaunts his ability to make words far more intense than actions could be in two nail-biting plays of verbal cat-and-mouse. While the Basterds are good, bloody fun and satisfy any possible desire you may ever have for watching Natzis die, the film is really about Cristoph Waltz’s SS Colonel Landa and Melanie Laurent’s Shoshana. Their performances are both stellar, and if you think they may be overhyped at this point, you would be dead wrong. Even though they barely interact, they are inextricably linked and form the emotional core of Basterds. The Basterds bring the blood in buckets, but Waltz and Laurent are the main attraction.

Moon

The indie Sci-Fi movie that could that isn't District 9, this is Sam Rockwell giving a workshop on how to do a one-man show. Relatively speaking, that is. Where D9 could have a tendency to bang you over the head with its message, Moon excels in subtle storytelling. You're presented with lots of questions -- of ethics, and what is human enough to constitute being deserving of human rights, but it does not weigh you down in histrionics over what is right or wrong. It focuses on the isolation and uncertainty that comes from not knowing who you are.

Avatar

I admit that my interest was almost non-existant leading up to James Cameron's latest epic. "Why should I care about blue cats fighting Mechwarriors?" is what I asked myself seeing previews leading up to its release. But if there has ever been a case for seeing a film in theaters, this is it. The cast is superb, the action is intense, and the story, albeit derivative and easily compared to many older films/books/general history of the world, does an effective enough job of keeping you in the lush world of Pandora. Most importantly, the movie is genuinely breathtaking. I don't know why I doubted Cameron's ability to transport to another time and world with his unmatched visual flair. But he does it again, in spades. I'm more than ready to sign up for the next thrill ride Cameron makes. Until then, I'll keep getting back in line for this one.

Up

I’ve always thought that the Pixar films were very good, but I never got why people loved them so much. Now I’m totally drinking the kool-aid. Up is a timeless story that can be appreciated on many levels. Aside from completely destroying me emotionally in a beautiful and heartbreaking opening sequence, it creates childlike wonder while approaching themes like family and loss in a very adult manner. I don’t think I cried more at any other movie this year. I don’t remember smiling more during any other film, either.

Star Trek

Yet another entry to add to this decade's slew of successful reboots, Star Trek stands out in 2009 in the same sort of way Iron Man did in 2008 -- it's a well acted, interesting origin story that is a whole lot of fun. The ensemble running the Enterprise is great, but I was most surprised and pleased with the control Zachary Quinto showed in his rendition of Spock. It was respectful to Leonard Nimoy while never becoming an imitation. Additionally, the alternate universe events that change Spock's backstory give him a much darker, serious tone, along the lines of Russell T. Davies' take on Doctor Who. It's great to see something old and established feel so new and unknown.

(500) Days of Summer

I may be going on a limb here, but I think Summer will be our generation's When Harry Met Sally. Yeah, I said it. I have never seen a relationship movie that is so brutally honest and realistic as this journey of how one man's fluttering heart is destroyed. Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns out another great performance as the male lead who falls for Zooey Deschanel's Summer. The movie warns us that this isn't a love story, and it isn't--it's a story of the person (JGL in this case) who is more invested in a relationship, and then has to get over it. There is no romantic comedy contrivance that drives our lovers apart--it's just that sometimes, most of the time, people want different things and those desires don't happen to match up. I don't know if that can get any more universal.

In the Loop

Two words: Peter Capaldi. His venomous Malcolm Tucker could take down any political insider, fictional or real, any day of the week. The whole cast is hilarious, and sufficient satire is provided by a foreign war effectively being treated as a MacGuffin, but Capaldi is the reason this is in my nine. If profanity were an art form, he would be Da Vinci fucking Picasso. In spite of the bile he verbally spews at allies and enemies alike, Capaldi gives us just enough to recognize that Tucker is a real person who can doubt himself. In a perverse way, we can root for him because in a world of doublespeak and backstabbing, Tucker will treat you like shit to your face. And boy will you know it.

Up in the Air

Jason Reitman's third feature is, in my assessment, his best thus far. Up in the Air seems, and is, highly topical due to Ryan Bingham’s (George Clooney) career as a “transition specialist.” It hits hard because the times in Air are the times we are living through right now. What makes it one of the best of ‘09 is that we get to see a vulnerable George Clooney. He's super-cool as he travels across the country with no attachments, but he realizes upon meeting his female foil (Vera Farmiga) that he may not want to always play the super-cool role. I'd argue that it's the first time we see Clooney really be intimate with a woman sinceOut of Sight, and even then he was in control. The crux of Air is that Bingham has convinced himself for so long that he likes his lifestyle that it has left him with no place to turn when he actually wants people in his life. The people he fires have homes and lives to turn to for solace, and Clooney has no such refuge if he were to try and seek it.

Agree? Disagree? Don’t give a shit? Let us know in the comments! Be on the lookout for a top films of the decade, coming soon.