3rd ASPEYA 2009 #4: Kristina’s TOP 25 of 2009!
And now… During some technical problems at my end, I’m going to pull a switcharound and bring you my list tomorrow. In the meantime… Here’s Kristina with her Top 25 of 2009:
“… 2009 was a pretty crappy year for film, overall. The vast majority of this list is made up of stuff that I didn’t particularly enjoy, but since I only saw about 30 films, I had to make do with what I had. Just so you know, it isn’t until we get to the top 12 or so that we are getting into the stuff that I’d actually want to watch again. Also, I haven’t had a chance to see any of the award-winning films this year like Up In The Air and Precious, so that is why they have not made the list. So, out of what I saw in 2009, here is the best of the bunch!”
25. Transformers 2
Boy does it kill me to have to kick off my BEST OF list with what is one of the worst. The only reason that this is here is because I saw some stuff far worse, and didn’t want that crap tainting my list!
24. Gamer
I was looking forward to this since The Butler was in it. Turns out it was a noisy, nonsensical mess that I wouldn’t recommend to my dog to watch.
23.Bruno
Why did this have to be so disappointing? The trailers looked funny, but the movie itself was pretty dull overall. I didn’t laugh so much as I felt uncomfortable.
22. Fast and Furious
It’s mindless, it’s dumb, but the few times that the cars get showcased makes for an okay action sequence or two.
21. Nine
This one REALLY bummed me out. I love musicals, I love Nicole Kidman, but I did not like this one, save for a performance by Marion Cotillard that is so much better than this film deserves. She actually puts Daniel Day-Lewis to SHAME in this flick, and for that, she deserves any noms that she gets. The movie looks great at times, and Fergie sings “Be Italian” like a woman possessed, but the movie isn’t all that good.
20. I Can Do Ba All By Myself
I know, I know, a Tyler Perry movie makes the list?! But as corny and predictable as this thing is, the performnace are pretty good, especially Taraji P. Henson, and I was never bored out of my head. Nothing memorable, but nothing awful, either.
19. Race To Witch Mountain
What can I say? It’s a kid’s movie, I wasn’t bored, The Rock looks good, but the special effects are laughably bad. I literally howled with laughter in the theater.
18. The Taking of Pelham 123
This one is actually pretty entertaining, but Travolta goes way over the top, and there are a couple of plot shenanigans that made me roll my eyes. Insulting your audience’s intelligence is never a good thing.
17. Where The Wild Things Are
God, I wish I could put this up higher, but this movie stops being magical and wondrous about twenty minutes in and turns into something boring, meandering, and disturbing. It may not be a “kids’ movie”, but it’s based off of a kids’ book and was marketed toward kids. People in the theater of all ages were horrified at what they were watching, and so was I. It’s an intersting film, it looks great, and it has something interesting to say, but the manner in which it was said wasn’t particularly pleasant.
16. Wolverine
Hugh Jackman is hot. Hugh Jackman is talented. Hugh Jackman deserves better than this movie. That is all.
15. Terminator: Salvation
Is this the worst of the franchise? I still think T3 takes that title, but as bad as I was expecting this to be, it wasn’t all that awful. I just wish they hadn’t had that big honking spoiler in the doggone trailer.
14. Avatar
Pretty CGI+Lame story=the number 14 slot.
13. Law Abiding Citizen
Another entertaining movie that goes off the rails. The Butler is fun to watch, but the film doesn’t know what it wants to be or who it wants the audience to side with.
12. Public Enemies
I hated the digital cameras. I hated the digital cameras. I HATED the digital cameras, but Johnny’s great.
11. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This one actually might be one of my least-favorite of the franchise. They went a little too heavy on the romance issues, Snape is tragically underused, and this movie encapsulates the biggest problem of this franchise: they keep TALKING about Voldemort, but we hardly ever SEE him. But the kids are still great, I love the world that this franchise has built, and I cannot wait for the finale.
10. Watchmen
I didn’t like this movie the first time that I watched it. I love the graphic novel, but the movie felt very stilted to me following that AMAZING title sequence. Malin Akerman was AWFUL as Silk Spectre II, and I found myself getting bored. BUt then I watched it again and really started to fall in love with it. It looks outstanding on Blu-Ray, the story flowed better, and Jackie Earle HAley is ACES as Rorschach. The novel’s better, but the movie is pretty damn good, too.
9. Paranormal Activity
SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. My friend insisted I see this with him. Horror films usually do not scare me. By the end of this movie, my friend had red marks on his arm from where I’d grabbed him in terror. Might not be as scary the second time around, but for that theater experience, this one makes the top ten easy.
8. City Island
This one did not get a massive wide release in 2009, but it was released through Europe and played at a bunch of film festivals in the US. I caught this at one such film festival, and you need to be on the lookout for this one, because it is one of the funniest flicks that I’ve seen in a very long time. Andy Garcia stars as a prison officer with a houseful of secrets, and he is outstanding in this movie. I don’t know if it will get a big huge release for all of you to watch, and it’s a bit of a cheat having it on this list, but I will be damned before I put New Moon on my top 25. DAMNED.
7. Inglourious Basterds
Tarantino directed it. That’s pretty much all I need to say, as far as I’m concerned.
6. Coraline
I haven’t watched this in 2-D, but on a big screen in 3-D, this was absolutely breathtaking. The story gets a little bit shaky in Act III, but this one was a visual stunner and I loved watching it. You can have your blue cat people, I’ll take Coraline.
5. Star Trek
This one took me by complete surprise. I thought that this one would suck, but boy did I LOVE this movie. The effects, the story, the performances…the highest compliment that I can pay is that I will be there at a midnight showing for the sequel. Bank on it. And that captain sure is cute, huh?
4. The Hurt Locker
AWESOME movie. If you haven’t seen it, SEE it. It really hit me hard as a person raised around military culture, but even if you’re not an Army brat, you need to watch this movie. This should be nommed for Best Picture at the Oscars, and Jeremy Renner had better get a Best Actor nod. Just an outstanding movie with no political agenda, no big message, just a matter-of-fact look at life in a war zone, and a man’s love of that war zone. Amazing flick.
3. Drag Me To Hell
This movie is scary, disgusting, hilarious, and hugely entertaining. Probably the biggest crowd-pleaser I saw in 2009. I kne wthis movie was working when my little sister (she’s 19 now) screamed, got up and ran out of the theater, then came back and demanded my car keys, saying “I’ll be back when this is over. I’m too scared!” Sam Raimi made a little gem with this one, and it sucks that more people didn’t watch it and give it a chance.
2. District 9
Holy hell, this movie was pretty much perfect. A great performance by Sharlto Copely (his first acting gig!), an engaging story, awesome effects, and an ending shot that stuck in my head for days after I’d seen the movie. I couldn’t believe how good this one was, and the only reason that this isn’t my number one is because…well, keep reading.
1. Up
You all knew that this was coming. I have a soft spot for Pixar, and this movie was perhaps their best. No, I’ll say it, this movie IS their best work, and that is saying something. I knew that I was in trouble when I was in tears within the first ten minutes. This movie is relentless. They never rest on their laurels and admire their own awesomeness. They just keep hitting you with emotionally powerful moments, beautiful animation, hilarious talking dogs, and characters so real and so well-rounded that I could practically hear their hearts beating. I didn’t enjoy any movie in 2009 more than I enjoyed Up. This isn’t even close, really, and with Toy Story 3 coming next year, Pixar may be able to claim my number one spot for the second year in a row.
So, there it is, my 2009 in film. We were subjected to a lot of crap thanks to the strike, but hopefully, 2010 will be a better year, in more ways than one. So, was my list right, or am I out of my mind? Lemme hear it in the comments, people!
… And I’ll be back tomorrow with my own countdown! 
One Response to “3rd ASPEYA 2009 #4: Kristina’s TOP 25 of 2009!”
These are pretty much the only movies I was able to catch in 2009. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is really the only one I really didn’t like.
Drag Me to Hell
Moon
In the Loop
Inglourious Basterds
District 9
Watchmen
Observe and Report
Zombieland
Grace
Antichrist
Star Trek
My Bloody Valentine 3D
Friday the 13th
Crank: High Voltage
Law Abiding Citizen
Terminator Salvation
Halloween II
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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