My top movies of 2009
Written by Adam Sprengeler Friday, 15 January 2010 08:00
Each year Hollywood makes magic by providing the entire world with entertainment that shocks, scares, tugs at our heart strings, and of course, makes us laugh.
I find myself paying the big bucks to see the silver screen more often than most. That is why I’m presenting my top 10 movies of 2009. If you have not had a chance to see any some of these movies I strongly recommend renting them.
10.) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: This movie cannot be any higher than 10 because the plot could have been written by any drunken kindergarten student while they finger-painted. Simply put, director Michael Bay knows little about story structure, but can put on one heck of a light show.
9.) Adventureland: According to what I’ve been told, seeing that I lived little of my life in the decade, this film captured life in the 1980’s perfectly. Jesse Eisenberg does an excellent job as an awkward teen looking to fit in with his new group of people he has to associate with. Kristen Stewart (“Twilight”) gives a forgetful performance, but the movie is solid. However, it was not as funny as I had hoped.
8.) Up in the Air: This is yet another Jason Rietman movie that is great. The best part about his filmmaking is that it does not require high priced visual effects and explosions to sell tickets. Rather the storytelling is good enough on its own to draw in an audience. Having George Clooney as your lead actor doesn’t hurt either.
7.) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: As the series has gone on I find myself liking these movies less and less. I think it’s because they continually get darker and darker. This movie is extremely well-made and solid acting the whole way around, except for Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. She whines throughout the entire movie. What hurt this film I thought was that it turned out to be a giant teaser for the final film.
6.) 500 Days of Summer: The little indie flick that could, this movie took the Sundance Film Festival by storm and for good reason. I did not enjoy it as much as “Juno,” but Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s situation is easy to relate to and I found myself associating with the main characters very well.
5.) District 9: I loved this movie because it was not the stereotypical sci-fi film where aliens invade and massacre the human race. These aliens are treated as refuges and the humans are trying to keep them here. The documentary feel they gave is interesting as well.
4.) Watchmen: A classic case where the book was better. Nevertheless “Watchmen” is a fun ride from start to finish. I didn’t enjoy the ending as much because I felt they skewed too far away from the novel – and the lack of star power in the cast really hurt the film. One thing that stands out about this film is the music selection, which is so unique it is awesome.
3.) Sherlock Holmes: An excellent detective movie as Robert Downy Jr. and Jude Law work wonderful together. The script is well-written and the movie engages you to help the two figure out what is going on.
2.) Avatar: James Cameron does it again with his blockbuster hit. The plot is very generic and as I stated in the past it is almost identical to “Dances With Wolves.” The environments and animals are breathtaking and Cameron did what he does best in this movie. By that I mean capture romance on film – like “Titanic’s” Leo and Kate, this film does not disappoint when it comes to on-screen romance.
1.) The Hangover: This movie took only a few weeks to film, but it brings me so much joy I cannot help but love it. At any point from now on this movie can be popped into the DVD player and I will not hesitate to watch it. Comedies have a soft-spot in my heart and this is easily the funniest comedy I have seen since “Superbad.”
