Robert's Best of 2009

Let me start by stating the obvious. I did not see every film released in 2009, and there were a number of films I would have liked to have seen prior to completely this list, some of those being: Big Fan, The Informant, An Education, Antichrist, Precious, Invictus, The Lovely Bones, A Single Man, and Nine.

This list represents what I thought were the best films of 2009, but I did try to compose a list that included a variety of different genres. I did not discriminate between mainstream or independent films, documentaries or foreign films.

10. Avatar

Going into Avatar, I anticipated something like a Transformers movie, a sensual overload of CGI and computer animation. While the film certainly includes its fair share of those elements, there was so much more to love. I can't remember another film where I was as totally drawn into the diegesis created by a director.

9. Up in the Air

This film has appeared on the top of many critics' best of lists. I wouldn't go that far, but I do think it was a unique movie that documents a lifestyle choice that many of us can relate to indirectly . I particularly enjoyed Anna Kendrick's performance.

8. The Hangover

Or the Zack Galifianakis show. This was the best comedy of the year as far as I'm concerned. It wasn't perfect though. I didn't like the plot lines featuring the effeminate Chinese mobster or Mike Tyson's tiger, but I think there were enough positives to overcome these failings. Such as the multiple types of jokes included in the film, from visual, physical, and verbal gags. My favorite joke: when Alan asks the fellows "Who let the dogs out?" followed by a cut to the guys walking down the hall with the aforementioned song playing.

7. Sleep Dealer (from Mexico)

Alex Rivera's futuristic, cyberpunk film that focuses on the plight of Mexicans in the not to distant future. Traditional futuristic films focus on global economic centers such as New York or London, but Rivera explores how the third world will be affected by new technologies. Plus as a bonus, the original Marta from Arrested Development Leonor Varela co-stars

6. Duplicity

Generally, I loathe the romantic comedy genre, or at least what it has become in the past few decades. I think the Coen Brothers summed it up perfectly with Coming Up Daisy in Burn After Reading. Duplicity, however, is a smart, inventive romantic comedy that harkens back to films like Charade and Bringing Up Baby where characters sparred with their verbal wits and the women portrayed strong characters. It's refreshing to watch a romantic comedy where the female lead isn't obsessively seeking marriage, pregnancy, or pairs of Manolo Blahniks.

5. Moon (from the United Kingdom)

Very few actors are able to carry a film. Sam Rockwell is virtually the only character onscreen for the duration of Moon, but he carries the film so well. Much of this is due to Duncan Jones's simplistic story that constantly demands the viewer to reevaluate what is happening, why it is happening, and if it should happen.

My review here

4. Thirst (from South Korea)

Park Chan-wook's adaptation of Emile Zola's Therese Raquin with one major change--the characters are vampires. Now, I know this sounds campy, like one of those films previewed in the middle of Tarantino and Rodriguez's Grind House, but give it a shot. There is nothing campy about it. The Oldboy director handles the subject matter with such delicacy. It is a welcome respite from the Twilight crowd.

3. Goodbye Solo

A very poignant tale of two men from very different backgrounds meeting and developing a friendship around a tragic circumstance. Ramin Bahrani is one of the best American filmmakers working today. For those of you who think Up in the Air is an independent film, check out the real thing here.

2. A Serious Man

The Coen Brothers have taken the principle of Schrodinger's cat from quantum mechanics and constructed a hilarious tale of uncertainty, anxiety, and despair. Maybe not your feel-good movie of the year, but definitely one of the most interesting, especially among the Coen's oeuvre.



And.... Number 1