[Movies] Best of 2009

Looking back on my previous post about the year in movies, I realize that it wasn't done very well. So I decided to do one better and just talk about my five favorite movies of the year here.

5 - Up

I thought Pixar had run out it's creativity reserves when it made Wall-E last year, which I consider to be a modern masterpiece. When I saw the trailer for Up, I thought that it would be decent, but nothing spectacular. To my surprise, Up turned out to be the funniest, most visually stunning, and touching Pixar film yet. Dug the "talking" dog and the other canine stars had me laughing hysterically, while the near silent opening sequence and ending had me in tears. Good thing I had those 3D glasses to conceal those tears. Touching and relevant, Pixar once again proved it can do no wrong.

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4 - Inglourious Basterds

Quentin Tarantino has always been one of my favorite filmmakers, and I had super high expectations for this film. Inglourious Basterds is vintage Tarantino, filled to the brim with witty dialogue, memorable characters, and stunning violence. Christoph Waltz plays what might be Tarantino's greatest creation yet, a Nazi Colonel named Hans Landa, aka the "Jew Hunter", and should have the Best Supporting Actor Oscar wrapped up. The humor is biting, the violence is frenzied, and the acting is top-notch. Oh, and the opening scene is one of the most tense moments I've ever seen. No excuses, if you are a fan of film, you must see this movie.

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3 - Avatar

Another filmmaker that I admire, James Cameron has always been able to create amazing worlds that no one had dreamed could be possible. Avatar is no exception, as I felt the same way watching it that I did when I saw Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings films for the first time. Sure, Cameron really drummed up some crazy publicity and made it sound like this movie would reinvent cinema (note: it doesn't) but it is amazing to look at and is truly breath-taking. While the story and dialogue might be lacking, the acting is well done and the direction is, of course, great. This is a fantastic film and is unlike anything you've ever seen.

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2 - The Hurt Locker

Besides being the best film made about the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker is also the single most thrilling, captivating, and exciting movie I've ever seen. I really can't describe how amazing this film is, so I'll just sum it up in a sentence or two: fantastic and gripping direction, near-perfect pacing, incredible acting, thrilling action, great visuals, and fantastic writing. This is the definition of white-knuckle filmmaking, and isn't to be missed.
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1 - District 9

This was somewhat of a hard choice considering that all the movies on this list are equally as great, but when it came down to it, no other film this year stuck with me and blew my mind as much as District 9 did. Made for only $30 million dollars, this movie might look like a small, budget action flick on the surface, but is actually a dramatic, character and story-driven sci-fi masterpiece with enough creativity and intelligence to fill any Hollywood blockbuster. It looks incredible considering it was made for and looks better than most of the crap that came out this year (G.I. Joe and Transformers in particular). Led by a cast of unknown South African actors and directed by first timer Neill Blomkamp, District 9 is filled with great action, acting, and writing, as well as a really poignant lesson on humanity. It's tense, thrilling, often disturbing, and at times, touching. District 9 is everything I love about movies, and to put it simply, is a masterpiece.