Posted on Monday, January 04, 2010 11:47 PM
Another year has passed! And during the past twelve months I remember myself often telling others that in my opinion it was a terrible movie year. Blockbusters were lacking and there were just too many deceptions and dull remakes.
But going over what I saw during 2009, I have to conclude that I saw some pretty entertaining good stuff too. In fact there are so many titles I could include in this list, that I just had to (once again) leave several titles out. Don’t expect to see “Watchmen”, “The hangover” or “Brüno” in this list. “Terminator Salvation” should have been in the list if it would have been better, but titles like “Step brothers”, “Antichrist” and “Michael Jackson’s This is it” made it higher from my perspective and aren’t either in my highest rated movies list of 2009!
So, what is in my personal Top 11 of 2009? Well, looking it over I conclude that there have been some gems this past year. And I’m also surprised to see some movies so high up in the list (don’t bash me because of it, it’s my personal preference!). :)
Once more I thought like this: if all movies I saw would re-run in the theaters once more, which ones would I urge you to go see if you hadn't done so before?! Which ones should be in everyone’s personal DVD- or Blu-ray-collection? Which ones are a lack of personal development if you've skipped them earlier this year?! Get a drink and let your mind go over my top 11 of 2009. And after reading it, please leave me a comment with your own personal (shorter?) list and tell me if I’ve forgotten any other title. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
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11 - Up
After Ratatouille and Wall-e, Pixar rose back to the top with a strong animated movie which appeals to both younger- and elder audiences. Reviewing this movie back on DVD the past week, I enjoyed several scenes once more and the bird and dog are wonderful!
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10 – Eden lake
Ah, this thriller/ horror gripped me and if I think back on it, it still manages to terrify me of going on holidays to some lake in the United Kingdom. In fact, this movie made the English a lot scarier in my experience. One of the best horrors of the year!
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9 - Martyrs
The best horror of the year without a doubt! This movie has passed my personal scare-frontier (which was set earlier by “Hellbound”) and left me bedazzled with the thought-provoking story. In a year of average horrors and bad sequels, this movie was fresh like the blood which spilled in it.
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8 – The hurt locker
This movie still hasn’t played in Dutch theatres, which really makes me doubt about the message Dutch cinemas are trying to bring across. It’s not for nothing that this movie has been rated as the best-reviewed movie of 2009. For a movie which didn’t get the amount of attention that a lot of other (crap) titles got, this is hands down a title not to miss. Best war-movie of 2009 in my list.
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7 – Star Trek
The timing for the release of this movie was excellent, as it was released during a mediocre period of 2009. At that moment it was the most beautiful picture I had seen so far during the year. But as I mentioned in my review, the movie was like a chewing-gum and I’ve indeed forgotten a lot about the movie. Nonetheless, one of the best science fiction of the year and I’m still jealous that J.J. Abrams (as a Star Wars-fan) didn’t get the possibility of doing one of the Star Wars prequels, because he would have done excellently so.
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6 – Hotel for dogs
I can hear you go “WTF?” at this moment. :) Last year I had “Wall-e” on the sixth spot, but “Hotel for dogs” was for me the best movie to see with your children. My son and I had so much fun with this movie and it, just like “Up”, appeals to all ages. It has lots of humor, excitement and is very endearing.
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5 – The wrestler
Mickey Rourke’s comeback was an excellent one. This movie left me gasping for air, as the story hit me hard in the chest. Beautiful!
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4 – Gran Torino
Mister Eastwood once more delivered an wonderful picture, just like he did with “Changeling” before this one. “The wrestler” left me without air, “Gran Torino” left me crushed in my seat with the message for the American community. If this didn’t open their eyes, I don’t know what will.
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3 – District 9
It is obvious that 2009 was the year which put science fiction movies back on the map and “District 9” still pulls me in. This week I showed this movie to my wife (she didn’t like it!) and I found myself leaving my desk several times and sitting myself next to her to re-see different parts of the movie once more. For me this was the biggest surprise of 2009 with its originality and story.
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2 – Inglourious basterds
Quentin Tarantino’s return to the cinema left me with a big deal of respect for the man. Totally refreshing and its history-bashing-approach makes it an instant classic. This movie has everything to entertain you and up to the moment it came out, it was the best movie of 2009 for me. The dialogs in this movie are unrivaled and make it a true Tarantino picture. Question for you: is it better than “Pulp fiction”?
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1 - Avatar
Before this movie premiered I predicted that it would go on breaking records and I’m happy that yesterday I read on the Internet about the first broken record. “Avatar” is in my opinion the best movie of 2009 and in IMAX 3D it is truly a joy to watch. Every cent and drop of sweat that was spent making this movie translates itself on the screen with the amount of detail you see. If you still haven’t seen it, I sincerely want to recommend you to go see it. I say this because for the upcoming years you won’t be presented with another movie that will equal the (visual) beauty of this production. This, my friends, is a masterpiece! |
Two hours have passed now and I’m done writing my top 11 of 2009.
Again I ask you, which favorites did I leave out? Drop me a comment here so I can read it, as I’m curious to know.
This leaves me with the opportunity to thank you all for visiting my blog and reading my opinions during the past year. I hope that you’ve enjoyed my reviews and that I’ve managed to bring some movies under your attention that you otherwise wouldn’t have seen. And I surely hope that I will continue to do so!
All the best in 2010 for you and the ones you love and remember to return to my blog frequently and leave me your feedback. 'Till next time!