And we're finally here. I can honestly say that I love this Top 5, and that's how it should be, really. For all movies you see in a year, your Top 5 should be the ones that have stuck with you, the ones you could name off to a friend instantly. Looking at my Top 5, I have to say that 2009 was a strong year. But onto the list...
South African Neill Blomkamp
(a Peter Jackson disciple) combined his love of Hollywood fare with an outsider perspective to remind us that if executed well, familiar stories can still be fresh.
Blurring drama and documentary, Blomkamp spins the alien invasion movie and flips it all on its head. What if they came, and--instead of reacting with nuclear weapons or Will Smith--we put them into a refugee camp? Leading up to the summer, the hype machine started rolling for this Peter Jackson-produced alien movie. I went into this film having heard all the praise, but left the theater extremely pleased. Not only did District 9 live up to any hype, it featured a sharp social commentary about South Africa's segregating past, and effectively combined compelling characters with just enough Hollywood action to make for a thrilling film. Equally commendable is the casting of relative unknown Sharlto Copley in the lead. Plus, having an alien landing that is neither hostile nor a diplomatic mission is really creative, as is having the humans be indecisive over what exactly to do in that situation. Kudos all around to Blomkamp and crew.
You might recognize director Kathryn Bigelow from a little early-90s action movie by the name of
Point Break. Several years later, she's re-claiming her territory as a legitimate action director, but it's clear she's also a more mature
filmmaker. Bigelow made
The Hurt Locker, a film set in the current war in Iraq, for just $11 million. And rather than take political shots or make judgments about whether our country belongs there, this "war movie"
zooms in and focuses on the people--the soldiers. In this case, it’s a core group of three members of a bomb squad. These men live every day in a land where anything with a wire could potentially kill them.
The Hurt Locker shows the effects of such a lifestyle and the types of people who find themselves in the midst of it. It really isn't a film about big action moments, but nearly every second of it is intense, thanks in large part to the great performances present. Playing on a powerful script, the story here is both intimate in its scope and broad in its thesis (war will never truly end, war is the ultimate drug, etc). And with Jeremy Renner’s star-making performance,
The Hurt Locker provides audiences with a visceral, emotional journey into the mind of a soldier.
I say it every year, but seeing as how they've been firmly entrenched on my annual lists for a while now, I might as well reserve a spot in my Top 5 for PIXAR. The Disney studio has constantly found new and fascinating stories to tell, while resonating emotionally in ways that even live-action features have trouble doing. Not to mention, they've improved their visuals every step of the way. The first thing one notices about their latest offering,
Up, is that it gives the viewer a geriatric protagonist worth following, something that's rare to the genre and film culture in general. But there's also the plucky sidekick who is
almost too annoying to care about, and Dug, the loyal dog that makes even cat people consider picking up a canine pet. The adventure is vibrant enough to make the visuals a centerpiece, but the action is bombastic enough to keep the attention of children. But where
Up really shines is in the first 15 minutes--perhaps the most touching I’ve seen in an animated film--so heartbreaking, so well told. It’s become cliche to say it, but these guys are the best storytellers working today. Adventure truly is out there, and a decade after they started, PIXAR shows so signs of slowing down or waning in quality.
One of the funniest, most engaging and heartwarming movies of the year,
(500) Days of Summer tells the familiar story of a young man who has fallen in love with a woman. The two co-workers begin a relationship, but there’s only one problem: she isn’t in love with him. As we are assured from the start, this isn't a love story, but rather a look at the birth, life, and death of a relationship. The film masterfully blends drama, comedy and even a musical number together into a seamless, sincere and realistic portrayal of the modern relationship. Director Marc Webb may be getting all the buzz as Sony’s new choice to helm the next
Spider-Man franchise, but he has this little gem of a film to thank for it. Throughout the course of the movie, Webb and his writing team never let the plot stray into predictable Hollywood territory. Rarely do audiences get treated to such an interpersonal and understanding ‘romance’ (especially revolving young people) without a hint of the mundane or multiple cliches bogging it down. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is certainly one of the most talented young actors out there, and his charm and relatability
serve him well opposite a fetching Zooey Deschanel, who compliments him every step of the way. I hate lumping this film into the 'romantic comedy' genre, because the creativity, non-linear storytelling, and sharp dialogue/humor present make it more than that...better than that. This is an exploration of perception, hindsight and foresight, of people. But most of all, it's an exploration of modern love presented in an uncommonly engaging and creative way.
Going into December, the #1 spot of my Top 10 list was firmly squared away thanks to
(500) Days of Summer. But then I saw
Avatar, a film that I truthfully wasn't very sold on. The 3D technology was questionable, James Cameron had certainly been away from the game awhile, and the heavy reliance on performance capture usage in the past had always generated a creepy robotic effect (Polar Express, anyone?) rather than something entertaining. But
Avatar made me a believer in all of the aforementioned items. In the midst of astronomical budgets, incredible pressure to meet expectations, and over four years of development, Cameron's
Avatar delivered on every promise.
Avatar is unlike any other film ever made and provides a glimpse into the potential of film to literally immerse the viewer in the story. Is it an action movie or a drama? Is it more video game or sci-fi epic? At the end of the day, most people won't know/care if Cameron invented a new camera to shoot this film, or that he broke new ground in motion-capture to fully emote his actors digitally on-screen. All that will matter to the viewing audience is this: are the characters interesting? Is this story gripping? Thankfully, Cameron has always been a masterful storyteller, and he blends all these elements in with his new technology in beautiful harmony. I've heard a lot of people criticize the film for having an unoriginal storyline, but there's really nothing new under the sun in the realm of Hollywood plot lines. Rather than nitpick plot origins, I prefer to look at the content, execution, and the ability of movies to take me to another world for a little bit. Steven Spielberg, one of the most respected filmmakers ever, thinks Cameron succeeded, and I have to agree: "The last time I came out of a movie feeling that way was the first time I saw
Star Wars."
The spiritual metaphors of
Avatar are also truly dazzling. Aren’t all of us as humans truly avatars? Spiritual beings temporarily inhabiting human bodies? It's safe to say that the door leading to the future of movies has been opened with
Avatar, and more filmmakers will use this technology to further immerse the viewer in such a powerful way. But here in 2009,
Avatar breaks new ground in delivering a fully immersive, emotional story...and completely reinvents the movie-going experience.
My Top 10 Favorite Moments:- Up, the First 15 Minutes
- (500) Days of Summer, You Make My Dreams
- Inglorious Basterds, the first 15 minutes & the bar scene
- Drag Me to Hell, the parking lot scene
- District 9, in the prawn suit
- The Road, the cannibal house
- (500) Days of Summer, expectations vs. reality
- Zombieland, the cameo
- Taken, all the action scenes
- Watchmen, the opening credits
