A-List: Best Films of 2009 Part II
By Josh Spiegel
February 4, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
First off, for those of you picking up on the A-List in part 2...well, why aren't you checking out part 1 of my list? I mean, I'm not offended, but I have to wonder why you're curious enough to read this list, but not the preceding one. Ah, well, if you're going to be stubborn about it, hypothetical reader, I'll give you a quick rundown, in descending order, of my picks for the bottom half of the top ten movies of 2009: Public Enemies, Star Trek, Moon, District 9, and Avatar. Yes, as it turns out, 2009 was the year of the great science-fiction film. Four of those movies range from being thought-provoking to being all-out action movies that have no shame about being just fun; Star Trek, I'm looking in your direction.
What, then, distinguished the five best movies of 2009 from the other five I've named? It's hard to say what makes Avatar better than District 9, to be honest. What made these five movies stick out more comes down to a few factors: there's rewatchability, there's being memorable, and there's being moving. In some ways, all five of these movies have those qualities (though some were more moving than others, as we'll soon see). The one thing about 2009 that I'm glad about is that, unlike last year, it seems like the Academy Awards and my opinions are aligning once again. I realize that it's really not important if a group of people agree with me, but it's nice to know that my favorites movies of 2009 might match with the Oscars. Or not. Let's see.
5. Inglourious Basterds
I have, I believe, mentioned in the past that the past decade was not kind to Quentin Tarantino, in my opinion. Everyone loves Kill Bill, unless you include me. I see two overlong movies with no plot and hackneyed, contrived dialogue. Some people love Grindhouse, and all I see is a movie with no discernible structure, obnoxious lead characters, and a thrilling supporting performance from Kurt Russell that's ruined by the final shot. So I was considerably wary about Inglourious Basterds, a movie that, from its title, reeks of being too goofy to be taken seriously, and too easily forgettable. Could a movie that so gleefully decides to live in an alternate history, that portrays a majority of its characters as cartoonish caricatures be any good? Could the movie be anything less than Tarantino's arrogance ruining his creativity?
I'm very glad to be wrong, as Inglourious Basterds was not only quite good, but it was fun, exciting and, along with another pick on this week's list, one of the most suspenseful films of the year. Tarantino is a director I associate with dialogue, snappy or otherwise, and with memorable imagery, but rarely suspense. In various lengthy sequences set in farmhouses and taverns, Tarantino lets scenes play out patiently, as characters talk their way around killing each other. The plot isn't so clear cut as Brad Pitt leading Jewish-American soldiers into Germany to kill Nazis; in fact, Pitt and his friends are only in about 40 minutes of the movie; the dominant force is Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa of the SS, a truly evil yet altogether mild-mannered and friendly character, a fully formed and lively man who's made creepier by being so nice. Inglourious Basterds is many things, but I'm glad that it wasn't overrated.
4. Up in the Air
Two years ago, the Academy Awards nominated Michael Clayton as one of the best pictures of the year. This thriller, headlined by George Clooney, was essentially a well-written John Grisham novel, but the Academy voters lavished praise on the film. I wasn't so sure about Clooney delivering a truly exciting performance; though I like the movie star just fine, I didn't think his work as the titular character was any more special than anything else in his filmography. Two years later, Clooney plays a similar character, a man by himself in the world doing seemingly lonely work. In Up in the Air, the difference is that Ryan Bingham says he likes being alone. As Bingham, Clooney has the best character of his career and does justice by giving his best performance.
Bingham fires people for a living, flying around the country to fire various mid-level employees for companies that are too weak-willed to do the dirty deed. Bingham's style is being questioned by a young woman at his company, who suggests firing via teleconference. As he takes her across the continental United States, Ryan begins to realize that maybe, just maybe, living the normal life with some kind of human connection. Clooney, Anna Kendrick, and Vera Farmiga (as the woman who Ryan may want to settle down with) are all amazing here, and co-writer/director Jason Reitman is smart to not let any stylishness get in the way of the charisma these actors ooze throughout the film. Clooney has always been a movie star, but in Up in the Air, a confident throwback to movies of the 1930s and 1940s, he gets to be an actor.
3. In The Loop
I have some mind-blowing news for you, dear reader. Are you sitting down? It turns out there were more comedies in 2009 than The Hangover. Now, I've got a solid sense of humor, so I'm not saying The Hangover wasn't funny. Believe me, I laughed plenty. But The Hangover is not the BEST MOVIE EVER, OMG. If we want to talk about the best comedy of the year, we have to look across the pond, to In The Loop. In The Loop, which manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny and as satirical and biting as Dr. Strangelove, is about the trouble that the British and American governments could get into because one mid-level British politician said war in the Middle East (with an unnamed country, but the parallels to Iraq are clear) is unforeseeable. This meek politico (Tom Hollander) runs afoul of Malcolm Tucker, the Prime Minister's attack dog, a profane, lewd, yet very smart man who tries to serve both sides and be able to sleep every night.
Though every actor here is at the top of their game (Hollander, Steve Coogan, and James Gandolfini are the only well-known actors here), the scene-stealing star is Peter Capaldi. Not since Ian McShane hovered over the town of Deadwood in the HBO drama as Al Swearengen has an actor been given such free range with R-rated dialogue. As Tucker, Capaldi walks onscreen, nearly popping a blood vein by just heading into his office. His confrontations with Hollander and Gandolfini are particularly memorable; the latter one is especially awesome, as it's rare that Tony Soprano would ever get cowed by anyone, let alone a British official. In The Loop, like the great political satires, manages to make a withering comment or two on the politics of the day and, despite being wildly funny, is also grounded in reality. Unless you're one of the few who have seen the film On Demand or on DVD, you have probably not seen In The Loop. If you want to laugh, see In The Loop. Or I'll sic Malcolm Tucker on you.
2. The Hurt Locker
Here is one of the most suspenseful movies I have ever seen. Here is a movie that actually made me feel like my stomach was tying itself up in knots. It was that or the nachos, but I'd like to think it was the movie. The Hurt Locker is a character study, and The Hurt Locker is an action movie. Upon first viewing, you're probably going to see it only as the latter. Keep a sharp eye out, and you'll notice that The Hurt Locker is, essentially, seven very tense action sequences strung together with a bit of dialogue and character-building here and there. Oh, and an appearance by Kate from ABC's Lost. But if you watch The Hurt Locker, and you're able to breathe in between those set pieces, you'll realize that you're watching a movie about how war, any war, can do terrible things to any man, well-adjusted or otherwise.
Jeremy Renner is the lead here, a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army whose prowess is in defusing bombs. Renner's character leads two Specialists, played by Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty, around Baghdad, as they attempt to defuse bombs and make sure they don't get blown up. Eventually, the two Specialists realize that their new leader (their old leader is replaced, in a manner of speaking, in the opening sequence) may have become an adrenaline junkie thanks to his high-stress job. And it is very stressful what goes on in this film, helmed by Oscar frontrunner Kathryn Bigelow. The characters sweat over the bombs, and so do we. In a year when Transformers 2 dominated the summer with its "action", The Hurt Locker proves that great action is still possible, even if there's some character development thrown in.
1. Up
A movie about a rat who wants to be a chef in Paris. A movie about a robot who doesn't speak English and toils pointlessly to clean up the planet Earth. A movie about an old man who lifts his house up on balloons to go to South America. These are loglines for movies that should not work, under any circumstances. The fact that they do work, and do so marvelously, is a major credit to the brilliant, brilliant people who work at Pixar Animation Studios. In 2007, they had Ratatouille. In 2008, they had WALL-E. In 2009, they had Up, my pick for the best film of the year. It's animated, some Oscar voters and sticklers will tell you. Who cares? Have you seen a live-action movie that can devote even one second to telling the story of a marriage with the same economy of style, plot, and character that the people behind Up were able to do in five minutes? Show me that movie, for I do not believe it exists.
Up is the best movie of the year for so many reasons. It manages to be exceedingly entertaining, especially in its second half, as Carl Fredricksen, the old man who moves his house via balloons to fulfill the wishes of his late wife, and an eight-year-old sidekick outrun a decrepit adventurer and his band of talking dogs. Yes, this is a movie that manages to be about the beginning and end of a marriage, flying houses, and talking dogs. You can't fault Pixar for trying anything and everything. Aside from being achingly beautiful, having one of the best scores of the year, featuring amazingly colorful animation, and providing solid and deserved character development, Up is also funny and touching. Its final image is as emotional as the supposedly tearjerking movies that come year in and year out would like to be, and manages to get all of that from just the image. Up was directed by Pete Docter, the same man who directed Monsters, Inc.; that film isn't one of my favorites, but Up certainly is, a 95-minute encapsulation of what movies are all about.