This has been a really unique year for film. Plenty of indie films wormed their way into my list, as well as some from some old hands. Trying to narrow it down to 10 was tough, but the one constant that kept coming back was chemistry. Every film I saw had a cast that clicked, and everything flowed from there. This is the best of what I saw:
10.The Hangover
The Hangover was the first film I saw this year that I thought I needed to see it again. Taking a basic premise and executing it perfectly, this is a film about four guys going to Vegas for one last night of freedom and turning it into a wild weekend.
10. Zombieland
When Edgar Wright debuted Shawn of the Dead, the idea of a romantic comedy with zombies seemed an odd mix. But they pulled it off and surprisingly no one tried to copy it. And while Zombieland isn’t quite the perfection that SOTD was, it comes close to it.
9. I Love You, Man
As much as I hate the phrase “bromance,” the buddy picture can be something terrific. And Paul Rudd and Jason Segal bring a great chemistry to the screen in a film that is funny but works because it is based in something universally grounded.
8. Rudi Y Cursi
I’ve never been a fan of foreign films, but the tale of two brothers with very different dreams and a mutual love of futbol works because of its two principal cast members. Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are credible and believable as brothers, and Bernal is an actor I’m quickly becoming a favorite actor of mine.
6. Where The Wild Things Are
One thing that surprised me this year was the adaptation of children’s books in more adult ways then I had ever imagined. Taking the tale of a boy escaping into a fantasy world and transforming it into something magnificent, Spike Jonze has managed to take a basic children’s tale and turn into movie magic.
5. Star Trek
Going into this film, I was a little worried. How can you replace Shatner and Nimoy? J.J Abrams has a good track record with what he backs but rebooting Star Trek seemed like a near impossible task. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out.
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson is a director one loves or hates. There’s no middle ground. I’ve always been a fan, so I wasn’t surprised at how wonderful his first foray into animation would turn out. Anderson has delivered a beautiful film, utilizing stop motion and a first rate cast to take a children’s story and develop it into something deeper.
3. Watchmen
After 300, I was worried about what Zach Snyder would do with Watchmen. In the minority of people who loathed that film, taking another beloved graphic novel and destroying it was not something I was looking forward to. It was a pleasant surprise to see his adaptation of unique source material.
2. Public Enemies
Christian Bale and Johnny Depp are usually good enough for me to warrant watching without any knowledge going in. I also love a good gangster film. I was positive towards this film going in and Michael Mann delivered the tale of Depression era gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and the birth of the FBI.
1.Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino has had a number of great movies in this decade, and this year had perhaps his best as QT made a war film. With the brilliant casting of Christoph Waltz, and an ever more brilliant performance where he steals the entire movie as often as possible, the tale of a bunch of Jewish soldiers behind enemy lines is equal parts brilliant and macabre. And it’s the best film of 2009.
