The 10 Best Movies I Saw in 2009
These aren't necessarily movies that came out in 2009; they're the best movies I finally got around to seeing. In absolutely no order:
10. Fearless
First off, this movie was visually gorgeous. Not since Memoir of a Geisha had I seen Asian settings brought to life so beautifully.
There was just enough action to be exciting while little enough to not get boring. Believe me, I get bored of kung-fu fast.
I've also been listening non-stop to Jay Chou's single of the same name. Hua!
9. 12 Angry Men
I usually hate old movies. Casablanca, the original versions of House on Haunted Hill and The Haunting, and King Kong bored the hell out of me.
However, this one was a real winner. What takes the cake is that the elements (twelve men sitting around in a room) doesn't sound particularly thrilling, yet they took those mundane elements and made a really exciting film.
8. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
I didn't know whether to laugh my ass off or stare in horror at this movie. I have a special spot in my heart for musical movies (Beauty and the Beast being my favorite movie of all time).
The plot moves along fast, the visuals are pretty great, and I get to enjoy Johnny Depp before he started annoying me.
7. Star Trek
This is the first Simon Pegg movie on this list. I saw this in theaters and really enjoyed the effects; while I later acknowledged the plot holes, it was entertaining at the time. Many of the performances were excellent; Sean Pegg was hilarious, Zachary Quinto was fun, and I managed to ignore the annoying villain.
This and Cloverfield made me a JJ Abrams fan. I hope he still does Dark Tower.
6. Office Space
After watching this, I finally understood why everyone had recommended it. I finally understood why, every time I complained about my boss breaking my stapler, he'd snicker.
Someday, I want to write something this funny. Luckily, now I know that I'll have to come up with funny characters first.
5. WALL·E
I hate environmentally-driven movies, but I didn't even notice the message in this movie until it was pointed out to me later. I was too entranced by the beautiful visuals and fun characters.
Okay, the fat stand-ins (sit-ins? float-ins?) for American excess was a little annoying. But mostly I loved their awesome ship.
4. Shaun of the Dead
The second Simon Pegg entry on this list. I was a little incredulous going into this movie that it could combine a zombie invasion (one of my favorite horror subgenres) with actual comedy. I was quickly proven wrong.
We saw this with friends and had a lot of fun. Realizing that the main character in this was 'that funny guy in Star Trek' was a nice moment.
3. Kill Bill vol. 1
Why, why, why did I put this off? I never heard of this until a year or two after it came out, and was too confused by the 'volumes one and two' detail to go after it. Only this year did I sit down and finally see it.
I was blown away. Visuals, plot, characters, music, everything fit perfectly. The second movie felt hollow after the masterpiece that started it all.
2. Quarantine
Once I got over the hilarity of watching Deborah Morgan as a TV reporter instead of a cop (both need their mouths washed out with soap), this movie chilled me to the bone. I really enjoy cam movies like Cloverfield, Blair Witch, and Paranormal Activity (the latter of which didn't make this list due to the terrible theater ending).
I still lie awake at night and think about the final scenes. Ugh.
1. Hot Fuzz
The third and final Simon Pegg entry on this list. I guess this was a good year for him.
Halfway through this movie, I blinked and realized that I wasn't high, yet sure as hell felt like I was. There was a steady gradient from normal to quirky to gibberish. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who thinks the British aren't funny. It also finally made a Simon Pegg fan out of me.
