I’ve seen 56 new releases in the past 52 weeks. First, a couple of rules on how I ranked my top ten movies of 2009.
Rule #1 – The film must have technically been released in 2009. In the film rankings of all the movies I’ve seen in the past year, there are a few that came out around holiday season 2008, but I didn’t see them until 2009, so I added them to the list.
Rule #2 – I had to have actually seen the movie.
Rules #3 – While my film ranking list is based on how much I personally enjoyed a given movie, this is based about 80% quality of movie, 20% how much I liked it.
#10 – Terminator Salvation – Although it didn’t make as much money as was expected, the fourth installment in the Terminator franchise was pretty good. Christian Bale’s version of John Connor was definitely the toughest to date. Unfortunately for Bale, Sam Worthington’s portrayal as Marcus Wright really stole the show.
#9 – Star Trek – J.J. Abrams succeeded in creating an incredible movie, recognizing that in space there is no z-axis, and most importantly finally making Star Trek cool for the masses. This will undoubtedly be the first in a long line of new Star Trek movies.
#8 – Sherlock Holmes – Robert Downey Jr. shows off his acting skills once again. If only Guy Ritchie’s directing was as good.
#7 – (500) Days of Summer – An indie film which proclaims it is “not a love story.” Proves that Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s singing and dancing skills are on par with his acting skills.
#6 – Moon – David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, has some serious directing skills. Made for a mere $5 million, Moon could easily pass for having a budget five times as big.
#5 – District 9 – Produced by Peter Jackson, District 9 offers a stunning commentary on the fear surrounding those who appear different with incredible special effects.
#4 – The Hurt Locker – Without a doubt The Hurt Locker has surpassed Taxi to the Dark Side as the greatest war movie of our generation. Probably the most intense thriller I’ve seen in years.
#3 – Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino’s latest, may also be his greatest.
#2 – Avatar – James Cameron spent six years developing the technology to make the most expensive movie ever made. There is already talk surrounding a trilogy, especially considering Avatar grossed over $600 million worldwide in the first fourteen days. It will probably fall short of Cameron’s Titanic record of $1.8 billion in international sales, but it will definitely make it close.
#1 – Up in the Air – George Clooney stars as a man who travels 275 days a year in a job which has him fire scores of people every day. When a new employee tries to implement technology to cut back on travel, the problems begin. Smartly written, this one will unfortunately fly under the radar, having come out within days of both Avatar and Sherlock Holmes.
Update: I’ll go ahead and admit I have a serious tendency towards science fiction.