2009 Film Grades

Complete list of 2009 film grades. Starting tomorrow (and with the exception of awards season), it's on to 2010!

A+

A
Avatar
The Hurt Locker

A-
(500) Days of Summer
Bright Star
Inglourious Basterds

B+
An Education
Brothers
The Brothers Bloom
District 9
The Hangover
The Last House on the Left
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

B
Funny People
Lymelife
Notorious
Paper Heart
Precious
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek
Two Lovers
Up
Whatever Works
Zombieland

B-
Adventureland
Fantastic Mr. Fox
I Love You, Man
Julie & Julia
Public Enemies

C+
17 Again
Away We Go
Duplicity
He's Just Not That Into You
The Proposal
State of Play
Whip It

C
Couple's Retreat
Extract
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra
The Informant!
Land of the Lost
Observe and Report
The Soloist
Taking Woodstock

C-
Fast & Furious
Fighting
Friday the 13th
Pandorum
Paranormal Activity
Sunshine Cleaning
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

D+
Knowing
The Men Who Stare at Goats
Taken
Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
The Time Traveler's Wife
Year One

D
Bride Wars
Orphan
Terminator Salvation
Watchmen

D-
2012
My Bloody Valentine

F
Drag Me to Hell
Halloween 2
The Haunting of Connecticut
Obsessed
Saw VI
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
The Unborn
The Uninvited

Top Ten List: Best Films of 2009

First, let's briefly talk about the worst of 2009. The very worst, in my opinion, was the conintual destruction of the greatest horror movie franchise of all time, i.e. Rob Zombie's Halloween 2. In the sequel, Donald Pleasance continues to roll over in his grave at the portrayal of Dr. Loomis. Also, there were ghosts. It was just bad. Then there was Drag Me To Hell which seem people seem to think was "fun and frightening." I prefer "ridiculous and silly." I can't tell The Unborn and The Uninvited apart. Never mind because they both sucked. Saw VI was the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, for me. 2012 was a huge brainless extravaganza. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was even more brainless and boring and terrible. The only good thing about My Bloody Valentine was the fact that Dean from Supernatural was in it. Orphan was a solid thriller up until that AWFUL ending. Then there was Obsessed which was quite possibly so bad it was good. That one is actually worth Netflixing.

There were also a few films that didn't quite make my Top Ten that should still probably be singled out for being damn good.
Honoroable Mentions: The Hangover (hilarious!), The Brothers Bloom (brilliant!), Precious (heartbreaking yet a little too Lifetime movie for me), Brothers (harrowing drama), Two Lovers (solid story and acting) and Notorious (may Biggie live on forever!).

Top Ten Best Films of 2009
10. District 9 - One of the best sci-fi films in a long time, it is so un-Hollywood it's hard to believe it was such a big summer blockbuster. The characters are unlikeable. The story is presented in a documentary style format. But the story is smart and well told. The characters are complex and even if the main character is a huge jerk, you still want to see what happens to him. It's both an enjoyable film and a social commentary.

09. Where The Wild Things Are - Thank goodness it was Spike Jonez who decided to adapt the greatest children's book of all time. In the hands of anyone else, it probably would have been a huge disaster. But Jonez kept the rebellious spirit alive and crafted a movie that can be enjoyed by children of all ages.

08. The Last House on the Left - I don't know what it is about Wes Craven movies but it seems they are the only ones Hollywood can remake correctly (hence why I'm soo excited for the Nightmare on Elm Street remake). First there was The Hills Have Eyes and now this... both far better than the originals. The Last House on the Left is a terrifying thriller of a movie, but it's also brilliantly acted and beautifully filmed.

07. Up in the Air - Jason Reitman's old school film is enjoyable and engaging. About a man who doesn't connect with anyone in his life because he spends all his time in airports and on planes. Then he meets two women (the wonderful Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga) who try to make him change his ways. Does it work? The wonderful ending lets you decide for yourself.

06. An Education - One of the best coming of age dramas in recent years, the British film follows a young girl who falls for a much older man. The film belongs to Carey Mulligan who perfectly inhabits a character walking a fine line between childhood and womanhood.

05. (500) Days of Summer - What a way to recreate and revive the boring romantic comedy genre. When every movie that comes out of there is such a cliched bore, (500) Days of Summer completely changes the game. The cast is adorable and the script is nothing short of brilliant. It's one of the most creative, unique stories about love to come along in a while.

04. Bright Star - Probably the most beautifully shot film of the year, Bright Star tells the story of the tragic love story between poet John Keats and girl next store Fanny Brawne. The performances (especially Abbie Cornish) are amazing but it's the direction by the glorious Jane Campion that really puts this film above most others.

03. Inglourious Basterds - You really haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino. This is quite possibly his most enjoyable, most well-done movie ever. Yes, ever. He's created two of the most memorable and best characters of the year (played by Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent). For how tense it could be, it's also a hell of a lot of fun!

02. The Hurt Locker - The word "intense" was created to describe a movie like The Hurt Locker. It's quite possibly the greatest modern war movie ever made and is so close to perfection it's just scary. Kathryn Bigelow directs the hell out of this movie and the performances are out of this world.

01. Avatar - It's true I may have enjoyed a few other movies more than Avatar this year. But, really, Avatar is in a league of it's own. It's so far and away from everything else that it's almost not even really fair to judge it against other films. James Cameron has created a planet. He has created a complete race of people. Avatar is truly the most spectacular thing you've ever seen at the movies.

Top Ten List - Best Actor 2009

10. Peter Sarsgaard in An Education - Once again, An Education belongs to Carey Mulligan but Sarsgaard is also pretty damn good as an older, "worldly" man who seduces the 16 year old student. He takes her to Paris and on romantic weekends and convinces her he'll marry her. All the while Sarsgaard is charming everyone, there's that slight creepiness that makes the audience realize something isn't right here.

09. Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes - Downey is good at lots of stuff but very, very good at one thing - playing flawed leading men, men who are suave and charming and a little bit cocky. Add Sherlock Holmes to that list. With Downey in the role, Holmes becomes a sexy, charming, clever cad. Plus, his is a pretty convincing British accent.

08. George Clooney in Up in the Air - Clooney could probably play this role in his sleep - uber suave and charming man coming to terms with getting older, unable to settle down, flying from one city to another just about every day. Still, Clooney layers the role with a sense of naturalism and subtlety and is still impressive. He may take a backseat to the ladies in the film, but he's still the classic example of a leading man.

07. Joaquin Phoenix in Two Lovers - If Joaquin Phoenix really is retiring from acting, well, then, at least he went out on top. Two Lovers is the perfect showcase for him and he gives his character so much depth and so much emotion that it's hard to not cheer for him, even when he's playing with the emotions of a perfectly nice girl so he can try his hand at the unattainable beauty.

06. Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are - In a perfect adaptation of the classic kids book, Records shines as the lead - disobedient, rebellious, and so perfectly childlike. It's really a testament to the child actor. He's so good that he makes you feel Max's pain and his hope and his utter and unabashed joy.

05. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer - I've been a fan of Gordon-Levitt's for, well, ever. He's FINALLY breaking into mainstream consciousness and I couldn't think of a better movie that the utterly unique (500) Days of Summer. Gordon-Levitt is perfect as Tom, the idealistic greeting card writer who yearns for true love with Summer, the girl who doesn't believe in love. He's hopeful and romantic, the ideal of a perfect boyfriend. Then he gets his heart ripped out and you feel his pain. He's also damn funny too. Great performance all around.

04. Tobey Maguire in Brothers - The most suprising thing about Brothers, for me, was Maguire's performance. I really didn't know he had this kind of intense, layered, totally passionate kind of performance in him. I knew he was a good actor but I really didn't realize how really, really good he could be.

03. Sharlto Copley in District 9 - Another surprise of the year. Not the fact that District 9 is one of the best movies, but the fact that Sharlto Copley, a complete unknown, is so good in the lead role. He doesn't waste time trying to get you to like him. In fact, he's not very likeable at all. I mean, he's actually kind of a jerk. Still, his performance is really remarkable. His character was so complex but never felt forced. It only ever felt sincere.

02. Matt Damon in The Informant! - Damon gained a ton of weight and put on a really terrible wig and managed to give one of the best performances of the year. His character in The Informant! is making lots of money every year but still decides to turn over evidence against his company to the police. He's naive enough to believe he'll be made the head of the company and he starts playing everyone against each other. His performance is so tricky and so utterly fun to watch that it almost makes you forget how boring the movie really is.

01. Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker - I've also loved Renner since I saw him in Dahmer and knew what an amazing actor he was and could be if he got the right roles. Well, guess what? This is the right role for him. As James, he's addicted to war and, really, the adrenaline that comes with defusing bombs for a living. He's fearless and reckless but yet cares about his teammates. There are certain scenes that are filled with so much tension and intensity and emotion and Renner is just perfection.

Tomorrow - Best (and worst) Films!

Top Ten List: Best Actress of 2009

10. Julia Roberts in Duplicity - Roberts is a charming sweetheart and she's got great chemistry with co-star Clive Owen. They play off each other so well and look like they are having so much fun as they double cross each other that it really sticks with the audience.

09. Maya Rudolph in Away We Go - The movie was a little heavy handed for me, but Rudolph proved she's more than just a funny girl from SNL. She can do drama too and her performance was most definitely the best thing about this movie.

08. Natalie Portman in Brothers - Portman is devastating as a young mother who seemingly loses her husband in Afghanistan and then finds herself mourning and falling for his brother. She plays the different facets of her character with such ease and subtlety.

07. Rachel Weisz in The Brothers Bloom - I will say this about Weisz in The Brothers Bloom - the girl knows how to make an entrance! And her entrance is probably the best of the year. As an eccentric millionaire who is so bored with her life that she collects hobbies (photography, break dancing, rapping, being a con artist, etc.), Weisz is so quirky and so much fun!

06. Gwyneth Paltrow in Two Lovers - It's been a while since Paltrow has really wowed me, but she does her. She's the girl of every man's dreams. She's perfect, she's beautiful, she's very nearly unattainable. She walks an emotional tightrope and, while she appears perfect and happy, is ready to fall apart at any given second. She's changing her mind constantly yet is so alluring you understand completely why Joaquin Phoenix falls so hard for her.

05. Zoe Saldana in Avatar - There's a debate going on at the Awards Daily website about whether or not Saldana should be included in the Best Actress race. I think she should. Her character is one of the most kick ass, fascinating female characters of the year. It doesn't matter if she's a nine foot tall blue alien on screen because she still exudes passion and emotion. Her performance is really ground breaking.

04. Gabourey Sidibe in Precious - Sidibe may be the find of the year. She stars as Precious, an illiterate Harlem teen who is pregant for the second time (her dad is the father). Her mom (Future Oscar Winner Mo' Nique) abuses her mentally and physically. Yet, she's funny. She's sweet. She's hopeful. She wants to live her life to the fullest. The film may be a real downer at times but it's also strangely uplifting.

03. Carey Mulligan in An Education - Or maybe Mulligan is the find of the year. She perfectly plays the complex role of a young girl who talks and acts like an adult (she's obsessed with Parisian culture and going to Oxford) but is still such a child in a lot of ways. Her performance is so, so good that you just can't wait to see what else she can do. Her performance is simply remarkable.

02. Abbie Cornish in Bright Star - Everything about this movie is so good and one of the best things is Cornish's performance. There were times during the film where I just kept thinking, "My God, she's brilliant!" And it's true. You really get a sense of the love between her Fanny and John Keats (Ben Whishaw). Not just swooning or anything but real deep love with pain and doubt and such strong emotion. It's simply a great performance.

01. Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia - Queen Meryl can do ANYTHING. That seems to include becoming Julia Child. Not just doing a pitch perfect impersonation, but really becoming her. She even managed to somehow grow ten inches. Meryl is funny and sincere and just perfect as always. She truly is the greatest living actress. Meryl can do no wrong.

Top Ten List: Best Supporting Actor 2009

10. Liev Schrieber in Taking Woodstock - Remember when I mentioned my Best Supporting Actor list was lacking at best? Well, here's the proof. Sure, Shrieber was a hoot as a 6'4"ish cross dressing security enforcer in Ang Lee's Woodstock opus. Best Supporting Actor though? Only in mediocre 2009.

09. Sam Worthington in Terminator Salvation - Then there's Worthington. I mean, he was great as half man / half machine Marcus Wright. Still, I'd argue that he's the lead. Worthington and Anton Yelchin's Kyle Reese are more stars of the film than Christian Bale's John Connor. Again, in a bad year for supporting men, Worthington makes my list. Bonus points for being SUPER hot.

08. Giovanni Ribisi in Avatar - I've liked Ribisi for so long that it's almost easy to forget how versitile he is. Whether playing truly creepy characters in movies like The Dead Girl and The Gift or playing Phoebe's dumb brother on Friends, Ribisi is always switching it up. In Avatar, he plays a slick and evil corporate type, ready to ruin a civilization in order to make a quick buck.

07. Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers - Gyllenhaal's role isn't nearly as showy as co-star Tobey Maguire's. I keep wanting to say the fact that he plays a bad boy is playing against type but he has played a lot of rebellious teens and troubled young men. Still, Gyllenhaal is charming as hell and manages to keep up with the great acting ensemble of Maguire and Natalie Portman.

06. Alfred Molina in An Education - Sure, this movie belongs to Carey Mulligan and her star making performance. But Molina is damn fine too. At the beginning, he's a strict father who doesn't even allow his 16 year old daughter to play music too loudly. But then, he's getting seduced by a smooth talking man just as easily as his impressionable daughter.

05. Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes - Chalk it up to the chemistry with Robert Downey Jr. or the fine dialogue. I wouldn't say I'm necessarily a fan of Jude Law's but I did quite like him in Sherlock Holmes. He's Dr. Watson, Holmes' much more sensible partner who still manages to be plenty witty and charming in his own right.

04. Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen - I hated the movie. In fact, I think the absolute one and only thing I liked about the movie was Jackie Earle Haley's performance as a morally righteous superhero. He's such a bad ass that he pities cell mates for being locked up in prison with him. I for one can't wait to see what he does with Freddy Krueger!

03. Paul Schneider in Bright Star - I've been a fan of Schneider's since the days of his collaborations with David Gordon Green. I'm glad he's finally found a role right for him. He is essentially the villain of the story, thinking Fanny Brawne a silly girl and trying to come between her love affair with John Keats. He plays the role with such heart that you're glad that when tragedy strikes, he becomes a source of strength.

02. Anthony Mackie in The Hurt Locker - Jeremy Renner may be getting most of the attention and, believe me, he deserves it. But, Mackie (who also played Tupac this year!) is just as deserving of praise. He's the level-headed, rational thinking soldier opposite Renner's reckless adrenaline junkie. A superb and subtle performance.

01. Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds - I can't think of another performance in recent memory that is so all over the place but so perfectly controlled. Waltz can make you laugh and then terrify you in the span of a few seconds. His Nazi is evil incarnate - suave, sophisticated, witty, clever, intelligent, and absolutely sadistic. His is the best kind of villain; someone you truly love to hate.

Tomorrow = Best Actress!

Top Ten List: Best Supporting Actress 2009

It's time for my annual top ten lists. First, however, I'd like to say that I thought 2009 was a pretty disappointing year for movies and that fact is proven by the very lacking top ten lists I have this year (especially my Best Supporting Actor list which is just a mess). Every day this week I will be counting down the ten best Supporting Actor and Actress, Lead Actor and Actress and, of course, Film. Keep in mind there are a number of films that I really wanted to see that I didn't get a chance to, including Nine, The Road, A Single Man, A Serious Man, Crazy Heart, etc. So, for now, here is the first list...

Best Supporting Actress 2009
10. Catherine Keener in Where the Wild Things Are - Keener is always spectacular and here she takes very limited screen time and creates a three-dimensional very real feeling mom to life.

09. Patricia Clarkson in Whatever Works - Whatever Works is hardly one of Woody Allen's best films. However, even when Woody isn't at his best, his films are usually better than most others. The best thing about Whatever Works is Clarkson's deliciously hilarious performance as a naive Southerner who is soon the toast of the New York Art scene and exploring her sexuality.

08. Rosamund Pike in An Education - Hilariously and decidedly un-academic, Pike plays the perfect foil for Carey Mulligan's Jenny. Her Fanny is just so ditzy and such a dumb blonde. In a movie with a very dark side, you can't help but smile when Pike is on the screen.

07. Sigourney Weaver in Avatar - Weaver's performance is just fantastic. It also proves that this technology that James Cameron all but invented really works since we get such a sense of her performance even when she's a nine foot tall blue alien. It's a testament to the film and Cameron that we can be so moved by a creature.

06. Paula Patton in Precious - Patton's performance in Precious may not be the best (more about that soon) but it may be my favorite of the film. Patton is so sweet and so kind and so heartwarming that her kindness melts your heart a little bit.

05. Monica Potter in The Last House on the Left - The Last House on the Left is one of the few films that has actually stuck with me from way back in February (or March or whenever it was released). At the beginning, Potter is cautious, loving and happy. By the end, her whole world has been ripped apart and she is both heartbroken and ready to exact revenge.

04. Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air - What most helps Farmiga's performance is that she and Clooney have some GREAT chemistry. She's able to go toe-to-toe with him and their chemistry reminds me of old-school movie chemistry. She's sexy and powerful and I'm glad she's finally found a role so worthy of her talents.

03. Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air - For as sexy and confident as Farmgia is in Up in the Air, Kendrick is the opposite. She's young and confused, recently out of college and struggling to define her life as an adult. She's got her life planned out like she thinks it should go - marriage, children. Yet her eyes are open to the fragility and intimacy of the people all around her. Her performance was perhaps the most surprising of the year.

02. Melanie Laurent in Inglourious Basterds - As a young Jewish refugee ready to exact revenge on the Nazi's who destroyed her family, Laurent is terribly impressive. The particular scene that always stands out to me is a scene at a restaurant between her and Christoph Waltz. She knows what he is capable of, yet is forced to make nice with him during dinner. It's a scene between the two best actors in the film and a scene where I don't think I let out a breath the entire time.

01. Mo' Nique in Precious - What else is there to say about the most ballsy, fearless, fierce, heartbreaking, terrifying, electrifying, moving, brilliant performance of the year? Hope she's practiced her acceptance speech.


Tomorrow - the very disappointing Best Supporting Actor list.