Heat Vision's top movies of 2009

No fanfare, just a list of the best movies of 2009 (and a big thanks to Karen Nicoletti for the drawings!):

(1) Up:
Every time I sit down to watch a Pixar movie, I worry that this is it, that this is the one that ruins the streak. Luckily for filmgoers, "Up" doesn't. From the emotional opening to the more subdued bonding between septuagenarian Carl Fredricksen and Russell the Wilderness Explorer, from the great setups and their subsequent payoffs to the thrilling set-pieces that are better than most action movies', this is one of Pixar's best and most mature offerings.

 

(1) (tie) Up in the Air:
Jason Reitman takes a leap up every time he steps behind the director's chair, and this movie is his best yet. A perfect blend of writing, acting and timeliness give the movie a resonance on several levels; it speaks about the need for bonds between ourselves, it makes us wonder if Hollywood's biggest playboy ever reflects on his own lifestyle, and it puts on the screen the real human cost of getting laid off (a lot of top execs might not like this movie because it doesn't make them feel good).

(3) Star Trek:
J.J. Abrams and writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci had the odds, and fans, against them as they tried to restart the beloved franchise. They succeeded way more than they should have by giving it a dose of good old "Star Wars." The movie was everything that a "Star Wars" (original series) fan wished "Star Trek" could be: fun and exciting. And on rewatching it (in Blu-ray this thing sizzles eyeballs), even the shaky time travel device works better now that you know what to expect. (But can we avoid it in the sequel, please?)

(4) Inglourious Basterds:
Watch Quentin Tarantino’s reimagining of how World War II really ended a second time and relish the performances. And I don't just mean the great Christoph Waltz as one of the best villains of the decade. Everyone delivers -- from Diane Kruger and Melanie Laurent to Michael Fassbender (who wanted more of Lt. Archie Hicox?) and Til Schweiger (his simmering in the bar is actually hilarious). The movie careens from cinematic brilliance to typical Tarantino over-indulgence, and the over-the-top ending remains frustrating yet maybe on point at the same time, but you can't leave the theater and not be impressed by how this man constructs a scene. (But can someone explain to me what the out-of-the-blue close-ups of the whipped cream are supposed to mean?)

(5) Where the Wild Things Are:
Very few films showcase how real kids act: happy and sad, sweet and demonic, all in the span of a 60-second pendulum swing. Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's book captures that behavior and throws in a real child's dreams and aspirations to create something truly moving. I don't know how people can complain that not much happens in this movie. It's a meditation on what it means to be a family, and it shows us how hard it is to grow up into adulthood and how many adults aren't that grown up anyway. It's the best running-away-from-home movie ever made. I can't believe a major studio made a $90 million art film.

(6) Avatar:
This is why we go to the movies. It's a transportive experience. Once and for all James Cameron wiped away any doubts about watching the CGI elements blend with live action. (Look how the TV spots undersell what you see in the theater.) And you can't ask, "Does the movie work as a movie without the 3D?" because it's like asking whether a movie works as well without music. 3D is the point with this epic.

(7) District 9:
There was a level of hype about this movie from certain corners (the EW cover, the great word-of-mouth Comic-Con screenings, the sleeper status seemingly bestowed on it before it even came out) that made it feel like if you didn't like it, you'd be out of the loop. Well, even with that, the movie proved to be a fresh-feeling treat to watch. It comes not from the almost obvious/wish-I-had-thought-of-it setting (segregated aliens living in shantytown in South Africa) but from Sharlto Copley's complex bigot who learns a few lessons in racism coupled with the rooting for the powerless to stand up against oppression. The coolness of the robot suits and aliens doesn't hurt either. 

(8) Fantastic Mr. Fox:
Can you believe this movie -- a Wes Anderson movie, a stop-motion Wes Anderson movie, for crying out loud -- was made by Fox? The movie is whip smart, pummeling you with jokes both verbal and visual at you so fast it makes your head spin. I probably laughed out more during this adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's book than any live-action comedy this year.

(9) (500) Days of Summer:
One of the best-written movies of the year, realistically capturing the rise and fall of a relationship between a couple played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, and delivered in the way we remember them, in out-of-time fragments. A (sort of) romantic comedy delivered "Memento"-style.

(10) Micmacs:
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's return to whimsy is more than welcome and a great showcase for Dany Boon, one of the great physical actors in the world, as a man whose life has been destroyed by bullets and assembles as team of freaks to take down the weapons manufacturers. The film doesn't quite work as well as you want it to in the end, but it's one of the most inventive of the year.

Disclaimer: "The Hurt Locker," one heck of a fine movie, would have been on my list, but it was on my "best of" list for 2008 because I saw it at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.   

Comments

[2010 winter olympics]

I actually like The Loop....I have really enjoyed to browse all the movies of heat vision's top movies and hope for same in new year.Thanks and have enjoy the new year.....

[Ivan]

'Sin Nombre' was worthy of inclusion on Top Ten lists but unfortunately is being forgotten. Cheers.

[luxury villa bali]

I had seen almost all the movies of heat vision. All of them are excellent and I always enjoy watching the movies of heat vision.

[links of london Silver Chain]

had seen almost all the movies of heat vision. All of them are excellent and I always enjoy watching the movies of heat vision