Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Top 10 of 2009

I am a movie lover (all kinds as you will see from this list) and find few things more pleasurable than spending all day in a darkened movie theater (minds out of the gutters, please). Below is a list of the 10 best films of 2009, in my ever so humble opinion. These are films that were released in Rochester between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 2009. Therefore, some films such as Crazy Heart, Broken Embraces and A Single Man are not on this list because they were not showing. There is no particular order for this list. Enjoy!


Taking Woodstock-Ang Lee's comedy-drama about the small town of Bethel, New York, and what happens when one town council member gets it in his head to have the biggest concert ever right in the town's backyard. Based on Elliot Tiber's and Tom Monte's memoir.

The Cove-Renowned dolphin trainer and activist Ric O'Barry details his trials in trying to stop the killing of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The film also boasts a "cameo" by Hayden Panittiere.

Carriers-Brothers Alex & David Pastor directed this suspenseful thriller about a viral pandemic and the two brothers and their girlfriends who are trying to make it to the coast and not get infected along the way.

Food, Inc.-Just exactly what are we eating? What are the living conditions of the animals that eventually become the food we buy at the grocery store? This dramatic and shocking documentary should have you rethinking how you shop for your food.

The Hangover-What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas but only if you can remember the night before. The four characters in this film have a hell of a time trying to put the pieces together of a bachelor party that they've already forgotten. The tiger, the satchel, the chicken, the missing tooth and just who's baby is that. This film is one of the most uproarious of the year.

Sherlock Holmes-Robert Downey, Jr & Jude Law make a great team in this comedy-drama that paints the famed detective as an incorrigible lush (probably the only criticism I have with this film) but Downey, Jr. pulls it off. And that Rachel McAdams looks lovelier than ever.

Avatar-James Cameron's vivid, exciting and way overpriced sci-fi film hits all the timely themes in what I am hoping wins the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The Informant!-Matt Damon stars in this dark comedy based on real events. Damon plays a whistleblower who blurs the line between fact and fiction and then butchers it as he piles story after story in his attempt at notoriety.

The Hurt Locker-Hopefully this war thriller will make the long list of Best Picture nominees. Shot in the Middle East, it follows a group of men who defuse bombs and the tension that mounts as a result of the harrowing job.

Zombieland-A ragtag group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse come together and fight to stay alive in this comedy which features one of the best (if not the best) cameos of the year.

Hope to see you at the movies in 2010!

peace,

paul