Just like I mentioned in the "worst of" list, I have not seen every movie this year. I've made a conscious effort to see almost everything that I found worthy, but I still need to view a couple more that may or may not make this list (such as "Avatar", "Moon", and "Until The Light Takes Us"). But I know I won't be seeing all these movies for awhile, so I decided to put together Death of the B-Movies best of 2009. I wasn't overwhelmed by anything this year like I had been in the past few years. Think "There Will Be Blood", "No Country For Old Men", etc. But I wouldn't call it the worst year for film. I think some of the blockbusters and B grade films have seen an improvement, while there was no overly amazing oscar winner. Here is the list...
Dark Horse Pick of 2009:
"Pandorum" starring Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid, and MMA fighter Cung Le
Although it didn't make the official list, I felt "Pandorum" deserved a spot. Due to absolutely no advertising and America's lack of interest in current science fiction, this film was a huge bomb. I'm not surprised, but even if the film isn't that great, I wish it would have been successful to encourage studios to do more big budget sci-fi movies that make you think. This film is not without its flaws, in fact it has quite a few. Some of the "Resident Evil"-esque scenes really blew some of the credibility for me. The plot is actually quite confusing, and I wasn't fond of all the performances. But I was entertained and intrigued the whole time. I also liked what I saw on the screen visually. This seems like the perfect example of a film that could have been amazing if it was given enough time and money, with no studio interference.
7) Public Enemies starring Depp, Bale, and THE MAN Don Frye!
Surprisingly, there was a lot of hate for this film. And while I think it was far from the perfect movie, I don't really understand the negative criticism. Maybe the historical drama genre is becoming played out, but I don't think this got the credit it deserved. It is just another solid example of good film making like many of it's historical crime drama counterparts in the past. I especially liked that Depp and Bale came back with decent performances after their lackluster roles in epic blockbusters like "Terminator: Salvation" and "Pirates of the Caribbean".
6) "The Hangover" starring a bunch of assholes who will be in everything from now on
Comedy in 2009, like every year, had it's ups and downs. I was let down by the hyped "I Love You, Man" and bored with the plain "Funny People", but "The Hangover" actually surpassed my expectations. I thought it was going to be flat out dumb, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying the majority of the movie. There are laughs for the movie going masses, but also unique touches that a jaded asshole like myself could appreciate. Zach Galifianakis steals the show, but there are a lot of good performances here. At this point, this film is the farthest thing from a secret. It is probably the break out movie of the year, but the B movie nation can appreciate what "The Hangover" is doing.
5) "District 9" starring slimy bugs
What can I say about this that isn't already known? Along with "The Hangover" this is probably the break out film of the year as well. A good mixture of action, science fiction, drama, and even some comedy. The CGI was actually well done for once. And although the final act turned into a somewhat formulaic action showdown, I was extremely entertained. I liked that there were no major Hollywood stars involved. On top of that I appreciated the main character for being realistic, and not your typical hero. At times you hate the worm of a man, and I am glad the film took that direction instead of the down and out hero rising to the top. This movie satisfies the movie going masses along with the sci-fi nerds, so for that "District 9" has the backing of Death of the B-movie.
4) "Anvil" a documentary starring the failed band Anvil
This is probably the most emotional film of 2009 for me. It wasn't sappy, it didn't have any dumb romance, it was a tale of broken men in one of the hardest industries to succeed in. They are obviously talented musicians but for a lot of small reasons, they just never seemed to make it. Their family and friends are pretty much fed up, but the core members of Anvil will never give up. Although technically not made in 2009, or released everywhere this year, Anvil got a theatrical push this year, so for that it makes it's way onto our list.
3) "Inglourious Basterds" starring Brad Pitt, BJ Novak, and Eli Roth
Another Nazi movie you say? You won't see me turning away from a Nazi picture, but luckily we have something different here. Although it writes it's own history, "Inglourious Basterds" is probably the most interesting and exciting approach to the Nazi subject. With most Tarantino pictures we have a great amount of brutal violence and a huge block of detailed dialogue. I feel this film mixes both the best, whereas some of his other films are just too much of one or the other. With me, sometimes Tarantino is hit or miss. "Inglourious Basterds" is definitely a hit, maybe his best hit in many years.
2) "The Hurt Locker" starring no one famous, with some famous people cameos
From the opening scene, this is the most intense movie of 2009. I think it is also safe to say that this is the best movie based on the current modern war, and I don't really see anything in the future topping it. I'm a big supporter of Kathryn Bigelow. With films like "Point Break", "Near Dark", and "Strange Days" she may be my favorite female director and "The Hurt Locker" not only solidifies that, but brings her up another notch in talent. It would be a shame if the Oscars ignored this film, especially in such a barren year for great films.
1) "Tyson" a documentary starring Mike Tyson
First off, I'd like to say this film breaks no new grounds. Most everyone in this day and age knows about Mike Tyson and knows about his hugely successful career, along with his epic downfall. Also documentaries like this have been done before. But the way this is done and the emotion that can be drawn from this film is amazing. You basically sit there and listen to Tyson talk with some stock footage and many old photographs. Boxing fans will salivate over this film, but honestly I believe anyone can find something great here. I especially liked the decent amount of footage about Mike Tyson's amateur career and original training before he hit the big spotlight. From the second I finished watching this movie, I knew I'd have a hard time finding another favorite of the year. Don't be an idiot and watch this film.
There it is, now I'm off to go see "Avatar" and hopefully not kicking myself for not including it on the list.
"The Stuff" was no doubt a classic of my childhood. I somewhat forgot about it over the years but awhile back I was going through the local 50 cent VHS and lone behold there was a copy. How could I pass it up? First the good news: The film is not your basic schlock horror. My memory only had me remembering the gross out parts, but there is actually a message under it all. The film is definitely a commentary on American consumerism and the ideals of just blindly buying into what we are told. Now the bad: the acting is almost unbearable at points. Some of the actors are Ok, but even for a bad movie, it is really bad. The special effects are decent and cool to look at, especially for an extremely low budget movie in the 80s. "The Stuff" can be viewed as your basic cheesy 80's movie, but I believe it has it's own identity. This film never takes itself seriously, which is good to an extent. For fans of "The Blob" and ice cream.
7)" X-Men Origins: Wolverine" starring Hugh Jackman on steroids
