Top 25 Films of the Year, Part I

I plan to post one of these a day, this post is Nos. 25-21, the next post will be Nos. 20-11, and the final post will be Nos. 10-1.

So, without further ado..

The Top 25 Films of 2009:



#25. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Dir. Phil Lord & Chris Miller)

One of the most fun, inventive films of the year. This movie is at least partially responsible for my almost-irrational hatred of Monster Vs. Aliens, as that film had to live up to the lofty standard set by THIS film due to my peculiar viewing habits and the whims of fate, and that film simply could never compare to this. Here, the star voices are obscured, the humor is inherent and integral to both the characters, the story, AND the themes - and above all else, this is also an excellent disaster movie! In a year when we may have been given what is, by any objective measure, the ULTIMATE disaster movie with Roland Emmerich's 2012, we also received what may, by any objective measure, be considered the BEST disaster movie.

In addition to its many charms already enumerated, this is also one of the funniest films of the year. It has a gleefully-deranged sense of humor that, particularly in several moments towards the end, almost verges on horrific (hint: chickens are involved). The source material, a beloved children's book, is really only used for its bare bones, the bulk of the plot and characters being crafted by the screenwriters, who also directed the film. Coming off of their work on CBS' How I Met Your Mother, and their animated series for MTV, Clone High, I think it's safe to say that Phil Lord & Chris Miller were an absolutely inspired choice for this material.

This film is an absolute treasure, and I'm fairly certain I love everything about it.



#24. Two Lovers (Dir. James Gray)

This is, without a doubt, a much stranger movie than I anticipated going in. First of all, you've got Joaquin Phoenix (in what is allegedly his final performance) playing a mentally unstable man-child of sorts who's recently gotten out of a long-term relationship, and moved back in with his parents. Then you have Vinessa Shaw (of Ladybugs and Hocus Pocus fame) playing one of his love interests - the daughter of a man looking to buy his father's business - and you have Gwyneth Paltrow playing a party girl who's clearly in need of some kind of new direction in her life.

What follows once these pieces are in play is never quite as maddening as it seems it should be, given how frequently Phoenix's character acts in ways that are almost indefensibly shallow and short-sighted. Yet we root for him because of Phoenix's understated performance. We root for him because - as evidenced by a strangely appropriate breakdancing scene early in the film - this is nothing more than a romantic fantasy. Its ending feels earned, and true to its characters, and the tone of the piece walks a tightrope between light-hearted and dour in a way that few other films attempt. Even fewer are the films that have captured the grief felt over the premature death of a relationship as well as this film does. It's Gray's surprisingly keen sense of character and place that, in the end, make this film the small wonder that it is.

Gray's We Own the Night (2007) was a film I found underwhelming overall, with flashes of brilliance in several key sequences. Two Lovers is a complete work, it is of a piece, and it is gorgeous in its simplicity.


#23. Drag Me To Hell (Dir. Sam Raimi)

For those wondering where this film was in the write-up on this year's noteworthy crop of horror films, it was right here the whole time! There are very few things I don't love about this movie. I love its abrupt but wholly appropriate ending. I love the glee this film takes in its cartoonish violence, and I love that Raimi's given us a protagonist that is very far from the perfect person she presents herself as. This is, at its heart, a morality tale - and oh, the glee that Raimi takes in pulling the rug out from under Alison Lohman's character, time and time again.

As fun as Evil Dead II, and even more refreshing in its own way - coming as it does on the heels of Raimi's mega-budget Spiderman trilogy, and before he returns to the franchise next year. This film lets the cooped-up, balls-out horror-comedy maestro flex his considerable muscle in the genre, and is an even more rewarding experience upon further viewings. I believe Patton Oswalt said in an interview for AV Club that people were even comparing this to Roman Polanski's Repulsion, of all things. I mean, that can't be right, can it? Maybe I should...just watch this again...

(Hint: This is one of the most eminently watchable films of the year, as well.)



#22. The Informant! (Dir. Steven Soderbergh)

Ah, Soderbergh. If there's any filmmaker I want to be, it would have to be you. On the heels of this year's micro-indie, The Girlfriend Experience (a film that's not too shabby itself), you rounded out your absurdly productive decade with one of your finest achievements to date. This film was sold as a straight-up comedy, but don't let that deceive you. Soderbergh's crafted a very subtle, surprisingly heartfelt version of a story that really is almost too surreal to be true. In that way, this film is similar to this year's Men Who Stare At Goats. Only this film remembers to take the time to, you know, create engaging characters and tell its story in a way that consistently keeps its audience guessing and interested, and doesn't feel like a guy describing it to you after too many beers and a full, four-course meal at your local Melting Pot restaurant.

Enough good things simply cannot be said about Matt Damon's performance here. It's easily his finest to date, and will shamefully be overlooked this awards season in favor of a handful of legitimately more impressive performances as well as a couple of clunkers whose films are, quite simply, being pushed harder for awards consideration by their studios. Additionally, this film is filled, top to bottom, with great performances, wonderful little cameos by a handful of your favorite comedians (Paul F. Tompkins, Patton Oswalt) and character actors (Scott Freaking Bakula, Tony Hale, Joel McHale). This film is an absolute smorgasbord of talent assembled to craft a wildly entertaining, frequently hilarious, and unexpectedly touching whistle-blowing thriller.

This film honestly cannot come out on DVD soon enough, as it seems like it was simply here-and-gone in theaters, and could have used a sooner DVD release date to help boost its chances during awards season. Soderbergh, I think I love you.


#21. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Dir. Werner Herzog)

The mere fact that this film exists is a Stone. Cold. Miracle. That Nicolas Cage was reminded he had to pay taxes just in time for this script to cross his agent's desk. That Werner Herzog decided to undertake some sort of genre exercise and found the prospect of shooting in a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans irresistible. That somebody, somewhere, had never before thought to utilize an iguana-cam shot in a film before. That, in this perverse alternate reality in which we must be living, the title Bad Lieutenant is actually supposed to encourage MORE people to see a film, and is somehow deemed wise from a business perspective.

This film is pure, unadulterated, joy (tempered with madness) on celluloid. The gods may not smile often upon we mere mortals, but the moment this film was greenlit, they were fucking BEAMING. Cage gives a crazy performance that is absolutely riveting from start-to-finish in a way he hasn't achieved since his Wicker Man remake. Herzog assembles an excellent ensemble cast - everyone from Brad Dourif to Val Kilmer to freaking Xzibit (you know, the rapper from that one Limp Bizkit song?), and never looks back. Iguana-cam. Iguana-cam! Are you kidding me? Fairuza Balk is sexier than Eva Mendes in this movie. Seriously. Down is up, people. If Cage and Herzog never meet again, it is surely only because they know such a pairing can only be cheapened through repetition.

That we live in a world crazy enough for this film to happen is not simply the reason I sleep soundly at night, it's the reason I dream.

** End of Part One **

Coming up in Part Two: An actual, honest-to-goodness documentary! People hurting each other in great detail! Big blue sexy cats! Evil monochromatic schoolchildren! A shout-out to John Cena! Furry party! Profound and possibly divinely-inspired nonsense! And more people hurting each other in great detail (some would say gratuitous)!

Same bat-time, same bat-place. I guess.

- Andrew Ford

The Top 25 Films of 2009: Honorable Mentions

Too Many Honorable Mentions:

Either I just saw too many movies this year, or this happened to be a particularly good year for film in general, but I'm quite literally going down my list from 26-50 to cull the honorable mentions. Last year, I composed a Top 15 because I just couldn't leave off a small handful of interesting, refreshing little films like Happy-Go-Lucky and...um, Ex-Drummer, but the breadth of genre cinema released this year was like manna from heaven. Last year's list was populated by a lot of smaller films, and what I've noticed this year is that mainstream films, more often than not, lived up to the hype. Last year, this was true of The Dark Knight and Wall-E. This year, I've got FOUR films in my top TEN that made at least $100 million at the box office. And this year, I've committed to finalizing a Top 25 list due to the fine crop of releases I've managed to see.

I'd be remiss in heralding the genuinely inventive genre offerings near the top of my list if I didn't provide an all-encompassing view of some of the more intriguing, lesser-known genre offerings of the year as well.

And let's just say, if you're surprised something isn't considered in one of these sub-categories...it's probably in the Top 25.

The Year in Horror

I LOVE horror films. They are the one genre of film I am, perversely, always in the mood to watch. That's right, moreso even than French cinema. Last year, we had a handful of solid, low-budget efforts such as Splinter, and the UK Miniseries, Dead Set (fast zombies and all).

Here's this year's crop:


Trick 'r Treat (Dir. Michael Dougherty)

Hands-down, the film on this list I'm most sore about leaving off of my Top 25, Dougherty adopts a Pulp Fiction-style approach to the anthology horror film (which, come to think of it, is more of a Black Sabbath approach, but I digress), and it works absolute wonders. Filled with pitch-black humor - and boasting one of the most instantly-iconic creations to hit the screen this year in 'Sam' - the film is only bogged down by its final segment, which drags a bit, and by a somewhat anticlimactic reveal of just what's under that brown sack. In spite of these faults, I can't help but whole-heartedly recommend this film, one of the Class of 2007 that was delayed ad infinitum and finally saw the light of day this year. Its delayed release is the most perplexing to me, because this is the kind of fun little horror film that could have killed the Saw series had it reached theaters. But then again, that happened anyway, I suppose.


Pontypool (Dir. Bruce McDonald)

A sleeper of a film, released to Video-On-Demand by IFC and slated to hit DVD on January 26th, I'm not really surprised more people didn't hear about this film, because its release was about as miniscule as they come. However, the film takes a very inventive concept (a zombie infection that spreads through speech and language), and an excellent setting to craft a throwback of sorts to something like The Twilight Zone. For fans of Rod Serling's most famous creation, the films of Val Lewton, or zombie films in general, this is the year's alternative to Zombieland. This is a film that relies on ideas rather than stunt cameos for its success, and I can't recommend this enough.

Other noteworthy horror films:

Paranormal Activity - not an unqualified success as a stand-alone film, but for what it stands for: the rise of marketing dollars behind micro-budget films that rely on imagination and creativity; the death of the Saw film series - this film is absolutely remarkable.

House of the Devil - Its ending is absolutely maddening to me (not the idea of it, merely the execution), but the first hour-plus of the film, before Ti West pulls the rug out from under his heroine, is an absolute marvel of throwback craft and old-fashioned, John Carpenter-esque, suspense that absolutely NAILS the execution.

I can't really throw a lot of support towards many of the horror films lower on my list, but I will say that a little French film named Martyrs left me shaken, a little film called A Perfect Getaway surprised me a good bit, and one of the handful of Ghost House Pictures, The Children, proved to be remarkably inventive (and not quite a remake of the original, as I had guessed). Oh, and there might be a couple in my Top 25, depending on how one defines 'horror.'

The Year In Sci-Fi

The first thing I did when the clock struck 11:00 (CST) last night was to pop in my Blu-Ray of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's an understatement to say that the visuals are bold and breathtaking, and that the sound design is arguably the finest ever crafted, but what really struck me about the film watching it again were its absolutely massive IDEAS. That's one trait a lot of science fiction films this year shared - and even as a function of their minuscule budgets, it's the explorations of those big ideas that made the following films (and the ones in my Top 25) stand out.


Sleep Dealer (Dir. Alex Rivera)

Here is a film that was made for about as close to no-budget as you can get, and yet the effects that are there are cheap, but not distracting, and the ideas within the story are so intoxicating that it's impossible not to get caught up in this eerily-plausible future vision. There is a scene, early on, when the lead first 'plugs in' to operate a robot working on a building in San Diego, that the film just totally puts you there, and you share this strangely beautiful moment of discovery with the character. That's not just a great sci-fi moment, that's great filmmaking. Rivera is, hands-down, one of the most promising young filmmakers out there right now, and this film has been almost criminally overlooked. It's cheap on Amazon, where it's available on DVD and on Blu-Ray, and it's on Netflix as well. If you're a fan of sci-fi at all, I highly recommend you check it out.

Terminator: Salvation - here is a film that clearly aspired to a higher level of blockbuster filmmaking, but just because it failed at that doesn't mean it's not a wildly inventive, exceedingly well-produced example of B-movie entertainment at its finest, glossiest extreme. Lowered expectations work wonders for this film, and many of the action sequences are absolutely jaw-dropping.

Gamer - although, if anything, this film proves how polarizing Neveldine/Taylor can be, it's also propelled along with their specific, kinetic style of filmmaking in a way that absolutely saves their lackluster script, and elevates the film to the glorious B-movie stature it strives so earnestly to attain. Bonus points for Lloyd Kaufman's second cameo in one of their films this year.

Visioneers - this is a strange, absurdist dark comedy...kind of (?) film that...well, it's definitely worth checking out, for fans of Zack Galifianakis and for fans of...just strange films in-general. This film doesn't try to meet you halfway with its surreal, dystopian satire of modern middle-class living...although in a strange way it seems wrong to call it satire. One of the most inventive, under-the-rader films of the year. And it's available on Netflix Watch Instantly. So what have you got to lose?

Other, Non-Genre Specific Honorable Mentions


Sugar (Dir. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck)

An absolutely wonderful, deceptively-simple little film about the only sport I love (baseball), executed with all due nuance by two extremely talented filmmakers whose previous film, Half Nelson, I absolutely LOVE (like, Best of the Decade Top 50 Love, folks). So really, the question isn't what was so great about this film, but rather where did it fall short, by my estimation? The sad fact is that I was only able to see this film once, and I'm certain a second viewing would only serve to raise its stature in my eyes. I felt there were some shifts towards the end the first time through that affected the pacing at the time, but in-general that's the kind of problem that I've found tends to fade upon further viewings. The AFI named it one of their 10 best of the year, and I'm fully behind that. Right now, for me, it's stuck at #26 on the pile.


An Education (Dir. Lone Scherfig)

This is the most recently-viewed film on my entire list, and in defense of its low position, I can only say that I weeded-out my Top 25 based on personal preference (although I guess that's kind of...the nature of it all, no?), and as well-executed as this film is (and believe me, it is an absolute joy to watch), at the end of the day, it's just not subject matter I'm inherently drawn to, and not something I feel I'm likely to watch multiple times - to examine its craft, or to lose myself in the world of its story. If a film's subject matter isn't a story I find inherently interesting, I'm often more bowled-over when a filmmaker overcomes my initial reticence to the topic with their technique or with a remarkably well-constructed script. At the end of the day, this is a film that is filled with excellent performances (particularly, it must be said, Carey Mulligan), that is paced to within an inch of its life, and that actually does boast an extremely clever, knowing script from novelist Nick Hornby, but...it doesn't quite get there for me. Although I have to recommend it as highly as any others on this list. It would be much higher on this list, had this been last year, or many other years, really, but there are a handful of films I absolutely couldn't budge - hence this MASSIVE Honorable Mentions post, and hence my defense of many of these films' placements.


World's Greatest Dad (Dir. Bobcat Goldthwait)

Much as I've wrestled with each film thus far mentioned as being left off of my list, this film's exclusion was particularly difficult, because this film conjures that fuzziest of emotions in me: pure, unadulterated, love and adoration. In this most pitch-black of comedies, Bobcat Goldthwait crafts a satire that is biting (if at times a bit clumsy), and Robin Williams gives the kind of wonderful performance that actually forgives a film like Old Dogs. This is a film whose themes are completely unusual, and refreshingly unconcerned with any kind of politically correct approach to such a sensitive issue...
And yet, I just can't reveal anything about it. This film is such a small miracle that to reveal its secrets would be tantamount to blasphemy. If you love dark comedies, if you can forgive the few minor missteps of an earnest film with something to say, and if you can find it your heart to give Robin Williams another chance after his myriad transgressions, I implore you - whoever is reading this - to seek this film out.


The Brothers Bloom (Dir. Rian Johnson)

I love Brick. I love everything about Brick, and I've found Rian Johnson's appearances on the Slashfilmcast nothing short of endearing, and yet I have my fair share of issues with this, his sophomore effort. It is impeccably well-directed, and the script is remarkably complex, layered with symbol and metaphor - much like the cons of the film's titular brothers - and yet, there's some small spark missing from the execution. Something felt off from the very beginning, with its Ricky Jay-narrated prologue (executed to much better effect in P.T. Anderson's Magnolia), and then it never quite manages to live up to my admittedly-lofty expectations for it. The still I've chosen is from one of the most carefully-composed shots from the film, in which Weisz is reflected in that mirror as she performs an extremely complex card trick, which she learned for the shot - and I suppose part of it could be that kind of formalistic excess (although I typically am a sucker for such formalistic excesses, and at least one of the films in my Top 25 is nothing more or less than a formalistic excess), and part of it could simply be that Johnson sounds an off note right at the start of the film and never quite recovers. Of all the films on this list, I feel a second viewing is most essential to cement my feelings for THIS film in particular.


Watchmen: Theatrical, Director's, & Ultimate Cuts (Director: Zack Snyder)

And here I end my Honorable Mentions with one of the most divisive films of the year. I've seen this film multiple times now. I saw it in theaters twice. I saw the Director's Cut when it came out. At this point, I've finished the Ultimate Cut as well - although I'd already seen both the now-incorporated Tales of the Black Freighter AND the documentary inspired by Hollis Mason's memoir, Under the Hood, which couldn't have really been incorporated into some longer cut, but stands apart as a very interesting curio, that still leaves me wanting more McHattie in the final cut of the film (McHattie's making a strong showing on this Honorable Mentions list with 2 mentions, and possibly a 3rd in the Top 25, if anyone can spot it).

I've sweated blood over this movie. Snyder is one of the most maddening filmmakers working right now - almost infuriatingly talented (or is he?), and able to make the kind of big-budget studio films most filmmakers would absolutely KILL for the opportunity to make, he was given about as much leeway as could have been fiscally defensible by Warner Bros. to make one of the most anticipated films of all-time, and in the end, he makes a film that is equal parts idiotic/misplaced excess, stubborn devotion to the text, and bracing, fractious brilliance (the scene when Dr. Manhattan arrives on Mars is one that never fails to send chills down my spine). Is this fated to be one of the most notorious missed opportunities ever, or is this simply the closest we'll ever be allowed to get to Brian De Palma's Watchmen (dig the relentless formalism, the excessive violence, and the curious emotional detachment from the story)?

The answers to this film's myriad issues are left unanswered by the unprecedented multiple cuts released in such rapid succession, and - in the end - we just have to settle for a film that frequently flirts with brilliance, before Malin Akerman shows up again, or before Snyder proves how surprisingly clueless he's become regarding soundtrack choices (oddly, one of the strengths of his Dawn of the Dead remake), or before the excessive-violence-as-satire simply becomes excessive violence for the sake of excessive violence...

There's arguably only one film this year that elicited this strong a reaction from me, and it's in my Top 25. So, I suppose there's something to be said for that.

The Final Few Honorable Mentions

The Cove - A bracing, unflinching look at an abhorrent situation, and a bold attempt to bring back Save the Whales. Although somehow, now I fear dolphins.

Coraline - One of those 'any-other-year-this-would-be-near-the-top' snubs that's impeccably crafted and as terrifying as any horror movie released this year.

Humpday - 'mumblecore' that manages to transcend its oft-insufferable origins through use of an intriguing premise and a pair of remarkable performances.

You, the Living - Somehow, less-assured than his masterpiece, Songs from the Second Floor, Roy Andersson's film is still frequently hilarious and oddly touching. And very dark.

The Road - A unique-but-muddled film that adds up to the sum of its parts, and nothing more. Not that that's a bad thing, necessarily. When the parts are as haunting and grimly gorgeous as they are here.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil! - Touching, heartwarming, and deserves bonus points for being the rare documentary to actually have an impact (Anvil's career is looking brighter than ever)

The Hangover - Sure, it's only as good as it is because of Zack Galifianakis. but it's a $300-million-dollar success starring Galifianakis as well (which is an absolute good thing). And it is, once it gets going, absolutely hilarious.

The Carter - a fascinating portrait of Lil Wayne, one of the strangest popular artists in recent memory. Yes, including Lady Gaga. Honestly, I don't find her that strange.

The Square - Yep, the one Harry Knowles went ape over. It's very good, and I could see future viewings improving it considerably, but right now it has to settle for being a surprisingly well-executed neo-noir, and an honorable mention.

Sherlock Holmes - A whole lot of fun, even if it's ultimately a touch inconsequential.

Goodbye Solo - Ramin Bahrani's previous effort, the incredible Chop Shop, proved a tough act to follow, but this is still one of the warmest, most engrossing works of the year.

Funny People - WAY too long, but frequently hilarious and ultimately a bit touching. Has all of the strengths of Apatow's earlier films, plus a few new weaknesses - and his growth as a filmmaker is evident.

Bronson - This film is entirely about the performance, and Tom Hardy's performance is LEGEND. I look forward to checking this out on Blu-Ray in the near future.

Ponyo - Miyazaki's latest skews a touch younger than some of his other works, but there's no denying his unparalleled ability to conjure such childlike whimsy and wonder out of thin air. Cements his status as a master, but amongst such a strong crop of animated films this year it unfortunately got a bit lost in the shuffle.

Knowing - One of the strangest, most perplexing studio efforts of recent memory. A film that's not afraid to ask enormous questions only to provide answers that equate angels with UFOs, and present us with a fiery vision of the end of the the world. And it's Nicolas Cage. This Year-End round-up hasn't seen the last of him.

So, um...there you have it. Keep an eye out for My Top 25 list, arriving in the near future. And Happy New Year, everyone!

- Andrew Ford