2009 in Film

What is it about years that end in nines? 1989, 1999 and now 2009 were all amazing years for cinema. Of course, Avatar dominated cinemas, and it was an incredible movie going experience. Who knows if it will translate into a lasting success outside of the big screen and in two dimensions? That is not the only reason it is not number one on my list, though. There were several other stories that were even more compelling.
This year, thanks to a lot of festivals having an online presence and to iTunes, I have been able to see a lot more short-format films. That would not usually impact the list of top films. Most shorts range from 3 star-fair down to terrible, but this year saw the return of Nick Park to cinemas! Actually, four of the animated shorts nominated for Oscars are quite good, and the two live action shorts I have managed to see (“Instead of Abracadabra” and “Miracle Fish”) are also great.

(Updated)

Top 10 Personal Movies of 2009
1. Up
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
3. Coraline
4. Sherlock Holmes
5. Das Weisse Band
6. A Matter of Loaf and Death
7. Up In the Air
8. Inglorious Basterds
9. Star Trek
10. Avatar

Bottom Personal Movies of 2009
1. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (The 1st 10 minutes made me quit.)
2. Blood: The Last Vampire
3. Watchmen
4. Angels and Demons
5. Public Enemies

Top Movies I still Want to See
1. Knowing (Seen)
2. Moon
3. Where the Wild Things Are (Seen)
4. The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Seen)
5. An Education
Oh, and 6. A Serious Man (the Coen's take on Job)