Making lists like these is always tricky, for a variety of reasons, but mainly because even as a film critic I don’t always get to see EVERY movie that comes out in the span of a year.  Inevitably I miss something, and sometimes a BIG something, though I try to catch as many films as possible, and hopefully mention the ones most deserving.  I also realize that my taste in movies isn’t necessarily going to match everyone else, though that should be expected.  This said, I’ve put together a list of what I consider to be the 10 best and 10 worst movies of 2009 – and even a few honorable mentions.  I also try to quantify my reasons as best I can.  Keep in mind, if there’s a film missing from the list, it’s entirely possible I didn’t see it, so don’t yell at me until you know that for sure.  I also want to note that making movies is a very long and difficult process, and I respect the filmmakers for their efforts, regardless of what the end result may be.  I’ve been a film critic since 1994, writing reviews for both print and web, as well as reviewing movies for terrestrial radio.  Despite my lengthy career in this, I still consider myself more of an enthusiast than an expert.  My buddy Thomas Jane, who is a seasoned and successful actor, once said something to me that I thought was very profound – “All movies are failures based on what they started out to be… the question is how much of a failure they are.”

TOP 10 BEST MOVIES OF 2009 according to Bigfanboy.com

AVATAR – James Cameron took 12 years off from Hollywood moviemaking, providing us only with a few documentary-style flicks to whet our appetite after his Oscar-winning TITANIC in 1997.  In 2009 he delivered AVATAR to us, in 3-D no less, and showed us all that he still has the magic touch after all these years.  Granted, the story is nothing new by any means, but the overall presentation is really something to behold.  Cameron has raised the bar to an amazing level, and one that even he may find it hard to surpass.  This is one of those movies that simply must be seen… no, experienced.  Outside of a familiar plot and lengthy running time, AVATAR is one of the coolest films to hit theaters in quite a while.

WATCHMEN – Director Zack Snyder took on what is easily the best comic book story ever written, and incidentally the most complicated.  WATCHMEN isn’t just an exercise in complex characterization, it’s a way to educate uninitiated audiences to the world of comic book storytelling, breaking down the ideals of superhero origins, and exploring what would become of these heroes after a lengthy passage of time.  This story has been waiting to hit big screens since the mid-eighties, even once in the hands of Terry Gilliam.  It’s by no means a perfect movie, but is definitely a stunning achievement, and may just be (if not the best) one of the most important comic book movies ever made.

STAR TREK – J.J. Abrams took a dying sci-fi franchise and breathed new life into it.  And how?  By taking it back to the beginning.  We never saw how Kirk and Spock first made it aboard the Starship Enterprise, and Abrams shows us just that.  But through a clever plot device, he’s allowed himself to do things however he feels they should be done, giving us the classic characters we all know, but in storylines we’ve never seen before.  He took a franchise he had nothing to do with, and did what even George Lucas wasn’t able to accomplish with STAR WARS – make it better than ever.

UP – Hey, it’s Pixar, so of course it’s going to be good.  But UP has so much going for it beyond being a great kid’s film.  The motivations behind our elderly hero Carl hit home for just about any adult, and make this movie one with tremendous heart.  UP brings out the child in all of us, and appeals to the adult in us at the same time.  It may not be my favorite Pixar movie, but it’s close.

BIG FAN – I’ve always been a fan of Patton Oswalt, but who knew they guy could turn in an Oscar-worthy performance in a dramatic role?  BIG FAN is a fascinating look into the mid of hardcore sports fans, and gritty and realistic example of how hobbies can overtake our lives.  But more importantly, it’s an on-screen exhibition of a truly great comedian proving to everyone he can be so much more than what we know him for.

MOON – Duncan Jones has crafted a one man character study in which Sam Rockwell reminds us just how good he can be.  Playing multiple roles is never easy, but doing it with flawless and convincing execution is something to behold here, as I frequently forgot I was watching the same actor occupying multiple spots in the same frame.  MOON is classic sci-fi, and forward-thinking imagination, and it’s one of the most impressive feats to come out of independent cinema this year.  I can only imagine what Jones could produce with a Michael Bay sized budget.

THE HURT LOCKER – Kathryn Bigelow was always a favorite director of mine, but never for the right reasons.  I used to think of her as a flashy eye for gritty Hollywood fare.  Her previous films like NEAR DARK, BLUE STEEL, and POINT BREAK were fun to watch, but never to be taken seriously.  With THE HURT LOCKER, she has taken very serious subject matter, real world scenarios, and woven a strong and effective piece of cinema.  It’s an exciting film, a moving story, and an impressive character study, and it deserves all of the attention it’s getting.  And I have to say it’s proof that lead actor Jeremy Renner has come a LONG way since NATIONAL LAMPOON’S SENIOR TRIP.

DISTRICT 9 – Director Neill Blomkamp and star Sharlto Copley turned in one of my favorite films of the year, showing that solid and unique sci-fi can be done on a very modest budget.  No one knew who these boys were before, but they’re a force to be reckoned with now.  DISTRICT 9 is everything you want good sci-fi to be.  It’s new and different, with a strong leading performance, and a solid and engaging story.  I’ve repeatedly said it reminded me of watching 28 DAYS LATER, where I was witnessing director Danny Boyle and actor Cillian Murphy breakout on the big screen.  In the past year Boyle won the Best Director Oscar… can Blomkamp’s Academy Award be far behind?  I hope not.

UP IN THE AIR – Jason Reitman hasn’t disappointed me yet.  With THANK YOU FOR SMOKING he created an engaging character study and showcase piece for Aaron Eckhart.  With JUNO he put together a strong and amusing look at a controversial subject, and once again created a star, properly introducing the world to the talent of Ellen Page (I know, she did stuff before that, but JUNO was her breakout performance).  With UP IN THE AIR, he reminds us why George Clooney is such a great actor, he surprises us in showing how terrific Anna Kendrick can be, and he solidifies why Vera Farmiga is an acting force to be reckoned with.  But the movie itself is just a nice piece of filmmaking from start to finish.  It’s identifiable and unconventional, and it’s what great movies should all strive to be.  These days Hollywood keeps churning out the same old stories with different stars.  Reitman continues to dare being different.

THE BLIND SIDE – Sandra Bullock had a great year with this movie and the equally popular film THE PROPOSAL.  But in THE BLIND SIDE she shows us that she can do the dramatic role with perfection, and never fall victim to overplaying it like so many might.  This movie looks sappier than it is.  Director John Lee Hancock avoids the typical storytelling pratfalls of an inspirational sports film, and instead gives us a realistic recount of a real life situation that is respectable and moving.  Again, this is what movies should shoot for, in terms of style and execution.  High marks also to Quinton Aaron for his breakout performance as Michael Oher, and Jae Head for stealing just about every scene he’s in, and being a funny child actor that makes you laugh without ever getting on your nerves.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

MY BLOODY VALENTINE IN 3-D – Sure, this is not a revolutionary slasher film in terms of storytelling, though Todd Farmer and Zane Smith did a great job updating the classic horror flick for modern audiences, including creative death scenes and just enough twists and turns to keep even the most seasoned horror fan guessing.  And director Patrick Lussier keeps it interesting with his fast-paced direction, making effective use of the miner motif and small town setting.  But the real achievement here is successfully reinventing the idea of 3-D live-action movies.  The use of 3-D here is nothing short of amazing, and truly adds to the moviegoing experience.  While films like AVATAR may be blowing people away currently, it was MY BLOODY VALENTINE IN 3-D that kicked it off in 2009, and reminded us why 3-D was ever a cool way to watch movies to begin with.

DRAG ME TO HELL – Sam Raimi abandons big-budget blockbusters like the SPIDER-MAN movies for a minute, and returns to his horror roots.  More impressively, he makes a fun and frightening horror film that is effectively scary and impactful, despite its PG-13 rating.  This is solid vintage Raimi, right down to the absolutely perfect ending.  My hope is that Sam does one of these types of films at least every 5 years or so, to show us he can go home again any time he wants, and to remind himself of where he came from.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – I do love me some Quentin Tarantino, and while I found INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS to be very entertaining, it is somewhat long and disjointed.  Granted, all Tarantino films run long it seems, but this is one of those projects that could have benefited greatly from about 20 minutes of editing.  The ad campaign was a little deceptive too, showing Brad Pitt prominently on all of the posters and trailers, when in fact he occupies only a modest portion of the actual film.  But I can forgive most of these faults, as INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is a lot of fun, especially if you like war movies.  Quentin essentially gave us the World War II movie we’ve always wanted to see, but Hollywood would never show us… right down to the completely fictional and somewhat ridiculous ending.  Take THAT Hitler!

TAKEN – Who knew Liam Neeson could play a badass that would give Jason Bourne a run for his money?  TAKEN is a solid and satisfying action film, and delivers more than you would ever expect it could.  Written and produced (without credit) by Luc Besson, the film was actually out overseas for about a year before American audiences got to experience it, but that didn’t slow down its impressive box office take, and solidify its chances for a sequel, which I for one can’t wait to see.

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TOP 10 WORST MOVIES OF 2009 according to BIGFANBOY.com

PUSH – Ugh.  Thought the concept and style is interesting enough, the movie itself is so unappealing and messy that one must wonder what exactly went wrong.  Perhaps it was too unusual to translate on film, or the characters just weren’t respectable enough to allow us any enjoyment.  One way or another, this one fails, and badly.  Director Paul McGuigan previously helmed the far superior LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN, which makes you wonder how he could possibly have got this one so incredibly wrong.

STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI – Hollywood, please stop trying to make video game movies, especially for OLD video games.  The first STREET FIGHTER movie was so laughably bad it’s developed a cult status for its lameness – not to mention sadly being Raul Julia’s final film.  This newer version attempts to modernize the characters, and just embarrasses itself at every turn.  In the fight to watch this dreck, it’s the audience that loses the match.

DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION – Hmmm… why wasn’t this film made several years ago, when DRAGONBALL Z was actually popular?  I mean honestly, does ANYONE care about the subject matter at this point?!  Aside from that, the film itself is nothing great, making us wonder even more why the studio bothered.  I’m guessing they paid a lot for the rights, and felt like they’d be remiss not to make some sort of movie.  Unfortunately THIS was the movie they made.

DANCE FLICK – These types of movies are ALWAYS going to suck, let’s face it.  Stuff like SCARY MOVIE, DATE MOVIE, EPIC MOVIE, MEET THE SPARTANS – they’re all garbage geared toward the lowest common denominator of audience member.  What I don’t get is why they can’t at least try to make them somewhat smart in their comedy.  When I was younger we had flicks like AIRPLANE and THE NAKED GUN, which are still somewhat endearing to this day.  Do you think anyone will EVER look back on these movies with anything but disgust?

LAND OF THE LOST – Unbelievable.  You take a classic TV show with incredible possibility, add a big name like Will Ferrell to it, complement it with a hilarious comedic actor like Danny McBride, and what do you get?  A tragically unappealing and unfunny comedy that is an embarrassment to watch.  It’s proof that Ferrell has exhausted his comedic abilities, at least for now, and that there is truly no such thing in Hollywood as a sure thing.

YEAR ONE – Jack Black and Michael Cera do very little to help this failed comedy for (shockingly) director Harold Ramis.  Maybe it’s the early historical setting, or maybe it’s just a mismatch of popular actors, but whatever the reason may be YEAR ONE is unamusing and forgettable.

BRUNO – I loved BORAT.  Heck, I even loved DA ALI G SHOW before anyone had even heard of Sacha Baron Cohen.  I also love the character of Bruno on that series.  But despite the overwhelming success Cohen had with BORAT in 2006, he turned in a complete misfire with BRUNO this year.  Oh sure, it’s funny, and in some scenes screaming funny.  But in the end it doesn’t have any of the endearing qualities or memorable aspect that BORAT did.  And some scenes, such as one where Bruno tries to seduce an unsuspecting Ron Paul in a hotel room, are little more than uncomfortable and mean.  Maybe this is proof that sometimes a little bit of a character goes a long way.

ALL ABOUT STEVE – While THE BLIND SIDE and THE PROPOSAL were hits, Sandra Bullock also turned in this total flop in 2009.  Even the trailers and poster were laughable leading up to this, making audiences wonder why Bullock was trying to play a role suited to an actress 15 years her junior.  This is the kind of fare you’d expect to see Cameron Diaz play 5 years ago, or Julia Roberts play 10 years ago, but watching Sandra attempt it today is just sad.

THE INVENTION OF LYING – I love Rickey Gervais.  Honestly, THE OFFICE was indeed great, and I even thoroughly enjoyed GHOST TOWN.  While the concept of THE INVENTION OF LYING is fascinating, a man who invents the first lie, living in a world where everyone tells the truth.  There’s so many possibilities there, and yet this film implodes upon itself with lousy storytelling and a messy script.  It starts off as a dark comedy (and those moments are great), turns into a light-hearted comedy, devolves into a social commentary, and then attempts to become a romantic drama.  It’s SO all over the map that one would be truly challenged to enjoy just about any of it.  Gervais is still a strong actor, and even had one particular scene in which he’s saying goodbye to a dying loved one that is heartbreaking and tear inducing… but that moment is interrupted by a poorly placed joke.  Despite the strong supporting cast (including Jennifer Garner, Louis C.K., Jonah Hill, Tina Fey, and Rob Lowe), and amazing cameos (including Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jason Bateman), this film will eave you feeling hollow… and that’s no lie.

THE FOURTH KIND – While the idea behind this film is interesting, THE FOURTH KIND had perhaps the most shameful ad campaign I’ve seen in years.  The trailers of the film (and even the opening of the movie itself) has lead actress Milla Jovovich assuring audiences that what they’re about to see is true, and that the film itself uses “actual” footage of supposed alien abductions.  Her character is supposed to be based on a real life doctor who was involved in “actual” cases.  The truth?  NONE of it is true – not the real life people supposedly used as the basis, and certainly not the “real” footage.  The whole thing is Hollywood fabrication.  Not unusual, but to have the film (and more importantly the star) tell you in all seriousness that it’s real when it’s not… well, that’s just wrong.  And in case you’re wondering, the movie itself ain’t that great either, only mildly creepy, and mostly because of the editing and sound design.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

FAME – This updating of the classic dance flick contains none of what the original had.  There’s no magic, no memorable characters, just a going-through-the-motions film that leave little to no impact.

TERMINATOR: SALVATION – McG attempted to continue the TERMINATOR franchise with this big-budget misfire.  Oh sure, there’s plenty of action and special effects, and it looks great, but it’s all style over substance.  In the end you won’t care, and wonder what exactly went wrong.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN – I’m a Michael Bay apologist.  He may not be everyone’s taste, but he knows how to make big dumb popcorn movies, and deliver exciting summer movies.  I like BAD BOYS a lot, consider ARMAGEDDON a guilty pleasure, and loved the first TRANSFORMERS movie – yes that’s right, I LOVED it.  To me that first movie gave you everything you could want from a movie about the classic kids toys, and everything you could want from a summer action flick.  The sequel however was a complete and total mess.  Though it’s loaded with impressive special effects and big-budget action and set pieces, the movie is completely lacking all the things that made the first movie great.  The characters are silly and boring, and the script is terrible.  It is a giant expensive wreck, and it’s shocking how what started out so terrific can end up so embarrassing.

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Agree?  Disagree?  Got one for either list that I missed?  Post in our comments below and tell us!

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