65 replies to this topic

[M. Leary]

I was not able to find a thread on this yet in this section. Am I mistaken?

[John Drew]

Only found a 2009 Midterm assessment poll in the Film Forum, but not a Top Ten 2009. I think you're good to go.

[M. Leary]

Let the wild rumpus start!

[Persona]

I remember when I used to be able to participate in these, however, I am currently limited in the amount of new films that I see.

I do find these threads extremely helpful though. They help me in gravitating toward films I'll actually enjoy when they make their way to DVD. So thank you, and yes -- let the wild rumpus begin.

[Ryan H.]

I won't bother to make a list just yet (I want to wait on some of my anticipated releases over the next two months), but I know that THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, and THIRST will make it.

Edited by Ryan H., 18 October 2009 - 06:37 PM.

[Overstreet]

In no paticular order...

Strong candidates for my top ten so far:

• The Girlfriend Experience
  
• Bright Star
  
• The Road
  
• Where the Wild Things Are
  
• The Class
  
• Munyurangabo
  
• Goodbye Solo
  
• Ponyo
  
• Phoebe in Wonderland
  
• A Serious Man
  
• Seraphine
  
• Coraline
  
• Moon
  
• Still Walking
  
• Lorna’s Silence
  
• Up
  
• Summer Hours
  
• The Song of Sparrows
  
• Public Enemies
  
• Lake Tahoe

Others that I may grow to love more on reflection and second viewings:

• In the Loop
  
• Sparrow
  
• The Informant!
  
• Tell No One
  
• Departures
  
• Hunger
  
• Away We Go

Judging from the love of other critics, maybe I saw these on bad days, cuz they didn't do much for me:

• District 9
  
• Inglourious Basterds
  
• 500 Days of Summer
  
• The Hurt Locker
  
• The Brothers Bloom

I still *must* see:

Julie and Julia
Gomorrah
Police, Adjective

Edited by Overstreet, 04 December 2009 - 11:18 AM.

[M. Leary]

There are a few film forums that have dynamic top ten lists for each year, which means we start it at the beginning of the year and update our own posts as we see new things and shift around our favorites. That may be a fun new annual tradition.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Persona, on 18 October 2009 - 11:02 AM, said:

I remember when I used to be able to participate in these, however, I am currently limited in the amount of new films that I see. I do find these threads extremely helpful though. They help me in gravitating toward films I'll actually enjoy when they make their way to DVD.

Agreed. How many films do you guys actually see in the theater per year anyhow. Honestly, I'm lucky if I make it up to around 40.

Personal top ten favorites so far -

• Defiance
• Inglourious Basterds
• Up
• Funny People
• Watchmen
• Public Enemies
• I Love You, Man
• Terminator Salvation
• Star Trek
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

But I still HAVE TO see -

• Assassination of a High School President
• Observe and Report
• The Brothers Bloom
• Moon
• The Hurt Locker
• All Good Things
• The Informant!
• A Serious Man
• Gentlemen Broncos
• Boondock Saints II
• The Men Who Stare at Goats
• The Lovely Bones
• Sherlock Holmes
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Edited by Persiflage, 19 October 2009 - 03:27 PM.

[Darrel Manson]

In no particular order, the ones I'd be willing to consider for my year end list. (The ones I feel fairly sure I'll include are in bold.)

The Class
The Song of Sparrows
Coraline
Phoebe in Wonderland
Departures
Up
Away We Go
(500)Days of Summer
A Woman in Berlin
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
No Impact Man

[M. Leary]

Another tough year. So far any of these could make it (especially like bold titles):

Hunger
Lorna's Silence
Canary
Munyurangabo
The Spine
Liverpool
The Headless Woman
Revanche
Summer Hours

Still musing:

The Girlfriend Experience
Where the Wild Things Are
Seraphine
Jerichow
Moon

Still have a lot to catch up on.

Edited by MLeary, 23 October 2009 - 06:11 PM.

[Ryan H.]

Overstreet, on 18 October 2009 - 07:08 PM, said:

Judging from the love of other critics, maybe I saw these on bad days, cuz they didn't do much for me:

• The Hurt Locker

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who didn't understand why everyone raved about THE HURT LOCKER. I actually walked out two-thirds of the way through (I am not in the habit of walking out on films, but I was visiting my fiancee for the weekend and didn't want to waste time on a movie I wasn't particularly enjoying).

[M. Leary]

Hurt Locker is technically brilliant, and packed with set pieces that are as tight as an Iraq war FPS. But it is overly long, and I was bothered by how cavalier the film ends up being about portaying its leads as brave for the sake of bravery. Generation Kill is far better.

[Crow]

Here's my rough list of films I would consider for a top 10 list (definite favorites in bold)

Sugar
The Brothers Bloom
The Class
District 9
Up
Summer Hours
Goodbye Solo
In the Loop
Moon
Lorna's Silence
Munyurangabo
Coraline

Not quite good enough for the list, but enjoyable nonetheless

World's Greatest Dad
Rudo y Cursi
Star Trek
The Hurt Locker
I Love You, Man
(500) Days of Summer
Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Edited by Crow, 19 October 2009 - 10:22 PM.

[Christian]

While I had no compunction about posting a "best of decade" list -- which I did off the top of my head, without consulting my year-end lists from each year of the decade -- I don't feel at all prepared to put together a Best of 2009 list yet. As always, the end of the year is stacked with "award"-type films, some of which will probably be good, while others will be a bust. But the year has, overall, been fairly dismal so far, to the point where I couldn't put together 10 titles I'd feel comfortable with on a yearly "best" list.

One of the privileges of being affiliated with a local critics' group is that I receive screeners of films I've missed during the year (I see only the movies I'm assigned to review, plus a few more on my own time and dime -- but literally, just a few). I realize that gives me a big advantage over others who, as I did until a couple years ago, have to carve out time and money to see films at the theater, or to wait for video. But if it makes anyone feel better, I don't have the luxury of going to the movies in my spare time as often as I could in the past, and the films I'm assigned to see are nearly almost mediocre at best. So, when I hear about a great movie at the theater, I'm often left anticipating seeing it "someday," hoping for a screener that might make that task easier.

I'm not looking for pity, but suggesting that even paid freelance critics don't necessarily have a deep well of titles to draw from when putting together these lists. In my case, I'll have a deeper well soon -- my first batch of screeners showed up yesterday, and every one of the titles (6 or 7 of 'em) is something I need to see before compiling this list.

Sorry if this sounds defensive. No one has accused me of anything! This is just my way of saying that my own list will be a little while in coming.

[Russ]

Is there anything worse than trying to figure out what constitutes a 2009 movie? The Class played at Cannes in '08, while Munyurangabo played the festival circuit in '07. Both are deserving of Top Ten slots if they count, so take the below, which represents things I've seen projected on a theater somewhere this calendar year, with a grain of salt:

1. Police, Adjective
2. Hadewijch
3. The White Ribbon
4. Mother
5. Face
6. Summer Hours
7. Where the Wild Things Are
8. Wild Grass
9. White Material
10. Inglourious Basterds
11. A Serious Man
12. Coraline
13. Adventureland
14. Up
15. Drag Me to Hell

I love the word association gibberish that comes from the title juxtapose. The mother's face in the summer hours asks, "Where are the wild things?" They're in the wild grass, with the white material, those inglorious bastards!

[Darrel Manson]

Russ, you've already seen Police, Adjective? I go to a screening this afternoon. It's due to open in Dec.

[Russ]

Yeah, Darrel, it played in Toronto last month. I hope you like it. Are you seeing it in connection with the AFI fest? If yes, maybe you'll run into Doug.

[M. Leary]

Russ, on 20 October 2009 - 10:49 AM, said:

Is there anything worse than trying to figure out what constitutes a 2009 movie?

There isn't. Someone, I think it is D'Angelo for some reason, keeps a list every year of official 2009 films, which means at some point they have had a non-festival release in New York City. The location is arbitrary, but any US limited release is going to show up there anyway. I like how Sicinski releases a top ten off of this list and a top ten of everything he has seen in that year, including festivals and gallery screenings. I always aim for the latter, but may try to do both if I can.

[J.R.]

These will most likely make my list:

Inglourious Basterds
Moon
Public Enemies
Star Trek
Coraline
Up

Other possible contenders:

Brothers Bloom, Adventureland, The Hurt Locker

Michel Gondry's segment of Tokyo! was one of my favorite things I've seen this year, but being part of an anthology I guess it doesn't qualify for a top ten list.

Edited by J.R., 20 October 2009 - 03:47 PM.

[yank_eh]

J.R., on 20 October 2009 - 03:41 PM, said:

Michel Gondry's segment of Tokyo! was one of my favorite things I've seen this year, but being part of an anthology I guess it doesn't qualify for a top ten list.

Who made that rule? Just define your list however you want. Short films rarely get the recognition they deserve. As a visual artist the predominance of 90+ min. films is really strange to me.