65 replies to this topic

[Darren H]

Here are my lists.

Best of 2009 (Going by IndieWire's rules for qualification)
1. 35 Shots of Rum (Claire Denis)
2. Revanche (Gotz Spielmann)
3. Munyurangabo (Lee Isaac Chung)
4. Liverpool (Lisandro Alonso)
5. The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel)
6. Police, Adjective (Corneliu Porumboiu)
7. Birdsong (Albert Serra)
8. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)
9. Duplicity (Tony Gilroy)
10. Two Lovers (James Gray)
11. Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas)

Favorite New Films I Saw in 2009
1. Phantoms of Nabua / A Letter to Uncle Boonmee (Apitchatpong Weerasethakul)
2. Bluebeard (Catherine Breillat)
3. Face (Tsai Ming-liang)
4. To Die Like a Man (João Pedro Rodrigues)
5. Let Each One Go Where He May (Ben Russell)
6. Lucky Life (Lee Isaac Chung)
7. The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel)
8. Our Beloved Month of August (Miguel Gomes)
9. Wild Grass (Alain Resnais)
10. In Comparison (Harun Farocki)

Favorite Discoveries of 2009
7th Heaven (Frank Borzage, 1927)
City Girl (F. W. Murnau, 1930)
Emergency Kisses (Philippe Garrel, 1989)
Grown Ups (Mike Leigh, 1980)
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975)
The Long Voyage Home (John Ford, 1940)
Loulou (Maurice Pialat, 1980)
The Reckless Moment (Max Ophuls, 1949)
Tren de Sombras (Jose Luis Guerin, 1997)
Voyage en deuce (Michel Deville, 1980)

[Overstreet]

Part One of my 3-part list.

[John]

Darren H, on 01 January 2010 - 12:08 PM, said:

9. Duplicity (Tony Gilroy)
10. Two Lovers (James Gray)

Hi Darren,

Thanks for posting your list. I always look to it for suggestions. There are several titles on there that still haven't made it to Texas. Enjoyed the Assayas, Martel and Chung films you mention in your 09 list, and very much looking forward to 2,4,6, and 7.

Have you written about Duplicity anywhere? Or maybe you know of a review or two that express the film's strengths as you see them? I'm definitely intrigued by your choice. I enjoyed it as a genre piece and the leads were certainly appealing. However, I found myself disconnecting from the film as the multiple twists and turns piled up one on top of the other.

Also, very glad to see your mention of Two Lovers. I saw it much earlier this year, and I guess had just slotted in my mind as an 08 film. So I didn't consider it for my list, but I clearly should have. I think it would bump Public Enemies off the bottom of my list for sure. I guess it's not too late to rewrite.

[Darren H]

Thanks, John. I haven't written about Duplicity, and I'm not sure if I could defend my enjoyment of it if I tried. I just remember watching it one morning, rewatching it immediately afterward with the commentary track, and then talking Joanna into watching it with me again later that night. I guess I like Gilroy for the same reason other people are so fond of Soderbergh (in Oceans mode) -- he makes really solid Hollywood entertainments, and I like his taste and visual sense. I posted a couple stills that caught my attention. I don't care too much about the plot twists, but I enjoyed the heck out of watching Owen and Roberts doing their best Cary Grant and Grace Kelley impressions.

[John]

Darren H, on 01 January 2010 - 08:45 PM, said:

Thanks, John. I haven't written about Duplicity, and I'm not sure if I could defend my enjoyment of it if I tried. I just remember watching it one morning, rewatching it immediately afterward with the commentary track, and then talking Joanna into watching it with me again later that night. I guess I like Gilroy for the same reason other people are so fond of Soderbergh (in Oceans mode) -- he makes really solid Hollywood entertainments, and I like his taste and visual sense. I posted a couple stills that caught my attention. I don't care too much about the plot twists, but I enjoyed the heck out of watching Owen and Roberts doing their best Cary Grant and Grace Kelley impressions.

Totally makes sense, Darren. I think of relatively recent movies, In Bruges was like that for me--saw it, it clicked with me, wanted to see it again right away. It's no masterpiece, but it sure is a good time. I love it when that kind of thing happens--a little moment of serendipity. Thanks for your thoughts.

Anyway, I guess I should make my own entry onto this list. I don't see enough films for a top ten, so a top five will have to do:

1. Summer Hours
2. Munyurangbo
3. Lorna's Silence
4. Still Walking
5. Two Lovers

[Overstreet]

Part Two (#20 - #11) of my three-part list.

[kenmorefield]

2009 Personal Favorites/Top Ten (With comments here):

10) State of Play
9) Moon
8) Forgetting Dad
7) Me and Orson Welles
6) The Queen and I
5) Agora
4) Owning the Weather
3) Bright Star
2) An Education
1) Lourdes

Favorite discoveries list here.

[Overstreet]

And, finally, my Top Ten.

No ties this year. I promise. There are ten titles in the top ten.

But I can't say I wasn't sorely tempted to have a five-way tie for #1 this year. Over the last couple of weeks as I argued with myself and kept switching things around, they all spent time at #1.

Edited by Overstreet, 05 January 2010 - 01:57 PM.

[Christian]

Chris Orr gives his top ten, and so much more, in his "Orrscars" column.

[Darrel Manson]

Darrel's Dozen

[SDG]

My 2009 Year in Reviews.

In alphabetical order, the Top Ten (or Ten That Stood Out):

Bright Star
Crazy Heart
Katyn
Passing Strange
Summer Hours
The 13th Day
The Informant
Tulpan
Up
Where the Wild Things Are

Ten More:

Avatar
The Class
Coraline
District
Earth
Lorna's Silence
Moon
Munyurangabo
Ponyo
Star Trek

[M. Leary]

Looks like I need to track down Passing Strange. I am also happy to see The Informant on your list. I really, really like that film and wish I had more time to see it again pre-list.

[Jana Segal]

I just posted Reel Inspiration's MOST INSPIRING FILMS of 2009 list.

1. Up in the Air
2. Paris
3. Invictus
4. Departures
5. Precious
6. Tulpan
7. Rachel Getting Married
8. Sugar
9. Moon
10. The Messenger
11. Wendy and Lucy

For descriptions of these inspiring films or to vote for your favorite inspiring films, go to:
www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com

Movie blessings!
Jana Segal

[Christian]

Dennis Cozzalio has a great wrap-up of 2009. It starts with an offensive dud -- Observe and Report -- but is otherwise exciting, full of passion. I love it!

Edited by Christian, 07 February 2010 - 10:58 AM.

[Christian]

I contributed one of several lists to Crosswalk, the editors of which culled these titles for its Best of 2009.

Edited by Christian, 10 February 2010 - 04:02 PM.

[Overstreet]

Christianity Today's Top 10 Most Redeeming Films of 2009

First time in the CT Movies history that I haven't been involved, so I'm interested to see how this compares to the Cream of the Crop list.

I suspect they'll get some comments about District F-Bomb being on the Redeeming list, although I'm fine seeing it there.

Very sad to see that Seraphine, Munyurangabo, Summer Hours, and The Class are all absent from the list, including the "Ones That Got Away".

Edited by Overstreet, 10 February 2010 - 04:37 PM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Overstreet wrote:
: First time in the CT Movies history that I haven't been involved, so I'm interested to see how this compares to the Cream of the Crop list.

It's the first time NEITHER of us have been involved, so yeah, it'll be interesting. The odds of a movie like Dear Frankie being named best of the year have taken a steep, steep dive.

[M. Leary]

I find it sad that after a decade of serious Evangelical re-evaluation of church/state issues that a film like Hurt Locker makes it on a Christianity Today "most redeeming films" list and Munyurangabo doesn't. That is just baffling. (And by "baffling", someone towards the Hauerwas end of the scale would mean "immoral.")

Edited by MLeary, 10 February 2010 - 06:01 PM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

MLeary wrote:
: I find it sad that after a decade of serious Evangelical re-evaluation of church/state issues that a film like Hurt Locker makes it on a Christianity Today "most redeeming films" list and Munyurangabo doesn't. That is just baffling.

Well, I would never want to presume that Jeff and I could have made the difference there if we had stayed on... but who knows.

FWIW, I also find it interesting that at least four of the ten movies are based on true stories, and in at least one case (i.e. Julie & Julia), the film is being praised more-or-less for the fantasy it projects rather than the actual reality underlying it. (Exactly how happy was/is Julie's marriage, again?)

[Persona]

The Maid would have been brilliant on that list.