Movies of 2009

So what do you think the best films of 2009 are (so far)? There are a couple of decent films out, and I know there are more to come (looking at you, Avatar, Shutter Island, Lovely Bones...), but right now, I think my list would look something like this:

1. The Hurt Locker
2. Up
3. District 9
4. Drag Me To Hell
5. Zombieland

Thats it so far imo. These are just the ones I've seen and can think of. I'm excited for some more ones to come out, Nine, Paranormal Activity etc. What you guys think?

I've been trying to think of the best performances/potential Oscar winners too, but nothing immediately springs to mind...Johnny Depp in Public Enemies?

1. Up
2. District 9
3. Watchmen
4. Gran Torino
5. Hangover

Gran fucking Torino?

We've been over this.

Haven't seen Up yet, could be a contender.

For now:

1. Let the Right One In
2. Milk
3. Moon
4. Two Lovers
5. Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee

Honourable mentions - Gran Torino, Katyn, Slingshot Hip-Hop and The Soloist.

Another question, by the way. What's the best film you've watched this year overall? Not new releases, but anything that you hadn't watched until 2009.

For me it's undoubtedly A Clockwork Orange. Blew my fucking mind.

Urgh, too many excellent films this year, Hurt Locker, Let The Right One In, La Mesrine, Gomorrah, Adventureland, Star Trek, Up, Zombieland, Public Enemies, Le Donk and Scor-Zay Zee, Thirst, District 9, Moon, Inglourious Basterds.

Milk and Gran trino were out last year.

Best film i personally saw for the first time has to be either Brick, Nikita or Zulu, or indeed Hurt Locker, or Let the Right One In, if they count.

Also, have actually decided on my favourite film, its A Bridge Too Far, with Sean Connerry,Ryan O'Neil, James Caan, Anthony Hopkins and so on, directed by David Attenbourogh. Wonderful, wonderful film, highly reccomend it to everyone, funny, action packed. There will never be another war movie like it.

How was Gran Torino out last year? It came out in fucking march.

Anyway, how good is Le Donk? I won a poster signed by Shane Meadows at Play.com so I kinda feel like I should watch the film.

Overall I reckon Metropolis is probably the best film I've seen this year, or perhaps Barry Lyndon. Probably a tie. Up and District 9 follow right behind.

Gran trino, Iain, there's a difference

District 9 was a 'meh'fest. Good first half shit second. Totally neutral experience.

Seen anything you remotely liked this year then Sean?

Depends if its films of 2009 or films I saw in 2009. If it's the former then I can't recall any, no. Some that look good and I wanna see though.

Gran Torino was out before the 2009 Oscar's, and for that reason, isn't in my list. Otherwise it would be in 3rd place.

Best movie I've seen all year...? Probably Martyrs.

Just remembered The Soloist, and although I didn't think it was a really great movie, RDJ and Jamie Foxx are definitely in the running for the best male performance award, alongside Johnny Depp.

Urgh, Martyrs, that was overrated...

Maybe, but you're hard to please to be fair...

I think the quality of films these days are so poor that most people just lower their standards.

An interesting outlook. We usually get 2 or 3 really great films a year imo.

I reckon there's a fair amount of brilliant films being made Sean. Even though we lack auteurs like Welles, Hitchcock and Kubrick in the modern age the diversity is greater than ever. Boundaries are being pushed in every direction by technology and storytelling techniques are being perfected at every turn. I watch 50/50 old and new films and while the classics of old certainly deserve their accolades I still reckon many of our modern era films are of fabulous artistic quality.

well when you're following films as they're being released you have to try and find the diamonds amongst the rough. When you look back all the good stuff is filtered out from the forgettable films of the era and you have a much wider selection of generally better films. 20 years from now all the good films of today will stick out amongst the stuff no one talks about any more and then I'll probably get round to watching as lot of today's good films.

I agree with that actually. The biggest movies of today are far from the best. Just look at Twilight or some big horror/rom com titles. It was a different story 20 years ago. But some of the modern greats are worth watching now, rather than 20 years from now. But a fair point.

My comment about Gran Torino was with regards to its initial, American release. Apologies.

And i agree with Major, our Auteurs arent perhaps, as recognised as Kuberick, Hitchcock, Godard, Demi...but we do have some. Luc Besson when he gets off his arse perhaps?Tarantino perhaps? Von Trier?

There are, undoubtedly a fuckload of great movies being made nowadays, and perhaps it is the regularity of great films which gives them lesser value. Cinema is as good as it has ever been.

Shit films like Twilight were made 20 years ago, no doubt about that. It's just that history has, as Sean put it, filtered them out for us.

Von Trier might be remembered for coming up with Dogme, but he falls into the same category as Andrei Tarkovsky in the end: Only people interested in the business remember them.

I hope Tarantino will fade with time. He really doesn't deserve to go down as one of cinema's greats.

Hmm, depending on your term of great. He is a fantastic filmmaker, though is perhaps hyped to proportions he shouldn't be. He has undoubtedly made good movies though, and when sdiscussing auteurism, of course we CAN mention him. I think he's an auteur, or at least was.

Also, what do you think of Mel Gibson as a director? I saw Apocalypto yesterday, and was stunned. The man is perhaps not an auteur, or a director that you're a particular fan of, but he sure can make a film. Even Braveheart and Passion, whilst not being the most highbrow, artistic or important movies, were sure damn well made films.

ALSO.

How do you see films? As an art form, educational tools (telling history, or an interpretation of events), or as an entertainment medium? I think i can guess, but by overlooking the other two, you stop yourself getting the most out of cinema, the medium as a whole

Quentin makes semi entertaining films which come across as majorly self indulgent. That's really all I think of him.

I think Mel Gibson has talent for making very visually interesting films with a solid narrative which appeals to a wide variety of people. I think both Apocalypto and Braveheart are extremely good films and own both now on Blu-ray.

How do I see films? I see the medium of film as the ultimate way to express emotion. No other medium manages to so superbly merge so many art forms. Film is one of the few art forms that really takes a huge number of people to create and benefits from a collective vision of talented people.

How do I see films? Are they an art form? Definitely, one of the best. An educational tool? Undoubtedly, I've learnt about lots of obscure history thanks to film. Entertainment? One of the best!

And film is so much more than just those three things. Film fulfills our need to escape, our need to feel, our need for love, our need for sadness, our need for true feeling. Film gives us what our daily lives can't. Illusions of the magnificent, the profound and the shocking. Film defines our needs, outlines our desires and magnifies our victories.

I appreciate all aspects of the medium, I adore everything can achieve. I love cinema that entertains me, that teaches me something new and the kind of cinema that has me question what's important in life.

There is no aspect of cinema I ignore. I will however argue that films that have something to say will ultimately be remembered as the most important. Those that don't just comment on our daily lives but actually capture a fragment of what it means to be human are essentially the ones that go down in the books.

Kaptain Kaviar wrote:

3. Watchmen

Probably the only good new film I have seen this year.

Le Donk is hilarious, Meadows is probably one of my favourite contemporary filmmakers.

Sean, out of my top five, I think you'd at least like Moon. Give it a shot if nothing else. You're so right about the "filtering" argument, that's why those fucking music snobs get on my nerves so badly as well. They don't even attempt to look for good modern music because they're so busy calling it shit.

Great assessment of film as a whole Iain. I like to think games have the same potential or perhaps even more, but it's far away from being properly exploited in a way that's meaningful and unique to the medium, with the exception of a few.