First of all, a few caveats. Since Elias has been born, I haven't seen nearly as many movies as I used to - at one point, I think I was easily seeing something in the theater at least once a week, but now I frequently miss films entirely, or only see them on video years after the fact. Despite having spent the last month trying to catch up on 2009 films, I can still think of quite a few that I still haven't seen, including The Hurt Locker, A Serious Man, Thirst, Inglorious Basterds, Drag Me to Hell, Observe and Report, Rudo y Cursi, Public Enemies, Cold Souls, and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. Also, I don't doubt that there's a film or two out there that's flown completely under my radar, and I'll only realize how great it is years from now. Such is life. That said, here's my top ten for 2009, with three-line reviews:10. The Road
While it proved to be something of a disappointment, it's hard for me to imagine a better way to film the book. After seeing The Proposition, I was pretty optimistic about John Hillcoat as a director, and I stand by that - he has a gift for the unrelentingly sorrowful and grim.
09. Duplicity
I'm a sucker for Tony Gilroy's contemporary take on political dramas like The Candidate, and Duplicity has a delicious black humor, much of it stemming from the vendetta between Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson's cosmetics magnates.
08. Paranormal Activity
While it's not for everyone - more than a few folks I know didn't care for it at all - I thought Paranormal Activity was terrifying. It succeeds mostly on the strength of ratcheting up its tension so deliberately, and by leaving so much to the imagination.
07. Coraline
This is the film that sold me on the new 3D technology. Seeing Laika's handcrafted work presented so vividly was a real treat, and the film itself was a shadowy and frightening and wondrous fairy tale.
06. Up in the Air
I hated Thank You for Smoking and liked Juno in spite of how proud of itself it clearly was, so I wasn't sure what I'd think of Up in the Air. I shouldn't have worried; it's easily Jason Reitman's best - and warmest - film, with terrific performances from everyone involved.
05. District 9
The first third of District 9 is easily the strongest part of the film, but don't let that dissuade you from watching it to the end. It's an overtly allegorical summer action movie, and strikingly, the first film I've ever seen that's clearly been influenced by the vocabulary of electronic games.
04. Fantastic Mr. Fox
While the animation in Fantastic Mr. Fox isn't as polished as that in Coraline, that somehow lends itself well to the film as a whole, with Wes Anderson's characteristic melancholy humor and familial strife. And three Beach Boys songs!
03. Ponyo
While I like all of Miyazaki's work, I have a particular soft spot for his films about younger children, like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. Ponyo is in the same vein, with a warmth and amiability that's a complete delight.
02. Moon
I still think Moon is best seen with as few preconceptions or expectations as possible, so let me just quote from my original post about it: "it's a rough-hewn, evocative , unassuming, atmospheric piece of science fiction, and I recommend it unconditionally."
01. Up
What to say? Along with Toy Story 2 and Ratatouille, one of Pixar's most human films. I didn't realize it beforehand, but the script was by Tom McCarthy, who can do no wrong in my book. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense.
