Top 10 movies of 2009

10 - The Damned United

This is the opposite of all those sports movies. In this case, the coach goes to a new team and turns a winner into a loser. Another great performance by Michael Sheen, and I also really enjoyed Timothy Spall in this movie. He and Sheen have great chemistry.

9 - The Cove

One of the most exciting movies of the year. It's a documentary that plays more like a thriller. And Private Space is one of the most entertaining movie villains I've seen in a while.

8 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I'm a Harry Potter fan, and this was one of the better Potter movies. At first I was disappointed with all the stuff they left out, but after seeing the movie again, I found it really works emotionally. The scene between Daniel Radcliffe and Jim Broadbent, when Harry finally gets the memory from Slughorn, almost brought a tear to my eye.

7 - Inglorious Basterds

Another movie that improves with each viewing. Many of the scenes are basically the bomb under the desk scene, but stretched out to 20 minutes.

6 - Adventureland

I'm really disappointed that most critics forgot about this movie. It came out last March and I think if it came out later in the year it would have been up for some awards. Because of Twilight, people forget how good an actress Kristen Stewart is. She is great in this movie. Jessie Eisenberg may be playing the same character he always plays, but he does it so well. The movie reminds me of the great John Hughes movies of the 80s.

5 - (500) Days of Summer

So many romantic comedies end with the guy and the girl getting together. Even though they shouldn't be together, at the end they kiss, the music swells, and it's happily ever after. This movie is smart enough to know that that is usually crap. If two people aren't right for each other, it won't work out. There are so many things I like about this movie. The out of sequence works really well. When we see the title card DAY 21, we know it's early in their relationship and everything is great. When it says DAY 420, we know things are going bad. I love the dance sequence after they first have sex, and when he looks in a mirror and sees Han Solo winking back at him, that is my favorite moment of any movie this year.

4 - Up in the Air

Saw this for a second time yesterday and it is great. My only problem is the scene where he has his epiphany right as he is beginning his big speech in Las Vegas. Couldn't he have figured things out an hour earlier? I'm sick of characters doing that. Finish your speech and then race to the airport. But everything else is great. This is the perfect character for George Clooney to play, and Anna Kendrick is great as the young trainee.

3 - Me and Orson Welles

I have never acted in a play, but this movie made me want to join a theater troupe. Christian McKay's performance as Orson Welles was so much fun to watch that every moment he was off screen, I was just waiting for him to enter the movie again. It certainly didn't hurt that within the last 6 months I saw Citizen Kane and The Battle Over Citizen Kane, so I was very familiar with Orson Welles.

2 - An Education

The two most important things in a movie are character and story, but the most important is character. If the characters are lame, I don't care how good the story is, it can't connect with me on an emotional level. But the characters are so great in this movie, especially the main character. Carey Mulligan gives the most exciting performance of the year. We experience everything the character experiences because the character is written so well, and she gives such a great performance. I saw this for a second time last week, and I wasn't bored for a second. Everybody needs to see this movie.

1 - In the Loop

Funniest movie of the year. There are so many great quotable lines in this movie. Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker, the guy makes profanity sound like poetry. I love the fighting between Liza Wells and Chad. I love James Gandolfini as the general. The little scenes with Steve Coogan and his mom's wall. The less you know about the movie going in, the better.