List of Fives Part Twenty-One
Five Really Cool Films of 2009
(all films available on Blu-Ray and DVD)
1. Watchmen. Based on the greatest graphic novel ever, this film was a long time coming. For two decades, the wide-held belief was that it could never be translated into cinematic form. (And some purists say that still holds true.) Seeing the graphic novel transformed into moving images did not detract at all. And, hearing the characters really changed my perception of them. Before the film, I would have said that Dr. Manhattan was my least favorite character but now, I understand his point of view so much more. And who doesn't love Rorschach? Okay, maybe "love" is the wrong word. The opening credits, in which we see the snapshot history of the Minutemen, predecessors to the Watchmen, was genius and full of happy little Easter eggs for comic fans. While I understand Alan Moore's disdain for all films made of his works, I think that this one remains the most loyal to the source material of all. (There is an "ultimate" edition coming, which will incorporate the animated "Tales of the Black Freighter" sub-plot into the actual film, pushing the film's length closer to three and a half hours. Yummy!)
2. Star Trek. What a wonderful surprise this film turned out to be. I like the re-tool. The Star Trek film series had waxed and waned, the last three films going from bad to worse. This is a welcome edition to the franchise and a well-thought revamp of the original Enterprise crew. The actors chosen play the parts perfectly. Karl Urban channels DeForest Kelley's curmudgeon take on Dr. McCoy. Simon Pegg is hilarious as Montgomery Scott. Chris Pine possesses the right amount of swagger for the brash James T. Kirk. And Zachary Quinto... was he born to take over as Spock? Maybe not, but he has and brilliantly so. It was after seeing his performance in this film that I decided to check out the Heroes television series. J.J. Abrams delivered a fun film to watch; I am surprised that he is not really a Star Trek fan. But he renewed life into this franchise and I think Trekkers everywhere are grateful to him for that. What I love about this film is that it does not try to explain why things look different from the classic television series. It is more interested in telling its story. The film respects the audience's ability to follow along. I appreciate that. And yes, that is Artoo-Detoo you see soaring past the view screen during the fly through of field debris above Vulcan.
3. District 9. This film may be a "sleeper" hit but it deserves all the recognition it gets. In an alternate reality, a derelict spacecraft came to a stop over the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Inside, officials found a million starving aliens. Cut to current time. A low-level process worker named Wikus van de Merwe starts out in the film as helping his company serve eviction papers to the aliens, disparagingly called "prawns." While going through one hovel, he is sprayed by a mysterious substance. As the film progresses, Wikus begans a steady metamorphosis into a "prawn." The story was adapted from a short film called "Alive in Joburg," directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by District 9 star Sharlto Copley. What's great about this film is the realistic look of it. Shot in mock documentary style interwoven with story-telling shots, the film weaves a convincing tale without getting too preachy or flamboyant. The climax, with Wikus coming to the aid of hero "prawn" Christopher Johnson and his son, is bloody and not for the weak, but it is well worth it.
4. Julie & Julia. I know! This film is so far afield of the other films on this list. Here's why I like it: Meryl Streep! Her performance as Julia Child is the highlight of this film. I mean no disrespect to Amy Adams, who I genuinely like, but this film belongs to Meryl alone. Her Julia is playful, bold, daring, and "fearless." She is having fun with this part, it is so apparent on screen. Another reason is that the chemistry between Meryl and Stanley Tucci is just wonderful. They had great chemistry in "The Devil Wears Prada" but here they play a married couple very much in love and it is just wonderful. Love, love, love this one!
5. Up. Not very many animated films get recognized. This year was a good one for animation: Coraline, Up, Ponyo, The Princess and the Frog. They are all fine films but there is something special about Up. Up is storytelling at its finest. It tells the story of a life in the opening credits. Then, it takes you on an adventure of a lifetime. 80 year old Carl Fredricksen lives in the house he and his wife shared for so many years. All around him is new construction. Offered money to sell his home he refuses. Instead, he uses hundreds of balloons to lift his house from its foundation in a fool-hearty attempt to reach South America. It's a story of dreams, of fulfilling a wish and a promise, and of realizing that age is not a number but a state of mind. It's also just a lot of fun. Who can resist Dug? As Russell would say, "But it's a talking dog!" Great film.
Addendum: I had not seen Avatar until after posting this particular article. I think James Cameron has created a spectacular film. But, I also think it will be reflected more in 2010 than in 2009.
(all films available on Blu-Ray and DVD)
1. Watchmen. Based on the greatest graphic novel ever, this film was a long time coming. For two decades, the wide-held belief was that it could never be translated into cinematic form. (And some purists say that still holds true.) Seeing the graphic novel transformed into moving images did not detract at all. And, hearing the characters really changed my perception of them. Before the film, I would have said that Dr. Manhattan was my least favorite character but now, I understand his point of view so much more. And who doesn't love Rorschach? Okay, maybe "love" is the wrong word. The opening credits, in which we see the snapshot history of the Minutemen, predecessors to the Watchmen, was genius and full of happy little Easter eggs for comic fans. While I understand Alan Moore's disdain for all films made of his works, I think that this one remains the most loyal to the source material of all. (There is an "ultimate" edition coming, which will incorporate the animated "Tales of the Black Freighter" sub-plot into the actual film, pushing the film's length closer to three and a half hours. Yummy!)
2. Star Trek. What a wonderful surprise this film turned out to be. I like the re-tool. The Star Trek film series had waxed and waned, the last three films going from bad to worse. This is a welcome edition to the franchise and a well-thought revamp of the original Enterprise crew. The actors chosen play the parts perfectly. Karl Urban channels DeForest Kelley's curmudgeon take on Dr. McCoy. Simon Pegg is hilarious as Montgomery Scott. Chris Pine possesses the right amount of swagger for the brash James T. Kirk. And Zachary Quinto... was he born to take over as Spock? Maybe not, but he has and brilliantly so. It was after seeing his performance in this film that I decided to check out the Heroes television series. J.J. Abrams delivered a fun film to watch; I am surprised that he is not really a Star Trek fan. But he renewed life into this franchise and I think Trekkers everywhere are grateful to him for that. What I love about this film is that it does not try to explain why things look different from the classic television series. It is more interested in telling its story. The film respects the audience's ability to follow along. I appreciate that. And yes, that is Artoo-Detoo you see soaring past the view screen during the fly through of field debris above Vulcan.
3. District 9. This film may be a "sleeper" hit but it deserves all the recognition it gets. In an alternate reality, a derelict spacecraft came to a stop over the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Inside, officials found a million starving aliens. Cut to current time. A low-level process worker named Wikus van de Merwe starts out in the film as helping his company serve eviction papers to the aliens, disparagingly called "prawns." While going through one hovel, he is sprayed by a mysterious substance. As the film progresses, Wikus begans a steady metamorphosis into a "prawn." The story was adapted from a short film called "Alive in Joburg," directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by District 9 star Sharlto Copley. What's great about this film is the realistic look of it. Shot in mock documentary style interwoven with story-telling shots, the film weaves a convincing tale without getting too preachy or flamboyant. The climax, with Wikus coming to the aid of hero "prawn" Christopher Johnson and his son, is bloody and not for the weak, but it is well worth it.
4. Julie & Julia. I know! This film is so far afield of the other films on this list. Here's why I like it: Meryl Streep! Her performance as Julia Child is the highlight of this film. I mean no disrespect to Amy Adams, who I genuinely like, but this film belongs to Meryl alone. Her Julia is playful, bold, daring, and "fearless." She is having fun with this part, it is so apparent on screen. Another reason is that the chemistry between Meryl and Stanley Tucci is just wonderful. They had great chemistry in "The Devil Wears Prada" but here they play a married couple very much in love and it is just wonderful. Love, love, love this one!
5. Up. Not very many animated films get recognized. This year was a good one for animation: Coraline, Up, Ponyo, The Princess and the Frog. They are all fine films but there is something special about Up. Up is storytelling at its finest. It tells the story of a life in the opening credits. Then, it takes you on an adventure of a lifetime. 80 year old Carl Fredricksen lives in the house he and his wife shared for so many years. All around him is new construction. Offered money to sell his home he refuses. Instead, he uses hundreds of balloons to lift his house from its foundation in a fool-hearty attempt to reach South America. It's a story of dreams, of fulfilling a wish and a promise, and of realizing that age is not a number but a state of mind. It's also just a lot of fun. Who can resist Dug? As Russell would say, "But it's a talking dog!" Great film.
Addendum: I had not seen Avatar until after posting this particular article. I think James Cameron has created a spectacular film. But, I also think it will be reflected more in 2010 than in 2009.
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