The Best, the Worst, and the Most Disappointing of 2009

I see a lot of movies. Obviously. So, it’s extremely difficult for me to formulate best and worst lists of a given year. Figuring out what tops each list is easy. I knew far before year’s end which movies would hold the top spot of each of the lists below. I ruminated on these lists for days. Yes, I’m sure some of your favorites didn’t make the cut. I don’t care. I’m not going to be bullied into including some talk fest starring Hollywood’s favorite bachelor just because it’s getting Oscar buzz.

In my humble opinion...

The Best:
1. (500) Days of Summer
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Zombieland
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox
6. The Brothers Bloom
7. Watchmen
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. I Love You, Man
10. Confessions of a Shopaholic

The Worst:
1. Halloween 2
2. Avatar
3. The Men Who Stare Goats
4. Duplicity
5. Where the Wild Things Are
6. Year One
7. The Great Buck Howard
8. The Ugly Truth
9. Nine
10. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The Most Disappointing:
1. Where the Wild Things Are
2. Year One
3. The Men Who Stare At Goats
4. The Great Buck Howard
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
6. New York, I Love You
7. Funny People
8. Adventureland
9. Public Enemies
10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Allison @ The Movies

At the end of 2008, I set a goal for myself - to see 100 movies in theaters in 1 year.

On January 2, 2009 I started my journey to 100. The road was long and arduous. At times, I didn’t think I would make it. I missed some movies I really wanted to see. I saw quite a few that I consider mere stepping stones to my goal. I, at times, faced ridicule and persecution from those who did not understand my goal. I did find support in a faithful few.

I am proud to say that on December 31, 2009, I saw my 100th and final movie of the year. Achieving this goal made me realize that not only will I met this goal in 2010, but I will exceed it.

I will also document my moviegoing experiences here.

In Honor of Christmas

In honor of Christmas, I am posting a list of my 10 favorite Christmas movies. This list is not a traditional one - you won't find It's A Wonderful Life here. Some of the movies listed below are standard holiday fare, but my favorites... well, let's just say that if you read this blog, you'll know what to expect from me.

1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

2. Die Hard (1988)

3. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

4. Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

5. The Ice Harvest (2005)

6. Home Alone (1990)

7. A Christmas Story (1983)

8. P2 (2007)

9. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

10. Trapped in Paradise (1994)

Road to Nowhere

Set in a post-apocalyptic America, The Road follows a nameless Man (Viggo Mortensen) and Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they make their way through a wasteland searching for the coast. Teaming up to bring Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name to the big screen, writer Joe Penhall and director John Hillcoat create a disturbing meditation on mankind and human nature.

The Road is bleak and grim. The world is a skeleton of its former self. The sky, the earth, and even the ocean are ash gray. The environment that the characters live in and fight against is believable. In fact, it’s downright scary. Based on the elements we see on the screen (and even some of what’s offscreen), The Road is successful in selling the idea of an apocalypse hitting America.

Mortensen does an incredible job as the Man. He becomes the role, leaving you to think that he is capable of doing anything to protect his son. Who really stands out in The Road is Smit-McPhee. Obviously the role is a demanding one, not your typical child role, but Smit-McPhee is quite impressive with his show of range and depth. He is able to portray the Boy as a hardened survivor while still keeping an air of innocence about him.

However good the acting is, I have to say The Road has a few flaws. I guess my biggest qualm is that The Road is rather boring. Hillcoat continually introduces us to conflict and takes it nowhere. The plot is merely driven by the Man and the Boy’s journey to the coast. I get that the film is really an uplifting story to inspire, but I could have used a little action. I’m not talking about explosions (though, I do LOVE explosions); I would have liked to see something come of the murder committed by the Man near the start of the film. And what about the those Gollum-esque creatures being stored in a cellar? Or the people keeping them there? I feel as though that Hillcoat had ample opportunity to liven up the story and he let it go by the wayside.

The performances are great, the general concept is interesting, but The Road is dull and depressing. In short, The Road is only okay.

"Bah! Humbug!" Indeed

For their latest effort, Disney has teamed with Robert Zemeckis to bring A Christmas Carol back to the silver screen and in 3D to boot. The epic holiday classic stays true to Charles Dickens’ story of the same title. The film follows Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Jim Carrey) as he is visited by three ghosts - Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come (all voiced by Jim Carrey) - and is shown the error of his ways. After seeing some very frightening things, Scrooge seeks redemption and tries right his wrongs.

Yes, the 3D effects are quite impressive. The vocal talents, Carrey, Gary Oldman, and company, do an excellent job. Did you really expect anything less? This is Disney making A Christmas Carol. Of course it is good.

But I must say that this film is misleading. Don’t get me wrong - I believe in the message. I just don’t think this film is for kids. It’s been marketed as DISNEY’S A Christmas Carol. What parent wouldn’t take their kid to see it? They shouldn’t. This is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen. It’s certainly not for kids (at least not anyone under the age of eight).

This version of A Christmas Carol is frighteningly dark, and unnecessarily so. Yes, this is a tale of redemption. But did Zemeckis have to take us to such an extreme before having Scrooge see the light? Even the visit from Marley (voiced by Gary Oldman) is appalling. I appreciate the reality that Zemeckis is trying to portray, but will the target audience - children, right? - appreciate it or even understand it? I mean, the Ghost of Christmas Present dies! The Ghost of Christmas Present always reminded me of Santa Claus; I don’t want to see Santa Claus die. And what is with those dead kids - Ignorance and Want?

I don’t have a problem with the dark mood of A Christmas Carol. I do have a problem with the way it was marketed. If a film is dark and disturbing, have some of that in the trailer. Don’t mislead people into thinking that it is fine holiday fun for the whole family, because it isn’t. I suggest keeping the little, little kids at home and watching The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) instead.

Human Nature, Like Diaz’s Acting, Is Flawed

A family strapped for cash receives a visit from a mysterious stranger offering them one million dollars if they press a button that will result in the death of someone they do not know. The button is pressed (obviously) and all sorts of craziness ensues in the thriller The Box - what you would expect from the man responsible for Donnie Darko (2001).

Writer/director Richard Kelly offers us another bizarre story with his latest effort. As if the mere concept of The Box isn’t enough, there are plenty of strange subplots involving married couple Arthur (James Marsden) and Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz), as well the stranger Arlington Steward (Frank Langella). Aside from the NASA business, happenings at school or weddings, and all of the nosebleeds, Kelly presents a moral dilemma for the audience to mull over. The story is an intriguing one, and due to the lack of explanation at the start of the film, Kelly is able to draw us in.

Marsden gives an excellence performance as NASA employee and astronaut hopeful Arthur Lewis. Diaz, on the other hand, is not so good. I commend her for going outside of her comfort zone of romantic comedies, but is this the best she can do? Her performance is flat and her Southern accent is enough to make me drive a screwdriver into my ears.

I must say that some of the best acting in the film is from the extras. I don’t think I have ever seen creepier people. Because of the pace and general narrative of The Box, Kelly is urging his audience to solve the mystery so to speak. You can’t help but focus on the background trying to pick out clues. The extras and even the set help to add another layer to The Box.

The Box is an atmospheric, eerie thriller with plenty of commentary on human nature. It’s bizarre and confusing, but fun. Whether you agree with the suggestion Kelly is making about human nature or not, it's something to think about (and I think I failed the experiment). The Box will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Goats Don't Float My Boat

The Men Who Stare At Goats follows reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) as he gets the scoop on the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion, in other words psychic spies. As the story progresses, Bob finds himself on an adventure with his source Lyn Cassady (George Clooney).

Half the film is told through flashback. We see the origins of the First Earth Battalion, starting with Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), and how F.E.B fell to disgrace by way of Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey). The other half the film is supposed to be a like a buddy movie revolving around Bob and Lyn. Despite the all-star cast, this movie sucks.

I’m going to be honest - I don’t really care for George Clooney. He is a constant disappointment. And I downright loathe Ewan McGregor. So half of the movie for me was rather annoying. The two don’t play off of each other well. The “jokes” fall flat; neither Clooney nor McGregor were remotely funny.

The one beacon of light that had the potential to save this movie is Jeff Bridges. I am sorry to report that even The Dude couldn’t help. While Bridges performance is the only good thing about The Men Who Stare At Goats, that’s really not saying much.

The Men Who Stare At Goats could have been funny if executed properly. All of the essential ingredients are there. I don’t like Clooney or McGregor, but they are good actors. Let’s not forget about Kevin Spacey - the man has two Oscars! So what went wrong?

It’s just not funny. I don’t even think I laughed once during this movie. Any one part The Men Who Stare At Goats that could have gotten a chuckle out of me was spoiled by the trailer. Is there anything worse than all of a comedy’s funny parts being shown in the trailer? Uh, probably not. Instead of wasting $10.50, I could have watched a loop of the trailer and laughed more.

I feel as though The Men Who Stare At Goats tricked me. I thought I was going to see a comedy; instead, I saw one of the most boring movies of my life! A comedy that isn’t funny will drag on for days - The Men Who Stare At Goats is no exception.