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BEST MOVIES I've Seen In 2009

Dec 25, 2009

by woopak_the_thrill
posted in Movie Hype

2009...what a year!! There have been many things that happened and just how were the movies in 2009? I've seen quite a good share of movies this year (actually some of them were released late 2008) and I only saw them in 2009 because they are foreign films. This is my best of 2009. I saw these films for the very first time in 2009 whether on Imported DVD or in movie theaters. There is still a week or so remaining, so I may update this list before 2010.

Thirst (Bakjwi)

From the writer/director of Oldboy and Lady Vengeance; Park Chan-Wook's Vampire Masterpiece Takes on the SEVEN DEADLY SINS. Full of thought-provoking symbolisms and Clever metaphors up to the last scene. A Must-See!
See the full review, "South Korean Director Park Chan Wook's Take On Vampirism and The Seven Deadly Sins".

Avatar (2009 film)

James Cameron's Surprisingly great sci-fi film that thrilled and wowed me. Amazingly done with a mind-staggering budget of $ 260 million.
See the full review, "Absorbing Fantasy Adventure and Thought-Povoking Themes Make This a Blockbuster!".

Departures (Okuribito)

The winner of BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE Film in the most recent Academy awards. Amazing, endearing and uttertly touching! A Must!
See the full review, "4 ½ + Stars: Yojiro Takita's Award-Winning Film Explores a Grim Premise with Beautiful Sensibilities".

Kabei: Our Mother

The Japanese film based on true events about a family's struggle during wartime Japan. A powerful portrayal of one woman who defied the odds.
See the full review, "Yoji Yamada's Powerful Tale of A Family's Struggles During Wartime Japan".

Let The Right One In (Låt den Rätte Komma In)

I almost forgot Sweden's awesome Vampire film destined to be massacred by a Hollywood remake! The saga of a 12-year old vampire girl stucked to being young forever.
See the full review, ""To FLEE is LIFE...To LINGER...DEATH"".

Shigurui: Death Frenzy Complete Box Set

Ok, this is an anime series but deserves to be included in my "Best of 2009" list because it is just awesome! Imagine the Kurosawa and Kobayashi films with the Takashi Miike nihilism. Not your kid's cartoon...

See the full review, "The Beauty is in the Execution of the KILL".

RED CLIFF 2

Currently the most expensive undertaking in Chinese cinema. John Woo returns to Asian cinema with two costume-swordplay epics. Red Cliff and Red Cliff 2 is a historical epic two-parter that portrays the historical BATTLE OF RED CLIFF. The U.S. release combined the two movies in one highly edited form

See the full review, "4 ½ - Stars: John Woo's Climactic FINALE to his Rendition of "Romance of Three Kingdoms"".

Watchmen (2009 film)

Don't nail the movie just because it wasn't what you expected....this may be a comic book movie but far from a Super-hero flick! Yes, while missing the philosophies of the source material, Zack Snyder did well with this adaptation. Sense of IRONY required. (I am not a fan boy)
See the full review, "Technically Astounding--But Zack Snyder's Rendition Misses the Essence of the Graphic Novel".

Paranormal Activity (2009 movie)

How can one NOT appreciate the sleeper hit produced with a measly $ 11,000 budget and made millions in two weeks? Scary as hell...don't let the folks who say "it's like a reality show, it's boring" fool you. This is good horror. American horror has hope for it after all.

See the full review, "EVER Wonder What Happens While You Sleep?...".

A FROZEN FLOWER

The most controversial historical costume epic that came from South Korea...ever! "Brokeback Mountain" collides with HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
See the full review, "3 ½ Stars: The King, The Queen and The Bodyguard in a Love Triangle...But Not the Way You Think!".

The Baader Meinhof Complex

Stunning depiction of the rise of West Germany's RED FACTION ARMY and of terrorism. Nominated for BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE film in the recent Oscars...
See the full review, "Chronicles the Birth of West Germany's RED FACTION ARMY in a Very Taut and Thrilling Docudrama".

Martyrs

This French soul-scorcher disturbed the hell out of me...as good as it gets when it comes to French horror filmmaking.
See the full review, "4 ½ Stars: Stare Into the Dark Abyss of Brutality and Violence...".

Grace

Don't be a wimp and get ready to be disturbed...horror is supposed to be unnerving and not loaded with special effects! There is hope for AMERICAN HORROR...
See the full review, "Blood in A Baby Bottle...Depiction of the Horrors of Motherhood With a Touch of Vampire-Zombie Lore".

Cyborg She

a Romantic Comedy built on science fiction. I hate romantic comedies but this one was excellent!
See the full review, "An Unpredictable Love Story That Transcends The Past, Present and The Future".

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Sheri_in_Reho March 15, 2010

As I started to read your list of your favorite movies of 2009, I guesstimated that I would have seen about half of them. Boy, was *I* wrong! :) I don't like horror movies, so that cuts out about two thirds of the list for me. I did love District 9, though. :)

woopak_the_thrill March 17, 2010

LOL! I tend to throw in different genres just for diversity. Too much of one thing and I can become jaded.

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cenobite7 December 30, 2009

Good list. Surprisingly, I've seen a few. Thirst was awesome! Martyrs really effin' yanked my chain! I'm starting to like LTROI but I wish I'd saved my money for the original as I've read the American release through Magnolia was really stripped down (dialog-wise) & that's a shame. I wasn't a big fan of Zombieland per se but I guess I felt like I'd seen it all somewhere before. End Of The Line really was a showstopper! I've got copies of Watchmen & that Inglourious Basterds but haven't seen either one as of my writing this. The rest of your list looks pretty sweet so I will have to catch up on the others sometime. Great job!

woopak_the_thrill December 30, 2009

Thanks, Brian! I hope you make a list like this yourself! How about a sicko list?! LOL I told you LET THE RIGHT ONE IN will impress you, the first release was all shitty. I hope you got the director's cut of WATCHMEN and you have to review "Basterds" because we are basterds LOL!

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cenobite7 December 30, 2009

Sadly, I've still got the shitty copy of LTROI but I might buy the original somewhere down the road. I'm starting to like the movie a little better although it's still not what I'd originally hoped for. I bought the single disc versions of both Watchmen & Basterds but haven't cracked them open yet. I'm getting as bad as Christy when it comes to buying stuff I don't open for years. How insane is that? LOL

woopak_the_thrill December 30, 2009

I know. I got my unwatched pile down to 31 , then I was cleaning up, I ended up with 42 unwatched movies. Hey, seen STRANGE CIRCUS yet?

cenobite7 December 30, 2009

Nope, I'm getting around to it I swear! Christy has 84, you've 42, & I think I've atleast a dozen. The trouble is I actually find the pile growing each month instead of making any headway. LOL

woopak_the_thrill December 30, 2009

I know. I think someone needs to tie us down to keep us from shopping LOL! Any plans for New Year, bro?

cenobite7 December 30, 2009

Uhm, none so far. I'm hoping for some last minute surprise but we'll see what happens. I've got a wallet this year & the threads but nobody seems to be doing much of anything. Sux. How about you? Plans?

woopak_the_thrill December 30, 2009

I guess dinner but that's about it. I just wanna have a nice quiet New Year...I'm getting too old for this. LOL!

cenobite7 December 30, 2009

Dinner sounds nice. Wouldn't mind taking myself out if no one returns my calls. For you, the wild sex parties will have to end by 3am. Don't break that rule. LMAO Enjoy your dinner on the New Year William!

woopak_the_thrill December 30, 2009

I hope you make a "twisted movies list" dedicated to us sickos!! LMAO

cenobite7 December 30, 2009

That's always a possibility. I could list the films that I actually bought or saw in 2009 though I dunno how wqell that would go over. Ha! LMAO

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Ulalume December 26, 2009

"Watchmen was great for me because of the bold portrayal of man's potential to destroy itself that we have to be watched by such unlikable heroes." That line sums it up perfectly. Interesting list, I haven't seen most of these, though all of them look good. I'd been on the fence about Shigurui, because I hadn't heard or read much about it. I'll definitely check it out now though.

woopak_the_thrill December 27, 2009

Thanks, Ulalume! A lot of people were complaining as to how violent WATCHMEN was, yet the source material was violent. Shigurui is among my fave anime series for the year; there's like three reviews here in the site including mine. Check it out.

Ulalume December 27, 2009

I will definitely do that.

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JRider December 26, 2009

Look at this... Apparently 2009 will go down as a great year for entertainment. I'm pleased to report that several of the titles (such as Watchmen and Sky Crawlers) arrived under my tree while a few more (District 9) were ordered via Amazon Prime thanks to some gift cards. I've got to check out Avatar!!!

woopak_the_thrill December 26, 2009

Yes you do. I saw AVATAR again today...still impressive. By the way, I managed to review a few the past few days...

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coldsteel7 December 26, 2009

Saw 7 of them...including the top two, which I agree belong up there. The only point of departure for me is District 9, which I did not care for.

woopak_the_thrill December 26, 2009

really? you didn't like DISTRICT 9? I thought it was very good and ambitious.

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woopak_the_thrill December 27, 2009

Maybe I should make a list of overrated movies in 2009? nah, I managed to steer clear of most of the bad ones.

coldsteel7 December 27, 2009

I could do an overrated one pretty easily...I could start with New Moon, 2012 and Planet 51...all of which I have seen in the last two months!

woopak_the_thrill December 29, 2009

Damn! and I thought I see a lot of movies. I reviewed 2012, great EFX but the narrative was empty. New Moon and Planet 51 I am staying away from...

coldsteel7 December 29, 2009

You are wise to avoid the latter two. I am a junkie.

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Sean_Rhodes December 25, 2009

I'm probably the only one who read Watchmen who wasn't that impressed with it based almost entirely on its merits as a film (I just don't like comparing... books and films are apples and oranges). I am no convinced I'm the only one who read the Graphic Novel but just wasn't impressed with the movie much. At least the movie wasn't bad, I just don't understand the stringent fascination with it.

I'm not sure if I'll do any "Best of 2009" lists, though.

woopak_the_thrill December 26, 2009

As far as I can remember, I believe I scored the film a 3.89 or something but I rounded it up to 4. I had mixed feelings about the thetrical release but I did dig the director's cut. Watchmen was great for me because of the bold portrayal of man's potential to destroy itself that we have to be watched by such unlikable heroes.

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Sean_Rhodes December 26, 2009

I haven't seen The Director's Cut... that might have something to do with it, but I'm not entirely sure yet. Probably should check that out though. Might have a bit more appreciation for it, then.

woopak_the_thrill December 26, 2009

Yeh, I even heard that the ultimate cut is a lot better but right now, I don't have the $$ to spend on it. Oh, I'm not letting you off easy, I'd like to see your best of 2009; it doesn't have to be all movies, it can be video games, books and stuff. C'mon, Sean...

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Scotman December 25, 2009

Great list. I've seen less than half these, sadly. I should make another 2009 list since I left so many out that I also liked. Most of 2009 I was busy with school, work and watching old Vincent Price and Boris Karloff films to really go to the theater in 2009. In fact, I may see Sherlock Holmes with my brother today and review that. See my Poseidon review (I like plugging my own stuff, it's so well written, you know). See ya, happy xmas.

woopak_the_thrill December 26, 2009

Sherlock Holmes...we were going to see that one but we went to see AVATAR (again for me with my friends). I'll wait for Karen to review that one before I go.

Scotman December 26, 2009

I'm seeing Sherlock tomorrow. I watched an older version on Netflix, good to compare. Made another 2009 movies list, the best and the worst of what I have seen.

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Count_Orlok_22 December 25, 2009

Great list. As usual, Most of the best films that I saw this year were from last year (that's what happens when the local theatre doesn't get foreign or independent films). I definitely need to see "Thirst" and "Zombieland". I'm a little surprised that "Terminator: Salvation" didn't make your cut, though. Have you compared "Watchmen"'s theatrical cut to either the director's cut or ultimate cut yet? If you have, let me know what you thought.

woopak_the_thrill December 25, 2009

Terminator almost made the cut, but there were as much many things I liked about it as much as I didn't. I plan to get the ultimate cut real soon, hopefully I get a giftcard or something LOL!

woopak_the_thrill December 25, 2009

YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIRST...it is totally rad!!

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