Top 5 films of 2009

I went to watch Sherlock Holmes yesterday, and it was a entertaining film. Solid action film, kept watchable by a great performance by Robert Downey Jr.
Unlike most years, 2009's top 5 only took a few minutes to work out. The quality of films was poor last year, and I went to the cinema less regularly so I missed some films that are meant to be good. Also the UK usually gets the Oscar hyped films later than the US, so we have yet to see Up In the Air, Precious, Lovely Bones, Invictus, and others.

So here is my list;

5. Star Trek: I don't like Star Trek, Star Wars was always my thing as a kid. The nine year old version of me might just change his mind if JJ Abrams can make a few more of these films! This film is just fun, not much more to say really. I really hope this film doesn't get overlooked, because if it wasn't for Avatar this would be the best Sci-Fi film in years.

4. Inglourious Basterds: Tarantino's critics have really been coming out of the woodwork in the last few years, despite the merits of his last few films none of them have appealed as widely as Pulp Fiction. The slight missteps result in this near masterpiece. The opening scene is probably the most tense scene I have ever sat through in the cinema. The acting is engrossing. The scene between lead character Shosanna unwittingly coming into contact with the Nazi who killed her family over a dinner table is horrifying. The end is a violent and bloody. It's the Tarantino you've been waiting for.

3. Avatar: Everyone should know about this film by now, and in years to come surely it will be remembered like the original Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Indian Jones or Lord of the Rings films. Finally this generation has a film to call it's own. Technically this is the biggest breakthrough in cinema since the Matrix. Despite my lukewarm review last week, this film is something you'll be thinking about for weeks to come if you enjoyed it in it's full IMAX glory.

2. Michael Jackson's This Is It: January 16th 2010 I was to see Michael Jackson in concert for the first time, sadly it was not to be. This diary of his last few days is spectacular. It's evident as far as showmanship goes, these concerts would blow Madonna, U2, Coldplay, et al out of the water. If you want to hang with the King of Pop in massive arena concerts, this is a lesson in how to do it. The budget was enormous, for a simple Earth Song performance he had hired out the Avatar creators and the results are amazing. Not only do we get an insight on the greatest show that never was, we actually get to see an intimate picture of Jackson the workaholic and boss, something he did not reveal to the public and we get a rare glimpse because of his untimely demise. Love him or hate him, he was the greatest of all time, and Paul McCartney wishes he could lace the boots of this legend.
George Carlin sums it up best.

1. Up: This is really the film Pixar has been trying to make since they started. Since the original Toy Story, I feel like they have been attempting to make a film that can live up to something Hayao Miyazaki would be proud of. Most of their efforts have been very good (with the exception of the sub-par Cars) and Wall-E came especially close. This film can be enjoyed by someone even as heartless as me! The opening act of the film introduces us to childhood friends Carl and Ellie, who fall in love, get married, buy a house, dream of adventuring in South America, grow old together....and then before their wishes come true Ellie dies. After wallowing in his misery, and being threatened with eviction from his home, Carl decides to literally fly his own house to Paradise Falls, where Ellie had longed to go. Without revealing too much, we find out how Carl comes to terms with the loss of his wife by making new relationships outside the crutch Ellie gave him. All of this in an American animated kids film? It really is something special.

2009 was not a vintage year, but the best films were ones that I will remember for many years to come, all worth repeat viewings. Hopefully 2010 will be good enough for me to write a Top 10!