Joe's Top Movies of 2009

Honorable Mention: Food Inc.; Up; The Blind Side; Julie and Julia ; Star Trek; The Messenger; 500 Days of Summer; Avatar; Bad Lieutenant; Where the Wild Things Are

10) Sugar

9) An Education

8) A Serious Man

7) Crazy Heart

6) Inglourious Basterds

5) The Hurt Locker

4) The White Ribbon

3) Precious

2) The Hangover

1) Up in the Air

An Early Top 5 Movies for 2009

An early top 5 of 2009 list by Harold:

5 - Sin Nombre
4 - The Hangover
3 - Adoration
2 - Away We Go
1 - The Hurt Locker

2008 Summary by Joe

I have seriously neglected this blog, as I have been informed by some people who actually read it. With the Great Depression II coming down in 2008 (tongue in cheek), I stopped paying $10 to see films in theatres, wating instead to see them when they are released on DVD. Thus, I still don't have a "2008 Top List." However, the following are movies I have seen from 2008 and how I scored them on a 1-5 scale beginning with the highest scores:

Slumdog Millionaire, 4.5; The Dark Knight, 4.5; The Wrestler, 4.5; Gran Torino, 4.5; Frost/Nixon, 4.5; Waltz with Bashir, 4.5; Rachel Getting Married, 4; Frozen River, 4; Man on Wire, 4; Burn After Reading, 4; The Wackness, 4; Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 4; In Bruges, 4; Milk, 4; Changeling, 4; Pineapple Express, 4; Revolutionary Road, 4; The Visitor, 4; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 4; Doubt, 4; Role Models, 4; Elegy, 3.5; Twilight, 3.5; Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 3.5; American Teen, 3.5; Iron Man, 3.5; Bigger, Stronger, Faster, 3.5; Taken, 3.5; Synecdoche, 3.5; Twilight, 3.5; Crossing Over, 3; The Code, 3; Sex Drive, 3; Wanted, 3; Leatherheads, 3; Redbelt, 3; Hamlet 2, 2.5; Eagle Eye, 2; Tropic Thunder, 2; The Bank Job, 2; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 1.5.

JP

Harold's Top 25 Films of 2008!

25. Gran Torino 24. Elegy
23. Burn After Reading 22. Frost/Nixon
21. Role Models 20. Tell No One
19. Frozen River 18. Pineapple Express
17. The Visitor 16. Hamlet 2
15. American Teen 14. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
13. Milk 12. Doubt
11. Changeling 10. Revolutionary Road
9. Let the Right One In 8. Bigger, Stronger, Faster
7. Waltz With Bashir 6. The Wackness
5. In Bruges 4. Rachel Getting Married
3. The Dark Knight 2. The Wrestler
1. Slumdog Millionaire

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

I will begin with a warning for those who have children, this is very very much an R rated movie! That being said, I really enjoyed it. Since I am a huge "Jackie" fan (Mila Kunis of That 70s Show fame), I was pleasantly surprised when I heard her voice. And, in my opinion she turned the movie around. It was coasting along at the speed of a turtle when she arrived on the scene and afterwards it was very entertaining. Jason Segel, who wrote Knocked Up, delivered another good one. 4 out of 5. Joe

Righteous Kill

Being stir crazy due to the second day in a row without power, I paid ten bucks to see this. I went with low expectations because of the reviews. I really wanted to see De Niro and Pacino together though. It wasn't worth the $10 but exceeded my expectations. Think of this as Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble as cops and one of them (maybe) as a serial killer (but rated R, not especially funny, not a cartoon, and not in the stone age). I'd recommend seeing it at a $3 theatre when it moves there, or renting it in the future. 3 of 5. Joe.

In Bruges

Excellent movie based in Bruges, Belgium about two hit men who are about as different as the Odd Couple. The film contains awesome shots of what is called the best-preserved medieval city in Belgium. Collin Farrell puts forth a top notch acting job. Some parts of this film are very funny, some parts very dark. All in all I enjoyed it very much. By the way, if you are a happy ending type person, get a pure comedy ready to put in the DVD player directly afterwards. 4 of 5. Joe.