Best of 2009
My favorite movies of 2009. With comments.
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15 titles
- DirectorLee DanielsStarsGabourey SidibeMo'NiquePaula PattonIn New York City's Harlem circa 1987, an overweight, abused, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that she can re-route her life in a better direction.Gut-wrenching, at times difficult to watch, and yet one of the most powerful, even uplifting movies I've seen in years. Stellar performances from the entire cast.
Nominations:
Best Picture**
Best Actress- Gabourey Sidibe
Best Supporting Actress- Mo'nique**
Best Director- Lee Daniels**
Best Adapted Screenplay - DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsSharlto CopleyDavid JamesJason CopeViolence ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent exposed to their biotechnology.Sci-fi at it's best. One of the biggest surprised of the year, and one of the best.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor- Sharlto Copely
Best Adapted Screenplay**
Best Visual Effects**
Best Director- Neil Blomkamp - DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsChris PineZachary QuintoSimon PeggThe brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.Easily the most exciting, joyously fun movie of the year. This is exactly what a summer blockbuster should be; a total knockout.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor- Chris Pine
Best Visual Effects
Best Original Score - DirectorMarc WebbStarsZooey DeschanelJoseph Gordon-LevittGeoffrey ArendAfter being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.A film that will ring remarkably (and at times uncomfortably) true for anyone who's ever fallen in love.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor- Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Best Original Screenplay - DirectorNora EphronStarsAmy AdamsMeryl StreepChris MessinaJulia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.This film gets a lot of hate. It's hard for me to say what I love about it so much, but it's a movie I can watch over and over again. It's charm is most likely due almost entirely to Meryl Streep's joyous, vibrant, and completely realized performance as Julia Child.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress- Meryl Streep**
Best Supporting Actor- Stanley Tucci - DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.Remarkably moving, undeniably powerful, and totally unforgettable.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Documentary Feature** - DirectorTom FordStarsColin FirthJulianne MooreMatthew GoodeAn English professor, one year after the sudden death of his boyfriend, is unable to cope with his typical days in 1960s Los Angeles.Beautiful from the very first shot to the very last.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor- Colin Firth**
Best Supporting Actress- Julianne Moore
Best Adapted Screenplay- Tom Ford, David Scearce
Best Cinematography
Best Director- Tom Ford - DirectorJason ReitmanStarsGeorge ClooneyVera FarmigaAnna KendrickRyan's job is to travel around the country firing off people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor- George Clooney
Best Supporting Actress- Vera Famiga
Best Supporting Actress- Anna Kendrick
Best Director- Jason Reitman
Best Adapted Screenplay - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsBrad PittDiane KrugerEli RothIn Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.Quentin Tarantino's crazy, fantastical, Nazi-killing farce is entertainment gold.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director- Quentin Tarantino
Best Original Screenplay- Quentin Tarantino - DirectorRuben FleischerStarsJesse EisenbergEmma StoneWoody HarrelsonA shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Original Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor- Woody Harrelson - DirectorJane CampionStarsAbbie CornishBen WhishawPaul SchneiderThe three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress- Abbie Cornish
Best Supporting Actor- Paul Schneider
Best Director- Jane Campion
Best Cinematography**
Best Original Screenplay - DirectorChristine JeffsStarsAmy AdamsEmily BluntAlan ArkinIn order to raise the tuition to send her young son to private school, a mom starts an unusual business -- a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service -- with her unreliable sister.Funny, heartfelt, and resonant.
Nominations:
Best Actress- Amy Adams
Best Original Screenplay - DirectorSpike JonzeStarsMax RecordsCatherine O'HaraForest WhitakerYearning for escape and adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king.Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor- James Gandolfini
Best Cinematography
Best Adapted Screenplay - DirectorGuy RitchieStarsRobert Downey Jr.Jude LawRachel McAdamsDetective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.Nominations:
Best Cinematography - DirectorLone ScherfigStarsCarey MulliganPeter SarsgaardAlfred MolinaA coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.Nominations:
Best Actress- Carey Mulligan
Best Supporting Actor- Alfred Molina