Top 5 Movies of 2009

The Vikings were great. They were not "good" but they did have an air of greatness. I would love a Viking's burial. I guess it's not so much a burial as a ship burning. Nonetheless, I would love one. The serenity of having my ashes mixed with the algae and coral, and if I am lucky some might make it to the aquifer. I may even be reincarnated as the dolphin, defender of aquatic justice, I would be respected among all sea creatures. Though, I always thought I would make a better villain so maybe the evil sponge would suit me. I could be the master of absorption, I am sure my tyranny of aqua retention would be widely revered. I would be a greedy sponge and the people would fear me.

You may be asking yourself what this has to do with film. The reason I bring up the mighty Viking is I have been spending a lot of time this week thinking about greatness and what makes a great film. Is a good movie a great script and amazing story line, or is it a great cast with great cinematography? Philosophical conundrum; ideas vs. execution. How I decided was I looked at my long list of films as if I were an artist. Artists do not look at their art and ask, "Is it moral? Is it accurate? Is it clean? Is it nice? Is it me? Is it you? Am I crazy? Will they like it?", and so on and so forth. They only ask, "Is it good", and if it is good, they show the world. So I asked myself, "Is it good", and here is what I came up with for "Top 5 Movies Of 2009" in no particular order.

An Education- Short synopsis: Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a smart, mature, sixteen year old girl who attends an all girl private school. Her strict father (Alfred Molina), keeps a close watch on her to ensure that each of her activities will keep her on the path to Oxford. One afternoon, standing in the rain after her cello practice, she is approached by David (Peter Sarsgaard), a nice looking thirty-something man driving a sports car. He offers her a ride home, claiming to be a music lover who doesn't want her cello to get wet. A romantic relationship ensues in which David exposes her to good music, good food and fun. The young girl is not completely naive, but she is taken in by the exciting life-style David offers. The film's tag line "A girl beyond her years and a man beyond his boundaries" is the perfect summary.

What I loved about this film was the unique balance they found between the characters. David (Sarsgaard) isn't completely despicable. His relationship with Jenny, while inappropriate, was based on love. David is definitely not a great man but he isn't the usual sexual deviant that one would expect in this genre of film. He is charming. He is kind. He is a good, decent, working man, even if his work is slightly less than honorable. Jenny is not unbelievably naive. Granted she puts herself in a position of vulnerability but her arguments for her actions are very convincing. She is an intelligent, well spoken girl and it is felt through out the entire movie that she is not being manipulated but trying to find herself in a world where she has always been controlled.

In order for a film to be considered great there is one standard it must meet. It must cause a swell of unexplainable emotion. I want to feel despair, desire, joy, rage, pride, anger, anything even if it is without reason, it has to be there. "An Education" did that for me. There were so many scenes that weren't particularly emotional but there was a feeling of substance there. It were as if I was a witness to the beauty of humanity, despite our imperfections. This film encompassed the full spectrum of human emotion in a beautifully composed and effortless manner.

Brother- Short Synopsis: Grace Cahill (Natalie Portman) and Cpt. Sam Cahill (Tobey McGuire) have a loving marriage and two young daughters. Sam, a career marine, is sent back to Iraq. After his helicopter crashes he is assumed dead. Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), Sam's brother, is the black sheep of the family. Just out of prison he keeps finding trouble. After the death of his brother he steps in to help out his sister-in-law and nieces. After several months Sam is rescued from a make shift POW camp in Iraq where he has endured unimaginable torture. After returning home he becomes paranoid and violent. Jealous of his brothers new relationship with his family Sam slowly looses grip on reality.

"Brothers" is the most well acted film of the year. Each character brought an important element to the movie. Natalie Portman is currently one of the most under-rated actresses working today. She really is exceptional. When I watch her I never think, "There is Natalie Portman acting well." When I watch her act I forget who I am watching. I am completely engrossed in her character. She is heart breakingly believable in "Brothers". It is the small stillness between her movement and dialogue that make her so real. She keeps constant tension and it is beautiful. In 2o years Natalie Portman will be the next Meryl Streep, which is just about the greatest compliment I could give someone.

Jake Gyllenhaal is always pretty good so I don't have a ton to say about him besides he is pleasing to look at. Toby McGuire on the other hand was a big surprise to me. Normally I find him whiny and frail however he completely changed my mind in this film. He started so kind and loving then turned terrifying so quickly. He commanded attention every moment he was on screen. Which is what I found so impressive, he commanded attention where other would have to beg. I expect this to be a whole new beginning Toby McGuire.

"Brothers" was as well constructed and realistic and it was acted. I didn't feel as though I was being alienated but an unrealistic love affair. The characters were not disconnected from reality but living a human life. "Brothers" was just a story of a family and that story had no ulterior motives. I so was impressed by the dignity with which this movie conducted itself. It felt like a voice in the dark, like a whisper in a crowd. Despite the intensity of its surroundings this voice was determined to be heard.

Coraline- Short Synopsis: In this animated film, Coraline (voice by Dakota Fanning) moves to an old house in the country with her parents. Her adventurous spirit lands her in a world strangely similar to her real life. At first her "other" life, "other" parents, and "other" friends seem quixotic but she soon discovers a malevolent plot against her. She must choose between her seemingly perfect new life and her real life with the people who love her.

Animation is not my thing. I have very few animated movies that I have enjoyed as an adult but "Coraline" took the standard to a whole new level. I am not a qualified judge of how well the animation itself was done but I can say it was captivating to watch. Coraline's real world was life-like and her dream world was dream-like. Though it wasn't exactly a "children's movie" it felt like childhood. It was what all children want but with a lesson in the end that most children don't have to luxury of comprehending until adulthood. This film needs to be watched in order to fully understand its depth.

Inglorious Basterds- Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and several other Jewish Americans are dropped into Nazi Occupied France during World War II. There mission is to kill Nazis. Not as soldiers, but dressed as civilians they find Nazi troops and exterminate them. This story combines with the story of Shosanna Dreyfus's (Melanie Laurent) mission for revenge after the murder of her entire family by Nazis to create a completely inaccurate "historical" action film.

Did anyone not see this coming? I am an unabashed Quenton Tarantino fan. I think he someone who would have been an genius no matter what field he chose to go in to, but luckily for humanity, he chose the film industry. This film was old school Tarantino all the way. The cinematography was gritty and dirty but completely flawless. The dialogue was realistic and witty. The cast was superb. The Nazi killing was... satisfying to say the least. I have nothing negative to say about "The Basterds"

I remember the first preview I saw for this movie, it seems like years before the movie came out. Its the concept of that damn proverbial watch pot and its unwillingness to boil. I waited and waited for it. Opening night I was first in line. After all of the build up there was zero disappointment. I enjoyed every second of it, then I saw it again and enjoyed it more than the first time. But that's Quenton, his movies get better with every viewing. Pure genius.

I could go on and on about each scene in this film but I wont bore with the detail because if you have seen it you know what I am talking about and if you haven't I wont ruin it for you. I do, however, want to comment on one scene. The opening scene where Col. Hans Landa, aka "The Jew Hunter" (Christopher Waltz) is interrogating Perrier LaPadite (Denis Menochet) about a Jewish family who he believes is being hidden in a local farm. Every moment from the time Landa enters his home to the time he exits my heart was racing. I knew something bad was going to happen but I didn't know when. The tension was so well constructed that even though there was very little happening I was not bored. Denis Menochet was absolutely fabulous in his Oscar-Worthy performance as the the most despicable man on the planet.

500 Days of Summer- Short Synopsis: Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a true believer in love, works for a greeting card company. His day to day life leaves him restless. He dreams of being and architect and falling in love. Upon meeting Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), his bosses new assistant he is instantly taken with her. After a drunken night of Karaoke their relationship become less than platonic. They date for several months but as the relationship progress the differences in their feelings for each become more obvious. Summer's discontentment with the relationship becomes apparent during breakfast one morning where she tells Tom she doesn't want to see him anymore. Tom is heart broken but determined to win her back. What follows is a story about love, though it is not a love story.

The honesty of this romantic flick was disarming. It exquisitely exhibited the inexplicable 'x' factor in attraction. The 'x' factor is absurd. There is no reasoning it in or explaining it out. In "500 Days Of Summer" there was, somehow, an understanding of the mysterious. Director Marc Webb captured that, he captured the enigmatic ambiance of love and he did it in a way that did not antagonize his viewers. The non-chronological format makes being a part of each moment simple. Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story had truth, beauty, honesty and above all it had love.

Truth, beauty, honesty, blah blah blah, its all true but the prize element of "500 Days" was the superlative sound track. From Wolfmother to Simon and Garfunkle and Carla Bruni to Temper Trap it smoked all other sound tracks this year and rapidly forced its way up my list of all time favorites to settle into the the respectable position of number two directly underneath the "Harold and Maude" sound track. It even had two of my favorite Smith's songs and a cover of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" by Zooey Deschanel herself. The rise and fall of lyrics and melody can be a great ally to films in the romantic genre. The whole film was marvelous but the sound track was sublime.

To finish us off lets look at 2009 movies as a whole. When I started this "Top 5" I had a list of thirty films. It seemed like a lot until I really started to think about how many movies were actually released this year, I don't know the exact number but my guess is hundreds. Maybe this is just me being critical of other people's lack of artistic ambition but why were there more greedy, money grubbing publicity whores releasing movies than artists this year. To the produces of the world I say; by all means, make money in your profession but please, please, do it with dignity. I feel, however that 2010 will be a great year. Lets all pray for more Daniel Day-Lewis, more Meryl Streep, more Quentin Tarintino and peace on earth.