2009 Overall Recap

Movies I watched RELEASED in 2009

Movies I rated 5/5 in 2009:

1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Arrested Development (2003)
3. Young Frankenstein (1974)
4. The Razor’s Edge (1984)
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
6. Adaptation. (2002)
7. The Graduate (1967)
8. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
9. “Battlestar Galactica” (2004)
10. The Dark Knight (2008)

Number of movies per month – total: 136 (I really thought I’d hit 150 this year)

1. December 2009 (14)
2. November 2009 (11)
3. October 2009 (16)
4. September 2009 (14)
5. August 2009 (6)
6. July 2009 (10)
7. June 2009 (11)
8. May 2009 (12)
9. April 2009 (14)
10. March 2009 (11)
11. February 2009 (10)
12. January 2009 (7)

Books (I keep forgetting to post about them):

1. Brave New World
2. Heart of Darkness
3. Animal Farm
4. My Utmost for His Highest (throughout the year)

2009 Netflix Re-Cap

90 movies from Netflix (and 3 ‘watch instant’ below)…

1. Pollock
2. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
3. 2 Days in Paris
4. Up
5. We Own the Night
6. Pollock
7. Waitress
8. The Holiday
9. The Last King of Scotland
10. Love Actually
11. Gone with the Wind
12. Inside Man
13. Next
14. The Namesake
15. Signs of Life
16. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
17. Black Snake Moan
18. Buena Vista Social Club
19. When We Were Kings
20. The Wind That Shakes the Barley
21. Twilight
22. The Final Countdown
23. Tell No One
24. Ghost World
25. Anvil: The Story of Anvil
26. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
27. Dreamgirls
28. The Aristocrats
29. The Searchers
30. Who Killed the Electric Car?
31. The Outsiders: The Complete Novel
32. Dead Calm
33. The Lookout
34. The Outsiders
35. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
36. The Lives of Others
37. The City of Lost Children
38. Love
39. The Eiger Sanction
40. Ice Station Zebra
41. Fiddler on the Roof
42. Little Children
43. Dark Blue
44. Narc
45. Pineapple Express
46. Ordinary People
47. The Interview
48. Bridge to Terabithia
49. Revolutionary Road
50. The Return of Captain Invincible
51. Doubt
52. Taking Chance
53. The Dam Busters
54. Lost in La Mancha
55. My Name Is Bruce
56. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
57. The Incredible Hulk
58. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
59. Speed Racer
60. Definitely, Maybe
61. Battlestar Galactica: Caprica
62. The Wrestler
63. Spaced: The Complete Series: Disc 1
64. The Foot Fist Way
65. Dogtown and Z-Boys
66. Son of Rambow
67. Slumdog Millionaire
68. The Fountain
69. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
70. Hud
71. La Haine
72. Apocalypto
73. Helvetica
74. Young @ Heart
75. Breach
76. Man on Wire
77. Is Wal-Mart Good for America?: Frontline
78. Sunshine
79. Cop Land
80. The Last Sin Eater
81. The Bourne Ultimatum
82. Grindhouse: Death Proof
83. Grindhouse: Planet Terror
84. 28 Weeks Later
85. 28 Days Later
86. Ali
87. Hitman
88. Battlestar Galactica: Season 4: Disc 4
89. Battlestar Galactica: Season 4: Disc 3
90. Battlestar Galactica: Season 4: Disc 2

And 3 watch instant movies

1. WALL-E
2. Bigger, Stronger, Faster
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) – 3/5

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008). – 3/5

A touching story, but maybe not one that requires 1.5 hours. It’s more of an idea or a short-story and the feature length felt a bit forced. That probably means they cd have done more w/ it.

The Hangover (2009) – 3/5

The Hangover (2009). – 3/5

Funny and a bit original for what it is.

G-Force (2009) – 3/5

G-Force (2009). – 3/5

Cute, but maybe a bit too complex of a story for little kids.

Sherlock Holmes (2009) – 4/5

Sherlock Holmes (2009). – 4/5

Good stuff – I liked that way it went beyond just a mystery, but brought in some super-natural and such. Also, the action was really good.

This is a good comparison to many recent action movies where the action is so complicated and over-done that it’s just a confusion of movement. For movies like “G.I. Joe” and “Transformers” I kinda have to just try to enjoy the ride. Also, I have to enjoy it a bit on credit (“well, it’s clearly well done so I guess it’s good action.”).

But w/ Holmes, they actually do much of the action in slow-motion so you don’t miss a thing. It’s like holding themselves up to the light so you can see every little detail. That’s bold and well done.

Up (2009) – 3/5

Up (2009). – 3/5

Great animation and a touching, though sad, story.

I didn’t quite get into the story b/c I think at the bottom of it I was like “It’s a bird.” If you’re going to analyze it, maybe it’s not just a bird, but…

I think the moral of the story is good which I took to be: don’t let the destination get in way of the journey.

The Princess and the Frog (2009) – 3/5

The Princess and the Frog (2009). – 3/5

Really good all around – animation, voice acting, story, etc. Another score for Ron & John.

I love that it was on NOLA which doesn’t get enough attention for the culture and overall awesomeness that it offers.

Despite it being good all around, there wasn’t really anything (besides NOLA) that really made this movie shine above the rest.

We Own the Night 2007 – 3/5

We Own the Night 2007. – 3/5

I was tempted to give this a 4, but I have a feeling the feeling will fade pretty quickly. But this was a really good movie w/ good, tense scenes, good characters and a great tone/mood.

Waitress (2007) – 3/5

Waitress (2007). – 3/5

Sweet, cute, sad little story that doesn’t try too hard.

Great device w/ the pies… really made me want some pie too… a lot of pie.

Acted well and touching in many parts. Slightly inspiring, but not overboard.

Sadly, the Director (also writer and “Dawn” in the movie) was murdered while making this film.