This blog post is way too late.

Guys I meant to write this blog a while ago but a few things have stepped in the way. Mainly video games and watching Survivor. However the time has come to list the movies I saw last year that were made in that same year. I've divided the list into 3 teams and assigned each team logos which are based on some really neat album covers I think you all should be more familiar with. Also, I added a few comments so you know where I'm coming from. Check them out, the best of 09 that I saw in 09!

Team Comme Ci Comme Ca

Where the Wild things Are - Visually this movie was pretty impressive but that and Catherine Keener were sadly all that was impressive. I kept waiting for the monsters to freak out and rip apart that kid who was obviously too old to be this big a baby. Also I didn't particularly like the voices chosen for the monsters. Only Catherine O'Hara's had any real spark and also seemed to fit the giant head it was coming out of. Not a terrible movie, just pretty boring for something that looked so cool. (3/5 Stars)


The Men Who Stare at Goats - I'm a big fan of George Clooney and an even bigger fan of Jeff Bridges* so it's too bad this movie was just ok. The fact that I can barely even remember anything about it right now pretty much shows how this movie affected me. Big huge mehs all around. *Bonus fact: Jeff Bridges just plays a much weaker version of The Dude in this movie! (3/5 Stars)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - A lot of you hated this movie. I watched the leaked version without special effects and thought, "Hey, aside from the brutal embarassment of an ending, this movie wasn't nearly as bad as people said it was." Sure, it was by no stretch of the imagination any good and was in fact, quite bad but I just couldn't help but enjoy it. Is there something wrong with me? Yes. Yes there is. (2/5 Stars)

Watchmen - I remember walking out of the watchmen being pleasantly surprised, however now when I think back on it all I remember is Dr. Manhattan's dong. (3.5/5 Stars)

Year One - Year One should really be in the good category because it made me laugh really hard a few times. But a few times was all of the times I laughed. It was a little too uneven to be considered really good but I still recommend it. Jack Black and Michael Sera really should make another movie together, though. Maybe one where they're both silent era film stars and they have to embark on some Indiana Jones- like quest. Maybe it's co-starring Fred Armisen, Kristen Wiig and Mila Kunis? I don't know why I said Mila Kunis that was completely out of nowhere. (3/5 Stars)

Team You're No Good

Because I don't see that many movies in theatres every year for various reasons, (ie I hate theatres, I hate people, I hate spending money) I only really see the ones I think I will really like. Luckily this usually means I usually see decent to good movies most of the time. This keeps the garbage quotient low, but not quite at zero.

The Invention of Lying - This movie sucks. I love Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey specifically, and despite the fact Gervais wrote this, it is very bad. It's not so much a movie about a world where people only tell the truth as it is about a world where people have no inner monologue at all. Which may sound like an equally intriguing idea, but trust me, it's toilet crust. 2 good scenes (one. a flashback starring Stephen Merchant and Barry from Eastenders, the other an incredibly heartfelt scene involving Ricky Gervais' character and his mother) are just not enough to save this jumbled mess of what should have been decent. (1.5/5 Stars)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Easily the worst Harry Potter movie. You'd think with a name like "The Half-Blood Prince" somewhere in the movie they'd be looking for, or at least casually wondering who this Half-Blood Prince is, right? (Mostly I think that because it happened in the book.) Well, if you thought that you'd be wrong. What's wrong with you? Everyone knows if you have a movie with a title like that, you barely mention it somewhere around the 33 minute mark, neglect to mention it again until about the 142 minute mark and then treat it like it's some huge reveal! Now THAT'S showbiz! (1/5 Stars)

Team So Sick

Star Trek - Star Trek is probably the best Trek movie, let's all stop fooling ourselves. I love Khan and First Contact and Undiscovered Country as much as the next loser, but you must admit that making Star Trek cool was something you didn't think was even remotely possible before this came out. (5/5 Stars)

Terminator 4: Rise of the Machines - Let's be honest, the Terminator franchise is nothing without James Cameron and a young Arnold Schwarzenegger and since those guys are pretty commited to making 3D Pocahontas movies and you know, governing a state, it's doubtful they'll ever come back to make any more. So we have to face facts: we are all getting some more of these "T" movies that will never hold a candle to T2 so we might as well stop comparing them. Do that, and then watch T4. It's actually not that bad. Sam Worthington really makes the movie and while I pretty much hate the director he manages to churn out a pretty decent little action movie. Sure half the lines and almost every fight scene are directly lifted from Terminator 2, but maybe that's why I liked it? I'm a fool for dystopian settings, what can I say. (3/5 Stars)

Inglorious Basterds - The only thing I have to complain about this amazing movie is that I wanted more Nazi killing. More violence overall really. Best performance of the year easily turned in by Christoph Waltz. Chick was a babe, Brad Pitt with a cool accent, Hitler freaking out, what the hell else do you want in a feature length motion picture? (4/5 Stars)

District 9 - Perhaps the best science-fiction movie of the last decade, District 9 is really a great piece of work. I was so happy to hear it had been nominated for best picture. "Finally," I said, "A year where a sci-fi movie I love has a shot at winning best picture." Well I did say that, until I also found out the next movie was nominated, even thought it really isn't close to being as good... (5/5 Stars)

Avatar - Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Avatar. It is on the good list. James Cameron KNOWS sci-fi/action better than any other director in the world ever. But this movie aside from the visuals is pretty much a remake of: fill in the movie already mentioned a million times in every review, ie. Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, Ferngullty, etc. also known as completely unoriginal. That being said, I liked it. The more I think about it, the more I like it in fact. Strong performances and some amazing 3D obviously make up for the story shortcomings and Avatar really is a pretty sick movie. Really the only other major issue I had with Avatar is that Giovanni Ribisi's character should have been renamed Carter Burke and played by Paul Reiser. What can I say, if it aint broke don't fix it, right? (4/5 Stars)

Fantastic Mr. Fox - I think Fantastic Mr. Fox was my favourite movie of the year. Now I obviously didn't see a lot of good movies, but I saw a couple and of those couple I left the theatre most satisfied and most impressed with this one. I think it's interesting in a year where movies have made such amazing leaps forward visually, whether it be Avatar or Where the Wild Things Are, the movie my eyeballs liked the most is the one that used techniques from the 60s (or whatever) . I seriously recommend this one to everyone. if you have kids go see it. If you're married, go see it. And for the love of Christ if you have stop motion animated foxes, GO SEE THIS MOVIE. SERIOUSLY, THATS LIKE, ALL THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT. (5/5 Stars)

Overall I think 2009 was a pretty great year for movies. I'm still working through the Oscar nominations and I'll have a similar update about those in the futurepeeeeeeeace