My Top 5 of 2009

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So we're already a healthy week into 2010 and a lot (if not all) of the critics have weighed in with what they all felt were the best films of the past year. Well I may be more then fashionably late to the party but I thought I'd throw my top 5 into the ring.

5. Ink - Impeccably independent, I had heard nothing but hype for this film. Thinking there was no way a movie made for such a small budget with no publisher could ever live up to that kind of praise. Boy was I wrong. captures the imagination and drives home some emotional beats in a great way. I can't stop recommending this film, and that's way it's beat out great films like District 9.

4. I Love You, Man - Emotionally driven, and truthfully comedic I Love You, Man struck a chord with me. I've seen this film 4 or 5 times since seeing it in the theatre earlier this year, and it seems to be getting better and better with each viewing. If you haven't seen this comedic gold that came out of the mountain of 2009, you should.

3. Star Trek - As Kevin Smith said in late 2008 "The stars absolutely trek in this film. It is fantastic." My sentiments exactly Mr. Smith.

2. The Hurt Locker - Intense through the entire movie, Kathryn Bigelow sets an amazing tone through this entire movie. Make no mistake, this film is not about the politics of the War, it's about the people living through it day-to-day, specifically a bomb squad. I love this film, and I can't wait until it comes out on DVD.

1. Inglorious Basterds - Also an intense film, but from a radically different angle then The Hurt Locker. Quentin Tarantino builds his scenes, his characters and their encounters with the intensity of wars past. Those looking for just an action film with nothing more than "Nazi killing" will come away with so much more. A brave cinematic caper film, Tarantino nails the hammer right on the head with this one.

In my opinion, 2009 was a great year. While these 5 films felt pretty easy to come up with me, originally I was going to do a top 10, but due to an ever rotating bottom 5 I had to pass. Films like The Hangover, Moon, The Brothers Bloom and the already mentioned District 9, helped make this year wonderful but made it hard to draw up a numbered list. But maybe that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Happy belated New Year everyone.

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