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Frazzled’s Top 10 movies of 2009

This includes movies rented, so one is actually from 2008. I’ll also note I have not seen Moon, Nine (the musical), or Hurt Locker yet, but they are on the itinerary and might be in the list.

Drumroll please:

*Zombieland. Hilarity, one liners, and zombies, can’t be beat. Nut up or shut up.

*The Wrestler. Yes this was 2008, but rented in 2009. I was very very surprised. Usually films with a lot of buzz are letdowns, but this one was better than the buzz. Excellent acting. Excellent storyline.

*Hangover. The ending was perfect. What happened to my tooth!

*Monsters vs. Aliens. Storyline was excellent with some nice humor, and the graphics were very interesting. Reminded me of the old sci fi B movies. We are here to destroy you.

*Star Trek. This is one of the big sci fi movies I saw where the special effects were so intense that I could not fully appreciate them until it went to the small screen. I had to re-apprise after watching it for a second time at home. The concept was interesting, effects grand, and it brought back the vibe of the original series. Its so exciting!

*Inglorious Bastards. Very Tarantino. It wasn’t up to Kill Bill or the holy order that is Pulp Fiction, but genuinely good. Brad Pitt excels in one of his non pretty boy roles (still think he was the best in Snatch). We are here to kill Nazzeeees.

*500 Days of Summer. A very different view at the classic romantic comedy.

*District 9. I didn’t really care for the drum beat humans evil humans evil, but the concept view was pretty good, and we have a new actor to watch. The sci fi graphics were impressive on a limited budget. That’s how a combat walker should be.

*Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Light hearted with a good story and plotline.

*Drag Me to Hell. My kind of horror movie. Terror with a different take. The ending was sweet.

Movies that didn’t quite make the cut: Avatar, Julie and Julia, Terminator Salvation, the Blind Side.
Movies that would have made it but are really really old so don't count: Quills.

Hurt Locker was very good, it was a take on the war I haven't seen before, probably if not definitely on my top 10 films of this year.

Great Unclean One wrote:Hurt Locker was very good, it was a take on the war I haven't seen before, probably if not definitely on my top 10 films of this year.

I have heard that about both it and Moon. We are lookig forward to renting those, or at least me, so am withholding judgement on them.

Frazzled wrote:*District 9. I didn’t really care for the drum beat humans evil humans evil, but the concept view was pretty good, and we have a new actor to watch. The sci fi graphics were impressive on a limited budget. That’s how a combat walker should be.

The pacing to me was a little bit off at first. I liked it, it just seemed to drag on a little bit at times. That walker made up for my misgivings with the process leading up to its moment on the screen though. I'd be content just watching it throw around mercenaries and romping through slums for two hours in a sequel.

I'm surprised this wasn't 10 listings for Gran Turino (Jan 8 2009 release according to imdb)

The holy shrine to GT on my front lawn says 2008 Malfie.

Else yea it would have been top 1-5.

I love the fact that this thread is basically 'Movies I done rented this year, by Frazzled'!

I have to agree with many of these, although there are a few I haven't seen. Star Trek was awesome, as was Inglourious Basterds - if only for Brad Pitt's character's awful attempts at italian and 'The Bear Jew'. I LOL'ed.
If we're including rentals, Fifty Dead Men Walking and Hunger were fething mega.

As was Avatar

1st Watchmen. Pure brilliance, the finest film of the year, whilst certain changes took place, the 3 hours were enough time to encapulate the meaning of the G-novel, the roles were brilliantly portrayed.

2nd District 9. Excellent movie, moving and exciting, loved the camera work, Also please make George Locust watch this as a pointer on how to do CGI aliens...

3rd Zombieland. Excellent movie, really funny, plenty of action, was impressed with the lead girl and WH (and of course, the cameo).


Raspberry = Star Trek. The most colossal turd I've seen. The entire thing was garbage smeared with more flashing lights and explosions than the filth that was the 'starwars prequels'. DIRE. Only the Uhura character kept me from just switching it off halfway through.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205489/releaseinfo

Ah, premiere in 2008, wide release in 2009.

Is it in your list from last year?

I know when I saw it Malf. It was too close to Frazzled's Dad passing and I lost it in the theater as the main character reminded me of him.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Raspberry = Star Trek. The most colossal turd I've seen. The entire thing was garbage smeared with more flashing lights and explosions than the filth that was the 'starwars prequels'. DIRE. Only the Uhura character kept me from just switching it off halfway through.

One title for you MGS:
Transformers II: Rise of the Fallen.

Frazzled wrote:One title for you MGS:
Transformers II: Rise of the Fallen.

Indeed, however I saw that particular clump of droppings whilst visitin my first ever Drive-In and eating weird and unhealthy fried American foodstuffs sat in my gf's jeep, the otherwise enjoyable aspects dilute my hatred by small degrees.

But yes, it too was a foul thing. It's just that Star Trek meddled with the very lore of a show I've loved. It made me very cross, it steam rollered 30 years of established background. Directors have often wondered how to make ST movies work so that they balance appeal to fans and a wider audience, Abrams seemed to just ignore the fans and go for 'oh look, iconic ship and names and some time travel and then LOTS OF NOISE AND EXPLOSIONS!!1!'.

Star Trek remains my choice of Hated Release.

While I don't agree, I can respect that reasoning. STOS will always be STOS to moi, so its ok to me.

While we are on the subject of the Star Trek movie, I wanted to say that I liked the new movie. However I was definately disapointed with the changes. I believe a 16 year old kid that saw it for the first time may not be so disapointed though.

Avatar would be #1 for me
Watchmen would be #2.

of course rasberry is Transformers 2

GG

See, I'm not a big-time trekkie. Sure, I quite like some of the series and films - but the fact I'm not a major 'Trek fan meant that I could just enjoy what was simply a fun hollywood blockbuster, I reckon. It makes no claims of being a french art film. I thought the acting (mainly from Zachary Quinto) was pretty decent compared to most films of that type. See Transformers for more details .

Watchmen was pretty good actually, but it felt like it didn't quite know what it wanted to be.

Woops.

Open mouth, insert foot.

How good sir can you put star treks graphics above Avatar. Granted the story line was BOO HOO THE INDIANS ARE BEING KILLED!! but the graphics and overall production of the movie far pushed the spectrum of anything out their. Much like Jurasstic park did when it first hit theaters.

Frazz, I gotta ditto the recommendation of Hurt Locker. Its fighting for my fav of 2009 next to Inglourious Basterds and District 9. The tension it builds is incredible, and the psychological character development is beyond what I have ever seen in a film, let alone a war flick.

Empchild wrote:How good sir can you put star treks graphics above Avatar. Granted the story line was BOO HOO THE INDIANS ARE BEING KILLED!! but the graphics and overall production of the movie far pushed the spectrum of anything out their. Much like Jurasstic park did when it first hit theaters.

I didn't. I put the movie over Avatar. Storyline + Graphics makes or breaks a movie. Graphics are frankly no big deal these days. They have to support a strong story or its strictly meh. A movie without story is an Imax film/Disney ride or even worse-Transformers II. I put Avatar as striclty average in terms of enjoyment and was far more thrilled when I watched the BSG miniseries for the second time a few days after.

Personally of the sci films this year I saw I'd rank it behind Monsters vs. Aliens, and District 9 in that order.

Frazzled wrote:Frazzled’s Top 10 movies of 2009

*Zombieland. Hilarity, one liners, and zombies, can’t be beat. Nut up or shut up.

Nut up or Shut up! That movie rocked!
(also everyone get fit, the fattys were the first to go)

Frazzled wrote:

Empchild wrote:How good sir can you put star treks graphics above Avatar. Granted the story line was BOO HOO THE INDIANS ARE BEING KILLED!! but the graphics and overall production of the movie far pushed the spectrum of anything out their. Much like Jurasstic park did when it first hit theaters.

I didn't. I put the movie over Avatar. Storyline + Graphics makes or breaks a movie. Graphics are frankly no big deal these days. They have to support a strong story or its strictly meh. A movie without story is an Imax film/Disney ride or even worse-Transformers II. I put Avatar as striclty average in terms of enjoyment and was far more thrilled when I watched the BSG miniseries for the second time a few days after.

Personally of the sci films this year I saw I'd rank it behind Monsters vs. Aliens, and District 9 in that order.

Ok I can see your point to that. Personally I have not seen distric 9, and have heard horrible reviews on it so I am hesitant.

Empchild wrote:
Ok I can see your point to that. Personally I have not seen distric 9, and have heard horrible reviews on it so I am hesitant.

Those people are wrong.

I have spoken...

I don't even think I've seen 10 movies last year.. but the top of my list...

Up .. Pixar just cannot make a dud

I liked Star Trek, I got it on demand a few weeks ago. I never liked the old star trek. the original series, next gen, ds9, voyager.. i dunno, I just didn't "get it". But I knew enough of the background to follow along with this one and I found the characters likeable, the effects awesome and the story was good, to me anyway. I could see how a die hard trek fan would hate it though. But ya gotta just accept the fact that this is hollywood and they don't give 2 poops about what the fans want, they only are interested in what their wallets want. So, they made a movie for the average joes, as usual. I enjoyed it.

Transformers 2.. really liked it. But I'm a transformers nerd.

Watchmen.. I liked it but it could have been better. It was just too long and drawn out. I understand they wanted to stay true to the original material (unlike star trek) and that's great. I loved seeing one of my all time favorite comics come to life. like I said it was just too long, even though they couldn't have really made it any shorter and told the same story. But still...

Empchild wrote:Ok I can see your point to that. Personally I have not seen distric 9, and have heard horrible reviews on it so I am hesitant.

Idiots are everywhere, but a particularly large concentration of them review movies.

Tyyr wrote:

Empchild wrote:Ok I can see your point to that. Personally I have not seen distric 9, and have heard horrible reviews on it so I am hesitant.

Idiots are everywhere, but a particularly large concentration of them review movies.

hrmm well I'm heading to block buster loater so I will have to check it out.

A Serious Man was very good. The Road was disappointing (the book was much better). I liked Star Trek and thought District 9 was great. While Avatar had great animation, it's plot was cliche, the characters were vague, and the designs for the Navi were downright lazy. I really wanted to like Avatar, but the more I think about it the less I do.

FETHING NUT FETHING UP OR FETHING SHUT THE FETH UP!!!!!!!

Columbus's rules of Zombieland life:
1. Cardio[10]
2. Double Tap[10][11]
3. Beware of Bathrooms[10][12]
4. Wear Seatbelts[10]
6. Cast Iron Skillet[5]
7. Travel Light
12. Bounty paper towels[5]
15. Bowling Ball[5]
17. (Don't) Be a hero[13]
18. Limber Up
22. When in doubt, know your way out
29. The Buddy System[5]
31. Check the back seat[14]
32. Enjoy the little things[15]
33. Swiss Army knife[5]

I really don't see how anyone can say that Star Trek destroyed 30 years of canon. At what point was it unfaithful to the characters? Where does it not comply with Canon? Effects driven? There are what? 2 battles in the whole thing?

IntoTheRain wrote:I really don't see how anyone can say that Star Trek destroyed 30 years of canon. At what point was it unfaithful to the characters? Where does it not comply with Canon? Effects driven? There are what? 2 battles in the whole thing?

They blew up Vulcan...?

Then old man Spock makes the speech about them being on an entirely new timeline. So all bets are off and everything we watched since is a lie... Or, y'know, Abrams can feth off and die.


THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!!!!1!!!!

Star Trek was a bad movie all on its own without dragging a discussion about it's effect on canon into it. It was rushed, they just flung the crew together with justifications that went from flimsy to down right insane just to have the original cast back together in time for the final battle. Scotty just beams onto the ship and they make him cheif engineer? They actually let the cadet stay a captain when he hasn't even finished the academy? What about the regular helmsman for the Enterprise? What does the Federation do, play finder's keepers with duty assignments? The villian was incomprehensible and cliche at the same time. "My family died so I'm gonna make everyone pay!" Is cliche, doing it to kill off the people who were trying to help you and failed along with everyone else but not really because you're going back in time to kill all their great grandparents is incomprehensible, as is the fact that rather than take his ship, destroy the dangerous star now, then turn over his advanced tech over to the Romulans in his time and watch a safe Romulus dominate space. Again, incomprehensible. They were shooting for a Khan and they made another Sybok.

Some aspects of it were great, like the first ten minutes of it. The same could be said of Generations. They both pretty much panned out the same way in terms of quality, though XI did it with a lot more lens flares than VII.