10. Pontypool
I’m one of those people who very much looked forward to “Pontypool,” and am not ashamed to admit that I was utterly disappointed with this production. It was dull as day old bread, lacked in sheer suspense and tension and sadly didn’t quite creep me out as much as its double “Dead Air” did. Not quite a zombie movie, people like to brand it as such and there aren’t even many zombies that pop up. What we get in the end is a practice in a cinematic dry humping that promises frights and never actually delivers. Seek out “Dead Air” for a nearly identical premise that works much better.
Cinema Crazed's Top 10 of 2009
10. Trick ‘r Treat
Michael Dougherty’s love letter to Halloween experienced so many problems since its introduction that it took literally years for horror fans to finally be able to watch it. When they did the reception was mostly positive. “Trick R Treat” is a classic anthology film that perfectly captures the feel of Halloween and celebrates the holiday’s greatest elements. From urban legends to classic monster mashes, Dougherty pulls out all the stops to tell various stories, all of which are filled with twists that you simply won’t see coming. So brilliant is it that you’ll need to see it three times to fully capture the essence of its in jokes and tricks and treats. Dougherty’s ode to All Hallow’s Eve is a title that won’t easily be forgotten.
The Broad, Disappointing Strokes of "Avatar"
There’s something about shooting fish in a barrel, and if any modern equivalent of a movie which lent itself to post-modern bashing more than Avatar does, you might only have truly smug equivalents of Stepin Fetchit, and those examples are self-aware.
Yogi's First Christmas (1980) (DVD)
As an animated movie, Hanna Barbera could have done much better. “Yogi’s First Christmas” isn’t the worst animated movie I’ve ever seen but in terms of quality, it all feels like such a rushed product that was pushed in to production in time for Christmas. The line work is shaky, the coloring is bland, the character models are fuzzy and there are even a few errors that will give the keen observer a hard time.
Up in the Air (2009)
Ryan Bingham is panicking. It’s not that he’s losing his job. There are no dilemmas that are plaguing his family. Ryan is panicking because, for once, he has to settle down and face the fact that soon he’ll have to stop and take a catalogue of what his life has become over the last few years of his life. Traveling around the world, Ryan is the man companies hire to break it to employees that they have been terminated. And he prides himself in being ruthless and merciless in regards to emotions and insecurities involving people he just met and will probably never meet again. Ryan now has to take stock and decide what he has to do now that his company has decide to take its employees and bring them back down to Earth downsizing their traveling due to their slowly decreasing funds and productivity.
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Peter Jackson is usually a very competent director. Hell, he’s a skilled director who can take any concept he wants to tackle and tackle it with great prowess almost never failing. With “The Lovely Bones” the man doesn’t seem to be hitting his stride and instead looks to be sleepwalking through what could have been an excellent film. I never read the novel before but I felt that was what would give me the ability to see through what Jackson was attempting to accomplish. Instead what I received from his latest was a story that was often confused about what it was trying to say. He seems to want to jump on every theme and plot point possible and this causes a cluster fuck in its focus hopping from character to character from perspective to perspective.
The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
We live in a world where fantasies are manifested in the drop of a dime. We can access our fantasies online, we can purchase them, and with enough money we have the ability to live out our fantasies through any means we deem necessary. “The Girlfriend Experience” is about those fantasies and the lengths we’re willing to go to have them lived out. Soderbergh examines the man of today and what situations would indicate their need for companionship. Chelsea is an escort but not the typical one.