The Five Best Movies of 2009!

2009 from my perspective will go down as a very mediocre year at the movies. Even though the box office numbers are through the roof, there were few great flicks. Many big movies, but many times there is a difference. Nothing wrong with the blockbusters I like them too, but with a year end list they seldom make the cut. See if you agree.

The best movies of 2009

1/ Up In The Air - George Clooney's "recession" movie. A fantastic story that you've never
seen before. A movie that speaks directly to our times. Terrific characters
you care about, and a star is born with Anna Kendrick as Natalie. The best
movie of the year 2009...and not by a little.

2/ Invictus - Clint Eastwood directed movie about the early days of Nelson Mandela's South
African presidency. He uses rugby as his vehicle to help curb decades of racial
disharmony in his country. Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.
Powerful and beautifully done. Don't know anything about rugby? Doesn't
Matter. Story wonderfully told.

3/ Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino WWII story about Nazi occupied Europe and those
sent to kill as many as possible. Story too complicated for a short
recap here. But riveting movie making. Long build up scenes very
skillfully done. Great mixture of drama, irony and dark humor. Not
for everyone. But terrific.

4/ 500 Days Of Summer - What a surprise hit! Zooey Deschanel stars as Summer. She is a
quirky young, beautiful woman who is enigmatic in love. A story
not told before this way. She is really really great in this movie.
This is not a feel good romantic comedy, but it is real fun.

5/ The Blind Side - Sandra Bullock is so good in this feel good flick, she carries the day. True
story or Micheal Orr and his journey to the NFL after being taken in by
a rich southern family. Movies like this seldom make it this far, but this is
a very good movie, and a rebirth for Sandra Bullock.

Honorable Mentions:

1/ The Hurt Locker - Fantastic, intense Iraq war drama. Story- brilliant.

2/ Law Abiding Citizen - Gerard Butler. Very intense, creative action thriller. Real sleeper.

3/ Star Trek - Really fun. Really well done. Great rental if you missed it.

4/ Sunshine Cleaning - Amy Adams. Great Indy pic about sisters who start a crime scene
cleaning service. She is great!

5/ The Proposal - Sandra Bullock again. Surprisingly good romantic comedy. Caught us all
napping.

That's the list of 2009. If you have any comments you can leave them or e-mail them to me at scott@wqmx.com