Movie Picks 2009

Truthfully, I'm not much of a movie-goer anymore. Most films come out on DVD within six months (usually less), and I find that it's a more pleasant experience watching it from the couch as opposed to a dirty movie theater with kids screaming and people providing running commentary. However, from time to time I haul ass to the actual theater and catch a show. Note that this list is potentially missing the following end-of-the-year movies on my "to see" list: Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Up the the Air, The Road, and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.

Adventureland
Directed by Greg Mottola
A well-structured, believable, and likable “coming-of-age” story (or bildungsroman, if you will) with great performances and a true ’80s soundtrack that mixes pop crap with college indie tunes. There are many reasons I enjoyed ADVENTURELAND, including the lo-fi film technique, the aforementioned soundtrack (both the licensed songs and the incidental music by Yo La Tengo), the casting*, and the pacing. And while it may seem like a small detail, it was a plus that all of the characters were over the age of 21, removing the need for the tired “who can we get to buy us beer” plot.

The characters are not written as broad stereotypes, but as actual late-’80s young adults from a range of backgrounds, social classes, and education levels. For example, in another other movie, “Lisa P.” - the amusement part hottie (hot for the ’80s, anyway) - would be written as a total and complete vapid slut. Here, “Lisa P.” is actually still a virgin (although she’ll do anything else but the actual act), and back working at the park because of her ill father, who she is clearly worried about. In a lesser movie, park mechanic stud “Mike” (Ryan Reynolds) would be the male equivalent of “Lisa P.”, banging every girl he could. However, he’s also written deeper, with a aging mother and an unhappy marriage. Even minor characters such as Martin Starr’s “Joel” are multi-dimensional - he’s smart, too smart to be stuck where he is, but he accepts that his lousy financial and home situation are going to keep him where he his. He copes by reading incredibly erudite books and smoking a pipe non-ironically. Even the parks owners, played by Bill Hader and Kristen Wiisg, have layers - they love their Adventureland, even know they both seem to know it’s rapidly going down the crapper.

Both the characterizations and the dialogue were well-developed and well-written, completely free of snark, irony, and too many clever pop culture references. It felt natural, not forced like Juno or The Squid and the Whale. And unlike most indie-style movies, it didn’t end with the lead characters just staring off into the distance while a mournful song plays it the background.

Coraline
Directed by Henry Selick
Okay, this is a bit of a cheat, since I watched it on DVD. (But I was kicking myself the entire time for not seeing it in the theater.) Loved that Coraline actually went on an adventure, and had to figure things out for herself. There was no snark or sarcasm, just pure non-sweet fantasy. And it looked AMAZING.

District 9
Directed by Neil Blomkamp
The most intelligent political science fiction I’ve seen since the cancellation of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. This movie was smart, complex, and completely human under the exoskeletons. (How can you not feel awful watching alien (“prawn”) “Christopher Johnson” explain to his son that they wouldn’t be going back home, but instead on to District 10, another tent city sure to become a slum.) The structure of the film, a mix of documentary interviews, cinema verite footage, and straight up action, worked well. Of course, the aliens and effects were spectacular, thanks to Weta Workshop and other VFX houses, and the “District 9” camp had a completely claustrophobic, run-down, desperate quality about it.

Yes, DISTRICT 9 is incredibly loud and SF splatter-y, but even with the sound and the fury, I didn’t feel exhausted and tenderized as I had after watching both TERMINATOR: SALVATION and X-MEN: ORIGINS earlier this year. It is so much more than a “summer movie”. Props to Peter Jackson for taking a chance on an unknown director and his original six-minute short film, Alive in Joburg.

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by Wes Anderson
"You should probably put your bandit hat on now. Personally, I- I don't have one, but I modified this tube sock." - Ash Fox
(See recent commentary here.)

Julie & Julia
Directed by Nora Ephron
Finally, a movie directed by Nora Ephron that didn’t make my metaphorical testicles shrivel up and take metaphorical refuge inside my body.

It was a complete joy to watch this movie, something I rarely ever say. The performances were perfect, even Amy Adams’ “Julie”, who had been described in reviews as the “weaker” half of the film. I thought Adams gave a spot-on performance as a panicked, turning-thirty, self-absorbed blogger who truly believed she would be letting her readers down (as well as herself) if she didn’t finish the project. Of course Meryl Streep was perfect as Julia Child, with a large body and larger personality. Stanley Tucci was also ideal as Paul Child, devoted husband and love of her life. It’s so nice to see a married couple on screen who truly adore each other. And the food, oh deity, the food. From the lovely little Paris bistros, to Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, to Julie’s impossibly tiny Queens kitchen, the food was so appealing. Plus the fresh markets in Paris, Dean & DeLuca in NYC, and the pounds and pounds of butter… it made cooking look to be pleasure, not a chore, or a snobby competition.

Star Trek
Directed by J.J. Abrams
As mentioned in many reviews of the film, you didn’t need to be a Trekker/ie to be able to follow and enjoy J.J. Abrams re-booted Star Trek. I found this to be entirely true. Sure, some knowledge would be useful, but not required. As a “standalone” science fiction movie, I really enjoyed the story. The special effects were very well done and especially impressive in IMAX (it was obvious where the budget went), and the roles cast nicely. Fine, I’ll say it: Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) are pretty! However, even more fun were the performances from Karl Urban (Bones), Simon Pegg (Scotty), John Cho (Sulu), and Anton YelchinChekov; also looking forward to Yelchin as Kyle Reese in (Terminator: Salvation). The movie was also well paced, a quality I’ve found lacking in the last few behemoth movies I’ve seen (e.g. WATCHMEN).

Watchmen
Directed by Zack Snyder
Hey, I liked it and stand by my decision. Still want to see the ULTIMATE CUT on DVD though.

Zombieland
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
New Rule: Jesse Eisenberg can only make movies with titles that end in "-land". He's been in two of my favorite movies of 2009, Adventureland and now Zombieland. He's has a certain dry, nebbish-y, beleaguered nice kid persona that isn't forced or affected. (See Michael Cera for an example of "forced and affected"). He was perfect as "Columbus", the sensible sidekick to Woody Harrelson's slightly insane "Tallahassee", as they drive around the remains of the United States after the zombie plague has taken hold, teaming up with "Wichita" (Emma Stone) and "Little Rock" (Abigail Breslin) to smear the undead. As with DISTRICT 9 earlier this year, ZOMBIELAND jumps right into the story, with only the briefest of expository backstory - Patient Zero was infected after eating a hamburger laced with the zombie virus. From there, it's straight to the action, which is cartoonish and rollicking as opposed to gory and shocking. The gore is Evil Dead-style, gross but not terrifying. It probably earned it's "R" from the sheer amount of spent ammunition and Harrelson's unending stream of vulgarity, which at times reaches Natural Born Killers level. Overall, an immensely fun B-movie that moves along incredibly well, never gets maudlin, and also serves as a surprisingly instructive guide to surviving the zombie plague. Just remember, always double tap. (And watch out for those bathrooms.)

Honorable mentions: The first 20 minutes of Up; the effects in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince; Hugh Jackman's torso in X-Men Origins: Wolverene

Please, just make it stop, you're hurting my face: Terminator: Salvation