I couldn't let the final day of 2009 go by without dropping a list of my 10 favorites of the year. I could have easily swapped some of these titles with other favorites. However, these are the 10 films that really struck a chord.
1. Love Exposure
2. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. Symbol
A total endurance test with a spectacular payoff.
6. Breathless
A raw, funny, and heartbreaking film that will hopefully open the door for other South Korean indies.
9. House of the DevilEpic, ridiculous, sublime.
2. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Deliberately funny and completely whacked out.
3. Inglorious Basterds
Erased all doubts I had about Tarantino after Death Proof.
4. Symbol
A total endurance test with a spectacular payoff.
5. Mother
Park Chan-wook gets all the hype and publicity, but Bong Joon-ho is one that actually delivers.
6. Breathless
A raw, funny, and heartbreaking film that will hopefully open the door for other South Korean indies.
7. Anti-Christ
Lars von Trier works out his depression through filmmaking, and sprays his id all over the audience's face. There is so much more to this than mere "shock value."
8. A Serious Man
A much maligned film that encapsulates everything good about the Coen Bros. Arcane, obtuse, funny.
It's slow, not much happens, and it's completely riveting.
10. We Live in Public
Uses the improbable story of a brilliant and completely deluded Internet millionaire to highlight the consequences of "oversharing" in the age of ubiquitous Internet and social networking.
Great list! A Serious Man and Love Exposure were very near misses on mine as well ...
you put inglorious basterds in there????? are you serious (man) ??? - it was a good year for film, lots of little gems here and there...anti-christ, as nicely put together as it was, was just dishonest film making. its been done before and better.
Bad Lieutenant 2?? as awesome as Herzog is and as 'whacked out' as it is...you've just thrown that in there!
...i know you could have done better than this.
This may be the best top ten list for 2009 I've seen thus far.
This may be the best top ten list for 2009 I've seen thus far.
Nice to see a list with a little something different. Good picks.
Well I agree wholeheartedly on your number 1, Rod. And enjoyed plenty of these to boot! This is a list of the cinematic gauntlet, which is the best kind, I suppose. I still have to see Mother, though.
Glad to see Love Exposure and Mother on your List.
Great choices.