2009 turned out to be a great year for movies. In the past I have struggled to put together a top 10 list of movies I thought were truly great. This year it was difficult to choose just 10. There are a lot of movies that I would have liked to mention because I really enjoyed them, but the following is the list of films I found that really stood out. If you want to comment on my list or share your own feel free in the comments section.

10. The Hangover

This was the summer’s big comedy, the one that everyone talked about and quoted. It was sort of unexpected too given big money was on Funny People to keep the Apatow train rolling but once the Hangover hit theaters it steamrolled all the competition. It had insane word of mouth hype and it would be easy to write off, but it really is laugh until you have to be resuscitated funny. The cast is great and the structure makes an otherwise familiar premise feel fresh.  Also, it had a tiger.

9. Whip It

Comedy of the last few years has relied heavily on gross out raunch and if there is any earnestness to be had it is buried deep within a mountain of dick jokes and pot references. I think that is why Whip It felt so refreshing. The story of a girl finding herself in the Roller Derby isn’t the most original in the world but it delivers genuine emotions and laughs. The conflicts here feel very real and very familiar. The performances are uniformly strong and the relationships feel very real. It is also very, very funny. I went in expecting a passable effort from first-time director Drew Barrymore and I went out completely gobsmacked by just how good this was without feeling trite or gimmicky.

8. Paranormal Activity

In the weeks leading up to seeing Paranormal Activity I very vocally condemned it as another lame attempt at cashing in on all that Blair Witch Project money. I had to be dragged into it by friends and I went mostly just because I like watching train wrecks. What I found was a very creepy and engaging film that I found myself completely invested in. The slow burn build up is very effective at establishing tension and the payoff you wait most of the movie to see delivers in spades. The more I thought about it afterward the more I liked it. It was not the scariest movie I have ever seen but it was definitely creepy and made me feel uneasy going to bed that night.

7. Big Fan

The directorial debut of the Wrestler writer Robert D Siegele, Big Fan is a quiet and intense tail of sports obsession and one man’s inability to let go of his fanaticism even after being beaten almost to death. Patton Oswalt does a tremendous job here as the titular fan who is content to live with his mother while working as a parking lot attendant just so long as he can listen to sports talk radio and call in to do battle with his nemesis Philadelphia Phil. The film isn’t perfect and could have done with more exploration of consequences in the third act but it is a dark and moving character study that is not content to go where the viewer thinks it will and never fails to engage.

6. Star Trek

The movie that made it cool to like Star Trek, this reboot of the beloved franchise takes us back to the first voyage of the classic crew in a truly ingenious way. JJ Abrams managed to contemporize the franchise while still maintaining the established continuity. Funny and exciting Star Trek succeeds on almost every level from fantastic effects to a pitch perfect cast. Chris Pine embodies everything that makes Captain Kirk Captain Kirk without doing a Shatner impression while Karl Urban goes the other way with a spot on impersonation of DeForest Kelley’s Bones that works just as well. There is very little here that is not excellent.

5. the Hurt Locker

Jeremy Renner has been good before but here he is outstanding as a military bomb expert in Kathryn Bigelow’s ultra low budget thriller. A lot of people have complained that the Hurt Locker is not very accurate in regards to the military and Iraq but those complaints miss the point entirely. The focus here is on the tension and suspense as Renner’s character throws himself into harm’s way. This is a character study wrapped in intense action that leaves you tense and sweating. The hand held photography makes the threat more immediate and you feel you are right there with Renner as he walks into the blast zone never sure which step might end his life in a ball of fire. Characters might not wear patches on the correct shoulder but the suspense and action delivers a far more significant payload. Terrific.

4. Moon

Another character study, Moon Follows Sam Bell as he serves out the last two weeks of his contract with a lunar mining company. Sam Rockwell has a lot of weight on his shoulders as the only major human character. Kevin Spacey lends his voice to GERTY the robot/AI that is Bell’s only companion and gives the robot real substance despite its very HAL like voice and demeanor. Beautifully shot and elegantly scripted, Moon is engaging and disturbing and goes places the viewer doesn’t expect. With themes ranging from isolation to human rights, Moon delivers a deep and engaging experience the viewer will be thinking about for days afterward. First time director Duncan Jones is sure and steady directing with a confidence and skill found in veteran filmmakers.  I can’t wait to see what he does next.

3. Avatar

Only in a year so chock full of strong entries would Avatar score number three. After 13 long years James Cameron has returned and the results are nothing short of breath taking. The story is one we’ve all seen before from Pocahontas to Fern Gully but it is told very well. The CG characters that make up the backbone of the movie are incredible. They lookcompletely real and life like but manage to side-step the Uncanny Valley altogether. The CG characters are also extremely expressive and allow for a real performance to come though. These characters are not Jar Jar by a long shot. The environment is beautifully constructed and the action scenes literally left me short of breath walking out of the theater.  And even if you don’t buy into all that and think the story is silly and the acting ham-fisted, you will be hard-pressed to argue with the stunning 3D work. The 3D is not a gimmick here and you will not be dodging out of your seat as things are hurled toward you from the screen. The 3D in Avatar is used to put you in the world with the characters and that is how it feels. If you can see it in IMAX then do that but if not get your ass to a theater offering 3D. Plenty of movies claim to offer to transport you to another world but this one actually delivers. YOU MUST SEE THIS IN A 3D THEATER. Seriously, do yourself a favor and check this out the way it was meant to be seen.

2. District 9

Like Avatar, District 9 is a technical triumph. The CG characters, while looking distinctly alien, are extremely expressive and the performances are compelling. What sets District 9 apart from the year’s other big effects movies is the emotionally charged story. Part mockumentary and part action/thriller, District 9 plays off themes of exploitation, greed, fear and ignorance. There is intense suspense here and I found myself deeply emotionally invested in the characters even as the film follows an unreliable protagonist as he transforms from a South African Michael Scott into something much more. He is a complex character as just when you think you like him he does something despicable. You can never quite get a handle on him and might never manage to like him but the journey he takes Is one you want to be along for. First time actor Sharlto Copley is terrific and director Neil Blomkamp shows how bad of an idea it was to cancel the Halo movie. District 9 suffers from the same charges of being lead by white guilt as Avatar but it really transcends that criticism by being about so much more.

1. Inglourious Basterds

There are those who are off-put and downright offended by the very notion of historical fantasy but I suspect those people must have at least 30% less fun in life than everyone else. I am not sure what universe Eli Roth being nicknamed the Bear Jew by the Nazi’s for bashing heads in with a baseball bat isn’t completely badass but I sure wouldn’t want to live there. This may be Quentin Tarentino’s best film. Inglourious Basterds does everything that Tarentino does best. The snappy, hip dialogue is there as is a helping of stylized violence. The quiet, intimate moments are just as good as the bigger, more explody moments and the characters are well crafted and well executed. If you go in with some rigid expectation of a historically accurate bio-pic you will be very, very disappointed. If you don’t mind your history sprinkled with a little What-If then this is the picture for you. Truly a masterpiece.