Eric Pulsifer's top 5 of 2009 01/12/2010
Dear, Hollywood: 2009 wasn't the year either of us hoped it would be. Your summer blockbusters were ho-hum, your dramas were so-so and your comedies were bland. So many of your movies were just alright, but few were worth a second viewing. Here's five from 2009 that really stood out from the pack and give me hope that 2010 can be a better year for us.  5. Gran Torino
Even at 78, Clint Eastwood is tough as nails. Though his old ass barely looks human any more, I'm sure his character from Gran Torino could beat the hell out of me. A mature, modern-day western, Gran Torino is supposedly Eastwood's last foray into acting and it's a fitting finale to his career. Despite its serious-sounding story, Gran Torino is unexpectedly funny, and it has something more grown-up to say about redemption and the difference between revenge and justice. 1 Comment  Wait a minute, don't most critics do a top 10? Yes, maybe they do. Heck, even the Academy decided to roll out the red carpet and extend invitations to 10 nominees to their exclusive club. But we here at The Movie Press have always adhered to a top 5 because we don't want to just mention movies for the sake of mentioning; we want to let you know what is worth your 10 hard earned dollars and your precious two hours of time. These are my top 5 of the year, and since I haven't seen everything that has come out this year, your favorite might not be mine. I'm sad I didn't have any space for the outstanding Duncan Jones directed Moon, the Cormac McCarthy adaptation The Road, or Where the Wild Things Are but I think the list ended up alright. If you think not feel free to let me know. Read the list after the jump! --Greg MacLennan Darcie's Best Of in '09 01/07/2010
 For me, 2009 was a rough year for movies. Typically at the end of the year, I have at least a dozen of films that I absolutely loved to death. This past year? It took me a long time to lock in my top five films of the year, which just means they were each chosen with extreme care. Here's hoping 2010 throws dozens of worship-inducing flicks my way. --Darcie Duttweiler Check out my Top 5 of 2009 after the jump! Mark Collins' Top 5 of '09 01/06/2010
 I'm glad we waited until after the new year to make our 'best of' lists. With a potential "list breaker" dropping on Christmas weekend, it only seemed responsible to wait until we'd sampled everything 2009 had to offer before we spouted off on the best movies of the year. Unfortunately It's Complicated was a little too preachy for me, so the list remains unchanged. (I saw that detective movie too, it was pretty okay). Read my list after the jump! --Mark Collins  My assignment was to pick five movies I am most excited about seeing this fall season and one guilty pleasure I'd like to see but wouldn't readily admit. However, in today's movie climate I felt more like listing a single movie I actually want to see (Where the Wild Things Are) and then ten guilty pleasures. With craptastic movies like I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Saw VI coming out this fall, I thought it was possible Disney's re-release of Toy Story in 3D could crack my top five but I was pleasantly surprised to find this fall season actually has a lot of potential. Keep in mind I'm not coming out and saying these movies are going to be good, I'm just hoping for the best. Read the list after the jump!  Although I made a list of all the movies I want to see from now until the end of December—which totaled around 20, thankyouverymuch—I was still worried about Greg and my lists being identical. Thankfully, I’m too much of a girl for that, and luckily for you Movie Pressers, it includes nary a post-apocalyptic flick, unless you count Couples Retreat. Read below to check out the top five films I’m dying to see this fall. Did your most anticipated movie make the list? MacLennan Fall Anticipation List 09/09/2009
 So this summer sucked, and, yeah, a lot of the films I was anticipating were the main reason for it. You read my list, you trusted me, and I left you with 10 bucks missing off your dresser and half a handjob. I'm sorry, and I hope I can make it up to you by having fine tuned my radar for a fall anticipation list. There are simply too many good-looking movies coming out, and I'm way too excited about more than five, but, for your sake, I narrowed it down to five and one guilty pleasure. Read below the jump to see what made the cut! The Herer Summer Movie Buffet 05/04/2009
The summer movie lineup is like a pizza buffet. There are the fresh pizzas made with normal ingredients you know will be good – summer blockbusters with movie stars and good plots. There are the pizzas with weird toppings that have been under the heat lamp for too long because nobody will try them – crappy movies that studios make just because they need a summer movie. And then there is the quirky pizza that you would never order at home but is perfect at the buffet because you can eat just one slice – the crowd pleaser you’ll go with your friends when you need something to do and can’t decide what movie to go see. Bon Appétit!  Brüno  Up  Public Enemies  Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince  Inglorious Basterds  Guilty Pleasure: The MacLennan Summer Anticipation List 04/27/2009
 So yes, I'm the blockbuster man. I could give a fuck if Tranformers is good just as long as the explosions look awesome in slow motion. I appreciate the indie flicks and other stuff. I even reviewed this summer's indie sci fi semi-masterpiece Moon and am still anxious for it to come out so I can see it again. I'm also pretty excited to see the Rian Johnson delayed Brothers Bloom, which I have on good authority is really finally coming out. But what makes my butt wet this summer? Well I'll tell ya: Funny People Terminator Salvation UP 500 Days of Summer Guilty Pleasure  The summer blockbuster season officially kicks off this Friday when Wolverine claws its way into theatres--well, for those of you who haven't downloaded it online already. So, we at The Movie Press thought we'd help you weed through the many, many, many flicks being thrown your way. Since there are so many films this summer we may never see the sun, we each took turns perfecting our top five most anticipated summer films. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE  JULIE & JULIA  Okay, so I don't have any huge blockbuster films on this list, but this may be the first summer in a long time where actual good shit is being released alongside all the action adventure. Plus, Greg's list will no doubt contain more of the action, explosion-y films, so be on the lookout for that shortly. |
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