Best Films Of 2009

It's just a few days only before winners of the 82nd Academy Awards are unveiled. This time last year I had already watched almost all of the films nominated in major categories so that it was easy for me to predict the winners as well as to pick my choices. Not this year. Of the films nominated in any categories, so far, I've only seen Avatar, Up In The Air, Inglorious Basterds, District 9, The Hurt Locker, Julie & Julia and Up. I attempted to watch Precious several times and each time I did I was lulled into deep sleep within the first 10 to 15 minutes. I also tried The Blindside and I was already halfway in the film when I decided to finish watching it some time but until now I still don't feel the urgency to finish it. Even with the 82nd Academy Awards approaching.

The Hurt Locker, for me, is the best in this batch. It's not just a war film or a film about the bomb disposal squad in Iraq. It's more than that. It's more of a character study. The effect of the nature of duty of the members of the squad on their character is quite worrisome and that has been conveyed effectively through the masterful direction of the film: that War Is A Drug. This is a film that is so tense and horrifying. It kept at the edge of the seat most of the time. It's simply a great film that will always be remembered in the future. I hope this film wins Best Picture in the 82nd Academy Awards.

Runners-up, for me, are Inglorious Basterds, Up, Avatar and Up In The Air, in that order. I can't say much about the performances because I've only seen a few: Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia, George Clooney and Vera Farmiga in Up In The Air, and Christophe Waltz in Inglorious Basterds. My thoughts on Up and Inglorious Basterds are available in my old posts.