My thoughts on 2009, Part One

Initially I was going to do the cliche thing and make a series of "Top -X- -Ys- of '09" lists for music, movies, video games, and what all else, but there are numerous things going against that. I only purchased two new albums this year, and only played three or four new video games worth discussing, so I couldn't pick a uniform number. Also, even if I could, I just don't care enough too. It's a lot of effort naming and ranking things for a list I doubt anybody will actually take too seriously.

Let's try something else instead, a countdown of lists. This way it's unique and interesting and I don't have to do as much work. So here we go:

Cameron's Top 9 "Top n-1" Lists of 2009, and Note That I am Aware That There are a Lot I Have Not Seen/Listened to/Whatever.

Top 9 Movies of 2009

9. District 9 - Impressive visuals and an excellent sci-fi allegory done cheap and done right. The declarations of this "stealing 'Avatar''s thunder" were hyperbolic but understandable.

8. Adventureland - "Superbad" director Greg Mottola has solidified his place as the new John Hughes with this warm and relatable, if not always laugh-out-loud funny comedy.

7. The Hurt Locker - Very few movies have been made on the War on Terror, but this intense depiction of bomb diffusing in Iraq does a lot to fill that void.

6. The Princess and the Frog - The black princess is significant for Disney history, the return to traditional animation is also important, but the biggest thing about "Princess" is that it's good. It feels a little by-the-Disney-numbers, but hits each one superbly.

5. Coraline - 2009 was a remarkably good year for animation, and "Coraline" is one of the brightest spots. Creepy kids' cartoons have been absent for the last few years, but it always warms my heart to see one pop up.

4. Where the Wild Things Are - Karen O (composer) and Spike Jonze (director) are two of my all-time favorite people, and I'm pleased to say my high hopes for this film were met. Childhood has never been better captured.

3. Up - By now it's no surprise that Pixar's yearly offering is one of the year's best. Still, "Up" thrilled me and solidified its spot in my "best of" list fifteen minutes in. I don't know what else there is to say.

2. Inglourious Basterds - This is Tarantino's best work since "Pulp Fiction," if you ask me. Nothing against any of his work, but his past few pictures have gotten increasingly busy and A.D.D.-driven, each cramming even more obscure genre homages than the last. They were all fun and brilliant in their own way, but "Basterds" is a more subdued piece, reminding me of what makes his films so great. The dialogue's wonderful, the visuals are slick, and the violence is grisly.

1. Drag Me To Hell - Thank God Sam Raimi still has some horror in him. After letting Sony boss him around for the past three "Spider-Man" films, I had forgotten what a true Raimi film was like. "Drag Me" nails it, with just the right amount of cheap startles, good use of practical effects and even decent cheap cgi. It's nice to know I have something else to watch whenever I get tired of seeing "Evil Dead" for the dozenth time.

Top 8 Movies I First Saw in 2009 That Didn't Come Out Then

8. The General (1927) - I saw this thanks to my World Film History class this last semester, and it was great. Silent film physical comedy holds up unbelievably, yet understandably, well. I need to look up more of Buster Keaton's work.

7. Gran Torino (2008) - This one was a surprise. I never thought it looked bad, but I didn't expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. Clint Eastwood is the best cranky old man ever, and one of the few actors who can make a stereotypical "man movie" that I genuinely like.

6. Teeth (2007) - Ew. Nobody likes it when bad things happen to genitals, and this little body horror could make both sexes cringe. Still, the film has a unique small town charm and amusing abstinence allegory.

5. Dead Alive (1992) - Knowing that Peter Jackson made this makes me kind of sad he got successful. Now that "Lord of the Rings" has made him a household name, I have to mourn the loss of one of the more creative gore masters of the '80s and '90s. I'm certainly happy for the man, but I wish he'd do another no-budget zombie flick for old times' sake.

4. Heathers (1989) - I'm a sucker for '80s teen flicks, and I'm surprised this one eluded me for so long, since its nonchalance towards extreme violence is right up my alley. I feel like I should own this one so I can share it with everyone.

3. Synecdoche, New York (2008) - Charlie Kaufman is the man to turn to when you want to feel awful. Nobody makes hopeless look worse. While not quite to par with "Being John Malkovich" or "Adaptation," this soul-crushing surreal piece was easily one of '08's best films.

2. Paprika (2006) - The guy who made "Paranoia Agent" was responsible for this, and it shows. It's even more confusing and fantastical than I had imagined. I'm not sure how much of it I followed, but I'm positive as to how much of it I loved (all of it).

1. Snow Buddies (2008) - Okay, so, the Buddies are on the top of this snowy hill, and Butterball slips and falls. So, he's gathering snow as he rolls down the hill. Soon he's a big snowball with puppy legs sticking out, and he hits a tree. If this weren't already the best of the "Buddies" movies, that scene made it so.

I'll get around to the rest of the countdown almost immediately. I just wanted to break them up so there wasn't one super huge entry.