Avatar (2009)
James Cameron's first movie in
fifteen years might not be the amazing nuclear missile of
ingenuity we were promised, but it's nothing to look down on.
Derivative or not, it's incredible to behold.
The
Princess and the Frog (2009)
The mouse has returned to its roots and they are strong, they go deep, and produce fruits that are sweet and succulent. The Princess and the Frog is a true labor of love and it shows in every beautiful frame.
Fantastic
Mr. Fox (2009)
Fantastic Mr. Fox is just fantastic all over and, while some of the sarcastic dialogue and understatement might be off-putting, this is hand down my favorite Wes Anderson movie in that I was entertained and not put to sleep.
The
Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
A
Christmas Carol (2009)
There is no big surprise or any light bulb of innovation during the movie's entire run, just an age-old story told with wax cadavers with dead eyes.
Planet
51 (2009)
Planet 51 is just... bad. So bad that it's beyond hate or contempt, just bad in that its existence is somehow offensive even though the movie isn't as terrible as some of its ilk. The fact that it was created without love and without any ambition to be anything more than 90 minutes of adequacy in return for money offends me on an artistic level.
2012
(2009)
I actually think it would have been a better decision business-wise to call this movie Everything Explodes and Falls into the Ocean because at least by the year 2013, it won't sound stupid and dated.
Trick
'R Treat (2009)
Trick 'R Treat is not only a celebration of horror and the entire genre, but also just a reminder of everything that makes Halloween so dark, so dangerous, and so much damn fun.
Paranormal
Activity (2009)
Forget masked killers, monsters, and CGI smoke -- Paranormal Activity targets that internal fear we got from our petrified ancestors: there's something beyond the light of the campfire, it doesn't like us, it will eat us, and there's not a thing we can do about it.
Saw
VI (2009)
I wasn't bowled over by this movie, but I will admit to finding
it sufficiently entertaining which is something a Saw
movie hasn't been since the second one. I think I'll take
that and run with it.
Where
the Wild Things Are
(2009)
I will applaud this movie for being an ambitious failure. It was a gamble, but unfortunately, this odd movie never seemed to find an audience. Too boring for adults, too confusing for kids. Whom was is made for? That's the real question.