Our winner is Breach reader Joe!  Please congratulate him if you know him and be on the lookout for more contests from The Breach!

10. Watchmen

I get the strange feeling that anyone other than Zack Snyder would’ve really mucked this adaptation up horribly.¬† Snyder seems to really understand the book and the themes and the imagery and it’s all translated in a way that is relatively painless.¬† It’s not quite as good on repeat viewings as it is that first time, and the director’s cut is actually much more rounded out and should’ve been the theatrical release.¬† I don’t care if it tops 3 hours; it was just a better movie with the extra things thrown in because Watchmen is all about the details.¬† It’s all about the little things.¬† Jackie Earle Haley stole the show here as well, and of course you can never see too many blue dongs.
 

9. The Hangover

I was actually pretty worried it wouldn’t hold up on repeat viewings, but I‚Äôve seen it 3 times and The Hangover is still as funny as it ever was.¬† I like how Todd Phillips took this cast of dudes who people in the mainstream didn’t really recognize, and cranked out one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen.¬† The real strength of the movie was in its writing the solid directing and the fact that it doesn’t just look like every other cheap comedy. This movie is striking and looks like a real film.¬† The ensemble cast is great, and then of course you have Ken Jeong and Zach Galifianakis stealing most of the scenes they’re in.¬† It’s also forever changed the pronunciation of the word retard for me.
 

8. Star Trek

I consider myself a pretty big fan of JJ Abrams.¬† However, I didn’t really have much confidence in anyone rebooting this franchise at all.¬† I just didn’t think it could be done.¬† It had gotten so stale (thanks largely in part to the totally fucking drab Next Generation films) that a successful reboot seemed unlikely no matter who was at the helm.¬† Karl Urban as Bones?¬† Chris Pine as Kirk?¬† Who the fuck is Chris Pine?? Being proven wrong in this case was so fulfilling.¬† Star Trek is easily the most fun I had at the movie theater in the summer of ’09.¬† Chris Pine IS Kirk.¬† Holy crap, that dude is the tits.¬† There’s certainly alot of fan service here, but it’s all so well done and not in an annoying fashion at all.¬† Oh, and to any of you grumpy nerds out there that didn’t like Simon Pegg as Scotty?¬† EAT SHIT.¬† Pegg can kick a can around on screen for two hours and I’d think it was great.
 

7. Moon

As soon as I read Dustin’s review of Moon during SXSW, I knew I had to see this.¬† It just seemed so different and fresh from most of the other sci-fi garbage that gets put out.¬† This is another one of those intricately woven character focused films that features an outstanding performance from Sam Rockwell.¬† Sadly, I doubt he will earn any sort of nod as a best actor which I believe he 100% deserves. This is a very small science fiction movie, but at the same time it has these really giant epic undertones to the story.¬† The world and the implications are so much bigger than what is happening.¬† The sets are awesome, Rockwell is dynamite and, well, you need to see it.
 

6. The Hurt Locker

From the extremely intense scenes of bomb disarming to Jeremy Renner just being plain awesome, The Hurt Locker ruled and totally caught me by surprise.¬† It’s a good character study and a smaller movie, which feels bigger every time these crazy bastards take apart some weird terrorist style concoction.¬† The movie is also pretty much the perfect war movie.¬† It’s very authentic in a military sense and excels in not being just a ‘good guys vs. bad guys’ picture.¬† It drills down on just who these guys are and what makes them tick and what it’s like to do what they do.¬† Amazing film.
 

5. Avatar

What can there really be said about this that hasn’t been said a hundred times by the Breach already?¬† James Cameron invented a brand new world in a sci-fi universe full of new exotic characters, creatures, plant life, you name it.¬† When I saw this (in 3D, twice, GO SEE IT) I couldn’t help but mutter to myself that James Cameron fucking DID IT.¬† He pulled it off.¬† I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical and thought that there was a really good chance that this movie would be flat as a fucking pancake and be a financial disaster.¬† I’m so glad that I was dead wrong.
 

4. Up

Absolutely beautiful.¬† A perfect blend of a good, adult oriented story and animation that you kind of forget is animation when the movie gets into full swing.¬† Pixar time and again is able to knock this shit out of the park, and this movie is really no different.¬† It will also likely strip you of your manhood and have you weeping like a little girl with a skinned knee.¬† That is assuming you are a man of course.¬† We actually have female readers out there too, I must not overlook.¬† Up will leave the female viewer weeping like…well like you do in every movie.¬† Look at that, I turned the part with the most heartwarming movie of the year into something that will garner me some hate mail.¬† Up is fantastic and if you haven’t seen it, then seriously, what the hell?
 

3. District 9

Wikus Van De Merwe’s story is a science fiction tale that we’ll remember for a long time, folks.¬† Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 is one of the most original science fiction movies to come along in quite some time.¬† Never a dull moment in District 9, not a one.¬† I was glued to the screen and having to keep from shouting “HOLY SHIT!!” every time something awesome happened.¬† The integration of the cg aliens alongside human characters is some of the best seen in a movie to date, if not the best and it only got prettier on the blu-ray.¬† You don’t view this movie thinking in terms of, “well there is a cg character and there’s a live character”, no.¬† You buy it wholesale and it never fucks with your viewing experience.¬† It’s also got some of the craziest (and bloodiest) action sequences in quite some time and will leave any fan of the genre extremely satisfied.
 

2. Where The Wild Things Are

I know, I know, I declared this my favorite movie of the year in my review.¬† Really, the only reason it slipped out of the top spot is due to my revisiting of Inglourious Basterds and coming to terms with the greatness that is that movie.¬† Wild Things–I guess that isn’t really an appropriate abbreviation.¬† I don’t want anyone to confuse this spot with the Neve Campbell/Denise Richards masterpiece.¬† I’ll just use WTWTA, how about that?¬† Alright then.¬† I’ve figured out along the way that WTWTA almost requires you to be a little melancholy and misunderstood in order to really unlock the experience of the movie fully.¬† I’m sure that quite a few would disagree with me out there, but I feel that this is a major component to it.¬† I hate saying that someone didn’t “get” a movie, I try and avoid using that terminology but in this case I think it’s true.¬† James Gandolfini is wonderful as Carol, the young boy playing Max has gone largely overlooked and ignored by critics even though his performance is actually quite moving.¬† Spike Jonze did an excellent job of¬†seamlessly blending the wild things with Max and has really done the impossible- turn a tiny little book into something grand and rather timeless.
 

1. Inglourious Basterds

My original review of this Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds wasn’t glowing enough. I admit this. This isn’t a movie that you see one time and understand just how well made it is.¬† It plays nicely the first time, but upon subsequent viewings it really begins to take shape and you can appreciate how much of a master QT is of cinematic storytelling.¬†¬† Normally, I can pick out favorite scenes in movies fairly easily, but this one is rather difficult because everything is just so well done and never lets your attention trail from the screen.¬† Brad Pitt’s Italian, Eli Roth’s ‘Bear Jew’ antics, Christoph FUCKING Waltz as the viciously evil Colonel Hans Landa–all brilliant.¬† This is Quentin Tarantino’s most complete film to date and my favorite movie of the year.
 

At any rate, without further ado here are my top ten films of 2009 in order from good to great-
 

10 – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

An especially hard film to watch was what I was expecting. ¬†What I wasn’t were the outrageously perfect roles as portrayed by some surprising people. ¬†Who knew that Mariah Carey could act let alone be seen without make up? ¬†But damned if she doesn’t pull off the role of a social worked flawlessly. ¬†Then Gabby Sidibe as the titular character is just agonizing to watch. ¬†But it’s Mo’Nique’s frighteningly realistic turn as Precious’ mother that really steals the show. ¬†Just give her the damn Oscar already. ¬†Unless you’re scared she’ll throw a TV at you.
 

9- Zombieland

One of the funnest times I’ve had at the movies this year. ¬†The zombie genre can be a really tired thing but infusing this much energy and laughter can really make the difference. ¬†I’m sure my list might be the only one that has Zombieland on it but man if I didn’t have a blast watching this movie. ¬†It was really everything I wanted from a movie with this sort of title. ¬†Plus Woody Harrelson is just a straight up bad ass. ¬†I very much look forward to the sequel as they’ve established a pretty nice zombie universe for themselves.
 

8- Avatar

As I mentioned in the podcast, I wasn’t quite as taken with the story of Avatar as I anticipated, but the effects and technical achievements were beyond my expectations. ¬†I never believed that motion capture as a tool could get me to sympathize with a character so much. ¬†But here in this film, I get to feel many emotions as I get to learn about the Na’Vi through Jake Sulley’s (Sam Worthington) eyes. ¬†It’s one of those films that has so much going on that even the most hardened cynic will come away with at least something they appreciated it. ¬†I welcome James Cameron back for more shit like this. ¬†We missed you, dude.
 

7- Up in the Air

Perhaps not quite the knock your dick in the dirt type film that every fucking blog on the internet sold it to be, Up in the Air does well to prove that Jason Reitman is a very talented director. ¬†He’s three for three with this film, Juno, and Thank You For Smoking under his belt. ¬†I’m betting there will be some Oscar noms come February, but I just don’t see this one taking the crown. ¬†As for the film itself, it’s funny, tragic, and at times very touching. ¬†Plus for anyone that’s travelled in the post-9/11 era, it’s a great deconstruction of what the whole process or lifestyle amounts to. ¬†With some great performances from George Cloony, Vera Farmiga, and Danny McBride, this film certainly constitutes one of the best films of the year. ¬†Go see it as soon as you can.
 

6- Star Trek (2009)

Completely catching me off guard this summer was Star Trek. ¬†I’m not a Trek fan nor have I ever seen any of the movies. ¬†At the time I saw Star Trek, I had three episodes of the original series consumed and unfortunately, I haven’t gotten further than that. ¬†But after watching this one, I couldn’t wait to get started on all kinds of Trek madness. ¬†Hands down, this movie lives and breaths by Chris Pine’s role. ¬†His role a James T. Kirk is immediately endearing to audiences. ¬†It probably doesn’t hurt that he’s a “head first” type dude. ¬†The kind of guy that would go straight into a bar fight where he’s easily out numbered. ¬†I’ve watched this movie now four times and even with all the plot holes, I still love it. ¬†Fuck, I want to watch it right now!
 

5-The Hangover

When I saw the trailer for this one, I figured it would be ok and if anything would legitimize director Todd Philips after a string of shit flicks he’d made. ¬†But then I nearly choked on my fish and chips at the Alamo while watching The Hangover and I knew this movie was more than just a come back. ¬†What is now the third highest grossing R-rated film (barely being The Matrix Reloaded and vastly trailing The Passion of the Christ), this movie became somewhat of a cultural phenomena almost the day the after it released. ¬†It took on the same demographic blending success that Wedding Crashers did four years ago. ¬†I for one enjoyed it mostly for the simple plot (call me a traditionalist). ¬†And it also helped that it was funny as all get out. ¬†I’ve seen this one four times already and I could see it another 40.
 

4- Winnebago Man

This is sort of my “Asshole Pick” because I’m willing to bet no one reading this has seen this movie. ¬†Winnebago Man was viral before the phrase even existed. ¬†People used to trade VHS tapes of a man getting very angry during the shoot of a Winnebago promotional video in the 1980s. ¬†Eventually it got on Youtube and the man known as the title character (actually named Jack Rebney) became infamous. ¬†A University of Texas at Austin professor sought out Rebney in order to document the man’s life as it is now. ¬†The movie ranges from flat out hilarious to damn near sob inducing and takes an interesting look at what happens to these people that bring us joy at the cost of their humiliation. ¬†I can’t say it enough- if you’re afforded the opportunity to see this film, do yourself a kindness and watch it.
 

3- Inglourious Basterds

This one was originally around six or 7 on my list but after watching it again, I’m completely enamored with it. ¬†Tarantino, although polarizing at times, just makes some astounding cinema. ¬†This movie just grabs you by the balls and doesn’t let go. ¬†I recall my first trip through just being so tense because I couldn’t tell what was going to happen in any given moment. ¬†It’s also nice to see a film that takes its time and doesn’t just go for the money shot without making the audience work a bit. ¬†I really enjoy this flick. ¬†And it helps that the BluRay has some of the best audio and video I’ve experienced on a home release.
 

2- District 9

I found out about this movie maybe two months before it came out. ¬†I’ve still only watched it once but it’s left an impression. ¬†The ability to compare an alien life form to that of apartheid in South Africa is at first glance a rather difficult sell. ¬†But I for one was convinced from the first frame on this one. ¬†Everything feels real, likely because of the shakey cam. But the action is not only awesome but really brutal. I thought I might get tired of seeing people explode but no, it’s fucking awesome. Not much else to say really. ¬†This is Sci-Fi at its best.
 

1- Up

I know I’ve talked this one to death and that this pick will come as no surprise, but I really love this movie. ¬†Pixar continually raises the bar on their films and they have quite a benchmark to over come this year. ¬†The one thing I haven’t really mentioned when talking about this movie is how much of a kid it turns me into. ¬†The sequence where the dogs are chasing our heros out of the caves is just pure adventure. ¬†From the music to the precarious situations, I turn into a blubbering mess. ¬†If you haven’t seen this movie and consider yourself a Pixar fan, by all means, close your laptop and go find a copy. ¬†You’ll thank me later.
 

That about wraps it up. ¬†It was a really great year for movies and I look forward to this time next year when we’re reminiscing again.

Breachcast Special Edition: Top Ten Films of 2009

Here is a video of the Winnebago Man, as discussed in this Podcast-

Tarantino is back to tell a story in German occupied France. The film begins with young Shoshanna escaping from the completely hilarious and insane Colonel Hans “Jew Hunter” Landa and forging a new life in Paris as a cinema owner and operator.¬† Meanwhile, Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) has cobbled together a sort of misfit Jewish soldier gang referred to as ‘the Basterds’ and is hell bent on scalping every Nazi on a mission to bring down the third reich.

All of the usual Tarantino stuff is in here, so for those of you that aren’t fond of the man, just move along.¬† The movie is brutally violent, features extensive scenes of dialogue, a kickass soundtrack (with cuts from Ennio Morricone of course), chapter title cards, and his ridiculous obsession with women’s feet.¬† I don’t know what it is with Quentin and feet but I’m fairly certain that in the future, one of his films is going to have a female foot in the lead role.

Tarantino is so damn good at aping the spaghetti western style sometimes (as well as a million other genres) that I often wonder if he was born in the right decade.¬† This is definitely not an action movie but due to the amount of tension he wrings out of his intensely layered scenes of dialogue, you walk away feeling like it was. There’s a lot of squaring off between characters and it’s handled masterfully by Tarantino and acted superbly.¬† Intensity is flowing through everything onscreen.

His cast of colorful Basterds are sort of hit and miss.¬† Brad Pitt takes the role of Aldo Raine and injects all kinds of charisma into it, even though he’s playing the simplest of men really.¬† Eli Roth as ‘The Bear Jew’ was pretty fun to watch actually; something that I was concerned about initially being that he’s really just a director buddy of Tarantino.¬† I am a fan of Roth’s flicks too, but I was unsure of what to expect when I heard he was going to be a baseball bat wielding Nazi skull-cracker.¬† Til Schweiger as Hugo Stiglitz (a German) was a man of few words and carried an extreme hatred for Nazis.¬† As for the rest of them, there’s really just a big smudge across them all, making them indistinguishable.¬† They’re just background noise, if you will.

Melanie Laurent as Shoshanna Dreyfus, looks nice and brooding with all the thoughts of revenge, but ultimately puts forth a mediocre performance.¬† She played what should be a very complex character in a rather straight and one-dimensional manner which really turned me off.¬† It’s just average at best, nothing that kills the film in any way.

The real gem of this movie is the performance of Christoph Waltz as Nazi Colonel Hans Landa.¬† This is what people are going to be talking about as they come out of this movie, and rightfully so as he steals damn near every scene that he’s in.¬† His interrogations are so courteous and polite and yet with these horrifying undertones that just make you squirm in your seat as if you yourself were under suspicion.

Inglourious Basterds isn’t balls to the wall Nazi killing action, which shouldn’t deter those of you that were hoping it is.¬† Tarantino’s dialogue is solid, the characters are, for the most part, well executed, and it stays an all-around fun movie even though it’s based around some pretty heavy and serious subject matter.¬† The movie definitely fits into QT’s body of work nicely and I’m looking forward to seeing this several more times before it leaves theaters.