Paul Gandersman

Hey all. I don’t fancy myself a movie critic. I have plenty of friends that do that very well. But I do enjoy compiling my personal top ten of the year. So here it is!

1. Avatar takes the cake. To put it simply, I cannot remember the last time I have been inspired to see a film three times in the theater. I haven’t had a movie experience like this since the first time I saw Jurassic Park as a kid. I honestly believe that in the years to come, when we look back on milestones in film, we will see things like The Wizard of Oz, Jurassic Park and we’ll see Avatar.

Also, this was the first James Cameron film I have ever seen in the theater (I was the ONE person to not see Titanic at the theater). I’ve seen this film three times in 3D and that is the only way to see it.

2. Where the Wild Things Are hit me in an emotional place that no other film this year has, or any film I’ve ever seen has for that matter. I feel such a strong connection to Max’s childhood and can relate exact moments in my life to his. This film left me breathless and I cannot wait to see it again.

3. Inglourious Basterds is Quentin Tarantino’s best film. Period. I love this film. I don’t know half of my family because they were murdered in the holocaust. And the way this film comes to its conclusion… well lets just say I was holding my breath during the whole… “finale.” I even heard a large gasp come out of my mouth as the scene ended. LOVE IT.

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4. Antichrist is a maddeningly incredibly horrific experience. Its a film that got so deep under my skin, I couldn’t even move when the credits began to roll. This is the film that I would do anything to stop my own mother from watching, as I know it would literally kill her. What Von Trier did here is so real and so true, its hard to shake the evil out of you after seeing it. This film and the previous 3 were an extremely tight competition for the number one spot. This has been such a good year for cinema (and specifically GENRE cinema) that I think all four of these films could have taken the top spot had they come out in different years.

5. Star Trek totally blew me away. I was expecting something good from JJ Abrams (I love Lost, Mission Impossible III), but not THIS good. Not something I would fall in love with to this extent. I was never a trekkie. I was always more of a Star Wars guy. But I did enjoy Trek. I watched it on TV with my dad, we saw most of the movies (he states that the only good movies are the even numbered ones). But THIS? Wow. I cannot wait for Star Trek 2.

6. District 9 was the sci-fi film that pretty much smacked me across the face with how good it was. I knew what it was, when it was coming out and who it was from, but like Star Trek, I had NO idea. I am so lucky that I live in Austin, TX and was able to see this for the first time at a screening hosted by Ain’t it Cool News with Neil Blomkamp (director) in attendance. It was an amazing Q&A as well.

7. The Lovely Bones made me cry like a little girl with a skinned knee when I saw it at Butt-Numb-A-Thon 1138. I was literally wiping down my face with napkins as the movie ended, and friends turned around to see if I was okay, haha. My favorite films all deal with life and death (The Fountain, Ordinary People, The New World – that is my top 3 in that order). While I had some issues with the visual direction Peter Jackson took with this film, the overwhelming nature and purity of the story won me over and truly touched me.

8. The Road was the film that I held off my top ten list for until I saw it. Which happened today. I was told by many friends that loved it that it was an absolutely depressing film that would simply make me sad for the next day or two. And while it is indeed a very sad film, I saw something else in the end of it. I saw hope.

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9. Watchmen ULTIMATE CUT. I saw Watchmen in the theater opening night with most of my friends, and of all of them, I seemed to be the only one who truly enjoyed it. Yes I know they changed the ending. Okay. It works for me. . And while I enjoyed it, it was never even close to top ten potential. However… I recently watched the Ultimate Cut of the film on Blu-Ray. WOW. What a huge difference it was. The film is 3 and a half hours and its incredible. I cannot stress enough that this is the ONLY way to watch this film. (Very similar to what happened with Kingdom of Heaven and its eventual Director’s Cut DVD.)

10. Micmacs a tire-larigot. I about lost my mind when this was announced at Butt-Numb-A-Thon. Of all the films I thought I had a chance of seeing there, this was probably at the very bottom of the list. I doubt there was a bigger fan of Jean-Pierre Jeunet in the audience. It was an absolute treasure and treat to be able to see this and I’m not even sure that its getting American theatrical distribution. So I feel VERY lucky to have seen it in the theater!

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But there are two more incredible films that I saw this year that just didn’t make it into the top ten. My number 11 and 12 are:

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And there were two more films I saw this year at Butt-Numb-A-Thon that don’t qualify for this list as they come out in 2010. I feel they may very well show up on my top ten of next year…

Kick-Ass. You have no idea how much fun this film is. The experience of being the first audience to ever see this at Butt-Numb-A-Thon and the fun we all had with it, is something I will never again experience in my life. It is violent. It is over the top. It is hysterical. I love it and cannot wait to see the finished version!

Shutter Island ROCKS! Scorsese making a horror pic starring Leo. What else do you need to get your butt in the seat? As with Kick-Ass, I can’t wait to see it again. And stay away from reviews and any more trailers! You REALLY do not want to have anything spoiled for you on this one.

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So there you have it. My top ten (and then some) of 2009. I can’t believe how many of these are genre pics. What an AWESOME year for film. Quite possibly the best of my adult life. 2010 has got its work cut out for it. See you with another list in a year from now!

**ALSO**

Amazingly enough only one of my top ten was a film I saw at Fantastic Fest (my favorite film fest). Here are some other great movies from this year’s Fest that didn’t quite make the list:

Bronson, The Children, Daybreakers (2010 film), Fish Story, House of the Devil, Metropia, Paranormal Activity, Trick R’ Treat, Zombieland.

And some secret screenings from that fest: A Serious Man, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Do yourself a favor and check out ALL of these films!

Tags: 2009, a serious man, Antichrist, avatar, bronson, Daybreakers, district 9, fantastic mr. fox, fish story, house of the devil, inglourious basterds, kick-ass, metropia, micmacs a tire-larigot, Paranormal Activity, Paul Gandersman, public enemies, shutter island, star trek, the children, the imaginarium of doctor parnassus, the lovely bones, the road, top ten, trick r' treat, watchmen ultimate cut, where the wild things are, zombieland