Ada's Top 10 Films of 2009

Here we are folks... only 1.5 months late!

Per the usual disclaimer, films that qualify for my top 10 include:
- any film from a film festival that I attended in 2009
- any film with a Canadian theatrical release dated in 2009
- is listed on www.imdb.com as released in 2009

Additional note: Due to my already extreme tardiness, at the time this list was compiled, I still have not seen District 9 nor The Hurt Locker, two movies that seemed to get a lot of attention last year and made many critics' (both professional & amateur) lists. Though arguably, according to their synopsis, don't really seem like my cup of tea.

Off we go...

1) Inglourious Basterds (USA)
2) Mr. Nobody (USA)
3) Accident (Hong Kong)
4) (500) Days of Summer (USA)
5) Daybreakers (USA)
6) Micmacs a tire-larigot (France)
7) Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (France)
8) Up in the Air (USA)
9) The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (UK)
10)The Young Victoria (UK)

(Countries of origin are approximate haha)

Honourable mentions: An Education, Avatar, Brothers (yes, the remake), Whip It

This was the year of Ada and Quentin Tarantino, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that Inglourious Basterds tops my list. For many of the reasons I've listed over and over - choice of topic, characters, and Christopher Waltz's performance to name a few, Basterds and QT can do no wrong in my eyes.

Mr. Nobody was the thinker film of the year. As soon as the credits rolled I wanted to watch it again. I was enthralled, I'm still dying to see it again. Soon hopefully...


Accident was a different kind of thinker film, it didn't take brainpower to piece together per se, but its story has a resonance that makes you dwell on its themes, characters, and circumstance long after you've left the theatre.

(500) Days of Summer grew on me a lot the 2nd time I saw it, it's even moved up a couple spots since I first drafted this list. It was fresh, whimsical, and endearing the first go round, but watching Summer and Tom's romance the second time I was able to take in the little things I missed before having already familiarized myself with the story. And really, the sweetness and magic of it all was in those little details.


Daybreakers was my idea of a good vampire flick, not something you stumble upon often anymore. Morality, story, bit of a twist, I'd glad someone still knows how to handle the macabre.

To think I almost didn't go to see Micmacs a tire-larigot. It's got all the whimsy of Amelie packaged in what I worried might be an iffy plot for my tastes, but Jeunet's got me sold.

Speaking of Audrey Tatou, her film Coco Avant Chanel has nothing on the much superior Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky. Brilliant production design, I want to live in that film. The acting and story are nothing to scoff at either.

Up in the Air got mixed reviews and I really don't know why, I thought they were solid performances, an honest script, and a great commentary on the ambivalence of the corporate world, of relationships, and life in general. The greyness of it all wrapped in smart dialogue doled out at an entertaining pace. I think this is my favourite Reitman film.

Everyone raves about Avatar, which I did say deserves an honourable mention, it is a visual delight. But it relies solely on visual innovation, on the other hand, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is visually spectacular topped with excellent performances, especially given the restraints placed on them with the passing of their very talented star (RIP Heath) and a less formulaic story. It's a fun ride no matter what.

The Young Victoria sealed the deal in making me an Emily Blunt fan. At the end of the day the film wasn't fantastic, but it had all the makings of a movie I'm inclined to like, period costumes, strong women, and just a bit of romance. It's well made and very much worth watching.

Other honourable mentions include: An Education - which could've just as easily been number 10 rather than The Young Victoria, but I really enjoyed Emily Blunt's performance and I did only see An Education last month so it's a bit harder to say whether it's left a lasting impression on me.

The USA re-make of Brothers (Brodre, 2004, from Denmark) was surprisingly good, I have no basis for comparison having never seen the original, but Tobey Maguire was intense. Of course Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal weren't shabby either. In combination you have quite a young powerhouse cast.

Finally a nod to something that was just plain fun -- Drew Barrymore's directorial debut Whip It. I thought it was an excellent choice for her first film, a good decision to not bite off more than she can chew, and really this is the type of thing Drew's best at. And getting Ellen Page to play the lead role, excellent!

Although as I look through my list of films now, I think most of them rather impressive, I'm still not sold that 2009 was a particularly powerful year in film. My selections seem to be primarily english language films, and even my foreign picks are from somewhat predictable countries (I mean, how many years do I not include Chinese and French films?) There's nothing wrong with the tried and true, but I am looking forward to innovation in 2010.