Assembing Movie Habit’s official top ten from the lists of 7 different contributors, we noticed that only one of us included Avatar, the flavor of the week that is threatening to break box-office records. We did not pick box-office winners Transformers 2, Twilight 2, or Harry Potter 6. The highest-earning film on our list is Inglourious Basterds (#23, according to Box Office Mojo), and then we drop down to #67 (Precious). So if we can can offer one piece of advice, it’s this: seek excellence outside the main stream.
A few of the ti
But more often than not, critics converged on favorites and also-rans got pushed to the margins. Anvil played at the Boulder Film Festival with at least three of our contributors in attendance. The Hurt Locker, Sugar, and Precious also found three supporters each. So although we have a eclectic tastes, we confidently stand behind our official top ten of 2009.
So read, enjoy, and remember: it’s Alt+Tab to switch between the Netflix window and the Movie Habit window.
Clooney can be a heel and still charm
1. Up in the Air
One of the year’s best; Reitman’s most appealing film to date
2. Anvil: The Story of Anvil
Truth is sometimes just as good as fiction
3. Inglourious Basterds
It’s not the blood and guts, its the simmering drama
4. The Hurt Locker
Great at showing rather than telling
5. Summer Hours
Real people, real issues
6. Sugar
Dominican natives pursue their diamond dreams in the U.S.
“Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you,” Gopnik is advised
7. Precious
Willpower takes center stage
8. A Serious Man
Everybody should be able to relate to the protagonist’s struggles to some degree or another
9. October Country
A dense, thought-provoking, and unforgettable documentary about an American family
10. In the Loop
Sharp satire and snappy dialogue, never a dull moment
Thirty-three other ti