I've Got James Cameron In My Sights: Johnny's 2010 Oscar Picks

I considered not writing up a piece about the Oscars this year. After all, what can I tell you that everyone else isn’t already telling you? This is one of the seemingly easiest races to call in recent memory. It’s not likely there will be too many surprises come Oscar night, but I thought I would give you all my picks anyways. Now I have to be honest with you. This is the first year in at least ten years that I have not seen every nominated film and performance prior to Oscar night. I’ve seen everything except THE BLIND SIDE, THE LOVELY BONES and THE LAST STATION. I fully intend to see those films at some point, but none have been a high priority for me. That said, I think I can still make some educated guesses in the key categories. Even so, we may as well start with something easy.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Remember when Nicholas Cage won his Best Actor Oscar for “Leaving Las Vegas” and “Con Air” was released two months later? Well let me walk you through another scenario. In a year or so, a movie will come out. It might be “Soul Plan 2: Come Crunk the Jiggy Skies” or maybe it will be a Marlon Wayans/Katt Williams vehicle about funny car thieves. Whatever that movie is, MO’NIQUE has probably already signed on to it (under her old price) and will be billed as “Academy Award Winner MO’NIQUE.” As much as it pains me to say it, MO’NIQUE is this year’s absolute only sure thing. And good for her. I’m not a big fan of her past work, but she did give an incredible performance in PRECIOUS. If she had stronger competition in this category I would probably vote for someone else, but even with some fine performances, this isn’t a very competitive category.

I really wish actors like Julianne Moore and Samantha Morton had been nominated for their excellent performances though, just to make this a more interesting race. VERA FARMIGA gave her best performance to date in UP IN THE AIR, and ANNA KENDRICK is making good on the promise she showed in her youth in films like “Camp” and “Rocket Science.” She’s a very fine actress. But she’s young. She’ll have other chances.

PENELOPE CRUZ absolutely deserved a nomination this year… for Pedro Almodovar’s “Broken Embraces.” NINE was a terrible film and CRUZ was passable at best. I felt that MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL was somewhat miscast in CRAZY HEART, but she’s one of my favorite actresses and her performance was still quite good. I’m happy she got her first nomination, I just wish it had been seven years ago for “Secretary.” At least this won’t be her last nomination. She’ll be back, probably for a better performance.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTOPH WALTZ has won almost every award he’s been up for since winning Best Actor at Cannes last June, so people are saying that he’s a shoo in to win this award. I hope they’re right. I think his chances are excellent and he is most deserving, giving a performance that will be remembered for decades, and might even outlast memories of the film itself. From now on, whenever anyone makes lists of film’s most iconic villains, WALTZ’ Col. Hans Landa is going to be very near the top. I still think the one actor that could upset him is CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER. I still haven’t seen THE LAST STATION, and I think a lot of others haven’t either, but PLUMMER does have a nostalgia quality to him, and not only has he never won before, he’s never even been nominated. People have written him off because his film has so little buzz, but he could get this as a “body of work” award. Remember the year James Coburn won for a film that nobody saw? Just saying.

I still think the award belongs to WALTZ, but if there were anyone in this category as worthy of the award as he, it would be WOODY HARRELSON. This year HARRELSON reminded everyone just how much they liked him with a crazy fun performance in “Zombieland.” But his performance in THE MESSENGER has stuck with me, even months after seeing the film. I’m so glad the Academy remembered his work in this extraordinary film, which deserved nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor (Ben Foster) as well.

MATT DAMON also deserved a Best Actor nomination (for “The Informant”), but that category was a little full so he was given the consolation prize of a nomination for INVICTUS. DAMON was quite excellent in INVICTUS. That accent probably didn’t come easy and it’s a very subtle and inspiring portrayal. I think I liked INVICTUS more than a lot of people, but I still think DAMON was just given this for being gypped for “The Informant,” which I feel he deserved to win for.

Finally, STANLEY TUCCI for THE LOVELY BONES. I haven’t seen it. I’m sure TUCCI is excellent. He usually is. Even in thankless roles like in “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Julie & Julia.” He deserves recognition but TUCCI’s performance was the only good thing most people had to say about THE LOVELY BONES so I think that this won’t be his year. What am I saying? I KNOW it won’t be his year.

BEST ACTRESS

I know all the talk is about rewarding SANDRA BULLOCK for her comeback and financially successful year. I’m sure she’ll get many votes for that. But I don’t know. I think there are a lot of people who are going to see her name on the ballot next to MERYL STREEP’s and they won’t be able to bring themselves to vote for the football weepie. This is the only category I feel that is still pretty up in the air, and I think STREEP might just edge out BULLOCK. I haven’t seen THE BLIND SIDE, and I’m sure BULLOCK is quite good in it, but JULIE & JULIA was an incredibly mediocre film made nearly great solely by STREEP’s performance. I think STREEP’s portrayal of Julia Child will be remembered for years to come, while THE BLIND SIDE will be all but forgotten by the time another good sports movie comes out.

If I had to pick my favorite performance in the category, I’d go with CAREY MULLIGAN for AN EDUCATION. This young star came out of nowhere, and you couldn’t take your eyes off her in this film, even while she was surrounded by excellent, veteran actors equally deserving of praise, such as Alfred Molina and Peter Sarsgaard. MULLIGAN scored several critic’s award wins and a BAFTA for her performance, but I think an American is going to win in this category, and the Academy will simply wait for MULLIGAN to shine again in the future film. I’m sure she will.

The wonderful GABOUREY SIDIBE gave the best performance in PRECIOUS and deserves an award more than MO’NIQUE, but being against bigger names is going to hurt her chances. He reward is getting nominated for her very first film, which is an honor she richly deserves. Finally HELEN MIRREN was nominated just to prove what a weak year this was for actresses. I’m sure she’s excellent, per usual, in THE LAST STATION, but she’s only here for filler.

BEST ACTOR

All five actors in this category gave great performances and deserve their nominations, but it’s a shame that there were so many great actors this year who were overlooked, such as Matt Damon for “The Informant,” Michael Stuhlbarg for “A Serious Man,” and Sharlto Copley for “District 9,” just to name a few. However, between the five nominees, JEFF BRIDGES should have no trouble walking away with the Oscar, and it’s about time. I liked CRAZY HEART a lot, but the film was ultimately enjoyable but forgettable. BRIDGES gave a great, committed performance in a good movie, and while this might not be the role he is forever remembered for, it is the film that will get him his long overdue Oscar. This may be a “body of work” award, but it’s one that is very well deserved.

I would also love for JEREMY RENNER to secure his new A List status by getting a surprise award, but I think his film will be recognized in other categories. COLIN FIRTH was the glue that held A SINGLE MAN together, and he certainly gave the best performance of his career, but he will have to settle for the BAFTA he won last week. MORGAN FREEMAN successfully avoided the usual standard biopic motions playing Nelson Mandela in INVICTUS, but it won’t be enough to win the award for a film audiences didn’t connect with. And GEORGE CLOONEY solidified his role as classy leading man in UP IN THE AIR, but the film has lost so much of its initial buzz that this once sure thing just now blends in with CLOONEY’s many other great but expected performances.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

This was one of the best years for animation in recent memory. Films like UP, CORALINE, FANTASTIC MR. FOX, and THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG were so good that they could have been nominated for Best Picture, and one of them, UP, actually was. This category is usually reserved for the year’s Pixar movie and just the two other highest grossing animated films. But it’s nice that the Academy is treating this category seriously, even going so far as nominating a relatively unknown film, THE SECRET OF KELLS over bland tripe like “Monsters vs. Aliens” and “Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.”

I would love for any of these films to win, but I think that UP will prove unstoppable. Not many voters will pick this as Best Picture so they’ll give it the prize here. Possible spoilers could include FANTASTIC MR. FOX, which has a very devoted following, and THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, which many celebrate for bringing hand drawn animation back to Disney, but you shouldn’t bet against Pixar.

BEST DIRECTOR

This year’s new ten nominee Best Picture category was designed to honor a few films that wouldn’t ordinarily be recognized. So what are the real Best Picture nominees? Well the easiest way to pretend there are only five great nominees is to look to the Best Director category to pick the supposed cream of the crop. JASON REITMAN is a favorite to win Best Adapted Screenplay and with just three films under his belt he has shown that he is truly skilled at making modern, funny films that also have a soul. He’s going to have a long career making them and I look forward to seeing them.

QUENTIN TARATINO and LEE DANIELS share special honors as two of directors who got some of the best performances out of their actors this year. But of course the real race is between former spouses KATRYN BIGELOW and JAMES CAMERON. In BIGELOW’s favor: she directed one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year and would be the first female director to win the award. But of course CAMERON directed the biggest financial hit of all time and had a hand in inventing new technology to make his film look unlike anything that had been seen before. While there is strong support for both directors, I’m sure it will go to BIGELOW, and rightfully so. She did win the Director’s Guild Award after all. If CAMERON won at this point, it would make history in a whole other way.

BEST PICTURE

So, as I’ve previously alluded to, this is the year the Academy, in all their infinite wisdom, have expanded the category to ten nominees. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it gives the chance to some smaller films that would never have been nominated otherwise, such as A SERIOUS MAN and AN EDUCATION. If this practice had existed last year, great films like THE WRESTLER would have been honored alongside crap like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

On the other hand, this opens the doors for even more successful, larger films, that don’t need a boost, like THE BLIND SIDE. I’ll keep the BLIND SIDE rage to a minimum since I still have yet to see it, though I must point out that a Best Picture nominee includes the line “I’m not changing his life, he’s changing mine.” Really? And isn’t that awfully close to the line from the retard/football movie “Radio?” “We’re not teaching Radio. Radio is teaching all of us.” Ok, Academy voters. You made your bed. Now sleep in it.

This new rule is designed to get people to tune in to the awards show to see the chance of a blockbuster film winning a big award. Also to help increase the success and box office receipts of more films. But let’s face it. AVATAR didn’t need any help and it was going to be nominated even if there were only five slots to spare. A few months ago, I thought that UP IN THE AIR was a lock to win Best Picture. It had the buzz of being the hit of the Toronto Film Fest, was topping many top ten lists, and was an upbeat film that was topical regarding our current economic times. But even with a fantastic cast, this film didn’t attract the kind of word of mouth buzz with the public that films like “Juno” and “Slumdog Millionaire” have in the past. Too bad. It’s a very nice film, but it certainly isn’t the best film of the year.

I’m overjoyed that a Pixar film finally got nominated for Best Picture, but while I think a film like “Wall-E” could have won if it had been nominated last year, UP just doesn’t have that chance this year. My favorite film of the year, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, has a decent shot of being a dark horse as it has a big fan base, but its reward will probably be for CHRISTOPH WALTZ and perhaps a screenwriting award for QUENTIN TARANTINO. I love that the brilliant little sci-fi indie DISTRICT 9 was nominated, but it doesn’t have a chance when put up against the sci-fi monster that is AVATAR.

AVATAR is an unprecedented achievement. One that the Academy could easily reward for its success and mass appeal. I suppose I wouldn’t be too upset if it won, but I think THE HURT LOCKER has a real chance of pulling it out, after a slough of Awards it received in the last few months. Of course The Academy Awards are not the BAFTA’s. Big business might prevail.

I can’t say I’m really on the edge of my seat to find out what happens on Sunday night. I’m more curious to see how next year’s awards play out. Will the ten nominee system stay in place? Probably. Will 2010 be such an amazing year that it will actually be difficult to pick only ten films to fill the category, unlike this year when it seemed like they were stretching to find even ten great films? I don’t know. But today I saw Roman Polanski’s “The Ghostwriter.” Best film I’ve seen so far this year. Not a difficult feat considering the crap we’ve gotten in the last few months, but I hope it’s a sign of what’s to come. I want an unbelievable year. So let’s get started. Enjoy the Oscars, friends. Give me a call before showing up. My couch is only so big.

-Johnny Pomatto

The RED RIDING Trilogy: You Might Think Twice Before Looking In This Basket

My first instinct on a snowy day in New York is to stay in my pajamas, turn on my heat, and pop in a few DVDs. While that might have been a perfectly nice way to spend last week’s blustery blizzard, I decided to take on the icy winds long enough to walk over to the IFC Center so I could spend the day in a warm theatre, watching the most dark and grisly of movies. Three movies to be exact. I’m talking about the epic RED RIDING trilogy that is currently touring the country, and possibly playing on your TV, courtesy of IFC On Demand.

RED RIDING is based on four novels by British author David Peace. They are fiction, though they are all inspired by real life headlines and cases, and the second film even makes the true case of the Yorkshire Ripper its centerpiece. The other two films bookend that story with a mystery involving the gruesome murders of a young girl, who is found with swan wings sewn into her back. It’s a haunting image and the horrific crime takes ten years to be completely solved, with many, many side mysteries that tie together the murdered girl, and very corrupt, immoral, and evil characters including police officers, reporters, clergymen, and land developers.

At five and a half hours this is a truly epic saga, but the beauty of it is that each film tells its own individual story and stands on its own. Each film shows crime and corruption from different points of view, and stars three main characters that appear in only one film apiece, each members of different professions affected by the crimes. The first film, subtitled “1974,” focuses on a young newspaper journalist, Eddie Dunford, played by Andrew Garfield. Dunford begins the story as a hotshot reporter, blooming with confidence, but by the end of the film he is practically driven insane by all the horrible things he’s witnessed, and from the mental and physical torture he has gone through. His descent is tragic and terrifying to watch, as we see a man who is surrounded by so much corruption that he has virtually no one to turn to who won’t find a way to punish him for what he knows.

The second film, subtitled “1980,” follows police constable Peter Hunter, played by Paddy Considine, one of those great actors that deserves to be a bigger star in this country. Hunter is brought to Yorkshire to help try to make sense of the case of the Yorkshire Ripper, which has left the police force baffled for years. Hunter faces the same incompetent and, in some cases, corrupt police force that was handling the child murders in 1974. Things have only gotten worse in the department. Hunter’s personal life is in such shambles that he hardly pays attention to the case of the Yorkshire Ripper at all. While the Ripper is eventually caught, Hunter has ignored so many things that tie the detectives to other crimes that he doesn’t realize what the real danger has been all along. The second film combines two of David Peace’s books, and is unfortunately the shortest of the trilogy, when it should have been the longest. At first glance, “1980” seems to have very little to do with the first film, and becomes almost a standalone story. It isn’t really until the third film that you realize just how crucial so many of the details of “1980” were.

The final film, dubbed “1983,” begins with the disappearance of another child, with eerily similar details to the murder from 1974, making inexperienced lawyer John Piggot, well played by Mark Addy, suspect that the man accused of the original murder might be innocent after all. This film also brings to the foreground Detective Maurice Jobson, played by the excellent and underrated David Morrissey, who is featured in all three films. Jobson is a high-ranking police official who is central to the case, but it isn’t until the third film when we finally understand his full involvement, as we watch him come to grips with some of the mistakes of his past and grow a conscience in the present. Unfortunately, one of the ways he does this is with the help of a psychic, which is one of the weakest aspects of the film. Up until this moment, all three films have been grounded in a gritty reality. Suddenly this psychic woman starts getting messages from the other side, and information that she couldn’t possibly know unless she were the real killer. (She’s not.) This fantasy element kind of took me out of the film, but it’s just a small misstep.

The third film does provide definitive answers to almost all the mysteries from the saga, including the identity of the child killer. This, sadly, didn’t come as a surprise to me, as it ended up being the one person who I suspected since early in the second film. There seemed to be so many clues pointed to this person for so long, that I was convinced that they wouldn’t possibly make that person the killer because it was much too obvious. Though the identity of the killer wasn’t too surprising, the horrid details surrounding the killer’s process were still gripping, disturbing, and fascinating.

My other complaint with the final film is that it ends too abruptly. Just like with the second film, here is where you really start to feel that whole other book that wasn’t filmed. The film provides the series with closure of its central mystery, but there are so many characters in this story guilty of so many horrible things that we are left with a lot of loose ends. We never find out what becomes of a few key corrupt members of the police force. Really horrible, sinister people. Do they just get away with everything? Maybe so. And that would be fine and fitting, considering the rest of the story, but it still would be nice to know for sure. Even title cards and an epilogue would have been an improvement.

It isn’t just director Julian Jarrold’s beautiful and haunting imagery that makes “1974” the best of the three films. It also works because it is the only film that truly stands on its own and tells a complete story, even with ambiguity of the killer’s identity and other crimes left unsolved. Andrew Garfield’s performance as Eddie Dunford is sharp and devastating. The film succeeds so well because we are seeing these horrible events unfold through his eyes, and while the story is far from over at the end of the first film, the experience has figuratively destroyed Dunford to the point that he can no longer be any part of it. He leaves that up to us. The other two films are both very good, but they seem to rely too much on having to explain hazy references from the mysteries in the first film, rather than building their own stories into something that can hold its own.

James Marsh, the Academy award winning director of “Man on Wire,” does an excellent job of giving “1980” a fantastic raw feel of inner workings of a corrupt police force, reminiscent of something like “The Wire,” but the screenplay lets him down. I suppose at this point its foolish to hope that the cast will reunite to film the fourth book, but it would help make the series feel more fleshed out and complete. Anand Tucker doesn’t provide “1983” with as much visual flare as the other two films, but it has an ominous tone that works well, even if it feels like the most mainstream of the trilogy. It’s possible to enjoy each film on its own, but the joy that one gets when you discover a new piece of the puzzle which gives an entire new meaning to the mystery is just too much fun to deny yourself. I’ve seen several plays that offer this experience, such as Tom Stoppard’s “Coast of Utopia” and Alan Aykbourn’s “The Norman Conquests,” but we don’t see this structure nearly enough in film.

RED RIDING most reminded me of the phenomenal, (and superior), miniseries “State of Play.” RED RIDING offers the nice spin of telling the story from multiple points of view with different directors and visual styles, but “State of Play” had a more complete and solid narrative. That epic six hour miniseries was then turned into a two hour American film which cut and condensed all of the rich details that made the original so satisfying. The American version of “State of Play” was actually quite good by American adult thriller standards, and it included a terrific performance by the great Benjamin Affleck. Anyone who saw the remake and not the original miniseries might have been impressed, but those of us in the other boat know just how much was missing. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that America is taking a crack at RED RIDING with a studio adaptation, though at least directed by a talented Brit, Ridley Scott. I don’t doubt that Scott could make a fine film based on the series, but by trying to cram the entire story into one large film would deny the audience of all the little details that make the crimes and the solving of them so believable and compelling.

Even with the films sometimes being uneven, seeing the whole RED RIDING trilogy is an engrossing experience, one not quickly forgotten. In addition to the performances by the excellent lead actors, the film includes supporting performances by a who’s who list of great British actors sprinkled through all three films, including Sean Bean, Rebecca Hall, Jim Carter, Peter Mullan, Daniel Mays, and Cara Seymour, just to name a few. Whether you see them all at once or spread out, I’m sure you won’t be bored by the long running time. These are essential films for fans of the serial killer procedural, ranking up with some of the best of the genre, such as “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Zodiac.” It’s dark, disgusting, and disturbing stuff, and it can be tough to watch at times, but we all need to see something sick and twisted every once and a while, don’t we?

-Johnny Pomatto

I Think These Just Might Be Some Masterpieces

THE BEST FILMS OF 2009

I had no problem picking out ten excellent films from the hundred plus that I saw this year. I even listed a dozen or more films that were nearly as excellent and just missed the cut. But despite having seen some extraordinary films this year, I can’t help but think that this was a fairly weak year of cinema. I’m not just talking about the attempted summer blockbusters, which there seemed to be more of, and almost all worse than usual, this year. Even many of the prestige films seemed to fail to deliver this year. Films like UP IN THE AIR, CRAZY HEART, INVICTUS, and BROTHERS were all good films, but they lacked that little extra thing that made them stand out in the sea of other releases. As soon as I stepped out of the theatre, I was finished thinking about them. They didn’t stay with me, and that seemed to happen with too many films this year. But that wasn’t the case with all of them, so please enjoy my list of the best films of the year. I guarantee that these ten films will stay with you for weeks after you see them.

1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS -“Inglourious Basterds” is the best film of the year, and I’m as surprised as you are. While Quentin Tarantino is admittedly one of the most visionary and exciting auteurs working today, his films, in recent years, have become fun exercises in homage and tone, rather than simply great examples of storytelling. Much of “Kill Bill” and “Death Proof,” while both great films, were often nearly shot for shot remakes of B movies we’ve never seen, but Quentin has. While it has many warm, familiar elements of British films of spies and espionage, and the pacing and music of some of the greatest spaghetti westerns, “Basterds” never feels like Tarantino is imitating or paying careful homage to the films of others. It always feels like its own, unique story, but in the styles of film genres that simply aren’t made anymore. The result is an incredibly entertaining experience that improves with each viewing. Each of the film’s five acts could almost work as stand alone short films, with each one presenting a situation of extreme, nail-biting tension, followed by an exhausting release. I also can’t neglect to mention how tremendously funny the film is, which often helps reprieve the audience of said tension, just when they need it the most. I think we all took a momentary sigh of relief when Colonel Hans Landa revealed his enormously comical pipe in the film’s nail-bitingly intense opening scene. Ah yes. I can’t go on any longer without acknowledging the performance of Christophe Waltz, who, with help from Tarantino, gave us one of the greatest screen villains in decades. Every line that came out of Waltz’ mouth was read in a way that no other actor could ever conceive, making each precious moment of Landa surprising and thrilling. Credit must be given to the rest of the exceptional cast, Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, and Mike Myers, for making up the best ensemble of the year. While I always eagerly anticipate the next Tarantino film, suddenly I feel like I’ve discovered him for the first time all over again, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

2. THE HURT LOCKER -“The Hurt Locker” had already been in theatres for a few weeks before I got around to see it. Despite all the rave reviews, I just didn’t feel like putting myself through that experience. Plus. Hollywood has had a pretty weak track record with modern war films. When I finally did see it, I was so glad I did. While films like “Stop Loss” and “Home of the Brave” have been tedious, schmaltzy, and preachy, “The Hurt Locker” succeeds at being a fantastically suspenseful action film that just happens to be about real life heroes in a real life setting. Jeremy Renner is the finest star that was created this year, and I hope we have decades more of excellent performances from him. His portrayal of a bomb disarmer addicted to war was an action hero unlike any we had seen before. Stallone and Schwarzenegger have played over the top, testosterone-filled, death-scoffing, meat-bags before, but Renner’s Sgt. William James takes things a step further and brings us a man who may be afraid of death, but has accepted the inevitability that he will die, and is at peace with that, as long as he can be saving lives as it happens. In almost every scene of the film, there is a potential life-ending tragedy seconds away from happening. My stomach was knotted the entire film, never knowing when one of those bombs could go off. It’s the only film I’ve seen that seems to give the audience the same feeling as the people its portraying, only the characters on screen can’t afford to have their stomachs knotted. This is a masterpiece of suspense and drama. I fully expect Kathryn Bigelow to be the first woman ever to win a Best Director Oscar next month, and it will be much deserved.

3. A SERIOUS MAN -It seemed like I couldn’t read a review of “A Serious Man” that didn’t make a big deal about what an incredibly personal film it must be for the Coen Brothers. After all, they both grew up in the 60’s in the Midwest. They’re both Jewish and attended Hebrew school. Too much credit has been given to their history, when we should be praising the brilliant Brothers Coen, who have managed, once again, to give us a dark, funny, and wholly original morality tale that ranks high up with some of their best work. Stage veteran Michael Stuhlbarg anchors the film as Larry Gopnik, a man who feels he’s constantly being tested by God, as he tries to stay calm, composed, and serious while his world chaotically comes crashing down around him. Every time he looks for answers he is greeted by meaningless proverbs and silly fables, leaving him more lost than ever in a world that is turning less to God and more to the wisdom of rock and roll. After watching the film, I see it less of a reflection of the Coens’ own upbringing, and more like a mirror of the society I’m currently living in. How soon before that tornado comes for me?

4. UP -Pixar once again establishes itself as the most consistently excellent studio today, bringing us a beautiful and spectacular adventure story that not only covers the demographic of eight to eighty, but also assigns those ages to its two stars. I don’t know a single person who didn’t, at the very least, get choked up during the first ten minutes of this film. I shed more than a few tears every time I watch the film. The wordless sequence of the lifetime shared between Carl and Ellie is one of the most beautiful love stories ever committed to film. While the rest of the film becomes more of a straight up action adventure story, it is not the least bit less thrilling. Animated film staples such as flying sequences and talking animals get reinvented here. A child and an adult can see this film, take away completely different things from it, and still both love it all the same. Even ultra serious, German filmmaker Werner Herzog, (whose “Fitzcarraldo” provided some inspiration for the film), called the film “wonderful.” Pixar: the studio that can melt a German man’s heart.

5. IN THE LOOP -We look to political satires for films that will make us feel smart while we laugh, but I don’t know if I’ve ever laughed harder at a sharper film than “In the Loop.” On the eve of a declaration of war with a Middle Eastern country, British and American cabinet members and political underlings scramble to either ensure or prevent the “foreseeable” war. As ridiculous and over the top as things get in this film, it always feels incredibly believable, to the point that you feel as if you could be watching a documentary. The stupid politicians are stupid in a very recognizable way. The political figures in the film say innocent statements that go just off-message enough that they are instantly used against them and interpreted in any way that can benefit each political agenda. The film moves so fast that if your mind wanders for even a second you may find yourself completely lost. The terrifically game cast, including Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Gina McKee, David Rasche, and Mimi Kennedy all work wonders, but special credit has to be given to the unbelievable Peter Capaldi, who can utter a curse word in a way that makes you believe you’re hearing the word for the first time. Capaldi deserves an Oscar nod for his performance and the film deserves to be discovered by as many people as possible.

6. THE INFORMANT! -Between this and his criminally underrated film “The Girlfriend Experience,” Steven Soderbergh had a great year giving us films about people with secrets, and what happens when they are forced to fess up. “The Informant!” tells the unbelievably true story of Mark Whitacre, a man who seems to be the only one brave enough to tell the truth in a business of lying criminals, only to be exposed as the biggest liar of all. Matt Damon gives the best performance of his career as Whitacre, playing him with a sincere earnestness that is so convincing he is able to fool everyone, including himself. Whitacre’s lies are so deep that even he doesn’t know what’s true anymore by the end of his adventure, and the audience leaves scratching their heads as well, in the best possible way. Soderbergh livens up the realistically bland procedural with candy colored pastels, a bouncy score, and some of the best modern stand-up comedians in supporting roles. But all the frosting on this cake never masks the fascinating story being told here. This stranger than fiction tale should have screenwriters everywhere paying closer attention to the news. You never know if a story buried on page C-12 of the newspaper could end up making an incredibly entertaining film.

7. THE MESSENGER -The fact that I have two Iraq war themed films on this list gives me hope for Hollywood’s treatment of the subject from now on. Like “The Hurt Locker,” “The Messenger” never takes a position in favor of or against the war, but instead tells a deeply human story about those affected by it. Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster never rehearsed or met their co-stars for the scenes in which they inform families that their loved ones have died serving their country. These scenes could have been reduced to clichés and easily labeled, (such as “the one with the pregnant girlfriend,” or “the one with the angry father”), but each of these moments comes across as organic, natural, and devastating. Harrelson has never been better, and is the only actor who could potentially upset Christophe Waltz at the Oscars this year. Foster finally comes into his own as a true leading man, after the last few years of playing scenery-chewing villains in bad films. His scenes with the always exquisite Samantha Morton make for my favorite love story of the year, one of tepid understanding and little romance. I don’t think there’s a single character in the film that isn’t grieving someone or something, and after watching this film, you too will feel their pain.

8. GOODBYE SOLO -Ramin Bahrani has recently become one of the best new filmmakers working today, with films like “Chop Shop” and “Man Push Cart.” He tells stories of immigrant life in America in a way that feels deeply personal and authentic. “Goodbye Solo,” which is Bahrani’s finest film yet, is the story of Solo, a cab driver who suspects one of his elderly customers may be planning to kill himself. Not sure what to do, Solo forces himself into the old man’s life as much as he can, in an effort to become his friend and possibly save his life. The interaction between actors Souleymane Sy Savane and Red West are often wordless, but there is a strong connection constantly being made between them. Along with “The Messenger,” this is the best film I’ve seen this year about reluctant friendship between two people and the transformation their lives go through because of it. The ending of this film is one of the saddest and most hauntingly beautiful things I’ve ever seen on film. I urge you to seek out this unforgettable film. You will not be disappointed, but you might be crying.

9. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE -I’m amazed that this film didn’t enjoy the same kind of overwhelming success a film like “Avatar” received. I personally blame all of those people out there who were constantly saying “It’s not a children’s movie. It’s made for adults.” Too many people listened and left their kids at home. While an adult is likely to see a completely different film here than a child might, this is an extraordinary film that should be marveled at by anyone who has ever been a child, even if they still currently are one. The one thing that everyone seems able to agree on is that Spike Jonze nailed the look and art direction of the film, taking Maurice Sendak’s iconic images and bringing them to life. By placing these spectacular creatures in real life environments, he seemed to enhance the fantasy aspect of the look of the creatures, while making them seem incredibly relatable at the same time. Credit must be given to the voice performers, such as James Gandolfini, Catherine, O’Hara, and Chris Cooper, for giving the Wild Things a human touch, and turning the giant pillow suits into living, breathing, human emotions. How grateful I am that Jonze didn’t invent an intricate story or have Max and the Wild Things go on some bullshit adventure involving villainous wizards or magic crystals. The story is a blank slate that Jonze allows us to fill in ourselves, and promises never to be exactly the same twice.

10. REVANCHE -I was incredibly angry after seeing the trailer for this Austrian film, because it appeared to give a detailed summary of the entire story, up to what looked to be a natural and predictable ending for a familiar revenge story. However “Revanche” is far more than a simple revenge tale, and I’ll try to be as vague as possible in discussing the plot because I want you all to discover the film for yourselves. After an unfortunate attempt of a bank robbery, a man begins to seek revenge on the unfortunate policeman who interfered with the robbery. That’s all I feel I can say in telling you about this heart-pounding thriller that surprises with its many plot developments, as well as the emotions and sympathies you will feel while watching it. Johannes Krisch is entrancing in the lead role, with an unforgettable face that I can’t get out of my head. The film is soaked in tragedy and remorse but it never feels depressing. I’d love for America to be able to make a heist or revenge film with this much thought and purpose, rather than just Liam Neesan calmly whispering into telephones.

SPECIAL AWARDS

THE AGE OF ANIMATION

In addition to Pixar’s exceptional film UP, 2009 brought us at least half a dozen extraordinary animated films this year that easily could have made my top ten list. Wes Anderson finally found what might be his perfect medium with the stop motion film FANTASTIC MR. FOX. The impeccable design, style, and casual, sly whimsy that Anderson brings to all his films worked better than it has in years with the hilarious and fun adaptation that would have made Roald Dahl proud.

We’re usually lucky to get one great stop motion film every five years or so, but this year we got three more. Henry Selick’s CORALINE was something special that I haven’t seen in years: a children’s film that was actually scary. The dark fairy tale would have given me nightmares when I was younger and I love that these kinds of films are still being made. Then we also got the little seen “$9.99,” an Australian indie that was a beautiful, claymation meditation on the meaning of life. Finally, the delightfully bizarre Belgium film, A TOWN CALLED PANIC, was like a child playing with action figures for 80 minutes, but using them for a wonderfully, silly story.

We also got a glorious return of hand drawn animation with Miyazaki’s adorable PONYO and Disney lush return to magical fairy tales with THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. There’s something very special about seeing ink and paint on film, especially when the color palate is this beautiful. This may not be quite the classic that something like “Beauty and the Beast” was, but it’s still so nice to see one of these films again after so many years of them being gone.

This was the best year for animation that I can ever remember. Even Robert Zemeckis got closer to perfecting his motion capture style with the surprisingly effective A CHRISTMAS CAROL. In most years, the Animated Feature category at the Oscars reserves a spot for that year’s excellent Pixar film and fills out the other two slots with whatever bland Shrek or Ice Age sequels came out that year. This year we’re guaranteed to have some excellent films shut out of that category. It’s a damn shame, but consider yourselves lucky and update your Netflix queue.

THE SPECTACULAR RETURN OF SCIENCE FICTION

I just mentioned Robert Zemeckis improving his motion capture technique this year with “A Christmas Carol,” which reminds me of a story. It’s called “The Tortoise and the Hare.” The hare (Robert Zemeckis) has been tinkering with the motion capture technology for several years now, since “The Polar Express.” He has directed three films using the process, and produced a few more. With each film, the animation looks a little smoother and the films get a little better. Clearly one of these days this man is going to perfect the style and achieve greatness. But you see, there’s this tortoise (James Cameron). He hasn’t made a film in 12 years, and has no experience using motion capture animation, but damn if he doesn’t trump everything Zemeckis and others have been doing for the last ten years with the spectacular epic AVATAR.

Despite its overly familiar story, this film dazzled me, (and 500 million dollars worth of Americans, and counting), with its special effects that for once seemed really truly special. The visuals were awe inspiring and looked unlike anything we had seen before. Even with a possible Best Picture win in its future, I can’t call it a perfect film, but I have to credit it for just being just plain fun, and a movie that successfully lived up the hype that America was so trying to resist.

And just as Cameron has succeeded making a stunning science fiction epic for at least 300 million dollars, Neil Blomkamp demonstrated that you an make a film that rivals AVATAR’s action and special effects for a mere 30 million dollars. Blomkamp’s DISTRCT 9 may have lost a little steam in its second half, but it showed that you don’t need Michael Bay and overinflated budget to make a great action film with impressive CGI. And actor Sharlto Copley deserves an Oscar nod for his performance of a government worm, turned hero. Watching his transformation (not just his physical one), was a great surprise that I never saw coming, almost as if Paul Reiser’s character from “Aliens” suddenly became the hero and moral compass of that film.

And finally, I must give a shout out to J.J. Abrams’ reboot of STAR TREK, a film that managed to make me care about a franchise I knew virtually nothing about, and never thought I’d want to. The story itself may not have been much to speak of, but it was tons of fun to watch these iconic characters meet and start a new history, and the fresh-faced cast made it all the better. The funny and charismatic Chris Pine could just be the star of the year, and delivered on all his buzz in a way that I’m not sure Sam Worthington has yet. I’m going to say something now that I never thought I would: I can’t wait for the next “Star Trek” movie. Wow. That was weird.

HONORABLE MENTION

These films didn’t quite make my list, but they’re all fine films that deserve to be seen.

ADVENTURELAND -An 80’s throwback with a soul, rather than broad clichés and Journey songs.

AN EDUCATION -An excellent ensemble cast delivers the best coming of age story in years.

ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL -A powerful documentary about so much more than just music.

BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS -Werner Herzog gets just the right amount of crazy out of Nicholas Cage, who reminds you just what a great actor he really is.

BIG FAN -Comic Patton Oswalt is seriously good in this film about extreme loyalty to his favorite team at the cost of his own happiness.

BROKEN EMBRACES -Pedro Almodovar gives melodrama a good name with this dark, sad, and mysterious love story.

BRONSON -Tom Hardy gives a star-making performance in this over the top, clownish, real life prison drama.

DRAG ME TO HELL -Proof that a studio can put out a horror movie with original scares and laughs. Hopefully Sam Raimi will return to such fare now that he’s shaken Spidey.

FUNNY PEOPLE -Judd Appatow’s underrated third feature wasn’t perfect, but deserves to be seen for all it gets right and Adam Sandler’s touching and harsh performance.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE -Soderbergh transcended stunt casting by putting Sasha Grey in the role of a high priced escort in this small, simple, but fascinating film.

GOOD HAIR -Chris Rock’s documentary on the black hair-care industry was far more provocative and fascinating than I ever expected from him. Oh. But it was funny too.

THE HANGOVER -Nothing new or original, but refreshing to see a fresh faced cast of three truly funny people, rather than big stars going through the motions. I’m looking at you, cast of “Couples Retreat.”

HUMPDAY -Part hilarious buddy comedy, part serious relationship study. Mark Duplas, Joshua Leonard, and Alycia Delmore made up my favorite on screen couple of the year.

I LOVE YOU, MAN -The other great comedy of the year about man love. These days, no one makes a funnier straight man than Paul Rudd.

JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY -This Danish film takes the premise of “While You Were Sleeping” and creates one of the darkest and exciting thrillers in years.

OF TIME AND THE CITY -Terence Davies’ poetic essay about the changes he and his hometown of Liverpool have gone through over time is sad and beautiful. My favorite documentary of the year.

A SINGLE MAN -Tom Ford makes a stunning directorial debut with a film that is perhaps a bit over stylized, but still quite lovely.

WORLD’S GREATEST DAD -Bobcat Goldthwait makes another dark, shocking, and original film, starring Robin Williams, giving perhaps the best performance of his career.

THE WORST FILMS OF 2009

I try not to go see terrible movies, if I can help it. That’s why you won’t see “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “The Uglyl Truth,” or “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” on this list. I haven’t seen them. With a few exceptions, all these titles were films that I had hoped would be good. It didn’t always work out that way though. These are the ten worst films I saw in 2009. Please take my word for it and avoid them at all cost.

1. NINE -You can’t just put six Academy Award winners in a film together and simply expect magic to happen. The phenomenal stage musical “Nine” was turned into the worst film of the year. Rob Marshall took the exact same approach to the material as he did with “Chicago,” but the two stories couldn’t be more different, and “Nine” cried out for the touch of a filmmaker, rather than that of a choreographer. There’s not an ounce of a surreal, dreamlike tone that would suggest this is the least bit inspired by Fellini’s “8 ½.” The story is turned into a dull, linear tale of a philandering director, with musical numbers sprinkled throughout, desperately trying to find some context for their placement and purpose. With the exception of Marion Cotillard, who maintains some grace and dignity, the actors are either wasted (Daniel Day-Lewis), boring (Nicole Kidman), or simply awful (Judi Dench). It’s true that perhaps my love for the source material made me that much more disappointed in the film, but that doesn’t the final product. Someone who had never seen a musical could probably tell instantly that this is a piss poor example.

2. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE -Hollywood, (and especially Fox) don’t care about you. They think so little of you that they will take a popular character from a popular franchise, give him to an inexpensive director and a budget the fraction the size needed, in order to put out a terrible movie that will make double its money back in its opening weekend, before people wise up and figure out they’ve been duped. Don’t let them trick you again. Hugh Jackman should feel ashamed and the fans should be outraged. Well that’s not fair. I know that the fans are outraged, but why did they still go to see it opening weekend? Idiots.

3. THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS -I believe that a really funny, smart, and fascinating movie could have been made from Jon Ronson’s non-fiction book. This just wasn’t it. This film was a tonal nightmare, constantly trying to get you to laugh (unsuccessfully), and five minutes later trying to make you cry. Great actors like George Clooney and Jeff Bridges try their best with some broad and potentially interesting characters, but the terminally bland Ewan McGregor is excruciatingly boring, and since his character is supposed to serve as the eyes and ears of the audience, his boredom quickly spreads to us.

4. 2012 -I really wish that this had been a Summer 2010 release. I would have loved to have seen Roland Emerich try to justify the fun of watching massive destruction and the loss of millions of lives after a real life event like the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Don’t worry. That’s the end of the noble part of my rant. The buzz on this movie was saying that it was so over the top in its destruction that it practically served as a spoof of all those absurd disaster movies like “The Day After Tomorrow.” Sadly that was not the case. It was simply a clone of them. While the action was impressive and bigger than we’d ever seen, this still had a 2 ½ hour plus running time, cheesy (but not in a funny way) dialogue, and too many extra characters including the dignified black president, the scientist nobody will listen to, and the annoying foreign girl with a dog. At about the one hour mark of this, I started to pray that the world really would end.

5. THE BROTHERS BLOOM -Rian Johnson’s debut film, “Brick” was one of my favorite films of the decade. His sophomore effort, “The Brothers Bloom,” was a disaster. Con artist films are supposed to be fun, and you want them to be one step ahead of you. By the end, this movie was so many steps ahead of me, that all I could see anymore was a dot on the horizon. Not only did this film try (and fail) to have the whimsy and style of a Wes Anderson film, but it also had so many plot twists that they started to contradict each other and none of them made any sense. I’m still confused. “Was one of the brothers molested by that guy? Is that why he’s their nemesis? Wait. Weren’t they going to steal something? What happened with that?” I wanted to go on a fun adventure with this excellent cast, including Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz, Robbie Coltrane, the master of the con himself, Ricky Jay. All I could ever see in this film though was missed opportunities. I still can’t make heads or tails out of it.

6. TERMINATOR: SALVATION -Part of the fun of the first three Terminator movies was that they involved a foreign entity coming into contact with our world. A sea of unsuspecting people in malls and bars would suddenly be shocked when a cop would suddenly shape shift into metal knives and guns. By setting the new film after Skynet has become self aware and killer robots are the majority, everything gets really dull really fast. This never really felt like a Terminator movie. Just more giant robots, apocalyptic deserts, and speeches about saving humanity and never giving up. Sam Worthington also proved to be a pretty uninspiring leading man. I say we just give him one more chance. The best thing in the whole film was the 30 seconds of CGI Arnold Schwarzenegger, a very impressive special effect. Perhaps with the next Terminator movie, we should give the lead role to him.

7. AWAY WE GO -Sam Mendes’ attempt at hipster indie dramedy was smug, unfunny, and unmoving. A fantastic cast is wasted in this tale of a couple searching the country for the perfect place to live. What do they find on their journey? Familiar stereotypes, clichés, and broad, unbelievable comedy. There was the conservative, alcoholic mother who constantly ignored her children, then we get the extreme opposite, in an ultra liberal mother who breast-feeds her five year old kids and makes love while they’re in bed with her. Hilarious stuff, right? The film almost redeemed itself in its last half hour with some actual poignant and subtle scenes featuring the talented and restrained Chris Messina, Melanie Lynskey, and Paul Schneider. It’s almost enough to save the movie, but alas, it’s too late. The damage is done.

8. MONSTERS VS. ALIENS -Yes. It was an incredible year for animated films. That’s not to say some stinkers didn’t sneak through. Dreamworks animation, which finally won me over last year with the wonderful “Kung Fu Panda,” returned to its roots of thin stories full of pop culture references and lame jokes. This one should have been a lot of fun. Monsters and aliens fighting? Think of the possibilities! It should have been a fun throwback to invasion B movies from the 50’s, maybe with a touch of Godzilla satire thrown in. Instead, we got a stupid blob with Seth Rogan’s voice, a black lagoon type creature, a talking cockroach, and a fifty foot tall Reese Witherspoon. Really? That’s all your imagination can come up with? This film should have been crazy retro fun. Not even the Stephen Colbert cameo could save it.

9. TAKING WOODSTOCK -Very little of the magic and political fervor that made the music festival Woodstock so revolutionary is on display in this film. It’s not surprising, since director Ang Lee made a small film that didn’t have the budget for any of the iconic music, or even enough extras to suggest the masses of people who showed up for the event. We never even get to see the festival in Lee’s film, who chose to focus on the lesser known story of Eliot Tiber, the young man who secured the permit and farm fields for the festival. Tiber is played by the brilliant stand-up comic Demetri Martin, who can’t quite carry a film just yet. At least not this film. Martin seems lost in a sea of subplots that all seem to be out of different movies. A gun-toting transvestite? Crazy Jewish parents? What do they have to do with Woodstock? None of it ever forms a real story, and the dark ending seems to negate everything Lee seemed to be trying to accomplish for the entire film. With Lee being one of my favorite directors and his tremendous cast including Henry Goodman, Imelda Staunton, Eugene Levy, and Liev Schreiber, this was one of the biggest disappointments of the year.

10. MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA -I’m cheating. This film came out in 2008, but I didn’t see it until 2009, and I just can’t let this film off the hook. This film was Spike Lee’s response to the “racist” Clint Eastwood and his “Flags of Our Fathers” films. However, it is this film that is one of the most racist films that I have ever seen. If any other director had made it, Lee would have shouted and complained about this until his throat was sore. Lee borrows every war cliché from the worst movies, not to mention characters and accents that would be right at home in a minstrel show. This must have been the “negro dialect” Harry Reid was talking about. Did I mention that this film lasts a whopping 160 minutes? I lost track of how many flashbacks within flashbacks there were. Spike Lee is one of my favorite filmmakers and I’ve wanted him to attempt a period genre film for years. Now I hope he never tries to make one again.

Whew! That was fun. Can’t believe I even saw so many films last year. The final count was 106. Hopefully 2010 is even better. Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while. I’m trying to resolve to write more on this site this year. You’ll see more here soon. Now go update your Netflix queues and see some excellent movies.

-Johnny Pomatto