New Year's Eve 2009 ... via 1972

"For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne ..."

9 in 2009: Posters of All Film Seen Theatrically

One of the 9 Challenges I posed to myself at the beginning of the year was to take a picture of the poster for all 2009 releases I see & create a slideshow of the images. I think one of the most interesting things about the process was to realize what isn't here as much as what is. A lot of the 2009 films I've seen I saw at festivals therefore don't appear here, and I sure do like seeing horror films at the theatre. There are a few oddball omissions of images of films I saw at rep theatres, nothing for films seen on TMN or DVD. Other weirdest includes no poster at the theatre when I saw Moon, literally not being able to find the image of The Fourth Kind, which is just creepy. And the biggest shock was one time I forgot my camera.

Favourite Films of 2009

It feels like the general tone of 2009 for film was that it was an okay year, but when I look back at the films I've seen, from the movie memories lists to festivalling to the favourites listed below, I think it was actually a pretty freaking awesome year. It was a real challenge to cull down my list to the 30 films below, and they are out pulled from the 104 films I saw out of this years 314 theatrical releases in Toronto. That's a new record for me, although several of the films I saw at festivals either this year or in years past. To make those 30 selected more clear, I've categorized them into 3 categories: The Good are solid entertainment choices which aren't necessarily flawless but I felt were enjoyable and often underrated, The Great are films that are all films that are not only great but also connect on an emotional level which gives them extra depth and The Excellent is reserved for films that I consider truly flawless. Titles are listed alphabetically under each list, and are linked to reviews if one is up.

Looking to make your own list? Check out list of 2009 releases alphabetically or by release date.

The Good
Fanboys
Orphan
Paranormal Activity
Push
Stone of Destiny
Terminator Salvation
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The Great
Adrift in Tokyo / Tenten
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Bright Star
Coco avant Chanel
An Education
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
It Might Get Loud
Little Ashes
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Star Trek
Tokyo Sonata / Tôkyô sonata
Whip It

The Excellent
Bronson
C'est pas moi, je le jure! / It's Not Me, I Swear!
Every Little Step
The Hurt Locker
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
In the Loop
Moon
Pontypool
A Single Man
Up
The Young Victoria

Best Experience (Tie): Attending the World Premiere of Strigoi at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, an absolute gem of film, and later meeting director Faye Jackson and producer Rey Muraru at the pub. Also seeing Valhalla Rising at TIFF was a huge highlight of the year, and it had a fantastic intro and Q&A with director Nicolas Winding Refn and actor Mads Mikkelsen.

Funnest Screening: Best Worst Movie screening at Hot Docs 2009 with Bob and Trista. I'd not laughed that hard in a long time and the film had more than a few unforgettable moments, plus a great Q&A with director, cast & crew.

Favourite Film that didn't get a theatrical release here in Toronto: Outlander

Favourite Saying: "Curtains" - Watchmen

Disappointments: Gamer, The Princess and the Frog

Weirdest occurrences: My Bloody Valentine x 2. 1) Deciding not to go to the screening of My Bloody Valentine (1981), which turned out to be a good idea as that freezing cold night turned out to be the night of the West End Blackout. 2) Going to see My Bloody Valentine 3D to see if I could 'see' in 3D. If felt like I could, so I left and went to Taken instead but later while watching U2 3D I realized I only see a miniscule fraction of the 3Dness of 3D films.

2009 releases I'm surprized I didn't see: Rumba, Che, Sunshine Cleaning, TOKYO!, Departures, Cairo Time, The Informant, The September Issue, Pirate Radio and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

Awesome festival films that I can't wait for people to see their brilliance: The Disappearance of Alice Creed, The Loved Ones, Valhalla Rising, Strigoi, Black Dynamite, Hunting Down Memory / Jakten På Hukommelsen and My Greatest Escape / Ne me liberez pas, je m'en charge

More Festivalling Goodness: It feels strange that I got out to fewer festivals in 2009 but I did really enjoy all of them: Hot Docs 2009, Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2009, Toronto International Film Festival 2009, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2009 and Worldwide Short Film Festival 2009

Great films seen in 2009 that are from previous years: The New World, Oceans Twelve, Persona, Into the Wild, Titus, No Country for Old Men, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, The Orphanage, Last Life in the Universe, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Onibaba, 3-Iron, The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three (1974), Farewell My Concubine and Lust, Caution.

That was my year. How was yours?

Monthly Wallpaper - January 2010: 2009 - The Year in Film

As 2009 comes to a close, it is time to look back on the year in film, and what better way then with the Movie Dearest calendar wallpaper for next month!

22 of 2009's most popular movies make up the collage, so you can spend all of January gazing at the likes of Brüno, Carl, Carla, Coraline, George, Jacob, Julia, Logan, Max, Precious, Ryan, Salvador, Spock, Summer and all the rest. What a way to start off a new year ... and a virtual Academy Award to the first MD reader who can correctly name in the comments section below all 22 movies pictured in the collage!

Just click on the picture above to enlarge it to its 1024 x 768 size, then right click your mouse and select "Set as Background", and you're all set. If you want, you can also save it to your computer and set it up from there, or modify the size in your own photo-editing program if needed.

Reel Thoughts: Mad About the Man

Tom Ford’s past as a fashion designer for Gucci is all over his directorial debut, A Single Man. As painstakingly period perfect as AMC’s Mad Men, the film is a mid-century marvel of clothes, cars and gorgeous buildings.

At times, Christopher Isherwood’s story of a man mourning the loss of his lover is overwhelmed by all the artistic flourishes, close-ups on women’s eyeliner and lips and all the slow motion. Still, Colin Firth utterly disappears into his role of a grieving lover determined to kill himself. His is one of many fine performances in the film, and one that deserves Oscar recognition.

I wish that Ford had crafted more scenes of George with his partner Jim (Matthew Goode), because what we see only hints at the great love affair these men shared over 16 years. It would point up the tragedy of how George is blocked from Jim’s funeral by his family, an injustice that still happens today.


Nicholas Hoult is mysterious and alluring as George’s student, who may or may not be seeking a relationship with him. Julianne Moore’s Charley is a sad counterpoint to him, an ex-pat Brit who pines for a connection with George that he cannot return.

Although the film is tinged with a great sadness, it has moments of sexual electricity, as when George literally runs into a gorgeous hustler (Jon Kortajaren) at a liquor store.

A Single Man is paced slowly and deliberately, which may put off some filmgoers. It reminded me of The Hours, which may or may not be an endorsement. If you give yourself over to the ravishingly depicted world of A Single Man, you’ll find a lot to love.

UPDATE: A Single Man is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

A Decade of Movie Memories: 2009

This was the hardest year of movie memories to cull down by far. Not only is the year still so close in mind, but there are so many films I can't consider as they don't meet my own criteria of films seen theatrically (many 2009 releases I saw at festivals, often in previous years) and no series included. Oddly, because series aren't included that means I can't put going to the midnight and opening night screenings of The Twilight Saga: New Moon nor seeing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince all the way out in Nova Scotia while visiting my sister Suzie! I've also excluded many (but not all) films that I know will be on my Favourites of 2009 as this is about movie memories not favourites... although some of those paths do cross!

Curious as to what years past have brought in movie memories? Take a stroll down memory lane with me in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Also have a look at what others have to say in the past 10 years in film with the Films of the Decade Link List.

Films listed in the chronological order in which I saw them at the theatre. As always this is a movies memories list not a favourites list - but don't worry those will be up soon enough.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
I'm still a little mystified about Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, because overall I found it to be a fun adventure-ish film but I was stumped on who the target audience was supposed to be. Considering it had a young female lead who does martial arts I thought it would be young women but there were a few things would make it think it wasn't that - one of which was that there was no romantic interest but for some reason I don't think it was done for the same reasons I appreciated.

Watchmen
I'm no fan of this film but seeing it with a theatre full of guys that were over the moon was quite the experience. Right before the previews started a really excited teen came in with his granddad, which I'm sure that had nothing to do with the 18A rating ;). Although I certainly was not the target audience it was nice to see a film that was really made for and appreciated by the fans.

Star Trek
I'm a huge Star Trek fan, and watched all the films in my Countdown to Star Trek Marathon in anticipation of the new Trek film. That kept me busy as I had avoided all the previews, trailers and images from the film as I had hoped I could so I was seeing it with completely fresh eyes. I went to a late night screening the day before opening (during Hot Docs no less), listened to my iPod on full in line and while waiting for the film. I wouldn't let anyone tell me anything about the film at all... even if it took physically walking away. Oh the lengths I will go to for Trek. Thank goodness the movie was good after all that!

Little Ashes
I really enjoyed this film, and I even saw it twice in the theatre and both had memorable experiences. The first time I actually had a conversation with an audience member after the film about art (the film is about the artist Salvador Dalí, the writer Federico García Lorca and filmmaker Luis Buñuel) and it was very pleasant - and I normally don't do that. The second time I saw it with my Mom at the Carlton. We were 2 of 4 people there. The other 2 guys sat 2 rows directly ahead of us (?) and one guy often randomly raised his hand / arm in the air. It was so weird.

District 9
This film is one that definitely had the most interesting advertising for it with posters everywhere with a phone number to inform on illegals and such. It was pretty amazing to see a foreign film kick butt at the box office and get people in seats but I didn't love it, in fact I was rather disturbed by not just the violent but literally the crowds reaction to it which included cheering. It's one of those cases where I don't understand how people can't see the flip side of the story, especially in this example, but feel free to cheer along with the action and play oblivious to any commentary at all.

Whip It
Previously I've sited films like The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters on my 2007 list for being experiences where I felt I was in the audience of my peoples. Whip It is a film where I felt I was with my tribe. It really speaks to a current culture of women, and it's refreshing to see a femme film that isn't a romance, features active women, has a cast with a fair age range with characters in different situations. And it has a lot of heart. I'm still miffed it opened the same weekend as Zombieland and almost everyone I know went to see that instead. Also has the best line of the year: Be Your Own Hero.

Fame (2009)
This one is way more about the experience than the film itself which didn't really hold a candle to the original. But, I got to see it with all the ladies in my family while Suzie was visiting, so her, Jamie, my Mom and I all treked out to the theatre together. It was also the first time I saw The Twilight Saga: New Moon trailer on the big screen and I think, I might have yelped. Sigh.

The Fourth Kind
I saw this film before I'd heard any big brouhaha about it being not authentic with the 'found footage' and I'll tell ya - it scared the crap out of me in a way no film has in years, like wake up in the middle of the night scared. To be honest, I was happy to find out it wasn't true because that would have been just way to much. This also makes it a particularly unique experience as I can't go back and see it that way again because the moment is gone. I wonder what I'd make of it on a second viewing.

Ninja Assassin
I still giggle when I think of how much I loved this film and the reason is - it's exactly what you would expect it to be ... but more. The trailer gives a great sense of what it's about but doesn't tell you everything which is in my eyes, perfect. I also am completely inspired and in awe of the work Rain did to get into the physical condition he's in during the film. It's amazing.

Invictus
It's always a joy to see rugby on screen, but to see a film that shows the 1995 World Cup - which I remember watching as I was playing rugby at the time was a very special and unique experience. Add that it's about Nelson Mandela bringing a country together? I couldn't really ask for more than that. Was inspirational and nostalgic all at the same time.


Late night screening of Star Trek at the AMC was one of the highlights of the year

Box Office #1 in 2009 - Canada, North America and the UK

Taking a look back over the year through the eyes of the Box Office is an interesting way to see what the year was like. There were the big films throughout - Watchmen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Avatar, there were the surprizes: Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Taken, Zombieland and the Blind Side, and I'm sure there were bombs too but this is a look at the #1's.

Canadian Box Office
Only one film claimed the fame of three straight weeks running and that was The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and we knew the film would do well but that is extraordinary. On the flip side to that one of the biggest surprizes was Paul Blart: Mall Cop sticking out the #1 for not only it's first but also it's second week. Strong word of mouth films came were The Hangover landing the #1 spot in its 2nd week and Inglourious Basterds took the #1 spot on it's 1st and 3rd week. Longevity award goes to Slumdog Millionaire which topped the charts in it's 15th & 16th week which was the weekend before and after the Oscar Awards where it sweeped, winning 8 awards. Out of the years 52 weeks, 36 times the #1 spot went to a film in it's debut week.

North American Box Office
In terms of North American Box Office, all but 13 weeks were the same between the Canadian and North American Box Office #1, three of those 13 weeks went to Tyler Perry films, and many others went to films in their debut weeks where there #1 persisted in Canada for two straight weeks. Out of the years 52 weeks, 39 times the #1 spot went to a film in it's debut week.

UK Box Office
Watching the box office over in the UK has been really interesting and often the same films end up at number one but not all are released on the same weekend. It's also a great opportunity to get an idea of UK films to look forward to when they make their release over here on this side of the pond. It also had a three week running box office topper with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Out of the years 52 weeks, 33 times the #1 spot went to a film in it's debut week.

Click through on date to see box office detail for the individual weeks. To see list of 2009 Box Office #1 by Weekend Gross click here.

Canadian Box Office #1's for 2009
Jan 2, 2009 - Marley & Me (2nd week)
Jan 9, 2009 - Bride Wars (1st week)
Jan 16, 2009 - Paul Blart: Mall Cop (1st week)
Jan 23, 2009 - Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2nd week)
Jan 30, 2009 -Taken (1st week)
Feb 6, 2009 - He's Just Not That Into You (1st week)
Feb 13, 2009 - Friday the 13th (2009) (1st week)
Feb 20, 2009 - Slumdog Millionaire (15th week)
Feb 27, 2009 - Slumdog Millionaire (16th week)
March 6, 2009 - Watchmen (1st week)
March 13, 2009 - Watchmen (2nd week)
March 20, 2009 - Knowing (1st week)
March 27, 2009 - Monsters vs. Aliens (1st week)
Apr 3, 2009 - Fast & Furious (1st week)
Apr 10, 2009 - Hannah Montana: The Movie (1st week)
Apr 17, 2009 - 17 Again (1st week)
Apr 24, 2009 - 17 Again (2nd week)
May 1, 2009 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (1st week)
May 8, 2009 - Star Trek (1st week)
May 15, 2009 - Angels & Demons (1st week)
May 22, 2009 - Terminator Salvation (1st week)
May 29, 2009 - Up (1st week)
June 5, 2009 - Up (2nd week)
June 12, 2009 - The Hangover (2nd week)
June 19, 2009 - The Proposal (1st week)
June 26, 2009 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (1st week)
July 3, 2009 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2nd week)
July 10, 2009 - Brüno (1st week)
July 17, 2009 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (1st week)
July 24, 2009 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2nd week)
July 31, 2009 - Funny People (1st week)
Aug 7, 2009 - G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (1st week)
Aug 14, 2009 - District 9 (1st week)
Aug 21, 2009 - Inglourious Basterds (1st week)
Aug 28, 2009 - The Final Destination (1st week)
Sept 4, 2009 - Inglourious Basterds (3rd week)
Sept 11, 2009 - 9 (1st week)
Sept 18, 2009 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (1st week)
Sept 25, 2009 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2nd week)
Oct 2, 2009 - Zombieland (1st week)
Oct 9, 2009 - Couples Retreat (1st week)
Oct 16, 2009 - Law Abiding Citizen (1st week)
Oct 23, 2009 - Law Abiding Citizen (2nd week)
Oct 30, 2009 - Michael Jackson's This Is It (1st week)
Nov 6, 2009 - Disney's A Christmas Carol (1st week)
Nov 13, 2009 - 2012 (1st week)
Nov 20, 2009 - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (1st week)
Nov 27, 2009 - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2nd week)
Dec 4, 2009 - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (3rd week)
Dec 11, 2009 - The Princess and the Frog (1st week)
Dec 18, 2009 - Avatar (1st week)
Dec 25, 2009 - Avatar (2nd week)

North American Box Office #1's for 2009
Jan 2, 2009 - Marley & Me (2nd week)
Jan 9, 2009 - Gran Torino (5th week)
Jan 16, 2009 - Paul Blart: Mall Cop (1st week)
Jan 23, 2009 - Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2nd week)
Jan 30, 2009 -Taken (1st week)
Feb 6, 2009 - He's Just Not That Into You (1st week)
Feb 13, 2009 - Friday the 13th (2009) (1st week)
Feb 20, 2009 - Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail (1st week)
Feb 27, 2009 - Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail (2nd week)
March 6, 2009 - Watchmen (1st week)
March 13, 2009 - Race to Witch Mountain (1st week)
March 20, 2009 - Knowing (1st week)
March 27, 2009 - Monsters vs. Aliens (1st week)
Apr 3, 2009 - Fast & Furious (1st week)
Apr 10, 2009 - Hannah Montana: The Movie (1st week)
Apr 17, 2009 - 17 Again (1st week)
Apr 24, 2009 - Obsessed (1st week)
May 1, 2009 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (1st week)
May 8, 2009 - Star Trek (1st week)
May 15, 2009 - Angels & Demons (1st week)
May 22, 2009 - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (1st week)
May 29, 2009 - Up (1st week)
June 5, 2009 - The Hangover (1st week)
June 12, 2009 - The Hangover (2nd week)
June 19, 2009 - The Proposal (1st week)
June 26, 2009 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (1st week)
July 3, 2009 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2nd week)
July 10, 2009 - Brüno (1st week)
July 17, 2009 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (1st week)
July 24, 2009 - G-Force (1st week)
July 31, 2009 - Funny People (1st week)
Aug 7, 2009 - G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (1st week)
Aug 14, 2009 - District 9 (1st week)
Aug 21, 2009 - Inglourious Basterds (1st week)
Aug 28, 2009 - The Final Destination (1st week)
Sept 4, 2009 - The Final Destination (2nd week)
Sept 11, 2009 - Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (1st week)
Sept 18, 2009 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (1st week)
Sept 25, 2009 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2nd week)
Oct 2, 2009 - Zombieland (1st week)
Oct 9, 2009 - Couples Retreat (1st week)
Oct 16, 2009 - Where the Wild Things Are (1st week)
Oct 23, 2009 - Paranormal Activity (1st week)
Oct 30, 2009 - Michael Jackson's This Is It (1st week)
Nov 6, 2009 - Disney's A Christmas Carol (1st week)
Nov 13, 2009 - 2012 (1st week)
Nov 20, 2009 - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (1st week)
Nov 27, 2009 - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2nd week)
Dec 4, 2009 - The Blind Side (3rd week)
Dec 11, 2009 - The Princess and the Frog (1st week)
Dec 18, 2009 - Avatar (1st week)
Dec 25, 2009 - Avatar (2nd week)

UK Box Office #1's for 2009
Jan 2, 2009 - Yes Man (2nd week)
Jan 9, 2009 - Role Models (1st week)
Jan 16, 2009 -Slumdog Millionaire (2nd week)
Jan 23, 2009 - Slumdog Millionaire (3rd week)
Jan 30, 2009 -Slumdog Millionaire (4th week)
Feb 6, 2009 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (1st week)
Feb 13, 2009 - Bolt (1st week)
Feb 20, 2009 - Bolt (2nd week)
Feb 27, 2009 - Slumdog Millionaire (8th week)
March 6, 2009 - Watchmen (1st week)
March 13, 2009 - Marley & Me (1st week)
March 20, 2009 - Marley & Me (2nd week)
March 27, 2009 - Knowing (1st week)
Apr 3, 2009 - Monsters vs. Aliens (1st week)
Apr 10, 2009 - Fast & Furious (1st week)
Apr 17, 2009 - Monsters vs. Aliens (3rd week)
Apr 24, 2009 - State of Play (1st week)
May 1, 2009 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (1st week)
May 8, 2009 - Star Trek (1st week)
May 15, 2009 - Angels & Demons (1st week)
May 22, 2009 - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (1st week)
May 29, 2009 - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2nd week)
June 5, 2009 - Terminator Salvation (1st week)
June 12, 2009 - The Hangover (1st week)
June 19, 2009 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (1st week)
June 26, 2009 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2nd week)
July 3, 2009 - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (1st week)
July 10, 2009 - Brüno (1st week)
July 17, 2009 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (1st week)
July 24, 2009 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2nd week)
July 31, 2009 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (3rd week)
Aug 7, 2009 - The Ugly Truth (1st week)
Aug 14, 2009 - The Time Traveller's Wife (1st week)
Aug 21, 2009 - Inglourious Basterds (1st week)
Aug 28, 2009 - The Final Destination (1st week)
Sept 4, 2009 - District 9 (1st week)
Sept 11, 2009 - District 9 (2nd week)
Sept 18, 2009 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (1st week)
Sept 25, 2009 - Fame (2009) (1st week)
Oct 2, 2009 - Fame (2009) (2nd week)
Oct 9, 2009 - Up (1st week)
Oct 16, 2009 - Up (2nd week)
Oct 23, 2009 - Up (3rd week)
Oct 30, 2009 - Michael Jackson's This Is It (1st week)
Nov 6, 2009 - Disney's A Christmas Carol (1st week)
Nov 13, 2009 - 2012 (1st week)
Nov 20, 2009 - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (1st week)
Nov 27, 2009 - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2nd week)
Dec 4, 2009 - Paranormal Activity (1st week)
Dec 11, 2009 - Disney's A Christmas Carol (6th week)
Dec 18, 2009 - Avatar (1st week)
Dec 25, 2009 - Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (1st week)

IMDb Top Rate Films of the New Millenium

More Top lists of the not just decade here, but the new Millenium although technically for the time being that encompasses the same period of time. It's an interesting list - the IMDb Power of Film: Top Rated Films of the New Millennium, the url rotates between different lists overtime so I've added the criteria and responses below.

Criteria: "What hath this new century wrought? In our latest Power of Film feature, we chronicle the The Top Rated Films of the New Millennium, looking at the 15 films made since 2000 that our users have rated as the best of the new millennium. Despite the prevalence of a certain trilogy and a particular comic book hero, there are surprises to be had, from independent films to non-English language films to even two animated favorites, one from just this year."

15. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
14. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
13. Spirited Away (2001)
12. The Pianist (2002)
11. The Lives of Others (2006)
10. The Departed (2006)
9. Amélie (2001)
8. WALL·E (2008)
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
6. Memento (2000)
5. Up (2009)
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
3. City of God (2002)
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
1. The Dark Knight (2008)

Awards Watch: National Film Registry 2009

Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year since 1989 the Librarian of Congress names 25 films to the National Film Registry that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant to be preserved for all time. And this year, they (finally) got a little gayer with the inductions of Dog Day Afternoon (with Al Pacino as a bisexual bank robber) and (to a lesser extent) Pillow Talk (starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day).

Other cinematic classics to make the cut for 2009 include the sci-fi favorite The Incredible Shrinking Man, the melodramas Jezebel and Mrs. Miniver (featuring the Oscar winning performances of, respectively, Bette Davis and Greer Garson), The Mark of Zorro (Tyrone Power), The Muppet Movie (!), Serigio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, The Story of G.I. Joe (Robert Mitchum) and Under Western Stars (Roy Rogers).

And it looks like even the Library of Congress can't escape the Michael Jackson fever that has swept the nation since his death earlier this year with the inclusion of Thriller, his groundbreaking music video (a first for the NFR). The remainder of the inductees are mostly obscure shorts and documentaries; click here for a full description (pdf) of all NFR's class of '09, or see the comments section below for a quick look.

Avatar, Avatar and Alvin Canadian, North American & UK Box Office December 25, 2009 Weekend

Avatar did well in both Canada and North America over the holiday weekend, in both cases making almost as much as it did in it's first weekend of release - which is very unusual. Sherlock Holmes debuts 2nd in both cases but 3rd spot in the UK whose top place went to none other than Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel which I never would have guessed. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus had it's debut week here in Canada and landed at #12. It's strange to see that it's the last weekend of the 2009 year, it's certainly been an interesting year.

Top 20 Movies in Canada for the December 25, 2009 weekend
1. Avatar
2. Sherlock Holmes *
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel *
4. It's Complicated *
5. Up In the Air
6. Nine *
7. The Princess and the Frog
8. Did You Hear About the Morgans?
9. Invictus
10. The Blind Side
11. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
12. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *
13. 3 Idiots *
14. The Girl Who Played With Fire *
15. 2012
16. Disney's A Christmas Carol
17. The Young Victoria
18. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
19. A Single Man
20. Old Dogs

Top 20 Movies in North America for the December 25, 2009 weekend
1. Avatar
2. Sherlock Holmes *
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel *
4. It's Complicated *
5. The Blind Side
6. Up In the Air
7. The Princess and the Frog
8. Nine
9. Did You Hear About the Morgans?
10. Invictus
11. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
12. 3 Idiots *
13. Disney's A Christmas Carol
14. Brothers
15. 2012
16. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
17. Old Dogs
18. The Young Victoria
19. The Road
20. A Single Man

Top 10 Movies in the UK for the December 25, 2009 weekend
1. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel *
2. Avatar
3. Sherlock Holmes *
4. 3 Idiots *
5. St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold
6. Nine
7. Nowhere Boy *
8. A Christmas Carol
9. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
10. Law Abiding Citizen

* indicates opening weekend in noted location, red text indicates Canadian film release

Source: Canada & North America info, UK info

Toon Talk: Top 10 of 2009

Princesses, puppets and pixies … oh my!

2009 had its fair share of classic Disney entertainment, on screens both big and small, from grumpy old men to swashbuckling heroes to all of terra firma. To celebrate the Disney year that was, LaughingPlace.com proudly presents the ninth annual Toon Talk Top 10!

DVD Releases: December 29, 2009

Well here we are at the last set of DVD releases for 2009. From the onslaught of horror and thriller titles you'd think it was the last Tuesday in October, not December - but I'm not complaining as a bunch of them are on my to see list!

New Horror & Thrillers Titles!
First up for DVD releases is the little indie movie of 2009 that could: Paranormal Activity - we demanded, we went, we shrieked and we loved it. It was definitely one of the creepiest movies of the year. Also up this week is Carriers starring Chris Pine (Jim Kirk in this years Star Trek) and Piper Perabo, this horror flick has that 'infection' vibe all over it and I'm quite saddened and surprized that it never hit regular theatres here in the T-dot, especially because I remember seeing a preview or two for it. Wait a moment, another movie with another Kirk in it? Yep - A Perfect Getaway starring Chris Hemsworth (George Kirk in Star Trek) along with Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, Kiele Sanchez and Marley Shelton in this thriller from director David Twohy (Pitch Black). But the boys don't get all the fun, Jennifer's Body directed by Karyn Kusama (Girlfight) and starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried hits DVD today. Last up for horror is Lesbian Vampire Killers, which I found much less interesting when found out the vampires were lesbians and being hunted. Why couldn't the hunters be lesbians kicking vampire butt? Also, it appears that the US DVD title is simply Vampire Killers and both version the cover art looks very Zombieland-esque.

I've Heard of That!
Non-horror (depending on how you look at it) titles this week include Michael Moore's latest documentary Capitalism, A Love Story along with Bubbles & the boys getting into trouble in Trailer Park Boys 2: Countdown to Liquor Day aka Trailer Park Boys 2.

Wildcards
These really are wildcards this week, so much so that Princess of Mars is listed on IMDb as still 'in production'. Other than that we can gather it stars Traci Lords, Antonio Sabato Jr. and is Sci Fi (hence the 'Mars'). We also have Death Warrior which centres on a deadly game played by 5 MMA fighters.

Non-Film
I can't resist but spread the Glee love with the release of "Glee Season 1, Volume 1: Road to Sectionals". Although I'm no fan of .5 releases on DVD but I can see the excitement especially considering we aren't going to have any new episodes until April 13, 2010.

Titles on Amazon.ca (Canada):


Titles on Amazon.com (US), if available:

Reel Thoughts: Nine + 3

To borrow from the old song, “Nine is the loneliest number that you’ll ever know.” At least that’s what you’ll glean from watching Daniel Day-Lewis as the most isolated and depressed Italian film director of all time in Nine. Oh, sure, he’s a serial womanizer, but it doesn’t seem to give him much pleasure.

That is the great disappointment of Rob Marshall’s Nine. Based on the classic Fellini film 8 ½ and the rousing Maury Yeston-Arthur Kopit Broadway musical, Marshall’s version is a well-made downer, all hangover and no party. It’s definitely not heeding its own call to “Be Italian,” even if Fergie, as an earthy whore, momentarily brings the film to life with that number.

Day-Lewis plays beloved Italian film director Guido Contini (a fact you’ll never forget; half the lyrics are people repeating his name), a narcissist in artistic crisis. He is set to start his new film, but he hasn’t even written it. It is to star his muse, Claudia, played as a gorgeous blank by Nicole Kidman, but she won’t agree to it. In the midst of an antagonistic press conference, Guido flees to a spa, and he entreats his sexy mistress Carla (Penélope Cruz, channeling her Maria Elena role from Vicky Cristina Barcelona), to join him.


Unfortunately, his long-suffering wife Luisa (a standout Marion Cotillard) shows up as well. Despite good advice from his faithful costumer Lilli (Judi Dench), Guido messes up royally, retreating into a world of fantasies and memories that include a boyhood encounter with Fergie’s prostitute, visions of Sophia Loren as his mother and a fun but disconnected dance number featuring Kate Hudson as an American magazine writer.

The musical onstage is vibrant and entertaining, but Marshall has created something different, a dour psychological production that diminishes its source material. Nine is a polished piece of work, with moments of exhilaration and great performances from the entire cast, but it is not a film you’ll want to see again — never a good sign with a musical.

Marshall’s work on Chicago almost single-handedly revived the movie musical, but Nine threatens to put it back into hibernation.


Guy Ritchie is back in fighting shape with Sherlock Holmes, a fun, witty and exciting retelling of the classic story. Don’t let the “for-the-idiots” trailer fool you: it’s not a dumbed-down, sexed-up howler. Robert Downey Jr. cements his place as the go-to guy for offbeat heroes, and Jude Law radiates a confident sexiness as Watson.

The homoerotic undercurrent — Watson’s moving out and getting married and Holmes is pissed off — makes Rachel McAdams’ character a lovely distraction. I love McAdams, but she’s too lightweight as Holmes’ con-woman girlfriend, Irene Adler. Perhaps Rachel Weiss or Cate Blanchett could have added some heft.

The story is an entertaining tale of a secret society and the supernatural in Victorian England. The production design is exquisite and the film packs a lot of action. Sherlock Holmes is the most fun you’ll have this holiday!


Jason Reitman, director of Juno and Thank You for Smoking, seems incapable of making a bad movie. His latest, Up in the Air, is pretty great, and features George Clooney’s sexiest, most vulnerable performances in years.

Vera Farmiga is smart, sexy and in control as Alex, the first woman to break through the defenses of Clooney's Ryan Bingham. Both are frequent flyer point junkies who get turned on by comparing rewards program cards.

Ryan is a professional firer — he flies the country laying off people. When he’s paired with hotshot Cornell grad Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who’s devised a way to fire people via teleconference, he’s in danger of losing the thing he loves most in the world — unlimited travel.

Reitman’s film punctures Ryan’s perfect but empty existence in the most adult, intelligent way. Up in the Air is up with the best films of the year.


Invictus is the latest film by Clint Eastwood, featuring a terrific performance by Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. It is also a generic inspirational sports story that will mostly appeal to Phoenix Storm fans.

Rugby is a hard sport to capture on film, but since Mandela used the maligned apartheid-connected Springboks rugby team to bring South Africans together, it’s a necessary element. Freeman captures Mandela’s humane essence, and costar Matt Damon manages a pretty good South African accent.

However, the story, while based in fact, has such a tired familiarity, I doubt you’ll find yourself invigorated by Invictus.

UPDATE: Now available from Amazon.com: Up in the Air on DVD and Blu-ray; Sherlock Holmes on DVD and Blu-ray, Nine on DVD and Blu-ray and Invictus on DVD and Blu-ray.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

A Decade of Movie Memories: 2008

2008 really doesn't seem that long ago to me. Although there are clear movie markers like the overall love for festival sweetheart film Let the Right One In / Låt den rätte komma in, and being coined the year of 'the comeback' with several actors popping up back on the screens to much love (Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler and Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD) I still feel it's too close behind us to get a sense of what kind of year it was. There were many great films, and there certainly is crossover on this movie memory list with my favourite films of 2008, but as a year it's hard to pin it down what it was about. But, the memories still hold strong.

As with previous years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 the parameters or the list are films seen theatrically, no series included and films are listed in the chronological order in which I saw them. This is a list of favourite movie memories, not a best of list.

Up the Yangtze/ 沿江⽽上
Haunting documentary about the relocation of people for the huge dam built. The stories of the families hold still in my mind and heart as is the vivid imagery I can literally still feel in my body almost two years after seeing the film. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should.

Then She Found Me
Kudo's to my buddy Danette for suggesting we go see this fantastic film. It also shook me up to realize I hadn't considered going to see it myself which made me feel like a total jerk. Since then, I've been way more conscientious about seeing films from women directors and / or with female protagonists.

My Blueberry Nights
First time I got to see a Wong Kar-Wai film in the regular theatre and I was in heaven. I wanted to lick the screen. Was that an overshare? Anyhow, I loved this film as I've loved all of his films for their emotional expression and personal journeys. It was a slightly bizarre, but fitting, double bill night where I also saw Son of Rambow.

Postal
One of my few treks out to The Rainbow theatre because the film was in such limited release. I really thought I would be the only one there and brought my knitting with me. But - I wasn't, there was at least 4 other people but it was the weirdest floorplan on seating .... about 60 seats total but none of the rows had the same number of seats. Very strange screening. Very strange.

Mamma Mia!
Another Danette recommendation and oh wow, I had no idea how much I would love this movie! And I believe it was the first film I saw at one of the big theatres at AMC Yonge & Dundas (likely #6 which now is close to if not my favourite theatre in Toronto). I almost wanted to singalong with the film (ABBA's just like that), but resisted singing, but did end up seeing it three times in the theatre with all the lovely ladies in my family (because the movie is like that). One of the funnest films that I'd seen in a long time.

Rachel Getting Married
Like the Squid and the Whale back on my 2005 list, Rachel Getting Married makes the list not only for being an excellent film with fantastic performance, but for also having that oh so familiar dysfunctional family feeling. And I cried and cried and cried. Pools of tears settled in my clavicles. I had no idea I would have such a reaction to it but oh nelly I did.

JCVD
Okay, this is a bit of a cheat because I saw it at TIFF'08, but I went again to see it at the theatre - the big one at AMC Yonge & Dundas as it happens. There are many festival films that hit regular theatres, but you usually know which ones those are and this one I hadn't anticipating to do so which is what made seeing it at the regular theatre so special, especially as it had a pretty good freaking audience during the screening. That made me so happy that people were getting to see this great film.

Twilight
There is no doubt that seeing Twilight was one of the highlights of the year. Being in the packed house on opening night with my sister Jamie was surreal, from people wearing Team Edward shirts (which I didn't know what that meant at the time), got getting free bookmarks, to seeing all the nervous laughter and cheering throughout the film. It's been wild to watch the effect of the phenomenon as it continues to stretch out wider than I ever would have ever imagined. The film also got me into podcasting by cohosting a Twilight Podcast - Before the Dawn. And I love the film.

Quarantine
This is by no means a good film, but on that particular day I just needed to see something and this was the choice so I took it. In that sense, it made for a good laugh as there is no reason to remake the film it's based on [REC] as it is fantastic in it's own right. But, from the posters and publicity I was curious about if they were showing what I thought they were showing - and they are, which totally should put them in the publicity hall of shame.

Ghajini
Another in the list of 'got out of work early - lets see what's playing at the theatre' and so I headed out for this Bollywood adventure which I didn't realize was actually pretty much a version of Memento. That aside, the performances were pretty strong and Aamir Khan went through amazing physical transformation for the role which I found very inspiring. The soundtrack was the first one I've bought of iTunes and has severals song by AR Rahman - whom also did several songs on Slumdog Millionaire including "Jai Ho".