Best Movies of 2009 … So Far

Posted on | June 12, 2009 | 1 Comment

Well, we’re nearly half-way through the year. (Man, is it me or is it true that the older you get, the faster time flies?)

So I figure it’d be an appropriate time to post half of my Best Produced Screenplays of 2009 list. Of course, it’ll change and grow through the coming months, but I think the following movies are the few true film gems found in a mountain of cinematic sludge.

1. Up
Rating: 4.9 out of 5

A CGI cartoon about an old man who tries to float his house to South America using balloons? Seriously? Who woulda thunk such an obscure, impossible premise could have spawned the most amazing movie of 2009 to date. Its key (aside from the amazing visuals) is the screenplay.

Filled with genius comedy, heartbreaking plotpoints, surprisingly thrilling action scenes, and flawed but likable characters, the script by Bob Peterson and director Pete Docter is a classic example of how to tell a sophisticated, emotional story for adults based on a decidedly simple structure –- and mask it all as a kid’s movie. But then again, why should I have been so surprised? Up is yet another classic crafted by Pixar, the studio that brought us Wall-E, Toy Story and The Incredibles.

2. Star Trek
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Yet again, here’s a movie I resisted at first but fell totally in love with.

I am a mild Star Trek fan, having regularly watched The Next Generation and infrequently watched re-runs of the original series. But then producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga flushed Gene Roddenberry’s vision down the black hole of horrible sequels and TV spin-offs. If that weren’t enough, I heard the pair wanted to draw from the well they’d already sucked dry by doing a TV series on Kirk and Spock during their Star Fleet Academy days.

So when this new Star Trek movie went into production with their “Early Adventures of Kirk and Spock” premise, I just shuddered. I hate when Hollywood issues horrible remakes (see 1998’s Godzilla … or rather don’t!) or tries to rewrite its own history (Star Wars prequels) because it only devalues the original property. It just shows how unimaginative the studio executives are and how hackneyed their hired screenwriters can be.

But then a few silver linings started to shine through the gloomy moribund mass of mediocre ideas. Firstly, Berman and Braga were out and J.J. Abrams was in. Abrams is the king of “geek coolness.” He created TV’s Alias, mindf*cked audiences with Lost and directed Mission: Impossible III.

Then word of the casting leaked out. An unknown Chris Pine as Kirk (smart move). Heroes’ Zachary Quinto as Kirk (brilliant). John Cho (of Harold & Kumar fame) as Sulu (spot on). And others like character actors Bruce Greenwood and Clifton Collins Jr. rounded out the solid cast. With Eric Bana as the main villain Nero, Star Trek started looking more like a a space stud than a Terran dud.

Having watched it, I gotta say, it’s pretty damn good.

The screenplay — by “it” writing duo of and Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci — contain a constant clip of levity, witty dialogue, suspense, sexiness, emotion, and (most importantly in my book) action. It honors the traditions of the Star Trek canon but isn’t bound by it.

Star Trek’s only flaw that prevents a perfect score is … well, I don’t wait to be a spoiler, but let’s just say Kirk moves up the chain of command pretty damn fast. A minor complaint about a lack of realism, but then again, I should realize that this is a movie about an intergalactic spaceship, after all.

3. Taken
Rating: 4 out of 5

Another stellar example of how a script with a simple premise –  Liam Neeson plays an ex-CIA agent who must find the bastards who kidnapped his daughter in France — can result in a tight, suspenseful thriller so long as the execution is right.

This is the good that can come out of Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen‘s partnership, instead of the usual popcorn crap of late (The Transporter franchise). This is much closer to their cinematic classics, such as The Karate Kid and The Professional.

4. The Hangover
Rating: 4 out of 5

I thought this was going to be a disappointment. It wasn’t. Thankfully, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore twist the tired “bachelor party in Vegas” subgenre into a very funny comedy with a Memento-like thriller aspect.

Three friends wake up after a debauchery-filled bachelor party only to find a tiger in their hotel bathroom, a baby in their closet and their groom missing — and no memory of what happened. Bitingly funny broad comedy + realistic dialogue + flawed yet strong characters + unique script structure = a damn good movie.

5. I Love You Man
Rating: 4 out of 5

I have to admit, I thought this was going to be an instant classic. It’s not. Too high an expectation? Yeah, probably. So I didn’t bust my gut laughing every two minutes. It’s still a good movie –- one of the better ones so far of 2009 — and you know why? Director John Hamburg and co-writer Larry Levin pen a heart-warming script that’s based on real emotions and characters. From human frailty and flaws come great opportunities for hilarity! It’s a “bromantic” comedy at its finest.

We’ll have to see if the next six months will give us five more enjoyably enjoyable movies based on strong screenplays.

Oh, and a side note, here are my list of honorable mentions. They’re movies I liked but know will never make this list.

Honorable Mentions:

Watchmen
Entertaining, never boring, but ultimately, an unfulfilled vision of Alan Moore’s epic comic miniseries.

The International
A little slow in places, but features one of the best set pieces ever filmed (a gunfight in the Guggenheim).

Terminator Salvation
Plenty of fun explosions and CGI spectacle. The script sets up the pins beautifully but fails to knock down all the targets. With numerous writers brought on to rework the movie (and even The Dark Knight scribe Jonathan Nolan writing on set during filming!), I have a strong suspicious everything good about the screenplay and movie had little to do with what credited writers John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris originally brought to the table. I mean, they did write such “awesome” fare as Catwoman and T3. Oh, and with director McG on board, all I gotta say is, “See, I told you he was a hack.”

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