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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Ten Best Films Of 2009
By Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Warner Brothers
sevenTHE INFORMANT!
2009
Steven Soderbergh's small movie with big moments burst onto the screen in mid-
September and it entertained to no end, with Matt Damon (above) giving a
nuanced, layered performance as Mark Whitacre, who was one of the fairly big
shots at the Archer Daniels Midland corporation in the 1990s. Adding at
least 30 pounds to his frame, Mr. Damon disappeared into this troubled man and
made his character entertaining, even likable, in a film relying almost
completely on his acting. "The Informant!" took chances and basked in the
immense talents of legendary music composer Marvin Hamlisch, whose score evoked
a sunny 1970s feel that concealed a sinister undercurrent within the film.
A sublime satire of a true story documented in a book by Kirk Eichenwald, "The
Informant!" informed us of Mr. Damon's underrated talents. Where on earth
did the gluconate guy end up, anyway?
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers. Initial release date: September 18.
Starring Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Melanie Lynskey, Joel McHale, Clancy Brown,
Tom Smothers.
Original Popcorn Reel review
sixTOKYO
SONATA
2009
Regent Releasing
Kiyoshi Kurosawa impressively chronicles deception in a family during the
recession in Japan. In a land where honor and shame never dare to mix, a
man (Teruyuki Kagawa) tries desperately to keep up appearances after he is fired
from his job. He wears a suit, dons a briefcase and pretends he's heading
to work. His wife (Kyoko Koizumi) and two sons depend on him for economic
stability. One of the sons (Kai Inowagi) wants to be a pianist. The
other son (Yu Koyanagi) ships off to Iraq to serve in the military. "Tokyo
Sonata" is full of silent comedy and aching drama, in which the director gets
great acting from his performers. Numerous priceless moments form this
quiet and moody story, but most of all success, relevance and identity in
Japanese society are rigorously tested in this thought-provoking film.
U.S. Distributor: Regent Releasing. Initial release date: March 13.
Starring Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Kai Inowagi, Yu Koyanagi, Haruka Igawa,
Kanji Tsuda, Koji Yakusho.
fiveTHE
HURT LOCKER
2009
Summit Entertainment
Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" was a revelation that marked her best film.
Her direction of a story set in Iraq in 2004, based on journalist-screenwriter
Mark Boal's real-life accounts of a team of U.S. military explosives detonators
single-handedly powers a compelling tale of a man alongside boys in the theater
of war. If the phrase "you are your job" means anything, the amazing
acting by Jeremy Renner (whom most have never heard of) exemplified the phrase.
Mr. Renner dug into his role with confidence and zeal as Staff Sergeant James,
the new kid in town on a very dangerous undertaking. Remember that famous
close-up photo a few years ago of a U.S. soldier smoking a cigarette dubbed the
"Marlboro Man"? Mr. Renner's work in "The Hurt Locker" epitomizes that
kind of cool.
U.S. Distributor: Summit Entertainment. Initial release date: June 29.
Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, David
Morse and Guy Pierce.
Next: Films four through two
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