Sight & Sound's Best of 2009

December 10, 2009

The much revered British film journal Sight & Sound, known for their widely regarded best of the decade lists, has named their ten best of 2009. France's A Prophet takes first place, which immediately places it very high on my list of films I can't wait to see.

Here it is.

1. A Prophet (officially a 2010 US release)

2. The Hurt Locker

3. 35 Shots of Rum

4. The White Ribbon

5. Let the Right One In (A film that was released in 2008 in the US)

6. Up

6. White Material (Not officially released in the US in 2009)

8. Bright Star

8. Antichrist

10. Inglourious Basterds

Time Magazine's Richard Corliss' Best of 2009

December 10, 2009

Perhaps Corliss is really an 8 year-old who has gone gray WAY too young. Last year, his number one film was WALL-E. This year, he has THREE animated films at the top of his list, with his number one being (wait for it folks!) The Princess and the Frog. Isn't that special?

Here it is.

1. The Princess and the Frog

2. Up

3. Fantastic Mr. Fox

4. The Hurt Locker

5. Up in the Air

6. The White Ribbon

7. A Single Man

8. Of Time and the City

9. District 9

10. Thirst

Up in the Air

December 8, 2009

Up in the Air (2009) *****
Directed by Jason Reitman

See my webcam review of Up in the Air here:

Up in the Air- Submitted for The Rotten Tomatoes Show

Brothers

December 8, 2009

Brothers (2009) ***1/2
Directed by Jim Sheridan

See my webcam review of Brothers here:

Brothers- Submitted for The Rotten Tomatoes Show

Brian Dunn's on TV!!! Part Four- The Road

December 8, 2009

I couldn't be prouder of having only one line in a Rotten Tomatoes review. "The Road is the kind of film that tries way too hard to win a bunch of Oscars, and the result is an overacted, overdirected disappointment." Brillant! So well said! And so handsome!

As always, check out The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV on Thursdays at 10:30pm EST. It repeats frequently throughout the week.

Here's the link to watch The RT Show's review of The Road.

The Rotten Tomatoes Show Reviews The Road

Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) Awards

December 8, 2009

Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) Awards

If I was a professional critic, these would be the awards I would presumably get to vote on. It's nice to see what my fellow DCers believe to be the best in 2009 film.

WAFCA makes two in a row for the absolutely wonderful Up in the Air, which makes me think that it now has the edge to win the Oscar for Best Picture. I used to think Precious was the favorite, and maybe for a period of time it really was, but Up in the Air now has the buzz and the momentum. Also, I've now seen it, and it's a better movie than Precious hands down.

The acting awards also show what I believe to be the clear frontrunners for the Oscars. Very few surprises make up this year's WAFCA awards, which is fine by me since I happen to agree that most of the picks from films I've seen are well deserved.

Here are the winners:

Best Film- Up in the Air

Best Director- Kathryn Bigelow- The Hurt Locker

Best Actor- George Clooney- Up in the Air

Best Actress- Carey Mulligan- An Education

Best Supporting Actor- Christoph Waltz- Inglourious Bastards

Best Supporting Actress- Mo'Nique- Precious

Best Ensemble- The Hurt Locker

Best Breakthrough Performance- Gabourey Sidibe- Precious

Best Adapted Screenplay- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner- Up in the Air

Best Original Screenplay- Quentin Tarantino- Inglourious Bastards

Best Animated Film- Up

Best Foreign Film- Sin Nombre

Best Documentary- Food, Inc.

Best Art Direction- Nine