In Print: EW's Best Films of the Year

One of my New Year's resolutions this year (as it has been in many years past) is to read more. I've decided that every Monday for the foreseeable future I'm going to pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly. Yes, magazines count.

This week's double issue (#1082/1083 for those of you reading at home) features 2009's best and worst of everything from books to TV shows. Being most interested in The Best Films of the Year, I started there. These are the best films of the year according to Owen Gleiberman:

1. Up in the Air* - Ballas' Bottomline: funny, but not hilarious; very time-appropriate; Clooney and Farmiga were very good

2. Inglourious Basterds* - Ballas' Bottomline: I don't always love Tarantino, but this was one of his better movies.

3. Precious

4. I Love You, Man* - Ballas' Bottomline: must-see buddy comedy; Paul Rudd and Jason Segel were hilarious

5. Food, Inc.

6. (500) Days of Summer* - Ballas' Bottomline: story told in a very interesting way; hard not to like Zooey and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

7. Fantastic Mr. Fox

8. The Girlfriend Experience

9. The Hurt Locker

10. Adventure Land* - Ballas' Bottomline: top-notch cast; liked it, but expected it to be funnier
* movies I saw last year

I was honestly a little surprised by the top half. I could understand how Up in the Air and Inglourious Basterds could make it into someone's top five, but I was near amazed to see Precious at #3. I had no interest in seeing this movie. (Sorry, Chad Ochocinco. I know you gave out free tickets to see this one, but that's the only way I would've seen it - with you... for free.) I'm not a big fan of Mariah Carey's singing, and I can't imagine I would like her acting. I didn't know that Mo'Nique (who I find annoying) was in the movie, but this doesn't change my perception of the film. Carey and Mo'Nique might actually be good actors, but I will never know.

I Love You, Man was the most accurately ranked in my opinion. If you haven't seen it yet, don't bother renting it - buy it.

I was also surprised to see Food, Inc. in the top half of this list. I'm familiar with the documentary from following Monsanto (an agriculture company) while working in the financial services industry this summer and seeing ads for it at Chipotle, but I never saw it. Even if this was the best documentary ever made, I still don't think it has any business being on this list. Call me uncultured, but when I go to a movie I want a story; I don't want to worry about fact-checking or becoming afraid of my favorite foods. In all seriousness though, this documentary is probably pretty entertaining.

I don't have much of an objection with (500) Days of Summer being where Gleiberman ranked it. On top of good lead acting, I really liked Chloe Moretz as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's kid sister. I think she has potential to grow into a decent young actress like Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin.

Wes Anderson (director; Rushmore, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) is hit or miss with me. I wouldn't have minded seeing this one, but it came out around Thanksgiving, and I was more interested in seeing The Blind Side, and to a lesser extent, Twilight: New Moon.

I don't think I had ever heard of The Girlfriend Experience until I read the EW article. Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven, Traffic) directed it, so it can't be too bad. I am unfamiliar with any of the cast. I thought the female lead's name, Sasha Grey, sounded familiar, but as I read in the article, she is a porn star... and that couldn't be where I know the name. The movie is about a high-end escort, so I'm thinking Grey was probably a good choice for the part.

The Hurt Locker is a movie I really wanted to see this summer, but never got the chance. I remember wanting to see it around the 4th of July while I was back home in Zanesville, Ohio. Unfortunately a limited release in Zanesville is like a Catholic in a synagogue; it happens, but not very often. If it ever came to Newport, I missed it. Thankfully, The Hurt Locker comes to DVD on January 12.

I liked Adventureland. The story hit home with me. In the movie, Jesse Eisenberg's character is a post-grad who ends up working at an amusement park due to lack of better options. At the time, I could envision myself in a similar situation. The amusement park also reminded me of working at Colony Square Cinema 10 - kind of lame, but a lot of fun. I also thought this movie had a really good cast. I've like Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart since Van Wilder and Zathura, respectively, and Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig always do a great job of providing laughs in supporting roles. I also agree with Gleiberman that Adventureland could considered the 80's Dazed and Confused. I remember expecting a little more humor out of this one, but it was a solid flick.

Gleiberman, not my Top 10, but not terrible.