Steve Reinhardt’s 2010 Movie Web Page
My Picks for the Academy Awards
My Favorite Critic Andrew Sarris Top
Ten Lists
My Top Ten Films from the Decade: 2000 to 2009
Friends,
It’s Oscar
® time! Another year in movies and
it is time for me to announce my ten best of 2009 as well as my predictions. I
always wait until this time to allow me to catch some of the late releases of
December and be sure that I haven’t missed a film I wanted to add to the list.
This past year I saw 35 films released in 2009; about half of them in the movie
theatre. Of those I have selected the following 10 as my best of the year.
Steve Reinhardt’s “Top Ten” for 2009
Click on the picture to find out more about my favorite
movies of the past year.
2. Up
In the Air
3. The
Hurt Locker
4. (500)
Days of Summer
5. An
Education
6. Me
and Orson Welles
7. Summer
Hours
8. A
Serious Man
9. Up
10. Alien
Trespass
In the year of Avatar (a movie I did
not see), 3D and big special effects, my choices (as always) tend to be the
smaller films where acting is the “special effect” that I most admire. Colin
Firth in “A Single Man” provides an intense and moving portrait of a man coming
to terms with the loss of his lover. Tom Ford’s debut as director is visually
stunning and well crafted and the mood of the piece never falters.
George Clooney in “Up in the Air” also
provides a flawless portrait of a certain type of American as seen in the world
of airports and corporate downsizing. This film presents many themes from our
current cultural climate and is highly deserving ofpraise. “The Hurt Locker” maintains two hours of suspense
and finds its tension within the characters and not through piling on the
special effects.
This was the year 2009 in movies…no
happy endings, no easy answers. Looking
back at my picks for the best, the three films I listed above have several
things in common—they are unsettling, well crafted, and they have much to say about
the world we live in today. We are “up
in the air” about many things. A war is going on and yet daily life and the
knowing of oneself continue to be the most challenging things we have to do.
Too
heavy for you? Then skip to the end of this list and
enjoy “Alien Trespass”: a loving send up of the science fiction movies of the 1950’s.
Light to be sure, but it completes its task by perfectly executing the genre,
right down to the use of the theremin to produce
strange, eerie sound effects.
And then there is “Up,” the latest in an
unending series of achievements from Pixar Studios. It provides the finest 4 minutes
of film in the entire year, the wordless love story of Ellie and Carl’s married
life. Through the magic of You Tube, you can see it right now by clicking on the
link below. (That is if copyright infringement has not removed it from being
available.) Be sure to come back after
the show to see my Oscar picks and the lists of Jack Kleinman
and Andrew Sarris. Jack is the manager of the Regal
Cinemas Santa Cruz 9, and Andrew Sarris is currently published in Film Comment.
Here was the best 4 minutes of film in
2009: Ellie & Carl
Married Life
Jack Kleinman’s Top Ten for 2009
Here's Jack’s “Top 10” of 2009. He’s always good for picking selections I may
have missed!
- The
Hurt Locker
- Fados
- Still Walking
- Sin Nombre
- The Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans
- A
Serious Man
- Inglourious
Basterds
- Me
and Orson Welles
- Up
in the Air
- The White Ribbon
- Bright Star
- Summer Hours
Jack Kleinman 2/28/10
Andrew Sarris Top Picks (English Language Films) of 2009
Movie Critic appearing in Film Comment
Unfortunately, Andrew Sarris was “let
go” from his position at the New York Observer this past year. He is now
published in Film Comment Magazine. In the January issue he presented a list of
bests for 2009. These were English language films only. In the past he has
offered lists of both English and foreign films as well as documentaries. I was
sad to see him cut back from his weekly review, but I am happy to get whatever he
publishes. At the age of 81, he is still
writing and provides the best insights based on his knowledge and decades of
movie going experience. Here is his 2009 Ten Best List for English-language
films.
- The Hurt Locker
- Me and Orson Welles
- The Messenger
- The Informant!
- Public Enemies
- Bright Star
- The Last Station
- A Serious Man
- Inglourious Basterds
- Up in the Air
Steve Reinhardt’s Picks for the Academy Awards
Now it’s time for my picks to win the Academy Awards on
March 7, 2010. These picks were made on February 28, 2010, so I can’t change
them at the last minute! I’ve added a
column for those I think “Should Win” (not that they ever do) and a “Did Win”
so you can keep score. As you can see I
believe that “Avatar” will clean up on the tech awards and Best Picture,
missing the director. My money is on Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Christoph Waltz and Mo’Nique. Everything else is a guess, except I would be
surprised if “Up” lost for best animation. Historically, my guesses are only
about 46% correct, so don’t bet the rent money.
|
Best
picture |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avatar |
R |
|
|
|
The Hurt
Locker |
|
|
|
|
Precious:
Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire |
|
|
|
|
Up in the
Air |
|
R |
|
|
Inglourious Basterds |
|
|
|
|
Up |
|
|
|
|
The Blind
Side |
|
|
|
|
District
9 |
|
|
|
|
An
Education |
|
|
|
|
A Serious
Man |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Actor |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
George
Clooney, "Up in the Air" |
|
|
|
|
Jeff
Bridges, "Crazy Heart" |
R |
|
|
|
Colin
Firth, "A Single Man" |
|
R |
|
|
Morgan
Freeman, "Invictus" |
|
|
|
|
Jeremy
Renner, "The Hurt Locker" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Actress |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia" |
|
|
|
|
Sandra
Bullock, "The Blind Side" |
R |
|
|
|
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious" |
|
|
|
|
Helen Mirren, "The Last Station" |
|
|
|
|
Carey
Mulligan, "An Education" |
|
R |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supporting
actor |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Matt
Damon, "Invictus" |
|
|
|
|
Woody
Harrelson, "The Messenger" |
|
|
|
|
Christopher
Plummer, "The Last Station" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
R |
|
|
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds" |
R |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supporting
actress |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air" |
|
|
|
|
Mo'Nique, "Precious" |
R |
R |
|
|
Anna
Kendrick, "Up in the Air" |
|
|
|
|
Penelope
Cruz, "Nine" |
|
|
|
|
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Director |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quentin
Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds" |
|
|
|
|
Kathryn
Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker" |
R |
R |
|
|
James
Cameron, "Avatar" |
|
|
|
|
Lee
Daniels, "Precious" |
|
|
|
|
Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Animated
feature |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up |
R |
R |
|
|
Coraline |
|
|
|
|
Fantastic
Mr. Fox |
|
|
|
|
The
Princess and the Frog |
|
|
|
|
The
Secret of Kells |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Original
screenplay |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Hurt
Locker |
|
R |
|
|
Inglourious Basterds |
R |
|
|
|
The
Messenger |
|
|
|
|
A Serious
Man |
|
|
|
|
Up |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adapted
screenplay |
Will
Win |
Should
Win |
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
District
9 |
|
|
|
|
An
Education |
|
|
|
|
In the |
|
|
|
|
Precious |
|
|
|
|
Up in the
Air |
R |
R |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
foreign-language film |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ajami |
|
|
|
|
El Secreto de Sus Ojos |
|
|
|
|
The Milk
of Sorrow |
|
|
|
|
Un Prophète |
R |
|
|
|
The White
Ribbon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
film editing |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avatar |
R |
|
|
|
District
9 |
|
|
|
|
The Hurt
Locker |
|
|
|
|
Inglourious Basterds |
|
|
|
|
Precious |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Art
direction |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avatar |
R |
|
|
|
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus |
|
|
|
|
Nine |
|
|
|
|
Sherlock
Holmes |
|
|
|
|
The Young
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cinematography |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avatar |
R |
|
|
|
Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
|
|
|
|
The Hurt
Locker |
|
|
|
|
Inglourious Basterds |
|
|
|
|
The White
Ribbon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costume
design |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bright
Star |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus |
|
|
|
|
Nine |
|
|
|
|
The Young
|
R |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
documentary feature |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Cove |
|
|
|
|
Food,
Inc. |
R |
|
|
|
The Most
Dangerous Man in |
|
|
|
|
Which Way
Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Documentary
short |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Last
Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner |
R |
|
|
|
The Last
Truck: Closing of a GM Plant |
|
|
|
|
Music by Prudence |
|
|
|
|
Rabbit à
la |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Makeup |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Il Divo |
|
|
|
|
Star Trek |
|
|
|
|
The Young
|
R |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Music
(original score) |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avatar |
R |
|
|
|
Fantastic
Mr. Fox |
|
|
|
|
The Hurt
Locker |
|
|
|
|
Sherlock
Holmes |
|
|
|
|
Up |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Music
(original song) |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Almost
There from "The Princess and the Frog" |
|
|
|
|
Down in |
|
|
|
|
Loin de Paname from " |
|
|
|
|
Take it
All from "Nine" |
|
|
|
|
The Weary
Kind from "Crazy Heart" |
R |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short
film, animated |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
French
Toast |
|
|
|
|
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty |
|
|
|
|
The Lady
and the Reaper |
|
|
|
|
Logorama |
|
|
|
|
A Matter
of Loaf and Death |
R |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short
film, live action |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Door |
|
|
|
|
Instead
of Abracadabra |
|
|
|
|
Kavi |
R |
|
|
|
Miracle
Fish |
|
|
|
|
The New
Tenants |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sound
editing |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avatar |
R |
|
|
|
The Hurt
Locker |
|
|
|
|
Inglourious Basterds |
|
|
|
|
Star Trek
|
|
|
|
|
Up |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sound
mixing |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avatar |
R |
|
|
|
The Hurt
Locker |
|
|
|
|
Inglourious Basterds |
|
|
|
|
Star Trek
|
|
|
|
|
Transformers:
Revenge of the Fallen |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Visual
effects |
Will
Win |
|
Did Win |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avatar |
R |
|
|
|
District
9 |
|
|
|
|
Star Trek |
|
|
|
My Top Twenty Films from the Last Decade: 2000 to 2009
Here’s a fun list of what I thought
were the best films that I saw in the past ten years. They are all personal choices
and are presented in order of release date. As with all movie choices, they
reflect films that meant something to me, not always the critically or
technologically highest rated. As we all look at movies, we can only judge
based on what we have seen in the past, how we are moved by the screening and
what we take out as memories or “pieces of time”. This list is a look back at
what I remember and what I liked about the films of the last ten years. In many
cases I was able to run a preview to refresh my memory. By my count I saw about
700 movies made in the decade so it is difficult to narrow it down to just
twenty. See if any of them are your favorites as well!
You Can Count On Me
The Pianist
Adaptation
American Splendor
The Best of Youth
Before Sunset
Sideways
I (Heart) Huckabees
Match Point
The
Stranger Than Fiction
Atonement
The Savages
There Will Be Blood
Slumdog Millionaire
Gran Torino
Vicki Christina Barcelona
A Single Man
Up In The Air
© 2010 Steve Reinhardt
