DVD Corner

The Best And Worst Films And TV Shows Of 2009

BEST AND WORST OF 2009

BEST MOVIES

1. Star Trek- The most satisfying movie of the year. The sequel cannot come soon enough.

2. Up- Arguably Pixar’s finest work to date (which is saying A LOT).

3. Inglourious Basterds- Tarantino at the top of his game.

4. The Room- I know this cult classic was released back in 2003, but I saw it for the first time back in April of 09 and absolutely had to include it on my list. It’s unforgettable, endlessly quotable, and without a doubt the best BAD movie I have ever seen.

5. Paranormal Activity- An effective horror film that stays with you long after you see it.

6. Fanboys- Ranks alongside “Free Enterprise” as the best geek centric film.

7. Ponyo- Yet another imaginative Miyazaki flick filled with great characters and breathtaking animation.

8. Coraline- Stop-motion animation at its best.

9. Carriers and The Road- Two dark, haunting post-apoc films.

10. Tie: Up In The Air and A Serious Man- ‘Air’-A  relevant, emotional film with award worthy performances by George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, and Vera Farmiga. ‘Serious’- One of the Coen’s best films to date.

Notables: “American Scary,” “The Damned United,” “Anvil: The Story Of Anvil,” “For The Love Of Movies,” “Trick ‘r Treat,” “An Education,” “Capitalism: A Love Story,” and “Watchmen.”

WORST MOVIES

1. Miss March- Painfully unfunny.

2. S. Darko- An utterly pointless sequel.

3. Friday The Thirteenth (2009)- I’m a huge fan of the “Friday The Thirteenth” series, but this remake is disgraceful.

4. Severed Ways- The definition of pretentious.

5. Wolverine- A rushed, poorly written origin story for one of the most beloved comic characters.

6. Terminator: Salvation- It’s sad that the Christian Bale rant was infinitely more entertaining than this sequel.

7. Confessions Of A Shopaholic- In a word, irritating.

8. Orphan- The laughable ending alone makes “Orphan” worthy of a spot on this list.

9. Spring Breakdown- It’s obvious why this movie never hit theaters.

10. Spread- Another unwatchable Ashton Kutcher film.

BEST SHOWS

1. Torchwood- The 5 part Children Of Earth mini-series was the single best piece of television this year. It was gutsy, emotional, well written, well acted, dark, and best of all, surprising.

2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars- Star Wars is back and better than ever. If you don’t believe me, watch superb episodes like “Landing At Point Rain,” “Cargo Of Doom,” the Ryloth trilogy or “Jedi Crash” and “Defenders Of Peace.”

3. Battlestar Galactica- Despite a few missteps, the final season (especially the series finale) was both satisfying and rewarding. BSG will be missed dearly.

4. Lost- The best season of Lost since season two.

5. Dr. Who- Normally, DW would be pretty high on my list, but this year there were only 3 new episodes. “Planet Of The Dead” and “Waters Of Mars” proved to be memorable specials, but unfortunately “The End Of Time Part 1” easily ranks as one of the worst new Who episodes to date.

6. Reaper- The second and final season went out on a high note. It’s a crying shame CW didn’t renew this show for a third season.

7. Turtles Forever- As someone who grew up on Ninja Turtles in the 80’s, this was an absolute joy to witness.

8. Pilots- Caprica and Virtuality- More Ronald D. Moore goodness. It’s too bad Virtuality will likely never be continued as a series. Caprica, thankfully, begins airing in Jan. 2010. Let’s hope it lives up to the pilot.

9. The Guild- The cult web series about gamers continued to shine in its third season.

10. Sarah Jane Adventures- The first two seasons of SJA were fairly average, but the third season took a major leap forward in quality with some well written episodes (“The Mad Woman In The Attic”) and ‘brilliant’ appearances by the Judoon and David Tennant as the Doctor.

WORST SHOWS

1. The Jeff Dunham Show- I will never get the appeal of this comedian.

3. Paranormal State- A wretched, phony reality series.

4. Flash Forward/V/Warehouse 13- All three shows had enjoyable pilots, but all 3 series never lived up to their potential.

5. Primeval- The first two seasons were fun-filled, but this third series completely fell apart due to some poor writing choices.

6. Outer Space Astronauts- How did this make it to television? Unwatchable.

December 29, 2009 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 1 | The Best And Worst Films And TV Shows Of 2009