The year has been ordinary one in terms of movies. Some of the best ones were sci fi and that is the only consolation. However I am not going to make a best of 2009 list quite simply because unlike the professional critics at Uncle Sam’s place I havent been able to watch all the movies that have been released yet and anyhow in a month or so we will be counting down to the Oscars and doing a list then is best. By then most movies will be available for consumption. Since the Oscars are so prestigious, we movie people should simply give up calendar years and do our lists around it. The movies featured during Oscars often get forgotten and end up in neither lists not this year and not the year before. So i am going to take a different path. We critics are innocent folk with everyone living in their own glass doors. We can celebrate Christmas whenever we feel like.
When it comes to me personally this hasnt been a stellar year like the year before where I 
could clock 240 movies (inspite of the TV shows). This year I could only clock 192 but its ok ‘cos life has changed in many ways and TV shows like Mad Men and Friends (yep it was my first time) made life richer in their own ways. The first two months were spent watching and writing about the Oscar nominees of 2009 and I was exposed to some really fine movies like Rachel Getting Married, Waltz with Bashir etc. There were a lot of classics, foreign language films and rom coms. There were a lot of indie films too. This was also the year I fell in love with Spanish movies and this was partly aided by the Spanish Film festival which happened in Hyderabad. So really as a movie buff what matters to me more than the best I have seen of this year is the best I have seen in this year. So I have compiled a list of must watch films I have seen for the first time this year and believe you too should sometime. So something like a 3rd time of Casablanca or Wall E wont count. There wasnt a single 10 this year I could see. Star Wars was the last one in October 2008. The 9’s were rare too but there were a plenty of 8’s. Here it goes!
could clock 240 movies (inspite of the TV shows). This year I could only clock 192 but its ok ‘cos life has changed in many ways and TV shows like Mad Men and Friends (yep it was my first time) made life richer in their own ways. The first two months were spent watching and writing about the Oscar nominees of 2009 and I was exposed to some really fine movies like Rachel Getting Married, Waltz with Bashir etc. There were a lot of classics, foreign language films and rom coms. There were a lot of indie films too. This was also the year I fell in love with Spanish movies and this was partly aided by the Spanish Film festival which happened in Hyderabad. So really as a movie buff what matters to me more than the best I have seen of this year is the best I have seen in this year. So I have compiled a list of must watch films I have seen for the first time this year and believe you too should sometime. So something like a 3rd time of Casablanca or Wall E wont count. There wasnt a single 10 this year I could see. Star Wars was the last one in October 2008. The 9’s were rare too but there were a plenty of 8’s. Here it goes!Best films I have seen in 2009
The 9/10 ‘s
1. Waltz with Bashir
2. La Vita E Bella ie Life is Beautiful
3. Star Trek (2009)
5. The Blues Brothers
Technically 8 (but they are better than that)
6. Moon (2009) 7. Full Metal Jacket
8. My Fair Lady
9. Sex and Lucia
10. Rachel Getting Married
11. Synecdoche New York
12. Waking Life
13. Suspicion
The 8/10’s
14. Cool Hand Luke
15. In the Loop (2009)
16. Revolutionary Road
17. The Hurt Locker (2009)
18. 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days
19. About Love
20. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
21. Milk
22. Mary and Max (2009)
23. Siete mesas de billar francés or 7 Billiard Tables
25. Okuribito
26. Slumdog Millionaire
27. Up (2009)
28. Away We Go (2009)
29. District 9 (2009)
30. Taken (2009)
31. Where the Wild Things are (2009))
32. Julie and Julia (2009)
33. The Hangover (2009)
34. Bullitt
35. Doubt
36. The Blind Side (2009)
37. Rushmore
38. The Wrestler
39. Invictus(2009)
40. Hunger
41.
Or should I say best Indian movie I have seen this year:
Rocket Singh:Salesman of the Year (2009)
That was a long list! But these were the better ones among the roster I had seen. So another year ends and a new year begins soon. Looking back this wasnt a great one from a personal viewing perspective either. However it had some great beginnings from this blog’s perspective, it’s initiation in the current form, the very gratifying Oscar road, the distinct URL and uncharacteristically me writing. I want to make the next year much better! Julie and Julia inspired me in this respect. So here is what I have set as the goal:
200 Movies & 100 Reviews
This site will get more time and more features too. It wont be easy like the previous years, because now I have a full time job and am juggling many things but for the love of good Cinema this has to happen!
Wish you all a very Happy and Cinematic New Year as i hope for a merry and filmi new year.
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