Time's Top Ten of Everything (2009)

Time magazine's film critic Richard Corliss has published his top 10 films of 2009. His top ten performances include most of the front runners for this year's Academy Awards. I have never put much faith in Corliss' reviews, mostly because I have trouble believing that the film critic for Time can give a completely unbiased review when the magazine itself is part of Time Warner Inc -- although, surprising enough, Warner Bros. did not produce a single film included in his list. But, onto the list itself...

Time's Top Ten Films of 2009
10. Thirst
This is a Korean film that had a limited release in the United States, and won the Jury Prize at Cannes. Corliss either wants to be viewed at a real man of the cinema, or he is just trying to prove he can name a few foreign films. Once more established critics (such as my personal favourite, Robert Ebert) start releasing their top ten lists we can see if Thirst makes the cut. He does, however, make a comparison (albeit negative) to the new Twilight film in his comments...

9. District 9
I have not seen it, but I have at least heard of it! It just seems like too much of a summer blockbuster, which rarely interests me. I have heard that it was a good film, but in all this end of year awards buzz it has rarely been mentioned.

8. Of Time and the City
Has anyone actually heard of this? It debuted at Cannes in 2008 and had a release that year in the U.K., but not until this year in the United States. It received a number of accolades at this time last year, so does that mean it is equally deserving this year?

7. A Single Man
I am saving any judgment of this film until Sunday afternoon, which will be after I have seen it! Julianne Moore is a wonderful actress, and her guest-starring role on 30 Rock tonight made me even more excited to see it.

6. The White Ribbon
Obviously Mr. Corliss gives a lot of credence to the Cannes Film Festival, seeing as this film was the recipient of the prestigious Palme d'Or. This film has not yet been released in North America, but such is the luck of a film critic.

5. Up In The Air
Jason Reitman's film, starring George Clooney and two amazing women, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga, is my choice for top film of the year so far.

4. The Hurt Locker
The constant motion of the camera made me sick when I saw this film on the big screen, ruining a lot of its impact. I do believe it is a fantastic film, and deserving of its success.

3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
I think Wes Anderson is a genius, and his first attempt at animation is the best animated film of the year! Watching that old, traditional stop-motion Christmas film on television makes the impact of this film that much more astonishing.

2. Up
I had reservations before seeing this film, and I almost preferred that I had stayed away. I absolutely believe that Pixar has made much better films (Finding Nemo), and worse (The Incredibles), but Up just ranks somewhere in the middle.

1. The Princess and the Frog
So the top three films of the year are all animated? And Disney gets top honours! The film has been getting some glowing reviews, but the release has been surrounded by a lot of controversy. Disney has finally decided to show a non-White princess, and I am just left to believe that Disney is being applauded for finally crossing the racial barrier!

Obviously I disagree with most everything Richard Corliss has picked for the year's best, and I will probably continue to ignore all of his film reviews... but he also made a list of the year's best performances, which I want to discuss later!