14 Must-See Movies of 2009

I realize this is so more than one month ago. Call my style retro.

2009 had its share of great moments in cinema, but ultimately I have managed to narrow  down my list  to fourteen films which I consider essential viewing. I, of course, have no time to watch every movie released in any given year and so there are a few, mostly smaller, films that I have yet to watch. Among them Summer Hours, 35 Shots of Rum, The White Ribbon, A Prophet, A Serious Man, The Beaches of Agnes, and The Headless Woman.

I also saw a handful of very good films that came close to making my list, but just missed out. They include The Princess and The Frog, A Single Man, An Education, and Good Hair.

On to my Top 14.

14. Avatar
You’ve probably heard everything there is to say about this film at this point. It’s true that it might not be storytelling at its best. On a visceral level, however, I can think of only a few movies that I have enjoyed more over the last few years. That’s pretty hard to come by, so why whine?

13. Coraline
The first animated film on this list is the wonderful, imaginative and visually stunning Coraline. It adheres to the classic fairy tale format close enough for comfort and somehow still ends up being an altogether original experience with  just the right amount of  spooky horror.

12. Star Trek
Leave it to J.J. Abrams  to bring a previously dying franchise back to life with such force. This is how summer action blockbusters should be made. A must-see for Star Trek fans and non-fans alike.