2009 Movies in Review

There are some entertainment events that are worth mentioning, and a whole lot of them that wind up being a huge waste of time. If you didn't get the chance to watch some of these films, here is a glance backward at some noteworthy entertainment experiences.

January: Taken - absolutely worth the adventure. Liam Neeson is such an engaging actor, and easily carries this show without making you feel like he is pulling a Will Smith-solo-act on you. Not for the kiddies. If you haven't seen his non-musical version of Les Miserables, there is another must see.

February: Push - lots of action, but nothing you should worry about missing. I do have to give a plug for chick-flick, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Great message about taking responsibility for consumer debt.

March: Duplicity - don't bother. It was a twisty-turny, trying to be clever, but I was not impressed. As for Watchmen? We watched the edited version, and my, talk about dark and bleak even when edited! The final message was okay, but again, you didn't really miss anything here.

April: earth - amazing cinematography, but the propaganda turned me off. It is worth renting just to see the funny little birds' mating rituals, and is kid-friendly. Obsessed - definitely one of those movies that makes a man want to avoid messing around. It was pretty interesting, I must admit. Reminded me of "I won't be IGNORED, Dan," nonetheless forgettable. Dragonball Evolution was pretty good, even though it was force-fed to me while on a plane ride. I totally didn't think I would, but I really liked 17 Again. Last one for April, I REALLY liked The Soloist. Maybe that is because of my interactions with schizophrenics. Wow, Denzel. Nicely done, and as always, Robert Downey, Jr.

May: The Brother's Bloom was surprisingly engaging and funny. I would recommend that one. Wolverine was pretty well done as well, and surprisingly, no loose ends when trying to make it fit into the other movies! I can always find mismatches. Terminator Salvation was ruined for me by Christian's unbridled rantings spread across the Internet, and he was just not on his game for being totally believable. It was also very predictable, but maybe that's what the audience required. Star Trek was a visual feast for sci-fi lovers, and anyone who enjoys a good adventure, while Night at the Museum was the biggest disappointment ever. The ultimate pick for the month of May, and the entire year, was UP! I don't care how old you are, this was a fantastic show.

June: My Sister's Keeper was written about a very engaging topic, and this one included a really engaging story as well. Yes, I would recommend this one. Transformers was, well, Transformers. There are two reasons people watch Transformers movies: Special Effects, and Megan Fox. Need I say more? DON'T watch the Proposal. Trust me!

July: Harry Potter is not really my thing, just like Twilight is not really my thing. I didn't really see anything I would highly recommend, I guess.

August: Julia and Julia even kept my hubby's interest. Did Meryl Streep just nail that one, or what? Amy Adams is likewise and engaging actress. I recommend this one.

September: 9 and Surrogates were both very interesting, out-there topics. Obviously the former was more out there, but Surrogates really tackled the issue of physical self alteration, and hyper paranoia, which I found very interesting. It took virtual interaction to a whole new level. Since social networking and virtual interaction are such a major part of my work, I really appreciated this fresh perspective, even if it was far left-ish. Carriers was well done. You will want to wash your hands raw after watching that one. +1(plus one) delivering that film in a very timely manner during H1N1 paranoia ordeal.

October: I was so excited to see Amelia, and while it was very well done, and the acting was fabulous, the story line was disjointed and, well, speculative. As a historian, there were too many attempts to fill in the gaps without actually filling anything in at all! Either go historical, and stay true, or embellish and make it really interesting, and neither happened for me.

November: The Blind Side was a FINALLY!!! show for Sandra Bullock. Wow. After so MANY stupid shows, she finally came out and redeemed herself! Nicely done, even though the football star actor was picked for his size more than for his acting ability, but that was sort of a rags to riches story as well, so more power to you.

December: Avatar visually amazing, but was so full of propaganda (military is evil, tries to destroy everything in its path, Americans are destroying the earth, etc..) that it ruined it for me. It felt like I was watching Terra or Fern Gully. Sorry, folks. FINALLY, however, we ended on a fabulous note with Sherlock Holmes! A++!

And there you have it, a year's worth of movies, and only three MUST sees in my book. So what say you? I didn't see them all, obviously, so what would you recommend that I see and why?