The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) - Gilliam's rambling mess

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An celestial array of surreal elements and many stars stand ready on this poster for Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

In London a traveling group of weirdos attempt to entertain ungrateful, rude drunks from a wagon that includes the ancient Parnassus' imaginarium.

 

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is written by Charles McKeown (Brazil (1985)) and American-born British master filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Terry Gilliam (Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)), whose 11th feature it is.

Despite a dragging beginning, this chaotic film flows out and becomes enormously testing to watch. This is less astonishing when considering that it is a Gilliam creation that was completed with three new stars cast in the lead, since the original suddenly passed away in real life, in a script that was already bonkers. (Heath Ledger (A Knight's Tale (2001)) died at age 28 from accidental prescription medication poisoning.) All involved do what they can, in ugly hair, beards and many layers of ugly costumes, often in ugly lighting, in ugly images, with many sequences also featuring ugly 'fantastical' CGI elements.

Ledger's Tony character, as a side note, is a man who is rescued from wanting to hang himself. Gilliam's messy procession is anything but uplifting. 

 

Related posts:

Terry Gilliam:  For No Good Reason (2012, documentary) or, Ralph Steadman, Artist (interview subject)

The Brothers Grimm (2005) - Gilliam's European misadventure sort-of entertains

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Top 10: Best drug-themed movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) - Depp's Thompson lives and breathes in Gilliam's outrageous, drug-fueled masterpiece

12 Monkeys (1995) or, What's the Time?

1991 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

The Fisher King (1991) - Gilliam and Co. win with unpredictable story with major heart and amazing Williams 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 30 mil. $

Box office: 64.3 mil. $

= Flop (returned 2.14 times its cost)

[The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus premiered 22 May (Cannes Film Festival, out of competition) and runs 123 minutes. 12 companies and support bodies were involved in the financing and production of the film. Shooting took place from December 2007 - April 2008, with a month-long hiatus due to the demise of Ledger, in British Columbia and in England, including in London. Gilliam engaged friends and colleagues of Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to all overtake the actor's part following his tragic death, and the three decided to donate their (unknown) salaries to Ledger's daughter Matilda. The film went about 5 mil. $ over budget. Co-producer William Vince also passed away prior to release. The sensation surrounding Ledger's death meant that the film reportedly made back its budget through presales before even getting released. It opened #20 to a 415k $ first weekend in 48 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #11 and in 607 theaters, grossing 7.6 mil. $ (11.8 % of the total gross). This was the film's 3rd biggest market. The biggest two were Italy with 11.1 mil. $ (17.3 %) and Japan with 6.5 mil. $ (10.1 %). The film was nominated for 2 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Costume Design to The Young Victoria and Art Direction to Avatar. It was also nominated for 2 BAFTAs, a British Independent Film award and other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to 3 notches over this one. The film reportedly additionally made in excess of 11.7 mil. $ on the North-American home video market alone. Gilliam returned with The Legend of Hallowdega (2010, short) and The Wholly Family (2011, short) and theatrically with The Zero Theorem (2013). This was Ledger's final film; Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World (2017)) returned with voice performances in My Dog Tulip (2009) and 9 (2009) prior to his physical theatrical return in The Last Station (2009). The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is fresh at 64 % with a 6.0/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus?

In Treatment - season 2 (2009) - Advanced character drama

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Gabriel Byrne returns as the troubled psychotherapist Paul Weston on this poster for season 2 of Rodrigo García's In Treatment

Psychotherapist Paul Weston, now divorced, has relocated to Brooklyn, New York, and gets sued to the tune of 20 mil. $ by the father of his former patient Alex, an Air Force pilot who committed suicide. He is contacted by his patient and lover 20 years earlier, Mia, who blames Paul for abandoning her then and her bad behavior since.

April is Paul's second patient this season, a 23 year-old student with terminal lymph cancer, who has not told any one about this and lives with an intense anger.

Oliver is an 11 year-old boy patient, whose parents are bickering over his head, divorcing but without the guts to tell their son.

Walter is a big-time CEO, who suffers from insomnia and precious little patience and is looking for a quick-fix. Paul, unable to supply this, listens to the man's anxiety about his daughter's work in Rwanda, as he suffers a panic attack and rushes out.

Paul still visits his own former mentor and current psychotherapist Gina, who is deposed for the trial and planning to support him. 

Paul works on April, who is against chemotherapy. Oliver forgets his pet turtle at Paul's, after his parents have announced their divorce to him. Walter expands on past trauma and returns to Paul despite his lack of patience. Paul eventually talks April into telling her mother of her cancer. Paul's father is dying with Alzheimer's, and Paul spends much of his own sessions retro-analyzing his father as well as his own childhood and youth. 

Walter steps down as CEO, self-medicates and is miserable. While Paul admits hating his life to Gina, she gets him to visit and forgive his dying father. Paul visits Walter in the hospital after a failed suicide attempt. Alex's father 'offers' Paul a terrifying dilemma: Take full responsibility for his son's death in a written letter, and the case will be dropped. April's chemo works, but she consequently struggles with turning away from death and face life. 

The death suit is rejected in the final episode, and Paul ends his therapy with Gina in a response of relief.

In Treatment - season 2 is created by Rodrigo García (Bull (2016, TV-series)), based on the Israeli series Be Tipul (2005-08).

The show sets its claws deeper in its audience in the second season with some highly rewarding dramatic stories and characterizations, and the series' weak points are few and far between here: Paul's visits with Gina, where he complains about his "mess of a life" and harangues her, mostly without justification, are tough and at times hard to sit through, as two therapists being therapists with each other can be, especially as Paul's woes need to be retraced back to his mother's death, his father and his childhood in what can feel as psychological navel gazing. Gabriel Byrne (In the Cloud (2018)) is terrific, and Dianne Wiest (The Humbling (2014)) emanates intelligence as Gina, but their sessions are the show's least interesting. 

In Treatment is incredibly dense and mined with tragedy and tough topics (suicide, death, abuse, self pretense, neglect, fear, betrayal etc.), and it will be too much for many. But for the right viewer the second season delivers riveting stories, deeply moving moments and breath-taking performances: John Mahoney (Dan in Real Life (2007)) is incredible and raw as Walter, not least when he attempts to fake rapid improvement for Paul following his suicide attempt, and the therapist sees through it. Walter must realize many painful things about his life in the course of the show. Alison Pill (The Same Storm (2021)) is strong as April; Hope Davis (Greenland (2020)) is a layered wreck of self insecurity as the lonely and complex Mia. Most heartbreaking in season 2 are the sessions with Oliver and his parents, who give a prime example of supremely dysfunctional parenting - and  dysfunctional divorcing. The boy is severely bullied at school in the midst of the home front debacle, which both to him and us is revealed as a case of intensely egotistic parents that basically don't want him.

In Treatment - season 2 is an intense and highly emotionally and intellectually stimulating drama.

Best episodes:

8. Oliver - Week 2 - Written by Keith Bunin (Onward (2020)); directed by Ryan Fleck (Billions (2016-17))

Paul has a tough heart-to-heart with the boy, who gets bullied at school and now gets told by his parents that they are divorcing.

14. Walter - Week 3 - Written by Pat Healy (Mullitt (2000, short)); directed by Norberto Barba (Reacher (2022, VoD), TV-series))

Walter is exhausted following an unsuccessful visit to his daughter in Africa and a dire scandal involving his company. Electrical television.

29. Walter - Week 6 - Written by Warren Leight (Shelter (2017, TV movie)); directed by Paris Barclay (Monsters (2022-24))

On leave from the hospital, Walter tries to trick Paul to sign him out, but he sees through the ploy, and they arrive at a breakthrough.

Related posts:

Rodrigo García: 2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

Albert Nobbs (2011) - Glenn Close's triumphant, tender tranformation in García's great film 

In Treatment - season 1 (2008) - Red-hot performances fuel heavy therapy drama 
Carnivàle - 1st season (2003, TV-series) - Grand but oft clotted-up period mystery show

 

Watch a trailer for season 2 here

Cost: Unknown

Box office: None - TV-series

= Uncertain

[In Treatment - season 2 debuted 5 April - 5 May (HBO) and runs 35 episodes of an average 25 minutes each, coming to approximately 875 minutes. Shooting took place in New York. The viewer ratings are regrettably not public information. The season was nominated for 3 Emmys. The creators and Byrne returned for season 3 in 2010. Also in 2009, Byrne made a voice performance in Perrier's Bounty. In Treatment - season 2 is fresh at 100 % with an 8.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of In Treatment - season 2?

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) or, Ice Age 3: Add Dinosaurs!

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Our ancient friends caught in a glaring pickle on this funny poster for Michael Thurmeier and Carlos Saldanha's Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Ellie the mammoth is pregnant, as her little family discover a lost dinosaur world, where Sid the ground sloth gets lost, carrying 3 dinosaur eggs...

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is written by Peter Ackerman (The Diplomat (2024, TV-series)), Yoni Brenner (Rio 2 (2014)), Michael Berg (Ice Age (2002)) and Mike Reiss (My Life in Ruins (2009)), with Jason Carter Eaton (Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011, TV movie)) contributing story elements, and directed by Michael Thurmeier (The Scratist (2012, short)) and Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age (2002)). It is the 3rd film in the Ice Age franchise (2002; 2006).

A dragging story that is also very tied up to Simon Pegg's (Luck (2022)) new pirate, dino-hunting weasel character who goes bonkers and is a weirdly unfunny companion.

Wow-ing animation and fun moments and sequences, often being those with Scrat, the non-speaking squirrel character, and one female flying squirrel distraction, elevate an otherwise disappointing film.

 

Related posts:

 

Ice Age franchise: Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) - Lots of fun in 4th IA chapter

Michael Thurmeier: Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) - Lots of fun in 4th IA chapter

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 90 mil. $

Box office: 886.6 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 9.85 times its cost)

[Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was released 26 June (Uruguay) and runs 94 minutes. It opened #2, behind holdover hit Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, to a 41.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#2-#5), grossing 196.5 mil. $ (22.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 82.1 mil. $ (9.3 %) and France with 69.2 mil. $ (7.8 %). It was the year's highest-grossing animation and the 3rd highest-grossing film of the year over-all. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 3 notches over this one. The franchise returned with Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012). Thurmeier returned with 3 shorts prior to Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012); Saldanha with Rio (2011). Ray Romano (Paddleton (2019)) returned in Funny People (2009); John Leguizamo (Spawn (1997)) in Gamer (2009). Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is rotten at 46 % with a 5.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs?

Invictus (2009) - Morgan Freeman is Nelson Mandela

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On the turned backside of co-star Morgan Freeman, a smiling face of sport's victory from co-star Matt Damon, makes up this poster for Clint Eastwood's Invictus

Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 long years as a political prisoner in his home country South Africa, and as its president soon after he starts the long, hard work of reuniting his torn people. To serve this end he takes an interest in the country's poor rugby team...

 

Invictus is written by Anthony Peckham (The Assassin (1988)), adapting the non-fiction book Playing the Enemy (2008) by John Carlin (Chase Your Shadow (2014)), and co-produced and directed by Californian master filmmaker Clint Eastwood (Play Misty for Me (1971)), whose 30th feature it is.

Morgan Freeman (The Ritual Killer (2023)) is amazing and seems a lot like the real Mandela, whose exceptional dedication to forgiveness, his country and its future is the film's main driver. The man's fascinating mission is deeply moving.

Matt Damon (The Last Duel (2021)) is a bit timid as the rugby captain, and there are moments in Invictus in which one is almost swept up in the sport. Eastwood of course wants to do justice to the whole important history here, but he may be somewhat on away ground. The backstory of the country and of Mandela's imprisonment are not told convincingly, which might have been done in a matter of minutes, (a filmmaker cannot trust that modern global audiences are privy to these facts), and Invictus nearly drowns in pathos and 'spiritual' feeling music, which is quite overly obvious and directive. The still gripping film might have gotten further with some more restraint and focus on the problems and history of South Africa. The meaning of the title (which latin for 'undefeated') remains unclear. In the final match it is mentioned that the country winds up in the final, - but they then immediately are seen receiving the trophy!?!

Invictus shows the uniting strength of sports in exemplary fashion.

 

Related posts:

Clint Eastwood: The Mule (2018) - Drug-runner true story proves another fine fit for screen legend Eastwood 

Sully (2016) - Eastwood's miracle landing biopic is inert and overrated  2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
American Sniper (2014) - Eastwood conveys an American man and myth in electric masterpiece  
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess   
J. Edgar (2011) - Eastwood, Black and DiCaprio's great, intense biopic   

Hereafter (2010) - A movie so bad it might kill you (director/composer)

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Gran Torino (2008) - Eastwood's actor persona comes full circle in absolute smash (co-producer/director/starring actor)
The Changeling (2008) or, The Christine Collins Story  

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]    
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Letters from Iwo Jima/硫黄島からの手紙 [Öjima Kara no Tegami] (2006) - The Japanese side of Eastwood's remarkable WWII two-parter   
Flags of Our Fathers (2006) - Eastwood's Iwo Jima portrayal is captivating and profoundly moving 

Blood Work (2002) - Eastwood churns out uninspired thriller adaptation (producer/director/starring actor)

1997 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Absolute Power (1997) - Eastwood stumbles with low-caliber thriller (director/co-producer/co-starring) 

In the Line of Fire (1993) - Clint and co-stars on fire in one of the decade's finest thrillers (starring)

The Dead Pool (1988) - The highly entertaining last Dirty Harry movie (starring actor) 

Heartbreak Ridge (1986) - Lots of deficiencies in Eastwood's weak Marine movie (producer/director/starring actor)
City Heat (1984) - Eastwood and Reynolds wrestle dispassionately in Benjamin's messy period affair (co-starring actor)
Tightrope (1984) - An undervalued Clint Eastwood sex killer thriller (starring actor)
Any Which Way You Can (1980) or, More Monkey Business! (starring actor)
Escape from Alcatraz (1979) - Siegel, Tuggle and Eastwood's phenomenal prison escape thriller (starring actor)
Every Which Way but Loose (1978) or, Honky Tonk Monkey Business! (starring actor)

The Gauntlet (1977) - Locke/Eastwood cast sparks in corny shoot-em-up (director/starring actor)
The Enforcer (1976) - Eastwood teaches revolutionaries a lesson in third, less punchy Dirty Harry (starring actor)
The Eiger Sanction (1975) - Eastwood's mountain climbing dud (director/star)

High Plains Drifter (1973) - Eastwood cleans up red town in great western (director/star)
The Beguiled (1971) - Intense, erotic Civil War kammerspiel thriller (starring actor)  
Dirty Harry (1971) - Eastwood's great, signature renegade cop character comes to life (starring actor)
Coogan's Bluff (1968) or, Dopes and Hippies, Beat It! (starring actor)  

Hang 'Em High (1968) - Post and Eastwood make spaghetti in the West (starring actor)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - Leone ends his poncho trilogy with certified classic (starring actor)
For a Few Dollars More/Per Qualche Dollaro in Più (1965) or, Return of the Poncho Killer (co-starring actor)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) or, Killer in a Poncho (starring actor)

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 50-60 mil. $ (different accounts)

Box office: 122.4 mil. $

= Flop (returned 2.22 times its cost)

[Invictus premiered 3 December (California) and runs 135 minutes. Eastwood was paid 6 mil. $ for his work on the film. Shooting took place from March - May 2009 in South Africa, including in Johannesburg. The film opened #3, behind holdover hits The Princess and the Frog and The Blind Side, to an 8.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 37.4 mil. $ (30.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 26.6 mil. $ (21.7 %) and Spain with 10.3 mil. $ (8.4 %). The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Actor (Freeman), lost to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, and Supporting Actor (Damon), lost to Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds. It was also nominated for a César award, a David di Donatello award, 3 Golden Globes and won 4 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Eastwood returned with Hereafter (2010). Freeman returned in 30 for 30 (2010, TV-series) and theatrically in RED 2 (2010); Damon in Cubed (2009, TV-series) and theatrically in Green Zone (2010). Invictus is certified fresh at 76 % with a 6.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Invictus?

I Am Love/Io Sono l'Amore (2009) - Guadagnino's international breakthrough is a delicious drama

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Star Tilda Swinton stands out in a wealthy family's portrait on this poster for Luca Guadagnino's I Am Love

A wealthy Milanese family's oldest son wants to open a restaurant with a mysterious new friend, who also appeals to his mother during a period of time which is, for the family in question, fateful.

 

I Am Love is written by Barbara Alberti (Melissa P. (2005)), Ivan Cotroneo (Sisi (2009, TV-series)), Walter Fasano (Mother of Tears (2007)) and Italian master filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Luca Guadagnino (The Protagonists (1999)), whose 5th feature it is. It is the 1st in Guadagnino's Desire trilogy that also comprises A Bigger Splash (2015) and Call Me By Your Name (2017). The title is a literal translation of the original Italian one.

It is a sensual love tale from beautiful Northern Italy with wonderful actors, foremost among them Tilda Swinton (Problemista (2023)) in a lovely performance, which teams with life and lust. The siblings and the chef are also portrayed vividly.

I Am Love is a delectably photographed (cinematography by Yorick Le Saux (Only Lovers Left Alive (2013))) cinematic treat, which somehow steers clear of becoming clichéd. It works its way to a fierce climax, which is open for interpretation, and ends there. The first of his works that most of us met him through, Guadagninos I Am Love deserves a 'Bravo!'

 

Related posts:

 

Luca Guadagnino: Top 10: Best gay-themed titles

Top 10: Best erotic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Call Me by Your Name (2017) - Guadagnino explores desire in sensual, erotic treat  

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 3.6 mil. €, approximately 3.97 mil. $

Box office: 11.7-15.1 mil. $ (different reports)

= Box office success, possibly even a big hit (returned 2.94-3.80 times its cost)

[I Am Love premiered 5 September (Venice Film Festival) and runs 120 minutes. Shooting took place from June - August in Italy and London, England. The film opened #32 to a 121k $ first weekend in 8 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #13 and in 166 theaters (different weeks), grossing 5 mil. $. The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 1 mil. $ and the UK with 620k $. Box Office Mojo lists an 11.7 mil. $ final gross, while The-Numbers.com lists 15.1 mil. $, however without backing it up with a detailed summary. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar, lost to In a Better World/Hævnen from Denmark. It was also nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe and won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Guadagnino returned with 7 short and documentary projects prior to his theatrical return, A Bigger Splash (2015). Swinton returned in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). I Am Love is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of I Am Love?

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

The Top 10 of the Year

1. A Serious Man - Ethan Coen, Joel Coen + Best Dramedy of the Year + Breakthrough Actor of the Year: Michael Stuhlbarg

2. I Killed My Mother/J'ai Tué Ma Mère - Xavier Dolan + Best Canadian Movie of the Year + Best Debut Movie of the Year (Xavier Dolan) + Sexiest Movie of the Year + Best Youth Movie of the Year

3. Coraline - Henry Selick

4. Precious - Lee Daniels + Best Adaptation of the Year + Best Independent Movie of the Year + Most Deserved Hit of the Year

5. City Island - Raymond De Felitta + Best New York Movie of the Year

6. The Cove, documentary - Louie Psihoyos

7. I Love You, Phillip Morris - Glenn Ficarra, John Requa + Best LGBT Movie of the Year + Best Romance of the Year

8. Drag Me to Hell - Sam Raimi + Best Horror Comedy of the Year

9. The Informant! - Steven Soderbergh + Best True-Story Movie of the Year

10. The Last Station - Michael Hoffman + Most Undeserved Flop Movie of the Year + Best Russian Movie of the Year + Best Drama of the Year

Other great movies of the year (in alphabetic order):

(500) Days of Summer - Marc Webb

Adventureland - Greg Mottola + Best Coming-of-Age Movie of the Year

An Education - Lone Scherfig + Best English Movie of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year + Best Shooting Star Actress of the Year: Carey Mulligan

Broken Embraces/Los Abrazos Rotos - Pedro Almodóvar + Best Spanish Movie of the Year

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - Phil Lord, Christopher Miller + Best Family Movie of the Year

Fish Tank - Andrea Arnold

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo/Män Som Hatar Kvinnor - Niels Arden Oplev + Best Danish Movie of the Year + Best Thriller of the Year

Glee - season 1 - Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy + Best High School Title of the Year + Best Musical of the Year + Best New TV-series of the Year 

The Good Heart - Dagur Kári + Best Icelandic Movie of the Year + Most Overlooked Movie of the Year

The Hangover - Todd Phillips + Best Comedy of the Year

In the Electric Mist - Bertrand Tavernier + Best Detective Movie of the Year + Best Louisiana Movie of the Year

It's Complicated - Nancy Meyers + Best Poster of the Year

 

My One and Only - Richard Loncraine + Best Mega-flop Movie of the Year + Road Movie of the Year

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done - Werner Herzog + Best Box Office Disaster of the Year + Shooting Star Actor of the Year: Michael Shannon + Best True-Crime Movie of the Year + Most Under-appreciated Movie of the Year + Worst $ Return of the Year: 0.03 times the cost

Oceans/Océans, documentary - Jacques Cluzard, Jacques Perrin + Best Nature Movie of the Year

Youth in Revolt - Miguel Arteta

Zombieland - Ruben Fleischer + Best Zombie Movie of the Year

Good, recommendable movies of the year (in alphabetic order):

17 Again - Burr Steers + Best Fantasy Comedy of the Year

30 Rock - season 4 - Tina Fey + Best Sitcom of the Year

A Single Man - Tom Ford

Antichrist - Lars Von Trier + Best Horror Movie of the Year

Applause - Martin Zandvliet

Avatar - James Cameron + Best 3D Movie of the Year + Best Adventure Movie of the Year + Blockbuster of the Year (2,787.9 mil. $ gross) + Most Profitable Movie of the Year (805.16 mil. $ range)

Away We Go - Sam Mendes

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans/Bad Lieutenant - Werner Herzog

The Blind Side - John Lee Hancock

Brotherhood/Broderskab - Nicolo Donato

Camping - Jacob Bitsch

Change of Plans/Le Code a Changé - Danièle Thompson

Cold Souls - Sophie Barthes

Crazy Heart - Scott Cooper + Best Music Movie of the Year

Dead Snow/Død Snø - Tommy Wirkola + Best Gore Movie of the Year + Best Norwegian Movie of the Year

Dogtooth/Κυνόδοντας (Kynodontas) - Yorgos Lanthimos + Best Greek Movie of the Year

Funny People - Judd Apatow

The Haunting in Connecticut - Peter Cornwell + Best Haunting Movie of the Year

The House of the Devil - Ti West

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, documentary - Brigitte Berman

Hung - season 1 - Colette Burson, Dmitry Lipkin

In the Loop - Armando Iannucci + Best Political Movie of the Year

Inglorious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino

Land of the Lost - Brad Silberling + Best Huge Flop Movie of the Year + Most Expensive Flop of the Year (72.52 mil. $ range)

Nowhere Boy - Sam Taylor-Wood

 

Observe and Report - Jody Hill + Best Big Flop Movie of the Year + Best Dark Comedy of the Year

Oldboys - Nikolaj Steen

 

A Prophet/Un Prophète - Jacques Audiard + Best Crime Thriller of the Year + Best French Movie of the Year + Best Gangster Movie of the Year + Best Prison Movie of the Year

The Proposal - Anne Fletcher + Best On-Screen Couple of the Year: Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds + Best Romcom of the Year

Saint John of Las Vegas - Hue Rhodes + Best Las Vegas Movie of the Year

The Secret in Their Eyes/El Secreto de Sus Ojos - José Campanella + Best Argentinian Movie of the Year + Best $ Return of the Year: 16.95 times the cost

(Untitled) - Jonathan Parker + Best Satire of the Year

The Bottom 10 of the Year

1. The Fourth Kind - Olatunde Osunsanmi

2. Sand Serpents, TV movie - Jeff Renfroe

3. 2012 - Roland Emmerich

4. Fanboys - Kyle Newman

5. The Limits of Control - Jim Jarmusch + Most Deserved Flop of the Year

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - David Yates + Most Undeserved Hit Movie of the Year

7. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - Stephen Sommers

8. Shrink - Jonas Pate

9. Sherlock Holmes - Guy Ritchie

10. Mr. Nobody - Jaco Van Dormael

Other mediocre, poor and/or failed movies of the year (in alphabetic order):

Black Dynamite - Scott Sanders
The Box - Richard Kelly
Confessions of a Shopaholic - P.J. Hogan
District 9 - Neill Blomkamp
Enter the Void - Gaspar Noé
Fantastic Mr. Fox - Wes Anderson
Fast & Furious - Justin Lin
Get Low - Aaron Schneider

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest/Luftslottet som Sprängdes - Daniel Alfredson 

The Girl Who Played with Fire/Flickan Som Lekte med Elden - Daniel Alfredson
Harry Brown - Daniel Barber

Himlen Falder - Manyar I. Parwani
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) - Tom Six

Law Abiding Citizen - F. Gary Gray + Worst Poster of the Year
Life during Wartime - Todd Solondz 
The Lovely Bones - Peter Jackson  

Mammoth - Lukas Moodysson

Monsters vs. Aliens - Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon 

Mother/마더 (Madeo) - Bong Joon Ho 

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - Shawn Levy 

Nine - Rob Marshall

Public Enemies - Michael Mann 
Solitary Man - Brian Koppelman, David Levien 
Splice - Vincenzo Natali 
Star Trek - J.J. Abrams + Best Science Fiction Movie of the Year

The Twilight Saga: New Moon - Chris Weitz

 
[96 titles in total]

Notes:

The fourth update of the 2009 lists adds 21 titles to the selection, with one title breaching the Top 10 and none entering the Bottom 10 list.

The best of the year list has 5 masterpieces on it: Jumping up the list in this edition to #1 is Ethan and Joel Coen's poignant and hilarious serio-comedy A Serious Man. Silver goes to Canadian prodigy Xavier Dolan's amazing indie youth debut I Killed My Mother, and bronze to Henry Selick's fantastically realized dark family adventure stop-motion animation Coraline. The list goes on with new entry Lee Daniels' affecting social realism drama Precious; Raymond De Felitta's terrifically constructed Long Island-set dramedy City Island; Louie Psihoyos' shocking and devastating dolphin slaughter documentary The Cove; Glenn Ficarra and John Requa incredible true-story romcom I Love You, Phillip Morris, Sam Raimi's superior and zany horror-comedy entertainer Drag Me to Hell; Steven Soderbergh's Matt Damon-vehicle and true-crime laugh riot The Informant!, with Michael Hoffman's marvelous Leo Tolstoy biopic drama The Last Station rounding off the list. Falling from the Top 10 in this edition is James Cameron's blockbuster adventure epic Avatar.
Truly delightful and great are also films of the year by Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank), Lone Scherfig (An Education), Pedro Almodóvar (Broken Embraces), Greg Mottola (Adventureland), Christopher Miller and Phil Lord (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) and others. The year offered shocking European movies (Lars Von Trier's Antichrist, Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth, and, though to a lesser degree shocking, Tommy Wirkola's Dead Snow) and some American genre pleasures (Burr Steers' 17 Again, Ti West's The House of the Devil, Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland and Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds).
In the other end of the spectrum, Wes Anderson made his career's most negligible film to date with Fantastic Mr. Fox. But it isn't bad per se, and therefore cannot mingle with the worst of 2009:
Olatunde Osunsanmi's mockumentary sci-fi-horror The Fourth Kind is without question the worst of the year seen so far, with Jeff Renfroe's abysmal war monster exploitation TV movie Sand Serpents taking silver, and with Roland Emmerich's inane 2012 apocalyptic disaster flick getting bronze in turkeytry. The Bottom 10 goes on with Kyle Newman's boring, unfunny and offensive Fanboys; Jim Jarmusch's art film bore The Limits of Control; David Yates' gloomy, overlong Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Stephen Sommers' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra; Jonas Pate's sad, pointless Shrink; Guy Ritchie's CGI-stupidity Sherlock Holmes, and with Jaco Van Dormael's art movie disaster Mr. Nobody rounding out the list.
Remarkable filmmakers who served sub-par output in 2009 include F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen), Richard Kelly (The Box), Peter Jackson (The Lovely Bones), J.J. Abrams (Star Trek),Todd Solondz (Life during Wartime), Richard Kelly (The Box), Lukas Moodysson (Mammoth), Bong Joon Ho (Mother), Michael Mann (Public Enemies) and Gaspar Noé (Enter the Void).

On the 2010 Oscars:

Hosting the show were the two male stars of the year's not nominated It's Complicated, Steve Martin, who had previously hosted in 2001 and 2003, and Alec Baldwin, who had not hosted before. The ceremony's big change of the year was to expand the Best Picture category from 5 to 10 nominees in a bid to revitalize the show, a practice that had been discontinued in 1944. It was a popular Oscar show, with 42 mil. US viewers, the best result since 2005.
The night's biggest winner was war thriller The Hurt Locker, which was nominated 9 times, equal to the year's big box office draw, Avatar. The competition was noteworthy also because the films' directors Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron used to be married. Hurt Locker won Best Picture, Best Director (Bigelow became the first woman to achieve this), Original Screenplay (Mark Boal), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Film Editing. Avatar followed with 3 Oscars: Best Art Direction, Cinematography (Mauro Fiore) and Visual Effects. Crazy Heart, Precious and Up (the only second animated film (after Beauty and the Beast (1991)) to be nominated for Best Picture) won two Oscars each: Crazy Heart won Best Actor (Jeff Bridges) and Best Song (The Weary Kind; Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett); Precious won Best Adapted Screenplay (Geoffrey Fletcher became the first African-American to achieve the honor) and Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique); and Up won Best Animation and Best Score (Michael Giacchino). Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for The Blind Side, Christoph Waltz Best Supporting Actor for Inglorious Basterds. Argentinian The Secret in their Eyes won Best Foreign Film, and The Cove Best Documentary. Star Trek won for Best Makeup, The Young Victoria Best Costumes. The short film Oscars went to Music by Prudence (doc.), The New Tenants (live action) and Logorama (animated). Honorary Oscars went to Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman and Gordon Willis. A memorial Oscar went to John Calley. 

IMDb's users' most popular 2009 titles:

1. Inglorious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino
2. A Christmas Carol - Robert Zemeckis
3. Avatar - James Cameron
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - David Yates
5. Watchmen - Zack Snyder
6. The Hangover - Todd Phillips
7. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Gavin Hood
8. Star Trek - J.J. Abrams
9. State of Play - Kevin Macdonald
10. The Lovely Bones - Peter Jackson

 

Highest-grossing films of the year:

1. Avatar (20th Century Fox) - 2,743.5 mil. $
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros.) - 933.9 mil. $
3. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (20th Century Fox) - 886.6 mil. $
4. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount) - 836.3 mil. $
5. 2012 (Sony Pictures) - 769.6 mil. $
6. Up (Disney) - 735 mil. $
7. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit) - 709.8 mil. $
8. Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.) - 524 mil. $
9. Angels & Demons (Sony Pictures) . 485.9 mil. $
10. The Hangover (Warner Bros.) - 469.3 mil. $

Biggest flops of the year:

[The loss is based solely on the cost and box office earnings for the films. Marketing costs and additional revenue (home video, TV rights and other auxiliary profits) are not taken into account] 

1. Land of the Lost - 72.52 mil. $ range

2. Nine - 58.4 mil. $ range
3. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - 54.04 mil. $ range

4. Oceans - 46.8 mil. $ range
5. Funny People 46.4 mil. $ range
6. Mr. Nobody - 45.6 mil. $ range
7. The Lovely Bones - 27.56 mil. $ range

8. Monsters vs. Aliens - 22.4 mil. $ range
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox - 21.44 mil. $ range
10. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - 20.84 mil. $ range

= Combined losses: 369.6 mil. $

Biggest hits of the year:

[The gain is based solely on the cost and box office earnings for the films. Marketing costs and additional revenue (home video, TV rights and other auxiliary profits) are not taken into account]  

1. Avatar - 805.16 mil. $ range

2. The Twilight Saga: New Moon - 234.4 mil. $ range
3. The Hangover - 151.96 mil. $ range
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 123.76 mil. $ range
5. Sherlock Holmes - 119.6 mil. $ range
6. 2012 - 107.84 mil. $ range
7. The Blind Side - 94.68 mil. $ range
8. Fast & Furious - 60.24 mil. $ range
9. Inglorious Basterds - 58.56 mil. $ range
10. District 9 - 54.32 mil. $ range

= Combined profits: 1,810.52 mil. $

2009 titles still on the watch-list:

The String, From Beginning to End, Giallo, Motherhood, The Maid, Tetro, Pandorum, Agora, The Young Victoria, Coco Before Chanel, The Princes and the Frog, Logorama, The Lady and the Reaper, The New Tenants, Kavi, Miracle Fish, China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, Rabbit à la Berlin, The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Which Way Home, Ajami, The Secret of Kells, The Milk of Sorrow, The Final Inch, A Christmas Carol, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, State of Play, The Wind Journeys, Mother and Child, Daddy Longlegs, Gentlemen Broncos, Down Terrace

Previous annual lists: 

    
2022 in films - according to Film Excess 

2021 in films - according to Film Excess 

2020 in films - according to Film Excess 

2019 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2019 in films - according to Film Excess 
2018 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2018 in films - according to Film Excess  
2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2017 in films - according to Film Excess
2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2016 in films - according to Film Excess

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV] 
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2014 in films - according to Film Excess

2013 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED VI] 
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2013 in films - according to Film Excess    
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V] 
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2012 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2012 in films - according to Film Excess
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess   

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess
2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess   

2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
2001 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

1997 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

1996 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

1995 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

1994 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

1993 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

1992 in films - according to Film Excess

What do you think of the 2009 lists?
Which 2009 films are your favorites and the bottom of the year in your opinion? 
What important 2009 title/s is/are missing on the watch-list?