Other Notable Films of 2009

- District 9
- Antichrist
- A Serious Man

- Bright Star

- (500) Days Of Summer

8. Where The Wild Things Are

Maurice Sendak’s story just got stretched and the gaps filled in with putty by Spike Jonze. But was the putty the right colour? and more importantly, was it any good? I think so. I think the whole thing might be a bit heavy for anyone under the age of seven, but maybe that's the point. Even in your imagination things don't always work out well. I liked the wild rumpus bit and I can imagine kids would rather watch that bit on repeat than have to deal with the complications of the end.

7. Up

I'm going to admit it, I don't like Disney, I don't like Pixar, I don't like animations where everything looks like plastic. Why do we feed our kids this saccharine garbage? Why not give them something more imaginative like Hayao Miyazaki and the beautifully drawn works of studio Ghibli? This is what I thought until I saw Up. The characters of Up feel so much more genuine and the story holds down an undeniable ingenuity. In fact, it feels a little like Miyazaki's pencil has been wrapped in cling film. He's not secretly working for Pixar is he?

6.Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces)

I don't particularly like making a fuss of directors, but I love Pedro Almodovar unashamedly. He has not made a film I dislike and Broken Embraces is no exception. Everything is sensual once again and we're back in the world of strange fantasies and a world divided by sexuality. Has he done it before? Yes he has, but who cares, its still brilliant.

5. Das weisse Band (The White Ribbon)

The Palme d’Or this year went to this quite incredible film. Michel Haneke, in The White Ribbon shows us a film so expertly made it already feels like a classic. It balances with great expertise thrills, drama, intrigue and love. It is one of those films that comes with brilliant casting and such genuine acting that it is as believable as a documentary. A film that is as entertaining as it is provoking. Timeless.

4. 35 Rhums (35 Shots of Rum)

This isn't a film where telling the story or explaining the themes is going to have any impact on why this film is so brilliant. So I won't go down that route, instead I'll say that this is a film made with such expertise that every moment is an untold joy. A film in which everyday life becomes so tender and so transient, the characters so full but yet still unknown. It looks at a type of French life that is rarely seen, a land between the rural and the  cities. A mysterious piece of realism that stays with you.

3. Moon

A stunning début from David Bowies son, Duncan Jones. The story follows Sam Bell who has just a few days left of his lonely 3 year contact taking care of a Helium-3 extraction plant on the moon, but nothing is quite as it seems. It is almost impossible for me to say more without ruining the story. I think it is sufficient to say that this a film about the human condition and without a doubt, the saddest film set on the moon I have ever seen. Science fiction hasn't been this poignant since Kubric's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

2. Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In)

The year has been, without a doubt, a good year for vampires. A vast array of vampire films and tv shows have appeared. Whilst some push ground, others appear to be little more than styling gel adverts. Let The Right On In takes vampires seriously; something that is not easy to do. More than this, it is a film about childhood, about parentage and about children understanding love. The film may be about love, but it is devoid of tiring sentiment or romance. It is dark and grim and full of the dark, distinctly not sexy world that vampires should truly inhabit. Murnau would be proud.

1. The Hurt Locker

There haven't been many films about the Iraq war and the ones that have been made suddenly pale in significance to The Hurt Locker. One of the most believable and moving war films I have ever seen. The Hurt Locker follows a bomb disposal team on the ground in Baghdad. It shows the unease in the city coupled with clashes of culture and language barriers between Iraqis and the occupiers. Tense and utterly convincing the film deals with the impression war leaves upon the soldiers. The thrill of war and heroism is a drug so strong, is there ever really any rehabilitation for those who have been there? A must see, no description will ever do this film justice.

O D E T O J O Y !

11 hours ago began the official start of J O Y! Magazine, in the form of a facebook group. 11 hours ago I invited 9 people to join, now we have 64 members. this is good going. so this is the J O Y ! Blog. Yay! I will post articles here, plus general shit. G O J O Y !