Nigh Journal

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

My favourite bits of movies from 2009.

I’m half-way through several different blog posts but, as it’s Christmas Eve, I just fancied talking about stuff I liked this year. Rather than do my own abitrary ‘best of’ list, these are the bits from the films I’ve seen in 2009 that have really stuck with me.  

This will contain *MILD SPOILERS* but I’ll make every effort to try and make sure I don’t give more away than watching the trailers. If you’ve seen the films I’ve listed, you’ll know the bits I mean anyway. In the order I saw them…

1. ‘The Swimming Pool Scene’ from Let the Right One In

Also one of my favourite books of late (and one I’d read before I saw the film), the climax of Let the Right One In turns one or two sentences from the novel into a real gasp-inducing ‘how did they do that?’ set piece. But what really grabbed me was the emotional bond it suggested between innocent Oskar and once-innocent Eli. Bonus points as well for the additional coda (not in the book) that had me snuffling and trying to ‘get something out of my eye’.

2. ‘The Birth of James T. Kirk’ from Star Trek

As the Star Trek timeline is re-written forever, in his opening set-piece JJ Abrams also managed to create a perfect blend of action, emotion, sound and fury. Whatever your thoughts on the whole film, George Kirk trying to hear about his newborn son as he valiantly stays on board the USS Kelvin to enable his crew’s escape sets the tone that audiences needed - that Starfleet Captains have to be double bastard-hard. I don’t think the rest of the film ever reaches the heady heights of this opening gambit…but what an opening.

3. ‘GERTY trundles in’ from Moon

The others on this list aren’t necessarily my top five entire movies of 2009 - but, without a doubt, MOON is my movie of the year. This also made it hard to choose just one moment from it as director Duncan Jones had Sam Rockwell doing too many cool things. However, the bit where robotic assistant GERTY (benevolently voiced by Kevin Spacey) shows whose side he’s really on is probably when this movie became something else for me.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I really recommend this film and hope you like it as much as I did! 

4. ‘Wikus escorts Christopher Johnson’ from District 9

I don’t think I’m alone in being surprised by this film. I think a lot of us were expecting more a of a satirical edge where District 9 seemed much happier becoming an action film. Not necessarily a problem, mind you. While I wasn’t always on board with the film, the transformation of MNU operative Wikus into the shamed-protector of a ‘prawn’ called Christopher Johnson became an exhilarating showdown that still hit me with strong characterisation - particularly the bit where, in desperation, Wikus plays ‘catch’ with an incoming projectile. I gasped.

5. ‘So long, fellahs…’ from Up.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the opening sequence that stunned an audience into blubbering submission. But that’s why I’ve chosen the bit immediately afterwards, the joyous catharsis of cranky Carl not giving in and taking off. This scene is the key moment in all of the trailers and marketing for this movie so we’d all seen it a thousand times already but this is my final choice because, once we’d been hit with the bittersweet context, we needed this scene. And it was brilliant!

* * * * *

I’ve limited myself to five, but I should throw in an honourable mention to Paranormal Activity too. The ending is as scary as you’ve heard (and taught me that I don’t scream so much as yell ‘WAHEY!’ when I’m made to jump in fear - how embarrassing ) but the bit the bit that really creeped me was the pay-off to boyfriend Micah’s experiments in catching their ‘intruder’s’ footprints in flour. Yikes.

I know I’ve missed a few out, so what were your best movie bits? And, to all who want it, I wish you a very merry one!