The Top Movies of 2009

This is the 3rd in a series of 12 posts discussing the top movies of each year. Today we focus on 2009. Remember, these are not necessarily the best movies of the year or the most profitable, but the ones that will still make an impact in 2025.

10. Moon- Smaller movie that wasn't seen by many, but extremely loved by those who did. More importantly, it might have revealed the next great filmmaker in Duncan Jones, who since Moon has already succeeded with Source Code.

9. Watchmen- Considered a moderate flop as it didn't make the crazy cash that most comic book films do, but if you expected this to be like most comic book films....you didn't read the graphic novel. Watchmen is a very unique and incredible novel, and the film backed it up. Director Zack Snyder showed you could stay eerily true to the source material while still making necessary changes.

8. (500) Days of Summer- A personal favorite, and the movie that made people realize just how good Joseph Gordon-Levitt was going to be post 3rd Rock from the Sun (if only more people had seen Brick....). In addition the film was so well respected it made Zooey Deschanel into an it girl, and also got the director (Marc Webb) who was previously unknown, the coveted Spiderman reboot gig. Very few films can have a random break into song scene and still be effective, but this one did.

7. Up- First film that made me cry in a long time, and the first ever that got to me in the first ten minutes Pixar has had a lot of success, but this film was a colossal achievement for them, and is still quoted 3 years later.

6. Star Trek- Lets be honest, when people debate Star Wars vs. Star Trek, very few Trekkies ever win that fight, but thanks to this amazing reboot/prequel/sequel(?), Trek fans now have a real case to make. JJ Abrams brought his A game and perfectly cast the crew of the Enterprise. The film made a star out of Chris Pine, and really pushed Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, and Simon Pegg into the A list. Abrams made the controversial decision to use an alternate reality instead of rebooting the whole franchise, and while the plot is more confusing, its that respect for the source material that showed how much Abrams loves it.

5. District 9- Marketed like a found footage alien drama, District 9 instead became the coolest and most unique action film in a long time. Shockingly violent, and surprisingly political, no one got what they expected with District 9, and in this case, that's a good thing.

4. Sherlock Holmes- Another reboot of classic material, and to cast American Robert Downey Jr as Holmes....shocking. Yet director Guy Ritchie came back in a big way and made one of the coolest films of the decade. With action that redefined the genre similar to how The Matrix reinvented gun fights, Sherlock Holmes is a film we are still talking about 3 years later.

3. Avatar- Highest box office ever (not counting inflation..), game changing special effects, and critical success, and yet its only number 3? Reason for this is because it doesn't seem like Avatar is on people's conscious as much as some other films on this list. People are still talking about what might be in the sequel, but it just doesn't seem like Avatar will hold up enough to be the modern day Star Wars. None the less, the impact it made on movie making cannot be ignored, and while 3 is low, its still very high when you consider how many movies came out since then.

2. Inglorious Basterds- Box office and critical success is what made Basterds so memorable to the masses, however its the two lead performances that make it memorable to movie fans. Brad Pitt redefined an entire career to play Lt. Aldo Raine, and he came with a performance that is still being quoted today. We also received an Oscar winning and career defining performance from relative newcomer Christoph Waltz. Quentin Tarantino reminded us just why he is considered a top filmmaker after falling off with the Kill Bill films.

1. The Hangover- Yes, I know. A comedy at number 1? Silly right? But think about it, what other film has been talked about more? What other film is still quoted on a daily basis? Made tons of money? Spawned a blockbuster (if lackluster) sequel? And was loved by everyone..everywhere? In addition, notice the streak of R rated comedies that have been pouring out lately? Judd Apatow had a lot to do with that, but it was The Hangover who pushed the industry to the boiling point.

Honorable Mentions- An Education, Up in the Air.

-Maximus