With 2009 coming to a close, I looked back on all the great movies I saw this year and those that were not so great. I will make this list short and sweet since most of the list is comprised of films I’ve already reviewed. Any way, without further ado I figured I’d start with the worst so we can end on a positive note.

The Worst:

10. “Miss March”: This movie looked dumb from the get-go, but my friends and I rented it anyway because we figured it would be good for a few laughs. Boy were we wrong. This was a pretty lame and unfunny movie about two guys trying to break into the Playboy mansion.

9. “Year One”: While I wasn’t surprised that I wouldn’t like this movie, I still figured that with some of the great comic actors it should squeeze out a few good laughs right? Wrong. Instead the jokes felt older then the title would suggest.

8. “Old Dogs”: John Travolta did a great job in “The Taking of Pelham 123” and then does what he always does when he has a hit; he follows it up with a really bad movie. Robin Williams is guilty of this too. He follows “World’s Greatest Dad” with this horrendous attempt at comedy. At least he made up for it with his latest HBO special.

7. “Surrogates”: This could’ve been a cool movie but unfortunately it was just another lame action movie.

6. “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”: I realize I’m prejudiced towards this boy wizard, but in spite of that I tried to find something to like. Instead it bored me to death and I wished there was a spell I could cast that would make it entertaining.

5. “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”: They really dropped the ball with this one. You have one of the best faces to use performance capture on and Zemeckis squandered this golden opportunity. Jim Carrey did a wonderful job but everything else felt like a sterile book report. Though on a positive the 3D was neat.

4. “2012”: If you’ve seen the trailer you’ve seen the movie. Buildings fall down and monuments are destroyed.

3. “Ninja Assassin”: You’d think a movie about ninjas would be awesome but this one manages to tease you with some great action scenes in the beginning then just becomes dull.

2. “X-MEN ORIGINS: Wolverine”: My god! I wanted Wolverine to reach in his wallet, take out his man card and allow me to suspend it for awhile. This was supposed to show us how much of a beast he is but instead he’s softer then the Detroit Lions.

1. “Terminator: Salvation”: This movie managed to beat my childhood with a nightstick. I hated this movie more then anything I’ve seen this year. It’s bad when the best part of a movie is a YouTube clip of its lead cussing out a lighting guy for ten minutes.

The Best:

I always want to end on a high note, so here are the best movies I saw this year. This list was difficult as this year was a great year for movies and ideally this list would be my Oscar ballot . Same rules apply; I will spend little time on the ones I’ve reviewed previously and I’ll devote more time to the ones I wish I could’ve reviewed but had to rent instead.

10. “(500) Days of Summer”/”Away We Go”:
I rarely enjoy romantic comedies because they are usually predictable and unrealistic. I was surprised at both of these films as they not only were well written but the romantic leads had great chemistry. Rent both of these movies – they are ten times better then “The Proposal” or “The Ugly Truth”.

9. “Funny People”:
While it wasn’t the movie people thought it was going to be, it featured an amazing performance by Adam Sandler. I am a stand-up nerd and appreciated the detail it went in by showing the world that comedians live in.

8. “Star Trek”:
I am an anti Treki by nature yet had a blast watching this new version. It did a great job making Trekis and non-Trekis happy, which is no easy task.

7. “Precious”:
This was a brutal film but also amazing. Gabourney Sidibe is this year’s breakout actress and Mo’Nique played one of the most evil people I’ve ever seen on screen and will get an Oscar for it.

6. “Avatar”:
Worth every bit of praise and hype it received. Pandora was so beautiful and breathtaking. The 3D was awesome and the action was great as well.

5. “District 9”:
The most original movie all year and the breakout film for director Neill Blomkamp. Considering it had a low budget, it proved that you don’t need “Avatar” money to make a great Sci Fi movie.

4. “Inglorious Basterds”:
Quentin Tarantino did a wonderful job fictionalizing World War II. While some would’ve liked more action I thought that the movie could’ve used more Brad Pitt because his Aldo Raine was an absolute hoot to watch.

3. “The Hangover”:
Easily the most quotable movie all year and the funniest.

2. “Where the Wild Things Are”:
No movie has ever captured the raw emotion of childhood like this.

1. “Up in the Air”/”Up”:
I had a hard time so deciding, but knew that both of them had to be on this list. So I’m calling it a tie.

• “Up” showed how Pixar is getting riskier as time goes on. The opening montage with Carl and Ellie hit emotional pay dirt and Dug was one of Pixar’s best characters.
• “Up in the Air” shows George Clooney at his finest and the writing was top notch. This film perfectly captured 2009 America without losing its sense of humor.

Thank You for reading not only this piece, but any that I’ve done this year. Getting to review movies for KHTS is an absolute blast and I look forward to continue this next year.

-Chauncey Telese