THE BEST FILMS OF 2009 YOU DIDN'T SEE: THE HURT LOCKER

The story of the 2009 movie year is one of conflict; where big-buck phenomenals went head on against the “regular movies.”  Where the 400 million “Transformers…,” 300 million “Harry Potter…,” “Twilight…,” and “Up” and the 250 million “Star Trek…,” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks…” overwhelmed the likes of “Invictus,” “Up in the Air,” and “Public Enemies.” And, of course, we've re-elected James Cameron King of the World (is everyone seeing "Avatar" at least twice?).

But the real story of the year is Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker -- tops on List Blogster’s inventory of the  movies of 2009 that you never saw. The Iraq war movie about a cream-of-the-crop bomb squad,  has been through one hell of a fantastic, tenacious journey from total obscurity, and financial failure, to become an odds-on winner at the Academy Awards.

When I saw it last summer there were two people in the theater: me and the projectionist.  Yes, I’ll use the appropriate metaphor: we were blown away. Constant exaltations to my movie-loving friends, along with anyone in hearing range, got a bored nod. “Check the reviews if you don’t believe me,” I added in a last ditch effort.

Was this for real? The best film of the year and no one is seeing it?

It’s different now, of course. Six months after opening, THL is kicking butt as it presses through awards season and people are finally, finally seeing the movie. Which raises the question: Do audiences really need awards to prompt them into seeing a good movie? How sad is that?

Final note: as the projectionist and I talked after the screening, we agreed how the final shot was a wonderful, memorable image: a striking long shot that movingly ties everything together.

THE BEST FILMS OF 2009 YOU DIDN'T SEE

First list for the Movie List Blogster in 2010.  And we’ll start with:

Some of the best movies of 2009 that you never saw –

or even had a chance to see. 

Without big ad campaigns or distribution deals they came and went so fast they may as well have gone straight to DVD.

Adventureland

To his credit, writer-director Greg Mottola didn’t follow 2007's “Superbad”  with something like  “Superbad Goes Badder,” and instead treated moviegoers to this smart and inspired coming-of -age comedy.  Kristen Stewart (much better here than in the “Twilight” films) and Jesse Eisenberg  (“Zombieland”) play troubled, growing, young twentysomethings, as they and their pals go through the usual drinking and sexing escapades while home from college for the summer working at an amusement park. A tired, overdone genre for sure, but stifle that yawn.  This is a super screenplay where characters comically think and act beyond the genre’s sophomoric set-ups for gross-out gags. And the movie has one of the coolest soundtracks in recent memory.

Julia 

She’s a middle-age barfly persuaded to kidnap a young boy to get him out of harm’s way. Or so she believes. Actually, there’s big money in it too. Part of what makes “Julia” so fascinating is this character’s complexity, along with a kidnapping story that twists and turns towards the unexpected. But most of all it’s the riveting performance by Tilda Swinton.  Her Julia is so real you feel she’s on the next bar stool and you’re buying her a drink. It’s the performance of the year, far and away above that other Julia (Meryl Streep as Julia Child).

Thirst

 South Korea’s most famous filmmaker, Park Chan-Wook, goes all Nosferatu, teaming up a Catholic priest with a sexually awakening young lady as the Nick and Nora Charles of vampires.  The priest first realizes he’s a vampire, and has an attraction to his first female, when he senses blood while she’s having her period.  Over-the-top, farcical, sexy stuff -- and of course, as in any Park movie, explicitly gory.  Amid the slurping, gargling, and blood-smeared lips, Park’s vampires struggle with sin, redemption, and other very Catholic themes. But don’t let that be a put off. “Thirst” is not about to get the Vatican’s seal of approval. 

Me and Orson Welles

Without doubt, Christian Mckay joins Christopher Waltz for acting honors in 2009. His dead-on Orson Welles, in this Richard Linklater film (“Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset”) about Welles’ theater group putting on a modern version of “Julius Caesar”  in 1937, is a must.  We see Welles through young Richard (Zac Efron), an actor hired for a small part, and we become as enthralled as Richard, watching this charismatic man’s grandiose ego, scheming manipulations and outright narcissistic sadism. Mckay’s performance creeped me out: his inflection, movement, vocal menace and charm is like a real Welles playing himself. This is a movie about a creative genius being creative and in turn shows us why everyone puts up with his tyrannical abuse. Welles offered artistic, creative people a rare opportunity to practice their art.  He made careers. By the way, for curious “High School Musical” fans out there, all of you under sixteen and reading this: Zac Efron can act.

UPCOMING LISTS:

MORE 2009 BEST FILMS YOU NEVER SAW

BEST VAMPIRE MOVIE (taking bets if Twilight makes the list)

BEST KISSING SCENES