Russell's Top 10 of 2009

10. Terminator Salvation - I must say as a fan that a Terminator movie being released after T2:Judgement Day is very ambitious, however I did enjoy the fresh take on the story that McG discoverd in this film. Great action scenes and cool FX. An entertaining adventure.

9. The Hangover - Damn, I gotta go to Vegas! Zach Galifianakis is king in this movie, transforming his quirky stand-up presence onto the silver screen very effectively. I enjoyed how the movie started with the "hangover", and worked backwards, automatically placing the viewer in the same state of mind as the characters.

8. Up - Made me a kid again. This was one of the first movies that I saw in 3d - roping me into the story from the opening scene. Pixar is building a long list of classic films - I'm eagerly awaiting the next.

7. Where the Wild Things Are - Ever since I saw the trailer to this film the excitement started to build. To me, the hype surrounding its release didn't affect my viewing experience, because I had this book read to me every night before bed when I was 7, so the hype's been building for a while. Spike Jonze somehow brought these characters to the big screen with no/little special effects - and the backdrop of the South Australian coast/dunes made the fantasy even more real.

6. Up in the Air - When I grow up, I want to be George Clooney. I was pretty excited to see this movie after enjoying Juno so much, and Reitman delivered on both script and film. It made me appreciate life and all it's worth - that's a good enough reason for number 6.

5. A Serious Man - Oh boy, what a movie experience this was. To me the Coens are up there with the best in making quality films. Every one of theirs I have seen has evoked so much mixed feelings, and none more so than A Serious Man. I think everyone identifies with Larry, a confused everyman asking questions to which there can be no answer.

4. Shutter Island - I don't want to give too much away, so I won't. Leo and Ruffalo are top notch. Just watch this movie if you haven't already. Scorsese is the man.

3. District 9 - My heart was pounding from the get-go. Blomkamp somehow made you feel love for the ugly alien creatures through the infiltration of Wickus into their domain. The blatent reference to apartheid was used effectively to evoke emotion from the viewer, while at the same time raising awareness of its existence to the broad public with a kick-ass movie.

2. Avatar - This 2 and a half hour roller-coaster is the ultimate fantasy. The story is so simple, yet it makes me think about life and love so much more than if a Michael Bay made this film. The 3d is so freakin awesome as well - it's strange to think that it won an oscar for cinematography, but I think all you need to do is watch this again and you'll realise why.

1. Inglorious Basterds - I wish that I could shrink Quentin Tarantino, put him in my pocket, and make him write everything that comes out of my mouth - if I could do that, I would be the coolest motherfucker out. I'm not sure how he did it but the script in this movie is perfect - the words spoken by the actors put a big fat smile on my face. QT was lucky to have such an awesome cast as well, both Waltz and Pitt delivered their lines with such gusto - especially Waltz. The opening scene is probably my favourite - when the "Jew Hunter" downs the glass of milk.. cinema gold.

- Russell