Vuelvo este año a hacerme eco de la árdua tarea de Michael Cook y el equipo de MercatorNet para seleccionar una lista comprometida ("solid entertainment, sound human values and artistic merit") de las "mejores películas" de 2009.
Como las "mejores" películas no lo son en abstracto, porque lo son para alguien concreto, sigo coincidiendo en muy buena parte y por tanto fiándome de la lista elaborada en MercatorNet (sé que con sangre, sudor y lágrimas), que paso a ofrecer. Aunque, como es lógico, en no pocos casos me gustaría añadir un comentario. Pero no lo haré: siempre quedan los comentarios a esta anotación para decir algo.
En orden alfabético inglés (añadiendo el link de cada título en Wikipedia), aquí están:
The Blind Side
Directed by John Lee Hancock
Starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates
An
uplifting fact-based story of a wealthy couple in Memphis who adopt a
talented black football player from the wrong side of the tracks and do
all they can to help him improve academically. Sandra Bullock does a
great job as a devout Christian mother who believes that "with God all
things are possible".
Bright Star
Directed by Jane Campion
Starring Ben Whishaw, Abbie Cornish, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox, Thomas Sangster
Drama based on the three-year romance
between 19th century Romantic poet John Keats and his inspiration,
Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keats' untimely death at age 25.
An excellent period drama by New Zealand director Jane Campion.
Capitalism: a love story
Directed by Mike Moore
You
don’t watch Mike Moore documentaries to get a serene, balanced view of
American politics. You watch it to get enraged – either at The System
or at his knee-jerk liberalism. Wherever you stand politically, the
Global Financial Crisis is making a lot of people ask the same
questions as Moore does. Why do some airline pilots have to supplement
their paychecks by selling their blood?
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris
An unsuccessful young inventor creates a
machine that makes cheeseburgers and other food fall from the sky. He
finds a kindred spirit in a rookie weather reporter assigned to cover
the bizarre climactic phenomenon. Great in 3-D. There’s a moral to this
cheerful animated comedy about the dangers of gluttony.
Departures
Directed by Yōjirō Takita
Starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kimiko Yo, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Takashi Sasano
This unusual Japanese drama won an Oscar
for best foreign film. It tells the story of an unemployed cellist who
finds a job in a funeral parlour. Far from being a dismal job, he
discovers that through his new profession he can help soothe the sorrow
of grieving relatives. The climax comes when he has to help prepare the
body of his estranged father. A great film about human dignity.
District 9
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Robert Hobbs
This is a science fiction film in mock
documentary style about racial prejudice and discrimination. A number
of human-sized aliens who look like insects are stranded in the slums
of Johannesburg where they are treated with contempt by humans. Finally
the government decides to herd them all into a concentration camp. The
ensuing violence is very graphic but delivers a powerful message about
tolerance and solidarity.
Drag me to hell
Directed by Sam Raimi
Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, Adriana Barraza, David Paymer, Reggie Lee
Before director Sam Raimi made the
Spiderman films, his specialty was horror. He returns to his favourite
genre in this over-the-top tongue-in-cheek thriller. A loan officer is
ordered to evict an old crone from her home. But the gypsy woman curses
her and condemns her to hell in three days’ time. Believe it or not,
this was a big hit with the critics. Only if you have an appetite for
campy humour.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon,
Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter
The latest instalment of the Harry Potter
saga was also the highest-grossing film of 2009. Older now, Harry is
getting closer to the forces of darkness whose leader, Lord Voldemort,
murdered Harry's parents. For the first time there are romantic
complications. Amazingly, the special effects and narrative maintain
the same high standards as the previous films.
The Hurt Locker
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty
This film follows a three-man US Army bomb
disposal team during the Iraq War as they contend with defusing bombs,
the threat of insurgents, and the tension that develops between them.
Many critics thought that this is the best film yet about the war in
Iraq, with impeccable acting and heart-stopping suspense.
Invictus
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon
A
powerful and uplifting film about reconciliation after decades of
apartheid in South Africa. After Nelson Mandela becomes president, he
sees that he has to balance black aspirations against white fears. One
way was to back the Springboks, the legendary South African rugby team,
in the 1995 World Cup. Against all the odds, the mostly-white Boks win
15-12 in extra time. White and black are united in their triumph.
Slumdog Millionaire
Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Ayush
Mahesh Khedekar, Tanay Chheda, Rubina Ali, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar,
Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala
This
is not a film which inspires indifference. It won 8 Oscars for its
vibrant portrayal of an orphan in a Mumbai slum, but has been harshly
criticised for demeaning the slum dwellers. The story line is
imaginative (and sometimes absurd): a "tea wallah" goes for the biggest
ever prize on a quiz show. He is so successful, in spite of his poor
education, that he is suspected of cheating. The narrative unfolds as
he explains his life to the police. An exuberant, exotic romance mixed
with graphic violence, appalling poverty and a message of hope and
human dignity. The music is terrific, especially the signature song,
Jai Ho. However, some scenes are not for people with weak stomachs.
Up
Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob
Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger, Elie Docter
After
Finding Nemo, Up is Pixar’s most successful film to day. It tells the
story of an elderly widower named Carl Fredricksen and an overeager
wilderness explorer named Russell who fly to South America in a
floating house suspended from helium balloons. Everyone (well, almost
everyone) will appreciate the touching lessons about love and loss,
marriage, friendship, and perseverance in this beautiful and
entertaining animated film.
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Actualización: Algún lector me comenta su sorpresa por la ausencia de "Gran Torino" de Clint Eastwood: sucede que es de 2008.
Puede verse las listas de las "mejores películas 2009" de los miembros del equipo que hace Fila Siete.
Puede verse también la lista de Las cincuenta mejores películas de la década 2000 - 2009, ofrecida por CinemaNet.info.
Además de las listas aquí publicadas en Scriptor.org, en años anteriores (2006, 2007), pueden verse otras listas de interés más específico, como las publicadas por Peio Sánchez sobre "cine espiritual" (2008, 2009).
¡Falta Ponyo en el acantilado! :-)
Estas listas son muy útiles y me lleva un año completar las lista de vistos con lo cual me ahorran un montón de trabajo.
Publicado por: XavMP | 12 enero 2010 en 03:15 p.m.
No te preocupes, Xavier: si encuentro una lista para los pequeños (con "Ponyo en el acantilado"), te la paso. Muchas gracias y saludos desde el norte, JJ
Publicado por: JJG Noblejas | 12 enero 2010 en 04:05 p.m.