Added by Chani on 16 Jul 2009 12:04

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Seen in '09

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Decade: Rating: List Type:

2100

7.4

7.7

Changeling (2008)

A very absorbing drama.. all the more so because it is based on true events.
Incredible performance from Angelina Jolie (especially the scene where Christine confronts Gordon Northcott after he requests to meet with her). Great performances all round and a movie well worth watching.

Chani's rating:

2261

7.8

7.9

Let the Right One In

The contrast of a coming-of-age love story (of sorts) and a chilling vampire tale, which I found entrancing. Characters that are easy to connect with & scenes that can chill you without being excessively violent or gory.
A beautiful movie, both visually & story-wise.

Chani's rating:

1257

7.1

7.5

Doubt (2008)

Riveting dialogue, perfect casting (loved Meryl Streep particularly in this) and a story which seems quite simple on the surface but actually keeps you wondering throughout & has an unexpected little twist in it.
A compelling drama.

Chani's rating:

2845

7.7

Coraline (2009)

Wonderfully kooky animated film & has a dark twist. Loved this movie visually ~ one of my new faves.

Chani's rating:

1425

6.6

7.1

Valkyrie (2008)

A solid & most interesting story. I had never heard of 'Operation Valkyrie' before I watched this (.. asleep during my history lessons maybe) but I think I was glued to the screen with this movie. Stellar casting aswell.

Chani's rating:

4030

7.5

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Brilliantly shot & told story.. it has realistic drama, is really funny in places aswell as a being a love story. The kids in this film are fantastic to watch too.
Yep.. I join the hype with this one.

Chani's rating:

5476

8.4

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

a couple or so scenes containing long & almost tiresome dialogue.. but don't let that put you off as I found this movie hugely entertaining.

Chani's rating:

4803

8.2

Up (2009)

A beautiful and 'different' intro for an animated movie, this grabs you by the heart practically before the adventure has started. Visually wonderful, cute characters.. brilliant family film.

Chani's rating:

3203

7.5

7.9

District 9

A very entertaining sci-fi flick with a well-made mock documentary style filming. The plot is familiar yet done with a unique twist. The effects and action are great to watch (though I didn't care for the slow intro).
Overall.. very enjoyable to watch.

Chani's rating:

2193

7.3

7.5

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Surprisingly much better than I anticipated.
This is a gritty, realistic and intense war film that doesn't feed you anything other than 'this is what an army bomb squad stationed in Iraq may endure on day-to-day basis' (i.e. no politics, blame or bias!)
Great filming & excellent performances.

Chani's rating:

5438

8.4

WALL·E (2008)

Brilliantly animated, adorable characters & an engaging and emotive story - all this from an animated movie ~ wow!

Chani's rating:

4606

7.3

7.8

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Lovely both visually and by way of story-telling - and this is a long story. I liked the aging effects & the chemistry on-screen between Brad Pitt & Cate Blanchett.
Quite a beautiful film overall.

Chani's rating:

3147

8.1

Gran Torino (2008)

Powerful & memorable film - incredibly watchable as the story unfolds and a great ending. What a performance from Clint Eastwood!

Chani's rating:

807

7.1

Bronson (2009)

Outstanding performance from Tom Hardy ~ he captures the much talked about idea of Charles Bronson as a cocky fame-seeking hardman.
This wasn't what I expected, nor may have you - an amusing rather than out & out brutal movie with an unusual but striking filming style. A one-man theatrical show in more ways than I'd have guessed.

Chani's rating:

2283

7.6

7.9

The Wrestler (2008) (2009)

Brilliant performance from Mickey Rourke as 'The Ram' - a wrestler forced into early retirement and a man having difficulty adjusting to life outside the ring.
I didn't expect to like this movie but the emotional story, great acting (Marisa Tomei & Evan Rachel Wood included) & realistic feel made this movie very immersive.

Chani's rating:

1559

5.4

5.5

Jennifer's Body (2009)

A teen horror movie with some biting humour.
I thought this was well cast and fun to watch, pretty much what I expected having seen the trailer (if you don't like the trailer - don't watch!).
Overall, quite entertaining.

Chani's rating:

407

6.8

6.3

The Edge of Love (2008)

This movie is loosely based on a period in the life of poet Dylan Thomas. Engaging story with great performances from the cast. Visually captive too.

Chani's rating:

734

6.9

7.2

Defiance (2009)

Convincing performances from Daniel Craig & Liev Schreiber & an interesting plot meant it was easy to become immersed in this movie. Not action-packed but great 'based on true events' story-telling.

Chani's rating:

2663

6.8

Public Enemies

Much slower paced than I anticipated but very watchable due to it's great cast and performances. Less of an action-packed gangster film too, mainly due to the focus given to Dillinger's relationship with his girlfriend, but a very good movie all the same.

Chani's rating:

3873

7.2

7.7

The Hangover (2009)

A comedy movie with a story worth watching! Due to the plot there are many unexpected laughs. The actors well-suit their characters - the funniest being quirky 'Alan' (Zach Galifianakis) and the hilarious 'Mr. Chow' (Ken Jeong).
Decent film.

Chani's rating:

930

6.9

Martyrs (2008)

Definitely not for the faint-hearted!
Some of the first scenes were quite gory and violent. The second half of the movie drags & is very hard to watch - the story twists and becomes quite sadistic. A movie that is disturbing & relentless.. and has an incredibly frustrating ending.
Good performances from the cast though.

Chani's rating:

179

7.2

7.1

Caramel

A subtle sort of chick-flick - set in Beirut - with a strong set of female characters and predominant themes of love and friendship (touches on cultural/religious traditions too, but this doesn't overpower the film).
I liked the backdrop, humour and overall found this movie quite touching.

Chani's rating:

1489

5.6

6.2

Knowing

This story sets a good pace throughout and has great (disturbing!) special effects. I like the fact that these kind of movies have more scare-tactics than your average horror. Predictable but conclusive ending.
Very entertaining ~ a good ride.

Chani's rating:

662

6.1

6.3

Dead Snow (2009)

Great setting, I liked the creepy looking 'Nazi zombies' and I find that European movies do adrenaline pumping scenes better than most! An equal dose of fear & humour from this Norwegian horror.

Chani's rating:

2103

7.8

Moon

A slow-paced, memorable and intelligent sci-fi movie with a difference.
Sam Rockwell is very much a brilliant one-man show, with Kevin Spacey as his (man-voiced) machine sidekick - and they both draw you into this film where nothing is quite what it seems.
One that makes you think!

Chani's rating:

2058

5.7

6.3

Paranormal Activity (2009)

How frustratingly disappointing! So slow & boring at the start, I actually fast-forward all the talking & messing with the camera just to watch the 'scary parts' lol. The best of this movie happens towards the ending (skip the rest!)... one overhyped movie that I won't be jumping on the bandwagon to recommend.

Chani's rating:

1064

5.7

5.8

Gamer (2009)

A fast-paced action movie, lively futuristic environment - but a basic plot seen before in the likes of 'The Condemned' and 'Death Race'. Expect plenty of violence & some (in my opinion) distasteful scenes.

Chani's rating:

944

5.1

5.2

The Final Destination (2009)

Another installment to the 'Final Destination' films - only not as good as the other movies. I found the plot quite lazy and the 3D isn't effective on dvd (far too animated).
Not awful but not great either.

Chani's rating:

2135

6.3

6.9

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

A very cute and enjoyable film with plenty of humour to keep a range of ages amused.. good addition to the previous Ice Age movies.

Chani's rating:

2563

5.7

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Completely outdoes the first movie in terms of awesome effects. That being the best reason to watch this (and if you are/were a fan of the cartoon). Very comical too. Minor flaws? - the fact that every shot of Megan Fox is clearly there for the eye-candy factor, and the length of the film is a little bit bum-numbing.

Chani's rating:

1530

6.8

Creative visually, this is a dark cyberpunk-style animation aimed at adults/older kids (not for the little ones).
Fun to watch but the plot had more potential.

Chani's rating:

1176

6.4

6.6

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)

An impressive prequal to the Underworld movies.
This has a simple but enjoyable plot and explains the history of the follow-up movies well, good effects/action scenes too. I also liked the love element to the story.

Chani's rating:

2147

6.5

Terminator Salvation (2009)

Positives? Lively effects and an action-packed ride, follows on with the original plot well.
Negatives? Very predictable & too similar to Transformers (which is fine for Transformers but not for a Terminator film, if you get me).
Entertaining ~ but Terminator 2 is still the best in this franchise!

Chani's rating:

1517

6.3

6.5

Fast & Furious

Great to see the original cast back (despite the brief Michelle Rodriguez!). If you enjoyed the first movie (the 2nd/3rd too?) this shouldn't disappoint - Cool guys, fast cars & an action-packed film.
Back to it's best.

Chani's rating:

2977

7.6

7.9

Star Trek (2009)

I'm not a Star Trek fan but I appreciated this movie for it's casting and easy-to-follow story. Good effects and quite enjoyable.

Chani's rating:

889

6.1

6.4

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

A decent though unoriginal thriller. John Travolta's dramatic 'bad guy' vs. 'good guy' Denzel Washington making this very watchable.
Entertaining enough.

Chani's rating:

3606

7.2

7.6

Watchmen (2009)

A comic-book adaptation for adults.
Visually - cool, as is the soundtrack. I liked the characters but the story I have mixed feelings about - great in places, boring in others (plus irrelevant scenes could have been taken out to shorten this LONG movie). Good, but wouldn't watch again.

Chani's rating:

1681

6.5

6.9

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

An animated film with an imaginative & fun food theme to the story aswell as good effects.
A likeable kids movie.

Chani's rating:

1058

6.4

6.8

Role Models (2008)

A modern comedy with the usual silliness, swearing & sex jokes.. and Bobb'e J. Thompson as Ronnie, a kid who has some of the funniest lines!
This also has a positive 'message' but isn't too saccharine in it's delivery. Much better than I expected.

Chani's rating:

1122

6.6

7.1

Body of Lies (2008)

A movie that snuck under the radar - I watched this by chance (hadn't really heard of it) & found it really worth the watch. Great performance from Leonardo DiCaprio and a plot with enough twists to keep you entertained.

Chani's rating:

1480

6.7

Orphan

A familiar plot but this thriller gradually builds into an effectively creepy movie with a twist that only seems likely *just before* it is revealed (so I found anyway!). Somewhat similiar to The Children only this is much more entertaining, has good performances and the story is better!

Chani's rating:

993

7.8

The Fall

A story that really draws you in - similar to a child's fairytale only with a more grown-up theme. Visually great & I adored Catinca Untaro - the child actress in this, her friendship with actor Lee Pace throughout the movie was brilliant.

Chani's rating:

1864

7.5

7.8

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

War from a child's perspective.
On the surface the plot is very simple and yet completely heartbreaking at the same time - what an ending!
A unique film that is effective without being brutal.

Chani's rating:

4153

5.1

5.3

Twilight

Never has teen romance been so alluring since Romeo & Juliet, even with this vampire twist. Good choices for the lead roles and the story was simple but well played out.

Chani's rating:

811

6.5

6.7

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

A realistic portrait of a flawed family, trying to enjoy the happiness of a wedding whilst dealing with simmering tensions and conflict. Great performances - notably Anne Hathaway as protagonist 'Kym'.
A strong mix of characters and a story which is a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

Chani's rating:

210

7.4

7.6

I've Loved You So Long

Quite similar to Rachel Getting Married by way of story, and Kristin Scott Thomas gives a great performance depicting the range of emotions newly released ex-prisoner 'Juliette' feels whilst adjusting to life (and people) on the outside.
The ending isn't unpredictable, but this is a good melancholy drama.

Chani's rating:

1384

6.3

6.6

Australia (2008)

A melodramatic film consisting of adventure & love & a small dose of aboriginal culture. Visually impressive, good characters & story (a bit bum-numbing though!).

Chani's rating:

1666

6.2

6.5

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Much more comedic than I expected. The story was good but with a very predictable ending, this sometimes reminded me of the 'Final Destination' films. Scary in places (decent 'jump factor') but overall very entertaining.

Chani's rating:

132

5.4

5.1

Grace (2009)

'UNSETTLING' - the best word to describe this movie. Good acting, decent atmosphere, not excessively horrifying.. but very creepy & weird, with scenes that are uncomfortable to watch.

Chani's rating:

561

5.1

5.3

Land of the Lost (2009)

A leave-your-brain-at-the-door comedy that looked plain silly on it's trailer, and it is, but I also found it unexpectedly quite funny! I liked it more than I wanted to!!

Chani's rating:

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