Infinite Stupidity

Some of these aren’t necessarily going to have been released in 2009, just that I’ve seen them this year. Plus I can’t really be arsed sorting these into any real order, just know that they are the five that gave me the most pleasure. Without further ado:

1) Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In) (2008).
This is most likely one of the greatest vampire films made. A love story, in a way, involving a young boy and the female vampire he ‘befriends’. There’s no sparkling vampires here, and basically no cliches as usually befit the genre. What you do get, however, is a story of a outcasted boy, one who dreams of killing those who make life such a horror for him, meeting someone who, surprisingly enough, treats him as an equal. It’s touching, at the same time as it is brutal. Near perfect cinema.

2) (500) Days of Summer (2009)
So, this movie is cute. Really cute. And it’s almost a typical indie pop type movie, with the clumsy guy and the really cute, out there girl, and dropped names of some classic, though cult, band that make some of the audience go “hey, I love them!”. I like this sort of movie cause I’m a real dork. But the reason it’s on my list is more because it really struck a note for me. Almost everyone’s been in a situation where they have feelings for someone that aren’t reciprocated, so I’m guessing that quite a few people would enjoy this. Gordon-Levitt’s character went through all the emotions I went through at the time, and I saw a mirror there (though, of course, polished up by the typical Hollywood magic).

3) Watchmen (2009)
Nowhere near a perfect film, and I recognise its faults, though it’s just so good you overlook them. Sure, some of the musical choices are questionable (Leonard Cohen, anyone?), and there is a little too much blue wang, especially as the graphic novel only felt it necessary to include it once, but I laughed all of that away and just watched it, dammit. Snyder took a few liberties, amping up the violence (the alleyway scene is brutal as hell), and changing the ending (for the better in my opinion. The original ending works damned well in comics, but would look damned silly on film). In all I think most of the changes he made merely worked it into something that did work on film, without removing what made the original great. I was never too fussed by the removal of the Black Freigher sequences, as I wasn’t a huge fan of them in the comic. The only thing that annoyed me was the change to Rorschach’s “fall from grace”, though I can see that the lowest common denominators in the audience would bitch about it “ripping off Saw”. Meh, who cares. See it if you’ve got a few spare hours.

4) World’s Greatest Dad (2009)
The title really makes it sound terrible, and that’s before you hear that it stars Robin Williams and was directed and written by Bobcat Goldthwait. Give it a watch though. It’s a blackly comedic look at how a little lie can turn a terrible incident into the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Williams shows that he’s a damned good actor when he’s not trying to be funny (much like Jim Carrey can be). Well worth a viewing.

5) Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
Ok, so I might get a little stick for this one. I like it. It’s goofy, it’s a little stupid, and it’s far too cute. But hey, it works. Probably my favourite use of Michael Cera (ok, does he actually act, or do directors just put him in front of a camera and he gets shy and awkward?) The less I say about this the better I guess.