The films I watched in 2009
At the start of 2009 I decided that I would keep track of every film I watched in the year, with the rating I give it out of ten. Back then I’m not sure what the purpose was, but a year later I have the perfect platform for such a list. The kind of end of year list that will prove to be so popular with readers who are not at all tired of reading round-ups of the passing year.
The films are a combination of Lovefilm rentals, DVDs I’ve got free from work and trips to the cinema. Obviously I’m a lot more selective about which films I pay to see at the cinema than the ones I pick up at work, so I’d like to think they rate higher. But despite my avid film blog following, Mark Kermode listening and IMDB studying, my Lovefilm rentals are still wildly erratic. Critically acclaimed Oscar-winning films that I considered safe bets have bored me to tears, whereas widely-panned critical disasters have thoroughly entertained. There are lots of films I wish I’d never watched, but others that have proved more than worth the risk. And it makes films like Moon all the more pleasing when you’ve had to sit through something as bad as Run Lola Run.
My girlfriend Serena also reluctantly took part, and you’ll notice that she is a lot less forgiving with her scores, which proved occasionally fractious when she was marking a film I loved. I really could save myself a lot of heartache if I didn’t insist on making her watch certain films. Having said that, we pretty much agreed on every single film. As far as I’m concerned, a shit film is a shit film.
Film of the year goes to Moon, with special mentions for Zombieland and Sex Drive which will definitely be getting a second viewing at some point. District 9 was amazing, but a bit too harrowing to say I enjoyed it.
