Best Movies of 2009: Kenneth Turan, LA Times

LA Times movie critic Kenneth Turan's top movies of 2009:

Best movies of 2009:

Bright Star and The Hurt Locker

Runners-Up:

An Education

Avatar

Amreeka

Adventureland

Big Fan

Sergio

Up

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Julie and Julia

Afghan Star

Anvil! The story of Anvil

Soul Power

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29

More Than a Game

Tyson

Unmistaken Child

Coraline

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Ponyo

Up in the Air

Female Performances in Foreign Film:

Coco Before Chanel

Everlasting Moments

The Maid

Moscow, Belgium

Seraphine

A Woman in Berlin

Movie reviews and stories from Kenneth Turan at the LA Times

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Avatar

"Avatar": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Kenneth Turan:

Think of "Avatar" as "The Jazz Singer" of 3-D filmmaking. Think of it as the most expensive and accomplished Saturday matinee movie ever made. Think of it as the ultimate James Cameron production.

Whatever way you choose to look at it, "Avatar's" shock and awe demand to be seen. You've never experienced anything like it, and neither has anyone else.

Read Turan's full review of "Avatar" at the LA Times

AVATAR
AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of “Titanic,” first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not exist yet. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.More Details

Opened December 18, 2009 Runtime:2 hr. 30 min.
PG-13warfare, intense battle sequences, some smoking, sensuality and languageCast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore
Director: James Cameron
Genres: Sci-Fi Action, Science Fiction

Movie times and tickets for AVATAR from Fandango

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Best Movies of 2009: Betsy Sharkey, LA Times

LA Times movie critic Betsy Sharkey's Top 10 Movies of 2009

Up in the Air

Precious

The Hurt Locker

The Beaches of Agnes

Fantastic Mr. Fox

An Education

District 9

Bright Star

A Single Man

Two Lovers

Betsy Sharkey's movie reviews at the LA Times

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A Single Man

"A Single Man": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Betsy Sharkey

We're always looking for those performances that truly define an actor, where we can sit back and simply watch the talent soar. For Colin Firth, "A Single Man" is that film. Until now probably best known for his work in the "Bridget Jones" films -- the stuffy, sensitive suitor forever in the shadow of Hugh Grant's roguish charmer -- his portrayal of George, the single man that he imbues with amazing grace, should change all that.

Read Sharkey's full review of "A Single Man" at the LA Times

A Single Man
George (Colin Firth) is a college professor who recently lost his lover, Jim (Nicholas Hoult), in a car accident. Grief-stricken beyond words, George plans to commit suicide. As he goes about his daily routine and puts his affairs in order , encounters with colleagues, students and an old friend (Julianne Moore) lead George to make a final decision as to whether his life is worth living without Jim.

Opened December 11, 2009 Runtime:1 hr. 39 min.
Cast: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode, Jon Kortajarena
Director: Tom Ford
Genres: Period Film, Psychological Drama, Drama

Movie times and tickets for "A Single Man" from Fandango

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Invictus

"Invictus": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Kenneth Turan:

Clint Eastwood's latest and most unexpected foray in his one-man campaign to make movies the way they used to be made. Instead of a thriller, war movie or western, the director has turned out a stirring drama about South African leader Nelson Mandela, blending entertainment, social message and history lesson in a way that recalls such decades-old films as "The Story of Louis Pasteur," "The Life of Emile Zola" and "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet." The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Read Kenneth Turan's full review of "Invictus" at the LA Times

"Invictus"
With the fall of apartheid in South Africa, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) tries to unite his countrymen and bring peace by bringing the Rugby World Cup to his country.

Opened December 11, 2009 Runtime:2 hr. 12 min.
PG-13brief strong language
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng, Matt Stern, Julian Lewis Jones, Adjoa Andoh
Director: Clint Eastwood
Genres: Political Drama, Biopic [feature], Drama


Movie times and tickets for "Invictus" from Fandango

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Four Seasons Lodge

"Four Seasons Lodge": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Kenneth Turan:

How does life go on, where does it go, when a a person has had to confront the worst of existence? Inspirational in unexpected ways, "Four Seasons Lodge" provides answers to those eternal questions, bringing a vibrant perspective to the resilience of the human spirit with its documentary portrait of a Catskills bungalow colony run by and for Holocaust survivors.

Four Seasons Lodge
Fascinated by the group of aging Holocaust survivors who spend their summers together at the Four Seasons Lodge in the Catskill Mountains, filmmaker Andrew Jacobs documents their collective memories, close friendships, and rich traditions at a time when their favorite retreat hovers in an uncertain state of flux. Every year since 1979, this small group of German and Polish Jews has gathered at the Four Seasons to reminisce about their childhoods and find comfort in one another's company. Like old friends, they often bicker and argue, but it generally isn't anything that lodge president Carl can't resolve with some friendly advice. This year, the regular vacationers at the Four Seasons hopelessly split between those who want to see the resort sold, and those who hope to see it stay intact. But this particular group has been through so much together that whatever may come of the Four Seasons, their familial bonds will remain as strong as they ever were. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

"Four Seasons Lodge" appears not to be showing at any theaters, so it's one to look out for on Netflix or Amazon once released to DVD

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Crazy Heart

"Crazy Heart": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Kenneth Turan:

There's a powerful symmetry at work in "Crazy Heart" that's impossible to resist. It's a parallel between protagonist Bad Blake, a country singer whose entire life has led him to a nadir of disintegration, and star Jeff Bridges, whose exceptional film choices have put him at the height of his powers just in time to make Mr. Blake the capstone role of his career.
Read Kenneth Turan's full review of "Crazy Heart" at the LA Times

Crazy Heart
Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.

Opened December 16, 2009 Runtime:1 hr. 51 min.
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Tom Bower, Colin Farrell
Director: Scott Cooper
Genres: Drama

Movie times and tickets from for "Crazy Heart" Fandango

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Broken Embraces

"Broken Embraces": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Betsy Sharkey

Something almost magical happens whenever actress Penélope Cruz and filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar work together, and so it is with "Broken Embraces," a deliciously twisted tale of love, death and a badly edited film. Read Sharkey's full review of "Broken Embraces" at the LA Times

Broken Embraces
The story of Mateo, Lena, Judit and Ernesto Martel is a story of “amour fou”, dominated by fatality, jealously, the abuse of power, treachery and a guilt complex. A moving and terrible story, the most expressive image of which is the photo of two lovers embracing, torn into a thousand pieces.

Opened November 20, 2009 Runtime:2 hr. 8 min.
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Blanca Portillo, Lluís Homar, José Luis Gómez, Ruben Ochandiano
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Genres: Comedy Drama, Melodrama, Post-Noir (Modern Noir)

Movie times and tickets for "Broken Embraces" from Fandango

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Up in the Air

"Up in the Air": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Kenneth Turan:

"Up in the Air" makes it look easy. Not just in its casual and apparently effortless excellence, but in its ability to blend entertainment and insight, comedy and poignancy, even drama and reality, things that are difficult by themselves but a whole lot harder in combination. This film does all that and never seems to break a sweat. Read Turan's full review of "Up in the Air" at the LA Times

Up in the Air
From Jason Reitman, the Oscar nominated director of “Juno,” comes a comedy called “Up in the Air” starring Oscar winner George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.

Opened December 4, 2009 Runtime:1 hr. 49 min.
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Danny R. McBride
Director: Jason Reitman
Genres: Romantic Comedy, Comedy Drama, Psychological Drama, Family Drama, Workplace Comedy

Movie times and tickets for "Up in the Air" from Fandango

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The Princess and the Frog

"The Princess and the Frog": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Betsy Sharkey:

Go ahead and pucker up. Because long before "The Princess and the Frog" is over you'll want to smooch the charming couple, air kiss a romantic firefly and hug a voodoo queen in this foot-stomping, smile-inducing, heart-warming animated twist on the old Brothers Grimm frog-prince fairy tale. Read Sharkey's review of "The Princess and the Frog" at the LA Times

The Princess and the Frog
Walt Disney Animation Studios presents a musical set in the greatest city of them all, New Orleans. "The Princess and the Frog" marks Disney's return to the warmth and grandeur of hand drawn animation. The film teams Ron Clements and John Musker , creators of "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin" with Oscar winning composer Randy Newman. From the heart of Louisiana's mystical bayouts and the banks of the mighty Mississippi comes an unforgetable tale of love, enchantment and discovery with a trumpet playing alligator, a love sick Cajun firefly, and a host of other charming characters at every turn.

Opened December 11, 2009 Runtime:1 hr. 35 min.
Cast: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jim Cummings
Director: Ron Clements
Genres: Children's Fantasy, Fairy Tales & Legends, Musical, Children's/Family

Movie times and tickets for "The Princess and the Frog" from Fandango

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The Last Station

"The Last Station": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Kenneth Turan:

The complicated marriage between Leo Tolstoy and his wife Sofya has been turned into a showcase for tasty acting by Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren.
Read Turan's review of "The Last Station" at the LA Times

The Last Station
In 1910, famed novelist Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) and his wife Sofya (Helen Mirren) vehemently disagree over the rights to Tolstoy's literary legacy. Sofya believes her husband should bequeath them to her upon his death, while Tolstoy's chief disciple, Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), has nearly convinced the writer to sign the rights over to the Russian people. To this end, Chertkov inserts a spy into Tolstoy's household, who promptly falls for one of the novelist's daughters.

Opened December 4, 2009 Runtime:1 hr. 52 min.
Cast: Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti, Anne-Marie Duff
Director: Michael Hoffman
Genres: Period Film, Biopic [feature], Drama


Movie times and tickets for "The Last Station" from Fandango

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The Messenger

"The Messenger": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Betsy Sharkey:

It would have been easy for this moving new drama that follows an Army casualty notification team as they tell families a loved one has died in combat to turn into a patriotic melodrama or a hopelessly somber tragedy. It is neither. Instead emotions are used sparingly with the director's restraint allowing the marvelous central cast -- Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton -- to breathe, filling the silences with indelible characters whose humanity makes room for humor and hope as well. Read Sharkey's full review of "The Messenger" at the LA Times

Synopsis "The Messenger"
Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Samantha Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband's death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.

Opened November 13, 2009 Runtime:1 hr. 45 min.
R language and some sexual content/nudity
Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Steve Buscemi, Eamonn Walker
Director: Oren Moverman
Genres: Psychological Drama, War Drama, Drama


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Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans": LA Times Critics' Choice Award from Betsy Sharkey:

Cold-blooded reptiles are lurking everywhere in the slick new noir "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," with snakes, iguanas, gators and especially Nicolas Cage at their slithering and cynical best.Read Sharkey's full review of title at the LA Times

Synopsis "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"
A substance-abusing cop (Nicolas Cage) is locked in a downward spiral as he probes the drug-related murders of five illegal immigrants from Senegal.

Opened November 20, 2009 Runtime:2 hr. 1 min.
R language throughout, some violence, sexuality and drug use
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Xzibit, Fairuza Balk
Director: Werner Herzog
Genres: Crime Drama, Drama, Police Drama


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