The Five WORST Movies of 2009

Picking the best movie of the year in any year is easy. But, trying to come up with the worst movies is a lot tougher. Truth is there are a whole lot more bad movies than good ones in any given year, and 2009 was no exception. I reviewed over 100 movies for akronnewsnow.com last year, and this is my five worst list.

The Five WORST movies of 2009

1/ Year One - Jack Black and Micheal Cera. What on earth was anyone thinking when making
this hunk of junk. Could be the worst movie of any year. Attempted stone age
satire that backfired horribly. They had to have known on the set it was tragic.
They would have been right. Couldn't be worse!

2/ Bride Wars - Anne Hatahway and Kate Hudson. Insultingly bad. Two best friends set a
wedding date on the same day. Go to war over it. It's embarrassing to think
that someone who gets paid thinks this movie was actually funny in the
slightest. Borderline putrid.

3/ All About Steve - For the great year Sandra Bullock had with The Blind Side and The
Proposal, makes this one really stink worse. Horrible idea about a stalker
and her escapades running around the country chasing this guy. Count
them, one funny moment when she falls into a giant hole. It stinks!

4/ Land Of The Lost - Will Farrell and his adaptation of the 1970's Saturday morning show.
I don't think he's ever do anything even the slightest bit funny again!

5/ Obsessed - Beyonce' stars a wife whose husband is being pursued by a female coworker.
Filled with horrible everything. Not the least of which is Beyonce' acting like
Beyonce the whole movie. She looked like she was getting ready to walk on
stage most of the movie to do a concert. There's not one thing about this movie
that I would call good.

That's my list for 2009! There were plenty of other dogs made too, but these really stand out to me.....Any comments? E-mail me at scott@wqmx.com

The Five Best Movies of 2009!

2009 from my perspective will go down as a very mediocre year at the movies. Even though the box office numbers are through the roof, there were few great flicks. Many big movies, but many times there is a difference. Nothing wrong with the blockbusters I like them too, but with a year end list they seldom make the cut. See if you agree.

The best movies of 2009

1/ Up In The Air - George Clooney's "recession" movie. A fantastic story that you've never
seen before. A movie that speaks directly to our times. Terrific characters
you care about, and a star is born with Anna Kendrick as Natalie. The best
movie of the year 2009...and not by a little.

2/ Invictus - Clint Eastwood directed movie about the early days of Nelson Mandela's South
African presidency. He uses rugby as his vehicle to help curb decades of racial
disharmony in his country. Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.
Powerful and beautifully done. Don't know anything about rugby? Doesn't
Matter. Story wonderfully told.

3/ Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino WWII story about Nazi occupied Europe and those
sent to kill as many as possible. Story too complicated for a short
recap here. But riveting movie making. Long build up scenes very
skillfully done. Great mixture of drama, irony and dark humor. Not
for everyone. But terrific.

4/ 500 Days Of Summer - What a surprise hit! Zooey Deschanel stars as Summer. She is a
quirky young, beautiful woman who is enigmatic in love. A story
not told before this way. She is really really great in this movie.
This is not a feel good romantic comedy, but it is real fun.

5/ The Blind Side - Sandra Bullock is so good in this feel good flick, she carries the day. True
story or Micheal Orr and his journey to the NFL after being taken in by
a rich southern family. Movies like this seldom make it this far, but this is
a very good movie, and a rebirth for Sandra Bullock.

Honorable Mentions:

1/ The Hurt Locker - Fantastic, intense Iraq war drama. Story- brilliant.

2/ Law Abiding Citizen - Gerard Butler. Very intense, creative action thriller. Real sleeper.

3/ Star Trek - Really fun. Really well done. Great rental if you missed it.

4/ Sunshine Cleaning - Amy Adams. Great Indy pic about sisters who start a crime scene
cleaning service. She is great!

5/ The Proposal - Sandra Bullock again. Surprisingly good romantic comedy. Caught us all
napping.

That's the list of 2009. If you have any comments you can leave them or e-mail them to me at scott@wqmx.com

MOVIE REVIEW - Up In The Air

George Clooney is back and this time it's Up In The Air. For those of you let down, or left scratching you head at The Men Who Stare At Goats, here's a Clooney redeemer! You've heard that this is a "recession" movie... and it is.....but it is more than that. This movie is just flat out fantastic!

UITA is the story of Ryan (Clooney). Ryan is about 45. He works for an Omaha based company that goes around the country and fires people from their jobs, when the company doing the firing doesn't have the guts to do it. Ryan flies in, fires people, and movies on to the next job. He's on the road 300 days a year. Enter Natalie (Anna Hendrick) She is a 23 year old Cornell graduate who thinks that doing this job over the web is a better idea to ease costs. So to learn the job better she travels with Ryan out in the field to learn the ropes. Ryan too, is having a sort of romance with Alex (Vera Farminga) on the road who also works out of a suitcase in an unrelated field.

Truth is, Ryan has no life. No connection to the real world. No people or the responsibility that goes with any kind of relationship. Is he lonely? What can he learn from these two new women in his life, and his detached family? Is he real or is he a phony? Can he live this way his whole life? Is his the next job to be eliminated? You end up caring about these main characters and want the best for them. That is UITA.

Up In The Air is a movie about realism. Everything about it is real. From people losing their jobs to the people whose job it is to have them lose it. It by no means makes light of this. But it does bring it home on film. The characters are terrific. Very strong,and developed very well. And every character brought into the movie as it moves along, real again. UITA is a movie you have to stick with. It makes you a bit uncomfortable at first, then eases up on you. It starts out as one kind of movie and ends up another in it's raw form. But everything about this movie is great. Really great!

This is a good example again of every great movie starts with a great story. And this is a great story. Characters and a story line you have not seen before, and turns you don't see coming. This movie is NOT predictable, and it does keep you guessing all the way through. It has something to say, and says it. It's a movie for our econimic times. It's honest, and it talks directly to different generations and socioeconomic groups.

Clooney is fantastic as the enigmatic Ryan. And Farminga is wonderful as the sexy Alex. But Anna Kendrick is absolutely fabulous as the eyes wide open, straight laced Natalie. She is a fresh face and steals a scene or two in this movie. UITA needed a hero to put it over the top and she is it. She was a great casting decision, and is the separator for the film. Over all this movie is well cast and wonderfully done!

Up In The Air. The best movie of the year in 2009....and not by a little.

MOVIE REVIEW - It's Complicated

There's a lot to live up to with the new Meryl Streep flick, It's Complicated. All this talk about it being the funniest movie of the year and all. Tons of award show nominations too. What about all this?

Streep stars with Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and a real nice supporting cast in this modern day comedy about life in America for many divorced middle aged couples. Meet Jane (Streep) and Jake (Baldwin). they were married for 20 years and now divorced for 10, with 3 grown kids. At their youngest child's graduation party in New York City, Jane and Jake get back together for a drunken romp in a swanky NYC Hotel. Jake has remarried a young bombshell, and Jane has never re-married. So Jane turns out is having an affair with a married man. Her ex-husband! All the while Adam (Martin) who is Jane's architect has his eyes on Jane. AND of course they have to keep this a secret from the kids. How will they pull it off?

First off, this is a really funny idea and it is a really nice grown up comedy. Alec Baldwin is terrific in this movie as the sort of sleazy ex-husband Jake. He so looks the part and is really funny in his likable dirt-bag role. John Krasinsky as Harley too. He is engaged to one of the kids, and he steals the show in the movies second half. Steve Martin is fine, in his very limited role as Adam. If you're going to see Martin do a bunch of slapstick, wrong movie. And Streep is who she is. Always good, always liked, always reviewed well and highly nominated.

Sometimes a tough to review a movie like this. Mainly because many movie goers already love this movie before they see it. On paper it seems like it can't miss. But It's Complicated comes in a bit overrated. Nothing really wrong here, but expectations are high, and so is the hype. The real laughs come from Baldwin and Krasinsky, and other side characters. It's fun, but not the laugh fest that is promised. The story though is smart and does have a heart, and takes a good swing at a touchy subject and addresses it with a light hearted look. And with a sense of reality so we don't get swept away to a fairy tale world. A lot of this works.

There are a few really cheesy scenes here, not the least of which are the three adult kids, two girls and a boy in bed together huddling under the covers for security for moms big "I'm sorry" speech hear the end. An obvious "aww" attempted moment. Most rolled our eyes. And there were other eye rollers too. But in the end, it doesn't kill It's Complicated. It survives itself on a few occasions.

It's Complicated. It's fun no doubt....but a bit overrated.

MOVIE REVIEW - Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law star in the Sherlock Holmes new at the box office this week.

Right up front, this is not you fathers Sherlock Holmes. With all due respect to Basil Rathbone who made 14 Sherlock Holmes movies between 1939, and 1946, things are a little different now. It is still based on enduring character Sherlock Holmes from A. Conan Doyle from the 19th century. But he has been updated here and made almost into an action hero for the 21st century audience.

Doyle's books really revolutionized crime fiction with the intellectual Holmes taking almost a forensic look at crime long before CSI. Holmes has always been a genius in the books and stories, along side his trusty assistant Watson. But as Holmes has been updated for a new audience, I feel it is no more revolutionary than Doyle's books from 130 years ago, and he would approve.

Downey Jr. is Holmes. He still lives at 221 B Baker Street in London. It's still the mid 19th century, and there is still seemingly unsolvable crime on the streets of London. Enter Holmes and Watson (Law). Holmes here is still a genius. But now, he's a bit more rounded. In addition to his intellect, he is accomplished at virtually everything else in the world. He's almost a marshal arts expert, as is Watson, and there's certainly enough action to go around here. Almost James Bond in the 1800's

Downey Jr. is perfectly cast and is really wonderful as the re-vamped Holmes. So is Law. Really great casting and powerful characters here. In fact, they are so well done they seem to upstage the entire movie at times. They overshadow a relatively average story here, that sometimes has a hard time gathering momentum. Most times, a really great movie starts with a really great story. But here, the story is average and sometimes hard to follow. An attempt at a star villain sort of goes by the wayside, and leaves a hole in the middle.

But no matter. If you're looking for just flat out fun, and action in old, cold London, then Sherlock Holmes is your movie. Whatever weakness this movie has, and there are a few Downey and Law, salve it over and pull it off. By the way, try not to watch the usually wonderful Rachel McAdams. The movies only casting flub.

Sherlock Holmes. Great starring performances. Average story. A bunch of fun.

MOVIE REVIEW - Avatar

Writer/Director James Cameron has had this idea in the works for over 15 years, and this week Avatar comes to the screen.

The big Sci-Fi Avatar with its 250 million dollar price tag, and it's 120 million dollar promotional budget has a lot to live up to. Does it? Seems like it can't miss. And at the box office it won't. But what about as a movie?

Avatar is a very complicated story about life in 2149. As much as they may want to try to disguise it, this is a real Sci-Fi movie. There is this moon named Pandorum. On it, are these wonderfully peaceful Avatar people. The are 10 feet tall, and live a wondrous life as a peace loving species that are one with the world that they live in. They live is there harmony with the plant and animal life in their world. Very reminiscent of the Native Americans from the 19th century.

Enter the Americans. They are trying to take over this moon. There is much monetary gain for them and the American Military. They are attempting to harvest all the good from the land, and wipe out the Avatar nations for their own gain. And an epic battle is bound to ensue, and that is the basic premise of Avatar. Too simple to be sure, but the complexity of this movie is too hard to tell in short written form. But after all the hype you've seen, you probably know the basic idea here.

First off. Avatar is immensely imaginative. Visually flabbergasting for the most part, incredibly inventive and marvelously done. The genius of this movie is the vision to see this before you see it. The 3-D is terrific, and groundbreaking. There is much good here. It will be a huge hit, and there will be those who go to it again and again. It absolutely takes you away to this other world in a wondrous and skillful way. Avatar by and large is a young adults movie. That should be noted too.

But to be fair, where I feel many reviewers have not. They loved this movie before they saw it. Avatar is very long, almost 2:40. It is well paced, and doesn't feel overly long and that's still to the good. But, you must be into real Sci-Fi, and you must enjoy watching over 2 hours of animation. There are of course live shots here, but most of Avatar is computer generated. Well done ...but still animated. This will lose some movie goers, and others will love this aspect of it.

Also, there is a very heavy handed social and political message in Avatar. Cameron's vision of Americans in 150 years is still this. We are horrible people that have learned nothing and now run all over outer space taking what we want and wiping out those who are different and weaker than us for our own monetary gain. The American military here, be it futuristic, is not shown in a very good light at all. I know it's all fantasy, but this is the story here. Cameron's vision of us as a people is harsh and negative. There is nothing subtle about Avatar, in it's written script script or in its technical brilliance. As wonderful as many aspects of Avatar are, it's a shame the script is as politically charged as it is. But Cameron has spoken.

Avatar. This could be this generations "Star Wars." Avatar is too intense for young kids in story, language, length and effects. But older kids and young adults will love it. To be honest in some ways you've never seen anything like this on screen. In it's story though, you've seen this movie many times before.

MOVIE REVIEW - Did You Hear About The Morgans?

Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker star in the new romantic comedy, About The MoDid You Hear Morgans? It's Grants first movie in two years. He's always a good time, and we missed him when during his absence. Now all we have to do is hope Parker takes a few years off too. More on that in a minute.

The Morgans is the story of a young married, New York City couple. Both very New York, both very successful, whose marriage is on the rocks. They're separated, and he really wants to reconcile. She's not so sure. After an attempted reconciliation dinner, they witness a high profile murder, and are forced to enter the Federal Witness Protection Program. They're sent to Ray, Wyoming until the trial or until the case is closed. Of course being a romantic comedy, they fall in love again and work it all out when forced to spend this time together. I didn't spoil the ending..... remember, it's a Christmas time romantic comedy.

This move also stars Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen, also married, and they are the U.S. Marshall's that the Morgans go to live with in Wyoming. Their performance in this movie is really great. They play real country folk, who live in the middle of nowhere, and love it. Perfectly cast and well acted. A real strength to the movie. Grant is who he is. He basically plays the same character in every romantic comedy he's in, and is fine here. Sarah Jessica Parker..well that's another story.

To be frank, she is terrible in this movie, and not by a little. One reason she was so good in Sex And The City, is that she was Carrie Bradshaw. A total New Yorker...and that was it. In SATC, the idea wasn't to be funny, the show was so well written, it just WAS funny. Here, they ask her to be funny, and she's just not. She is irritating, predictable, and one dimensional. Her physical comedy is awful, her timing is lame, and she has done everything on screen she's ever going to do. She has no new game, and here it kills her, and the movie. She looks borderline unhealthy on screen, and has no engagement with the other cast members, or us in the audience. Doesn't help that the only joke they wrote for her was how much she misses NYC. So it's not all her fault. But in a movie sense, she is the killer of this movie.

This movie is tenuous enough. Mediocre writing, a fragile idea, and predictability shoot this one down for the most part. Plus the first 3 minutes of this movie are enough for you to consider walking out of it. It really stumbles out of the gate. It does recover, but not enough to save the day.

Did You Hear About The Morgans. I dare you to laugh out loud at this one. Moments of fun, but overall, average to well below.