Top Ten (10) Favorite Movies of Summer 2009
Below is a countdown to my top ten (10) favorite movies from the Summer of 2009. Naturally, there are some movies that are missing from the list. Either I never got to see them or I did not like them very much:
TOP TEN (10) FAVORITE MOVIES OF SUMMER 2009
10. "Julie and Julia - Nora Ephron wrote and directed this comedy-drama about Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book. Meryl Streep and Amy Adams co-starred in this charming, yet slow-paced tale.
9. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" - David Yates directed this sixth entry in the Harry Potter saga, based upon J.K. Rowling's novel. Pretty good, despite certain plotlines that seemed to be missing.
8. "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3" - Denzel Washington and John Travolta co-starred in this solid, yet slightly unimaginative remake of the 1974 classic crime drama about the hijacking of a New York subway car. Tony Scott directed.
7. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" - Stephen Sommers directed this action spectacle based upon the Hasbro toy. Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans and Sienna Miller co-starred in this curious mixture of typical action sequences and surprising character twists.
6. "The Ugly Truth" - Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler co-starred in this hilarious romantic comedy about a romantically challenged morning show producer who is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love.
5. "Angels and Demons" - Ron Howard directed this surprisingly well-paced adaptation of Dan Brown's novel about Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon's attempts to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican. Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer and Ewan McGregor co-starred.
4. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" - Gavin Hood directed and Hugh Jackman starred in this well-made origin tale about X-Men Wolverine aka James Logan. Liev Schrieber and Danny Huston co-starred. Better than I had originally thought.
3. "Inglourious Basterds" - Quentin Tarantino strikes gold at the box office in this fascinating and well written tale about two attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944 Nazi-occupied Paris. Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender and Mélanie Laurent co-starred.
2. "Terminator Salvation" - Director McG's entry in the Terminator franchise became a surprise hit for me this summer. Christian Bale and Sam Worthington co-starred in this tale about a group of survivors led by John Connor who struggle to keep the machines from destroying humanity.
1. "Public Enemies" - Once again, Michael Mann proved why he has become one of my favorite directors with his direction of this exciting and well-made biopic about Depression era bank robber, John Dillinger. Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard co-starred.