No matter the general consensus of film in a year (and I don’t think it takes an expert to tell you this wasn’t a stellar one), the top 10 list is a reminder to all critics and readers that there will always be something to celebrate.  Even amidst all the chaos of the year, we found reasons to be happy … and thus a way to be happy.

Much was said about high profile divorces – Demi and Ashton, Sinead O’Connor, Kim Kardashian – but the whole world tuned in for the Royal Wedding.  Even with the American divorce rate soaring and half of all marriages are unable to last, it was love that brought us together.

Much was said about our military’s inefficacy in Iraq as we pulled out the last troops in December, but Seal Team Six gave Americans something to be proud of as they flawlessly took down the elusive Osama bin Laden.  Failure and cynicism may make for an interesting editorial page, but it was success that captured the attention and the heart of America.

Much was said about the dumbing down of youth with mindless blockbusters like “Transformers” grossing a billion dollars worldwide and mindless literature like “Twilight” flying off the shelves.  Yet the young generation – my generation – proved it was hardly an empty one by turning out in record numbers on the opening day of the final “Harry Potter” movie.  If you couldn’t feel a real magic from the movie, you had to take comfort in seeing that the experiences of reading a book and going to a movie theater, thought be many to be endangered, were alive and well.

So while our president may have abandoned hope and change for 2012, I, for one, am full of it.  I am confident that all will pan out for the future, especially given how willing filmmakers were in 2011 to tackle some of the toughest issues facing our society.  In my top 10, you will see movies committed to showing us how to live, how to love, and – most importantly – how to change.  Like Owen Wilson’s Gil Pender from “Midnight in Paris,” living in the past only works as a fantasy.  We have to live in the now; we have to face its challenges; we have to accept pain as a natural part of progress.

So, without further ado, here were the 10 best movies I saw in 2011:

#10
“The Beaver”
Directed by Jodie Foster
Wirten by Kyle Killin
Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and Anton Yelchin

“While everything may not be okay, one thing I know is true: you do not have to be alone.” – Jennifer Lawrence as Norah

I hope that one day people will drop their preconceived notions of this movie as “Mel Gibson’s latest crazy shenanigan” and watch this movie to discover the potency of its message.  Jodie Foster crafts a fantastic drama about the challenges of living in a digital world as it deteriorates our connections to our family and to our society.  Gibson’s character, Walter, looks to distance himself from the unbearable burden of his past through the use of a charming beaver puppet, not unlike how we use clean, neat Facebook profiles to represent our lives as orderly to the world around us.  It’s an incredibly cathartic moment not just for Jennifer Lawrence’s Norah towards the end of the film when she openly declares, “I’m not okay; I’m missing something.”  It’s cathartic for us as she says what most of us are too scared to admit.

#9
“In a Better World“
Directed by Susanne Bier
Written by Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen
Starring Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, and Ulrich Thomsen

“If you hit him, he hits you, and then it never ends.” – Ulrich Thomsen as Claus

Melodrama is usually akin to nails on a chalkboard to me, and when I use the word in a review, it almost always carries a negative connotation.  Yet when I watched Susanne Bier’s latest film – which is a melodrama indeed – I found myself being incredibly moved on a very deep emotional level.  I couldn’t help but care passionately for the two children at the heart of the movie, Elias and Christian, as they grapple with the complicated morals of violence after an incident of bullying.  Bier makes us feel, which then make us contemplate.  And I couldn’t be happier to have this film lingering in my mind for weeks on end.  (As a side note, this won an Oscar in 2010 but didn’t hit the United States until 2011, so I count it for this year.)

#8
“Life in a Day”
Directed by Kevin Macdonald

“I want people to know that I’m here.  I don’t want to cease to exist.” – YouTube user

Diversity has become a hot-button issue as our culture has globalized thanks to the Internet, but Kevin Maccdonald along with Ridley Scott and some other geniuses nullify any controversy associated with the word through a documentary of staggering proportions.  Their paean to the human experience, confined to a single ordinary Saturday in July 2010, celebrates how every culture and every individual is different.  We all have our own way through life, but as humans, we are all linked by basic practices. Be it brushing our teeth or fretting about what the future holds, Macdonald reminds us that we all have more in common that we normally think.

#7
“Young Adult”
Directed by Jason Reitman
Written by Diablo Cody
Starring Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, and Patrick Wilson

“Love conquers all. Haven’t you seen ‘The Graduate?’” – Charlize Theron as Mavis Gary

I now find it easy to resist old-fashioned emotional goading, such as the score that commands you to feel sad at a certain moment or the cinematography that forces you to feel captivated.  I’m much more taken by the style of filmmaking that I call emotional manipulation, which makes you feel something inexplicably and then forces you to go back and uncover why you feel the way you do.  The old king was Alexander Payne, but with Jason Reitman’s latest work, the student may have eclipsed the master.  Thanks to a great script by Diablo Cody, the movie is able to play with established genre narratives and character archetypes.  One moment, it feels like a romantic comedy; the next, a horror movie as you clasp your hands over your face in shock.  Behind a ruthless performance by Charlize Theron, the movie soars as both a critique of a generation unable to leave high school and audiences who want their comedy to be run-of-the-mill waste.

#6
“The Help“
Written and directed by Tate Taylor
Starring Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Stone

“You is smart, you is kind, you is important.” – Viola Davis as Abileen

The only movie on my top 10 list to take place explicitly in a prior era, Tate Taylor’s adaptation of his friend Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel hardly teaches antiquated lessons.  The movie serves as a reminder that discrimination still exists in America; while much still lingers for African-Americans, quite a bit has transferred to Hispanics and homosexuals.  But, most strongly, it simply communicates that these barriers are no match for love, courage, and understanding.  If the story doesn’t move you, the acting definitely will.  I struggle to think of a movie better acted from top to bottom, and this phenomenal cast adds an extra jolt of life to the feel-great movie of the year.

#5
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2“
Directed by David Yates
Written by Steve Kloves
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint

“Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.” – Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore

It was the bookend of a generation, and it did not disappoint one bit.  This series has been the uniting artistic link for a generation, and I couldn’t have been prouder to close a chapter of my life with this movie.  It reminded us of the power of the story, the power of acting, the power of visual effects, the power of direction … and the power of movie magic.

#4
“Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Written and directed by Sean Durkin
Starring Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, and Sarah Paulson

“If you want to have a meaningful relationship, you need to let your guard down.” – John Hawkes as Patrick

I can’t in good conscience try to declare some grand social significance to Sean Durkin’s debut feature after he said time and again that it was not any sort of statement.  So for what it is, the portrait of Martha, a haunted, traumatized cult escapee, the movie is an absolute knockout.  He takes us into her mind as she struggles to acclimate to normal life and come to terms with what happened to her.  But at the end of the movie, as she has yet to find closure or answers, neither have we.  What Durkin leaves us with is a puzzle to solve without every piece.  It’s an experience that is at once frustrating and exhilarating; add in the spellbinding performance of Elizabeth Olsen, and you have a movie that may render you unable to move when the credits roll.  The movie isn’t meant to end for the viewer after the final shot, and the hour-long conversation I had afterwards in the lobby is one of my fondest moviegoing memories of 2011.

#3
“Midnight in Paris“
Written and directed by Woody Allen
Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Marion Cotillard

“The present is a little unsatisfying because life’s a little unsatisfying.” – Owen Wilson as Gil Pender

An unapologetic love letter to the City of Lights and a cautionary tale of Golden-Age Thinking, Woody Allen’s return to form clicked with me on an incredibly personal level (and may very well be the reason why you don’t see “The Artist” or “Hugo” on this list).  While the neurotic director packed up his camera and went abroad and into the past, the existential problems that face all of his neurotic protagonists in New York come along with him.  Anxiety and unpleasantness can’t just be left at home; they always make into our emotional baggage.  There is, of course, the route of denial.  But I dare you to make that choice after Allen makes the case once he’s totally won you over with his trademark wit and uncharacteristic charm.

#2
“Shame”
Directed by Steve McQueen
Written by Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen
Starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan

“I don’t wanna talk. Try not talking. Try just listening or thinking for a change.” – Michael Fassbender as Brandon

The most gripping movie experience of last year came courtesy of a schizophrenic ballerina in New York; this year, it came from the tribulations of a sex addict in the same city.  It’s the dark underside of Carrie and the gang’s activities as the adjectives most likely to be associated with fornication in Steve McQueen’s sophomore feature are painful, agonizing, monotonous - really anything BUT pleasurable.  Thanks to the fierce commitment of leading man Michael Fassbender, McQueen’s vision is achieved and lucidly portrayed.  Sex has pervaded our culture, and we are bombarded with it nonstop.  Fassbender’s insatiable Brandon is a victim of its constant barrage, and coupled with a rough childhood, his obsession has become self-destructive.  Brandon also prefers prostitutes or online chat rooms, allowing him to satisfy his desires without having to deal with messy emotions or connections.  As the digital generation matures and begins to face the consequences of constant sexual exposure, I have confidence that McQueen’s film  will be looked at as a warning far ahead of its time.

#1
“Win Win”
Written and directed by Thomas McCarthy
Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, and Alex Shaffer

“Me? I’m pretty good.” – Paul Giamatti as Mike Flaherty

In a hypothetical time capsule for the year 2011, I would choose Tom McCarthy’s exploration of recession morality as our representative.  If cinema is truly the representation of the collective unconscious thought, there is no better movie that captures us as we are.  McCarthy centers his story on Mike Flaherty, played understatedly yet superbly by Paul Giamatti, a man who makes some poor decisions.  Yet he’s not a bad person; in fact, he’s a great father, a volunteer wrestling coach at a local high school, and agrees to take on the financial responsibilities of raising a teenager in a real pinch.  In a year when most people looked to idealized or simplified versions of the triumph of the human spirit, I saw this as the most inspiring, real, and worthwhile vision of America.  We can all be lead astray, sure, but we are all good people at heart.  We will all eventually have to answer for our mistakes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be happy.  And that, my friends, is my zeitgeist of 2011.

Politically, the year started with such promise as we looked to put an end to inflammatory and hateful dialogue in the wake of the horrific shooting in Tuscon that nearly took the life of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.  In a horrifyingly ironic twist, Sarah Palin had put her district on a map with a shotgun sight on it a few months earlier, drawing attention to the overuse of words like murder and kill in the vernacular.  The tragedy shamed us all, although apparently not nearly enough.

In this age of uncertainty, Washington moved towards its idealogical poles, only drawing attention to their vast differences instead of our many similarities.  We are all committed to having a government that functions (and functions with less debt), yet the parts nearly came to a screeching halt as politicians disagreed as to the machine’s output.  We all want to get out of this economic slump, but the inability to find common ground may have only added to the problem.  And amidst it all, you heard the same kind of hateful speech that we wanted to eradicate back in January.  Much of it was directed at the Tea Party: Rep. Maxine Waters said they “can go straight to hell,” Vice-President Joe Biden called them “terrorists,” and perhaps worst of all, Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa issued a rallying cry to “take the sons of b*tches out.”  We could be better … but for some reason we weren’t.

It was also a year of scandals that highlighted the inability of men to handle the power granted them by society.  Rep. Anthony Weiner was forced to resign after moronically tweeting nude pictures of himself to young women (the icing on the cake was his wife’s pregnancy coming shortly thereafter).  It likely went unnoticed amidst the debt ceiling drama, but Rep. David Wu also vacated his position after an alleged sexual assault.

The most sickening, though, was the Penn State child sex abuse drama that resulted in the termination of much of the football staff including the legendary coach Joe Paterno.  As if 2011 needed any other humiliating debacle, Jerry Sandusky’s use of his charity for at-risk children to fulfill his perverse sexual desires (read the grand jury report if you want to gag) makes everything else look tame.  Yes, even you, lovechild bearing governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, accused rapist and IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, or philandering former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain.  It makes Charlie Sheen look like he actually could be #winning.  We could be better … but for some reason we weren’t.

Look at TIME’s Person of the Year and you can deduce the prevailing emotion of the year: anger.  Protesters throughout the world channeled their distrust and disapproval of government, of institutions, even of people into the streets.  Some were organized, like the Arab Spring through social media and around a particular message, such as Egypt’s demands that Mubarak needed to resign for the sake of freedom and posterity.  Others, like Occupy Wall Street and its various offshoots, just inspired people to bring whatever grievance they had in a display of civil disobedience.  While the topics of income inequality, corporate greed, and the government influence of the financial sector floated into mainstream conversation, the lack of a unified goal has led to frustration, confusion, and inefficacy.  In America, anger has just bred more anger.

And in the tradition of societal tumult, we look for a scapegoat.  For some it was John Boehner’s Congress.  Others blamed President Obama.  But during the summer of our discontent, Americans found an unlikely figure to project their uncertainty and insecurity onto: Casey Anthony, the Florida mother accused of murdering her young daughter.  Here was someone that represented everything wrong with the country – neglecting her duties, failing her children, squelching the possibility of a bright future – yet ironically, she was deemed innocent.

Cue everyone on Facebook and Twitter screaming in all caps “CASEY ANTHONY IS SO GUILTY!”  No one wanted justice, they wanted blood.  An eye for an eye, the perpetrator for the victim.  That misplaced anger showed up once again at Penn State, where students rioted in support of their beloved Coach Paterno, whom they believed to be collateral damage in the fallout of the scandal.  Yet if they had really listened, they would have known that Paterno had not called the police when directly given the information of Sandusky’s sexual misconduct in his facilities.  We could be better … but for some reason we weren’t.

So why are you reading this on Marshall and the Movies?  You probably could have read all the above on CNN.  For one, I have firm belief in the ability of the history (the societal narrative) to affect the biography (the personal narrative), so everything from the shameful scandals to the angry Americans to the partial politics played a role in how we watched (or didn’t watch) movies and how they reflected us.

It was a year of intelligent apocalyptic movies, on a global scale by way of storms (“Take Shelter”), viruses (“Contagion”), planetary collisions (“Melancholia”), technological manipulation (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), and financial meltdown (“Margin Call”), all of which tied into the anxieties of living in the now.

There was also an abundance of movies tying into non-apocalyptic but hardly apocryphal personal crises.  Much of it centered around loss  - the loss of a family member (“The Descendants,” “Super 8″), the loss of health (“50/50″), the loss of a job (“Everything Must Go,” “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop”), or the loss of perspective (“Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “The Beaver”).

However, plenty of these catalysts for change are the result of society, be they from industrial shifts (“The Artist,” “Hugo”), the impact of digital culture (“Shame,” “Page One”), the fallout of economic downturn (“Win Win”), an unfair playing field (“Moneyball”), hatred (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “In a Better World”), injustice (“The Help,” “Weekend”), or a general loss of faith in an institution (“Higher Ground, “The Ides of March”).

Just as the movies had a tumultuous relationship with society in 2011, society had a tumultuous relationship with the movies.  Revenues fell again as ticket sales were the lowest in 15 years; you know, when Tom Cruise suited up as Ethan Hunt for the first “Mission: Impossible” movie, “Independence Day” ruled the box office, and “Super 8″ star Elle Fanning had yet to be born.  Why so low?  Look to the same distrust of corporations that moved the Occupiers to New York’s Zuccotti Park.

Just like “Inside Job” showed us that the banks scammed America, the preponderance of 3D revealed to most moviegoers that the technology was being used less for art (like in “Hugo”) and more for increasing profit margins (like for “Captain America”).  As Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly put it, “Consumers balk at the idea of having to pay a regular ticket price PLUS an additional $3.50 for an experience that doesn’t often provide much more than a headache.”  With the growing precariousness of the country’s economic situation, the consciousness of high ticket prices might have kept the public at large from seeing non-essential movies in the theater.

There also seemed to be a paradoxical audience reaction to sequels in 2011 (as if there already wasn’t enough confusion this year).  The top seven movies of the year were all sequels, and the rest of the top ten belonged to some larger franchise.  Only at #12 (“Bridesmaids”) do you get anything original.  However, this sequel success is double-edged as only the last “Harry Potter” film, “Fast Five,” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” were able to outdo their predecessors.  Some fell just short, while others, particularly animated sequels like “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Happy Feet” severely underwhelmed.  The success of original films like “Inception” seems to have done little to phase the studio executives, one of which said said that spectacle over story is what they count on for success.  Unfortunately, audiences have wised up thanks to filmmakers like Nolan, and traditional strategies now seem more and more out of touch.

Finally, before I reach my 10 worst movies of the year, which are awful for lack of creativity, purpose, ambition, and cohesion, I wanted to end this post on the worst of 2011 on a personal note.  After nearly 18 months of posting every day, I largely fell off the map this year.  I returned to blog all of summer, but in the spring I let festivities of high school graduation overpower my will to blog; similarly in the fall, I let the transition to college life get the best of my writing capabilities.  I never stopped watching movies (I saw a whopping 114 released this year). Hopwever, I did stop sharing my thoughts about them and interacting with the community at large, making all that time spent in front of the screen self-serving.  I could have been better, but I wasn’t.

But just because I wasn’t better doesn’t mean I can’t be better.  Mark my words, I will be better in 2012.  Hopefully, we all will be.

THE WORST MOVIES OF 2011
Such a waste of my time that they don’t even merit a description.

#10
“The Art of Getting By”

#9
“Green Lantern”

#8
“Red State”

#7
“Another Earth”

#6
“Your Highness”

#5
“Bellflower”

#4
“Battle: Los Angeles”

#3
“The Change-Up”

#2
“New Year’s Eve”

#1
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

]]> http://marshallandthemovies.com/2011/12/31/worstof2011/feed/ 8 Marshall Gabrielle Giffords Charlie Sheen The Protester Casey Anthony CONTAGION 3D 10 Art of Getting By 9 Green Lantern 8 Red State 7 Another Earth 6 Your Highness 5 Bellflower 4 Battle LA 3 The Change Up 2 New Year's Eve 1 Transformers http://marshallandthemovies.com/2011/07/14/rankingharrypotter/ http://marshallandthemovies.com/2011/07/14/rankingharrypotter/#comments Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:00:08 +0000 Marshall http://marshallandthemovies.com/?p=7864 ]]> For millions of fans across the world today, it all ends.  The Harry Potter series is officially coming to a close.  To commemorate, I thought it would be appropriate to rank all the films in order of quality.  Perhaps with the exception of my last ranked pick, they are all exemplary films that highlight Rowling’s incredible knack for storytelling with nuanced acting and clever cinematic tricks.  But when it comes down to putting them in order, some inevitably rise to the top … and others don’t.

So here’s an installment of “Listful Thinking” that, for my money, is how the “Harry Potter” films stack up to each other.

#8
“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”
2007, dir. David Yates

The only major misstep of the series, which I can attribute to the absence of one presence: screenwriter Steve Kloves.  Although Yates’ first outing with Potter did some nice things stylistically and visually, nothing could compensate for the fact that this was a mess in terms of storytelling that would not have been coherent to fans who hadn’t read the book.

#7
“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”
2002, dir. Chris Columbus

While we all love Harry Potter, we don’t need this much of it at once.  At a whopping 165 minutes, Chris Columbus’ second time around with Potter felt more like a marathon than a fun time at the movies with our friend from Rowling’s novel.  It’s a solid movie but could have used a lot more time on the cutting room floor.

 #6
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1″
2010, dir. David Yates

Once I’m able to watch this one directly before part 2, it might rise.  But for now, it is as I saw it in November – just the first half of a grander storyline that tries to have its own pseudo-plot complete with a climax that just really doesn’t feel as grand as any other Harry Potter movie.

#5
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
2009, dir. David Yates

Yates, combined with scribe Steve Kloves, gets into the groove of the Harry Potter series with his second entry in the series.  It’s a great movie not just about the wizarding world but also about our world; that is to say, it could easily double as a great high school movie.  This is a lot of fun, but I thought this and “Order of the Phoenix” were among the bottom of Rowling’s books, so I’m not surprised that it doesn’t rank higher.

#4
“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
2005, dir. Mike Newell

Here’s where it starts getting REALLY difficult.  The top 4 Harry Potter films are all spectacular, standing head and shoulders over the others.  But to say that there’s no discrepancy is to do the better of the series a disservice.  Mike Newell’s only time in the director’s chair for the series takes one of my favorite books and makes it an equally entertaining movie.  It’s got great action, stunning visuals, and really delivers on emotion.  I’ll drop anything and watch this movie when I see it on TV.

#3
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″
2011, dir. David Yates

Goodbyes are tough to do, and the final Harry Potter film of them all pulls off its swan song with grace and poise.  It reminds us of everything that the series has done so right – mixing high-flying visuals with potent storytelling and a soaring humanity – while never indulging itself in low-grade tears or emotion.  Yates’ finest hour is an excellent way to send off a series that has entertained us so well for a decade.

 #2
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
2001, dir. Chris Columbus

Goodbyes may be hard to do, but hellos might be harder.  Chris Columbus built this incredible series from scratch, and going back and watching the first film in the series makes you realize how incredibly well he introduced a generation to the world of Harry Potter.  The book has its fans, sure, but for those who needed to be brought up to speed, Columbus gives them everything they need to know without making it feel like a trudge through exposition.  It introduces the magic of cinema into J.K. Rowling’s series, and the sensation of first seeing Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Quidditch can truly never be paralleled.

#1
“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”
2004, dir. Alfonso Cuarón

However, nothing for me tops Alfonso Cuarón’s only entry into the “Harry Potter” canon.  While Columbus did a fantastic job of getting the series set up, Cuarón made the series grow up a little.  He made the films more mature and dark, introducing some fantastic art into the commerce, and changing the series for better and for always.  ”Prisoner of Azkaban” will always be the greatest triumph of the series for me, both on paper and on screen.  It’s the most compelling story, easily Rowling’s most ingenious (save the stunning conclusion).  And Cuarón’s fantastic vision of the series, whimsical when necessary but dark buy default, still excites me more than any other film in the series.

How do you rank the films in the “Harry Potter” series?  Where does the conclusion rank for you?

Join your theater’s rewards program. This is the easiest way to be a smart moviegoer without drastically changing your moviegoing preferences.  All it takes is filling out a quick application (some can even be done online) to join a rewards program.  From then on, it’s just another card in your wallet to pull out at the box office when buying tickets.  It won’t take long for you to start earning free popcorn, drinks, and even tickets.

With AMC’s MovieWatcher program, it only takes buying 15 tickets to get you a free ticket, although you have to be particularly savvy to work around their policy attempting to cap your rewards at only two tickets per visit counting for points.  It’s only a slight inconvenience; simply make as many two-ticket transactions as you need.  With a membership in Regal’s Crown Club, you earn points by the number of dollars you spend; like AMC, they cap you at $15 per visit.  I assume that the same multiple transaction strategy would work there too.  Regal also offers an “extra credit” system where seeing big studio movies in their first two weeks of release earns you five or ten extra points.

When you do get free tickets, use them wisely.  First of all, do not let them expire.  Be sure to look at restrictions on the ticket because most only allow you to see movies that are more than two weeks old.  Most importantly, think about the time of day when you want to use the ticket.  It saves you a lot more money to use free ticket on the $10 evening show than on the $7.50 matinee.

Find free screenings. What’s better than saving money on movies?  Not spending any money on them at all!  There are plenty of free advanced screenings in most metropolitan areas.  To find them, just spend a little time on Google.  Usually, there are reliable sites that list these screenings.  A lot of times, stores or radio stations sponsor them and give away tickets.  They also give away some goodies before the movie starts.

Last summer, I went to 7 free screenings, which saved me about $70.  The only sacrifice these screenings require you to make is a little extra time.  It is of the utmost importance to arrive at least an hour early or you will not get in.  They deliberately overbook to have a full house, and I have been shut out of enough of these to know.

Go to early bird specials. Ten years ago, you could go to a matinee for $5.  That ticket probably costs about $8 now.  But AMC has a clever campaign offering patrons that same $5 ticket.  They offer these discounted tickets before noon any day.  I frequently take advantage of the system, and there are a lot of pluses to going to these early movies beside the price.  You don’t have to wait in lines for concessions; you can get good seats; you don’t have to deal with a crowded theater.  So if you can get up early enough, why wouldn’t you want to save at least $3 per movie?

And AMC isn’t the only chain with worms for the early bird.  At Cinemark, the first showtime of the day for every movie is cheaper than a regular matinee.

Save evenings and weekends for special movies. This seems like an odd request.  But theater owners know that these are the two peak times for moviegoers, and they exploit that by raising the prices.  Most people know the price jump from matinee to evening tickets, which usually runs about $2.  Yet many are oblivious to the fact that theaters raise their evening prices on Fridays and Saturdays, milking them an extra 50¢ or $1.

Part of the reason so many people go to the movies at these times is because they like the communal experience of sitting down and enjoying a movie with a theater full of other people.  If you think about it, though, how important is it to sit in a movie with an audience for a very serious dramatic film?  Or an action movie?  Some movies don’t gain much from being watched with a host of other people, and it might be wise to abstain from spending extra money to see it in that atmosphere.  In my opinion, comedies are the only movies for which a big crowd is vital.

Think about the necessity of 3D and IMAX. Is it really worth your extra $4 for 3D and extra $7 for IMAX?  If it’s a slipshod 3D conversion (“The Last Airbender”) or a movie not shot in IMAX (no movie actually was, but animated movies usually play better on the big screen), the overall experience may not justify the extra money.  Here’s a statistic that might make you a pinch a few pennies: if you saw every movie this summer in the most extravagant format available, it would cost you over $50 in premium ticket fees.  That’s five movies you could see at night in 2D!

Scout the cheapest priced tickets. There is a difference between theaters in their prices, even if it is ever so miniscule.  If you were to see 20 movies this summer, going to a theater with tickets fifty cents cheaper would save you an entire full-price ticket.

For example, the Edwards Marq*E in Houston is currently fifty cents cheaper than the other Edwards theater.  It’s a little difference, but as any smart spender knows, the little things add up pretty quickly.

Don’t be afraid to show your age. Seniors, don’t be afraid to show your age at the box office because it could mean the difference between a $7 ticket and a $10 ticket.  Other than children, seniors are the only age group to always be guaranteed a cheaper priced ticket.

Students, however, are a little more iffy.  The only theater in Houston that always gives a discounted student ticket is the River Oaks Theater, the oldest theater in town.  They only show smaller, independent movies though.  The bigger chains – your AMCs, your Regals – have slowly diminished the availability of the student ticket.  At Regal, the $1 cheaper student ticket used to be available every night.  Now, it is only available Sundays through Thursdays; in other words, not on Friday and Saturday when most younger people flock to the theaters.  But that’s better than AMC, which only offers one student day a week!  At my closest theater, that day is Thursday.  On that day, I can get $1 off a matinee and $3 off an evening show.

Know a theater’s matinee cut-off times. The matinee cut-off time has been slowly rolled back in my lifetime from 6 P.M. to 5 P.M. to now 4 P.M.  The theaters are doing this to sell more of the expensive evening tickets.

But say you head to a 3:45 showing and are running a little late.  You get to the box office, and that 3:45 showing is sold out.  Now, you have to wait for the 4:15.  The inconvenience is little, but the price jump is steep.  That 4:15 will cost you two or three dollars more than the 3:45.  Theaters love to put showtimes right along that cut-off time with hopes that some unforeseen circumstance will force you to buy the more expensive ticket.

Find a theater with free parking. This seems trivial, but the theater closest to my house charges $3 for parking.  If you think about it, that’s like paying for 3D.  Going to the movies 20 times at $3 per trip for parking is $60 extra – that’s six evening tickets!  It’s obscene, and I’ve started to go to other theaters where free parking is offered more often to save some money.

Eat before you go to the movies. I paid an outlandish $3.75 for a small package of Buncha Crunch on Friday at the theater.  Even if you manage to thwart them on ticket prices, they can get you at the concession stands.  When you are hungry, you are hungry, and you will buy whatever will pacify your stomach no matter what the price.

So what’s the best way to fight being ripped off by concessions?  Eat before you go to the movie!  That way, you won’t be hungry during the movie.  Even if you aren’t going after a big meal, have a tiny snack to tide you over for two hours.

I now declare you all smart moviegoers!  Go and save money!  Be sure to tell me at the end of the summer if any of this helped you be more economical.

Note that rather than ranking them, I will present them in alphabetical order.

“ADAM”

Tender but never maudlin, “Adam” is unparalleled in the number of “aww”s elicited.  Hugh Dancy’s affectionate performance as the titular character with Asperger’s syndrome is the crucial element to the movie’s success, and you can feel the care put into every twitch and line.  It is sure to warm your heart, if not melt it entirely.

“AVATAR”

James Cameron’s “Avatar” will be remembered not just as a movie but as a watershed in the history of cinema.  The movie’s astounding effects are enough to make you forget some of the flaws in the script, and they really do have the power to create a new world.  Cameron goes all out to make sure Pandora is not just brought to life, but also flourishes.  How quickly can he get to work on the sequel?

“THE COVE”

“The Cove” is a powerful documentary that alerts us to a crisis we need to correct – and it is completely void of Al Gore lecturing.  While systematically running down everything wrong with the slaughter of dolphins in Japan, the filmmakers show us how they verified the massacre.  This never feels like a documentary because they wisely set it up like a crime/heist film, and the excitement builds up until it breaks and we feel nothing but a fervent urge to aid their cause.

“DISTRICT 9″

Thank heavens for viral marketing because without it, I would never have seen “District 9,” which appeals and amazes on all fronts.  Smarts?  An elaborate Apartheid metaphor and undertones of racism, check.  Acting?  An incredibly physically and emotionally committed performance by South African actor Sharlto Copley, check.  Visuals?  Aliens that make James Cameron’s output look like the Smurfs putting on a production of “Cats,” check.  There is no doubt about it, “District 9″ has the goods and delivers.

“DRAG ME TO HELL”

For me, “Drag Me to Hell” was the year’s biggest surprise.  I’m not usually the horror movie type, and I generally consider mixing horror and comedy about as toxic as drinking and driving.  But Sam Raimi’s movie made me reexamine my policy.  ”Drag Me to Hell” is scary good, frightening and hilarious often at the same time.  Featuring electrifying action scenes and some purposefully atrocious one-liners, it’s a movie that keeps getting better the more I think about it.

“FANTASTIC MR. FOX”

Who would have thought that Wes Anderson’s humor would transfer like carbon paper to animation?  Anyone who instantly recognized that “Fantastic Mr. Fox” contained the same spirit as previous projects surely did.  It’s the same undeniable, albeit a little peculiar, fun that Anderson has sharpened with each movie.  There’s never a dull moment here, and whether it’s filled with clever wordplay or amusing animation tricks, this stop-motion joy delights at soaring levels.

“FUNNY PEOPLE”

I’ll admit to not being entirely won over by Judd Apatow’s “Funny People” at first sight.  But I think “Up in the Air” shed some light on the director’s aim with the movie.  I have concluded that it fell victim to my incredibly high-expectations after “Knocked Up” rocked my world.  ”Funny People” tones down the laughs and amps up the deep thoughts.  Adam Sandler’s comedian George Simmons is absolutely miserable in his isolation, and the news that his life will end soon only makes him realize how alone he actually is.  Over the course of the movie, which never feels as long as it actually is, Simmons tries to forge a meaningful relationship with a green comic played by Seth Rogen.  It doesn’t quite have Jason Reitman’s insight, but “Funny People” is an impressive rumination on similar themes.

“I LOVE YOU, MAN”

If a bromantic comedy genre ever catches on, “I Love You, Man” will be its “The Great Train Robbery.”  The movie follows the relationship between Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) and Sidney Fife (Jason Segel) that forms after the former’s wife worries about him not having any guy friends.  Their adventures are dastardly hilarious, but the movie’s unforeseen strength is its brain.  ”I Love You, Man” is a brilliant satire of how we see relationships, executed by the juxtaposition of a romantic partnership and a casual friendship.  Slowly but surely, the functions of both of Peter’s relationships begin to switch.  If we weren’t aware of the context of Sidney and Peter’s male camaraderie, would we see them as lovers?  Would the casual observer?  Look deeper into “I Love You, Man” because it is the most understatedly brilliant movie of the year.  Slappin da bass?

“THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG”

The hand-drawn animation glory days are revived with great verve through “The Princess and the Frog.”  There is plenty to evoke these classics of my childhood, but even more is new – and no, I’m not talking about the race of the princess.  The movie is as lively as its New Orleans setting, with some larger-than-life characters that amuse and enchant.  Randy Newman’s jazzy score is a vivacious addition to a vibrant movie, and the songs aren’t too shabby either.  With Anika Noni Rose’s silky smooth voice behind the tunes, “The Princess and the Frog” is a high-spirited time as only Disney can give us.

“WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE”

Spike Jonze’s adaptation of the classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” earned plenty of enemies for its rather despondent outlook while aiming to entertain the youngsters.  It packs plenty of rollicking fun for that demographic, but the movie definitely means more to those who can look back on childhood for what it really is.  While there is plenty of bliss in this time, our youthful years are also filled with questioning and struggles.  Jonze gets the big picture, and his movie provides one of the few honest portrayals of childhood in cinema.  Stark and grim as it may be, we can’t argue with it.

As the bookend of the first decade of the new millennium, this year has come to represent the changing scope of the 2000s.  Technology, as it always seems to, has reached soaring heights.  But as the man who created the most revolutionary of these advancements this year, James Cameron, said in an interview with Newsweek, ”Filmmaking is not going to ever fundamentally change. It’s about storytelling. It’s about humans playing humans. It’s about close-ups of actors. It’s about those actors somehow saying the words and playing the moment in a way that gets in contact with the audience’s hearts. I don’t think that changes.”

With that in mind, I celebrate 2009 for all the incredible stories that enchanted me as only cinema can with my top 10 list.

HONORABLE MENTION

“Julie & Julia”
Directed and Written by Nora Ephron
Starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Stanley Tucci

Although it is not one of my ten favorites of the year, “Julie & Julia” deserves to be featured on this list because of how highly influential it has been to me.  Without it, you wouldn’t be reading this post, nor this blog.  Julie Powell’s quest to find fulfillment through blogging about her obsession inspired me to do the same, and look where it has taken me!

But I don’t mean to devalue the movie at all.  Nora Ephron’s tale is a sweet treat, that rare movie which is always dependable to put a smile on your face and provide enjoyable entertainment in any circumstance.  Meryl Streep reminds us why she is the greatest actress of her generation with a savory and delightful turn as Julia Child, never once devolving into an impression or caricature.  And Amy Adams is great as well, blending sweet and nutty into one delicious performance (I could keep this food wordplay going all day).

#10

“The Hangover”
Directed by Todd Phillips
Written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis

“The Hangover” is, without a doubt, the most riotous raunchy romp to hit theaters in 2009, and a strong case could be made to extend that title well beyond this year.  The movie has you in stitches from beginning to end.  Surprisingly, the three buddies piecing together the dirty details of an inebriated evening serves as the year’s most engrossing mystery.  The movie also benefits from having a cast with none of the hackneyed comedy stars of the decade, so it never feels like we are breathing recycled air.  Zach Galifianakis is the real standout, and he infuses his character with such energy that we laugh at every move and line.  In a year that I found to be high in relatable movies, “The Hangover” stands out as the one movie with which I hope I will never be able to identify.

#9

“Star Trek”
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoë Saldana

Although its effects may not dazzle on the level of “Avatar,” J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” captivates using the real sorcery of cinema – the story. Cunning scripters Orci and Kurtzman won my instant respect for figuring out how to escape continuity with the TV series. Wielding this power, they could have taken a radically different direction. While a fairly different approach is clearly visible, the movie pays a great deal of respect to the original series. They even figure out a way to give a part to Leonard Nimoy, one of the original cast members (now the onus is on them to work Shatner in). Big themes, such as logic vs. intuition, are explored with great deftness. In the absence of big movie stars, new talent like Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana get the chance to shine, and some stars are born.

#8

“Precious”
Directed by Lee Daniels
Written by Geoffrey Fletcher
Starring Gabourey Sidibe, MoNique, and Mariah Carey

Harrowing as “Precious” may be, upon further reflection, the movie’s buoyant side is what remains the strongest in my memory. Precious, played with grueling grit by newcomer Sidibe, spends most of the movie sulking around Harlem with a stern scowl. And she has certainly been given little reason to smile, her life unfolding like a hellish worst-case scenari0. But as Precious becomes aware of the goodness people can possess, a smile begins to creep ever so slowly across her face. “Precious” is a hopeful reaffirmation of human compassion. Discussion of the movie wouldn’t be complete without Mo’Nique, who gives the most haunting performance of the year as Precious’ abusive mother. We spend most of the movie loathing her, but in the game-changing final scene, she shocks us with her justification. We can’t vindicate someone who has done such despicable things to an innocent girl, yet Mo’Nique makes sure that we can’t say that we “hate” her character.

#7

“Inglourious Basterds”
Directed and Written by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz

I was a little disapproving of Quentin Tarantino’s latest aestheticizing of violence and revenge, but a repeat viewing has increased my appreciation of “Inglourious Basterds” exponentially. It’s all the idiosyncrasies we love about Tarantino’s previous movies moved back to World War II. Aside narration from Samuel L. Jackson! Close-up shots of cream! Twenty minute build-ups to ten second climaxes! The whole bloody mess is topped off by an extraordinary performance by Christoph Waltz, whose Col. Hans Landa is a fascinating fusion of magnetism and villainy. He owns all of his scenes, slowly building up tension until we are quaking in our seats. Tarantino uses “Inglourious Basterds” to prove that he really won’t ever grow up, and that is fine by me. The precocious Peter Pan continues to churn out enthralling movies, and this one showcases his impeccable knowledge of film. It’s glo(u)rious.

#6

“Duplicity”
Directed and Written by Tony Gilroy
Starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen

“Duplicity” is the most unforgettably vibrant movie of the year, and the spell it put on me back in March has not faded in the slightest.  It has all the class that writer/director Tony Gilroy brought to his Best Picture-nominated “Michael Clayton,” but this is him at his unbridled best, free of all reticence.  With some split-screen and a rocking score, Gilroy’s fast-paced and complex script is an absolute blast.  The movie also features two great performances from its lead actors, Julia Roberts who finally begins to act her age and a very game Clive Owen.  ”Duplicity” is the best workout my brain got all year sitting in a theater chair, and it has an allure that few movies possess nowadays.

#5

“(500) Days of Summer”
Directed by Marc Webb
Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel

Are they star-crossed lovers or destined to be together?  We spend most of “(500) Days of Summer” trying to figure this out, and the movie makes it all but impossible for us to take a side until its parting moments.  At times, Tom (Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Deschanel) are a joyous pair, and the movie radiates the brightest of feelings.  But at others, they butt heads with such magnitude that reconciliation just seems pointless.  With a refreshing philosophy, the brilliant writing team flips the romantic comedy on its head and churns out a story of boy meets girl (not a love story, as the movie would have us know).  Gordon-Levitt charms as the idealistic lover, while Deschanel simply beguiles.  She gives her character so many layers that my two viewings are not sufficient to peel them all, yet a part of me thinks that I don’t really want to solve Deschanel’s beautiful enigma.  What’s equally great about the movie is how its scribe Neustadter has managed to spin real-life heartbreak into cinematic gold.  Taylor Swift, take notes – this is how it’s done.

#4

“The Hurt Locker”
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Written by Mark Boal
Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty

“The Hurt Locker” gets your blood pumping like no other movie this year.  As the intrepid Staff Sergeant James, Jeremy Renner is an absolutely commanding.  It’s absolutely astounding to watch his character remain complete control in the face of death, dismantling bombs with a bitterly sardonic sense of humor. Director Kathryn Bigelow ensures that “The Hurt Locker” as a whole matches Renner’s intensity, and the two forces working in harmony create the most riveting movie experience of the year.  It is an ornately crafted tour de force, exceptionally paced to really put us in Iraq with three soldiers trying to hold on to their lives.  You may feel yourself holding on to your own as you watch “The Hurt Locker.”  Don’t fight the sensation; it only adds to the experience.

#3

“An Education”
Directed by Lone Scherfig
Written by Nick Hornby
Starring Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, and Alfred Molina

“An Education” is simultaneously witty, serious, and insightful.  But for me, it is such a special movie because of its incredible resonance for me as a teenager.  Jenny, the film’s protagonist played with sheer brilliance by Carey Mulligan, is caught at the difficult intersection between adolescence and adulthood.  Her parents have constantly pushed her towards the stock path for a woman at the time, college and then some sort of petty career.  However, Jenny yearns for anything but the “hard and boring” life that lays ahead.  Mulligan lets this conflict evolve ever so subtly, and her journey to find the person she wants to become is rousing and exhilarating.  ”An Education,” along with Mulligan, possesses a very quaint charm that reminds you of the good old days of cinema, allowing it to enchant at a very unique level.

#2

“Up”
Directed by Pete Docter
Written by Peter Docter and Bob Peterson
Voices of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, and Jordan Nagai

“Up” is one of those movies that has something for everyone.  I feel like I’m constantly discovering new themes as I watch it.  Fulfillment of old promises, intergenerational understanding, and the meaning of fatherhood have all stuck out to me in this tale about Carl Frederickson, the old widower flying his house to the vista of his dreams with the memory of his late wife still heavy on his heart.  Together with an unforeseen stowaway, the young Wilderness Explorer Russell, Carl doesn’t just change addresses – he changes.

A large part of my heart told me that I should name this my best movie of 2009. “Up” is the most beautifully poignant movie of the year, a heartfelt piece with an insuppressible magic.  Its emotional power is best showcased in the “Married Life” sequence, a moving four minute chronicle of Carl and Ellie’s marriage.  With only Michael Giacchino’s score and the images on the screen, the Pixar animators create narrative magic in its purest form.  We become so emotionally invested in the characters that a grin spreads from ear to ear when times are grand, and the tears fall at an unprecedented level when sad times fall.  I have watched the movie several times now, and I find myself crying earlier and earlier with every viewing.  I don’t expect to ever watch it dry-eyed.  “Up” is another wonderful Pixar splendor that I cannot wait to share with my kids and grandkids because it is the kind of movie that everyone can feel like a child while watching.

#1

“Up in the Air”
Directed by Jason Reitman
Written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Starring George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, and Vera Farmiga

When I look back at 2009 many years from now, I am confident that “Up in the Air” will define the year in moviegoing.  It represents where we are as a nation in this recession, but it doesn’t stop there.  Jason Reitman’s thoughtful film explores isolation as a life choice, the power of human relationships, and how we find fulfillment.

I was fairly certain at first glance that this was my favorite movie of the year, but I had to be certain.  After a second time seeing “Up in the Air,” I became all the more convinced.  What really stood out was the nuanced acting, particularly George Clooney.  It’s the gentle progression in his facial expressions throughout the movie that really captured my attention, and subtleties like this are what make his performance so sharp.  The contrast between Clooney’s Bingham and Anna Kendrick’s Natalie Keener became much more prevalent to me, but the real brilliance lies in seeing the gradual effects they have on each other.

“Up in the Air” is the rare movie that can warm your heart and break it too in the course of two hours.  Reitman gives the brain so much to munch on, but there is plenty of light humor to make this the most gratifying movie experience of the year.  His movie taps into the zeitgeist better than any movie of 2009, and thus deserves to be called the year’s finest.