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Best Movie Scripts of 2009

What Movies to Watch or Give as a Gift over Your Winter Holiday

by Jaden

There are some years that have so many great movies it is tough to choose which one to see when you are at the theatre; this was not one of those years. For this reason, I have to admit that I have not watched too many new movies this year. Although no film rocked my world this year, the movie storylines that intrigued me enough to fork over ten bucks (and that I enjoyed) are these:

# 1 – Inglourious Basterds

Anything with the word “terds” in it pleases me.

The last thing I wanted to see was another Nazi movie, but since it was written by director Quentin Tarantino, I figured it would be an unusual must-see film and indeed it was. Tarantino’s version of the exhausted topic was a Jewish fantasy pushed out to absurd extremities as an unorthodox United States military team go on a secret terrorist mission during World War II. 

With old movie references and a stoic meticulous unfolding, Inglourious Basterds is a visually stunning movie made for and by the love of a film geek. The intertwining complex story and clever interconnected subplots feed the hunger of an appreciating screenwriter. 

Tarantino is blessed with an ability to pull out unconventional performances from actors, making them behave unlike any other character they have ever played. Christoph Waltz who plays Nazi Col. Hans Landa gives one of the best ‘bad guy’ performances I have ever seen; he just has you on the edge of your seat wondering what he is going to do next because he is so observant and wickedly intelligent. Tarantino takes his time to build tension. The female performances by Mélanie Laurent and Diane Kruger feel like real women with complex psyches, which is refreshing. Brad Pitt gives a fun anti-hero crazy-guy performance. 

#2 – The Men Who Stare at Goats 

The Men Who Stare at Goats makes my Best Movie Scripts list for two reasons: title originality and because no one else has it topping their list of best movies this year. The three people with whom I saw this movie were mildly entertained by it. Personally, the story concept and its overall awkward delivery amused me plenty.

A reporter’s woman leaves him. To be a tough guy and impress this woman (who could not care any less about him), he sets off to find a juicy story in the danger zone of the Middle East. Through a series of uncanny coincidences, he stumbles upon a mysterious man on a secret mission from a United States special forces paranormal military unit. 

Supposedly based on a true story, I love the goofiness of the performances by George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey — all great actors of our time — as they pitch a light and funny movie. 

# 3 — Public Enemies

A classic Hollywood film beauty, Public Enemies was directed by Michael Mann, the screenplay was written by Ronan Bennett, Michael Mann, and Ann Biderman, adapted from the book by Bryan Burrough (“Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34″).

Public Enemies is very much a “Bonnie & Clyde” type bank-robber film. The storyline does a good job of letting you get to know real people of notoriety and understand their personal motivations. For its costumes, cars, props, sets, and handsome actors (starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillardor), this movie is riveting to watch. 

What others have to say about the best movies of 2009:

UK’s TimesOnline 50 Biggest Movies of 2009

This list is nice and long, unfortunately, it is broken up over 11 pages full of advertisements that are slow to upload. I have done the dirty work for you and clicked through them all to find the number one movie and give you that link here.

Best Movies Of 2009 So Far, According To Josh

Josh’s list on CinemaBlend.com is simple and straight to the point, breaks down with a star system a lot of movies in rapid fire order for you without reviews.

The Ten Best Movies of 2009 – That’s Right, 2009

What I like about CoolerKing’s list on movieretriever.com is at the end of each movie selection and review, he has written “Why it Might Suck,” just in case you were wondering; no movie is without its faults, even the good ones.

Best Movies of 2009 (so far)

From discussions and forums, I find this list by Ryan Costantino on Amazon.com to most accurately reflect how most people feel about what are the best movies of 2009, except I have not heard of anyone who agrees that District 9 is the number one movie of the year as Ryan lists it – District 9 does have a solid classic Hollywood script and is a movie worth watching.

What are your top 3 favorite movies of 2009 and why?

And The Nominees Are…

Here are the Screenplay, Actor, and other Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards that will air February 22, 2009.

Adapted screenplay

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
• “Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay

• “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
• “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
• “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Best motion picture of the year

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
• “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris, Producers
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
• Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
• Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
• Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
• Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Best animated feature film of the year

• “Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
• “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

Achievement in art direction

• “Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Achievement in cinematography

• “Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design

• “Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

Achievement in directing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

Best documentary feature

• “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
• “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
• “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
• “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall in association with Red Box Films Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
• “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

• “The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
• “The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
• “Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
• “The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

Best foreign language film of the year

• “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
• “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
• “Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
• “Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
• “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

Achievement in makeup

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
• “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat
• “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
• “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
• “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

Best animated short film

• “La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
• “Lavatory – Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
• “Oktapodi” (Talantis Films), A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
• “Presto” (Walt Disney), A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
• “This Way Up” A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film

• “Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
• “Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
• “New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
• “The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
• “Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Achievement in sound editing

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Glenn Freemantle and Tom Sayers
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
• “Wanted” (Universal), Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
• “Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in visual effects

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

PLUS the WINNERS

of the

Screen Actors Guild Awards

January 25, 2009

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

SEAN PENN Harvey Milk “MILK” Focus Features

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

MERYL STREEP Sister Aloysius Beauvier “DOUBT” Miramax Films

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

HEATH LEDGER Joker “THE DARK KNIGHT” Warner Bros. Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

KATE WINSLET Hanna Schmitz “THE READER” The Weinstein Company

Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Motion Picture

“SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” Fox Searchlight Pictures

RUBINA ALI Youngest Latika
TANAY HEMANT CHHEDA Middle Jamal
ASHUTOSH LOBO GAJIWALA Middle Salim
AZHARUDDIN MOHAMMED ISMAIL Youngest Salim
ANIL KAPOOR Prem
IRRFAN KHAN Police Inspector
AYUSH MAHESH KHEDEKAR Youngest Jamal
TANVI GANESH LONKAR Middle Latika
MADHUR MITTAL Oldest Salim
DEV PATEL Older Jamal
FREIDA PINTO Older Latika

Screen Actors Guild Awards 45th Annual Life Achievement Award

James Earl Jones

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

“THE DARK KNIGHT” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

WADE ALLEN RICK AVERY DEAN BAILEY RICHARD BURDEN FRANK CALZAVARA MARK CHADWICK BRIAN CHRISTENSEN GEORGE COTTLE TOBIASZ DASKIEWICZ JUSTO DIEGUEZ MARIE FINK JEAN-PIERRE GOY MARK HARPER ADAM HART JAMES HEISNER SY HOLLANDS

TERRY JACKSON PAUL JENNINGS LUKE KEARNEY MATT LeFEVOUR RICK LeFEVOUR TOM LOWELL TONY LUCKEN DANIEL MALDONADO JON MALDONADO JAMES MAMMOSER KEVIN MATHEWS TOM McCOMAS TIM McHENRY NATALIE M. MEYER RICK MILLER MARK MOTTRAM

CHRIS NOLTE ANDY NORMAN CARL PAOLI LINDA PERLIN BRIAN PETERS SCOTT PHILYAW BUSTER REEVES KEN REMER RICHARD RYAN JEFF SHANNON KEVIN SORENSEN JODI STARNES TOM STRUTHERS TODD ROGERS TERRY JIM WILKEY RICH WILKIE

Golden Globe Awards Winners 2009

Here are the Golden Globe Awards Winners given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Cecil B. DeMille Award

And the Oscar Goes to… Milk!

by Jaden

“And the Oscar Goes to… Milk!”

Better get used to hearing that because I think it might be said many times come February 22, 2009 when the spotlights stir up the smog in Hollywood for the Academy Awards that honor achievements in film.

Director! Actor! Editing! Sound! Screenplay! I expect Milk to be up for awards in each of these categories and more.

Milk is one of those rare films that has something important to say about politics and humanity — doing it with remarkable eloquence and beauty.

The images of Milk are not flickering merely to help you get through two more hours of your dreary life, the pictures confront your values, challenge your moral structure, make you feel uneasy in your plush red chair, and demand that you question yourself.

Learn more about Milk:

Milk Drops Keep Falling on My Head

Moral Milk for Gus Van Sant and Sean Penn

Robert Pattinson Plays Dali in Little Ashes

by Jaden

Back in March, there was a big stir amongst screenwriters and fans on the Internet about Johnny Depp ‘auditioning’ scripts in search of a screenplay about Salvador Dali.

The minor detail that you don’t audition scripts, you submit them, set off my rinky-dink internal alarm that this was a bogus news piece that was running rampant on every online news source without a single fact checker amongst them.

Needless to say, seven months later, there is still no officially announced commitment by Johnny Depp to play Dali or “audition” scripts.

Fret not.

An independent film about Salvador Dalí and his buddies filmmaker Luis Buñuel and poet Federico García Lorca is set to come out in the United Kingdom in 2009. Little Ashes: Love, Art, Betrayal, is written by Philippa Goslett and directed by Paul Morrison. A screening rolled this week at the Raindance Film Festival.

Due to its low budget and current lack of distribution in the USA, a fan website dedicated itself to tell you all about it; it’s called the Little Ashes Promotional Blitz Project.

If you want to see this film in your country, they would love for you to join their publicity fun wagon.

As Dali and his pals were independent thinkers, what better type of filmmakers and publicity people to represent them than independents?

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