Category / 2009 in Review

by Jonathan M

Films of the Year : 2009 Edition

2009 has been, by my estimation, an excellent year in film.  In the wake of the recession, many people are moaning about the collapse of mid-range budgets (leaving only Avatar and Paranormal Activity).  This may well prove to be true but I suspect that the UK will not feel the cinematic bite of the recession until this year as we tend to be months behind the pace when it comes to releasing smaller films.  This time slippage also means that some of my favourite films of 2009 were in fact made in 2008 or even 2007.

In no particular order…

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by Jonathan M

Films of the Year : Not Quite the 2009 Edition

I have decided to split my favourite films into two distinct groups.  The first group is a list of the films that I have particularly enjoyed this year but which were not made or released this year.  It is a longer list than the other and because it is more a reflection of what I have seen than anything else, it will have a touch less impact.  However, for those interested, here are some of my favourite films of the year.

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by Jonathan M

Surprises of the Year : 2009 Edition

As I’ve expanded my film watching habits, I have frequently taken chances and moved outside of the kind of film that I might have expected to like (more on this when I put up my best of 2009 post!).  Sometimes, the results were disastrous.  Other times, I was nonplussed but looked into the director and found good things.  But occasionally, I have been pleasantly surprised.  I have gone into films expecting the worst and come out not only impressed me but also changed me.  This is a list of those films.

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by Jonathan M

Disappointments of the Year : 2009 Edition

While I have seen a lot of films this year, I have been relatively lucky as far as avoiding stinkers is concerned.  Following disastrous trips to the cinema to see films like Jumper and Quantum of Solace on the grounds that I had a card that allowed me to get in for free, I have resisted seeing rubbish.  The only exception being District 9, the film that effectively cured me of action films for good.

However, while I have avoided seeing terrible films, I have been lured to the cinema with high hopes only to see those hopes brutally crushed by terrible film-making.  These are my five most disappointing films of the year.

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by Jonathan M

Podcast Round-Up

Over the past couple of months I have been making the most of the improved median ambient temperature and doing quite a bit of walking.  Where before I might have taken the bus or the tube, I now walk.  This left me with something of an entertainment shortfall as while it is easy to read a book on public transport, it is much harder to do so whilst walking.  In fact, reading a book whilst walking through London is very much like eating a roast dinner whilst sitting on a public lavatory : A combination of activities that is neither intuitive nor particularly healthy.  However, One thing that all of this walking has allowed me to do is increase the number of podcasts I listen to on a regular basis and I thought I might share some of my favourites in order to a) encourage people to listen to them and b) maybe illicit a few suggestions from the people who read this blog.

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