Time flies when you are watching movies-a lot of movies, and 2009 has already reached its halfway point. Here at Killer Film, we try to catch as much of the films being released as possible, and we would like to present our 2009 Mid Year Report. Keep it mind, this is only what we have seen, and we can safely say we wish we’ve seen more, but we do still have the second half of the year to catch up. Without further ado, here’s our take of 2009 so far.

Quick Thoughts on the Year so far…

Donny: While I love horror, drama, documentary, and every other genre of film out there, my favorite by far is comedy.  In my opinion there is nothing better than watching good joke unfold on screen, but on the other hand if said joke doesn’t work (Year One) then my beloved genre falls flat on its face.  Luckily, this year we’ve had some amazing comedies grace us with their undeniable funny.  So far my favorites include; The Hangover, Adventureland, I Love You, Man, and the awesome direct to DVD 18 Year Old Virgin.  I’m also looking forward to Funny People and I want to see mega-hottie Megan Fox in Jennifer’s Body.  Lets hope the rest of the year offers up the good to make this year more than mediocre.  

Jon: I think so far, it’s been a decent year as of July 1st. A few select films are really worth seeing, others are okay. I suspect the rest of the year will have great documentaries, as I haven’t seen much so far released this year. I have enjoyed seeing studios taking chances on unique films like Watchmen, Observe and Report, and The Hangover, and that’s refreshing. 3-D films have been big and constantly pushed, a trend we will see more of. For the most part, 2009 started off slow, for me, and is just now picking up. See you all at the end of the year!

Serena: Being a huge horror aficionada, I was disappointed by the initial lackluster horror films slashing their way to the big screen, but I was quite surprised by how exceptionally well done the mainstream horror fare was this year. I also was blown away by some hidden gems like Pontypool, Dead Snow and The Children (my fave film of 2009 so far) that all reminded us why foreign films are owning the horror genre these days.  However, most of the big budget anticipated action films of 2009 have all left a bad taste in this reviewer’s mouth.  So far 2009’s films are a far cry from last year’s jam-packed list, but I’m looking forward to being entertained by Jake West’s Doghouse, Diablo Cody’s anticipated horror follow-up, Jennifer’s Body and to see how Juno is going to react to being left for dead in a cave in The Descent 2. 

Now, to the good stuff….

Best Films

Donny: The Hangover, I Love You, Man, Adventureland , Che

Jon: Pixar’s Up, Goodbye Solo, and Che

Serena: The Children,  Pontypool, The Last House on the Left, Drag me to Hell

Worst Films

Donny: Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Bride Wars, Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li

Jon: Pink Panther 2, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li

Serena: Bride Wars, Obsessed and Transformers 2 (sorry Donny! )

One Honorable Mention Pick

Donny: Downloading Nancy

Jon: The Girlfriend Experience 

Serena:  Downloading Nancy

Best Comedy

Donny: I Love You, Man

Jon: I Love You, Man

Serena: I Love You, Man

Best Horror:

Donny: Drag Me to Hell

Jon: Drag Me to Hell

Serena: The Children

Best Limited Release/Direct-to-DVD

Donny: 18 Year Old Virgin

Jon: Medicine for Melancholy

Serena: Pontypool

Best Direct-to-DVD Horror Film

Donny: Laid to Rest

Jon: Laid to Rest

Serena: Acolytes

Best 2008 Film Seen in 2009

Donny: How to Alienate People and Lose Friends

Jon: Waltz with Bashir

Serena: How to Alienate People and Lose Friends

One Film We Regrettably Missed 

Donny: Pontypool

Jon: Hunger

Serena: Adventureland

One Film We are Glad We Missed

Donny: Dance Flick

Jon: Dance Flick 

Serena: The Unborn

Well, we said ours, so what are yours? Tell us in the forums, comment below, or email us at donny@killerfilm.com and jon@killerfilm.com . Keep it here at Killer Film for more reviews, features, interviews, and news, and see you at the movies!

Welcome back to New Release Tuesday for June 23^rd! Be sure to click on the cover art to buy from Amazon!

Waltz with Bashir

An incredible documentary, perfectly animated for a key reason. See this now. Also on Blu Ray. Jon says: Buy Donny says: Buy

Inkheart

A wanna-be Harry Potter, based on some book series (what isn’t these days?) and it highly mediocre. Also on Blu Ray. Jon says: Rent Donny says: Rent

Pink Panther 2

Totally unfunny, and might be one of 2009′s worst films, although Emily Mortimer is delightful. Also on Blu Ray. Jon says: Avoid Donny says: Avoid

Confessions of a Shopaholic

I always confuse Amy Adams and this film’s star, Ilsa Fisher, together. I don’t know why. Also on Blu Ray. Jon says: Avoid Donny says: Rent

New to Blu

Nothing worth mentioning.

Wow, weak week, but get to saving, because the next few months are stacked. Keep it here for more news and review only on Killer Film!

Waltz with Bashir

What’s it about, you say? The film follows Ari Folman as he tries to find the memories he lost of his service in the military. After he meets a friend who served with him, he realizes that the friend too, can’t recall those memories. So from here, we follow him as he meets up with old service buddies, all trying to recall the military service. Folman uses a variety of animation styles to recollect, all in the service of the film. Animation and documentary aren’t a combination you’d think of working, let alone seeing, but with Waltz with Bashir, it does. 

Folman can use dreams and nightmares that he or his comrades have, and explore them thoroughly. This is something live action would be unable to capture. The film opens with a blitz of dogs running and terrorizing everything in their path. The head towards his window, with him looking out, eyes locking, mouth foaming. Later, it’s reveal why these dogs haunt him. I think such a visual interpretation of guilt, has much more impact with this film’s visual style, instead of a “talking head” documentary. This is just one of many examples of how the style executes their memories to a dizzying effect.

What these men are trying to remember is the 1982 Lebanon War, and more specifically the Sabra and Shatila Massacre. This isn’t a spoiler. Outside of the animation, the thing that works for this documentary (if you want to call it that), is the way we learn about things as they are being remembered. Documentaries usually have their facts all ready and give it to us with interviews and archival footage. Waltz with Bashir starts out just like us. We don’t know much of the conflict or the massacre, but as they remember, so learn of the horrifying incident that changed their lives forever. The after effects of this massacre, extend far into our own lives as Osama Bin Laden claimed the footage he seen from this massacre, inspired him to attack America’s embassies. The film closes out, as the men look on; the film goes from animation to real life archival footage of the massacre, and then ends. You will not forget these powerful, disturbing, sad images. A brilliant way to end a film really, we are not forewarned to what we see, that helps blindsides us. Folman’s message is quite clear after you leave the theater. 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First off we should speak about the film everyone is upset at right now.  The Reader.  Now while this film did steal the nomination from a certain caped crusader and robot, it should be known that while the  film did garner  a nomination for Best Picture and director, the films chances still do not fare as well as one may hope.  The Reader is the only best picture nominee to be completely shut out of the 4 guilds awards.  Producers guild, directors guild, screen actors guild and writers guild. The films best shot is with the Best Actress nomination of Kate Winslet, as she is considered over due for on Oscar and with her being a lead in the film.  Winslet her self actually campaigned to have her nominated as Best Supporting Actress for The Reader and lead actress for Revolutionary Road but as opposed the say the golden globes, come oscar nominations actors can vote for a performance where ever they see fit.  But if you do have mad love for The Reader maybe the academy will give the film sympathy as it was the final film for Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack.

Thomas Newman the man behind this years oscar nominated Wall E, has just racked up a rather impressive 9th and 10th nomination of his career.  Again these are his 9th and 10th nominations.  He has yet to win a single Oscar.  Will this year be the year he breaks his losing streak?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the only the 11th film in history to be nominated for 13 Oscar nominations.  The film comes as the biggest winner this past Thursday when Oscar nominations were announced but to date the film is also the biggest loser having not won any of  the big awards to date.  The film has been nominated for several awards this season but has failed to win Best Picture as of yet.  The films biggest win so far is the broadcast film critics association givng the film Best Director and Best Screenplay, along with naming the film one of the top 10 films of the year.

Sean Penn Vs. Micky Rourke: Round 1  Sean Penn currently leads with 12 film critics wins while Mikey Rourke is in a close second with 7 nominations. Round 2  Mickey Rouke wins both the golden globe and the broadcast film critics association awards. Round 3 Sean Pennis currently the heavily favored to win the Oscar despite the globe loss, though with the Oscars being very political is currently being effected by his 2 years refusal to even show up at the golden globes despite his win for Mystic Riverand and his zero fondness with the press.  Can Mickey Rourke show up his friend Sean Penn with a win based on his ‘comeback’ alone?

No actor has ever won an Oscar for portraying a presidential figure. The closest one has ever come was Anthony Hopkins back in 1995 for Oliver Stone’s Nixon.  Things don’t look to well for Frank Langella who portrays the same figure so well this year in Frost/Nixon though again politics do come in to play as many believe he is due for an Oscar as well as his win being a penance for him not being nominated for last years  Starting out in the Evening.

Since 1997 with the exception of Shakespeare In Love and Million Dollar Baby no film has won Best Picture with a box office gross of less than 50 million. The current standings are :

The Reader: 8 million

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 104.3 million

Slumdog Millionaire: 44.7 million

Milk: 20.6 million

Frost/Nixon: 8.8 million

A.R Rahman who was nominated 3 times this year for best musical score and twice for Best Song for Slumdog MIllionaire’s O…Saya and Jai Ho is only the 3rd and 4th songs ever nominated that have not been in english.

France is currently the leader in foreign language film wins and is nominated again this year for the class which on this years Palm D’or at he cannes film festival, though the animated film Waltz With Bashir currently holds the most wins for foreign language film of the year.  Waltz With Bashir is also the first animated film to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, though it is the thirteenth cartoon to be submitted.

Also of note is Marsans stealing of Heath Ledgers current winning streak for best supporting actor. With most major acting wins already having been nominated it will be interesting to see if Marsan will now be considered a dark horse for oscar gold.

Here is the full list of winners along with points per film . 

BEST PICTURE
1. Waltz with Bashir, directed by Ari Folman (26)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (20)
3. WALL-E (20)

BEST NON-FICTION FILM
1. Man on Wire, directed by James Marsh (55)
2. Trouble the Water (34)
3. Encounters at the End of the World (26)

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky (36)
2. Gus Van Sant, Milk & Paranoid Park (20)
3. Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire (16)

BEST ACTOR
1. Sean Penn, Milk (87)
2. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler (40)
3. Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino (38)

BEST ACTRESS
1. Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky (65)
2. Melissa Leo, Frozen River (33)
3. Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy (31)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky (41)
2. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (35)
3. Josh Brolin, Milk (29)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Hanna Schygulla, The Edge of Heaven (29)
2. Viola Davis, Doubt (29, on fewer ballots)
3. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (24)

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Happy-Go-Lucky, by Mike Leigh (29)
2. A Christmas Tale (24)
3. Synecdoche, New York (17)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. Slumdog Millionaire, Anthony Dod Mantle (29)
2. The Flight of the Red Balloon (22)
3. The Dark Knight (18)
4. Still Life

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
1. Razzle Dazzle, directed by Ken Jacobs

Source: Awardsdaily

Wall-E and Waltz with Bashir  seem to be the locks. Who could be the wild card? I think it looks to be a strong year for this category. Keep it here for reviews of these films and future Oscar talk! What are your top 3 this year?? Talk back below!