I originally thought of doing a summary of all the best movies I'd seen in 2009, then realised that I hadn't done one for 2008, so I did a two year summary instead. Please note that most of the movies on this list are older than two years. That's because not all the movies I've seen in the last two years have also been made in the last two years. Most are older.
What I looked for when compiling this list is perfection, or movies that are as close to perfection as possible. I had to exclude movies with noticeable flaws, be they popular or unpopular, award winners or not. I chose those movies that didn't seem to have a single line of their script out of place, a movie for which I couldn't possibly conceive of any improvements like additional editing, better acting or changes in narration. Only a few made the cut. I've also included a second list below of films that, while maybe not perfect, are still worth your time.
My top films for 2008 & 2009
1. Central Station (1998)
2. Persepolis (2007)
3. Rear Window (1954)
4. Dial M for Murder (1954)
5. Into the Wild (2007)
6. The Visitor (2007)
7. Papillon (1973)
8. Miller's Crossing (1990)
9. In Bruges (2008)
10. Machuca (2004)
11. The Lives of Others (2006)
12. Thumbsucker (2005)
13. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Special Mentions
1. The Band's Visit (2007)
2. Wall E (2008)
3. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
4. Nine Queens (2000)
5. Riding Solo to the Top of the World (2006)
6. Heat (1995)
7. The Counterfeiters (2007)
8. Michael Clayton (2007)
9. No Country for Old Men (2007)
10. March of the Penguins (2005)
11. Stray Dog (1949)
12. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
13. The Last Emperor (1987)
14. Ratatouille (2007)
15. Himalaya (1999)
16. The Deer Hunter (1978)
17. The Usual Suspects (1995)
18. The Green Butchers (2003)
19. Wings of Desire (1987)
20. City of God (2002)
21. The Duchess (2008)
23. Secret Ballot (2001)
24. There will be Blood (2007)
25. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
26. L'auberge Espagnole (2002)
27. Dust to Dust (2000)
28. A History of Violence (2005)
I realise that, ironically, my best of 2008 & 2009 film list has no films from 2009 on it and just a few from 2008. But like I said earlier, it's about when I watch them, not when they were made. That being said, 2007 was a really good year for movies.
Also, I tend to depend more on DVD's for most of my films, and the problem with DVD clubs is that they never have the most recent films on DVD. Not the good ones at least. Furthermore, I try to catch up with older releases, ones that have already got good reviews.
Try to see the films I've mentioned in the lists above if you haven't already done so. I'm sure you won't regret the experience.
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