My Top 10 Movies for 2009

Clearly, making this list is a very difficult task for someone who likes almost every movie she sees, but I tried my best. Here are my favorite movies from the year - and some Honorable Mentions that didn't make the cut but are still worth watching!

1. Up - My favorite of the year. Action, adventure, love, heartbreak, loss, talking dogs - Up had it all. In my opinion, it had the most emotion and the best artwork of any Pixar movie to date.

2. An Education - Alfred Molina, future Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, and Peter Sarsgaard. It's about a young girl in 60s London who begins an affair with a sophisticated older man and starts questioning all of the institutions she took for granted . It's hilarious, sad, and beautiful. A must for period-piece junkies like me.

3. Inglourious Basterds - Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, and a bunch of other dudes. It's World War II reimagined by Quentin Tarantino, which frankly could have resulted in the worst film ever. But Tarantino restrains himself and spends most of the 2 hours 30 minutes dangling the prospect of violence in front of you. It's worth it.

4. Julie and Julie - Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams. Just plain adorable. And if you're not entirely into it, just fast forward all the Amy Adams scenes and only watch Meryl and Stanley.

5. 500 Days of Summer - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel. Literally the definition of "Postmodern," this movie is possibly the most endearing film I've seen EVER (except for Up). Cute, funny, and incredibly unique.

6. Star Trek - Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and of course Leonard Nimoy. So, so fun. Even for purists, actually, ESPECIALLY for purists, Star Trek is just awesome. It set my phaser from stunned, to rocked.

7. Up In the Air - George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick. A solidly good, often funny, meaningful and timely film. Do I think it should win best picture? No. Should you see it? Definitely.

8. Adam - Hugh Dancy, Rose Byre (from Damages) and Sandy from The OC. A young woman begins a relationship with her neighbor, who has Asperger's, and in an unclichéd way they both learn and grow from the experience. The antidote to movies like Transformers 2, it's quiet, simple, and extremely moving.

9. I Love You, Man - Jason Segal and Paul Rudd. Absolutely hilarious, although I'm biased because Jason Segal is my soulmate and Paul Rudd is next in line. Also, I wrote an awesome Gender Studies paper about it, so if you think it's just a simple Apatow-esque comedy you clearly need to talk to me about the conventions of male friendships.

10. Precious - Gabourey Sibide (don't worry, you haven't heard of her), Mo'Nique (Oscar shoo-in) and Mariah Carey. I'm assuming you know what this movie is about, and it's just as good as everyone says it is. Also, it's surprisingly funny. Mostly I put it on this list because it showcases a character that has never - think about that, NEVER - been seen on film before. And to do it well - now that's brave.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
The Hangover - because it was a cheap and funny comedy
Night at the Museum 2 - I'm not kidding, it was funnier than The Hangover
District 9 - dark and thought-provoking, but the hand-held gets real old real fast
Coraline - Stop motion and 3D! Beautiful and nightmare-inducing
Fantastic Mr. Fox - Stop motion and way funnier than I expected, but Wes Anderson's male-in-the-middle-of-a-existential-crisis schtick is old and done
Away We Go - Love John Krasinski, and this movie is like a cool breeze in a sea of Michael Bay crap
The Princess and the Frog - of course I love my Pixar and DreamWorks, but HURRAY for the return of hand-drawn animation! Our favorite directors of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, etc are back and this movie is everything you (and by you, I mean I) want it to be!

and of course - AVATAR! Great filmmaking, so-so story...I'm hoping that now that Cameron has got the technology down, his next film will have epic visuals AND characters!

Okay, if you made it to the bottom of this I'm really impressed with your dedication, even though you're probably related to me. I hope you think of this list the next time you rent a movie, because these movies deserve to be seen!