CINE-FILE’S BEST OF 2009 LISTS

Our contributors (active, dormant, and former) were invited to submit any kind of list or lists they chose. Here’s what we got.

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JULIAN ANTOS

Newer:

24 CITY (Jia Zhang-ke, 2008) Gene Siskel Film Center
IMPORT/EXPORT (Ulrich Seidl, 2007) Facets
JULIA (Erick Zonca, 2008)
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) Gene Siskel Film Center
YOU, THE LIVING (Roy Andersson, 2007) Facets

Older:

BIGGER THAN LIFE (Nicholas Ray, 1956) Gene Siskel Film Center/Music Box
THE BOWERY (Raoul Walsh, 1933) Bank of America Cinema
BRIGHTON ROCK (John Boulting, 1947) Gene Siskel Film Center
THE CRAZIES (George A. Romero, 1973) Doc Films
CROSSROADS (Bruce Conner, 1976) Gene Siskel Film Center
DAY OF WRATH (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1943) Gene Siskel Film Center/Doc Films
PRIVILEGE (Peter Watkins, 1967) Doc Films
QUEEN OF SHEBA MEETS THE ATOM MAN (Ron Rice, 1982) Doc Films
LA RONDE (Max Ophuls, 1950) Gene Siskel Film Center
THE TALL T (Budd Boetticher, 1957) Bank of America Cinema

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BETH CAPPER

Best of 2009 (in theaters)

1. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE UNDERNEATH (Jane Arden, 1972) BFI, London
2. GAEA GIRLS (Kim Longinotto, 2000) Nightingale
3. D’EST (Chantal Akerman, 1993) University of Chicago Film Studies Center
4. JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Akerman, 1975) Gene Siskel Film Center
5. SOFT FICTION (Chick Strand, 1979) Conversations at the Edge series at Gene Siskel Film Center
6. SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW (Jesse Mclean, 2009) various venues
7. THE BEACHES OF AGNES (Agnes Varda, 2009) Music Box Theatre
8. TREELESS MOUNTAIN (So Yong Kim, 2008) Gene Siskel Film Center
9. CROSSROADS (Bruce Conner, 1976) Conversations at the Edge series at Gene Siskel Film Center
10. BERNADETTE (Duncan Campbell, 2008) Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival

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ROB CHRISTOPHER

The actual year a movie was “made” is in many ways becoming less and less relevant. Theatrical distribution can be glacial. Just look at Francois Ozon’s ANGEL: It was completed in 2007 but won’t get a proper US release until 2010. On the other hand, online streaming can mean that films unseen for decades are suddenly watchable with the click of a mouse. Any movie you see for the first time is a new movie. So I’m steadfastly refusing to limit my “best of” list to movies that happened to be made in 2009. Here are the movies I watched for the first time this year that I loved the most:

BIGGER THAN LIFE (Nicholas Ray, 1956)
BILLY BUDD (Peter Ustinov, 1962)
CHE (Steven Soderbergh, 2008)
THE CLASS (Laurent Cantet, 2008)
DAYTIME DRINKING (Young-Seok Noh, 2008)
FEAR ME NOT (Kristian Levring, 2008)
THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
THE HEADLESS WOMAN (Lucrecia Martel, 2008)
LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF (Thom Andersen, 2003)
MOON (Duncan Jones, 2009)
MOTHER (Joon-ho Bong, 2009)
THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO CINEMA (Sophie Fiennes, 2006)
POLICE, ADJECTIVE (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009)
THE ROAD (John Hillcoat, 2009)

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KALVIN HENELY (Our Los Angeles correspondent)

Top 10 Movies Released in 2009:

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
SPREAD (David MacKenzie, 2009)
TWO LOVERS (James Gray, 2009)
STAR TREK (J. J. Abrams, 2009)
MOTHER (Bong Joon Ho, 2009)
PONYO (Hayao Miyazaki, 2009)
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL (Jim Jarmusch, 2009)
PUBLIC ENEMIES (Michael Mann, 2009)
GOODBYE SOLO (Ramin Bahrani, 2009)

Favorite movies that weren’t yet released this year:

NE CHANGE RIEN (Pedro Costa, 2009)
TRASH HUMPERS (Harmonie Korine, 2009)
UN LAC (Phillipe Grandrieux, 2009)

Favorite theatrical rereleases:

JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Akerman, 1975)
THE SALVATION HUNTERS (Josef von Sternberg, 1925)
THE MAN WHO ENVIED WOMEN (Yvonne Rainer, 1985)

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MIKE KING (Our Madison, Wisconsin correspondent)

Top 5 recent features that, for whatever reason, have not yet made it to Chicago:

1. OUR BELOVED MONTH OF AUGUST (Miguel Gomes, 2008)
2. EXTRAORDINARY STORIES (Mariano Llinás, 2008)
3. NE CHANGE RIEN (Pedro Costa, 2009)
4. SWEETGRASS (Lucien Castaing-Taylor, 2009)
5. EVERYONE ELSE (Maren Ade, 2009)

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JOSH MABE

My top ten favorite cinematic hosts and their offerings that were new-to-my-eyes in Chicago, 2009 (in no good order and with a few silly notes):

1. Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival:
NOTHING IS OVER NOTHING (Jonathan Schwartz, 2008) - the best new film-on-film I saw this year
WHEN WORLDS COLLUDE (Fred Worden, 2008) - almost as brilliantly skull-cracking as his other video masterpiece EVERYDAY BAD DREAM
ALTERNITY (Van McElwee, 2008)
THE PARABLE OF THE TULIP PAINTER AND THE FLY (Charlotte Pryce, 2008)

2 and 3. The Nightingale & White Light Cinema:
UTAH (Kyle Canterbury, 2009) - such a gorgeous video; a masterpiece and a look in a new direction for a great young artist
WHITE HEART (Daniel Barnett, 1975) - belligerent and beautiful

4. Doc Films:
SCENES FROM UNDER CHILDHOOD, SECTION 4 (Stan Brakhage, 1970) - the best old film-on-film I saw this year; all the sections were brilliant, of course, but Section 4 really did something amazing

5. Chicago Underground Film Festival:
TRYPPS #6 (MALOBI) (Ben Russell, 2009)
HONORABLE MENTION & THE CITIZENS (Kevin Jerome Everson, 2009)

6. Conversations at the Edge:
SUMMER SOLSTICE (Hollis Frampton, 1974)

7. Chicago Filmmakers:
DIALOGUES (Owen Land, 2009) - confusing and a little sad; but probably also great… maybe
LIGHT SPEED (Karen Johannesen, 2007)

8 and 9. University of Chicago’s Film Studies Center & The Experimental
Film Club:
NO SIR, ORISON! (Owen Land, 1975)

10. Bank of America Cinema:
VERBOTEN! (Sam Fuller, 1958)

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DOUG McLAREN

2009 was a busy, frightful year for me. Between starting a new job, becoming addicted to bubblegum and garbage (cinematically speaking, at least), and an uncanny ability to forget about screenings until their showtimes, I managed to see few films this year. A tragedy, when one considers the great number of excellent films to have been screened in Chicago this past year. As such, I’m splitting my list in two - what I wish I saw and what I did see.

THE YEAR THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN:

SILENT LIGHT (Carlos Reygadas, 2007)
SUMMER HOURS (Olivier Assayas, 2008)
CHE (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
D’EST (Chantal Akerman, 1993)
JULIA (Erick Zonca, 2008)
PRIVILEGE (Peter Watkins, 1967)
LET EACH ONE GO WHERE HE MAY (Ben Russell, 2009)
LORNA’S SILENCE (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 2008)
MOON (Duncan Jones, 2009)
DIALOGUES (Owen Land, 2009)
JE T’AIME, JE T’AIME (Alain Resnais, 1968)
THE KEEP (Michael Mann, 1983)
THE HUMAN CONDITION (Masaki Kobayashi, 1959-61)
WENDY & LUCY (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)
BIGGER THAN LIFE (Nicholas Ray, 1956)

THE YEAR THAT WAS:

PIE PELLICANE JESU DOMINAE* (Bruce McClure, 2009)
ANTICHRIST (Lars Von Trier, 2009)
THE HURT LOCKER (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009)
I LOVE YOU, MAN (John Hamburg, 2009)
ADVENTURELAND (Greg Mottola, 2009)
UNDERWORLD USA (Samuel Fuller, 1961)
THE TIME MACHINE (Bill Brown and Sabine Gruffat, 2009)
PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN (Albert Lewin, 1951)
BERNADETTE (Duncan Campbell, 2008)
LIGHT SPEED (Karen Johannesen, 2007)
CHROMATIC COCKTAIL (Kerry Laitala, 2009)

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LIAM NEFF

Top 5 Newish 2009

YOU, THE LIVING (Roy Andersson, 2007)
ANTICHRIST (Lars von Trier, 2009)
LORNA’S SILENCE (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 2008)
LET EACH ONE GO WHERE HE MAY (Ben Russell, 2009)
LA DANSE (Frederick Wiseman, 2009)

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JOE RUBIN

TOP 10 NEW RELEASES:

A SERIOUS MAN (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009)
THE BEACHES OF AGNES (Agnes Varda, 2009)
THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
IMPORT/EXPORT (Ulrich Seidl, 2007)
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
LA DANCE (Frederick Wiseman, 2009)
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL (Jim Jarmusch, 2009)
PRECIOUS (Lee Daniels, 2009)
SPREAD (David Mackenzie, 2009)
TWO LOVERS (James Gray, 2008)

TOP 10 REP SCREENINGS (compiled based on rarity and quality, but more so rarity):

THE CRAZIES (George Romero, 1973) Doc Films
DAY OF WRATH (Carl Dryer, 1927) Doc Films
JOHNNY GUITAR (Nicholas Ray, 1954) Music Box
MARNIE (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964) Music Box
MESSIAH OF EVIL (Willard Huyck/Gloria Katz, 1973) Doc Films
PLAY IT AS IT LAYS (Frank Perry, 1972) Doc Films
PRIVILEGE (Peter Watkins, 1967) Doc Films
SING A SONG OF SEX (Nagisa Oshima, 1967) Gene Siskel Film Center
SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (Fritz Lang, 1947) Gene Siskel Film Center
TEOREMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1968) Gene Siskel Film Center

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BEN SACHS

Best New Chicago Releases of 2009

Domestic:

1. SPREAD (David Mackenzie, 2009)
2. THE LIMITS OF CONTROL (Jim Jarmusch, 2009)
3. TWO LOVERS (James Gray, 2008)
4. LA DANSE (Frederick Wiseman, 2009)
5. CHE / THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE / THE INFORMANT! (tie) (Steven Soderbergh, 2008-2009)
6. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
7. LET EACH ONE GO WHERE HE MAY (Ben Russell, 2009)
8. CHELSEA ON THE ROCKS (Abel Ferrara, 2008)
9. CORALINE (Henry Selick, 2009)
10. THE MERRY GENTLEMAN (Michael Keaton, 2009)

Foreign:

1. SILENT LIGHT (Carlos Reygadas, 2007)
2. SING A SONG OF SEX [a.k.a. A TREATISE ON JAPANESE BAWDY SONGS] (Nagisa Oshima, 1967)
3. SERBIS (Brillante Mendoza, 2008)
4. BURMA VJ (Anders Ostergaard, 2008)
5. THE HEADLESS WOMAN (Lucrecia Martel, 2008)
6. SUMMER HOURS (Olivier Assayas, 2008) and LORNA’S SILENCE (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 2008) (tie)
7. SPARROW (Johnnie To, 2008)
8. IMPORT/EXPORT (Ulrich Seidl, 2007)
9. PONYO (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
10. YOU, THE LIVING (Roy Andersson, 2007)

As this first decade of the century closes, I’m shocked when I realize how rapidly digital technology became omnipresent in our lives. This goes well beyond reliance on computers, which evolved, in my lifetime, from luxury to commonplace item to virtual necessity—to an ever-present wall of text messages, mp3 players, public TV screens and up-to-the-minute headlines. Living in a modern city, few things feel as exotic now as an hour of uninterrupted thought: The noise was always there, but every day there are new diversions to contend with, many of them purchased under the impression they’d make life simpler. These aren’t novel observations, but I wonder if we’ve done anything to really counter the wave of distraction. Thanks to Facebook and web forums, the nonstop progress of the Information Age shapes even our most personal concept of ourselves.

In this climate, I find the movies to be a form of resistance as much as an art. The cinema is one of the few places left where you’re told to turn off your cell phone, making even the lousiest movie a satisfying experience if seen in a theater. But movies are also refuge from the pace of the digital age (with the exception of those that contribute to it, of course), allowing us to simply observe life without the obligation to assimilate it as information. It’s for this reason that most of the movies listed here are either slow-paced or old-fashioned.

I don’t want to come across as praising movies because they’re good for you. Cinema remains the most valuable of modern media because its first obligation is to astonish, and every film on these lists succeeded in that regard. (Analyses comparing movies to TV shows and, increasingly, web videos are invariably denigrating.) While most of my favorites employed longer takes, often it was so that their subjects could regain mystery and wonder. This was certainly true of the films by Reygadas, Russell, Tarantino, Andersson, and Wiseman (probably the greatest living practitioner of this approach), all of which rewarded the patient spectator with fully realized environments to explore. The Jarmusch and the Seidl likened the spectator’s curiosity to political awareness, but no film made the connection as heartbreakingly real as BURMA VJ. On one level an important document of life under dictatorship, Ostergaard’s film was also a vital argument for the responsibility of images in the 21st century—and not only images made out of necessity (the webcasts made in secret by Burmese reporters), but also those made in solemn reflection (Ostergaard’s finished product, beautiful, sincere, and addressed to the viewer’s humanity).

SPREAD and TWO LOVERS (and THE MERRY GENTLEMAN, to a lesser extent) managed to evoke the 50s melodrama in their own idiom, deepening modern experience with a sense of buried tradition. But these movies—directed by two of the greatest English-language filmmakers working today—operated with such vitality that it was easy to overlook their sense of history. For Mackenzie and Gray every emotion, no matter how shameful or immature, can seem valuable if presented with the vibrancy of how it felt on first articulation. (This is also true of the new films by Assayas and the Dardennes, among the greatest French-language filmmakers working today.) If I rank SPREAD higher than any other release of 2009 it’s because of Mackenzie’s particular alchemy as a filmmaker, his ability to detect the complexity of human behavior in the most genre-bound or seemingly pornographic material, his balance of psychological insight and the visually beautiful.

As always, Chicago was host to many valuable experimental and revival screenings (thanks in part to the labors of my colleagues at this site). Special mention should be paid to Doc Films’ Taiwanese New Wave series and Bank of America’s revival of the unavailable I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, but no series gave me more to reflect on than the touring Nagisa Oshima retrospective that came to the Film Center at the beginning of the year. Oshima remains controversial in his willingness to breach images of racism, sexism and brutality in the service of confronting national taboos: Indeed, SING A SONG OF SEX provoked the most heated post-film discussions of anything I saw this year. Our historical distance from the Vietnam War and our cultural distance from Japanese prejudice may have weakened the movie’s impact as allegory for U.S. audiences, but its stunning reach of the culture (from politics to advertising to architecture) was unrivaled by any other release of 2009.

Did the movies still offer a form of escape? Of course they did. PONYO and SPARROW were some of the most entertaining movies I’ve ever seen, and THE HEADLESS WOMAN and CHELSEA ON THE ROCKS were satisfyingly escapist in the sheer singularity of their auteurs. But even these films gave shape to contemporary experience (Tellingly, all four are to some extent about vanishing cultures), and at their best elevated it to a level of beauty untouched by progress. This was an exceptional year for moviegoing.

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IGNATIUS VISHNEVETSKY

Top 20:

Local screenings, theatrical releases, and national runs of new films, not counting screenings at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival.

1. TWO LOVERS (James Gray, 2008)
2. PUBLIC ENEMIES (Michael Mann, 2009)
3. SPREAD (David Mackenzie, 2009)
4. SPARROW (Johnnie To, 2008)
5. NIGHTWATCHING (Peter Greenaway, 2007)
6. ARMORED (Nimrod Antal, 2009)
7. GOODBYE SOLO (Ramin Bahrani, 2009)
8. THE INFORMANT! (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
9. 24 CITY (Jia Zhang-ke, 2008)
10. MUNYURANGABO (Lee Isaac Chung, 2007)

11. THE LIMITS OF CONTROL (Jim Jarmusch, 2009)
12. THE INTERNATIONAL (Tom Tykwer, 2009)
13. FIGHTING (Dito Montiel, 2009)
14. CHELSEA ON THE ROCKS (Abel Ferrara, 2008)
15. SUMMER HOURS (Olivier Assayas, 2008)
16. INVICTUS (Clint Eastwood, 2009)
17. TOKYO SONATA (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2008)
18. THE FRONTIER OF DAWN (Philippe Garrel, 2008)
19. THE MERRY GENTLEMAN (Michael Keaton, 2008)
20. DUPLICITY (Tony Gilroy, 2009)