The 2009 Raymo awards

It's that time again, the rundown of the best (and worst) movies of the year.
In total I saw a paltry (compared to some) 29 films in 2009 and I'd have to say there was a distinct lack of quality overall.
A few blockbusters that delivered, a few that were passable and a few that bombed.
So I present my top 5 films of the year just past.

1. Up
Pixar can do no wrong. They took a story about an old man fulfilling a dream by attaching balloons to his house and flying to an exotic location, with a hapless boy scout stowaway in tow, and made it work. What makes it the film of the year for me is that it was such a good story, it was visually excellent (particularly in 3D) and it makes you feel good. Pixar do it again and have set the bar high for Toy Story 3.
2. Gran Torino
It's Clint Eastwood chanelling a bit of Dirty Harry in easily the best drama of the year for me. Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a widower Korean War veteran who takes on the task of turning his ethnic teenage neighbour Thao into an upstanding citizen after he tries to steal Walt's prized Gran Torino. With pressure from his cousin to join a local gang it's no easy task for him to keep Thao from joining the dark side. It could be seen as a bit offensive by some but this was an outstanding film.
3. Avatar
It's hard to watch a film that is regarded by a lot of reviewers as the best movie they have seen. I wouldn't go that far but Avatar certainly is something else. Aussie actor Sam Worthington shines yet again as Jake Sully, a wheelchair bound ex-marine who is assigned to take his twin brother's place on a mission to the planet Pandora, which is home to a valuable mineral and a vicious indigenous tribe. He has to use an avatar, a created body controlled by his mind, to infiltrate the tribe. It's not a new plotline and that's were it fell down for me. However, that is being a bit picky. Visually it is stunning, the detail is intricate and the performances are solid. Definitely groundbreaking but not the best I've ever seen.
4. Star Trek
The brilliant thing about this new Star Trek film is that is wasn't so much a remake but, like Batman Begins, a re-imagining. They acknowledged the previous series with a storyline that made a lot of sense - if you didn't get it, this film was set in a parallel universe. Again, a great cast made the movie very watchable. Headed by Chris Pine as Kirk, who I thought was brilliant, Zachary Quinto (from Heroes) as Spock, Eric Bana as the villain Nero and Chris Pegg as Scotty plus the pivotal cameo from Leonard Nimoy, this is a Star Trek film that does go beyond what they've done before. Excellent.
5. I Love You, Man
Easily the comedy of the year despite the hype over the Hangover (which was good). Paul Rudd is Peter Klaven, a real estate agent who is engaged to be married. When it is brought to his attention that his bride will have seven bridesmaids and he will have no-one, he sets out to make a male friend. After a few false starts he meets Sidney (Jason Segal) and for whatever reason they hit it off. Great laughs here, a great guys movie and I really thought it had a good message about the importance of your mates.

Honourable mentions: New Moon (was hoping it would be better than Twilight but the director stuffed it, bring on Eclipse), Moon (amazing what you can do with one actor and a great script), Seven Pounds, The Boys Are Back and Love The Beast.
Surprise of the year: District 9. While I only gave it 6.5 this is a movie that got better and better the more you thought about it. Brave, different, like nothing I've ever seen before.
Flop of the year: Public Enemies. Hello, plot! You can't just stick Johnny Depp in a movie and not give him a character to work with. What a waste.