The Last Look Back...

Ok, I know everyone has their favorite films of 2009 and lots of websites/blogs put up their "Best Of" lists last week or so. I didn't want to get caught in all the clutter, so I waited till the first week of the new year. Those that were wondering what were my faves, runner ups and honorable mentions? Here you have it...

Honor's Top Ten Films of 2009:




Number 10 - Sherlock Holmes

Surprised? Not near as much as I was. I had zero interest in seeing this film. Absolutely none. The trailer looked like such a desecration of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic character. But the reviews kept coming up glowing. My friend that saw the film and felt protective about these historic characters of literature flipped for it, so I gave it a chance and went and seen it. And I loved it. It's an entirely different take, but it does feel the spirit and essence of Holme lies there. The casting of Downey Jr. and Law is brilliant and inspired. I had two problems with the story/script as the film was going along and by the end the major one was absolved and the minor point I had was abated. I can't wait for the sequel, but please don't let Brad Pitt turn out to be Moriarty... that would be a crime. One Sherlock Holmes couldn't solve.



Number 9 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I've loved the Harry Potter franchise since the Willie Wonka type fun of the original all the way through the darkening turns of poor Harry's life. I've gotten older and watched these three young actors grow up with their roles. With each film delving deeper into the dark secrets of Voldermort and his link to Harry. It's truly been a grand adventure and this film leading into the final book was a wonderful exploration of the pain of growing up; with or without a wand. Looking forward to the final battle.



Number 8 - Star Trek

I've never been a Trekkie or Trekker or whatever the latest interation is. I grew up a child of Star Wars, raised by George Lucas before he betrayed me, before he went to the Dark Side. That's why when I saw this film I was amazed at how fun it was... how much more like Star Wars than Trek it was. I know that'll offend some diehard fans, but it's how it felt and it a good way. The story of how Kirk and Spock met was a grand adventure and a great way to reboot a franchise. Now, if Disney or someone can pry the work of the Skywalkers away from Lucas, I'd suggest doing the same. But clearly, this is a new series of Star Trek films that will live long and prosper.



Number 7 - Avatar

The story of this film has been done a dozen times before. You're not going to see a revolutionary story with "Avatar," but you are going to see it told revolutionary. Not that the story isn't good, it is. But the way Cameron shows it has to be seen. It's essentially a Western told from the point of view of the Indians, set in space. Only in this case, the fantasy of a primitive civilization winning happens. It's a grand adventure and one I highly recommend you going on. Those that were expecting Jim to drop the ball will have to keep waiting.



Number 6 - The Hangover

I laughed, I cried. I laughed while crying. Without a doubt, the funniest thing I saw all year. My friends and I were just rolling in our seats watching this bachelor party gone awry turn into such an engrossing comedy. This film was so good that the studio asked for a sequel before the first one was out. And if you have seen it and left when the credits started; shame on you. Sit through them and watch the night before unfold for you. A great comedy, a great film.




Number 5 - The Hurt Locker

A gripping thriller/drama that has you from the get go. Kathyrn Bigelow, long known as someone that can hang with the boys, pulls out her best film. Ever. The story of a bomb disposal unit in Iraq from the viewpoint of their new, brash and risky new member is a fresh wonderful take on war films. Unlike recent films, it doesn't try to demean the military or preach politics. The film is decidedly apolitical and focuses on the human cost of war. To you and all those around you. And if you're a casting agent for the adaption of "Unchated" then take a good look at Jeremy Renner for the part of Nathan Drake. He's spot on and so is this movie.


Number 4 - District 9

The second biggest surprise I had at a screening this year. Neill Blomkamp's fictional sci-fi documentary is a riveting portrayal of life after dying aliens make contact with humanity. Filmed for a tenth of what "Avatar" cost, this story displays a heart that most big budget features forget to include or simply leave behind. Sharlto Copley Sharlto Copley delivers a vulnerable portrait of a flawed man who is stripped quite literally of his humanity after becoming contaminated by a foreign substance. This is intelligent geekiness at its best.




Number 3 - 500 Days of Summer

A bittersweet, urban fairytale about love and loss. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a hopeless romantic that finds himself going back into his life trying to figure out why his girlfriend dumped him. This little fable is a great way to reacquaint yourself with why you fall in love and what happens when it all falls apart. I felt all bubbly after the credits started to roll on this little film. If you're a fan of the romantic comedy, this ain't it. If you're a fan of love and falling in it then put it in and push play. A fine, enchanting greeting card to your heart.




Number 2 - Up in the Air

Jason Reitman has a knack for the type of source material that I love. George Clooney hasn't been this fun to watch since "Out of Sight." I had a hard time putting this at number two on the list. It could have easily been number one. Both my top choices could have switched places at a moments whim. I love them both, but the only similarity they have is their title and being great films. Clooney plays a man who has lived his life on the road. He comes to a point where he has to confront if what he's been/done is really a life at all. It's the most unconventional of road films. He takes pause on his life and what it's all about when his livelihood is threatened by a young, corporate upstart. His life as well as hers evolves in ways unexpected that never go unchallenged. An intelligent, introspective look into ones life from the outside and inside. I loved it and it loved me back.



Number 1 - Up

Yes, Carl and his crew are my favorite film of the year. Believe it or not; for a person that runs a Disney blog, a Disney film (Pixar or not) rarely winds up being my favorite film of the year. That first four minute or so montage just hooks you in and makes you love this old Curmudgeon. Russell and Dug take you on a wonderful, quirky adventure that treats you to another Pixar masterpiece. I love this film far more than Pete Docter's first effort "Monsters Inc." and it's clear that Docter has grown tremendously as a director. I saw this film three times before I moved on to other films and the memory of it still left a deep impression. If you haven't seen it in theaters, then you need to go out and have a Blockbuster night. It'll make you believe a house can fly. Really.

Almost Made It:



Princess and the Frog

Yes, I can already hear some of you screaming. Sorry, it didn't make the top ten, but it got close. It could qualify as number eleven. It almost made it as number ten, but near the end of the year I saw "Sherlock Holmes" and 221B Baker Street's most famous resident beat out the Frog Princess. But make no mistake about my love for this film. It's a lovely, warm and wet kiss to hand-drawn animation. A very good story with amazingly beautiful 2D animation. And not the last one made with pencils as some of you have been worrying about. Go see it if you haven't yet. If you have seen it, go again. It won't disappoint you.



Where the Wild Things Are

Spike Jonze' take on the classic children's book is a dark, visually haunting stir of imagery and emerging adolescence. Many people were unhappy with the unresolved ending, but that's life and that's childhood. It doesn't end at a clear point just like this film.




Runner Ups:

The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson's lovely adaption of the best selling novel about a girl's murder told from her viewpoint in heaven. Beautiful and hard to watch all at once.

Public Enemies

Johnny Depp was great as John Dillinger and Michael Mann had a great script. Now if he would have made it in film or at least something that looked like film. His HD is too unforgiving.

Bronson

A young man robs a post office and gets sentenced to seven year in jail only to spend thirty-four years in prison, thirty of it in solitary confinement. A brutal look at what keeps a man sane or insane, depending on your perspective. A crushing observation of the cult of celebrity culture.

Black Dynamite

I love old, classic Blaxploitation like "Coffey," "Black Caesar" and "Super Fly." I happen to also be a big fan the "Austin Powers" films. And where "Undercover Brother" fails, this film soars at. It's a great film to watch and enjoy, even if you've never seen "Shaft." Shut yer mouth.

And so Blue Sky Disney say goodbye to 2009 and look forward to the new year, the coming movies and all the other surprises that await...

Rhapsody In Blue Sky (Part Three)...

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And closing out the coverage Blue Sky Disney has had, here are the highlights from the last few months of the year...

This was another update on the shorts program at the Mouse known as "Tick, Tock, No."

More coverage of the Marvel buy in "Conflicts of Interest" with my own personal bias.

Many people wondered "What Four Billion Buys" in the deal to buy that Little Comic Company and I showed them.

And then we focused on some problems that might come with the purchase in "Brand Confusion/Collusion."

The most beautiful theme park in the world had a birthday in "What Do You Get The Girl That Has Everything."

And Decadent Dave's favorite Blue Sky Disney subject, Star Wars, was the focus of this post on the coming Star Wars television show known as "A Long , Long Time Ahead In A Galaxy Too Far Away."

Thoughts as to what would be "Disney's First Marvel" property were talked about in this post.

A lot of news came out of the D23 Expo and Guillermo del Toro's new production company at Disney was mentioned in "DDDY."

The Star Tours attraction at Disneyland has needed some love for a long, long time and when it was announced that there would be "Star Tours: Episode Two," I couldn't of been happier. Well, at least about the Star Tours stuff, I mean.

Jay Rasulo's D23 Keynote was thoroughly discussed in "Tale Ends."

The amount of detail at Tokyo DisneySEA is staggering and we offered up "The Hidden Sea" as proof.

Not everyone could attend the panel for "Imagineering Pixar for the Disney Parks" at D23 and YouTube helped be there. We brought you all the links in the "Luxolands" post.

"John Lasseter's Perception Conference" was covered at a D23 Expo press conference and again, thankfully, YouTube was there. And we were there for YouTube.

When we first heard of Dick Cook's firing we covered it in "The First/Last Keynote."

I've always wondered what a Pixar film would be like if it was hand-drawn and that was the subject of "New Lamp Shades, Old Lamps."

Some people thought that the "Tinker Bell" film that was released on DVD was a one shot, but there will be "Much More Pixie Dust" from the Disney Fairies.

We talked about the expansion of Honk Kong Disneyland in "The Intimate Prison."

And here's a collection of teaser poster art for the upcoming "Toy Story 3" in a post entitled "Character Counts."

Disney is in the process of revamping their stores and we mention it and a link to a story about it in "Steve Jobs' Fingerprints."

The new night time water show at Tokyo DisneySEA turned out to not be a clone of World of Color, but a clone of Disneyland's Fantasmic in "A Colorful Rumor/A Fantasmic Reality."

Yet another reflection of the Makeover of DCA in "The Reboot."

Two immensely talented Imagineers were fired from WDI sadly in "Leaving/Fleeing the Nest."

Any hopes of having Steven Spielberg being involved in the designing of a Disney attraction were dashed in "From the Creative Minds of Disney and Steven Spielberg."

All the walls and confusion that the contruction in DCA has caused was the focus of this Blue Sky Buzz known as "The Coming Carnage & Chaos."

My favorite pulp creation "Doc Savage" is getting done, but not by Disney and I talked about it in "Shane's Savage Tales."

John Lasseter is beloved by me, but I understand that he's just a man and only human in "The Limits of Power."

The animated films from the Mouse were the focus of "Animated Road."

Blue Sky Disney celebrated its third anniversary in November that we marked as "Blue Sky Disney X's Three."

The magic that is Pixar was celebrated in "A Vacation From Reality, A Haven From Chaos."

Like my focus on comics that could be adapted into films, I decided we should focus on what games Disney could adapt into films. Good films, not the really bad adaptations we've seen in this post "Game On/Over."

Back over to animation, we went over one of the projects that has recently came back from development hell in "What made Joe Jump."

And that brings us up to December 2009. Last month. Which should still be fresh in your mind, but if it's not then click on the link and you can see everything that came out the last of this year on the blog. Whew. That was a lot of work. Not just all those posts, but this posts as well.

Let's all make sure to have a good start to a great year...

Rhapsody In Blue Sky (Part Two)...

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And here we are with the second of our three part review of some of the more interesting posts of 2009 that Blue Sky Disney had. So without further ado...

Finally, Disney and the Oriental Land Company announced what we told you about earlier in the year. Toy Story Mania was coming to Tokyo DisneySEA in "American Mania in Tokyo."

We looked at what Disney under Dick Cook's strategy was going for in the film division in "Lights, Camera, Action."

There was the passing of Wayne Allwine and his coming replacement as Micky's voice in "A Fourth Echo."

And Blue Sky Disney celebrated the day cinema changed forever, at least for me; and probably several million others in "32 Years Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away."

Finally, the second part of my "What Was Gotten Versus What Could've Been" was posted. DisneySEA fans and Port Disney fans hearts felt the crush of what Japan got and we could have had.

We then talked about Pixar and their flawless record in "A Perfect Ten."

I posted this one with links to a trailer for a new Star Wars game that made me think this was "What The Prequels Should Have Been Like."

The hole in Disney's animation lineup was filled when it added a new hand-drawn film in "More Pooh For You."

And here I celebrated my favorite film of all time and the only true out of body experience I ever had at the movies with "The Greatest Action-Adventure Film Of All Time."

Shorts at the Hat Building got the attention of this post entitled "Short Sighted."

All those people that believed "Up" would fail because no one wanted to see a 72 year old action hero I laid into in "The Experts That Aren't" right here.

Steve Jobs finally returned to Apple and we let everyone know in "The Return."

And when it comes to Star Wars animated series, I gave an example of what "The STAR WARS Animated Series I Want To See" would be.

And the talk of a new Club 33 type of place over at the new DCA was the point of "California Sweet."

Pixar's "Up" became the second highest grossing Lamp film and I mentioned it along with posting some swanky poster art in "Second to None, But One."

Great home movies of the making of Star Wars was linked from this post, "Decades Ago, In A Galaxy Far, Far Away."

You want to see how busy Tokyo DisneySEA can be at its opening? Then check out "The Rush" and remember that this is the park that has less guest in it.

Some of the "Tron Legacy" artwork that was shown at Comic-Con was the focus of "The Art of the World of TRON: Legacy" post.

Most people don't know much about the Disney Strike back in the 40's and even less know that it contributed quite a bit to the creation of Disneyland. Check out the footage of the picketing in "The Seeds Of Disneyland."

Here was the first release of some amazing concept art for "Rapunzel" in "Rapunzel Begins To Let Down Her Hair."

Disney went to the patent office for a certain web domain that I mentioned months before this post called "Copy Right."

Some great artwork can be found in this set of cards released for "The Princess and the Frog" in "Fortune Teller."

And John Hughes passing away had a profound effect on me and countless other children of the 80's. I paid homage to him and his work in "Fifty Nine Candles," "PULSE: The Stories Of John Hughes" and "Not Forgetting About Him."

On its tenth anniversary, I talked about "The Greatest Non-Disney Animated Film. Ever."

The Lamp has had an amazing run, but nothing last forever, so I wondered "When Will The Lights Go Out?" in this post.

Without a doubt, the biggest news for the Walt Disney Company in 2009, was the purchase/merger of Marvel Comics into the family. Naturally, Blue Sky Disney covered it quite a bit. From "Mouse Buy Marvel" to "The Statement" to my own personal commentary, "Part One," "Part Two" and "Part Three" and "Marvelous" here.

Whew, that was a lot of writing. I need a raise...

Rhapsody In Blue Sky (Part One)...

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Twelve months, 600+ posts and very little sleep...

Wow, I can't believe I logged that many but apparently not sleeping leaves me the opportunity to do all these. Since this blog started (recently celebrating our 3rd anniversary) I've done almost 2000 posts. With that in mind let me take a moment to put the spotlight on several posts over the year that have gotten a lot of comments/e-mails, ones you might have missed or that I simply think might be worthy of a second look...

Being a fan of film posters/art I did this post of classic Disney marketing known as "Raiders of Lost Art."

And Decadent Dave just loved my post about George Lucas' move to the Dark Side called "The Turn."

Then there was this one where I dreamed about projects that I would love for Walt Disney Studios to film entitled, appropriately, "When I Dream."

I've always loved it when a company makes a great product. This post focused on some of Disney's best products that most people don't know about entitled "The Beauty in All Things Tangible," and yes, I know it's called Part One. Part Two is coming.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull disappointed me, would be an understatement. Here I put a review of a script of one of several attempts to make another Indy film back in the Nineties called "Indiana Jones and What Came Before." And again, yes, there are more coming this year. I have two that will hopefully appear sometime soon.

And long before Bob Iger announce his acquisition of Marvel, I noticed the lack of super-heroes at the Mouse in "Without Tights" and suggested some independent properties that could be ripe for filming under Disney's moniker/logo.

I reported on Tokyo DisneySEA getting Toy Story Midway Mania before it was announced and out there on a web last year in a Blue Sky Buzz entitled "The Sun Also Rises in the East."

And all the changes that came to the Electrical Parade in this Blue Sky Buzz known as "Electrifying Changes."

Then there was this one about "The Most Important Character in Tokyo" that would surprise most Disney fans here.

I got a lot of flack when my birthday greeting to DCA's Eighth Anniversary entitled "Mary Shelly's DCA Turns Eight."

And one Blue Sky Disney's other authors, Shrunken Ned put up this some nice examples of Kem Weber's wonderful design work in "Deco Digs to Animation Cribs."

Some people were reporting that the Tower of Terror would become a theatrical film and I shot that down in "Tower Film a Ghost Story" for the time being. No plans at least under Dick Cook. We'll have to see what Ross does.

There has been no official response from the Lamp, but I mentioned that Monsters Inc 2 was in active development almost a year ago entitled, "Just What the Docter Ordered" and it still is, I might add.

Colonel Kurtz gave his view of all the remakes that Hollywood were doing in "Dastardly and Muttley in that Wacky Hollywood."

And the latest look back on a decade of Disney posters is logged in "Retrography: The 90's."

I lamented on the differences between the DCA Monsters Inc. attraction and the Tokyo version in "Monsters Vs. Monsters" with links to videos!

And when Michael Eisner was seen walking around with a cain, I put up my alibi entitled "I Know Nothing."

We reminded people that even at Pixar, ideas begin hand-drawn in "Pixar In Pen & Pencil & Paper."

The Walt Disney Company became the largest entertainment company in the world and I noted that "It's Lonely At the Top."

And one of the most popular posts of the year was the comparison of "What Was Gotten Versus What Could've Been" about Tokyo DisneySEA and Port Disney. Part One, of course.

Some of my favorite Pixar film, The Incredibles incredible artwork was featured in "Syndrome's Island." It just shows you more of the genius that is Brad Bird.

DCA got a little bit more theming during the year and the Imagineers gave Paradise Pier a little bit more of a storyline in "Under New Management"and that was a welcome addition indeed.

Jay Rasulo's decision to clone Toy Story Mania was broke here in another Blue Sky Buzz called "Toys For Everyone."

And we compared the different looks of the park websites of the Mouse in "Websights For Sore Eyes."

And that was just the first third of the year...