Tuesday, January 11, 2011

From the archives: August 2009

My goodness, what a month.

Rarely are we lucky enough to get so many marvelous films in the space of a few short weeks: thought-provoking sci-fi at its finest (District 9); a clever and thoroughly engaging kinda-sorta love story (500 Days of Summer); and an equally clever blend of biography and modern-day homage to great food (Julie & Julia). All three offer sterling performances – Meryl Streep once again demonstrating simply amazing skills of mimicry – and decidedly unconventional approaches to storytelling.

Nor was that all. Romance fans thrilled at the poignant adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife, and we got a taste of the future with the genuinely fun Bandslam (a precursor to television’s Glee phenomenon, which would erupt in a few short months).

It wasn’t all gravy, of course; the bewildering Ponyo was a major disappointment from the talented animator who brought us Spirited Away, while Post Grad proved – once again – that snatching the best parts of far better films is no way to make an “original” movie.

Step into the Wayback Machine, and check 'em out:

Adam

Bandslam

District 9

(500) Days of Summer

Julie & Julia

Ponyo

Post Grad

The Time Traveler’s Wife

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