2009: World Premieres 2009: U.S. Releases 2009: Still Left to See 2009: Cannes Festival 2009: Chicago Festival Looking Back Moving Ahead Browse Films by Title / Year / Reviews Home / Blog / E-Mail The Movies of 2009: U.S. Releases  By Title // By Grade, with Top Ten Complete Reviews ★ = Full Review   /   ★ = Capsule Review   /   ★ = Special Feature or Blog Review (new window) ★  12 Dir. Nikita Mikhalkov. With Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergey Makovetsky, Sergey Garmash B– ★  Adoration Dir. Atom Egoyan. With Devon Bostick, Scott Speedman, Arsinée Khanjian B– ★  Chéri Dir. Stephen Frears. With Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Friend, Kathy Bates D+ ★  Crazy Heart Dir. Scott Cooper. With Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall C ★  Give Me Your Hand Dir. Pascal-Alex Vincent. With Alexandre Carril, Victor Carril C– ★  Julia Dir. Erick Zonca. With Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo A– ★  Mary and Max Dir. Adam Elliot. Animated. Voices of Barry Humphries, Toni Collette B+ ★  Paranormal Activity Dir. Oren Peli. With Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Michael Bayouth B ★  Precious Dir. Lee Daniels. With Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey B ★  Sherlock Holmes Dir. Guy Ritchie. With Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams F ★  Three Monkeys Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan. With Hatice Aslan, Ahmet Rifar Şungar C+ ★  Two Lovers Dir. James Gray. With Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw C ★  The White Ribbon Dir. Michael Haneke. With Christian Friedel, Burghart Klaußner B– Full Listing of Films Screened 12 Dir. Nikita Mikhalkov. With Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergey Makovetsky, Sergey Garmash B– 35 Shots of Rum Dir. Claire Denis. With Mati Diop, Alex Descas, Nicole Dogue B+ (500) Days of Summer Dir. Marc Webb. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel B– Adoration Dir. Atom Egoyan. With Devon Bostick, Scott Speedman, Arsinée Khanjian B– Adventureland Dir. Greg Mottola. With Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr B American Violet Dir. Tim Disney. With Nicole Beharie, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard D+ Amreeka Dir. Cherien Dabis. With Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass C+ Antichrist Dir. Lars von Trier. With Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg D Anvil! The Story of Anvil Dir. Sacha Gervasi. Documentary about heavy-metal band A– Ask Not Dir. Johnny Symons. Documentary about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy C+ Avatar Dir. James Cameron. With Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Sigourney Weaver C Away We Go Dir. Sam Mendes. With Maya Rudolph, John Krasinski, Catherine O'Hara C+ The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans Dir. Werner Herzog. Grade: B– Beeswax Dir. Andrew Bujalski. With Tilly Hatcher, Maggie Hatcher, Alex Karpovsky A– Before Tomorrow Dirs. Marie-Hélène Cousineau & Madeline Ivalu. Cast: Madeline Ivalu B– Big Fan Dir. Robert Siegel. With Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz B– Blind Date Dir. Stanley Tucci. With Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thijs Römer D The Blind Side Dir. John Lee Hancock. With Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock D+ Bright Star Dir. Jane Campion. With Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider B+ Broken Embraces Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. With Lluís Homar, Penélope Cruz, Tamar Novas C Bronson Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. With Tom Hardy, Matt King, Amanda Burton C+ Brothers Dir. Jim Sheridan. With Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal B– The Brothers Bloom Dir. Rian Johnson. With Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz C Brüno Dir. Larry Charles. With Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten C– The Burning Plain Dir. Guillermo Arriaga. With Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence D+ Chéri Dir. Stephen Frears. With Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Friend, Kathy Bates D+ Coco Before Chanel Dir. Anne Fontaine. With Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde C Coraline Dir. Henry Selick. Animated. Voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher B The Cove Dir. Louie Psihoyos. Documentary about activist work against dolphin slaughter B Crazy Heart Dir. Scott Cooper. With Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall C Crude Dir. Joe Berlinger. Documentary about oil-industrial practices in Ecuador B La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet Dir. Frederick Wiseman. Documentary B+ Disgrace Dir. Steve Jacobs. With John Malkovich, Jessica Haines, Eriq Ebouaney D District 9 Dir. Neill Blomkamp. With Sharlto Copley, David James, Louis Minnaar C+ Il Divo Dir. Paolo Sorrentino. With Toni Servillo, Giulio Bosetti, Carlo Buccirossi B– Drag Me to Hell Dir. Sam Raimi. With Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver B Duplicity Dir. Tony Gilroy. With Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti, Denis O'Hare B+ An Education Dir. Lone Scherfig. With Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina C Everlasting Moments Dir. Jan Troell. With Maria Heiskanen, Mikael Persbrandt B Fantastic Mr. Fox Dir. Wes Anderson. Animated. Voice of George Clooney C+ Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Documentary about corporate U.S. food production B– Funny People Dir. Judd Apatow. With Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana B Gamer Dirs. Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor. Gerard Butler, Logan Lerman, Michael C. Hall D The Girlfriend Experience Dir. Steven Soderbergh. With Sasha Grey, Chris Santos C+ Give Me Your Hand Dir. Pascal-Alex Vincent. With Alexandre Carril, Victor Carril C– Gomorrah Dir. Matteo Garrone. With Gianfelice Imparato, Salvatore Abruzzese B+ Good Hair Dir. Jeff Stilson. Documentary about black women and their hair C Goodbye Solo Dir. Ramin Bahrani. With Souleymane Sy Savané, Red West B Gospel Hill Dir. Giancarlo Esposito. With Taylor Kitsch, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett C– Grey Gardens Dir. Michael Sucsy. TV Movie. With Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange B– The Hangover Dir. Todd Phillips. With Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper D The Headless Woman Dir. Lucrecia Martel. With María Onetto, Claudia Cantero B He's Just Not That Into You Dir. Ken Kwapis. With Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long C The House of the Devil Dir. Ti West. Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Greta Gerwig B Humpday Dir. Lynn Shelton. With Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore B– The Hurt Locker Dir. Kathryn Bigelow. With Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie A– I Love You, Man Dir. John Hamburg. With Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones B In the Loop Dir. Armando Iannucci. With Tom Hollander, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison B+ The Informant! Dir. Steven Soderbergh. With Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale C– Inglourious Basterds Dir. Quentin Tarantino. With Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent C– The International Dir. Tom Tykwer. With Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl C Invictus Dir. Clint Eastwood. With Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Adjoa Andoh C It's Complicated Dir. Nancy Meyers. With Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin B– Jerichow Dir. Christian Petzold. With Benno Fürmann, Hilmi Sözer, Nina Hoss C+ Julia Dir. Erick Zonca. With Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo A– Julie & Julia Dir. Nora Ephron. With Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci C+ Karl Rove, I Love You Dirs. Dan Butler and Phil Leirness. With Dan Butler, Julia Miranda C Lake Tahoe Dir. Fernando Eimbcke. With Diego Cataño, Juan Carlos Lara II B– The Last Station Dir. Michael Hoffman. With James McAvoy, Helen Mirren D Lemon Tree Dir. Eran Riklis. With Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Rona Lipaz-Michael B– Life Is Hot in Cracktown Dir. Buddy Giovinazzo. With Evan Ross, Victor Rasuk D+ The Limits of Control Dir. Jim Jarmusch. With Isaach de Bankolé, Paz de la Huerta B+ Lorna's Silence Dirs. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. With Arta Dobroshi A– Lost in New Mexico: The Strange Case of Susan Hero Dir. Jason Rosette D The Lovely Bones Dir. Peter Jackson. With Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg D– The Maid Dir. Sebastián Silva. With Catalina Saavedra, Claudia Celedón, Mariana Loyola B+ Mary and Max Dir. Adam Elliot. Animated. Voices of Barry Humphries, Toni Collette B+ Me and Orson Welles Dir. Richard Linklater. With Zac Efron, Christian McKay D+ Medicine for Melancholy Dir. Barry Jenkins. With Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins B The Messenger Dir. Oren Moverman. With Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson B Moon Dir. Duncan Jones. With Sam Rockwell, voice of Kevin Spacey C+ Nine Dir. Rob Marshall. With Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench D+ Notorious Dir. George Tillman, Jr. With Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke, Angela Bassett C Of Time and the City Dir. Terence Davies. Personal essay film about Liverpool B– Orphan Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra. With Isabelle Fuhrman, Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard C+ Outrage Dir. Kirby Dick. Documentary about U.S. politicians who obsruct LGBT rights C+ Paranormal Activity Dir. Oren Peli. With Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Michael Bayouth B Police, Adjective Dir. Corneliu Porumboiu. With Dragos Bucur, Ion Stoica, Irina Saulescu B Ponyo Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Animated. Voices of Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus, Tina Fey C+ Precious Dir. Lee Daniels. With Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey B The Princess and the Frog Dirs. John Musker and Ron Clements. Animated B– The Proposal Dir. Anne Fletcher. With Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen C Public Enemies Dir. Michael Mann. With Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard B– Revanche Dir. Götz Spielmann. With Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Ursula Strauss B The Road Dir. John Hillcoat. With Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron B The September Issue Dir. R.J. Cutler. Documentary about U.S. Vogue Magazine B– Serbis Dir. Brillante Mendoza. With Jacklyn Jose, Julio Diaz, Mercedes Cabral B A Serious Man Dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen. With Michael Stuhlbarg, Ken Melamed C– Sherlock Holmes Dir. Guy Ritchie. With Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams F Silent Light Dir. Carlos Reygadas. With Cornelio Wall, María Pankratz, Miriam Toews B Sin Nombre Dir. Cary Fukunaga. With Edgar Flores, Paulina Gaitan, Kristian Ferrer B+ A Single Man Dir. Tom Ford. With Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult D+ Skin Dir. Anthony Fabian. With Sophie Okonedo, Alice Krige, Sam Neill, Tony Kgoroge C– The Soloist Dir. Joe Wright. With Robert Downey, Jr., Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener B Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story Dir. Jeffrey Schwarz. Documentary C Spread Dir. David Mackenzie. With Ashton Kutcher, Margarita Levieva, Anne Heche D+ Star Trek Dir. J.J. Abrams. With Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Eric Bana C– State of Play Dir. Kevin Macdonald. With Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck B– Sugar Dirs. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck. With Algenis Pérez Soto, Rayniel Rufino B Summer Hours Dir. Olivier Assayas. With Charles Berling, Juliette Binoche B+ The Sun Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov. With Issey Ogata, Robert Dawson, Shirô Sano B+ Sunshine Cleaning Dir. Christine Jeffs. With Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Jason Spevack C– Taking Woodstock Dir. Ang Lee. With Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman C Tetro Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. With Alden Ehrenreich, Vincent Gallo, Maribel Verdú B– That Evening Sun Dir. Scott Teems. With Hal Holbrook, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins B Thirst Dir. Park Chan-wook. With Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-vin, Shin Ha-kyun, Kim Hae-sook B+ Three Monkeys Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan. With Hatice Aslan, Ahmet Rifar Şungar C+ Tokyo! Dirs. Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho. With Ayako Fujitani C– Treeless Mountain Dir. So Yong Kim. With Hee-yeon Kim, Song-hee Kim, Mi-hyang Kim B Two Lovers Dir. James Gray. With Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw C Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself Dir. Tyler Perry. With Taraji P. Henson C Tyson Dir. James Toback. Documentary about former heavyweight boxing champ C+ Up Dir. Pete Docter. Animated. With the voices of Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson B Up in the Air Dir. Jason Reitman. With George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick C– Valentino: The Last Emperor Dir. Matt Tyrnauer. Documentary about the designer B– Watchmen Dir. Zack Snyder. With Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman D+ We Live in Public Dir. Ondi Timoner. Documentary about surveillance experiments B Where the Wild Things Are Dir. Spike Jonze. With Max Records B Whip It Dir. Drew Barrymore. With Ellen Page, Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden B+ The White Ribbon Dir. Michael Haneke. With Christian Friedel, Burghart Klaußner B– A Woman in Berlin Dir. Max Färberböck. With Nina Hoss, Yevgeni Sidikhin B– World's Greatest Dad Dir. Bobcat Goldthwait. With Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore C+ You, the Living Dir. Roy Andersson. With Elisabeth Helander, Jörgen Nohall A– The Young Victoria Dir. Jean-Marc Vallée. With Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany C