I should start out by saying that I am not a film expert and therefore probably don’t really know what I’m talking about. Instead, what I am is a student who has made full use of an unlimited cinema card over the past 12 months.

So, with a ridiculous number of films under my belt, I present to you my list of what I reckon are the top 10 movies of 2009. Ordered unconventionally from best to least best, here are my picks:

1. Avatar – RT: 84%

Okay, so no real surprises here I guess. Completely mediocre plot aside, this movie was nothing short of spectacular. If you get the chance to catch it in 3D then do it, otherwise you’ll probably have to get the Blu-ray since the torrent is unlikely to do it justice.

2. 500 Days of Summer – RT: 87%

More like 95 minutes of awesome! Well, more or less. It’s a seriously good offbeat romantic comedy with a healthy dose of novel film techniques thrown in for good measure.

3. District 9 – RT: 90%

The underdog of the year. Not your typical alien/sci-fi movie, and it’s worth checking out for that reason alone.

4. Inglorious Basterds – RT: 88%

A little overhyped but hey, it’s Tarantino, of course it’s going to be overhyped but that doesn’t stop it from being actually really quite good. The opening 10-15 minutes alone are enough to push this into the top 10.

5. Moon – RT: 89%

It’s fairly likely that most of you have never even heard of this movie, and that’s a shame. It’s not the most exciting movie in the world, but it’s really very good, in a mysterious kind of way. Saying anymore will probably just ruin the experience, so I’ll leave it at that.

6. Sherlock Holmes – RT: 69%

Sherlock Holmes was a lot like a late Christmas present, mainly because it came out on boxing day. Actually, that’s probably the only aspect that bears any resemblance to a late Christmas present so its probably best to just ignore all that. Sherlock Holmes is nothing like Snatch or Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and that is a good thing. Snatch and Lock Stock were good movies, but they were both pretty much the exact SAME movie. Guy Ritchie came up with something far more original, and it worked out great.

7. Up – RT: 98%

This year’s summer Pixar movie bizarrely wasn’t released in the UK until October despite its American release taking place a full 3 months earlier. As a result, I’m punishing it by putting it in 7th place… Just kidding. I usually rate Pixar movies much higher than this, but something about Up just didn’t quite do it for me. It certainly had more than its fair share of awesome moments, but a lot of it was also kind of ‘meh’.

8. The Brothers Bloom – RT: 64%

If anyone else out there apart from me has actually seen or heard of this movie, I will literally remove this sentence. The Brothers Bloom is a fun, quirky, and mostly unheard of movie about 2 professional con artists. Unfortunately I’m a little hazy on the details, so you’ll just have to check it out for yourself and report back.

9. Watchmen – RT: 64%

‘Watchmen came out in 2009?’ That was the exact question I asked myself when compiling this list, and it turns out the answer is yes, (obviously). It came out last January. For those that don’t know, Watchmen is a near perfect adaptation of the graphic novel by the same name. And when I say perfect adaption, I mean it. Almost all the scenes in the movie are lifted directly out of the comic book with EVERY detail intact. Fans of the book could not have asked for more, which is lucky for me since I’m a huge fan of the book.

10. The Hangover – RT: 78%

Easily the funniest comedy of the year! Luckily for me, the title pretty much describes the entire premise of this film. Not only is it hilariously funny throughout, it also contains a healthy amount of plot to keep the whole thing together. I’d say this potentially rivals even the great Pineapple Express in terms of pure enjoyment.

Honourable Mentions:
Paranormal Activity – RT: 82%
Zombieland – RT: 89%

Paranormal Activity amazingly managed to live up to all its hype, and Zombieland made me wish there was one more space on my list.

All in all 2009 turned out to be a great year for film and I’m very much hoping 2010 will turn out the same way.