Sylvia Syms Mirren Burke Rollo Weeks Claire Garvey

Diary

Tuesday, December 08 2009

My Top Five Films of 2009

There is a lot of activity going on in Booked Out world at the moment in order to secure finance to shoot the film as well as casting for the remaining roles on the film but it is too early to really provide any good information on these areas until things have settled a bit so I thought I would keep you amused by providing you with my top 5 films of 2009.

Starting with...

5. Wendy and Lucy

This was a beautiful little film that I seen at the start of the year and it had a lovely feel to it and Michelle Williams gave a brilliant performance in a role that required humility and subtlety. I think in some ways that you would have to be in the right mood to really enjoy this type of film and it isn't for everyone but when I seen it I had a deep sense of connection with the way the story was told and the drama unfolding for the characters.

4. Adventureland

I have blogged about Adventureland previously and looking back over all of the films I watched this is definitely my favourite comedy of the year. I really liked the whole atmosphere that was set up for the story to play out within. I left the cinema with a smile on my face so for me it had done its job.

3. Gran Torino

I really liked Clint's performance in Gran Torino. I wasn't really expecting much when I went to see the film but his performance was both effortless and dead on where it needed to be. Not sure how he managed to do that but I could have sat and watched his character for hours on end. If you analysed this film then there would be different parts that weren't visually stunning or amazing dialogue but overall I just came away thinking that I wanted to see more of this character and their relationships.

2. Fifty Dead Men Walking

I really loved this film. It is far and away the best British film that I watched this year. I really loved the performance by Jim Sturgess. I am a huge fan of his and think that he provided a really personal portrayal of his character and got him spot on. The story was gripping throughout and I really got caught up in the action that was unfurling in front of me.

1. Broken Embraces

Before I start I should admit that I am a huge fan of Almodovar's films full stop and every time I see one I just can't stop thinking about it. For me he is a truly unique voice in cinema today and I love the cinematic creations that he brings into the world. There is something funny and tragic about this film that just grips hold of you and doesn't let you go. When I think about it I can't quite describe it as well as I want to. It probably comes down to the deep and unique characters that he creates. Just wonderful, go and see it now! (well.. get it on DVD!).

The Rest

In order to work out what films I watched I first got a list from IMDB on what films were released in 2009, worked out which ones I had seen and then picked my top 5. For completeness here is the list of films I watched this year!

  • Broken Embraces
  • Fifty Dead Men Walking
  • Gran Torino
  • Adventureland
  • Wendy and Lucy
  • Che Part 1
  • The Reader
  • Seven Pounds
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
  • Revolutionary Road
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Vicky Cristina Barcelona
  • In The Loop
  • Anvil! The Story of Anvil
  • Synedoche, New York
  • Hunger
  • The Class
  • Watchmen
  • Knowing
  • The Damned United
  • Waltz With Bashir
  • In The Loop
  • State of Play
  • Away We Go
  • Rudo y Cursi
  • Antichrist
  • The Time Traveler's Wife
  • Inglourious Basterds
  • Fantastic Mr Fox
  • Like You Know It All
  • The Exploding Girl
  • An Education
  • Alexander The Last
  • A Serious Man

This diary provides an indepth look into the trials and tribulations of making Booked Out.

Click on the months or entries below to view historic entries.

  1. 2010
  2. July
  3. [26] Top Foreign Language Films
  4. [23] Production Diary - Shooting Day 2
  5. [21] Working with the DoP - Camera Movement
  6. [09] Production Diary - Shooting Day 1
  7. [08] Casting - Rollo Weeks as Jacob
  8. [07] Production Design - Colour Palette
  9. [06] Costume Design - Jacob - played by Rollo Weeks
  10. [05] Working with the DoP - Selecting One
  11. [03] Booked Out Blog Blasts Off
  12. April
  13. [01] Shooting Wrapped
  14. March
  15. [06] Filming Begins
  16. February
  17. [28] 1 week to go - lets book this film out
  18. [24] 10 days to go - storytelling
  19. [23] 11 days to go - all guns blazing
  20. [20] 14 days to go - Jacquelines Day
  21. [18] 16 days to go - Imagination is key
  22. [17] 17 days to go - Prep prep prep
  23. [16] 20 days to go - dolly mixtures
  24. [16] Crew Additions
  25. [16] Rollo Weeks is Jacob
  26. [15] 21 days to go - Stylissimo
  27. [14] 22 days to go - script locked
  28. [12] 24 days to go - crewing
  29. [11] 25 days to go - location location
  30. [10] 27 and 26 days to go - Script nearly locked
  31. [08] 28 days to go - Things becoming clearer
  32. [07] 30 and 29 days to go - The story
  33. [05] 31 days to go - on the road
  34. [04] 32 days to go - Soho streets
  35. [03] 33 days to shoot - Auditions
  36. [02] 34 days to shoot - more meetings
  37. [01] Bryans Sabbatical Day 1 - 35 days to shoot
  38. January
  39. [31] 5 weeks till shoot
  40. [03] 2010 - The year of the book
  41. 2009
  42. December
  43. [22] Facebook Fan Page Updated
  44. [21] Gabriela Is Back
  45. [20] Revs Short Film Day 2
  46. [19] Revs Short Film Day 1
  47. [17] Jacob Auditions
  48. [16] Booked Out Financing Halfway
  49. [15] Lindy Hopper Richard Pucci Joins the Cast
  50. [08] My Top Five Films of 2009
  51. November
  52. [29] Working With Actors
  53. [25] Welcome on Board - Andrew McEwan
  54. [24] Sylvia Syms
  55. [16] Welcome On Board - Jordan Cushing
  56. [15] Calm Before The Storm
  57. [10] Meetings Meetings Meetings
  58. [01] Style
  59. October
  60. [25] Today I met Mike Leigh
  61. [17] Poster Artwork
  62. [14] First Tasks Underway
  63. [01] Replan
  64. September
  65. [27] Sam And Bryan Production Meeting No 1
  66. [01] Producer Found
  67. August
  68. [07] Simon and Kirsty Selmon Join the Cast
  69. July
  70. [30] Props Required
  71. [25] Scheduling The Shoot
  72. [23] Company Incorporated
  73. [21] Equity Investment Proposal
  74. [19] Final Script Updates
  75. [18] Character Soundtracks
  76. [15] First Production Meeting
  77. June
  78. [24] Jacqueline Cast
  79. [19] New Crew - Derek and Ellie
  80. [16] Watching Audition Tapes
  81. [14] Basecamping
  82. [13] Auditions - Casting website summary
  83. [12] Auditons - Actors Summary
  84. [12] Auditons - Filmakers Summary
  85. [10] Jacob Cast
  86. [07] Warehouse Week - Day 7
  87. [06] Warehouse Week - Day 6
  88. [05] Warehouse Week - Day 5
  89. [04] Warehouse Week - Day 4
  90. [03] Warehouse Week - Day 3
  91. [02] Warehouse Week - Day 2
  92. [01] Warehouse Week - Day 1
  93. May
  94. [31] Warehouse Week Preparation
  95. [31] Fundraising Fancy Dress Party Artwork
  96. [30] Fancy Dress Costume
  97. [21] Fundraising Gig Night
  98. [19] Fundraising Comedy Night
  99. [10] Gig Venue Found
  100. [10] Micro-budget Production Course
  101. [05] Warehouse Date Rearranged
  102. [03] Jeffrey Brown read the script
  103. [02] Warehouse Double Booked Scandal
  104. April
  105. [22] Signed up for spotlight
  106. [21] Find Actors on Casting Call
  107. [08] Warehouse Booked for Fundraising Events
  108. March
  109. [15] Signed up for Shooting People
  110. [14] Swing Dance Promotional Video
  111. February
  112. [26] Jeffrey Brown actually replied
  113. [22] Week 4 Progress
  114. [18] Website and Film Inspiration
  115. [15] Week 3 Progress
  116. [01] Week 1 Review
  117. January
  118. [26] Planning - Yawn
  119. [24] 1st Film Meeting