Blog

Hey guys!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful year so far!!! I know I am.

My story of the latest theatre production that I had the privilege to be apart of. The story of being in The Wiz here

And if anyone is interested in reading my blog post about the spelling bee that I got second place in, it's right here

I wanted to make a page about my friend Paige Hill, who might be moving to Sacramento, because I felt like it, and because she's worthy of having her own page. So here

Viewers Choice Awards Nominees will be announced soon!

Anyway, I'd would like to take this time to appreciate all of the film achievements of the year, 2009, and of the decade.

My 25 favorite movies of the decade here

Also, it's awards season so if you're interested in my picks for the Academy Awards here they are

So, my top ten favorite movies of 2009 are:

Zetto's favorite movies of 2009

1. Up

Over the years, Pixar has somehow been able to create motion pictures that end up making their audience cheer, out loud. With Up, they developed something a little bit different than their past films. They took a story with absolutely unbelievable plot elements, and with the magic of Bob Peterson's magnificent screenplay, made us believe every second of it. You know that a movie is rare, when it has the ability to move you to tearsm an animated movie none the less, and that is why Up is so special. It's the best movie of 2009.

(Bob Peterson voices Dug the dog, Jordan Nagai play Russel, the cheerful little boy, and Ed Asner voices Carl Fredrickson, the old man in Pete Docter's Up)

2. Michael Mann's Public Enemies. never have I seen a gangster picture, with the originality, art, and texture, like Public Enemies. In this film, we get two great lead performances by Johnny Depp and Marion Coltillard, some terrific supporting performances, Bale, Crudop, and Lang, a stupendous musical score by Eliot Goldenthaal, and a lot of action. That's all I have to say, it's a great movie.

(Christian Bale and Johnny Depp are fantastic in Michael Mann's Public Enemies)

3. 500 Days of Summer. The director of this film, first time director Marc Webb, made a good decision when he was offered to direct 500 Days of Summer. It's what I would call, the perfect romantic comedy, this is what all romantic comedies should be like. It is well put together by the two great performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays Tom, and Zooey DeSchanel, Summer, and the hilarious and original screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.

(Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey DeSchanel are very charming in Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer)

4. James Cameron's Avatar. This movie is an adventure! It takes you into it's world, and transports you into its visual experience. This movie is movie magic. It's the most impressive visual effects work I've ever seen in any movie, and that's saying something. If this film had any different writer/director than James Cameron, it probably wouldn't work, but with a great performance by this years' breakthrough actor, Sam Worthington, and mind bottling motion capture technology and cinematography, the film is more than you'd expect. It's not your typical action picture. it's much more.

(Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana bring new dimensions to traditional acting performances, in James Cameron's Avatar.)

5. Sherlock Holmes. Guy Richie's Sherlock Holmes is without doubt, the feel-good movie of the year! It's the most fun I had sitting in the theater in 2009. The art direction, cinematography, and very good score by Hans Zimmer bring new depths to filmmaking, and Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law give some of their best work. I loved this movie, the comedy works, and the story works, and the performances and action sequences are wonderful!

(Robert Downey Jr. gives a flawless performance as the title character in Guy Richie's Sherlock Holmes.)

6. Inglourious Basterds. One thing that I really want to talk about, is Christoph's Waltz performance in this film, it is without doubt, one of the best performances of the decade! Inglourious Basterds is a great film, with many comedic and dramatic turns that work. The performances are tremendous, and the Tarentino's dialogue and story is some of the best of the year. A genious director/writer creates a genious production.

(Christoph Waltz is amazing!!! In Quentin Tarentino's spectacular, Inglourious Basterds.)

7. Funny People. I expected much less from Judd Apatow's Funny People, and that's a good thing. This is my favorite Adam Sandler movie, ever. And for me, that's big, because I actually like Sandler, and he is great in this film. Infact, all of the performances are pretty good, Seth Rogen brings us new material from him, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann, and Eric Bana. But this film isn't exactly a comedy, it's a serious and sometimes sad movie, and it ends up being a very moving, and satisfying picture.

(Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen share moments of great comedy, in Judd Apatow's Funny People.)

8. Coraline. I was sucked into the amazing visual experience that Henry Sellick's Coraline gives us. Coraline is not only technically impressive, but it's also very entertaining, funny, and a very groovy time. I loved it!

(Dakota Fanning voices Coraline Jones, in Henry Sellick's awesome achievement, Coraline.)

9. This is It. I loved This is It, because it showed us that the great, late Michael Jackson, had a whole lot of talent, and cared about his audience very much. He was a perfectionist, and that is shown in This is It. It ends being a very moving film, and you end up falling in love with the amazing artist who loved to sing and dance, and you end up wishing that you would be able to see the concert that never was. This is a masterful documentary, and is one of the best edited documentaries I've ever seen.

(Michael Jackson's last performance is one of his best, in Kenny Ortega's This is It.)

10. Orphan. Orphan is one of the best horror movies of all time. I loved the story, and I loved the execution of all of the thriller sequnces, and I especially loved the frighteningly outstanding performance by Isabelle Fuhrman who plays the little Orphan, Esther. This film is not one of those stupid horror movies that you might expect, see this one!

(Isabelle Fuhrman is unbelievably good as Esther, in Jaume Collet-Serra's Orphan)

Movies that came close:

(Invictus) (I Love You, Man) (Whip It) (Me and Orson Welles)

(An Education) (The Soloist) (Terminator Salvation) (A Serious Man)

(Jennifer's Body) (Hannah Montana: The Movie) (Notorious) (A Single Man)