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Quentin Tarantino Picks His Top 8 Films of 2009 (So Far)

by Alex Billington
December 14, 2009
Source: Heat Vision

Are you ready for this list? I know this is going to be quite controversial, just because Quentin Tarantino on his own is already a controversial filmmaker. The Hollywood Reporter asked Tarantino (recently) what his favorite films of 2009 are and he gave them a list of 8 films that are "so far" his top picks for the year. As he explains in the video (which you can watch below), he hasn't seen Avatar, The Lovely Bones, or Invictus yet, so they're not included. And he also needs to watch Bright Star and District 9 again (because he thinks they may move back up on the list once he does). So without further ado, here's his top 8 film of 2009 so far.

Tarantino's Top 8 Films of 2009:
1. Star Trek
2. Drag Me to Hell
3. Funny People
4. Up in the Air
5. Chocolate
6. Observe & Report
7. Precious
8. An Education

I really dig this list. I enjoyed almost all of the movies he chose except for Funny People (I really didn't like that movie at all). I also think District 9 needs to be on there and so does Avatar, but he might put those on his list by the end of the year anyway. Who knows how we're going to find out what Tarantino's final year end list looks like, but I'm sure we'll hear from someone sooner or later. I just love that he goes with a more unconventional top list, instead of the typical year end list that most snobby critics usually come up with. And I'd also say that Star Trek deserves the #1 spot (although it's not necessarily my favorite film of 2009).

Filed under Awards, Movie News, Opinions

From around the web:

Al

I have yet to see A Serious Man, Moon, and Avatar which Im guessing have a shot at my list, but is it stands right now, Star Trek, Drag Me To Hell, and Observe and Report are on the outskirts of my top ten of the year, which happens to be led by non other than Inglourious Basterds.
Xerxex

O&R was actually pretty good, same can be said for Funny People, and Star Trek was awesome. As for Precious it reminds me of Slumdog Millionaire, good movie but OVERrated, at best. and I'm want to see Up in the Air very badly.
zippy

LOL at drag me to hell......I just keep thinking about that scene with the possessed goat...LMaoooooooooooooooooooooo
Lota

Funny people was very disappointing, but it is Tarantino's list...oh well
Jambi

#3 I feel you! That scene was ridiculous. Am I the only person that didn't like Drag Me To Hell? I get that it was Sam Raimi... blah blah blah. I love the Evil Dead films but Drag Me To Hell went from a good concept to being laughably bad! Idk. I'm also glad Up isn't there. Like Xerxex said about Slumdog and Precious, its a good movie but waaaay OVERrated.
d1rEct

Star Trek! Are you serious!?!?!? I never saw that coming.
Squiggly_P

I've not seen Funny People, but from what I've gathered about it, people went in expecting it to be just a stupid comedy and it ended up being more of a drama. I'll have to see it to know for sure, but I'm guessing that all the negative things I've heard about it are due to people not knowing what they were getting into. The trailers made me want to see it, but I never got around to it. Lot of movies I've not seen this year. Too busy watching all the stuff I missed from the last couple years. But the stuff I've seen this year has pretty much convinced me that this year will go down as one of the better years for film in quite some time. Basterds, Where the Wild Things are, Moon, Black Dynamite, Up in the Air, Prescious, Drag me to Hell, Star Trek and last but not least, the greatest film of the year - nay - of all time: Megashark Vs Giant Octopus.
Kora Koranian

Jambi your comments are like a difficult bowel movement
Jay Selis

Hey Alex. What is your favorite movie of 2009 so far? i am very curious
JP

I'm with #3 and #5 When I got to watch Drag Me To Hell i was really excited because it got such great reviews, so i thought i was seeing something special. I don't get the appeal at all. It was strange, uninteresting, and just kinda stupid (but not in a good way). Of course that's just my opinion, and I really like Sam Raimi as a filmmaker. O and DMTH has the most depressing ending I've ever seen besides The Mist. That poor girl.
germs

Hmmm, some of those movies he picked are "cool" but no way would i put them at the top of any end of the year list. Even though he says he wants to see District 9 again, I don't see how one could put Star Trek at number one, but not even have D9 break the top five. Sometimes i don't understand what goes on in that man's head.
DoomCanoe

Avatar will make the list of course but until then! 1.Fantastic Mr. Fox 2.The Hurt Locker 3.Inglorious Bastards 4.The Road 5.Moon 6.Up 7.Coraline 8.District 9 Honorable mentions! 500 Days of Summer The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Invictus A Serious Man
twispious

observe and report.anna faris' is godsent.and hey i'm no star trek fan-but the film was quite solid.
leiner

Star Trek without a doubt is # 1, the rest, with no particular order: The Fantastic Mr. Fox, 500 days of summer, The Hangover, District 9, Coraline and Watchmen... I haven't seen The road, Moon, A serious man and Invictus, but I'm pretty much confident that at least one of those will go into my list.
HB

he forgot inglourious basterds...but it's safe to say that of the movies i've seen on his list- i do not approve.
Buggy166

i agreed with #1 and then completely stopped. drag me to hell and observe & report? quite close to the worse movies ever watched for me. Thats all time. For me, currently: 1. Star Trek 2. District 9 3. Inglorious Basterds 4. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 5. Angels & Demons (DaVinci 2) 6. Watchmen 7. State Of Play 8. I Love You, Man (also liked "the Proposal" a lot, but i am a guy so i had to go with the bromance lol) I havent seen hurt locker and a few others...id say ive watched about 75% of the movies released this year that had overall positive reviews (6.5 and up), but all in all its a decent list. Also speaks to my likes (sci-fi,fantasy, espionage,action,comedy)
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

Observe and report was great, but no District 9, c'mon Quentoids, but I suppose he doesn't have time to sit and geeek out over films like we do, he he.
http://www.daequitas.deviantart.com burak "Daequitas"

here goes my list of the best flicks i saw to date: (no actual ranking here) >> Star Trek (it was a relief that reboots could actually be good, wait scratch good, almost perfect) >> Watchmen (one of the best adaptations to big screen and great visuals, u really should see the ultimate cut) >> The Hangover (hillarious laugh with a really good story and ending) >> District 9 (this movie was perfect in more ways than most of big budget movies of late) >> 9 (really deep/intense story and great animation) >> Inglorious Basterds (one of the best of the man great characters) >> The Hurt Locker (a very intense and emotional Iraq movie) >> The Tournament (yeah it was cheesy but it delivered plain good old great action scenes) hmmm is that all, only 8 well i believe thats all those are the ones that pop up in my mind when i think of movies that have moved me in the last 11 months cheers
K

WOW! What a crap list! To each their own i guess.
Robbie

Where the hell is 'Moon' on that list?!
pedanticsemantics

Hi, how are you, me I'm super great, this is your God QT, everyone's faverit dislexic cokehead highschool drop out filmacher, I'm cool hip and contravershul, I'm so controvershul I cast Brad Pitt in my latest movie, my mastupiece yeah!!! So whats up from shovel face cokehead??? Gay trek, I like to get really high and look at the picture of kirk and spoc on the back of the cornflake box while high, awesum, awsum super duper sonny chiba wicked badazzz movie loved gay trek. brilliant gay alugoree - referenshes Lenny Reefenstall and da show bruthas and meen johnny barrows and da hitman both da jack palance and da bernie casey ones with spaceships and badazz telepotation, badazzz! I meenz nobody sed the n word and no wimmin got raped or had der arms cut off or stabbbed in da bac u duh hed but stil badazz!!! Funny people, all up in da air, love love luv georgie boy, clooney is just so super dooper cool and accessable to like da poor people dat ask for my autpgraph and chit. Drag Me to Precoiuos Hell education. Chocloate, the tie wun not the frenchie wun. I mean kick punch elbow boom bang, she kicked a bytch into a toob!!! A steele tuub, can u beleef it?? Awsum awsum movie, I haven't seen Avatar or Invicitas or da luvly bonz, and I really need to see District 9 again, coz I was just so high like high enuff to like anyewhere else. But I bet its gunna be awsum, just awsum. Like green hornet battle royale link wray and cheech and chong and titch awsum!!
Bo

Finally someone with a sense of humor about this Tarantino lost soul...if you even in the slightest care a little what this poor insecure needy for attention guy thinks you're as lost as he is. He wouldn't know a good movie if it fell on his head. His favorite movie of all time is Good, Bad, Ugly? Boy oh Boy...I wonder if he's even seen The Hustler, Hombre, anything by Kubrick especially the very very funny Barry Lyndon, The Lion in Winter, Miller's Crossing, No Country For Old Men, Days of Heaven, Once Upon A Time In America (a master work by Leone who made Good, Bad, Ugly), Runaway Train, Reds, The Hill by Sidney Lumet starring Sean Connery...God I could go on and on of the great films never mentioned on this idiot's all time list but why bother? Quit paying attention to this guy...you'll only encourage him and it'll never be enough anyway. He's insatiable, poor dear, and wants so much to be deemed important. He ain't! But then...no one really is so if any of you out there want to see some really good films and expand your thinking...see some of the above mentioned and never, ever listen let alone watch anything by Tarantino!
frank

Who cares what he likes.
I am Ron Burgundy?

Bo, You might be denying your inner Tarantino man-crush. Thin line between love and hate; hang in there buddy!
Bo

Hey, #24...eh, Ron Burgundy? Thanks for the chuckle, man...not to worry...I got a grip on the whole thing, buddy. Tarantino has never spoken to my sensibilities...don't hate the guy...don't know him....but really, really don't like his work...so you hang in there with him, Ron...I'll decline...way too much EGO in this guy for me....of course, it hides his massive insecurity...much like yourself, perhaps...Ron? It's okay....it's all good...we all have our insecurities....meanwhile, instead of concentrating on your guy Quintin, have you seen any of the movies/films I mentioned? Eh? You might want to check some of them out and expand yourself beyond the not-so-clever sophmoric male immaturity junk Tarantino makes for childish male sensibilities. I do enjoy this banter somewhat but must confess to the knowledge that you can't teach a pig to sing...but I try...I do try sometimes...again, thanks for the laugh...one needs a good chuckle now and then...
guh

@23......I DO
guh

@23.........I DO
guh

@22 and 25 (Bo) yes most of the movies you named are good especially No Country, but still everyone has their own opinions on movies, i for one will say that tarantino is one of my favorite directors and i watch a variety of different movies. oh and btw you don't have to be such an asshole to a person for giving an opinion.
Dan Zee

I don't think Tarantino saw a lot of movies this year. Star Trek was a mess. The plot makes absolutely no sense. Drag Me To Hell was a nice little film, but this was Sam Raimi lite! Not even his best. These are basically mainstream movies. I would have expected a lot more indie films on the list. Tarantino's gone boring!