Top 10 movies of summer 2009

Carl and Russell share memorable moments in "Up"

Summer is gone and the fall movie season has come upon us. In this segment, let's take a brief look back at the 10 biggest hits of the summer.

1. Up (Released May 29th) $291,819,165

Pixar's summer project turned out to be quite the hit among children and adults alike. The heart-warming story of an elderly man living a life of solitude following the death of his wife is very touching and when combined with a visual mastery that only Pixar can create, produces a film that stretches the entire spectrum of emotion. You will laugh at the cute and entertaining predicaments that the 78-year-old Carl Fredrickson and 8-year-old wilderness explorer Russell find themselves in. However, even the most stoic of viewers will need a napkin to dry their eyes when watching this film. This is hands down the best film of the summer. A well-rounded script, good voice-acting and amazing computer graphics make "Up" perhaps the best Pixar product to date. 5 out of 5 stars.

2. Inglourious Basterds (Released August 21st) $111,368,988

Quentin Tarantino's latest work sticks to the film characteristics typically associated with his movies and adds an impressive amount of dialogue to a "what if" alternate history of World War II. "Inglourious Basterds" boasts impressive debut performances from Christopher Waltz and Diehl as well as cameo appearances from Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger and Mike Meyers. "Basterds" strongest characteristic is its ability to progress its story line solely through the use of dialogue between characters. The movie is basically a set of 5 different scenes, with each scene carried by one distinct set of dialogue between a set of characters. This is a quite unique concept and in my opinion, is one of Tarantino's most interesting movies. 5 out of 5 stars.

3. District 9 (Released August 14th) $112,258,245

Neil Blomkamp's feature film debut, "District 9" is a sci-fi action flick with more depth than it's given at first glance. The film takes place in an alternate reality where an alien spaceship becomes stranded above Johannesburg, South Africa during the 1980's. For the next 20 years, humans build a refugee camp for the passengers of the alien aircraft. The camp, District 9, turns into a slum where the aliens face oppression under the powers of the government. The film features the best computer graphics of the summer. Peter Jackson's production house was responsible for all the CG aspects of the film as well as the human interaction with the aliens. The movie's mix of high-octane action and witty political satire creates a film that is both heart-pounding and thought-provoking. 5 out of 5 stars.

4. The Hangover (Released June 5th) $273,987,411

Surely no one could have predicted how well "The Hangover" would do in the Box Office. The comedy directed by Todd Phillips and starring Bradley Cooper, ranks 4th in total revenues generated among the ten films on this list. The film follows the adventures of 3 groomsmen who, after a wild, Vegas bachelor party in which they lose all memory of, wake up to find their groom-to-be missing and try to retrace their steps into what happened that night. The film is incredibly funny and showcases standout performances from Heather Graham, Ken Jeong and Zach Galifianakis. The film's one downfall is that there are ultimately so many loose ends in the film. But with a feel-good comedy like "The Hangover", no one is going to remember those shortfalls when they wake up in the morning anyway. 4 out of 5 stars.

5. The Hurt Locker (Released June 26th) $12,430,054

Kathryn Bigelow's perspective of the war in Iraq has reached widespread praise amongst film critics. "The Hurt Locker" has a 98% approval rating out of 161 reviews at www.rottentomatoes.com . That is a stellar amount of praise for a film that was only released in select theaters in the United States. The movie follows the daily job duties of an E.O.D. (explosive ordinance disposal) unit in Iraq. Their gung-ho Staff Sergeant, played by Jeremy Renner, has no lack of guts as he frequently goes against military protocol in order to defuse an array of deadly explosives. The tension between the Staff Sergeant and the other two members of his team begin to grow as the film progresses and ultimately the tensions finally snap in what is a pretty tragic finale. The film is very powerful for two reasons. First, Bigelow has an uncanny knack for using smart camera angles to increase the tension and urgency in the film's different scenes. Secondly, the three main characters are played very well by Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty. While "The Hurt Locker" does provide an interesting perspective of the war in Iraq, it does well to stay out of all the politics involved. It does not pick a side, but just aims at showing the emotional scars changes that are involved with war. 5 out of 5 stars.

6. Star Trek (Released May 8th) $257,628,094

Directed by acclaimed TV director J.J Abrams, "Star Trek" depicts the early days of James T. Kirk and the beginning of his friendship with Spock. Abrams creates a 21st century outlook to the original crew of the USS Enterprise. The film features a young cast of stars who embrace their character roles very well and this helps to build the swagger that the film carries. However, at its bare bones, "Star Trek" boasts a weak storyline that is hidden under state-of-the-art graphics and the Star Trek brand. Hopefully, future films of this franchise will only get better. All in all, Abram's "Star Trek" is an average tribute to the classic series of yesteryday. 3 out of 5 stars.

7. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Released July 15th) $299,668,923

The sixth film in the Harry Potter series is the darkest to date. The film aims to portray a more mature version of the Harry and friends that fans are familiar with. The story is fairly accurate to the book although parts are definitely mixed up and changed. Regardless, it seems as the die-hard fans don't care - "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" ranked number 2 in terms of revenues for the ten films on this list. 4 out of 5 stars.

8. G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (Released August 7th) $146,473,833

If you go into a theater to watch G.I. Joe, expecting it to be the best movie ever made, you will be disappointed. However, if you come in expecting it to be what it is - a simple action film oriented at youth between 9 and 15 - you may get your money's worth. "Rise of Cobra" is just this - an action film that boasts big guns, flashy outfits, cool vehicles, lots of action and no depth. That doesn't make it a bad thing but, it doesn't make it anything special either. 2 out of 5 stars.

9. Terminator Salvation (Released May 21st) $125,322,469

"Terminator Salvation", (or Terminator 4 for those of you taking count) chronicles the life of John Connor in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2018. While the film's storyline is fairly interesting, the film itself seems like it has gone on a tangent and away from the series' true storyline. Instead of elaborating on the legend of John Connor, the storyline focuses on the introduction of a young Kyle Reese. For those of you with short memories, Reese is the soldier who went back to warn Sarah Connor (John's mom) in the first Terminator about the impending destruction of the world by machines. The special effects are better-than-average and the action is non-stop, but the movie is just lacking. 2 out of 5 stars.

10. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (Released June 24th) $401,537,347

Ever had an experience where you met someone for the first time and it was such a strong impression that you long to meet them again? Then 5 years later that person comes back and everyone has seen that person except you and when you ask about that person all your buddies tell you how that person is just not worth spending time with? But you do it anyway, and then you realize, "Man, I should've just stayed home." That is what "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen" is like. I don't know if there is a better phrase to describe the top grossing movie of the summer besides "this movie sucks." Imagine that, the worst movie of the summer and it beats the second highest revenue generating film on this list by $100 million? That's incredible. The movie is downright insulting: Its action is dizzying (not in a good way), storyline is weak (so, there are ancient robots... like before cars were made? Ok...) acting could be better (does Megan Fox say anything in this movie or does she just pose on the bike in the beginning) and is too long (this film could've introduced all of its primary plot elements and still cut out an hour to an hour and a half of footage). 0 out of 5 stars.