Movies 2009: Mid-Year Review

[TrueFaith77]

Just taking stock of the year (so far). . .

Here's my (roughly preferential) ranking of the 37 new releases I've seen:

Movies 2009: Mid-Year Review

Masterpiece (1)
Raging Sun, Raging Sky (Julian Hernandez) (not yet released in the US)

Great (2)
The Girl On The Train (Andre Techine) (not yet released in the US)
Everlasting Moments (Jan Troell)

Near-Great (4)
Next Day Air (Benny Boom)
Of Time And The City (Terence Davies)
Revanche (Götz Spielmann)
Forever Enthralled (Chen Kaige) (not yet released in the US)

Good! - Reasons To Go To The Movies (12)
Taken (Pierre Morel)
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (Sacha Gervasi)
Crank: High Voltage (Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor)
Easy Virtue (Stephen Elliott)
Fanboys (Kyle Newman)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Michael Bay)
Coraline (Henry Selick)
Land Of The Lost (Brad Silberling)
Confessions of a Shopaholic (P.J. Hogan)
Tyson (James Toback)
Adventureland (Greg Mottola)
Cherry Blossoms (Doris Dörrie)

Well-Meaning/Has Redeeming Value (8)
Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas)
Sex Positive (Daryl Wein)
Dance Flick (Damien Wayans)
Spinning Into Butter (Mark Brokaw)
Shank (Simon Pearce) (not yet released in the US)
Fighting (Dito Montiel)
The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
Crossing Over (Wayne Kramer)

Failures (8)
Dragonball Evolution (James Wong)
What Goes Up (Jonathan Glatzer)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (Steve Carr)
Powder Blue (Timothy Linh Bui) (not released in the US)
Terminator Salvation (McG)
Hannah Montana: The Movie (Peter Chelsom)
Race To Witch Mountain (Andy Fickman)
Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail (Tyler Perry)

Atrocities (2)
Bride Wars (Gary Winick)
Hotel For Dogs (Thor Freudenthal)