Alone in the Dark 2009

(No, this is not a blog entry about my sex life--though, given the title above, it could just as well be.)

Even with the economy floating at the bottom like a murder victim in a bad horror movie and a personal lack of readily available cash due to a cut in pay and increased prices for damn near everything, I still saw more movies this year than I ever had before. (Or, at least, I saw more movies than I had since I actually started counting several years ago.)

How did I pull that off? By going to a lot of matinees at a lot of discount theaters--like the Logan, where each show is $4 every day; the newly reopened New 400, with its very friendly staff; and my neighborhood house, the Davis, where I've seen more movies over the years than at any other theater in the city. (By coincidence, these are also among the oldest theaters still operating in the city, having originally opened in 1915, 1912 and 1919, respectively.)

Also? I took a pass on the popcorn and soda--regrettable, especially since that's how movie theaters really make their money (especially discount houses, who keep their admission prices low so folks will still have cash to load up on snacks once they're inside), but necessary. Had I enjoyed the buttery goodness of even a few medium bags or the effervescence of the occasional Cherry Coke, I'd have had less money for the movies themselves.

So what movie did I enjoy the most amongst the 31 I saw on the big screen in 2009? Honestly, I didn't have a particular favorite, though there were several that made me happy:

Adventureland: It's a shame this movie slipped in and out of theaters without much notice. It was sweet, funny, nostalgic and smart and made much better use of Kristen Stewart's acting talents than those stupid vampire movies do.

Star Trek: A very fun reboot of the movie franchise, with just enough winks to the longtime fans to keep us all giggly while not shutting out filmgoers who haven't a clue all about Kirk, Spock, Bones, etc.

The Girlfriend Experience: If every I had the money or the gumption to hire an escort (as I've contemplated before), I'd want her to be like Sasha Grey in this movie: Intelligent, intuitive, heartbreakingly beautiful and abundantly human.

Up: Pixar does it again--dazzle my eyes and and make them cry.

The Hangover: I love how all of the loose ends presented in the hotel suit the morning after the bachelor party--the missing tooth, the hospital wrist tag, the baby, etc.--were all tied up by the end of the movie. Except for the chicken. Nobody ever explained the chicken.

Jennifer's Body: More funny than scary, but a knowing throwback to the days of Carpenter and Argento with current snark-crackle-pop dialog. It deserved better.

Whip It: So did this movie, which had a great cast (Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis and Drew Barrymore, who also directed) and a self-assured sense of fun. Maybe this film, along with Adventureland and Jennifer's Body, will find its audience on the home video market.

Zombieland: Also more funny than scary--and a remarkable lack of zombies--but it has the best Woody Harrelson performance in ages and a proper, abiding love of Twinkies.

Paranormal Activity: I admit it--I'm a sucker for faux-documentary horror films. I loved The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, and I loved this one right up just before the ending, when it started telegraphing its punches and ceased creeping me out. Until then, though, it demonstrated how effective small details can be, like a door swinging on its own, a shadow on a wall where there's nothing to cast it, and a person standing in one place can be.

Up in the Air: I also admit to loving Jason Reitman. His three directorial efforts--Thank You for Smoking, Juno and this--are all funny, smart, observant, well written and perfectly cast. I don't think it's worthy of all the Oscar buzz it's getting, but left me smiling. That counts for something.

Of course, not every movie I saw this year left me smiling:

Drag Me to Hell: I wanted to like this movie. Truly, I did. I've been a fan of Sam Raimi for a very long time, and the idea of Raimi returning to his low-budget horror-comedy roots made me downright giddy. Then I saw the movie. It's not funny. It's not scary. And the lead character is so annoying that I was actively hoping that someone, anyone would drag her to Hell--or, really, anywhere far, far away from me.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen: Sorry, Michael Bay, but you'll have to do more than drape Megan Fox across the frame of a motorcycle (that has to be the most awkward position for detailing) to distract me from how hollow, vapid and undercooked this movie truly is. Note for Transformers 3: We Will Take Your Money and Run with It: if you have to have ginormous robots bitch-slapping each other constantly, at least frame the shots so the audience can see who's slapping who and why, instead of smashing closeups that show nothing but wide expanses of metal and sparks.

Public Enemies: Like I said back in July, the period detail is just about right (except for the modern cables appearing on the sides of apartment buildings and other tiny things only a freak like me would notice), this movie is "kind of like going to the most finely appointed wax museum you're ever likely to visit"--all surface, no substance and characters who talk like they're reading transcripts.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Marginally better than Twilight, if only because the special effects are improved and there are more action sequences this time around. My question, though: Why do these two male models want to over this perpetual mope? Go find some woman who smiles once in a while. Or go off with each other. Don't go away mad, pretty vampire boy and hunky wolfman, just go away.

That's it for this year. Let's see if I can catch more than 31 movies in 2010.