Release Year: 2009
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Coraline
There’s a reason Coraline keeps resurfacing in conversations about the best animation films of its era: it simply refuses to be dated. “Be careful what you wish for.” That’s the line the studio chose to sell the film, and it doesn’t oversell it by much. Here’s the hook, in brief: Wandering her rambling old house…
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Fantastic Mr. Fox
If you’ve never given Fantastic Mr. Fox a fair shot, 2009 is as good a year as any to fix that — Wes Anderson’s film has aged into something like a cult favorite. The film’s own tagline — “Dig the life fantastic.” — tells you almost everything about the tone it’s going for. Strip away…
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District 9
There are films you watch once and forget, and then there’s District 9 — a 2009 science fiction from director Neill Blomkamp that has kept audiences talking long after the credits roll. The film’s own tagline — “You are not welcome here.” — tells you almost everything about the tone it’s going for. The setup…
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Inglourious Basterds
When Quentin Tarantino set out to make Inglourious Basterds in 2009, the goal wasn’t just another drama entry — it was something sharper, stranger, and considerably more memorable. You can tell a lot about a movie from its tagline, and “Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France…” gives away the game in the best…
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Up
When Pete Docter sat down to make “Up”, the goal was clearly to deliver something that sticks with an audience long after the credits roll. It is easy to see why it keeps getting recommended long after its initial release. “Change is in the air.” That is the tagline, and it does a surprisingly honest…
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The Hangover
Word of mouth is a strange thing, and “The Hangover” from 2009 is exactly the kind of film that earns it one recommendation at a time. It is easy to see why it keeps getting recommended long after its initial release. The marketing leaned on the line “Some guys just can’t handle Vegas.” — and…
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(500) Days of Summer
Word of mouth is a strange thing, and “(500) Days of Summer” from 2009 is exactly the kind of film that earns it one recommendation at a time. It is the kind of film that tends to outlast whatever else came out the same year. The marketing leaned on the line “Boy meets girl. Boy…