Joe (Clive Owen) is a carefree sportswriter, living in Australia with his second wife (Laura Fraser) and 6-year-old son, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty). When his wife dies suddenly, Joe has to start taking full responsibility for his son. He treats the boy like a buddy, which causes problems when he starts dating a new woman (Emma Booth). George MacKay plays Harry, Joe's son from a first marriage, who becomes a surrogate father to Artie. Directed by Scott Hicks. Erik Thomson. Year: 2009.
2009 in The Boys Are Back
Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) have been best friends their entire lives. And, when they both become engaged within hours of one another, they couldn't be happier. But, when a clerical error ends up having their weddings doublebooked at the Plaza Hotel, neither one will budge and the old friends find themselves in an all-out bridal feud. Directed by Gary Winick. With Candice Bergen, Kristen Johnston, Bryan Greenberg, Steve Howey and Chris Pratt. Categories: Comedy, Romance. Year: 2009.
2009 in Bride Wars
Based on a novel by David Foster Wallace, this film is about Sara (Julianne Nicholson), who is writing her doctoral dissertation on relationships. Through interviewing men, she hopes to discover what has gone wrong with her own relationships. Ryan (John Krasinski), her ex-boyfriend, is among her subjects. Ben Shenkman talks about what he says when he is alone with women, while Christopher Meloni tells how he met a woman crying at the airport. Dominic Cooper, Will Arnett, Chris Messina, Timothy Hutton and Joey Slotnick are among her other interviewees. Directed by John Krasinski. Year: 2009.
2009 in Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
A period drama based on the real-life romance between 19th century British poet John Keats (Ben Wishaw) and his neighbor, Fanny (Abbie Cornish). Fanny wasn't interested in anything but fashion at first, but the two got to know each other better after Keats learned she was caring for her seriously ill brother. Their romance was cut short when Keats also became sick. Paul Schneider plays Keats' friend and confidant. Directed by Jane Campion. Categories: Drama, Romance. Year: 2009.
2009 in Bright Star
When Sam (Tobey Maguire), a U.S. army officer, disappears in Afghanistan, his brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) consoles Sam's wife, Grace (Natalie Portman). When Sam comes home, it creates a tense situation, since Tommy and Grace have fallen for each other. Sam Shepherd plays their father, while Bailee Madison is Grace and Sam's daughter in this moving drama. Directed by Jim Sheridan. Categories: Drama, War. Year: 2009.
2009 in Brothers
Director Jake Rademacher has two brothers serving in the military in Iraq and decided to make a documentary to try to understand what motivates them. Although he has own reservations about the war, he comes to admire his brothers' selfless devotion to their country, as well as to respect the price they pay for being under so much pressure and for living so far from their families. Directed by Jake Rademacher. Categories: Documentary, War. Year: 2009.
2009 in Brothers at War
Sacha Baron Cohen, the comedian behind Borat, is at it again. This time he guises himself as Brüno, a flamboyant, gay Austrian fashion designer/model who comes to America. In Los Angeles, he once again takes aim at unsuspecting celebrities, rednecks, and anyone else he can embarrass. Directed by Larry Charles. With Sacha Baron Cohen and Richard Bey. Categories: Comedy. Year: 2009.
2009 in Bruno
A deadly virus threatens to wipe out humanity. Four young people flee south to try to escape it: Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci); his brother, Brian (Chris Pine), his girlfriend, Bobby (Piper Perabo); and Danny's friend, Kate (Emily VanCamp). Over the course of four days, the group is faced with difficult decisions and they discover that their greatest enemy is the darkness within themselves. Directed by David Pastor. Categories: Thriller, Drama, Horror. Year: 2009.
2009 in Carriers
Based on a Colette novel, Cheri stars Michelle Pfeiffer as a sophisticated courtesan in Belle-Epoque Paris. She has a six-year affair with Fred (Rupert Friend), a young man whose mother (Kathy Bates), a former courtesan, wants him to marry a rich woman. He marries an innocent young girl but can't forget Lea and the two are drawn together no matter how hard they try to move on. Directed by Stephen Frears. Categories: Romance. Year: 2009.
2009 in Chéri
In this animated retelling of the famous Dickens' Christmas story, Jim Carrey provides the voice of Scrooge, as well as the ghosts of Christmas past and present. This is a timeless tale of a miser who learns the true holiday spirit through taking a hard look at his life. Gary Oldman plays the father of a large brood and Bob Hoskins is the crusty old Mr. Fezziwig. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Categories: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy. Year: 2009.
2009 in A Christmas Carol
Based on a series of fantasy novels, this horror film focuses on Darren (Chris Massoglia) and his friend, Steve (Josh Hutcherson) who go to a freak show. There, they meet a vampire (John C. Reilly) and they become involved with the traveling freak show. Jane Krakowski is a member of the company with detachable limbs. Ken Watanbe plays the owner of the show. Jessica Carlson becomes Darren's girlfiend, Salma Hayek is a bearded lady and Willem Dafoe plays a rival vampire. Directed by Paul Weitz. With, Ray Stevenson and Patrick Fugiti. Categories: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror. Year: 2009.
2009 in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire'Assistant
This classic children's story has been turned into a full-length animated cartoon. It tells the story of a kid determined to become an inventor, who grows up and discovers a way to turn water into food. This means that every time it rains, mouth-watering delicacies pour down onto the earth. Children delight in being covered in spaghetti and jumping onto giant pancakes. Bill Hader provides the voice of Flint, the inventor, while Anna Faris is Sam, the girl he is trying to impress. Directed by Chris Miller. With Bruce Campbell and Mr. T. Categories: Animation, Family. Year: 2009.
2009 in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Audrey Tautou plays the title role, the legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel, known both for elegance and popularizing slacks for women. In this look at early life, Beno_t Poelvoorde plays her first mentor, who introduces her to high society. Alessandro Nivola is the young British man who steals her heart in this gorgeous-looking drama. Directed by Anne Fontaine. Categories: Biography, Drama. Year: 2009.
2009 in Coco avant Chanel
Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) lives to shop. Dreaming of working at a top fashion magazine, she lands a job as an advice columnist for a new financial magazine published by the same company. But, when her rampant spending threatens her career and her love life, Rebecca is forced to reevaluate her way of life and decide what's really important to her. Directed by P.J. Hogan. With Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, Leslie Bibb, John Lithgow and Lynn Redgrave. Categories: Comedy, Romance, Based on a Novel. Year: 2009.
2009 in Confessions of a Shopaholic
After moving from Michigan to Oregon, Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning), a feisty, adventurous young girl, finds a mysterious door that transports her to a parallel world. There, Coraline finds alternate versions of her mother (Teri Hatcher) and father (John Hodgman) and her eccentric neighbors, Miss Forcible (Dawn French), Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane) and the Cat (Keith David). Where Coraline felt ignored and neglected in the real world, she feels like the center of attention in this strange new land. But, when things start to get a little scary and her alternate mother sets out to keep her trapped in this other world, Coraline will have to use all her strength and courage to get back home. Directed by Henry Selick. Categories: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Based on a Novel. Year: 2009.
2009 in Coraline
Several couples whose marriages are shaky go off together to a resort that offers unorthodox marital therapy in this comedy. Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman can't find time for each other after having children, while Jon Favreau has started ignoring Kristen Davis, his wife. But the therapy isn't so easy. Jason Bateman gets aggressive with his therapist, while his wife (Kristen Bell) looks on in horror. Can any relationship survive this much therapy? Directed by Peter Billingsley. With Jean Reno, Ken Jeong, and Faizon Love. Categories: Comedy. Year: 2009.
2009 in Couples Retreat
This documentary details the shocking slaughter of captured dolphins off the coast of Japan. Their flesh is packaged and sold as whale meat. Activist Richard O'Barry, who trained dolphins for the Flipper television series, leads an expedition to expose this abuse. Directed by Louie Psihoyos. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2009.
2009 in The Cove
Facing a Chinese mobster who has stolen his heart and replaced it with an electronic device, hitman Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) races through the streets of LA in high speed pursuit. Needing regular jolts of electricty to keep his blood pumping, Chelios must track down his enemy before he runs out of juice. Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. With Amy Smart, Bai Ling, Corey Haim, Efren Ramirez, Glenn Howerton and Dwight Yoakam. Categories: Action. Year: 2009.
2009 in Crank 2: High Voltage
Directed by Scott Cooper. With Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell. Categories: Drama. Year: 2009.
2009 in Crazy Heart
Paul Betthany and Jennifer Connelly (a real-life married couple) star in this film, a biography of the biologist Charles Darwin, whose theory of human evolution continues to cause controversy today. Darwin is fiercely committed, while Emma (Connelly), his wife, cannot accept his ideas because of her religious beliefs. Directed by Jon Amiel. With Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch. Categories: Drama, Biography. Year: 2009.
2009 in Creation
Immigrants of different nationalities struggle to earn their legal status in Los Angeles. Their plight includes dealing with crossing the border, obtaining fraudulent documents, gaining asylum and the green card process. In addition to the difficulties of entering the US and living in a new countries, the immigrants must also deal with work-site enforcement and the office of counter terrorism. Directed by Wayne Kramer. With Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Summer Bishil, Cliff Curtis and Alice Braga. Categories: Drama. Year: 2009.
2009 in Crossing Over
Michael Sheen (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) stars as legendary soccer-team manager Brian Clough. For 44 drama-filled days, he tried to tone down the Leeds United's dirty playing style and bring back athleticism and sportsmanship. But the players prefer the ruthless approach of their former manager (Colm Meaney). Clough also clashes with team officials, including one played by Jim Broadbent. Directed by Tom Hooper. Categories: Drama, Sport. Year: 2009.
2009 in The Damned United
In this Wayans dance movie spoof, Megan (Shoshana Bush), a privileged, naive white girl, dreams of becoming a professional dancer. After moving to the inner city, she meets Thomas (Damon Wayans Jr.), a street-wise young black man who helps her make the most of her talents. Directed by Damien Wayans. With Craig Wayans, Amy Sedaris, Essence Atkins and Affion Crockett. Categories: Action, Comedy. Year: 2009.
2009 in Dance Flick
A group of medical students on a ski vacation are confronted with a menace they never imagined - Nazi zombies. One of the students, a horror movie junkie (Jeppe Laursen) points out all the flaws in the zombies' approach, but the others are terrified. Directed by Tommy Wirkola. With Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Vegar Hoel, Evy Kasseth Røsten, and Ørjan Gamst. Categories: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror. Year: 2009.
2009 in Dead Snow
A yuppie married couple (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant) in New York are having problems when they witness a murder. The witness protection program sends them to a small town in Wyoming. The local sheriff (Sam Elliott) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen) help them get settled in, but they're not sure they want to settle in - and not sure they can stand having to be stuck together in the middle of nowhere. Expect some Sarah Palin jokes. Directed by Marc Lawrence. Categories: Comedy, Drama, Romance. Year: 2009.
2009 in Did You Hear About the Morgans?
There are already enough problems in South Africa, with its poverty and lingering racial tensions, but when aliens land in a black ghetto, all hell breaks loose. The government captures them and confiscates their ship, although they insist they have come in peace. Have they? Directed by Neill Blomkamp. Categories: Sci-Fi. Year: 2009.
2009 in District 9
Christine (Alison Lohman) plays Christine, a loan officer in a bank. When she denies an elderly woman (Lorna Raver) an extension on her mortgage payment, the women curses her. Christine is haunted by horrible visions and goes to see a psychic who tells her that under this curse, she will be tormented for three days and then will go to hell. To save herself, Christine must outwit the spirit that has cursed her. Directed by Sam Raimi. With Dileep Rao, David Paymer and Justin Long. Categories: Horror, Thriller. Year: 2009.
2009 in Drag Me to Hell
Based on the popular series of Dragonball fantasy novels, Dragonball Evolution tells the story of Goku (Justin Chatwin), whose grandfather (Randall Duk Kim) tells him to seek out Master Roshi (Yun-Fat Chow) and find the seven magical orbs that give their owner the power to rule the world. Goku and Master Roshi rush to find the dragonballs before the evil Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) gets them. Directed by James Wong. With Emmy Rossum and Jamie Chung and. Categories: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller. Year: 2009.
2009 in Dragonball Evolution
Ray Koval (Clive Owen) and Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) are two former government agents who have retired from international intelligence and become corporate spies. When both of their bosses set their sights on gaining control of a secret formula, the former lovers find themselves facing off for the prize. But, as the stakes rise, there's no denying their chemistry, and the pair ultimately decide to work together on an elaborate con. Directed by Tony Gilroy. With Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti, Carrie Preston, Thomas McCarthy and Ulrich Thomsen. Categories: Thriller, Drama, Romance. Year: 2009.
2009 in Duplicity
Max (Shane West), is an unsuspecting young man who gets caught up in international espionage when he receives a mysterious package in the mail. It contains a cell phone that gives him instructions on where to go and what to do. When he follows these instructions, he receives huge amounts of money, but also discovers that people are trying to kill him. Edward Burns, Ving Rhames and Martin Sheen play government agents who tail him. But can he trust them? Directed by Greg Marcks. With Yuriy Kutsenko and Sandra De Sousa. Categories: Action, Mystery, Thriller. Year: 2009.
2009 in Echelon Conspiracy
Carey Mulligan stars as Jenny, a brainy teen growing up in a middle-class family in '60s London in this bittersweet coming-of-age story.. Her parents (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour) dream she will go to Oxford, but when she meets a seductive, older mystery man, David (Peter Sarsgaard), her life is turned upside down. He introduces her to his fast-living friends (Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike), but he may not be all that he seems. Meanwhile, her devoted teacher (Olivia Williams) tries to get her to take her studies seriously. Directed by Lone Scherfig. Categories: Drama. Year: 2009.
2009 in An Education
A widowed dad (Robert De Niro) gets worried when his three grown children (Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, and Kate Beckinsale) all cancel their plans to spend Christmas with him at the last minute. He heads off to visit each of them, and learns that while they told their mother everything, they are ashamed to let him know when something bad has happened in their lives. His visit deepens his understanding of them, and himself. Directed by Kirk Jones. With Damian Young. Categories: Adventure, Comedy, Drama. Year: 2009.
2009 in Everybody's Fine
Another workplace comedy directed by Mike Judge, who made Office Space, Extract stars Jason Bateman as a manager at a factory. He has problems everywhere. At home, he suspects his wife (Kristen Wiig) is having an affair, while at work he has to cope with rebellious assembly-line workers and his attraction to a gorgeous new temp (Mila Kunis). At least he always his stoner buddy (Ben Affleck) to confide in. Directed by Mike Judge. With Clifton Collins Jr., Matt Schulze, Beth Grant, and J.K. Simmons. Categories: Comedy. Year: 2009.
2009 in Extract
A documentary about the career of the legendary and controversial heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Ten of Ali's opponents pay tribute to the champ and his style, among them Joe Frazier and George Foreman. The film features footage from many of Ali's bouts, including his much trumpeted return to the ring in Zaire in 1974, after he had been prevented from boxing for years because he refused to serve in the Vietnam War. Directed by Pete McCormack. With George Chuvalo. Categories: Documentary, Sport. Year: 2009.
2009 in Facing Ali
A remake of the beloved 1980 film about the fortunes of a group of high school students at a performing arts school in New York, this film features rousing tunes and dance numbers. Some of the songs come from the first version, while others were specially composed for this one. A multi-racial cast of young up-and-coming stars portray wanna-be actors, dancers and musicians. Their teachers are played by Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Charles S. Dutton and Bebe Neuwirth. Directed by Kevin Tancharoen. With Dominique Kelley, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Kherington Payne, Kay Panabaker and Walter Perez. Categories: Musical. Year: 2009.
2009 in Fame
Based on the children's classic by Raold Dahl, this animated film is about a fox family that has to fight back when farmers try to destroy them. George Clooney and Meryl Streep play Mr. and Mrs. Fox, while Jason Schwartzman voices the part of their obedient son. Bill Murray is the badger, an animal who is also a lawyer and wants to take the farmers to court, while Owen Wilson is Coach Skip. Directed by Wes Anderson. Categories: Adventure, Animation, Comedy. Year: 2009.
2009 in Fantastic Mr. Fox