2009 long watchlist
I have seen 300 movies from this year, including almost all the high profile ones. This is not a recommendations list, in fact in some ways it's a leftovers list, although I had to have a positive reason to put any film on my watchlist. It's mainly for friends who are following me on my project to watch as many movies from this year as possible.
List activity
151 views
• 2 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
147 titles
- DirectorRichard KellyStarsCameron DiazJames MarsdenFrank LangellaWith the press of a button, a wooden box bestows riches and death.
- DirectorMiguel ArtetaStarsMichael CeraPortia DoubledayJean SmartWhile his trailer trash parents teeter on the edge of divorce, Nick Twisp sets his sights on dream girl Sheeni Saunders, hoping that she'll be the one to take away his virginity.
- DirectorJim SheridanStarsJake GyllenhaalNatalie PortmanTobey MaguireWhile on tour in Afghanistan, Sam's helicopter is shot down and he is presumed dead. Back home, it is his screw-up brother who looks after the family. Sam does return, but with a lot of excess baggage.
- DirectorMichael GlawoggerStarsMichael OstrowskiRaimund WallischAlexis Santiago HernandezAn episodic comedy that follows the lives of four men living in Vienna.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsJamie FoxxRobert Downey Jr.Catherine KeenerA newspaper journalist discovers a homeless musical genius and tries to improve his situation.
- DirectorMichael HoffmanStarsHelen MirrenJames McAvoyChristopher PlummerA historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy's (Christopher Plummer's) struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things.
- DirectorRob LettermanConrad VernonStarsReese WitherspoonRainn WilsonStephen ColbertA woman transformed into a giant after she is struck by a meteorite on her wedding day becomes part of a team of monsters sent in by the U.S. government to defeat an alien mastermind trying to take over Earth.
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsTommy Lee JonesJohn GoodmanPeter SarsgaardA detective in post-Katrina New Orleans has a series of surreal encounters with a troop of ghostly Confederate soldiers while investigating serial killings of local prostitutes, a 1965 lynching, and corrupt local businessmen.
- DirectorMargarethe von TrottaStarsBarbara SukowaHeino FerchHannah HerzsprungThe life story of the multi-talented German nun Hildegard von Bingen. The film portrays an original woman - best known as a composer and religious visionary - whose grand claims often run counter to the patriarchal world around her. The monks and nuns at the convent become a kind of family, offering both confidants and enemies. For example Jutta, struggling with her jealousy of Hildegard's success, and the young Richardis who worships Hildegard both as an intellectual role model and a mother figure.
- DirectorDominic MurphyStarsMuse WatsonCarrie FisherWallace MerckDeep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, where every man owns a gun and a moonshine still, abides living legend Jesco White, "the dancing outlaw". As a boy Jesco was in and out of reform school and the insane asylum. To keep him out of trouble, his daddy D-Ray taught him the art of mountain dancing, a frenzied version of tap dancing to wild country banjo music. After his father's death, crazy Jesco dons his father's tap shoes and takes his show on the road.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsMorgan FreemanMatt DamonTony KgorogeNelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South Africa, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
- DirectorGiuseppe TornatoreStarsFrancesco SciannaMargareth MadèLina SastriBaaria is Sicilian slang for Bagheria where Tornatore was born and this is an autobiographic epic of three generations in the Sicilian village where he was born.
- DirectorDito MontielStarsChanning TatumTerrence HowardLuis GuzmánIn New York City, a young counterfeiter is introduced to the world of underground street fighting by a seasoned scam artist, who becomes his manager on the bare-knuckling brawling circuit.
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsChris MassogliaHaley BennettNathan GambleA pair of brothers stumble upon a mysterious hole in their basement that leads to the darkest corridors of their fears and nightmares.
- DirectorSophie BarthesStarsPaul GiamattiEmily WatsonDina KorzunPaul is an actor who feels bogged down by his participation in a production of Chekov's play, Vanya.
- DirectorHippolyte GirardotNobuhiro SuwaStarsNoë SampyArielle MoutelTsuyu ShimizuYuki and Nina try in order to get her parents back together; however, after failed attempts running away seems like the only solution.
- DirectorJulián HernándezStarsJorge BecerraJavier OlivánGuillermo VillegasA story of love, sex and destiny, by director Julian Hernandez. Youthful Kieri and Ryo share a deep and passionate love for each other. Kieri sets off in search of his soul mate after Ryo is kidnapped. A female spirit is with Kieri as he searches for Ryo. Ryo escapes and the pair will have to work hard to prove their love for each other as obstacles are placed in their path along the way.
- DirectorBanmei TakahashiStarsKankurô NakamuraYuki UchidaRyushin Tei'Zen' Buddhist teacher Dogen Zenji is a very important religious person during the Kamakura period, 750 years ago. After his mother died, he decides to move to China and settle as a Buddhist teacher. One bright morning, enlightened, Zenji returns to Japan as a devoted evangelist of the 'new' Buddhism. However, this new form of Buddhism is not accepted in all communities.
- DirectorDrew BarrymoreStarsElliot PageDrew BarrymoreKristen WiigIn Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock-loving misfit finds a way of dealing with small-town misery after discovering a roller-derby league in nearby Austin.
- DirectorJames McTeigueStarsRainRick YuneNaomie HarrisA young ninja turns his back on the orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with a fellow ninja from the clan.
- DirectorCherien DabisStarsNisreen FaourMelkar MuallemHiam AbbassA drama centered on the trials and tribulations of a proud Palestinian Christian immigrant single mother and her teenage son in small town Indiana.
- DirectorMark RegionStarsJason KulasPeggy McClellanScott WintersTwo neurology students create a telepathy experiment together to visualize a murderer, who recently knifed another student.
- DirectorClaudia LlosaStarsMagaly SolierSusi SánchezEfraín SolísFausta is suffering from a rare disease called the Milk of Sorrow, which is transmitted through the breast milk of pregnant women who were abused or raped during or soon after pregnancy. While living in constant fear and confusion due to this disease, she must face the sudden death of her mother. She chooses to take drastic measures to not follow in her mother's footsteps.
- DirectorBen SombogaartStarsSylvia HoeksBarry AtsmaDirk RoofthooftDuring the devastating North Sea flood of 1953, a young woman and a naval officer search for her lost infant son.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreWilliam BlackJimmy CarterAn examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.
- DirectorGrant HeslovStarsEwan McGregorGeorge ClooneyKevin SpaceyA reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's New Earth Army, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
- DirectorSally PotterStarsSimon AbkarianPatrick J. AdamsRiz AhmedA young blogger at a New York fashion house shoots behind-the-scenes interviews on his cell-phone.
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsLiam NeesonJames NesbittAnamaria MarincaThe story of former UVF member Alistair Little. Twenty-five years after Little killed Joe Griffen's brother, the media arrange an auspicious meeting between the two.
- DirectorXawery ZulawskiStarsBorys SzycRoma GasiorowskaMaria StrzeleckaAn aggressive thug has problems with his girlfriend. Over the course of several chaotic days he walks around the hood, takes drugs and confronts himself with other women.
- DirectorFatih AkinStarsAdam BousdoukosMoritz BleibtreuPheline RogganIn Hamburg, German-Greek chef Zinos unknowingly disturbs the peace in his locals-only restaurant by hiring a more talented chef.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróPaco PlazaStarsJonathan D. MellorManuela VelascoÓscar ZafraIn order to ascertain the current situation inside, a supposed medical officer and a GEO team step into the quarantined and ill-fated apartment building.
- DirectorRune Denstad LangloStarsAnders BaasmoKyrre HellumMarte AunemoNORTH Following a nervous breakdown, ski athlete Jomar has isolated himself in a lonely existence as the guard of a ski park. When he learns that he might be the father of a child way up north, he sets on a strange and poetic journey through Norway on a snowmobile, with 5 liters of alcohol as sole provisions. On this trip through amazing arctic landscapes, Jomar seems to do everything in his power to avoid reaching his destination. He meets other tender and confused souls, who will all contribute to push Jomar further along his reluctant journey towards the brighter side of life.
- DirectorAnurag KashyapStarsKay Kay MenonRaj Singh ChaudharyRaja ChaudharyA law student witnesses deception, homicide, and crime after being elected as General Secretary of his college.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaA documentary on three families struggling to survive in Brazil.
- DirectorMar CollStarsNausicaa BonnínEduard FernándezPhilippine Leroy-BeaulieuWhen Léa comes back to her family for the burial of her grandfather, she's get to know the actual nature of their members' relationship.
- DirectorFrazer BradshawStarsRigo Chacon Jr.Jered DanielHannah KernEVERYTHING STRANGE AND NEW is an intimate portrait of ordinary people and their longing for certainty in uncertain times.
- DirectorHeidi Maria FaisstStarsLærke WintherMads RiisomSolbjørg HøjfeldtKatrine has just given birth to a beautiful girl, but she worries about being a good mother, and when her boyfriend goes away for work she asks her own mother for help. But the two women have unresolved issues, and instead of feeling helped, Katrine feels more and more insecure and slowly falls apart.
- DirectorRob ZombieStarsScout Taylor-ComptonTyler ManeMalcolm McDowellLaurie Strode struggles to come to terms with her brother Michael's deadly return to Haddonfield, Illinois; meanwhile, Michael prepares for another reunion with his sister.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- DirectorPeter BrosensJessica WoodworthStarsMagaly SolierJasmin TabatabaiOlivier GourmetA former war photographer and her physician husband are caught up in a riot when locals in an Andean village vent their unhappiness with contamination from a nearby mine.
- DirectorHumberto Hinojosa OzcarizStarsChristian VazquezRodrigo CoreaXimena RomoTwo friends plan to steal the sheep from the ranch where they work and make a killing selling them. When the plan seemed like it could actually work, Maria, a young girl learning her ways with men, appears to shake things up even more.
- DirectorPremjit RamachandranStarsBalkrishna DoshiThe architect Balkrishna Doshi has mirrored the evolution of contemporary Indian architecture. Doshi's first job under Le Corbusier had a profound impact on him but he sought to interpret local conditions of site, climate and technology.
- DirectorLynn SheltonStarsMark DuplassJoshua LeonardAlycia DelmoreTwo guys take their bromance to another level when they participate in an art film project.
- DirectorHannah RothschildStarsDeborah CavendishChico HamiltonRoy HaynesThe true story of a British heiress's love for jazz genius Thelonious Monk.
- DirectorAndrew BujalskiStarsTilly HatcherMaggie HatcherAlex KarpovskyA pair of identical twin sisters -- one, who has been paraplegic since youth and gets around in a wheelchair, and the other -- 'same face, different bodies.'
- DirectorJessica OreckUntangling the web of cultural and historical ties underlying Japan's deep fascination with insects.
- DirectorConor McPhersonStarsCiarán HindsIben HjejleAidan QuinnIn a seaside Irish town, a widower sparks with a visiting horror novelist while he also begins to believe he is seeing ghosts.
- DirectorRaya MartinStarsSid LuceroTetchie AgbayaniAlessandra De RossiMimicking early silent films, Independencia creates a lush metaphor that plays with cinematic illusions and the cultural and mythical history of the Philippines.
- DirectorJohn GreysonStarsVan AbrahamsZackie AchmatJustin BacchusIn 1999, South African AIDS activist Zackie Achmat went on a treatment strike, refusing to take his pills until they were widely available to all South Africans. This symbolic act became a cause celebre, helping build his group Treatment Action Campaign into a national movement - yet with each passing month, Zackie grew sicker.
- DirectorAndy BichlbaumMike BonannoKurt EngfehrStarsReggie WattsMike BonannoAndy BichlbaumTroublemaking duo Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, posing as their industrious alter-egos, expose the people profiting from Hurricane Katrina, the faces behind the environmental disaster in Bhopal, and other shocking events.
- DirectorAniruddha Roy ChowdhuryStarsRahul BoseAparna SenRadhika ApteAbhik loses faith in the people around him and develops an online relationship with Brinda, a young woman who works as a journalist.
- DirectorZou PengStarsWu Rui-PengYi-Wen TianLiu Xing-Ping
- DirectorGustav DeutschFragments of several (mostly) silent films are shown. They're guided by quotes from, among others, Plato and Sappho and a soundtrack.
- DirectorGeorge OvashviliStarsTedo BekhauriTamar MeskhiArchil TabukashviliA young refugee and his mother flee war and ethnic cleansing in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, leaving his father behind. After arriving in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, the young boy encounters difficulties with his mother, and begins a lonely journey back to Abkhazia to find his father.
- DirectorJohn de RantauGarin NugrohoDosy OmarStarsBimbim SlankAkhadi Wira SatriajiMohammad Ridwan HafiedzSlank is a legendary rock band on the Indonesian scene, known for their politicized lyrics and activism, and for its fanatical fan base - known as "Slankers" - who see the band as something to coalesce around to promote peace and unity in their country. 'The Blue Generation' uniquely combines dance sequences, footage of live performances, interviews, and animations about Indonesia's political history in a gloriously energetic and inspiring manner.
- DirectorGoran DevicZvonimir JuricStarsIvo GregurevicKresimir MikicFranjo DijakLooking for the enemy, they found it where nobody expected - in themselves.
- DirectorAlejandro AdamsStarsCarla PauliEli KramerLarissa KasianCanary Industries specializes in "organ redistribution" or leasing organs to people who need them. The catch is that those who accept these organs must also sign a "Conscientious Usage" contract that allows Canary to repo the organs if the recipient abuses their body.
- DirectorJohan GrimonprezStarsRon BurrageMark PerryDelfine BafortDirector Johan Grimonprez casts Alfred Hitchcock as a paranoid history professor, unwittingly caught up in a double take on the cold war period. Subverting a meticulous array of TV footage and using 'The Birds' as an essential metaphor, DOUBLE TAKE traces catastrophe culture's relentless assault on the home, from moving images' inception to the present day.
- DirectorJaime Rogel
- DirectorAtsushi FunahashiStarsRyôhei AbeKatsuhiro KatôYuki Nomura
- DirectorKen McMullenStarsSteven BarberJustinian BuckleyJacques DriencourtA disillusioned writer follows the intertwining stories of several people, but are they his own inventions or do they really exist?
- DirectorCaroline StrubbeStarsZoltán Miklós HajduVincenzo CardiaKimke DesartIn life, you don't get what you want. You just get what you need.
- DirectorJoão Pedro RodriguesStarsChandra MalatitchJohn Jesus RomãoIvo BarrosoA transgender woman tries to erase any past history of herself as a male. Struggling with a young male lover and a problematic son.
- DirectorAlain CavalierStarsAlain CavalierCatherine DeneuveVanessa WidhoffA video diary shot and recorded by the filmmaker, using little more than his imagination and the happenstance and flow of the everyday, finally layering in a lifetime of memories.
- DirectorChris Chan Fui ChongStarsZahiril AdzimAmerul AffendiHariry JalilKaraoke juxtaposes a young man's idealism with the reality of a changing Malaysia through karaoke videos.
- DirectorSouleymane CisséStarsSokona GakouAssane KouyateBadra Alou SissokoAn adultery drama set in a bourgeois family in Bamako, Mali, where tensions are rife within the household: Mimi, bored with the polygamy and routine of marriage, wants to leave Issa. She has a lover, Aba. How will all three cope with this?
- DirectorJiayin LiuStarsHuifen JiaJiayin LiuZaiping LiuThe director shows herself and her parents making dumplings in their apartment with nine fixed camera positions, with which she revolves around the kitchen table.
- DirectorAndrew KottingStarsAurélia PetitJean-Luc BideauAdélaïde LerouxPart nightmare, part fantasy, Ivul tells the tale of Alex, who bizarrely moves out onto the roof of his house and refuses to come down after a false abuse accusation. From there, he watches the family he loves, but can't live with, as it destroys itself from the inside out.
- DirectorLucas BelvauxStarsYvan AttalAnne ConsignyAndré MarconA rich industrialist is brutally kidnapped. While he physically and mentally degenerates in imprisonment, the kidnappers, police and the board of the company of which he is director negotiate about the ransom of 50 million euro.
- DirectorJoão SalavizaStarsCarloto CottaRodrigo MadeiraRafael SardoA young man under house arrest spends his time in the best way he can by making some tattoos. His relative peace is strangely disturbed when he's attacked and robbed by three kids from the neighborhood. From then on, he'll try to find the kids who took his money and maybe give them a lesson. But with those actions, comes the reflection of how things were and are in this place filled with violence and hostility. Is change possible?
- DirectorPeter KerekesStarsVassily Nikolaevich LogunovFranz WeinhartKlavdia Matveevna LobanovaInterviews with military cooks from various European armies.
- DirectorDuncan CampbellStarsBernadette DevlinBernadette is a portrait of Bernadette Devlin, a socialist activist in Northern Ireland who, at the age of 21, became the first woman member of the House of Commons
- DirectorSatoko YokohamaStarsKen'ichi MatsuyamaKumiko AsôSeiji NozoeYojin, an eccentric young farmer living in the countryside, falls in love for the first time in his life. Her name is Machiko, she teaches in a kindergarten and is from Tokyo.
- DirectorJavier RebolloStarsCarmen MachiJan BudarPep RicartWoman without piano portrays 24 hours in the domestic, professional and sexual everyday life of a XXIst century housewife in Madrid.
- DirectorRúnar RúnarssonStarsMarie BodaDaniel StampePetrine AggerIn a small Danish fishing village, a young girl faces the challenges of puberty and first love.
- DirectorMarcos CarnevaleStarsNorma AleandroLuis LuqueLeonor MansoAnita is a girl who suffers from Down Syndrome and lives with her mother in the Once neighborhood in Buenos Aires. On July 18, 1994, the bombing attack on the AMIA changes her life forever.
- DirectorUruphong RaksasadStarsPrayad JummaSai JummaSompong JummaFacing seizure of their own lands, two families found themselves farming together on the same field, hoping to get through just another rice-farming season like every year. But no matter how much the world is evolving, how much the country is going through economic, political and social changes, they still cannot grasp that ideology of happiness.
- DirectorRaoul PeckStarsZinedine SoualemSonia RollandMireille MetellusA look at the final moments of a ruler in Haiti as a violent revolution erupts around him.
- DirectorKenny OrtegaStarsMichael JacksonAlex AlAlexandra ApjarovaA compilation of interviews, rehearsals, and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.
- DirectorBen RussellStarsMonie PansaBenjen PansaErwin AkobeThe film traces the extensive journey of two unidentified brothers who venture from the outskirts of Paramaribo, Suriname, on land and through rapids, past a Maroon village on the Upper Suriname River, in a rehearsal of the voyage undertaken by their ancestors, who escaped from slavery at the hands of the Dutch 300 years prior. A path still traveled to this day, its changing topography bespeaks a diverse history of forced migration.
- DirectorEsmir FilhoStarsÁurea BaptistaIsmael CaneppeleTuane EggersA Bob Dylan fan who goes by the name Mr. Tambourine passes his time in the Brazilian countryside by looking at photographs and movies on the Internet that seem to feature the same mysterious woman.
- DirectorGuy MaddinStarsNihad AdemiMike BellTimna Ben AriWinnipeg, 1939: Bosnian immigrant Nihad Ademi conceives of a way to harness the power of the Aurora Borealis in order to broadcast imagery of his vast and beloved adopted land from coast to coast to coast.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsJung Yu-miOn impulse, a young woman drives from Seoul to see her best friend, but also meets up with her older professor, and then a former lover. Drinks ensue, and surprises are revealed for all four characters. Hong packs a lot into a 31 minute film.
- DirectorDang Nhat MinhStarsMinh HuongTina DuongMichael JarmusIn the spring of 2005, an old mother living in Hanoi receives a diary. The diary carries the notes of a young woman doctor who worked at a national liberation front hospital for two years starting in 1968 until her death. The diary was first discovered by a US military officer, who kept it for 35 years. The diary was then published in Vietnam and caused a sensation. The long moving journey linking Vietnam with the US is depicted through a true story adapted by Dan Nyat Minh, one of Vietnam's top film directors.
- DirectorVimukthi JayasundaraStarsThusitha LaknathKaushalaya FernandoLu HuangThe young man fell from the sky. Communication relay burns. Flee from the city and its commotion, return to nature. Become part of another story. That of the legend of the prince. In the hope of a love, hiding behind the hollow in a tree. Nothing magic is improbable. What happened yesterday, may happen again tomorrow.
- DirectorPeter SchreinerStarsAntonio CotroneoMelo De BenedettoGaetano DimarzoA middle-aged man living in Vienna feels the need to return to his childhood home in southern Italy.
- DirectorFrederick WisemanStarsEmilie CozetteAurélie DupontDorothée GilbertThe film follows the production of seven ballets by the Paris Opera Ballet.
- DirectorErik GandiniStarsSilvio BerlusconiFlavio BriatoreFabio CalviA look at segments of the Italian population who are consumed with celebrity worship.
- DirectorSung-il JungStarsShin Ha-kyunKim Hye-naJung In-sunThe story begins with a man left by his girlfriend on Christmas Eve and unfolds across the city of Seoul.
- DirectorRomuald KarmakarStarsRicardo VillalobosA look at the life and work of Chilean DJ Ricardo Villalobos.
- DirectorCãlin Peter NetzerStarsVictor RebengiucCamelia ZorlescuMimi BranescuAccidentally receiving a Romanian Medal of Honor, a 75-years-old retiree uses it to regain respect from his family.
- DirectorKhairil M. BaharJohan JohnKamal SabranStarsYasmin AhmadSharifah AmaniVarma a/l ArasuFifteen short films with socio-economic subject matter by 15 directors of Malaysia's "New Wave" and "No Wave."
- DirectorQuan'an WangStarsZhengwu ChengXiong ChunleiLiv FuyouDiagnosed with cancer and unable to afford treatment, a woman decides to leave her unhappy marriage search for her first love in Beijing.
- DirectorBorys LankoszStarsAgata BuzekKrystyna JandaAnna PolonyA story about women, set in the present and in 1950s Warsaw. The main character is Sabina, a quiet, shy woman who has just turned thirty. Clearly, she lacks a man in her life. Her mother knows all about it and tries at all costs to find her daughter a good candidate for a husband. The whole situation is controlled by the grandmother, an eccentric lady with a sharp tongue from whom no secret can be concealed. Successive admirers arrive at the pre-war tenement where the women live, but Sabina is interested in none of them. One day, appearing out of nowhere, comes the charming, intelligent, and terribly good-looking Bronislaw. His presence will spark off a series of unexpected events revealing the darker side of the women's nature.
- DirectorShawkat Amin KorkiStarsShwan AttoofHamed DiyarHamajaga HilinInside a beat up stadium in Kirkuk, Iraq, live many refugees trying to escape Sadam Hussein's administration. Asu lives with his younger brother who has lost his legs from a landmine. Next door lives Hilin, who has not been able to express her feelings. One of the only sources of happiness for these people who live amid fear of poverty and bombings is soccer. Asu gathers together the Kurdish, Arabs and Turkish in order to hold a soccer match. Although they are of different races, they become close neighbors.
- DirectorKun-Jae JangJang Kun-jaeStarsHyeon-Sook ChoiHyo-Sang ChoiNa HanA time when he madly loved someone, but things just didn't go his way.
- DirectorPedro CostaStarsJeanne BalibarRodolphe BurgerHervé LoosIntimate portrait of the French actress/singer Jeanne Balibar.
- DirectorVlado Skafar