Top 20 movies of 2009

10. Up

Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Voices of: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Delroy Lindo

Up is one of Pixar's best movies to date, and when you have a track record as stellar as theirs is, that's saying something.'It's a movie that earns every single bit of emotion it wrings from the audience.'The Pixar team is well-known for their careful attention to crafting a good story, and their willingness to cast actors who are perfectly suited for the roles rather than big name stars, and Up possesses these qualities in spades.

The story is utterly engaging and truly fantastic (in the original sense of the word), and the film recalls the great adventure stories of a bygone era, but it also happens to be genuinely touching and absolutely hilarious at the same time.' The word masterpiece gets tossed around so much these days that it's lost a lot of its impact, but Up is a near-perfect film that truly deserves to be labelled as such.' Chris

Defining moment: The wordless opening montage, showing Carl and Ellie gradually growing old and experiencing life - and death - together. Without a doubt the year's biggest tear-jerker.

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9. The Hurt Locker

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Evangeline Lilly

The brilliance of Kathryn Bigelow's uncompromising Middle Eastern war movie lies in its simplicity. Rather than promote a political agenda, or worse, contrive a story about a new recruit facing the horrors of war, Bigelow chooses to focuses on just one element of the conflict and, in doing so, strips the subject matter to its most core elements.

As we follow three members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) on a series of routine bomb deactivations, each set piece is drawn out in real time for maximum tension. In this reduction of plot, the normal beats you could sense in any usual film are abandoned and we are left with genuinely no idea as to how each scenario will play out. Between these sweat-inducing scenes and the commitment to realism, all captured on handheld camera, Bigelow creates a truly humbling experience which makes the only worthwhile statement to have been made on this war: forget the politics - this is what it is like for those on the frontlines. Matt

Defining moment: Used to defusing bombs and taking enemy fire, Staff Sergeant Will James finds a situation that finally defeats him: deciding which cereal to buy at the supermarket.

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8. Slumdog Millionaire

Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor

The infuriating label "feel-good movie of the year" often does more harm than good; in this case, it makes Slumdog Millionaire sound like a Love Happens In The City, Actually monstrosity. Slumdog depicts poverty, domestic violence, child mutilation and slavery - nothing fluffy or cute about that. But it cleverly juxtaposes this with an engaging love story and a narrative of triumph over adversity in which the underdog comes out on top, and does a dance in the train station to celebrate the fact.

It's all wrapped up in a neat and inspired narrative device using Who Wants to be a Millionaire? as the prompt for flashbacks. Simple but effective, and realised with such energy and passion that it is a truly exhilarating experience.'Slumdog-mania catapulted Danny Boyle from idiosyncratic Brit to one of the hottest directors on the planet. Along with Peter Jackson, Christopher Nolan and James Cameron, Boyle is now in an exclusive club loosely known as 'directors who can do whatever the hell they like'. The boy done good. Anna

Defining moment: It's got to be the Bollywood dance-off ending. Admit it: you kind of hoped it was coming.

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7. Paranormal Activity

Director: Oren Peli
Starring: Micah Sloat, Katie Featherstone, Ashley Palmer

When was the last time you were really scared watching a movie? Not just suddenly startled; when was the last time you actually felt your palms sweat and your shoulders tense in terror? Paranormal Activity is one such film: a grotty, grimy little picture that feels so real it's like watching a snuff movie. Forget fear; when this is over, you feel relief.

Shot on a shoestring on shakycam, starring two amateur actors and a first-time filmmaker, Paranormal Activity's simplicity is what gets under your skin: apart from the fact you're watching 'found footage', it never films like you're watching a film. Like Blair Witch for the YouTube generation, the tension burns gradually until it becomes almost unwatchable in its final five minutes. Never have such limited resources reaped such intense results: credit crunch cinema is here and it'll stay with you far longer than you'd wish. Ali

Defining moment: Katie (Katie Featherstone) experiences an odd out-of-body experience and stands looming over her boyfriend while he sleeps. For three hours. Note to my girlfriend: if you ever try this as a joke, I'll fucking kill you.

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6. Where The Wild Things Are

Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: James Gandolfini, Max Records, Catherine O'Hara

Spike Jonze silenced the critics and naysayers who turned their nose up at the hint of production difficulties and turned in the quintessential kids movie for adults. Not so much adapting Maurice Sendak's classic bare bones story as using it as a springboard to explore the very essence of childhood itself, Jonze perfectly captures the innocence, playfulness and joy of being a kid.
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Newcomer Max Records carries the entire film on his shoulders as the little boy who lets his imagination run wild in the face of mild dejection. Through his eyes, we see the magic and wonder of a child's mind but, more importantly, Max learns life lessons that bring him to the cusp of growing up. With enough action and fun to keep the kids in a misled audience mildly entertained, adults will instead be moved by the contemplative and sometimes heartbreaking moments of introspection. Matt

Defining moment: "Let the wild rumpus start!" And start it does: a glorious, fun-filled, monster pile-on. Wonderful.

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