Best of 2009: ...I can do better (Part 2)

Top Movie Trends of 2009 (continued)

Perhaps you’ve looked over the bottom three (which you should read first!) of the Top Five Movie Trends of 2009 and you’ve thought “common coincidence” or “simply serendipitous.”  And I’ll admit when only three or four films fit a trend, you might be right (but probably wrong, don't worry, I won’t hold it against you).  However, there’s no denying the next two as even if you’ve only been to the theatres once or twice this year, I guarantee that you’ve been somehow affected by these top two movie trends of 2009.

2.  It’s Official, Vampire is the new Zombie

For a while it was all about the brain feasting, decomposing hordes of former friends and neighbors, and despite 2009 having one of the best Zombie films since Shawn of the Dead, the rip-roaringly fun Zombieland, there is no doubt that 2009 belonged to the pale skinned, hemoglobin sucking goth kids known as Vampires…ah ah ah …

One could argue that the entertainment world’s fascination with Vampires really started in 2008 with releases of Twilight, the hit HBO series True Blood, I Am Legend, and even the indie Swedish film Let the Right One In.  That said, I’d argue that while 2008 was the year entertainment got bitten, 2009 was the year it dawned black lip-stick and started listening to emo-punk.

According to my incredibly scientific research, 2009 was host to 9 films featuring the undead masters of the night, starting in January with continuation of the Underworld series with Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and closely followed by the UK spoof film Lesbian Vampire Killers.  Major Vampire releases continued to during the year with films like Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, the teen raunch-comedy Transylmania, and most recently the Ethan Hawke sci-fi take on a world where Vampires are common place and humans are in short supply, Daybreakers. 

American filmmakers weren’t the only ones looking to sink their teeth into the vampiric phenomena.  Korean director Chan-wook Park released a stunning film called Thirst about a priest who accidentally becomes a vampire, and the ensuing horrors of trying to live with such an affliction.  Somewhat less impressive was the release of the Japanese vampire film Blood: The Last Vampire for a limited US run in July. 

Seems like I’m missing one…oh, yeah, there was this film call New Moon that was apparently really popular amongst a certain gender group.  Though to be fair, the vampires in New Moon aren’t burned by sunlight, repelled by garlic or crosses, driven insane by their blood lust, or even forced to feast on human blood to maintain their constantly deteriorating immortality.  In fact their only weakness is “supernatural beauty.” So, I’m not even sure they count as vampires…

1.  Adventures in the Third Dimension

By far the biggest cinematic trend of 2009 was the overwhelming release of 3D motion pictures, fueled largely by family friendly titles and vast improvements in 3D technology, such as the widely popular RealD.

We’ve had a smattering of 3D films over the past few years, starting several years back with the horrendous Spy Kids films, and eventually maturing slightly in the form of Robert Zemeckis’s Beowulf.  However, 2009 seemed to be the year that everyone unanimously decided that 3D had reached a point where it could have mass market appeal.

Things started out with the hilariously frightening My Bloody Valentine 3D, paying homage to rather ridiculous and gimmicky original days of 3D films.  Disney largely paved the rest of the way, releasing The Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience, followed by the hugely successful Pixar film Up, a surprising success with the re-release of Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D, the somewhat less exciting guinea pig action film G-force, and lastly the Zemeckis directed Jim Carrey vehicle, A Christmas Carol.

Dreamworks, Sony, TriStar, and 20^th Century Fox all vied for their piece of the stereoscopic 3D animated film action with releases of Astroboy, Battle for Terra, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Planet 51, Monsters vs Aliens, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (which was a surprisingly wonderful film).  Henry Selick’s Coraline proved to be perhaps one of the most well executed 3D films, adding sumptuous depth to the already pristinely animated Neil Gaimen story in Laika Entertainment's unique stop-motion style.

Animated films were not the only films to get the 3D treatment, with several live action 3D films releasing this year, including the latest Harry Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, as well as the fumbled attempt at bringing back the once popular Final Destination series with the rather clunky horror film The Final Destination.

Lastly, despite being treated to 3D films the entire year, James Camerons stepped down from on high and proved that he, and only he had figured out this "3D" thing with his epic adventure film Avatar.  James Cameron’s stereoscopic camera technology was invented entirely for the purposes of the film and is best viewed in its IMAX presentation, and as I’ve stated in my review, there’s no other way to watch film.

Though skeptics may disagree, I believe 2009 has made 3D necessary and films like Coraline and Avatar have set the bar for all films of their genres in the future.  There are talks that the upcoming fantasy epic Clash of the Titans may now be released in 3D as to not pale to dramatically in comparison to Avatar, and I guarantee you any animated film released this year will be released in 3D, including the highly anticipated Toy Story 3. 

The technology has come so far, and clearly has a ways to go, but whatever your views on adding depth to your film going experience, there is no doubt that 2009 was the year 3D became mainstream, making it easily the top movie trend of 2009.

Did I miss something?!?

Disagree?  Did I leave some trend out that was just so blatantly obvious that you are clawing at the screen in frustrated angst?!?  Leave a comment and let us know!