Fanboy Awards, 2009

2009 was a fantastic year at the movies, and it's still not over, it's time to look back over one of the finer years of cinema of this past decade.

2009 was a year of excellence on many levels, I think I gave out more A ratings this year than just about any other year since I have been reviewing films, if that says anything to you. Even still, there were a few stinkers filtered in there, but that doesn't change the rest of the genetic make-up.

I've decided to kick off my weeklong celebration of 2009 with a look at what I'm calling the Fanboy Awards. These awards have no real prestige value, they're just purely here to get things going with a little bit of fun. The Unicellular Review's First Edition of the Fanboy Awards starts right now:

Most Disappointing Film of the Year: Watchmen - Almost every Fanboy out there wishes this one was better, but it was just a hodge-podge of some really obscure artistic choices that didn't work for me at all. Grade: C-
(Runners-up: Terminator Salvation, X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

Best Hero: Chris Pine, Star Trek - Chris Pine knocked Captain Kirk out of the park, he was heroic and cocksure, everything that he needed to be, so much so that I'd actually venture to say he was better than William Shatner himself.
(Runners-up: Sam Worthington, Avatar; Robert Downey, Jr., Sherlock Holmes; Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Ed Asner, Up)

Best Heroine: Zoe Saldana, Avatar - Ms. Saldana had quite a year, and it was tough to pick between her portrayal of Uhura in Star Trek, or her role as Neytiri in Avatar, but at the end of the day she is probably the most awesome female lead since Princess Mononoke in an action/adventure film in James Cameron's latest.
(Runners-up: Zoe Saldana, Star Trek; Siqourney Weaver, Avatar; Noah Cyrus, Ponyo)

Best Villain: Mark Strong, Sherlock Holmes - Really no contest here, Strong's work as Lord Blackwood was frightening and creepy, being the first time I legitimately was creeped out by a villain since first seeing Temple of Doom.
(Runners-up: Eric Bana, Star Trek; Christopher Plummer, Up; Stephen Lang, Avatar; Helena Bonham Carter, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)

Best Sidekick: Karl Urban, Star Trek - Urban was spot on as Dr. Leonard McCoy, otherwise known as Bones, and I don't think anyone else came close to having the impact he had as Kirk's Academy buddy.
(Runners-up: Jordan Nagai, Up; Zachary Quinto, Star Trek; Jude Law, Sherlock Holmes; Rupert Grint, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)

Most Repeat Viewings: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - The most logistical award, I saw it more than any other movie this year, four times in theaters for anyone counting. Grade: A+
(Runners-up: Star Trek, 2)

The Film I Most Wanted To See Again Once the Credits Rolled: Star Trek - Really, this one was it, it was a joy from beginning to end, and I'd gladly watch it again right now if someone put it on. Grade: A+
(Runners-up: (500) Days of Summer, Avatar, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ponyo, Sherlock Holmes, Up)

Most Over-Hyped Film: Terminator Salvation - Another logistical one, mainly cause so many Fanboys were so pumped and then when it came out, well, use your imagination.
(Runners-up: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Watchmen)

Worst Sequel/Prequel: X-Men Origins-Wolverine - If you've seen the first three X-Men films and then this one, then you'd understand, and if you haven't seen this one yet, just take my advice and don't. Grade: D

Best Sequel: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Harry Potter's sixth installment finally hit theaters this past summer, and it was definitely worth the wait. Not only was the film true to its book counterpart, but it was a beautiful piece of emotional filmmaking, very bold compared to the two Potter films that preceded it. Grade: A+

Worst Film of the Year: Terminator Salvation - Hands down, this was it, the only F rating of the entire year (of what I saw). It is a mindless action movie that is in high gear the entire time without a real coherent plot, Christian Bale acts like an angry uncle, and Sam Worthington is no where near as charming as he was in Avatar. Skip it. Grade: F
(Runners-up: X-Men Origins-Wolverine, Watchmen)

And that does it for this years Fanboy Awards! Stay tuned this entire week as we continue our examination of the year's best!