With 2010 upon us, it is time to pick my favorite films of 2009. Some of these films are givens that appear on many yearend lists, but there are a few that may surprise or even outrage some of you. Some of you might not agree with my choices and that’s okay…. Opinions are what make the world go round. You’ll notice that some films are conspicuously absent from my list, but remember these are my favorites. I’m not saying they are the best movies of the year, just the ones that I connected with the most.  Without further adieu, my list of the films that entertained me the most this year.

A list of the biggest box office hits of the year 2009. Although the year is over, three big hits just opened and will be making their way on to this list. The list will be updated sometime in January when all the dust clears.

Hollywood had plenty to celebrate this Christmas as the holiday frame led by Avatar was the biggest weekend in box office history. The top 4 films alone grossed $213M, leading to a top 10 that collected $260M. With no new releases hitting theatres this weekend, the top 10 should look almost identical next weekend, although with less overall money.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a harmless, cute and amusing family film. Sure the humor is puerile and sophomoric at best (toilet humor reigns supreme here), but while watching it, I realized that it really shouldn’t matter what I think of this movie. It’s not meant for me, it is quintessentially a movie for kids and therefore it should be reviewed by them. With that in mind, I’ve interviewed both my nine year old daughter and my six year old son to see what they thought of the movie. 

Welcome to the holiday edition of Bill’s Box Office Predictions. This is going to be a huge weekend at the box office with the Christmas holiday landing on Friday. Christmas Day is usually a big day for multiplexes and because of the way the holiday falls, Saturday and Sunday are going to be quite big as well. It seems like there is a film out for everyone this weekend with three new films opening and two films expanding nationwide. The new films include Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and romantic comedy It’s Complicated. Oscar hopefuls Up in the Air and Nine will expand into more theatres after successful limited runs. The big question is whether any of the films will be able to push Avatar out of the top spot. Let’s take a look.

It took fifteen years and countless dollars but James Cameron has crafted a multi-layered, action packed, visionary movie for the ages. Make no mistake about it, your kids will be showing Avatar to their kids twenty-five years from now. The film is a visually astonishing, technological masterpiece, a true leap forward for cinema and it’s a damn fine movie as well. If possible, you must see this film in IMAX 3-D and if you can’t get to an IMAX location, at the very least get to a 3-D showing. Here’s the thing… Avatar is not like anything you’ve ever seen. It isn’t just a film… it’s a cinematic experience of epic proportions. Cameron hasn’t created a movie here people; he’s created a brand new world that is fully engaging. I truly felt like I was there.

The place where you can find movie trailers for upcoming releases. There are 3 wide releases and 2 limited releases hitting theatres on December 25th. 5 films will also be expanding into more theatres. 

A list of the top 25 domestic blockbusters from 2000 to 2009.

This weekend at the box office, James Cameron’s Avatar had no trouble at all coming in first place but a huge snowstorm on the east coast stalled the momentum of the film. Avatar still managed to gross more than the rest of the top 10 combined. As per usual the weekend before Christmas is a slow one at the box office and with a huge blizzard added to the mix, every film took a big hit. Take a look. 

This weekend at the box office, James Cameron unleashes one of the most highly anticipated films of the year (and decade), Avatar. The sci-fi, adventure film will certainly be #1 this weekend, but how much will it make? I wouldn’t expect it to break any box office records but nonetheless, Avatar is going to rake it in this weekend. The only other new film this weekend is romantic comedy Did You Hear About the Morgans? starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker.