Wrap Up of Films Watched in September 2009

It's taken me five days, but here's my month of September wrap-up. I watched a total of 23 films this month, a worthy number considering summer ended and school began. It was a good mixture of things, more rough on the edges horror and exploitation genre flicks than anything else though. And as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, October is going to be all horror, all the time, unless I need to see a film outside the genre to review for The Recorder. Anyways, here's the list, with my monthly awards following. As always, * denotes a first time viewing and all links lead to IMDB pages for the specific film.

210. 9/1 – Au revoir les enfants*
211. 9/3 – Smash Cut*
212. 9/4 – Gamer*
213. 9/4 – High Anxiety*
214. 9/6 – Observe and Report
215. 9/6 – A Colt Is My Passport*
216. 9/7 – Blackbeard, the Pirate*
217. 9/8 – Combat Shock*
218. 9/8 – In the Jungle: The Making of Cannibal Holocaust*
219. 9/10 – The House on Sorority Row*
220. 9/11 – Sorority Row*
221. 9/12 – Bad Lieutenant*
222. 9/13 – Sex Drive*
223. 9/18 – The Informant!*
224. 9/18 – State of Play*
225. 9/19 – All the Colors of the Dark*
226. 9/20 – Burn After Reading
227. 9/20 – The Man from Earth*
228. 9/21 – Dead-End Drive In*
229. 9/21 – Cut and Run*
230. 9/27 – Turkey Shoot*
231. 9/28 – Trick ‘r Treat*
232. 9/30 – Homicide*

Best Film (New Viewing): Trick 'r Treat
Okay, maybe Au revoir les enfants is an infinitely better film than Trick 'r Treat, but part of this award involves it being my favorite film as well. And Trick 'r Treat is one of the greatest horror films I've seen in quite some time. The film contains a few stories that eventual interlock in one way or another, and sets the perfect Halloween tone, reminding us all of why we love the holiday the way we do. This should be the mood setter for Halloween 2009 and for years to come. It might even be the best Halloween themed ever. Yes, I really did just say that.
Runners-up: Au revoir les enfants, Bad Lieutenant, Homicide, The Man from Earth, Combat Shock.

Best Film (Repeated Viewing): Tie - Burn After Reading/Observe and Report
For the first time in Blast of Silence history, we have a tie. This award essentially came down to two of my favorite comedies of the last two years, and deciding between them looks impossible. I really don't know what else to say about both of these terrific films. They aren't for everyone, but for those that they are for, you'll love them.
Runners-up: None.

Worst Film (Any Viewing): Gamer
Perhaps I might be a little too nice when I say that Gamer isn't a terrible film. The film got panned by critics and the public, but I really thought it had a few things going for it. That said, it was ultimately a forgettable film with nothing that brings it above the mediocre region it belongs it.
Runners-up: Smash Cut, Sex Drive.

Most Surprising Film: A Colt Is My Passport
This month's most surprising film goes hand in hand with last month's, Youth of the Beast. A Colt Is My Passport has not only a great film title, but it's also a shockingly good Japanese take on the American film noir. This is a brooding gangster film and done stylishly. I can't wait to get out the rest of the Nikkatsu noir titles soon.
Runners-up: The Man from Earth, Combat Shock, Homicide.

Most Underrated Film: The Man from Earth
I know it was written years back, but I like to consider this one of the greatest science fiction screenplays to be made into a film in the recent years. It's smart, clever and impacting. It could have holes, but I don't really care, the thing is a killer. A man spends a night trying to convince his intellectual colleagues that he is actual a caveman? Brilliant.
Runners-up: Homicide.