I missed the Best/Worst of 2009 show, so here, briefly, is my list:

Favorite 15 from 2009:
Antichrist
Tetro
The Fantastic Mr Fox
Inglourious Basterds
It Might Get Loud
A Serious Man
Moon
Coraline
Public Enemies
Zombieland
Star Trek
Avatar
(500) Days of Summer
The Young Victoria
Duplicity

Three I Hated:
Angels & Demons
The Proposal
Friday the 13th Remake
 

Director: Kinji Fukasaku

With: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Yukihiro Kotani, Takeshi Kitano, Aki Maeda

One of legendary Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku's last films, Battle Royale (2000) is an awesome, ultraviolent near-future tale of a government gone crazy. Each year, officials round up a herd of young teenagers and have them battle each other to the death. It's fitting for the times: the introduction explains that an economic crisis has put millions out of work and driven everyone to desperation.

DIRECTOR: JIA ZHANGKE

The Northwest Film Center's "Lens on China" series continues tonight at 7pm with The World, from 2004. It's a totally absorbing, two-hours-plus visual carnival of a movie, set in a Chinese theme park. The film is gorgeous enough to be definitely worth seeing on the big screen. Director Jia Zhangke touches on the alienation of youth in contemporary China, urban-vs-rural societies, entertainment as culture, and lots more. 

At tonight's screening, Wendy Larson, professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Oregon, will introduce the film and facilitate a post-film discussion.

The Other Half, tonight at NWFC

Director: Ying Liang

Director: Andy Abrahams Wilson

Good Cats

Dir: Ying Liang

Dir: Abdullah Oguz

Forbidden Lies

Directed by Anna Broinowski

Shows: Sept 11-13 at the Hollywood Theatre

Director: Marc Webb

With: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloë Grace Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler