At the Sinema's Best of 2009

Welcome, one and all, to At the Sinema's Best of 2009! In this post, we basically put the year under review, and aim to share with you our picks of 2009's music, movies, TV and general pop culture goodness.

Oh, by the way, if you're here for the music, be sure to check out Charles's, Chloe's, Eileen's and Tri's Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2009 lists- it still strikes me how different we are musically. quite like it.

Anyway, without further ado, let's get down to it, shall we?

FILM OF THE YEAR: Up

Children's films are getting more and more adventurous to the point that first showings of Spike Jonze's 'Where The Wild Things Are' managed to bore children to tears. With Pixar's 10th full length feature film, they have managed to perfect the balance, and in doing so create not only the best Pixar film yet, but a film that can truly be enjoyed on multiple levels - its surprisingly deep nature and tear-evoking moments perhaps add something for the older viewer, but not without losing track of its intention. Put simply - 'Up' was the most entertaining film of 2009.

-Chloe and Charles

BEST BLOG: No Good For Me

Within the vast blogosphere, with so many blogs to read and so little time to do it on my hands, I only really follow a handful of blogs even semi-regularly. However, when it comes to nogoodforme.com, I'm fairly sure I haven't missed a post this year. The team behind NGFM nourish your mind with all the good bits about modern pop culture, along with

personal essays and random pictures of the Beatles. You get what you get with every other blog- all the latest from the worlds of cinema, music, fashion and celebrity- but written better, more humourous, and interspersed with random crushes, phobias and cookie preferences. It has a certain personal touch that keeps me coming back time and time again, and I am totally hooked.

-Eileen

BEST TV MOMENT: Kanye West Steals Taylor Swifts LimelightThe moment that had us all jumping to the sunshiny, country singer's defence as Kayne jumped up on stage at the VMA and-- "Chloe, I’m really happy for you, and I’m gonna let you finish, but Eileen had one of the best blog posts of all time.”FOR FUCK'S SAKE KANYE!

-Chloe

BEST PERSON TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER: Taylor Swift

Have you ever sat back and thought to yourself, 'I wonder what foxy teen country music sensation Taylor Swift is thinking right now...' Well, I know! As I write this little paragraph, Twitter has told me Ms Swift has this to say : 'Sorry to @grantmickelson for, after having a dream where you were bitten by a shark, calling at 4am to make you swear to stay on land.' See, don't you feel enlightened by that knowledge?

Unlike most stars, Taylor doesn't use her Twitter to promote her latest album, or post yet another Tweet along the lines of 'Another country on tour, playing tonight, soooo tired'- she actually has mildly witty and interesting things to say. And I quite like that.

-Eileen

WORST PERSON TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER: Nico Muhly

So I paid (tweeted) tribute to the awe-inspiring show Grizzly Bear put on in London with the London Symphony Orchestra last year. In this particular tweet I said the band were so stunning they could have done without the orchestra. The arrangements were made by Nico Muhly, so this bitch called me annoying. How dare he! Also, his spelling is very questionable for someone who claims to have majored in English Literature. I went for years thinking he was Icelandic. Whatever.

-Charles

BEST NON-SERIOUS TV SHOW: Miranda

A semi-autobiographical BBC television series written by and starring Miranda Hart. She plays a 6 foot masculine joke shop owner, who lacks the ability for business and has absolutely no social skills when it comes to men. Patricia Hogde, who plays her mother, is constantly encouraging her to get married, so constantly disappointed as Miranda’s attempts to get her dream guy (Tom Ellis) fall flat every time. The show has been describes as and ‘old-fashioned’ sitcom, and filmed in front of a live audience who respond greatly to Miranda’s frequent glances and exchanges with them, which only increase the humour of the show. A second series has just been commissioned – yay!

-Tri

BEST SEMI-SERIOUS TV SHOW: The Mentalist

I'm taking 'semi-serious' to mean something along the lines of American crime dramas, because I'm a wee bit of an expert on them, and in many ways, they are semi-serious. I mean, the cadaver-count is way to high for them to be considered a com edy, but they don't require too much brainpower in general. And my favorite of the American crime drama heavyweights this year was easily 'The Mentalist'.

It has all the ingredients of a usual crime show- lots of bodies, and a cool office filled with sexy people who all want to have sex with each other (save in the case of Law and Order SVU, where non-sexy people investigate crimes involving people having warped sex with each other).

Yet what 'The Mentalist' adds to the mix is humour, in the form of fake-pyschic-turned-investigator and general wiseass, Detective Jane (Simon Baker)- his particular brand of witty, brash, and unforgiving humour always has me killing myself laughing- killing, get it?

-Eileen

BEST SERIOUS TV SHOW: V

So there were two shows meant to take over Lost. Flashforward and V. As previously discussed, Flashforward is a load of complete shite, but with V, ABC have managed to create the best TV series since, er...well, Lost, really. With Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell at the front of a cast who can act (again, we're looking at you Flashforward), this show is something to hang onto past the finale of season 6.

-Charles

BEST ALBUM COVER: Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion

The album cover for Merriweather Post Pavilion, most recent album of Animal Collective, is an optical illusion of seemingly undulating leaves designed by Akiyoshi Kitaoka a Japanese Psychologist. The image intends to attract the eye and confuse the brain into thinking the petals are moving, something which it succeeds in every time.

-Tri

WORST ALBUM COVER: Anni Rossi - Rockwell

I don't quite know what to say about this one. I mean, look at it. Just look at it! Maybe it's some ultra-cool hip statement about her music, but whatever, I'd rather just listen and not look at the cover for this violist's latest effort.

-Charles

BEST MUSIC VIDEO: Ready, Able - Grizzly Bear

It graced this blog for as the song of the day last year, but why not have a second helping? Ready, Able is a technicolour rainbow of plasticine taking you on a weird and wacky journey through someone awesome person imagination.

-Chloe

ONE TO WATCH- Ellie Goulding

Born in Hereford, Ellie Goulding played and wrote her own music from the age of 15. After only two years of studying drama at Kent University she left to work on her music, releasing her debut single ‘Under The Sheets’ in September last year and touring with Little Boots in October. Ellie’s debut album ‘Lights’ is due to be released through Polydor on 1st March this year.

-Tri