Metacritic Top 200 in 2009

I don't check Metacritic often enough, perhaps as it's one of the few lists out there that has titles that aren't as accessible as sites like IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic has far more foreign and indie films in their top lists - something I consider a good thing, but frustrating if you can't see the films but thats because Metacritic gives a score (a weighted average of scores by critics) and for me is what wish lists are made from.

Having a look at their lists they do list the best reviewed films by year and I'm thrilled to see that The Hurt Locker tops their 2009 and also to see Hirokazu Kore-eda's fantastic Still Walking / Aruitemo aruitemo ranks in at #3. Along with the best reviewed films of 2009, I've also pulled out the 2009 titles from their all time top 200 and an impressive 12 titles made that list. As the 200 will change over time I've added a list of 200 for reference purposes. If you feel like reminiscing on 2008 you can see their top 15 from 2008 here.

Interesting comparison to the IMDb list there are few films in common - Up is the only film that made both overall top (200 or 250) lists.

2009 Movies on the Metacritic Top 200 as of Dec 31, 2009
12. Hurt Locker, The
34. 35 Shots of Rum
64. Still Walking
73. Goodbye Solo
84. Tulpan
93. Up
99. Gomorrah
136. Beaches of Agnes, The
148. Ponyo
169. Education, An
181. Forbidden Lie$
190. Passing Strange

Metacritic: The Best-Reviewed Movies of 2009 as of Dec 31, 2009
1. Hurt Locker, The
2. 35 Shots of Rum
3. Still Walking
4. Goodbye Solo
5. Tulpan
6. Up
7. Gomorrah
8. Beaches of Agnes, The
9. Ponyo
10. Education, An
11. Forbidden Lie$
12. Passing Strange
13. Crazy Heart
14. Seraphine
15. Summer Hours
16. Avatar
17. Revanche
18. In the Loop
19. Fantastic Mr. Fox
20. Star Trek

Metacritic Top 200 as of Dec 31, 2009
1. Godfather, The
2. Superman II
3. Army of Shadows
4. Pan's Labyrinth
5. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
6. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
7. Ratatouille
8. Manchurian Candidate, The
9. Spirited Away
10. Pulp Fiction
11. Killer of Sheep
12. Hurt Locker, The
13. WALL-E
14. Sideways
15. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The
16. Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The
17. Reversal of Fortune
18. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
19. Schindler's List
20. Amadeus: Director's Cut
21. Yi Yi (A One and a Two)
22. Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The
23. Class, The
24. Raging Bull
25. There Will Be Blood
26. Toy Story
27. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The
28. Werckmeister Harmonies
29. Moolaadé
30. Fast Runner, The
31. Star Wars
32. Triplets of Belleville, The
33. Queen, The
34. 35 Shots of Rum
35. Beau Travail
36. Do The Right Thing
37. Secrets & Lies
38. Patton
39. Waltz with Bashir
40. No Country for Old Men
41. Raiders of the Lost Ark
42. After Hours
43. Crying Game, The
44. Saving Private Ryan
45. L.A. Confidential
46. Apocalypse Now Redux
47. My Voyage to Italy
48. Bloody Sunday
49. Sweet Hereafter, The
50. Topsy-Turvy
51. Being John Malkovich
52. Incredibles, The
53. Before Sunset
54. Hannah and Her Sisters
55. Almost Famous
56. American Splendor
57. Gosford Park
58. United 93
59. Truman Show, The
60. Capturing the Friedmans
61. Persepolis
62. Lost in Translation
63. Best of Youth, The
64. Still Walking
65. Lives of Others, The
66. 4 Little Girls
67. House of Flying Daggers
68. Man on Wire
69. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
70. Finding Nemo
71. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
72. No End in Sight
73. Goodbye Solo
74. Stop Making Sense
75. Goodfellas
76. Piano, The
77. Letters from Iwo Jima
78. Once
79. Superman: The Movie
80. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The
81. Ghost World
82. Brazil
83. Capote
84. Tulpan
85. Overlord
86. Band of Outsiders
87. Time Out
88. Thelma & Louise
89. Away from Her
90. Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut
91. Chicken Run
92. Blade Runner: The Director's Cut
93. Up
94. Y Tu Mamá También
95. Nobody Knows
96. L'Enfant (The Child)
97. Little Women
98. Shakespeare in Love
99. Gomorrah
100. Fog of War, The
101. Quiz Show
102. Howards End
103. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
104. Crumb
105. Maria Full of Grace
106. Fateless
107. Tootsie
108. Brokeback Mountain
109. Shine
110. Tarnation
111. Murderball
112. Grizzly Man
113. All About My Mother
114. English Patient, The
115. Marooned in Iraq
116. Wind Will Carry Us, The
117. sex, lies, and videotape
118. To Die For
119. Slumdog Millionaire
120. Million Dollar Baby
121. 42 UP
122. Say Anything...
123. Rushmore
124. Straight Story, The
125. To Be and to Have
126. Dead Ringers
127. Boys Don't Cry
128. Easy Rider
129. I'm Going Home
130. In the Bedroom
131. Ten
132. Chinatown
133. Das Boot
134. Russian Ark
135. Deliver Us from Evil
136. Beaches of Agnes, The
137. Our Daily Bread
138. 2001: A Space Odyssey
139. Under the Sand
140. Grifters, The
141. Traffic
142. Talk to Her
143. This Is England
144. Player, The
145. Son, The
146. Sweet Sixteen
147. Departed, The
148. Ponyo
149. Diner
150. American Beauty
151. Fugitive, The
152. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
153. Flight of the Red Balloon, The
154. Before Night Falls
155. Bourne Ultimatum, The
156. You Can Count On Me
157. Pianist, The
158. Boogie Nights
159. Children Underground
160. Edge of Heaven, The
161. Savages, The
162. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, The
163. Offside
164. Los Angeles Plays Itself
165. Knocked Up
166. Turtles Can Fly
167. Festival Express
168. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring
169. Education, An
170. Half Nelson
171. Street Fight
172. About Schmidt
173. Last Letter, The
174. Love & Diane
175. Domestic Violence
176. Neil Young: Heart of Gold
177. Last Seduction, The
178. Fargo
179. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
180. Intruder, The
181. Forbidden Lie$
182. Iron Giant, The
183. Atonement
184. Alexandra
185. Host, The
186. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
187. Out of Sight
188. Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience
189. In the Mood for Love
190. Passing Strange
191. 24 Hour Party People
192. Paragraph 175
193. Circle, The
194. Sound and Fury
195. Since Otar Left
196. Halloween
197. Sling Blade
198. Calle 54
199. Christmas Tale, A
200. In the Shadow of the Moon