Below I have listed what I consider to be the ten best films of 2009. I can guarantee that anyone who reads this will inevitably be offended by the inclusion, absence, or curious ranking of various films. But the purpose of this list is not about second-guessing or apologizing. It’s about defending.

Each film on this list has a special place.  So without further qualification, here are what I consider to be the year’s best films (And would you believe it? This list has two films starring Mike Tyson)!

# 10.  PRECIOUS

I said it once before, and I’ll say it again: Precious is a brave film with brave performances, seen by people brave enough to sit through it all. Not much else needs to be said. Mo’Nique and Mariah Carey rocked audiences and exposed their souls through their characters. Gabourey Sidibe wasn’t so bad either. Here is a film which brings hope for Black Cinema, an ailing Hollywood institution that has since been ruled by a monopolizing Tyler Perry.

Why it’s ranked # 10: Choosing a tenth film for this list was not easy. Other considerations for #10 were Star Trek, Avatar, The Lovely Bones, and Drag Me to Hell. So go ahead and spew your venom, Avatar fans. But when all was said and done, the performances in Precious were just too good. The script and overall message of Precious continue to make me question its worth. For this reason, it sits up here at # 10.

# 9. THE HANGOVER

Pure comic escapism. For a film made in 2009 to so effectively permeate American pop culture and catch fire as well as this film did, it deserves all the accolades it gets.  Judd Apatow’s comedies sought to make us laugh, think and cry. With The Hangover, Todd Phillips asks us only to laugh. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Why it’s ranked # 9: I did not expect this film to be a Top-10 contender after I first saw it in theaters. But the characters and storylines grew on me and somehow the Las Vegas setting seemed to take on a different, more iconic meaning. Bet you can’t think about Las Vegas without thinking about The Hangover.

# 8. STATE OF PLAY

This taut, political thriller set against the backdrop of the doomed newspaper industry seems to fly under everyone’s radar. Director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) and scribe Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) deliver a pulse-pounding story with an exciting series of twists complemented by intense performances of Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman and Russell Crowe. Well-crafted political thrillers are rare and difficult to pull off. The Macdonald/Gilroy duo makes it look all too easy.

Why it’s ranked # 8: Call me a sucker for well-made political thrillers. The reason this isn’t ranked higher, however, is because of the film’s odd ending which I still have trouble wrapping my head around. The script was very ambitious. Just seems that some plot points were left unresolved and the ending was somewhat unfulfilling. Take my word though: the 2hr+ running time for this film flies by real fast.

# 7. THE COVE

There’s nothing like a good “breaking-the-rules,”  activist documentary that gets people fired up and motivated to take action. The Cove centers on the systematic killing of thousands of dolphins at a Japanese cove in Taijii.

Why it’s ranked # 7: “If you aren’t an activist you’re an inactivist.” At times the documentary felt a little too much like a public service announcement. Maybe I wanted more from this one. Further, it seems a bit unfair for someone like Ric O’Barry to target his efforts towards solving the issue of captivity without addressing other species, such as domestic animals. The documentary also seems to lose focus,  with a hidden agenda of denouncing human consumption of seafood altogether.

# 6. WATCHMEN

Forget Avatar folks. This is the year’s most visually stunning film. Chances are, if you saw this film you either loved it or hated it. If you loved it, you probably remember the film for its visuals or its unique approach to the Superhero film genre. If you hated it, you were probably irked by the frequent sightings of Dr. Manhattan’s blue penis or disappointed by the film’s downer climax. Or maybe you just didn’t “get it” or thought it was far too long.

Why it’s ranked # 6: Some of the aforementioned grievances I would even agree with. At times the film loses focus of its own soul. Many of you may even argue with me over Watchmen’s inclusion in this list. Perhaps this is one of the few films that requires its viewers to read the graphic novel in order to make peace with its approach. Loyalists rarely agree with the cinematic adaptation of their favorite piece of literature. Such is not the case with Watchmen. I will say that the film has some flaws. But there’s no denying that Zack Snyder is a true visionary.

# 5. TYSON

Regardless of what you think of Mike Tyson, I can guarantee that this documentary will change your opinion of him in some way or another. Without relying on any high-tech editing tricks or fancy camerawork, James Toback’s Tyson is a meat-and-potatoes, candid story about the misunderstood life of Mike Tyson. Told in the form of personal interviews from Tyson himself inter-cut with archival footage of Tyson’s life in and out of the ring, viewers are offered access into Mike Tyson’s shockingly-complex inner consciousness. The film may as well be called Being Mike Tyson. By the time the credits are rolling, Tyson has been so honest and forthcoming about his life that we almost feel we know him like a friend.

Why it’s ranked # 5: This is simply one of the best stories of the year. Tyson’s brutal honesty opens up a window to his soul. For a man who has spent his whole life being defined by the media, we finally get to know the real Mike Tyson.

# 4. DISTRICT 9

What I love about District 9 is the fact that the story is completely absurd and yet we are asked to accept it within the first few minutes of the film. Using the apartheid as a political backdrop, the filmmakers present a world that formidably echoes the political climate in Africa.  District 9 is more effective at tackling the political issue than Avatar, a film which shares an awful lot in common. Both films attempt to politicize their respective stories by having the main characters undergo physiological transformations in a way that makes it dire for both humans and prawns/Na’Vi to come to an understanding and establish peace.  Avatar’s Jake Sully battles to save the Na’Vi while Wikus Van Der Merwe of District 9 is hellbent on saving himself.

Why it’s ranked # 4: When an ambitious group of people get together and decide to bring an original idea to the big screen in an uncompromising effort, magic is made.

# 3. A SERIOUS MAN

At times both hysterical and depressing, the newest film of the Coen Brothers is tough to swallow and even harder to classify. I’m pretty sure I might be the only person in America to have understood this film, from the opening fable of the Yiddush couple to the intense sucker-punch of an ending. A friend of mine once told me why films of the Coen Brothers often require multiple viewings in order to be understood and appreciated. He said simply, “When you’re watching their films, you have to bear in mind that they’re smarter than you.”

Why it’s # 3: A wonderful performance by Michael Stuhlbarg and a truly haunting conclusion to the film. The only reason this film is ranked third…the two films ahead of it are that good.

# 2. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat in "Paranormal Activity."

Borrowing the technique used in Michael Haneke’s Cache, Oren Peli takes the independent filmmaker’s approach of proving that sometimes one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Never has more suspense been generated from a single take and a still frame then when Katie and Micah fall asleep in their bed. Never has a movie (and one with blah production value) been able to exponentially increase its scare-potential in a home entertainment setting as much as Paranormal Activity, which transforms the viewer’s home into a haunted house.  Think about it. If you watch this film while laying on your bed, in your room, how can you not be scared? Talk about a meta-experience.

Why it’s ranked # 2: A monster triumph for independent filmmaking and proof that high-concept documentary style films can still be conceived and made for cheap. Proportionally, Paranormal Activity may be the biggest box office surprise in the history of cinema, next to Halloween (1978) and The Blair Witch Project (1999).

# 1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Wouldn’t it be cool if history really happened like this? That was probably the first question in Quentin Tarantino’s mind before writing this brilliant film which bursts with creativity, irony and non-stop fun. The Nazi filmmaking puppet, Leni Reifenstahl (Triumph of the Will) was gifted with the ability to craft German propaganda in such a way that outright betrayed Germany’s own history in order to maintain national morale. With Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino too revises history only to reinforce a popular world perspective on the Nazi regime. And in such a way, it serves as its own form of propaganda.

Why it’s ranked # 1: When I walked out of the theater I turned to the person next to me and said, “That was the greatest theatrical experience of my life. I loved it.” What really makes the film is the epic conclusion in the French cinema, where Tarantino really has us convinced that the Basterds’ plan may very well go to shit.  It’s scary…we want history to end the way we think it’s going to end in the movie. Tarantino uses the entire film to prepare us for the final scene.  So when the final scene finally plays out, the result is a meta-theatrical, cinematic orgasm of epic proportions.

Charlie Wachtel is a Senior Writer for The Film Crusade and Founder of www.filmcrusade.com.