2009

Academy winner The Hurt Locker poster

The Hurt Locker

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Should have won Inglourious Basterds poster

Inglourious Basterds

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The Academy's ballot

🏆The Hurt Locker#1873.95 🎬Inglourious Basterds#183.23 🎬Up#381.8 🎬Avatar#777.92 🎬District 9#1077.31 🎬The Blind Side#1775.58 🎬Up in the Air#2071.92 🎬Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire#2171.68 🎬An Education#2270.11 🎬A Serious Man#2368.28

Your #1 was Inglourious Basterds (#1).

The full slate

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

🎬 Nominee⭐ Top-rated🏛️ All-time great

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Dir. Quentin Tarantino · Brad Pitt · Mélanie Laurent · Christoph Waltz · Eli Roth

IMDb 8.4 (1,790,929 votes) · TMDB 8.217

In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.

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3 Idiots (2009)

⭐ Top-rated🏛️ All-time great

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Dir. Rajkumar Hirani · Aamir Khan · R. Madhavan · Sharman Joshi · Kareena Kapoor Khan

IMDb 8.4 (483,941 votes) · TMDB 7.999

Rascal. Joker. Dreamer. Genius... You've never met a college student quite like "Rancho." From the moment he arrives at India's most prestigious university, Rancho's outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down—along with the lives of his two newfound best friends. Together, they make life miserable for "Virus," the school’s uptight and heartless dean. But when Rancho catches the eye of the dean's daughter, Virus sets his sights on flunking out the "3 idiots" once and for all.

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Up (2009)

🎬 Nominee⭐ Top-rated🏛️ All-time great💰 Box office #6

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Dir. Pete Docter · Ed Asner · Christopher Plummer · Jordan Nagai · Bob Peterson

IMDb 8.3 (1,240,167 votes) · TMDB 8.0

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

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The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

⭐ Top-rated🏛️ All-time great

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Dir. Juan José Campanella · Ricardo Darín · Soledad Villamil · Pablo Rago · Javier Godino

IMDb 8.2 (242,975 votes) · TMDB 7.975

Hoping to put to rest years of unease concerning a past case, retired criminal investigator Benjamín begins writing a novel based on the unsolved mystery of a newlywed’s rape and murder. With the help of a former colleague, judge Irene, he attempts to make sense of the past.

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Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

⭐ Top-rated🏛️ All-time great

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Dir. Lasse Hallström · Richard Gere · Joan Allen · Sarah Roemer · Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

IMDb 8.1 (343,991 votes) · TMDB 8.007

Professor Wilson discovers a lost Akita puppy on his way home. Despite objections from his wife, Hachi endears himself to the family and grows to be Parker's loyal companion. As their bond grows deeper, a beautiful relationship unfolds.

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Mary and Max (2009)

⭐ Top-rated🏛️ All-time great

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Dir. Adam Elliot · Toni Collette · Philip Seymour Hoffman · Barry Humphries · Eric Bana

IMDb 8.1 (202,006 votes) · TMDB 7.873

A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York.

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Avatar (2009)

🎬 Nominee⭐ Top-rated💰 Box office #1

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Dir. James Cameron · Sam Worthington · Zoe Saldaña · Sigourney Weaver · Stephen Lang

IMDb 7.9 (1,501,641 votes) · TMDB 7.607

In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.

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Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

⭐ Top-rated

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Dir. Wes Anderson · George Clooney · Meryl Streep · Jason Schwartzman · Eric Chase Anderson

IMDb 7.9 (306,520 votes) · TMDB 7.8

The Fantastic Mr. Fox, bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.

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Coraline (2009)

⭐ Top-rated

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Dir. Henry Selick · Dakota Fanning · Teri Hatcher · Jennifer Saunders · Dawn French

IMDb 7.8 (301,550 votes) · TMDB 7.9

Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.

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#10

District 9 (2009)

🎬 Nominee⭐ Top-rated

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Dir. Neill Blomkamp · Sharlto Copley · Jason Cope · Nathalie Boltt · Sylvaine Strike

IMDb 7.9 (753,781 votes) · TMDB 7.469

Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth. Not to conquer or give aid, but to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are managed by Multi-National United, which is unconcerned with the aliens' welfare but will do anything to master their advanced technology. When a company field agent contracts a mysterious virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place he can hide: District 9.

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#11

Star Trek (2009)

⭐ Top-rated

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Dir. J.J. Abrams · Chris Pine · Zachary Quinto · Leonard Nimoy · Eric Bana

IMDb 7.9 (638,988 votes) · TMDB 7.432

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. The human adventure has begun again.

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#12

Moon (2009)

⭐ Top-rated

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Dir. Duncan Jones · Sam Rockwell · Kevin Spacey · Dominique McElligott · Rosie Shaw

IMDb 7.8 (396,159 votes) · TMDB 7.565

With only three weeks left in his three-year contract, Sam Bell is eager to return to Earth. Stationed alone at a Moon-based facility with his computer assistant GERTY, an unexpected accident sets off a series of unsettling events that shake his isolation.

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#13

Mr. Nobody (2009)

⭐ Top-rated

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Dir. Jaco Van Dormael · Jared Leto · Sarah Polley · Diane Kruger · Linh-Dan Pham

IMDb 7.7 (258,007 votes) · TMDB 7.795

Nemo Nobody leads an ordinary existence with his wife and 3 children; one day, he wakes up as a mortal centenarian in the year 2092.

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#14

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

⭐ Top-rated

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Dir. Niels Arden Oplev · Michael Nyqvist · Noomi Rapace · Lena Endre · Sven-Bertil Taube

IMDb 7.8 (230,926 votes) · TMDB 7.53

Swedish thriller based on Stieg Larsson's novel about a male journalist and a young female hacker. In the opening of the movie, Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged publisher for the magazine Millennium, loses a libel case brought by corrupt Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. Nevertheless, he is hired by Henrik Vanger in order to solve a cold case, the disappearance of Vanger's niece

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#15

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince poster

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

💰 Box office #2

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Dir. David Yates · Daniel Radcliffe · Rupert Grint · Emma Watson · Jim Broadbent

IMDb 7.6 (662,677 votes) · TMDB 7.7

Dumbledore tries to prepare Harry for the final battle with Voldemort while Death Eaters wreak havoc in both Muggle and Wizard worlds.

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#16

The Hangover (2009)

⭐ Top-rated💰 Box office #10

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Dir. Todd Phillips · Bradley Cooper · Ed Helms · Zach Galifianakis · Justin Bartha

IMDb 7.7 (933,576 votes) · TMDB 7.332

When three friends finally come to after a raucous night of bachelor-party revelry, they find a baby in the closet and a tiger in the bathroom. But they can't seem to locate their best friend, Doug – who's supposed to be tying the knot. Launching a frantic search for Doug, the trio perseveres through a nasty hangover to try to make it to the church on time.

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#17

The Blind Side (2009)

🎬 Nominee

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Dir. John Lee Hancock · Sandra Bullock · Tim McGraw · Quinton Aaron · Jae Head

IMDb 7.6 (388,278 votes) · TMDB 7.667

The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

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#18

The Hurt Locker (2009)

🏆 Winner

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Dir. Kathryn Bigelow · Jeremy Renner · Anthony Mackie · Brian Geraghty · David Morse

IMDb 7.5 (497,258 votes) · TMDB 7.3

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.

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#19

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

💰 Box office #8

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Dir. Guy Ritchie · Robert Downey Jr. · Jude Law · Rachel McAdams · Mark Strong

IMDb 7.5 (707,631 votes) · TMDB 7.221

Eccentric consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.

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#20

Up in the Air (2009)

🎬 Nominee

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Dir. Jason Reitman · George Clooney · Vera Farmiga · Anna Kendrick · Sam Elliott

IMDb 7.4 (361,269 votes) · TMDB 6.897

Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman who causes him to rethink his transient life.

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#21

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire poster

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009)

🎬 Nominee

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Dir. Lee Daniels · Gabourey Sidibe · Mo'Nique · Paula Patton · Mariah Carey

IMDb 7.3 (121,319 votes) · TMDB 7.321

In Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father, and at home she must wait hand and foot on her mother, an angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is chaotic and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and a secret – she can't read.

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#22

An Education (2009)

🎬 Nominee

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Dir. Lone Scherfig · Carey Mulligan · Peter Sarsgaard · Dominic Cooper · Rosamund Pike

IMDb 7.2 (141,235 votes) · TMDB 6.94

Despite her sheltered upbringing, Jenny is a teen with a bright future; she's smart, pretty, and has aspirations of attending Oxford University. When David, a charming but much older suitor, motors into her life in a shiny automobile, Jenny gets a taste of adult life that she won't soon forget.

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#23

A Serious Man (2009)

🎬 Nominee

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Dir. Ethan Coen · Michael Stuhlbarg · Richard Kind · Fred Melamed · Sari Lennick

IMDb 7.0 (158,788 votes) · TMDB 6.699

It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous acquaintances Sy Ableman.

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#24

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

💰 Box office #3

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Dir. Carlos Saldanha · Ray Romano · John Leguizamo · Denis Leary · Queen Latifah

IMDb 6.9 (286,674 votes) · TMDB 6.77

Times are changing for Manny the moody mammoth, Sid the motor mouthed sloth and Diego the crafty saber-toothed tiger. Life heats up for our heroes when they meet some new and none-too-friendly neighbors – the mighty dinosaurs.

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#25

Angels & Demons (2009)

💰 Box office #9

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Dir. Ron Howard · Tom Hanks · Ewan McGregor · Ayelet Zurer · Stellan Skarsgård

IMDb 6.7 (326,434 votes) · TMDB 6.72

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is recruited by the Vatican to investigate the apparent return of the Illuminati – a secret, underground organization – after four cardinals are kidnapped on the night of the papal conclave.

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#26

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen poster

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

💰 Box office #4

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Dir. Michael Bay · Shia LaBeouf · Megan Fox · Peter Cullen · Hugo Weaving

IMDb 6.0 (455,260 votes) · TMDB 6.22

Sam Witwicky leaves the Autobots behind for a normal life. But when his mind is filled with cryptic symbols, the Decepticons target him and he is dragged back into the Transformers' war.

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#27

2012 (2009)

💰 Box office #5

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Dir. Roland Emmerich · John Cusack · Amanda Peet · Chiwetel Ejiofor · Thandiwe Newton

IMDb 5.9 (423,026 votes) · TMDB 5.883

Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth's core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world's population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world's leaders race to build "arks" to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world.

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#28

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

💰 Box office #7

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Dir. Chris Weitz · Kristen Stewart · Robert Pattinson · Taylor Lautner · Dakota Fanning

IMDb 4.8 (323,196 votes) · TMDB 6.0

Forks, Washington resident Bella Swan is reeling from the departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, and finds comfort in her friendship with Jacob Black, a werewolf. But before she knows it, she's thrust into a centuries-old conflict, and her desire to be with Edward at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

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How scoring works: films are ranked by a composite of a weighted (Bayesian) IMDb rating — the same method as the IMDb Top 250, so a high score from few voters can't outrank a strong score from many — blended with TMDB. Box office is a tiebreaker and a badge, never part of the score. Raw IMDb ratings and vote counts are shown on each card.