Reel Critics:

No major movies opened in the last week of 2009. It’s a good time to take a look at the best entries in a record year for box office receipts.

In the category of Big Action Adventure, the monster hit is clearly “Avatar.” It’s a must-see classic sci-fi burner, as groundbreaking as “Star Wars” was for the 1970s. Robert Downey Jr.’s version of “Sherlock Holmes” as a dynamic super hero is a close second. The new “Star Trek” took the venerable franchise to a new level of interest and entertainment.

For mainstream films with wide appeal, it’s hard to beat Meryl Streep as the iconic French chef Julia Child in “Julie and Julia.” Sandra Bullock brings a fine performance to the true story of a salvaged life in “The Blind Side.”

For wild R-rated comedy, “The Hangover” clearly takes the cake this year. The bizarre tale of a bachelor party gone way wrong is cutting-edge comedy at every level.

There were three animated films that eclipsed many live action movies in quality and impact. “Ponyo” is the magical Japanese tale that combines fantasy and reality with heartfelt emotion. Pixar’s “Up” is a delightful tale of an old man’s life, love and dreams. And the “Fantastic Mr. Fox” proves to be as sly as his namesake.

In a year short of really meaningful films, George Clooney leads a fine cast in the powerful yet touching satire “Up In the Air.” The downsizing of America meets a cynical business man on the way to nowhere in this Best Picture candidate.

Best documentary goes to the stunning planetary portrait of “Earth.”

Honorable mention for small indie flicks: “Adventureland” “Taking Woodstock” and ”Big Fan.”

All in all, a blockbuster year at the movies!

2009: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Here’s my list, in no particular order, of the year’s most memorable films — for better or for worse:

Best

“The Hurt Locker” — as realistic a depiction of the Iraq war as one could ever bear to see.

“500 Days of Summer” — breathes life back into the romantic comedy.

“Departures” — death with exquisite delicacy and dignity.

“Precious” — gut-wrenching performances that linger.

“Zombieland” — wise words to live by: double tap.

“District 9” — a clever take on intolerance.

“Bad Lieutenant 2” — crazy cops and iguanas, what’s not to love?

“An Education” — a schoolgirl, crushed.

“Inglourious Basterds” — gloriously skewed take on war.

“The Cove” — a horrifying, real-life look at global commerce.

Best Waste of Time

“Funny People” — they forgot to make ’em funny.

“The Messenger” — well-intentioned but boring.

“Last House on the Left” — torture porn.

“Where the Wild Things Are” — where’s the Prozac?

“Gamer” — incoherent techno trash.

“Amelia” — a pretty flight to nowhere.

“Bright Star” — consumptive poet and the annoying teen who loves him.

“The Time Travelers Wife” – the naked and the wed.

JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.