STAFF PICKS: THE BEST OF 2009

Here are the Audiovisual Department's 2009 picks for the
Best Films of the Year!

(500) Days of Summer (NPLD owns on DVD)
For Tom, it was love at first sight when Summer Finn walked into the greeting card company where he worked. Soon, Tom knows that Summer is the woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life. Problem is, Summer might or might not feel the same.
Angels and Demons (NPLD owns on DVD)
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of the most powerful underground organization in history, the Illuminati. Langdon travels to Rome and joins forces with an Italian scientist and together they follow the 400-year-old Path of Illumination that leads to the Vatican's only chance for survival.
The Blind Side (NPLD has this DVD on order)
The true story of Michael Oher, a homeless young man who became an All-American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring Southern woman and her family.
The Hurt Locker (NPLD owns on DVD)
An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat.
Inglourious Basterds (NPLD owns on DVD)
During World War II, a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers, become known as "The Basterds." The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish woman who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers. A plot is set in motion to kill the Nazis at the theater's movie premier, including Adolf Hitler.
Julie and Julia (NPLD owns on DVD)
Trying to find a challenge in her life, Julie Powell decides to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year, and to blog about it. Julie's story combines with the real story of Julia Child becomes one of America's most influential and beloved chefs.
New York, I Love You (NPLD owns on DVD)
A collection of 10 different love stories set in one of the most beloved cities in the world, from Brooklyn to Tribeca to Central Park.
A Serious Man (NPLD owns on DVD)
On one ordinary man's quest to become a serious man, he consults three different rabbis and their answers lead him on a twisted journey of faith, family, delinquent behavior, and mortality.
The Soloist (NPLD owns on DVD)
Craving story ideas, a Los Angeles Times columnist discovers Nathaniel Ayers, a skid row schizophrenic street musician, who possesses extraordinary talent. Based on a true story.
Up! (NPLD owns on DVD)
Carl is a 78-year-old curmudgeon. He used to enjoy his life as a balloon seller when his wife was still alive. When she died, Carl regrets that they never made their dream journey to Paradise Falls in South America. When local residents try to get Carl into a retirement home, he rigs thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats away.
Up in the Air (NPLD has this DVD on order)
Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert whose avid traveling career is threatened by a new, young go-getter, just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.