It’s fun and cool and goes a long way to tell you exactly what the movie is about. Which is, of course, everything you would want from a movie poster.

Plus, the movie looks pretty awesome too with a great cast including Danny Trejo, Robert DeNiro, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Jeff Fahey, Steven Segal and Lindsey Lohan. I know, right?

Check it out and enjoy. Also, if it’s still up, check out the trailer for the film over at The Flickcast.

I give you Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in Iron Man 2. You’re welcome.

So, here’s my list of the best films of 2009, in no particular order. Enjoy.

Inglourious Basterds — 2009 saw the return of director Quentin Tarantino and the release of this amazing film. Some might consider it overlong or self-indulgent, but it showcases Tarantino’s filmmmaking skills at their finest and serves as an example of one filmmaker’s singular vision and immense storytelling craft.

This film provides the audience with something they never got from real life: closure. To finally see the Nazis, and in particular Hitler, get the ending they deserve is a testament to the power of this film and to its creator.

Star Trek — Coming along just when we needed it, director J.J. Abrams reboot of the franchise shows us that you can make a new movie based on an old, beloved franchise and manage to thrill new and old fans alike. The casting of Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Karl Urban as McCoy helped catapult this film into the stratosphere of great entertainment. Truly one of the best “popcorn” movies of 2009 and the last decade.

A Single Man — Fashion designer and now director Tom Ford shows that talent in one arena can often mean talent in another. His story of a gay man coming to terms with the death of his longtime companion features a moving performance by Colin Firth, with deft support by Julianne Moore, and gives us a glimpse into how people deal with loss and the emptiness of being alone — even among other people.

Drag Me to Hell – Sam Raimi returned to form with this terrific horror film which shows why he’s considered by many to be one of the masters. Sadly, there was no Bruce Campbell appearance, but the movie still managed to thrill, chill and scare the crap out of audiences without resorting to extensive, and unnecessary, blood and gore. It was great to see Raimi do a film like this that he, and everyone involved, so obviously enjoyed making.

The Hurt Locker — Director Katherine Bigelow shows why she’s one of the best working today with her look at the Iraq war from the perspective of a bomb disposal squad. With a standout performance by actor-to-watch Jeremy Renner as the thrill-seeking William James, this film eschewed the political agenda and gave us a “boots on the ground” look at the horrors of modern war.

The Road – Even though it performed poorly at the box office, director John Hillcoat’s adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel ranks among the years best films. With brilliant performances by Viggo Motensen and newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road is at times shocking, frightening, touching, harrowing and thought provoking. It shows us what humanity is capable of at its worst and at its best and reminds us, even with all the evil things that happen in the world, that love is the most important thing of all.

Up In the Air – This testament to doing what you do best and doing it with others only further showcased the immensely appealing talents of George Clooney. This funny, intelligent film serves to remind us of the importance other people can play in our daily lives. Sure, its nice to be on your own sometimes, but life is usually better when you live it with someone else.

District 9 – Director Neill Blomkamp showed that you don’t need a studio or a big budget to make edgy, though provoking, sci-fi entertainment. This standout film combines all that’s best about movies into one entertaining and visually impressive package. Even with the film’s thinly disguised political message, its inventive style, writing, direction and standout performances, particularly by Sharlto Copley, helped elevate this modestly budgeted, yet highly ambitions, film into the top echelon this year.

A Serious Man — The Coen brothers tale of Jewish guilt and sacrifice took me by surprise this year and over time has worked its way onto my list. This tale of a man’s struggle against his oppressive life resonates even if you’re lack of Jewish knowledge hinders you and occasionally prevents you from figuring out what all the fuss is about. Fortunately, this film explores themes and problems universal to the human condition that most anyone can relate to, which is one of the things that makes it such a great film.

Zombieland – This was one of the great surprises of the year. You’re with the movie and the characters from the first moments all the way to the end. You instantly like them, root for them and when the end does finally come, you’re sad to see them go. Zombieland offers a great time at the movies and though it doesn’t give us much of anything new to chew on in the zombie genre, its just so damn much fun and the cast is so enjoyable, you don’t mind one bit.

Special Mention: Avatar – Say what you will about James Cameron and his movies (and I have) but he knows how to deliver entertainment. Sure, it may not have the most original story and has some cringe-worthy dialog, but there’s no denying that Avatar packs more visual punch than ten normal movies. While it may not change the face of entertainment as we know it, it certainly is worth seeing and ranks among the most interesting and visually compelling movies of all time.

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Other films I thought were very impressive this year but didn’t quite make the cut include The Hangover, Precious, Moon, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, The Informant!, Watchmen, The Invention of Lying and Paranormal Activity.

In addition to the podcast, I’ve also started a news site as a companion to the weekly show that’s also been doing pretty well. One thing that had always bothered me about the site, though, was that it looked too much like a blog and not enough like a professional news site should look.

Fortunately, that’s no longer the case because my new favorite web designer, Robert Palmer, has done a kick-ass job and totally redesigned the site to make it look awesome and professional.

This site and podcast are just the start of what I hope will someday be a giant media empire. Meanwhile, if you get a minute, head on over to The Flickcast and check out the new look, read a review or two and listen to some great podcasts.

I feel very privileged to be able to start this new venture and it wouldn’t be possible without some other great people like my podcast co-hosts Matt Raub and Christina Warren, my “web guy” Robert Palmer, site contributors like David Press, John Carle, all the Mahoneys (Sean, Tom, Adele and Heath), some great tools like WordPress and last, but not least, the inspiration, encouragement and help I’ve received from various friends, colleagues and mentors.

Thank you all. I sincerely appreciate it.

Also, if you’ve got any feedback, feel free to drop it in the comments here or at The Flickcast site.

The trailer looks great and gives some good insight into the psychology of isolation that’s obviously going to play out in the film. Plus, I’ve always been a fan of Sam Rockwell. I’m looking forward to seeing this one as soon as I can. Enjoy.

Oh, and I’ll just take this moment to mention that there’s a new episode of The Flickcast now available We’ve also we’ve started posting some other material today as well. So, head on over and check it out.

Thanks to my friend David Press for pointing this out.