Stephen King picks his favorite films of 2009

Stephen King obviously loves movies, and that means he obviously has some favorites...

Stephen King picked his 10 best films of the year 2009, and I bet you will be surprised by some of the the flicks he put on that list. EW posted his picks with some thoughts from King himself, and here's what he liked the most in 2009:

No. 10 on his list is "2012," which despite awesome effects and some hilarious sequences would never make my best of list. "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is his No. 9, and I admit that's one of the films I agree with him about. It is truly a fantastic animated adventure.

Moving on, he picked "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" as No. 8, "Law Abiding Citizen" as seventh, and "District 9" as No. 6. Okay for "District 9," but the other two? "Citizen" was pretty entertaining, sure, but I admit I was really disappointed by "Pelham."

"The Reader" made it to No. 5 on King's list, and "Disgrace" is his No. 4. "The Road" is No. 3 (couldn't agree more), and the big shocker comes in at No. 2: "The Last House on the Left." Come again? Well, I'm glad he's among those who loved that flick.

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Movie fans are excited about 'Hangover' sequel

As you may have read, a sequel to 2009's hit comedy "The Hangover" is already in early development, and movie fans are apparently very excited about the follow-up to the hilarious Todd Phillips comedy.

In a recent online poll, participants said the "Hangover" sequel is the one they are looking forward to most. The poll asked folks to name the 2009 film without an existing follow-up they would like to see a sequel to.

MovieTickets.com ran the survey and said "The Hangover" earned 37 percent of the votes. It beat "District 9" and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." Warner Bros. already ordered a sequel before the first one opened.

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Boston film critics pick 'Hurt Locker' as year's best

The Boston Society of Film Critics has named its best films of the year, and just like the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, it picked Kathryn Bigelow's war drama "The Hurt Locker" as best film of '09.

"Locker" won more than one award though. Bigelow was named best director, and Barry Ackroyd won the award for best cinematography. Bob Murawski and Chris Innis won best editing for the film.

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen earned the award for best screenplay for "A Serious Man," and Meryl Streep won best actress for "Julie & Julia." Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor for "Inglourious Basterds."

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Los Angeles film critics name 'Hurt Locker' best film

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has picked the best of 2009, and the big winner is Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker," which won best film of the year. Bigelow was also named best director.

The runner-up for best picture was Jason Retiman's fabulous "Up in the Air." Jeff Bridges won the best actor award for his performance in "Crazy Heart," and Yolande Moreau won best actress for "Seraphine."

Mo'Nique scored the award for best supporting actress in "Precious," and Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor in "Inglourious Basterds." Go Christoph! "Up in the Air" won best screenplay.

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Shortlist for visual effects Oscar contenders

As the 82nd Annual Academy Awards are slowly approaching, more lists of semifinalists are starting to pop up. Now we finally know what films will be competing for a nomination for best visual effects.

"Angels & Demons," "Avatar," "Coraline," "Disney's A Christmas Carol," "District 9," "G-Force," "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" are among the 15 films trying to get a spot.

Also competing for nominations are "Sherlock Holmes," "Star Trek," "Terminator Salvation," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," "2012," "Watchmen" and "Where the Wild Things Are." Only three will make it.

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'Up' still dominates international box office

Disney registered another solid weekend at the internatinonal box office as "Up" held on to the top spot with earnings of $12.3 million from ticket sales in 25 markets. The animated adventure by Pixar currently boasts a total gross of $215 million.

Disney also released "Surrogates," which landed at No. 2 with a gross of $12.2 million. In the Jonathan Mostow-directed sci-fi film, Bruce Willis plays a cop investigating a murder in a world in which humans use surrogates to complete everyday tasks.

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Pixar's 'Up' lands at top of overseas box office

Pixar's superb animated adventure "Up" flew to the top of the international box office this weekend with $13.7 million in ticket sales. The film, which is currently playing in 23 markets, lifted its total gross to $196.7 million.

At No. 2, Quentin Tarantino's excellent WWII drama "Inglourious Basterds" picked up $11.2 million, bringing its overseas cume to $115.7 million. Following in third place with $9.4 million was "The Ugly Truth," which brought its cumulative gross to $44.9 million.

Recent box office champion "The Final Destination" dropped to No. 4 this weekend, pulling another $9.2 million from ticket sales in 35 markets. The horror flick's total haul currently stands at $70.4 million.

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'The Final Destination' takes overseas box office

New Line Cinema's "The Final Destination" took the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with an estimated $17.3 million in ticket sales. The horror flick is currently playing in 28 markets in 3D and standard format, and it reached a total gross of $55.3 million.

At No. 2, Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed WWII drama "Inglourious Basterds" finished with $9.4 million, bringing its international total gross to $99 million. Following in third place with $8.4 million was Pixar's "Up," which lifted it cume to $181.3 million.

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Labor Day box office: 'The Final Destination' prevails

Here's a quick North American box office update: New Line Cinema's "The Final Destination" held on to the No. 1 spot during this extended holiday weekend with an estimated four-day total of $15.4 million. That brings the total gross of the fourth installment in the horror series to $50.6 million.

Quentin Tarantino's WWII drama "Inglourious Basterds" outran Sandra Bullock's comedy "All About Steve" Sunday, grabbing the No. 2 spot with a weekend gross of $15 million. The film's domestic gross currently stands at $95.2 million.

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Box Office: 'Final Destination' beats competition again

Weekend of September 4 – 6, 2009: ‘Final Destination’ beats new films at slow b.o.

“The Final Destination” held on to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office for a second consecutive weekend with $12.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

New Line Cinema’s David R. Ellis-directed horror sequel scored an average of $3,984 per theater at 3,121 locations, bringing its domestic total to $47.5 million after a little more than one week in release.

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