'Hurt Locker,' 'Hangover,' 'Up in the Air' among AFI's top 10 of 2009 [Updated]

Updated at 3:42 p.m.: It was a big day for “The Hurt Locker.” No sooner did the gripping drama revolving around bomb-diffusing soldiers in Iraq win best film of 2009 Sunday afternoon from the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn., the independent production was named one of the American Film Institute’s movies of the year.

The AFI Awards 2009 is an almanac that records the year’s “most outstanding achievements in film and television,” according to the organization. The AFI awards honor the creative ensembles in front of and behind the cameras.

Besides “The Hurt Locker,” AFI’s top films for 2009 are “Coraline,” “The Hangover,” “The Messenger,” “Precious,” “A Serious Man,” “A Single Man,” “Sugar,” “Up” and “Up in the Air.”

On the small-screen side, “The Big Bang Theory,” “Big Love,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Glee,” “Mad Men,” “Modern Family,” “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Party Down” and “True Blood” were chosen as the best of 2009.

The selections were made through a 13-person jury process involving scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees. Two juries — one for film and one for TV — met for two days of debate at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. Among the film jurors were director Norman Jewison, Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”), Leonard Maltin and Claudia Puig of USA Today.

Television jurors included writer-producer Neal Baer, Brian Lowry of Variety,  writer-producer David Milch, actress CCH Pounder and John Shaffner, president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

AFI will honor the creative ensembles at an invitation-only luncheon at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles on Jan. 15.

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“The Hurt Locker,” “The Hangover,” “Up” and “Up in the Air” are among the 10 films that were honored at American Film Institute’s AFI Awards 2009 this afternoon. On the television side, “Mad Men,” “Modern Family” and “True Blood” were among the 10 honorees for the AFI award.

More coming ...

-- Susan King

Comments

[kevin]

Finally - Hollywood gets it right with The Hurt Locker. Hands down the best flick of the year.