A summer at the movies

This summer, Hollywood and moviegoers tossed out the rule book, stomped on it and left it for dead at the side of the red carpet. After all, consider:

• Ed Asner, on the cusp of turning 80, was one of the biggest stars of summer, thanks to "Up."

• Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis (along with Mike Tyson, a tiger and a chicken) made "The Hangover" the top-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, breaking the record held by "Beverly Hills Cop," when tickets admittedly were cheaper.

• An unknown named Sharlto Copley became a movie star with "District 9," and the actor to emerge from "Inglourious Basterds" with Oscar buzz was not Brad Pitt but Christoph Waltz, who plays a charismatic, calculating Nazi colonel who fancies himself a detective.

"Two of the best performances of the year are from people we've never even heard of -- ever," marveled box-office expert Paul Dergarabedian from hollywood.com.

"In a way, it's been a very democratic summer and by that, I mean, it's all about the product and the marketing. It's not about who do you know or who the star is, it's about straight-up competing in the summer with concepts that thrill people, and if you don't have that, people aren't going to show up. I don't care who's in your movie."

It may not be the summer of the traditional movie star, but Johnny Depp drew moviegoers to "Public Enemies," and "Julie & Julia" was sold on Meryl Streep's impersonation of Julia Child.

MIA: Any of our favorite superheroes with "man" as part of their names were noticeably absent. Batman, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Superman, we missed you this summer.

By the numbers: The top 10 movies of the summer are, in order, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Up," "The Hangover," "Star Trek," "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," "The Proposal" and "Angels and Demons."

Best of the bunch: "Up" for families, "The Hurt Locker" and "Julie & Julia" for adults, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" for franchise fans and "Star Trek," "The Hangover" and "District 9" for far exceeding expectations.

Worst of the bunch: Even if Jeremy Piven had gone door-to-door asking people to see "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," it still would have stunk. "Land of the Lost" once was Will Ferrell's favorite TV show, but he couldn't make it work as a movie. Equally disappointing, given the talent involved: "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," "Imagine That," "Year One," "Brüno" and "Orphan."

Guilty pleasures: "Drag Me to Hell," starring Alison Lohman as a loan officer cursed by an old woman, and the Hall & Oates scene in "(500) Days of Summer."

Winners: Anything "Transformers"-related, from director Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox to movie-related toys. Pixar made it 10 for 10 with "Up," while "The Hangover" proved that an R-rated movie can crack the top 10 with the right funny formula. "Star Trek" did what "Land of the Lost" could not by cultivating new fans and (generally) tickling the old, and Ryan Reynolds did a romcom and laid the groundwork for a Deadpool spinoff with "Wolverine."

Losers: In addition to the performers whose movies flopped, disappointed or who were overshadowed by co-stars, there were the "Bandslam" marketers who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory; movie critics who were shut out of previews or marginalized, and adults. The Washington Post characterized 2009 as "the year grown-ups and Hollywood finally agreed to call it quits."

Got glasses? The message this summer was, when in doubt, go 3-D. Yes, it costs more, but it makes movies such as "G-Force" and the "Ice Age" sequel better and films such as "Up" richer.

Boarding the Oscar train: If justice prevails, Jeremy Renner should wade into battle for "The Hurt Locker," Sam Rockwell for "Moon" and Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds." Streep appears in line for nomination No. 16 (she hasn't won since 1982's "Sophie's Choice") for "Julie & Julia," and Michelle Pfeiffer is deserving of attention for "Cheri."

Timing is everything: In an apparent bid for counter-programming, "My Sister's Keeper" opened the same week as "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." But a movie about a bald girl gravely ill with leukemia and her sister who goes to court to avoid giving her a kidney doesn't scream "summer movie!"