This year has been decried by some as a misfire as far as film quality is concerned. I would quickly disagree with that description. There were quite a few good films this year; they just all come out at the same time. It seems this year (more than usual) the Oscar-baity films came out simultaneously. Sure, there were some good flicks that premiered in the summer (we will come back to this), but this was a rareity. Anyway, without further ado, here are my picks for the best of 2008.
There were quite a few films that I thoroughly enjoyed this year, but my favorite was definitely The Dark Knight. My review follows:
In what is one of the top movies of the year, this latest installment of the Batman series was damn near perfect. Writer/director Nolan creates another film that expertly combines comic book hero with graceful storytelling. His direction here is almost "Hitchcockian" in its attention to detail and creation of suspense. As others have concluded, this will go down as one of the best sequels in movie history, surpassing its predecessor both at the box office and in its execution. Bale gives another solid turn as Batman, this time grapling with who Batman really is. Supporting turns from Eckhart, Freeman, and Caine were all very good. Replacing Katie Holmes here is Gyllenhaal, who plays love interest Rachel very one-note. Whether it is more the fault of the screenplay or her performance, though, is somewhat unclear to me. However, as everyone who has seen this movie will undoubtedly say, Ledger's final performance will be remembered not only as a personal highlight, but as one of the best villains ever portrayed on screen. From his delivery down to small personality characteristics and ticks, Ledger created a layered character rarely seen in superhero movies. In addition to the film's thematic timeliness and spot-on direction, Ledger's performance is what elevates this film from its predecessor. It was one of the best performances I have seen in a long time and should make him a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination (and maybe even a win). A must see.
Grade: A
Here are my other favorite films in descending order starting with my second favorite.
2. Wall-E
One of the better Pixar efforts to date (which is saying something because they rarely disappoint), this story was great and very inventive. It is difficult to keep an audience interested in extended periods without dialogue (see "There Will Be Blood"). However, the writers and director do a fantastic job here. The story itself was very cute, instilling human emotions into the non-human main characters. Speaking of humans, the manner in which humans of the future were portrayed was absolutely hilarious. The movie had quite the "2001: A Space Odyssey" feel to it, except for its lighter mood. Overall, it was a fantastic movie and rivals "The Incredibles" and "The Sword in the Stone" as my favorite animated film. Pixar has one dream production team. Here's to hoping that they continue to produce features as well made and entertaining as "Wall-E" .
Grade: A
3. Slumdog Millionaire
This story of two poor Indian brothers who manage to make it to adulthood was awesome. There is a lot of praise to give, but I will start with the direction. Boyle does a great job helming this rather non-traditionally structured film. The manner in which he cut scenes from Jamal's childhood and related them to questions from "Millionaire" was very effective. While I have not read the book ("Q&A"), that move was a stroke of genius. I see an Oscar nomination for him. Next, the story itself; it was simultaneously hilarious, wrenching, and introspective. It provides a view of many social problems India currently faces, yet allows the viewer to escape sheer depression by including a redeeming love story. In addition, I enjoyed how the TV show integrated the movie. It was very creative. At the heart of this story was a great performance by Patel. He was extremely convincing and powerful as a "slumdog' who achieves a great feat. I hope he gets some recognition for his role come award time (although he is the lead, not a supporting player, as some groups have placed him). Overall, this movie has a great shot at some Oscar love come February. It has a great story, direction, and performances. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone.
Grade: A
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Overall, this was a very good movie, anchored by an intriguing story about a man that ages backwards. Director David Fincher does a great job throughout the majority of the film, balancing Benjamin's story with the narrative from Daisy (Blanchett). However, therein lies the biggest question of the film: why use this uneven story telling? Using hurricane Katrina as a symbol of Button's calculated demise, while inventive, was unnecessary. I would have prefered a more linear story structure. Other than that, I really have no qualms with the film. Pitt gives a fantastic, understated performance as the title character who learns to accept who he is while he observes those around him. Blanchett also does a great job as Button's love interest whose paths do eventually cross, but ultimately cannot remain together. Why she has not been nominated for much of anything is surprising. The supporting cast is also fantastic, anchored by a great performance from Henson as Button's adoptive mother. While this film is a bit long, I did not realize how quickly the time had past. This story reminded me of Forrest Gump in its story. Like that movie, Benjamin Button is a great piece of filmmaking that everyone should enjoy.
Grade: A-
5. Frost/Nixon
I enjoyed the structure of this film, portraying the interviews between the two title characters as rounds of a boxing match. This is a testament to Howard's solid direction. He does a very good job in this latest film about a series of crucial interviews Nixon gave post-Watergate. The performances in this film were fantastic, as well. Kevin Bacon gives a great performance as one of Nixon's most trustworthy allies. However, it is the two title characters who captivate. While Sheen's performance as British talk-show host David Frost is spot-on, it is Langella that steals the show. His facial expressions during the final interview are amazing. Langella totally emersed himself in the role and succeeds in spades. Other aspects of note for me was the score, which I thought, while simple, was very effective. Overall, this was one of the best stage to screen adaptations I have seen, especially recently (much better than Rent, The Producers, etc.). I would definitely reccommend this film.
Grade: A-
6. Iron Man
The movie was great. Robert Downey Jr. did a great job as the title superhero. He played it up very well. The script and story were great, utilizing current events as a means to drive the story. It was also very humorous. Favreau did a good job combining action-packed scenes with more personal ones. A must see, especially on the big screen.
Grade: A-
7. Tropic Thunder
This film from writer/director/star Ben Stiller seemed to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it types. I, obviously, fall in the love it category. I thought the story was absolutely hilarious. The conclusion of this film is one of the best of the year; I was rolling. This is a true testament to Stiller, who crafted and helmed a great insiders view into movie production (I say as if I have any insiders perspective of filmmaking). It reminded me of "The Player" in its tongue-in-cheek execution. In addition to the writing and direction, the performances were fantastic. Another great decision by Stiller the director was to allow Stiller the actor to be outperformed by his supporting cast. This includes a great turn from a usually annoying Jack Black and newcomer Brandon T. Jackson. However, the show stoppers were Cruise and Downey Jr. Cruise's performance is great in that he finally accepted a role in which he was likeable again. After his devastating appearance on Oprah and subsequent quotes, his Hollywood appeal plummeted. This rejuvenated his career and made him someone I could respect again. Then there is Downey. He stole the film with his hilarious take as an Austrailian actor portraying a black man. His certainly deserves an Oscar nomination for this golden performance. I loved this film and rate it as the best comedy of 2008.
Grade: A-
8. Milk
This movie was a good biopic. However, there was nothing too special about it. Director Van Sant does a great job splicing older images and utilizing a hand-held camera throughout most of the film. Supporting players were all capable, especially Brolin and Franco, who give great, subtle performances. However, it is Penn that steals the show. He gives an amazing performance as the title character. He certainly deserves the Best Actor Oscar (at least from what I've seen so far). He was the part. This was the best performance I have seen from him in a while (even better than in "Mystic River"). However, the pic overall was rather formulaic. There was not much structurally that surprised or awed me. What really got me was the timeliness of the film, with California recently rejecting allowing gay marriage and Obama's historic election, there are a few parallels between this film and our current political landscape. It was a quality pic overall.
Grade: B+
9. The Reader
I was and still seem to be a little confused about the overall point of this film. Is it a psychological portrait of a woman whose fate unfortunately leads her to working as an SS guard and, furthermore, are we supposed to feel sorry for her? If that is the case, then I'm even more befuddled by this film. Is it attempting to manipulate us into feeling sorry for a woman who was responsible for hundreds of deaths and then even grant her absolution at the end? Or was it more a testament to how one person can have such an impact on the life of another, however brief the encounter may be. Either way, the film is an intriguing piece of work. Winslet gives a stellar performance as the prideful former SS guard. While her German accent was wobbly at times, her expressions and mannerism were great. However, she is not a supporting player in this movie. I would guess that she has the same amount of screen time as Ganz. Speaking of Ganz, this newcomer also gave a fantastic, brave portrayal as the young man whose life changes forever as the result of his encounter with Hanna. His scenes in law school were particularly interesting and well done. In addition, it seems that Fiennes has provided a few good performances this year (here and in The Dutchess), so a nomination for him would not be surprising here as the older Michael who still grapples with the romance and his decision to remain quiet about Hanna's illiteracy. The main problem I have with the film is its length. It lagged in the middle and some editing would have been much deserved. I would recommend this movie for its themes and also Winslet.
Grade: B+
10. Gran Torino
Some have criticized this film's heavy sentimentality and directorial manipulation. While these are credible criticisms, I quickly overcame any sense of judgment about halfway through the film. If you are looking for usual awards seasons fare, this may not be the film for you. However, if you are searching for a well-made film with a good message that does not have muliple themes running around, this one's for you. Again, Eastwood gives a classic Eastwood performace, this time as an old codger who refuses to move from his "transitioning" neighborhood and befriends a family of Hmong who move in next door. While characterizing Walt Kowalski as an older Harry Callahan is not all together far fetched, Harry would have never done what Walt did at the end of the movie. Maybe this is a wink from Eastwood, portraying an older Harry who has mellowed a little from his younger days, or maybe not. Whatever he attempted to do, he was great; simultaneously funny, brooding, and sentimental. Other than his, the story is nothing special, although the ending was a little unexpected. See this for Clint and a glimpse of Harry the geriatric.
Grade: B+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11. Doubt
I thought this was a solid film. Obviously, the two aspects that make this film work are the script and the acting. Shanley, although a good director, crafted a fascinating script. It was daring and I very much enjoyed how he ended it. In addition, the acting was superb. Adams gives a great turn as a conflicted, soft-spoken nun who has doubts about the priest's guilt. Davis gives another great performance as a conflicted mother who seems willing to do whatever it takes to get her son away from the family into a life of his own. Her short yet powerful performance was fantastic. In addition, Hoffman gives another Oscar-worthy performance as a priest accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a young male student. Then, of course, there is Streep, who proves time and time again that she is and will always be relavant and powerful. She gives one of the best leading female performance I have seen this year as a nun out to take down a mysterious priest. Some have accused this film's actors of over-acting, as if this were still on stage. While the argument between Hoffman and Streep did remind me of a stage production, the overall acting was on par and fittingly powerful. As I said previously, I like that the end of the film was ambiguous. It allows the audience, indeed much like the some of the characters, to make up their own minds about what happened in the rectory.
Grade: B
12. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
This was another great comedy that premiered early in the year. Writer/director Segal provides a hilarious script and performance as a recently dumped man who goes on vacation in order to get over the break-up only to find that his ex and her new beau are staying at the same resort. I mean, who didn't wince under their laughter as Peter pleads with Sarah to reconsider and the camera cuts to a shot of Peter's naked body, full-frontal, three times! I lost it. Combine Segal with an off-beat yet ultimately satisfying performance from Brand as out-there rock singer Russell Brand, and this movie was comic gold (Jonah Hill's small role as Brand's number 1 fan didn't hurt, either).
Grade: B
Still need to see a few:
- Rachel Getting Married
- The Wrestler
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Will update more frequently as Oscar season gets going.
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