My Top 10 Movies of 2008 -- 6-10

Last year I posted my Top 10 of 2007 shortly into the new year, and I had planned to do the same for my '08 list. Alas, Lady Procrastination had her way with me, and this sucker got pushed back to mid-JUNE. And I call myself a movie buff...

------------------------------------------------------

2008 was a very strange year in cinema! We saw the continued rise of legitimate comic-book superhero movies as mega blockbusters and even award contenders (Dark Knight, Iron Man). Animated films like WALL-E and Kung-Fu Panda proved yet again how solid a film from that genre can contribute. Comebacks were a major story in the year, as Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke showed you can always come back strong.

As with 2007, a few of my favorite movies in '08 emerged before the fall/winter Oscar season. This was the first year in awhile where I did see all of the Best Picture nominees, as well as other contenders I was curious about. So while I may not be as truly excited about 2008 as years' past, it was still a fantastic year in film.

Here are my favorites...

Honorable Mentions: (Just missed the cut)

15. Role Models
14. In Bruges
13. Gran Torino
12. Quantum of Solace
11. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Top 10:

10. [rec]

"Good evening, this is Angela Vidal speaking. Tonight on "While You're Asleep" we'll accompany a team of firemen on their rounds through the city. Not only that, but we'll see things never revealed: how they live, sleep, what they eat. We'll get an inside look at this fire station. Join us for 'While You're Asleep'."

I don't have the keenest eye for international indie films, but I took note of this 2007 Spanish horror gem due to the great online word of mouth. It almost pains me to have two similar films in a Top 10 (Cloverfield), but both were made differently using the same style. You follow the duo of cameraman and reporter following firemen for an evening, when a routine call becomes unthinkably frightening. Simply put, [rec] is a good bet to scare the pants off you, something American producers agreed with in importing a shot-for-shot remake to American theaters only one year later (Quarantine).

9. Definitely, Maybe

"Did you know that penguins mate for life? Although, Mr. Monell told us that sometimes the husband and wife penguins get separated because of their migraine patterns."

Released on Valentine's Day weekend, this little rom-com couldn't be more pidgeon-holed...and subsequently ignored. Ryan Reynolds gives one of the best performances of his career as a guy reminiscing his romantic history, but top acting dibs go to Isla Fisher. What sets apart Definitely, Maybe is the lack of a certain utterly annoying yet all-too-common factor in modern romantic comedies--predictability. This screenplay isn't afraid to lead the viewer through a maze to get to its conclusion, but you'll like the journey. In that sense, it's like a slightly more serious movie version of the TV sitcom "How I Met Your Mother."

8. The Wrestler

"I'm an old broken down piece of meat and I deserve to be all alone, I just don't want you to hate me."

'Witness the resurrection of Mickey Rourke.' That's the tagline for one of the more talked-about films in 2008, The Wrestler. From Requiem to The Fountain to Wrestler, director Darren Aronofsky seems to love floating through genres in order to sculp material that challenges everyone involved in the production. Rourke literally carries this heart-wrenching story, with great support from Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. Be prepared, though; the emotions present here are just as raw and bloody as the wrestlers getting in the ring.

7. Cloverfield

"Okay, just to be clear here, our options are: die here, die in the tunnels, or die in the streets. That pretty much it?"

Ah, the JJ Abrams Magic Touch. I remember seeing the first teaser trailer for this at my first viewing of Transformers and leaving the theater speeding home towards Google. Abrams keeps his take on the monster/survival/chaos thriller incredibly simple, consequently establishing complete control over the audience's experience. Filmed from a character's point of view on a handheld digital camera, Cloverfield is instantly immersive, with the script doing an adequate job in the time alotted to make you feel for and like these characters before the chaos hits. Next up for Abrams & writer/director Drew Goddard--a horror movie simply titled Cabin in the Woods.

6. Frost/Nixon

"But that was before I really understood the reductive power of the close-up, because David had succeeded on that final day, in getting for a fleeting moment what no investigative journalist, no state prosecutor, no judiciary committee or political enemy had managed to get; Richard Nixon's face swollen and ravaged by loneliness, self-loathing and defeat. The rest of the project and its failings would not only be forgotten, they would totally cease to exist."


This movie had many things going for it before I ever walked in the theater--Ron Howard behind the lens, a truly fantastic ensemble cast, and dynamic historical material to work with. Ever the history buff, that last point hits home for me. But while some have criticized Howard's quasi-documentary style for Frost/Nixon, it only aids in immersing the viewer in the importance and weight of the circumstances presented. It's really a one man show though, as Frank Langella gives an incredible performance as the "I'm not a crook" President. This film could easily bore you to tears, but thanks to the momentum established by Langella and Michael Sheen, the verbal sparring is riveting.

Check back tomorrow for the second half of my Top 10, aka Payton's Shameless Attempt at More Comments.

-PB