It’s time for the best movies of 2008. Happy New Year everyone!!! I trust last night you all had a smashing time ushering in the new set of 365 days and then proceeded to wake up next to someone you don’t know… but hot nonetheless.
As we begin this new year, it’s time to reflect back on the best movies of 2008. I’m going to list 15 of them, just to be different from the usual 10. Remember all lists, like movies, are subjective. None of you will have the exact same list as mine, so hopefully that will open the door for lots of discussion and chat in the comments section. It was a pretty damn good year for movies with lots of big and little treasures along the way.
So now I present to you, the best movies of 2008:
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#15 – FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL After “The 40 Year Old Virgin”, this is, in my opinion, the funniest and best Apatow related movie they’ve ever done. The movie is driven by the lead character who is completely sweet and you like him immediately even though quite flawed. But like any good comedy it’s driven by it’s comedy which was top notch. |
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#14 – VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA This movie initially caught all of our attentions because of the news that we’d see a threesome involving Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson. Not much of a threesome, but the film made up for that horrible error with great characters, a solid story and some decent laughs. |
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#13 – HAPPY GO LUCKY I have to admit I wasn’t even going to see this movie until all the awards buzz started flying around about. As a matter of fact I only saw a screener a few weeks ago, and I’m damn glad that I did. Trust me, all that awards buzz Sally Hawkins is getting for her performance it totally deserved. See this when you get the chance. |
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#12 – BURN AFTER READING The Coen brothers are on a roll. Following up last year’s “No Country For Old Men”, they return to comedy and in my opinion hit a home run. This flick is genius, hilarious, convoluted in a very orchestrated way and was a pure joy to watch. I think a case could be made for Brad Pitt getting best supporting actor nomination for his part in this. Brilliant! |
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#11 – SON OF RAMBOW A movie that was a hit on the film festival circuit, but sadly never found a serious audience in its theatrical run. This is a beautiful movie that I lament more of you didn’t get a chance to see. A wonderful look at innocent in a world of filled with a lot of beautiful that only innocent eyes seem really capable of seeing. The kids in this flick were great too. Touching, funny… and you even might learn something watching it. |
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#10 – IRON MAN I was not at all looking forward to this flick in the least when it was first announced. I even thought doing a movie on Iron Man in general was a bad idea. But after seeing the trailer at Comic Con last year, I started getting interested, and the movie delivers. Exactly what a summer super hero movie should be. Holy crap did Robert Downey Jr. knock it out of the park. He was the perfect Tony Stark. |
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#9 – WANTED This will probably be the most controversial film to make my list. I know many people don’t even like this movie. Well screw you!!!!! I frigging loved it! Matter of fact… we all watched it again when we got back from the New Years party last night. This film is just over the top insanity and adrenaline inducing fun from start to finish. Never thought I could buy James McAvoy as an action hero… but I guess I was wrong about that. |
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#8 – THE DARK KNIGHT The more I watch this movie the more I appreciate it. One of the best comic book movies of all time with one of the most powerful performances ever by a supporting actor in any film of any genre. How the hell does Nolan top this one? |
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#7 – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON A beautiful film that takes a look at life and the common issues we face from the radical perspective of a man who ages in reverse from the rest of us. Sweet, intelligent, profound and will probably land Pitt a best actor nomination. The visual effects in the movie are some of the best I’ve ever seen and probably the best USE of effects ever in film. |
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#6 – LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Oh look, another vampire movie about love between a vampire and a mortal. But hold on… this one isn’t like any other we’ve ever seen before. Erie and creepy yet incredibly human at the same time. This might be the best vampire movie since the original Lost Boys. And the BEST use of Morse Code I’ve ever seen in a movie (pay very close attention to the very end of the film). |
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#5 – IN BRUGES The 3 main cast members (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes) are all beyond brilliant. The film is funny, exciting… and who knew that Colin Farrell could be such a great actor when he puts his mind to it? The film has a “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” sort of feel to it, but it’s very much its own movie. |
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#4 – FROST / NIXON Who would have ever thought that a movie about an interview… yes… a whole movie made about an interview, would be some engaging and dramatic? You’re drawn in by the drama right from the first frame of the movie and I was kept swept up in it until the very end. Frank Langella will get a best actor nomination for this if there is any justice in the world whatsoever. |
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#3 – MILK I’m not usually all that taken with biopics (especially biopics about musicians), but this one is special. Not just because Harvey Milk is an important historical figure who helped change the world, but also because of the way this story was told and some of the most brilliant performances from an entire cast we’ve seen this year. Sean Penn WILL and SHOULD win best actor for this. |
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#2 – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE I didn’t really want to see this film at first because it sounded like a cheesy concept, but man I’m glad I did. Profoundly human and in my opinion the best Danny Boyle to date. Boyle should probably win best director for this because of the amazing performances he was able to bring out a this relatively inexperienced cast to tell him amazing story. My prediction is that this film will win Best Picture at the Oscars this year. Even though the film that should win it is… |
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#1 – WALL-E No surprises here since I already named Wall-E the best film of 2008 in our 2008 Movie Blog Awards list last week. Hands down, no questions asked, far and away and easily the very best movie of 2008. Funny since at first it looked to me like it might be the worst film Pixar ever put out (which would still be better than 99% of other movies). I’ve raved enough about this movie so I won’t do it any more. |
So there you have it folks. Our best movies of 2008. What would your list look like? Which films would you add? Which ones would you remove?
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