Movies of 2008
It’s been a bleak year movie-wise for me in the hinterlands with no arts cinemas for miles around and only Netflix for film solace, so I'm hardly the one to start this thread, but I'll give it a go nonetheless. I’d love to hear from those of you with access to the likes of E Street.Here are the celluloid moments that most thrilled me this year:
1. The Visitor – Richard Jenkins soared as a widowed professor whose life is energized by the presence of two illegal aliens and learning to play the drums.
2. Offside – An Iranian drama, featuring a group of soccer-crazy girls trying to get into a stadium to see a World Cup qualifer, that dared to be funny.
3. In Bruges – This could so easily have been a Guy Ritchie knock-off but for the manic energy of Colin Farrell and a witty, understated performance by Ralph Fiennes.
4. Be Kind Rewind – Michel Gondry’s latest mind-bender pairs Mos Def and Jack Black as two video store clerks who are forced to make their own versions of movies after Black inadvertently erases all the tapes in the store.
5. The Honeydripper – Danny Glover stars as a Georgia bar owner trying to keep his business afloat in the latest of John Sayles’s tour of the states.
6. Cairo – Nest of Spies – This wacky French spy farce was exactly what Steve Carrell’s sad update of “Get Smart” was trying to achieve.
7. War Inc. – John Cusack wrote, directed and produced this dystopic look at a future in which every aspect of life is branded.
8. Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? – Morgan Spurlock’s latest doc was never really about tracking down the world’s most infamous Saudi terrorist; rather it was a chance for a humorous look at U.S. foreign policy.
9.Then She Found Me – Helen Hunt’s comedy/drama was a well needed adult respite from the summer rubbish. And we got to see Salman Rushdie as a gynecologist!
10. The Rape of Europa – This fascinating documentary shed light on the historic theft of Europe’s art treasures by the Nazis.
Other Notables:
*Baby Mama
*Birds of America
*The Changeling
*Forgetting Sarah Marshall
*Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
*Pineapple Express
*Smart People
*Stepbrothers
*Stop Loss
*Swing Vote
Disappointments:
*Cloverfield – As a Lost fanatic, I expected a lot more from J.J. Abrams than this sad monster movie.
*X-Files – The once great franchise has run its course.
Still to See:
*Burn after Reading
*Doubt
*Frost/Nixon
*Happy Go Lucky
*I’ve Loved You So Long
*Man on a Wire
*Milk
*Rachel Getting Married
*Religulous
*Slumdog Millionaire
*The Wackness
Labels: best of lists, movies
posted by The Blue Devil @ 1:24 PM
6 Comments:
I don't even have the excuse that there's no art cinemas nearby. But I do have two kids. Does that count? Sadly, most of the movies I saw this year were of the "Bolt" and "Madagascar 2" flavor.
We did, on one lone date night, see "Burn After Reading". It was good, but not up to the level of what we've come to expect from our fave Coen brothers.
So here's my "Movies I Wish I Saw in 2008" list:
10. The Secret Life of Bees
9. Religulous
8. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
7. The Duchess
6. Rachel Getting Married
5. W
4. The Dark Knight
3. Trouble the Water
2. Synecdoche, New York
1. Body of Lies
Thank God for Netflix.
Speaking of movies, Alivia and I are sitting here watching "Bend It Like Beckham" for the gazillionth time. I just had to explain to her what a lesbian is. Yikes.
From your list Gator, I saw Offside, Cairo, Nest of Spies, and In Brugges which I loved.
I end up seeing the popcorn munchers with Eric more than the cerebral more grown-up movies and there's some gold there too.
I liked Robert Downey Jr. in Ironman a lot. I thought that he saved it from Jeff Bridges overcooked villian, and Gwynnth's general vapidity. He is a actor who is also a star.
I liked Ed Norton in Hulk. I thought the way they integrated the "Bourne" cinematography worked, and I thought the Brazilian favela scenes were great.
Eric and I thought that the second installment of Hellboy was good too. We really like Guillermo del Toro.
We thought that Heath Ledger as the Joker elevated the Batman franchise above anything previously done, but also may have killed it off too. I can't see anyone ever attempting to play the Joker again, and the other Batman villains, Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, etc, are either lame or not likely to be recast like Ledger's Joker. I just don't see anything left to say about Batman.
Eric saw the new Bond and his verdict is that it's a step back after the step forward that was Craig-as-Bond's Casino Royale. Same "Bourne" editing, but he thought the whole rogue agent thing went nowhere and not very quickly either.
He and I both saw Transporter III and that's enough driving for Jason Statham. This one's like an action-flick-by numbers. A choreographed but gratuitous action scene where he takes down a bunch dressed up in some sort of "Road Warrior" homage, a completely silly romance with the girl/package, and a completely silly chase scene with him on a BMX bike.
Likewise, we thought that Harrison Ford's latest Indiana Jones was the death-knell for that franchise. Ford is looking way too old and there's little chemistry left with Karen Allen. I was surprised to hear people say that Shia Leboeff will continue this series. We'll see, but I thought it was a case of torch extinguished rather than passed.
Get Smart was funny in places but if you're a fan of the TV series, Cairo-Nest of Spies is the one for you, not this.
We liked Pineapple Express. I still don't understand the stupid violence that ended the movie, but I howled with laughter right up to then.
We did keep our NetFlix account humming and enjoyed these:
Smart People
The Band's Visit
Redbelt
Charlie Wilson's War
Persepolis
Michael Clayton
Once
In The Valley Of Elah
The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Eastern Promises
Children Of Men
Reign Over Me
We were disappointed by Talk To Me. That could have been a really fun movie, but whoever adapted the book did a crappy job. And Tropic Thunder might have been funny, but the previews that ran over-and-over-and-over from March until the summer SHOWED EVERY FLIPPING JOKE IN THE MOVIE. I want my $10.50 back.
I was appalled by The Foot Fist Way. The critic's darling, Danny McBride plays a completely contemptible character without humor, and I found the movie seriously unwatchable.
And I am still ready to gripe about No Country For Old Men, but I think I've said enough about that previously.
Bob and I saw Valkyrie a couple of nights ago too. I thought it worked really well as a thriller and that Cruise may have taken the outrage that his casting as Von Stauffenberg caused in mind because I thought he was pretty restrained in his performance.
Bob pointed out however that Singer tried to inject some revisionist history that suggested that the plotters were an example of Resistance. Incorrect. This is the story of the German officer elite deciding that Hitler's conduct of the war was going to put the country in danger of losing the war and at the mercy of some very pissed-off Russians.
I agree with your assessment of "Burn..." I end up seeing all of their movies, but they are seriously trying my patience with this and the awful "No Country..."
Thanks for reminding me of Synecdoche, New York, Bivalve. I really love Charlie Kauffman's stuff and that cast is to die for so I'll no doubt enjoy that one on Netflix too.
As an educator, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall watching how you handled the discussion of Sapphic love! Bend It is one of my faves of recent years, especially the scenes of what looks like David Nocito's bedroom circa 1975 with the United gear all over the place.
After watching "Bend It" this last time, I finally caught the joke when Jess shows up for her tryout with the girls' team wearing her Beckham jersey and the coach just rolls his eyes... Never noticed that before!
Karen and I took in "Slumdog Millionaire" last night. Wow! It's definitely the most exciting bit of pure filmmaking I've seen all year. The first hour gives Bond and Bourne a run for their money with lots of that Danny Boyle hand-held running through the streets material. In this case, though, it's a landscape of shocking Mumbai poverty that I've never seen before. A lot of it is pretty tough stuff to watch, though the ending sweetens the deal. Fantastic score by A.H. Rahman with ample help from subcontinental "It Girl" M.I.A. as well. Go see it!
Post a Comment
<< Home