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Dec
31
Written by:
Bill Bonfanti
12/31/2008 1:52 PM
 2008 has come and gone and has left us with some great movies, some destined to be classics. In coming up with my list for the 10 best movies of 2008, I realized that it is truly impossible to rank movies in order when they are from different genres. It would be easy to rank the best comedies of all time or best action movies, but comparing WALL-E to The Dark Knight is like comparing apples to oranges. They are completely different movies and are enjoyable for completely different reasons. With that in mind, I’ve decided to compile my list without rankings. Without further adieu, here is my list for my 10 favorite movies of 2008, in no particular order. 1- The Dark Knight – I’ve been a huge fan of Batman my whole life and after suffering through the campy TV show and the first 4 disastrous attempts to bring Batman to the screen, I feel like hugging Christopher Nolan for his brilliant portrayal of the character in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Finally someone who understands how to translate this complex hero from comic books to the big screen. When I saw Batman Begins, I didn’t think it was possible to top it. Boy was I wrong. In his effort to ground Batman in the real world, Nolan has created a Gotham City where the line between good and evil is blurred and our hero has to decide how far over the line he is willing to go to rid his beloved city of crime. Christian Bale proved again that he is the best Batman ever and Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker… well you know… made Jack Nicholson’s Joker look like… a clown.
2- Tropic Thunder – Ben Stiller as an action hero! Robert Downey Jr. in blackface! A bald Tom Cruise dancing in a fat suit! Four fake trailers! Explosions and gun fights! Simple Jack! Hands down the funniest movie I have ever seen. Period.
3- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – This film has a great concept. What would it be like to age backwards? Director David Fincher has created a wonderfully imaginative, moving film that is destined to become a classic. It is to this decade, what Forrest Gump was to the 90’s. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are astounding in this film and I think Benjamin Button has a chance of sweeping the Academy Awards this year.
4- Iron Man – One of the very best superhero movies ever. I have to admit I was nervous when it was announced that Jon Favreau was directing. I didn’t know if the man behind Elf would know how to make a proper superhero movie. I thought it would have that cheesy feel of The Fantastic Four movies. Then I heard Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark and my fears begin to alleviate and even turned to excitement. I wasn’t let down. This movie is awesome from start to finish. The amazing thing is I had more fun watching Downey out of the costume than in it. He is flat out fantastic as Tony Stark.
5- WALL-E – This film is an amazing accomplishment. WALL-E is essentially an art house film that was marketed for mass consumption. Pixar bravely put their reputation on the line to create this beautiful love story between robots that features not a line of dialogue for the first third of the film and not much thereafter. The movie is a wonder to behold. The scene where WALL-E and his love Eve are dancing in outer space is pure cinema magic and is a treat for the eyes, as well as the heart and soul.
6- Valkyrie – Do you really want to listen to me about how thrilled I am for Tom Cruise’s comeback? Suffice it to say, director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie have crafted a tense, suspenseful, action packed, thrill ride. And no, knowing that Hitler survives the assassination attempt does not ruin the overall suspense of the movie.
7- Frost/Nixon - Director Ron Howard expertly brings to life the true story of Richard Nixon’s post Watergate interviews with talk show host David Frost. This is a dramatic retelling of this historic event and the script and acting are excellent. Michael Sheen brilliantly portrays Frost but it is Frank Langella’s fierce turn as the former president that may give Brad Pitt a run for his money come Oscar time.
8- Revolutionary Road - Director Sam Mendes returns to his forte with this family drama that takes place in the 50’s. Kate Winslet is unbelievable as the housewife who dreams of more and will certainly be awarded with another Oscar nomination. It would be nice if she actually won this time seeing as she is one of the finest actresses of her generation. Leonardo DiCaprio is terrific as always as a man doomed to walk in his father’s footsteps and will be nominated as well. I don’t think this is his year to walk away with the little gold statue though.
9- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – What can I say? I love Harrison Ford. I really love Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. I love Spielberg and Lucas also. I know, I know, I know… you hated the aliens at the end. Big deal. Whether it is a religious artifact or an alien artifact that Indy is searching for… it doesn’t matter. It’s all about the action and the adventure that precedes the big find, and this movie had plenty. It was an absolute pleasure to watch a sixty year old Harrison Ford don the fedora and crack the whip again. Hell… I’d happily watch him do it again, regardless of what artifact he is chasing.
10- Forgetting Sarah Marshall – A terrifically funny script by star Jason Segel kept me smiling throughout the whole running time of this romantic comedy. Sure it has familiar elements to it; boy meets girl, boy loses girl and then gets her back, but the comedic elements are original in every way. Especially when Peter (Segel) performs his Dracula musical for the first time. You might hurt yourself laughing. This movie is funny enough for me to forgive the filmmakers for the many shots of Jason Segel’s penis.
And that’s my list. Agree or disagree with my choices, I’d love to know.
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9 comment(s) so far...
Re: My Top 10 Movies of 2008
Hey pal... Sean Penn in Milk is the best performance of the year... no one even a close 2nd... not by 10 miles.. the acedemy doesn't like him even though he won for mystic river... he's the best actor in the last 25 yrs.. i don't think denior or hanks are better than him... plus the story of Milk is incredible... if you haven't seen it go see it
By rothfeld on
1/3/2009 7:57 PM
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Re: My Top 10 Movies of 2008
tropic thunder i 100% agree - funny fuunnnyyyy shit. tom cruise is not my favorite but his appreance in this movie still makes me
laugh, even at the thought of it.
but indiana jones...my god. totally unwatchable. did i miss something? should i give it another chance??
where is slumdog millionaire?????? can't even put my finger on what i liked so much, but it totally drew me in.
By carenclaire on
1/5/2009 10:23 AM
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Re: My Top 10 Movies of 2008
Give Indy another chance. It totally lives up to the original three with the exception of Indy surviving a nuclear blast inside of a refrigerator. Completely ridiculous sequence in the movie. Otherwise it is quite enjoyable. You have to remember that the original films paid homage to the serial films of the 30's and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull pays homage to the B movies of the 50's and on this level it succeeds brilliantly.
I agree that Slumdog Millionaire is a terrific film, but I based my choices on the movies that I will watch many times over the course of my life and i don't anticipate watching Slumdog again anytime soon. Tropic Thunder, The Dark Knight and Indy I watched multiple times already.
In response to Rothfeld... I'm sure Milk is a great movie but I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to see it yet. There are only so many hours in the day! I do agree that sean Penn is a brilliant actor... but the best... I'm not so sure. I do agree that he is better than DeNiro. Deniro is amazing, but Robert Deniro is visible in every character he plays. Sean Penn disappears into his roles leaving not a trace of himself. I think Hanks has this same quality... I dare you to watch Forrest Gump and find any trace of Tom Hanks. That being said, Penn is terrific but he is in esteemed company with the likes of Hanks, DiCaprio and Downey Jr.
By Bill's Blog on
1/5/2009 12:16 PM
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Re: My Top 10 Movies of 2008
Not related to top movies of 2008 but about great actors: I agree with you about Sean Penn - he's a brilliant actor. When listing great living / working actors, I never see Dustin Hoffman listed. Why is that? Penn and DeNiro can do comedy, but could either of them have pulled off Tootsie? Penn made a Rain Man attempt with I Am Sam, and we see how that turned out (more like Ben Stiller's Simple Jack in Tropic Thunder). And he can do grit just as well - just see the classic Marathon Man. While not every one of his films is brilliant - and sometimes a lot less than brilliant (2007's Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium) - he's an actor who IS always brilliant.
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