2008: The Final (?) Chapter

Happy new year and such to those who read this. Was kind of a hit or miss celebration for me personally but it's pretty superficial so let's just cut the shit. I realize this list is going to exclude several films that most likely would have made my top picks, but unfortunately most of the year's biggest "hits" with the critics have yet to come to Wilmington, and some flat out probably won't. I wonder if there's a good likelihood of me seeing "Let the Right One In" or "Slumdog Millionaire," though I seriously doubt it.

But anyways, here's my top 10 films of the year that I saw.


10. Burn After Reading-God I love the Coen Bros. Even their weakest films tend to still be real winners and are more clever than a good portion of dark comedies out there. This isn't one of their strongest films compared to say, "Fargo" or "No Country for Old Men," but it's definitely their funniest film since "The Big Lebowski." A giant tale of misunderstanding of all sorts, with a great cast to back it up. Probably the best ending they've had as well, and one can't help but wonder if some of the final lines might be a little joking jab at their previous film.

9. Mongol-I had been waiting for what seemed like forever for this to see release down here, and finally Carmike Cinema had a screening of it for what seemed like a week or so. Though a tiny bit slow at times, this is how you do an epic. Build your character up, give him some understandable RAAAAAGGGEEE, and then let loose with a grand battle at the end. Did I mention this is about Genghis Khan? No? Well it is. And he's played by THIS bad mo'fucka:









Go out and rent this immediately. If you can't stand subtitles, that's your loss/stupidity.

8. Definitely, Maybe- Most people who know me know that I can't stand romances, or most romcoms. In the past few years though, there has been a small amount of these that have popped up that I not only have enjoyed, but LOVED. This is very reminiscent of "Love, Actually," in that it's characters are all very human and likable. It plays somewhat like the Princess Bride, with a child acting as the audience and asking us to rewind and ask questions about certain characters or situations. Highly enjoyable and sweet, without being suffocatingly so.

7. Iron Man-I shouldn't have to reiterate about why this rules, but well I guess I will. Marvel has had some bad luck in recent years with their movies (Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2, the Punisher, Xmen 3) but they finally managed to nail the character of Tony Stark. Robert Downey Jr. is just plain cool here, as is Terrance Howard as the future War Machine. I can't help but wonder how Don Cheadle will do in the sequel taking up his part. And I definitely cracked a geek smile after seeing that extra scene in the credits.

6. Global Metal-Sam Dunn's follow-up to his acclaimed documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" takes him all over the globe to examine metal and it's impact and importance in different culture. This still hasn't been released on DVD in the states for reasons unknown to me, though it can be viewed on most video channels like Youtube and Google Video. It was definitely worth the wait, and though you won't likely gain a great amount of knowledge about the countries that he visits, it's nonetheless fascinating.

5. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army-It's such a shame that they decided to release this only a week prior to the Dark Knight's opening, which unfortunately sealed it's fate. This was a gorgeous, exciting sequel that I personally thought was better than the first. I'll admit that I missed David Hyde Pierce, but I quickly got over it. I'd love to see a third movie featuring the same wonderful cast, but sadly I think the poor performance ensures us that we won't.

4. Tropic Thunder-I honestly think this will be considered a classic in about 10 years time. It's an INCREDIBLY rare occasion when a movie by Hollywood making fun of itself is actually, well, funny. It's almost as rare to find a movie with Ben Stiller these days that's actually funny too (god The Heartbreak Kid was terrible). But heck, this movie easily accomplished it. Robert Downey Jr. gives yet another memorable performance here, which oddly has been nominated for a Golden Globe. Here's to hoping he wins. 2009 would sure kick off with a bang if somebody won an award for blackface. :X

3. Wall-E-The best thing Pixar have ever done. Or at least their best film since "The Incredibles." Who would have thought that a tiny robot who could only really express himself through his eyes and hands would give the most animated and emotional performance of the year? Sure the message about consumerism was a little heavy handed, but it's not anything that takes away from the film. I really do hope that this picks up some major awards this year. It was phenomenal.

2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall-I liked this more than Superbad. Oh yeah, I said it. Wanna fight about it? Well, I'd prefer not to since I'm a peaceful guy. I think anybody who's had any sketchy or difficult experiences with women would love this. Again, its characters are all very real and likable, and it's dialogue feels very real as well. Unfortunately, like everything that Judd Apatow has a hand in these days, it does get somewhat sappy towards the end of the film, but it quickly recovers, and the serious tone that comes in doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. This also made me fall in love with Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell all over again. Oh boy.


And for my top pick, well c'mon it shouldn't be hard to guess.





COLLEGE! Without a doubt the most relevant and accurate portrayal of the fraternity life I've ever seen.

Nah I'm just playing. The real #1 for me was...




1. The Dark Knight- What more needs to be said? One of the best superhero epics ever made, if not THE best). Everything here was amazing. I'd definitely buy this again should any extended or more "packed" edition be released on DVD (and most likely it will be). Heath Ledger was expectedly amazing in his portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime, but I personally was more impressed by Aaron Eckhart's job as Harvey Dent. His slow transformation into the psychotic Two-Face was frightening and powerful. I haven't been this blown away by any film since I watched "LOTR: Return of the King" in 2003. It's also one of the few films I've seen in theaters 3 times (other ones I recall include the previously mentioned ROTK and 300). Whatever may happen with the sequel, if there is one at all, I can only say this:

I Believe in Christopher Nolan.

And you should too.


Other movies worth noting/renting:

Cloverfield-America FINALLY gets the Kaiju formula right. Creepy as hell, and about as realistic as one of these films could be. I also tend to love films that lack scores as well.

In Bruges-Though this film's trailer is very misleading and may convince viewers they're in store for a funny ol' dark comedy along the lines of Snatch, this film turns out to be a more serious effort than one would imagine (though it's still incredibly funny). I don't think I've seen Colin Farrell do as good a job as he did here. His character was very sympathetic, and when you find out why he's in Bruges and down in the dumps, well, I can't say I blame him.

Incredible Hulk-This runs circles around the old Hulk, which I actually didn't hate completely like the rest of the general public. I sure ain't gonna be able to watch it after watching this one though. I wish that William Hurt had put SOME effort into his performance. His piss poor job as General Ross was the one thing that kept the film from being on my top 10 list.

Pineapple Express-Probably the funniest stoner movie I've seen in quite some time. I have a strong feeling that watching this WHILE high or drunk will only increase my love for this. James Franco definitely redeemed himself in my eyes after stinking up the screen in "Spiderman 3."

Stop Loss-Well gee this sure was an uplifting film. The title comes from an involuntary policy in the U.S. Military that extends a soldier's active duty without them having any real say in the matter. Though it's definitely sad, something like this had to be addressed. One soldier says that he's not going to stand for this, and goes absent without leave. Heck, I'd probably do the same thing. The film isn't really anti or pro-war, which is certainly welcome.


And that wraps up my choices for "The Best" of 2008. For media, we've had quite a good year. It'll be interesting to see how 2009 will stack up in comparison but I'm willing to give it a chance. Like I've mentioned before, there were plenty of movies and albums that either slipped under my radar, or I just lacked the time to get into.



Until then, later...