Top 10 Movies of 2008

by Brett Parker

Last year, as I presented my list of the best films of 2007, I couldn’t help but note what a “gloomy” year it had been at the box office. Of the films I singled out, I wrote how they were “skilled and wonderful films that showcase rather dark and bleak aspects of humanity and society…it seemed mostly cloudy with very little sunshine…these darker times produced darker films.” If 2007 was a negative low point for America, then the films of that year couldn’t help but be a reflection of that.

As I looked over the films from 2008, I noticed a curious theme running throughout them: redemption. As America tried to pull itself out of the darkness and towards a new era of hope, it seems that cinematic characters were also trying to fight there way out of an unfortunate situation towards a new ray of sunshine. If you watch the films on this list, you’ll notice a careless war profiteer who decides to save the world from his own mistakes, a washed-up wrestler trying to create a decent, respectable life for himself, and narcissistic actors banding together in a jungle and looking out for each other. People want to pull themselves out of the wreckage and towards a healthier way of life and these film characters with the same ambition truly helped to inspire us in that goal.

If that wasn’t enough, this also seemed like a year in which most genres of film got a lot of things right and reached new, exciting heights. Of course, the dramas were splendid as always, but the superhero movies were more thoughtful than usual, the summer blockbusters were actually exciting, and, get this, comedies were actually funny this year! I can’t remember the last time I laughed at so many movies in just one year! So as 2008 descends into our memories and we march on through the awards season, I’d like to take some time to celebrate my favorite films of 2008:

1) Iron Man
In my original review of Iron Man, I wrote that “when it comes to great superhero movies, Batman Begins and Superman Returns are still the ones to beat.” I posted my review then I went to see the film again. And again. And that’s when I realized that Iron Man clobbers those two films to become the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen. It shows dramatic depths we never really sensed in this genre before yet it still knows how to have action-packed fun without insulting our intelligence. The bruised heart of the film lies within the fantastic performance from Robert Downey, JR. as Tony Stark, the hard-partying weapons billionaire who does serious soul searching after escaping from Afghanistan terrorists and decides to right all the wrongs he unleashed on the world. The performance is both hilarious and heartfelt at the same time and is a true triumph for Downey. I guess sometimes you have to see a movie multiple times to soak in how special it really is, and that certainly is the case with Iron Man. It’s a display of numerous things I go nuts for at the movies, and while everyone is on The Dark Knight bandwagon, I’ll take Tony Stark’s swagger over Bruce Wayne’s frowning any day of the week. I place Iron Man at the top of my list because, as Stark himself tearfully stated, “I know in my heart that its right.”

2) Cassandra’s Dream
While exploring his usual themes of morals, murder, and class, Woody Allen has crafted one of his most compelling and entertaining pictures ever. In telling the story of two London brothers who resort to murder in order to fix their financial woes, Allen explores territory he already covered in Crimes and Misdemeanors and Match Point, yet this time there’s more complicated weight and raw emotions involved. As the two brothers, Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell display some of their best work; reminding us what talented actors they are in the firs place. Most critics weren’t very kind to this film, but I was absorbed into this drama from start to finish and I honestly didn’t know where the film was going to take me as it unfolded. It’s a superb example of Woody Allen doing what Woody Allen does best.

3) Shine A Light
What happens when the coolest rock band alive and the coolest filmmaker in America team up to make a concert film? You get Shine A Light, the best-looking concert film ever made! The legendary Martin Scorsese assembled a team of top-notch cinematographers (John Toll, Robert Richardson, Andrew Lesnie) to capture an electrifying performance of the Rolling Stones at the Beacon theatre in New York. The result is spell-binding. Scorsese wisely avoids interviews and commentary to highlight the band’s significance, letting the music (and wonderful archival footage) speak for itself. It’s impossible not to get caught up in the excitement of the Stones and the visual mastery of Scorsese. Leaving the theatre, I didn’t know whether I wanted to be a filmmaker or a rock star! It’s only rock and roll, but I like it…a lot!

4) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Critics have knocked this flick for being nothing but a mindless effects romp that doesn’t live up to the sequels. I think those cats need to get over themselves and realize how special it is that Harrison Ford can still rock the fedora and the whip while Spielberg can still bang out a blockbuster thrill-ride like the old days! After years of imitators and wannabes, the man in the hat still manages to keep things fresh and exciting. As an aging Jones battles to restore an ancient artifact to an Amazon kingdom, the filmmakers try new things yet still honor the Indy formula we’ve come to know and love. The action scenes are pulse-pounding, the addition of young buck Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf) is super cool, and I loved the film’s play on 1950s B-Movie formulas. The hacks and haters need to stop knocking escapist fun and realize that Crystal Skull truly is the return of the great adventure!

5) The Dark Knight
The Empire Strikes Back of superhero films, Christopher Nolan’s epic takes the superhero genre into morally complex and darkly dramatic territory we never dreamed possible. As Batman wrestles with personal demons while waging war on a crazed anarchist named the Joker, Nolan has crafted a rich and relevant tale that transcends comic pop towards human tragedy. We get the usual action thrills (filmed to perfection) familiar of this genre but get blindsided by startling drama that shows Batman wrestling with moral dilemmas as he may in fact be crossing the blurred line between right and wrong. And of course, there’s the now-legendary performance by the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, taking the famous pop villain to new and terrifying heights. Ledger perfectly captures the character’s calculating madness and criminal genius, creating a tour de force performance that represents the nightmarish center of this fascinating new superhero world.

6) Role Models
So we’ve all heard the age-old argument that good comedy is considerably harder to pull off than good drama, yet good drama is always getting praise and awards while good comedy gets taken for granted (Patrick Goldstein shed wonderful light on this in his article, “Why are the Oscars a comedy-free zone?”). With that in mind, I decided to reserve a spot on my list for the funniest comedy I’ve seen all year. That honor goes to Role Models, a laugh-a-minute work of hilarity that is damn near comic perfection. This story of two lost grown-ups forced into mentoring wacky misfits in a Big Brother-type program may look and feel like a sitcom, but its one of the funniest sitcoms in recent memory. The casting is perfect, the one liners are gold, and the laughs keep coming in waves from start to finish. The most surprising thing about the film is how touching it actually turns out to be. I was genuinely leveled by the moment Paul Rudd tells his little’s parents that “I’d be psyched if he was my kid.” I also can’t remember the last time a comedy started off like Big Daddy and ended up like Lord of the Rings. I hope David Wain and his Statesmen have ten more comedies in them!

7) The Wackness
The Wackness is a highly enjoyable and realistic teen dramedy that wonderfully captures the good, the bad, and the hilarious when it comes to teenage angst. The film is a funny and vivid look at a New York teenager named Josh who deals pot to pay the bills, hangs out with his depressed psychiatrist suffering from mid-life crisis, and begins an innocent romance with that same psychiatrist’s daughter. In depicting a teen romance, the film is more observant and sincere than we’re used to, but it’s in the plot’s views of male bonding where things grow truly special. As Josh ponders life’s mysteries and anxieties with his wacky shrink, Dr. Squires (a work of skilled goofiness from Ben Kingsley), it becomes touching how these two lost souls look out for each other and try their best to show encouragement all while battling endlessly with their own angst. All of this is done to the most wonderful hip-hop soundtrack that beautifully captures the 1994 period in which the film is set. The Wackness may tread familiar territory, but we can’t remember the last time a film like this was filled with such honesty, wisdom, and hilarity.

8) The Wrestler
Mickey Rourke is an actor who started off his career with promising glory then irresponsibly let it squander, finding himself taking work in low-level dreck on the outskirts of Hollywood. The Wrestler marks Rourke’s glorious comeback, bringing heartache, longing, and sincerity to the role of washed-up wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a character so close to Rourke himself that the film can be viewed as a metaphor for his own career. Rourke brings such starling identification and genuine anguish to the role that it achieves a vivid cinematic honesty worthy of Brando and Mastroianni. Aside from Rourke’s amazing performance, Director Darren Aronofsky uses a shoe-string indie style to brilliantly capture the behind-the-scenes workings of professional wrestling that has never been captured before in a fictional film. The film may not be as visually dazzling as his previous works, but it’s just as gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. Yet this is Rourke’s show, crafting a powerhouse performance I really hope wins him the Best Actor Oscar.

9) Slumdog Millionaire
Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire is a rich, vibrant film that can be called many things: an energetic adventure, a unique exploration of the mythic Indian landscape, a colorful tale straight out of Dickens, a rag-to-riches underdog tale. But it’s ultimately a love story of longing and sincerity that penetrates the grinchy walls over our souls and punches us straight in the heart. I can’t remember the last time a cinematic romance got to me this good. Like Oliver Twist or Huckleberry Finn, this is a grand canvas tale pieced together by fascinating episodes that build towards an enormously appealing adventure. Boyle, with co-director Loveleen Tanden, has a colorful eye for the Indian landscape and knows how to make this material spring straight from the heart and avoid being cute and convenient. And just try and resist the Bollywood dance number at the very end!

10) Tropic Thunder
Ben Stiller’s epic comedy is a manic and energetic clash between the formalities of Hollywood filmmaking and Stiller’s unique brand of insane silliness. The film is a brutally honest send-up of all things Hollywood, with everything from movie trailers, method acting, to studio heads getting targeted by Stiller and basked in his relentless goofiness. The film is more crazy than funny and we’re in awe of the film’s audacity for going over-the-top. This feeling is jaw-droppingly captured in a supporting turn from Robert Downey, JR. as an Australian actor who has his skin dyed black to play an African-American Vietnam soldier (there’s a certain irony in Downey being nominated for an Oscar for playing an Oscar-hungry lunatic). And nothing can prepare you for Tom Cruise as a fat, bald, foul-mouthed, ghetto dancing studio head that damn near steals the show. Tropic Thunder is all the loony fun you could ask out of a Ben Stiller opus, this time elevated by its accurate Hollywood observations.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
-Frost/Nixon
-Milk
-Rachel Getting Married
-Revolutionary Road
-Speed Racer
-Wall-E