There was something very strange about movies in 2008—a year with a notably underwhelming fall season and a lack of the widely acclaimed works from major filmmakers that characterized 2007. It was far from a vintage year, and yet mass audiences can be forgiven for not noticing.
Some of 2008’s best, and near-best, films were summer blockbusters. Was it a fluke or a sign that there’s still potential for originality and ingenuity in Hollywood?
It was also a strong year for breakout talent and emerging voices, both in front of and behind the camera. Their best efforts give film fans reason to hope, even in troubled times.
Geoff's best movies of 2008
Robots, vampires, wrestlers and a giant bat ... what a year
By Geoff Berkshire
MetromixDecember 13, 2008
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1. "The Dark Knight"
It’s not very often that the year’s biggest box office success is also its best film. “Knight” is the rare blockbuster that became a phenomenon partly because it’s a great piece of filmmaking. You don’t have to be a fanboy to appreciate the screenplay’s politically-minded nuances, the ensemble cast’s stunning depth, director Christopher Nolan’s breathtaking artistry and, most especially, Heath Ledger’s remarkable performance as the Joker. Challenging, inspired movies can’t make money? Yeah right.
2. "WALL-E"
Pixar has broken so many rules of conventional animation (while admittedly adhering to many more) that it’s easy to take the company and its enviable stable of filmmakers for granted. But Andrew Stanton’s beautiful little sci-fi romance simply can’t be dismissed. An adorable tiny robot who can’t talk leaves Earth to go on an interstellar journey in pursuit of the femme-bot he loves. Audiences, appropriately, swoon.
3. "The Visitor"
A low-key, unassuming character piece slowly became one of the year’s few arthouse success stories thanks to audience word of mouth. “The Visitor” is the kind of movie you immediately want to tell your friends to see. Breakout character actor Richard Jenkins leads a terrifically tight ensemble through a sweet, funny and heartbreaking story of a man whose life changes thanks to an unexpected friendship.
4. "Slumdog Millionaire"
A 21st-Century fairy tale and the year’s most energetic movie, “Slumdog” seemingly came out of nowhere. The smart and scrappy portrait of a young Indian man whose life takes him from the slums of Mumbai to the studios of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” director Danny Boyle’s razor-sharp filmmaking perfectly suits a story that appeals to a moviegoer’s basic desire for a tale well told.
5. "Pineapple Express"
After years of honing his craft on offbeat and underseen indies, director David Gordon Green brought his A-game to his first Hollywood film. A stoner comedy that’s not afraid to redefine and expand the genre, a buddy movie that understands true friendship better than most, an unexpectedly violent action picture—“Pineapple” constantly reinvents itself with bracing confidence and unwavering appreciation for the idiosyncrasies of life. And James Franco’s performance is nothing short of comic perfection.
6. "Let the Right One In"
It’s been too long since the last great horror film, and while “Right One” isn’t one of the scariest movies you’ll ever see, it is one of the most haunting. A lonely, bullied 12-year-old boy in Sweden makes friends with the cute new girl next door. She turns out to be a vampire who needs to kill people to survive. “Twilight” it’s not. But great art? It’s damn close.
7. "The Unforeseen"
How do you take a seemingly dry subject like the threat land development poses to the environment and turn it into a compelling film? It never even seems like a challenge for director Laura Dunn in this gorgeous, philosophical, even-handed and endlessly stimulating documentary. A movie that deserved considerably more attention than it got.
8. "Bigger, Stronger, Faster*" / "The Wrestler"
One’s a documentary and one’s a work of narrative fiction. They were released over six months apart and have nothing official to do with each other. But washed-up pro wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson, the lead character of “The Wrestler,” is so tenderly embodied by Mickey Rourke that he feels like a real person. In which case he would’ve been a perfect subject for “Bigger,” Chris Bell’s entertaining, enlightening and deeply personal examination of the controversy over steroid abuse. A double feature waiting to happen.
9. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
In a creative comeback that didn’t seem possible, Woody Allen reemerged as a vital filmmaker with a funny, sexy and melancholy study of two American women (Scarlett Johansson and the fantastic Rebecca Hall) spending a summer in Spain. Penélope Cruz matched her career best work in “Volver” with an unforgettably hot-blooded supporting turn.
10. "Synecdoche, New York"
Charlie Kaufman directing a Charlie Kaufman screenplay probably could’ve inspired a film in itself. And, in some ways, that’s what happened with the sprawling, messy, endlessly self-reflexive directorial debut from the screenwriter of “Adaptation.” and “Being John Malkovich.” With the flawless Philip Seymour Hoffman as his alter ego, Kaufman ponders the insanity of the creative process. And more. So much more.
Honorable mentions: “Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father,” “The Class,” “The Counterfeiters,” “George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead,” “Iron Man,” “Religulous,” “Wendy and Lucy,” “Tell No One,” “The Reader,” “Last Chance Harvey”
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Matt's best movies of 2008
See Metromix movie critic Matt Pais' 10 best of 2008.
Geoff's worst movies of 2008
See Metromix movie critic Geoff Berkshire's 10 worst of 2008.
Matt's worst movies of 2008
See Metromix movie critic Matt Pais' 10 worst of 2008.
