The Best Films of 2008
First of all, happy new year!
With that out of the way, allow me to deviate from my usual movie review and get right to my Best/Worst Movies of 2008...unfortunately, the movie I saw at the theater today doesn't really fall into either category, so I'll either save my opinions on that for tomorrow or tack it on to the end of this topic. I'm also still not sure whether to present my lists in no particular order or to rank them...I'm usually wary of ranking because I don't feel that equally great movies should be pitted against one another. That is to say, if I love Movie A, a comedy, and Movie B, a drama, it's not really an apples to apples comparison. This is partially why I have issues with the concept of a "Best Picture." But I also feel that ranking makes for a more entertaining list...so I'll do the best I can.
As always, this list is based solely on my opinions and doesn't reflect any work-related influences. Also, I freely admit to not having seen every movie from 2008, but I suspect that that fact would affect my Worst list rather than my Best. I guess that basically disqualifies all movies that I haven't yet seen from 2008, but unless something like Seven Pounds or Yes Man somehow rock my world, I think it'll be okay. Along those same lines, I purposefully avoided some movies that got awful reviews and looked terrible, so my Worst list will be missing such likely-terrible gems like Disaster Movie, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, etc. Their absence doesn't mean they're not awful, it just means that they weren't even worth seeing.
I'll begin with the best....
10 BEST MOVIES OF 2008
10. GHOST TOWN
Yes, this is the Ricky Gervais/Greg Kinnear/Tea Leoni romantic comedy that came and went in September. I haven't mentioned this movie before because I just saw it this evening, and while my reaction to it may be due to solitude-induced insanity or just the initial high of seeing a fun movie, I'm including it on my list because it's absolutely worth seeing and is a genuinely touching and funny movie. It's a slight movie, in its way, and I'm not surprised that no one really went to see it in theaters...the trailer made it look like a cross between that 1993 Robert Downey Jr. movie Heart and Souls and Ghost Dad. But writer/director David Koepp (of Jurassic Park/Spider-Man writing fame) somehow sidesteps a lot of romantic comedy and wacky ghost comedy pitfalls to actually say something about shutting one's self off from the world. Maybe if I had seen this movie at a different time in my life, it would have been "cute," but as it stands, the movie got to me.
Plus, it's funny. This is Ricky Gervais' first starring role in a Hollywood movie and he really makes the most of it. Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni are also warm and endearing, which doesn't always happen for them (see Dear God and Spanglish, respectively). I made a list of all the movies from 2008 that would possibly merit being in my top ten (see below for more on that), and even when I had to eliminate six to get to 10, I kept Ghost Town. Is it better than the six movies I eliminated (again, see below)? I think so...and I recommend renting it.
9. STEP BROTHERS
You know, I had initially pegged You Don't Mess With The Zohan as my favorite comedy of the summer. But upon rewatching Zohan, I found that, while its first twenty minutes are still amazingly funny, the middle hour or so of the movie really drags, and the best parts of the finale are "Rabbi Towelhead" and John Turturro kickboxing fire. Other than that, the movie didn't hold up (who would have thought?).
But in rewatching Step Brothers, I still found it to be goofy, ridiculous, fucked up fun. Yes, Will Ferrell does his "I am speaking words loudly" routine, and yes, I can absolutely see how some people could hate this movie (if this were a drama, I would probably hate the characters and the movie). But somehow, the movie works. It's just really funny. It seems like solid laugh-out-loud comedies are harder to find these days, partially thanks to some people behind this movie. Step Brothers filled a much-needed spot in today's movie landscape and did so successfully. I actually tend to be lukewarm about Will Ferrell's movies (Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Old School), but I still like Ferrell as an actor, so I was glad to finally wholly embrace one of his movies. Step Brothers isn't for everyone, but it's totally for me.
8. ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO
I doubt that Kevin Smith's smutty story about falling in love while making porn will make it onto anyone else's Top 10 list for the year (except maybe Smith's). I also know it sounds like I'm apologizing for all of my choices so far and/or that all of my choices so far have been lightweight or stupid comedies. I would say something to justify it, like "this year, we needed laughter," or some such shit, but the bottom line is that Ghost Town and Zack and Miri made me laugh and they made me tear up a little bit (Step Brothers...not so much with the tearing up). That's a hell of a lot more than I can say for Revolutionary Road or Valkyrie.
It's also a fair criticism to say that Zack and Miri, as a film, is uneven. It's even fair to say that Kevin Smith has nothing more to discuss beyond the mating habits of suburban twenty-somethings. But the fact that Zack and Miri overcomes its issues and its creator's limitations to become something genuinely sweet and satisfying speaks to the quality of the movie as a whole. Perhaps I was also influenced by the overall nostalgia of the piece: the characters attend their ten year high school reunion (Class of 1998...oh God...), and instead of the songs that usually get played during high school reunion scenes in movies (ie: songs from the 60s and 70s), they were playing songs from when I was in high school (Steal My Sunshine, anyone?). Like with Ghost Town, Zack and Miri is, on the surface, just a comedy, but it somehow hit me just right.
7. MILK
Finally, a real movie on my list. I discussed Milk recently, so I won't go on and on about it again, but the bottom line is that it's a movie that goes beyond the basic biopic retelling of a person's experiences and breathes life into its characters. Although the film is very timely (what with the defeat of Proposition 6 in the movie and the passing of Proposition 8 in the recent election), its story is timeless: equal rights for everyone. It's a charismatic film about a charismatic person and is inspirational without being preachy. As a movie, it's solid entertainment, but as a message, it's even better.
6. AMERICAN TEEN
I still have issues with how the movie was made (the movie is more The Hills in its approach to documentary filmmaking than, say, Paradise Lost or Woodstock), but divorced from that context, American Teen is a harrowing and amazing experience. As I may have said when I discussed it initially, it's probably as close to going back to high school as one is going (or would want) to get. As trite as it may sound, American Teen is a true cinematic roller coaster ride, speeding through emotions: happy, sad, afraid, angry, horny, confused, defiant (those may not all be emotions, but whatever). I'm surprised that it didn't get more attention when it was in theaters, but I suspect it will have a long life of being discovered over and over again, with each explorer claiming it as their own experience.
However, let me just take this aside to chide Paramount Vantage for a) the way they're handling the DVD release, and b) the absolute lack of quality special features. First, the DVD came out a week or two ago, but only at Target. Not Amazon, not Best Buy...only at Target. What's that about? Putting on my studio cap for a moment, I know firsthand of the retailer-exclusives that often take place, but not usually with the movie itself...usually it's a keychain or some exclusive content, but rarely is the movie itself only available at one store. Lame! And then the special features are anemic: a few interviews with the cast. That's about it. What the hell? If there was a movie that really deserved an incisive commentary with the filmmakers and/or the cast, it's American Teen. How much was staged? How did they get permission to do all of this? How did the kids feel about it? And they shot for a year...only six deleted scenes?! Blah....
And here's where it gets tricky...I finally ranked the remaining 5 movies, but please note that, in reality, all 5 are basically on par with one another. I mean, I ranked them as best I could and stand by my rankings, but I don't think you could take the next five movies and call it an apples to apples comparison at all. So I did the best I could...here goes....
5. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
To paraphrase one of the reviews I read, who would have ever thought Who Wants To Be A Millionaire would ever be poignant? Frankly, that aspect of the movie was one of the reasons why I avoided it for so long: how could a movie based around an outdated game show ever be moving or touching? That's like making a movie called Feud! about two families who recall their intertwining lives as they battle it out on Family Feud.
But Slumdog Millionaire, like its protagonist, overcomes its limitations and preconcieved notions to be...well, winning. It's a surprisingly dark movie...I didn't expect the obstacles to be quite so brutal or upsetting. But in its Dickensian way, Slumdog Millionaire knows that it's always darkest before the dawn, and ultimately, the dawn in this movie is bright and wonderful indeed. I'm not always a fan of director Danny Boyle (loved Trainspotting, disliked A Life Less Ordinary, really liked 28 Days Later, shrugged at Sunshine, and seriously disliked Millions), but this time, his hyperactive style meshes with the bustle of India and the chaos of his characters' lives. Truly a buried treasure of 2008 that is rapidly being dug up by critics everywhere.
4. THE DARK KNIGHT
Why so serious...and why only number 4? Surely the second highest grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation) that also happens to be an excellent movie deserves a little more respect? Well, it beat Zack and Miri Make A Porno...that's certainly something. But really, had I made this list in August, The Dark Knight would have been number one with a bullet. A stunning crime epic, an inspired superhero story, a reflection of the dark times in which we currently live...The Dark Knight has it all. It was incredibly refreshing to have a movie itself live up to (and even exceed) the months of hype. Make no mistake: The Dark Knight is a great movie.
In fact, it's so great, that I don't even need to go on and on about why it's amazing...instead, let me explain why it's not number one. In rewatching it on Blu-ray recently, I couldn't help but be struck by the movie's imperfections: Christian Bale's shitty Batman voice, the sonar concept and execution, the movie's length and basically unnecessary Hong Kong "rescue," the fact that we don't see how the Joker leaves Bruce Wayne's party after Batman saves Rachel from falling, the continued misuse of the Scarecrow, the fact that Two Face really deserves his own movie...etc.
It doesn't seem fair that I would use this list to celebrate all the other nine Best films and complain about only The Dark Knight. But much like Batman himself, I do it because the movie can take it. It's a solid, entertaining piece of pop brilliance, and even if I attacked the movie for another five paragraphs, nothing can tear down the fact that the movie works. It works really well.
3. DOUBT
What I meant by calling the movie "lightweight" was that, story-wise, it's hardly there: priest inspires suspicion, nun attacks priest, priest says "nuh uh," nun says "uh huh," they fight, a resolution occurs. The end. It's hardly as plot-heavy as writer/director John Patrick Shanley's last film, Joe vs. The Volcano. But the movie's joys are in the writing, the dramatic interplay between the fully-defined characters, the acting, the mysterious glances, the tension. There aren't enough films today that establish real characters with real personalities and then set them against one another in dramatic ways. There are plenty of films that purport to do just that (see: Frost/Nixon), but in Doubt, you don't just get sparks, you get fireworks. And even better, it's a film that has no pat, easy ending, but it doesn't feel cheap or cheesy...the debates you have about the movie are just an extension of the overall experience.
2. WALL-E
I think the only real reason that Wall-E isn't number one on my list is because it would be a predictable choice. Like I said before, you could practically mix up my top five in any order and it would be accurate. But I would still suggest placing Wall-E near the top. It's hardly surprising to see a great film come out of Pixar, but the truly amazing thing is how forcefully Pixar tried to ruin their streak with Wall-E. No real dialogue for the first half hour or so, a cockroach as a friend for the main character, using live action actors and movie footage throughout, using tons of quiet moments in a "kids film" (kids hate quiet...trust me, I saw The Incredibles with a theater full of kids...never again), showing humans as fat, lazy babies, and using a rusty, sharp-edged robot as a main character. Toy Story this was not.
And yet, it all works brilliantly. Maybe I'm just a sap for good love stories (see: Ghost Town, Slumdog Millionaire, Zack and Miri Make A Porno), but by the end of Wall-E, I'll admit to welling up a bit. But beyond the love story, it's just a fun, insightful and sweet tale about a naive robot, told by master storytellers. I don't know if I would have placed Wall-E at number two right after I first saw it, but after rewatching it at home, I went from falling in "like a lot" with it to falling in love.
1. SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
A friend of mine recently pointed out that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Synecdoche, New York are pretty similar films: both deal with life, death, and everything in between. But unlike the simplistic and hollow Benjamin Button, Synecdoche, New York is a messy, confusing, scary, sad, funny, fascinating, boring, ugly, beautiful film...yes, just like life itself. It doesn't have the beauty or heartbreak of writer Charlie Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and it doesn't have the humor of his Adaptation. But working from his own screenplay and making his feature directorial debut, Kaufman aims his unique vision at life and the fear of death and somehow comes away with a haunting, wonderful film...that no one saw.
Make no mistake about it: Synecdoche, New York is a pretentious film. And by naming it my number one film of the year, I'm being pretty pretentious myself (though come on...Step Brothers!). It's also not a film for everyone...it's more Mulholland Drive or Lost Highway than Being John Malkovich or Human Nature. And like Mulholland Drive, I sometimes find that when one of these "dream logic" movies is made by someone who knows what they're doing (ie: David Lynch) and it works, it can often be more incisive than a standard narrative, especially when dealing with broad topics like life, death and love. It's interesting to note that Kaufman has said in interviews that he concieved the movie as a horror movie, but instead of being about psychotic killers or monsters, it was about things that actually scared him: death, failure, loneliness, disease.... Synecdoche, New York is not an easy movie to describe, nor is it simple to describe why I loved it. It's best to just see it for yourself.
Speaking of which, Synecdoche, New York actually happens to be one of my studio's movies (honestly, no favoritism was involved...look at my Worst list for proof of that), and as soon as I saw it, I e-mailed our New Release Marketing department to see if it we could do it on Blu-ray. Happily, we are releasing it on both DVD and Blu-ray, just announced for March 10th (in North America). I only mention it because I would recommend it to anyone who might be reading, but who doesn't live in an area where it's playing. (Also, as a side note, if you're at CES this year, come by our booth if you want to see the trailer...even though no one had heard of the movie, I put the trailer on as many content reels as I could.)
MOVIES THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE TOP 10, BUT WERE PART OF THE ORIGINAL LIST OF "BEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR"
Definitely, Maybe
Iron Man
Redbelt
Kung Fu Panda
Man on Wire
The Wrestler
Like I said above, when I went through the list of movies that came out in 2008, I selected all the movies that I felt would be on my Best list, then whittled it down to 10. These six movies were the victims of that whittling, but frankly, I don't feel too bad about it. These six movies were definitely good, but I wouldn't put them in a top 10. And I have to say with regards to Iron Man: like with Dark Knight above, in re-watching it at home, its flaws were magnified, only unlike with Dark Knight, I don't think Iron Man stands up to too much scrutiny. It's a fun movie, yes, but it's still kind of Batman Begins/Spider-Man 1-ish. I think that it sets the stage for an awesome sequel, but still suffers from being an origin story. It's good and all and I'm glad it's getting a sequel, but it's hardly Top 10 fodder.
Okay...this is getting a bit lengthy. Maybe I'll do the Worst list tomorrow...but for now, I'll just throw this out there before retiring for the night:
MOVIES I STILL WANT TO SEE FROM 2008
Cassandra's Dream
U2 3D
In Bruges
Stop-Loss
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Henry Poole Is Here
Appaloosa
Miracle At St. Anna
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Rachel Getting Married
Religulous
What Just Happened
Changeling
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Che
Seven Pounds
Yes Man
Waltz With Bashir
Also, I saw Gran Torino today...it was all right. As I may have said before, there have been some instances in which I've underestimated Clint Eastwood before, and ended up absolutely loving the movies in question...specifically Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima. But then, there have also been times when his movies have been painfully average, dull, or just bad...specifically Space Cowboys, Absolute Power, Sudden Impact, Flags of our Fathers...etc. Gran Torino falls in between those two categories: it's certainly not up there with Unforgiven, but it's not as wretched as Sudden Impact. It's okay...more good than bad, certainly, and Eastwood once again acquits himself as an actor and director. It's a solid rental, maybe, or worth a trip to the theater if you've already seen Doubt, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire this holiday season.
