I spent a lot of my holiday break within the walls of movie theaters. It’s annual thing for people like me. I always stretch myself to see every movie that I think might end up being in my top ten list at the end of the year. Personally, I found 2008′s crop of films to be curious. I definitely saw several films that I liked this year, I even saw quite a few that I really, really liked, but at the end of the day, when I look at that list of films, I have no favorite. It’s strange. Usually I at least have a few of films that I either personally loved a lot or that I found to be significant in terms of what they accomplished for the medium. I just don’t have that this year. When I think about the films I enjoyed this year, each of them has some flaw or some element missing that’s keeping from responding strongly to it. I will say, this does make it significantly easier to endure the awards season. The Golden Globes, for example, were a lot of fun and mostly stress-free without my really have a dog in the race.
Because I feel sort of ambivalent about placing my top films of the year in any kind of order this year, I’ve instead decided to collect the films that left me with something to say. I was aiming for ten, but came up with eleven. There are still a handful of films that I still intend to see but haven’t gotten the chance yet, it’s possible that they’ll find their way on this list, who knows. For recording purposes, they are: Changeling, Che, The Class, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Synecdoche New York, Valkyrie, Waltz with Bashir, W., The Wackness, and Wendy and Lucy.
These are the films I saw this year that left me thinking long after leaving the theater.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I’ve been surprised at the lack of love this film has gotten from most critics. I don’t know what others were expecting, but I found the film to be touching and profound. I certainly believe that this movie plays better to those that are older. I don’t think I would have appreciated Benjamin Button as much as even five years ago as I do now. David Fincher has done a really amazing job visually and it really shows how far he’s come as a director. There are just so many stunning images. I also found the performances from Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson and Tilda Swinton to be wonderful. If there is any weak point in the film it’s that the character of Benjamin Button is not very strongly defined. He’s sort of the eye of the hurricane. The story seems to happen around him much more than him doing things to put it in motion. All the same, I found the film to present a profound look at what it means to get older and the cyclicality of the aging process.
The Dark Knight
I know, it’s not particularly original to talk about how incredibly awesome The Dark Knight was. Most of the country went to see this movie in the theaters, several probably went more than once. It was a great movie event to go to the midnight showing with fellow moviegoers dressed up in Joker costumes and it’s no small feat that a movie that was highly anticipated lived up to all the hype. This was easily one of the best scripted and acted comic book films ever and hopefully it will open up new possibilities for future superhero films. There seems to be near universal agreement that Heath Ledger’s performance in this film is incredible. Sadly, the spectacle surrounding his last fully completed role has caused attention to be shifted from the other amazing performance in the film, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. I’ve been a fan of Eckhart since his Neil LaBute days, but he really knocks this role out of the park. It’s a shame that we only got to spend one film with these incredible talents in these outstanding roles, but at least this one film was so damn good.
Doubt
John Patrick Shanley adapting his Pulitzer prize winning play with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. That’s really about all it takes to get my butt in the theater. I could probably write an entire essay about how incredibly phenomenal the final confrontation scene between Streep and Hoffman is. You really don’t get better than these two and the way the spar with each other is truly something to behold. Adams and Viola Davis hold their own, as well. I really love the way that Doubt plays with gender dynamics while having a predominantly female cast. It’s hard to find female-filled films that aren’t a bunch of girls sitting around talking about boys. I always love films like this that are really pared down in a way that allows the acting and the writing to really shine. There are really only a few scenes in the movie and they largely involve some combination of the main four actors. It really is something special and I especially recommend it to any recovered Catholics out there.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
As a fan of Veronica Mars, Freaks & Geeks and How I Met Your Mother, I had really been looking forward to this film. I was anxious to see Jason Segel get a shot at the leading man role and to see what kind of writing chops the guy had. I was also giddy for Kristen Bell to have a not sucky film role (*cough* Pulse *cough*). When I saw Sarah Marshall in the theater I enjoyed it but wasn’t bowled over. It wasn’t until I bought the DVD and had the anxious desire to show it to a few family members that began to realize how special this film is. The film is loaded with laughs, most of them provided by the fantastically and deliciously over the top Russell Brand, as well as Apatow staples like Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill. The original songs written for Brand and Segel’s characters are clever (if you don’t love or get the Dracula musical, this really just isn’t your movie). “Dracula’s Lament” is actually eligible for the Best Original Song Oscar and while I don’t expect it to be nominated, I’m still crossing my fingers. What really sets FSM apart, though, is its ability to challenge your expectations. This is not the Apatow bromance movie we’ve come to expect. It has real adult things to say about the pain we feel and the lessons we learn from failed relationships. While the character of Sarah Marshall is, ostensibly, the villain of the piece, Segel doesn’t make it that simple for himself or for his audience. At it’s heart, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is film about learning when it’s time to grow up.
Also, a brief DVD-related note: If you enjoyed this movie and you’re thinking of buying it, I implore you to buy the 3-disc edition. This DVD has some of the most entertaining extra footage of any of the discs in my library (and yes, my library is big). I still haven’t gotten around to checking out the commentary track, but the deleted scenes, featurettes and gag reels are definitely worth the extra dough.
Gran Torino
I really was not that interested in seeing this movie because I found the trailer so very uninteresting. Beyond the totally over the top “get off my lawn” line, it was mostly a bunch of Eastwood either pointing his gun at some young hooligans or pointing his finger like a gun at some young hooligans. However, due to my faith in Eastwood and some good press that the film was getting I decided to squeeze it into one of my film excursion days and I’m so glad I did. It’s by no means a perfect film. I actually found Eastwood’s acting in the first 20-30 minutes of the film to be ridiculously ham-handed and overdone and some of the Asian actors aren’t fantastic either. Still, I did really enjoy watching the arc this character took and I also really loved how the film takes time to teach the audience, while teaching Eastwood’s character, about the Hmong culture. So yeah, I friggin’ hate the trailer, none of what’s good about the film is in the trailer, if you thought the trailer looked lame, think about catching the flick, because it really is better than that.
In Bruges
Having seen Colin Farrel’s breakout performance in Tigerland, it’s been really sad to watch him catch one mediocre role after another. In Bruges definitely doesn’t fall into that category. Martin McDonagh wrote a wonderfully funny and dark script and did a fantastic job bringing it to the screen. Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes work amazingly together and totally knock it out of the park. Gleeson, in particular, is a favorite of mine and someone I always love seeing, brings a tremendous amount of heart to a story about a bunch of hitmen. This one really seemed to slip by a lot of people and if you’re one of the ones that I missed it, I really encourage you to pick it up. It’s a really good time.
Let the Right One In
In a year where vampires came back in fashion big time, the little foreign film proved that you can do something new and interesting with a really tired genre. One of the really great things to watch for in this film is the use of visual effects. Whether it’s due to a low budget or that the film industry of Sweden doesn’t have as big a hard on for effects the way the U.S. does, the effects shots are done in such a minimalist and subtle way that I found so refreshing. It’s already been announced that there will be an American remake of Let the Right One In and there are many things I’m worried they’ll screw up in the transfer, but I feel pretty confident that preserving the minimalist effects will likely be the first error that’s made.
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day
I’ve been terribly disappointed at how ignored this film has been, not only in the recent awards season, but just in general. I’m sure the spring release date didn’t help, as so few movies release in that time every get remembered late in the year. I found this film to be one of the best paced and cut films I’ve seen in a long while. The film moves along quickly, much like Amy Adams’s character and we the audience, like Frances McDormand’s character are dragged along for the ride. There was never an opportunity for me to be bored, as there’s constantly something worth watching put before you. McDormand and Adams are both spectacular, but the performance I could not resist was Lee Pace as Adams’s penniless, but dashing suitor. Pace does smoldering exceptionally. I’ve enjoyed him in everything I’ve seen him in from Wonderfalls to The Fall to Pushing Daisies, but in Miss Pettigrew he truly proves his weight as a leading man. I only hope casting directors in Hollywood take notice, especially now that the poor guy has lost his day job.
Revolutionary Road
Like Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road is a film that has not gotten a whole lot of praise this year. In fact, I’ve heard a few people label it as downright terrible. I found the film to be incredibly moving. I saw this movie on a Friday night and the next Monday I was sitting at work, noticing that I was still thinking about the tragedy of the Wheelers, specifically April. I credit a lot of my connection to this film to Winslet’s performance. She really throws herself into this role and I was incredibly moved by what she brought to it. It’s not comfortable movie to watch, but I cannot deny how strongly it affected me.
Slumdog Millionaire
This year’s little indie movie that could, it’s impossible to deny the power of this charming little film. Danny Boyle has done a masterful job in putting this movie together and the young cast is spectacular. While there are a number of very bleak moments in the film, you can’t help but leave the theater with a spring in your step. I’m anxious to see what the young Dev Patel will get to do after this, it certainly seems like he’s written his ticket to whatever he wants to do next. Here’s hoping.
WALL-E
Pretty much everything that could possibly be said about WALL-E has been said by people much smarter and more eloquent than I. All I know is that I was filled with overwhelming joy and an instant connection to that charming little robot from start to finish. I know some people don’t love what they perceive to be a heavy-handed environmental message and some can’t get passed the second half of the film’s inferiority to the silent first half. I say “piffle” to both of those. I am in love with WALL-E the robot and it’s that beginning part of the romance where I can see none of his flaws. 
Honorable Mentions:
Appaloosa, Bolt, Happy-Go-Lucky, Rachel Getting Married, Tropic Thunder, The Visitor, The Wrestler
This one is pretty transparent. Not to minimize some of the other nominees (well, actually, I will be doing that with at least two of them), but this is one man’s Oscar to lose. 
