One of my first posts after I started this blog several months ago was my top albums of 2008. (My own) top whatever lists tend to annoy me (I enjoy those of others) because my perceptions change frequently and when I go back and meditate more upon them I tend to tweak the lists mentally while fighting the urge to go back and make amendments to them. Or I just later generally disagree with them and wonder what the hell I was thinking.
The top ten albums list was kind of easy for me to do because I work in a record store and music is a bit more available to me. Besides, its a lot easier to take in or absorb an album than it is a 2 hour movie. Also, I pretty much had my top albums picked out as I wrote that list up. With my top ten movies for 2008 I'd only seen 8 of the 10 by years end and had to think on it a bit more.
With this list I'll admit that most of the movies on it aren't exactly timeless classics. Hell, I only see maybe 3 or 4 of them standing the supposed test of time. But then again, 2008 didn't offer a hell of a lot in the arena of movies. The more I look at this list, the more I see some thrown-together, last minute-produced obligatory document on my part about the cultural offerings of a lackluster year. But still, it could be worse--we could be talking about 2009.
The top ten albums list was kind of easy for me to do because I work in a record store and music is a bit more available to me. Besides, its a lot easier to take in or absorb an album than it is a 2 hour movie. Also, I pretty much had my top albums picked out as I wrote that list up. With my top ten movies for 2008 I'd only seen 8 of the 10 by years end and had to think on it a bit more.
With this list I'll admit that most of the movies on it aren't exactly timeless classics. Hell, I only see maybe 3 or 4 of them standing the supposed test of time. But then again, 2008 didn't offer a hell of a lot in the arena of movies. The more I look at this list, the more I see some thrown-together, last minute-produced obligatory document on my part about the cultural offerings of a lackluster year. But still, it could be worse--we could be talking about 2009.
10) Pineapple Express
Well befo
re this stoner action comedy came out I was fighting off a fierce case of Seth Rogen fatigue. In a stoke of genius he played the generally straight (well, as straight as a dope smoking summons server can be) character and the generally pretty boy James Franco went against type as Rogen's pot dealer in what will be a famous case of casting irony. (Okay, it was their collective idea to switch roles, but still...) Pineapple Express was hysterical and was generally lacking in dull and/or weak moments. Admittedly, this movie wasn't a cinematic masterpiece. It had a lot of funny moments and allowed me to unplug for a couple hours. And it had the line, "She is really proud of me, and I'm gonna become something, man! As soon as she dies, I'm gonna become a civil engineer. I'm gonna design septic tanks for playgrounds. Little kids can take shits! You idiot, what the hell do you do?"9) In Bruges
Granted,
In Bruges looked like some half-assed attempt at a Guy Ritchie movie with two hitmen hiding out in Belgium at the behest of their dickish boss. But while that element of the story was indeed entertaining with Ralph Fiennes stealing the show, there were so many other things going on. Like attempted suicides and little kids dying. In Bruges is a near perfect blend of black comedy and drama that keeps going to darker and darker places while Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson give great performances.
In Bruges looked like some half-assed attempt at a Guy Ritchie movie with two hitmen hiding out in Belgium at the behest of their dickish boss. But while that element of the story was indeed entertaining with Ralph Fiennes stealing the show, there were so many other things going on. Like attempted suicides and little kids dying. In Bruges is a near perfect blend of black comedy and drama that keeps going to darker and darker places while Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson give great performances. 8) Iron Man
Admittedly
, I'm really starting to burn out on comic book movies. But seeing the classically smart-assed Robert Downey, Jr. play Tony Stark was enough to get my ass in the seat. On opening weekend, no less. Jon Favreau stuck to the Iron Man legend pretty well while still managing to base the story in some level of reality and Downey's performance killed. The action was great and I didn't even mind Gwyneth Paltrow even if Jeff Bridges will forever be The Dude to me and I had some trouble buying his performance. The Avengers setup after the credits left me wanting more and overall Iron Man was much better than I expected it to be. Not quite Spider-Man but it beat the living hell out of Daredevil.
, I'm really starting to burn out on comic book movies. But seeing the classically smart-assed Robert Downey, Jr. play Tony Stark was enough to get my ass in the seat. On opening weekend, no less. Jon Favreau stuck to the Iron Man legend pretty well while still managing to base the story in some level of reality and Downey's performance killed. The action was great and I didn't even mind Gwyneth Paltrow even if Jeff Bridges will forever be The Dude to me and I had some trouble buying his performance. The Avengers setup after the credits left me wanting more and overall Iron Man was much better than I expected it to be. Not quite Spider-Man but it beat the living hell out of Daredevil. 7) The Incredible Hulk
I'm one of
about 3 dozen confirmed people on the planet who didn't mind and dare I say liked Ang Lee's 2003 version, simply titled Hulk. It was an incredibly beautiful and lyrical film, but unfortunately too cerebral for its own good. The last 20 minutes didn't help, either. When I heard that a follow up that was neither reboot nor sequel was being done by the director of Transporter 2 I kind of cringed. But Edward Norton as Bruce Banner more than made up for it. Combining all kinds of comic book elements and skillfully starting the story without having to set it up for the better part of an hour (they managed to do it all in the opening credits), The Incredible Hulk managed to get right into it. The acting was great (even from Liv Tyler!) and the action better. And best of all, The Incredible Hulk ended the way that Hulk should've ended--with a big, nasty fight between two monsters in a heavily-populated area. The second Avengers setup at the end doesn't hurt either.
6) Synechdote, New York
If you wa
nt to get the gist of the brilliant Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut Synechdote, New York there's very little you need to do. Just imagine David Lynch, today, going in a time machine and visiting Woody Allen in the mid to late 1970s. After a heartfelt plea, the threat of violence or a damn fine argument, Lynch convinces Allen to come back to the year 2008 to make a movie with him. And Synechdote, New York is what you'd likely end up with. Synechdote mixes Kaufman's signature oddball randomness (the movie takes place over nearly 2 decades in which a stage director makes a full-scale set of New York) with some of the most heartbreaking storytelling I've ever witnessed. There are parts of this movie that make the end of Old Yeller look like an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. The death bed scene being a prime example where extreme sadness is laced with some of the funniest shit I've ever heard. In German subtitles, no less! You'll probably feel like you're losing your mind by the end of the two hours but its not a bad place to be...
about 3 dozen confirmed people on the planet who didn't mind and dare I say liked Ang Lee's 2003 version, simply titled Hulk. It was an incredibly beautiful and lyrical film, but unfortunately too cerebral for its own good. The last 20 minutes didn't help, either. When I heard that a follow up that was neither reboot nor sequel was being done by the director of Transporter 2 I kind of cringed. But Edward Norton as Bruce Banner more than made up for it. Combining all kinds of comic book elements and skillfully starting the story without having to set it up for the better part of an hour (they managed to do it all in the opening credits), The Incredible Hulk managed to get right into it. The acting was great (even from Liv Tyler!) and the action better. And best of all, The Incredible Hulk ended the way that Hulk should've ended--with a big, nasty fight between two monsters in a heavily-populated area. The second Avengers setup at the end doesn't hurt either.6) Synechdote, New York
If you wa
nt to get the gist of the brilliant Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut Synechdote, New York there's very little you need to do. Just imagine David Lynch, today, going in a time machine and visiting Woody Allen in the mid to late 1970s. After a heartfelt plea, the threat of violence or a damn fine argument, Lynch convinces Allen to come back to the year 2008 to make a movie with him. And Synechdote, New York is what you'd likely end up with. Synechdote mixes Kaufman's signature oddball randomness (the movie takes place over nearly 2 decades in which a stage director makes a full-scale set of New York) with some of the most heartbreaking storytelling I've ever witnessed. There are parts of this movie that make the end of Old Yeller look like an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. The death bed scene being a prime example where extreme sadness is laced with some of the funniest shit I've ever heard. In German subtitles, no less! You'll probably feel like you're losing your mind by the end of the two hours but its not a bad place to be...5) Step Brothers
Will Farrel
l to me is two things. He's first a black-belt comic genius but he's also as inconsistent as an alcoholic father of the year. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy was hysterical, Bewitched was a complete and total mistake. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was hilarious, Kicking and Screaming demanded a public apology on Farrell's part. I know I'm generalizing here and I'm also aware that Farrell's got a bit more to his credit, but to make my point I bring up Anchorman and Talladega Nights because they were directed by Adam McKay who also directed Step Brothers. See a pattern forming here? A Farrell/McKay collaboration has yet to fail and Step Brothers kept up that fine tradition but throwing John C. Reilly into the mix makes anything they're involved with infallable. Step Brothers is the story of 2 fortysomething... losers whose single parents marriage jump starts a priceless competition between the two. The sleepwalking scenes, the fancy sauce, the job interviews and pretty much everything else in this movie is comic gold.
l to me is two things. He's first a black-belt comic genius but he's also as inconsistent as an alcoholic father of the year. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy was hysterical, Bewitched was a complete and total mistake. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was hilarious, Kicking and Screaming demanded a public apology on Farrell's part. I know I'm generalizing here and I'm also aware that Farrell's got a bit more to his credit, but to make my point I bring up Anchorman and Talladega Nights because they were directed by Adam McKay who also directed Step Brothers. See a pattern forming here? A Farrell/McKay collaboration has yet to fail and Step Brothers kept up that fine tradition but throwing John C. Reilly into the mix makes anything they're involved with infallable. Step Brothers is the story of 2 fortysomething... losers whose single parents marriage jump starts a priceless competition between the two. The sleepwalking scenes, the fancy sauce, the job interviews and pretty much everything else in this movie is comic gold.4) Quantum of Solace
2006's Ja
mes Bond reboot (hate the term but its very appropriate) Casino Royale was (and still is) easily my favorite Bond movie ever. It cut out the gadgets, the campiness and all the overall nonsense of pretty much every Bond movie before and got down to brass tacks. (Granted, all of that stuff was and still is to an extent entertaining but that new blood transfusion that Casino Royale gave felt so good...) When I walked out of the theater after seeing its official sequel and follow up Quantum of Solace I was overcome with a chilly wave of disappointment. And after a second viewing I can't even say or remember why. Only slightly less bad-ass than Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace was a sacrificial lamb of sorts for the reinvention of the 007 series. It was nearly as vicious as its predecessor but it also extablished Quantum as the new SPECTRE. Sometimes you've got to take a step back before you can take a few steps forward but I think here that step backward was barely noticable.
mes Bond reboot (hate the term but its very appropriate) Casino Royale was (and still is) easily my favorite Bond movie ever. It cut out the gadgets, the campiness and all the overall nonsense of pretty much every Bond movie before and got down to brass tacks. (Granted, all of that stuff was and still is to an extent entertaining but that new blood transfusion that Casino Royale gave felt so good...) When I walked out of the theater after seeing its official sequel and follow up Quantum of Solace I was overcome with a chilly wave of disappointment. And after a second viewing I can't even say or remember why. Only slightly less bad-ass than Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace was a sacrificial lamb of sorts for the reinvention of the 007 series. It was nearly as vicious as its predecessor but it also extablished Quantum as the new SPECTRE. Sometimes you've got to take a step back before you can take a few steps forward but I think here that step backward was barely noticable.3) Burn After Reading
After clea
ning house at the Oscars for No Country For Old Men earlier in the year, the Coen Brothers managed to put behind the unfortunateness by which they were plagued throughout this decade. (The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers) But it was Burn After Reading that proved that the Coens comeback wasn't a short-lived flash in the pan. With an impressive cast of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and the ever charming Tilda Swinton among others, the Coens offered a tapestry of idiots and a slew of pant-pissing moments that demanded a second viewing from Burn After Reading. Because you were likely to be laughing through the following scene and oftentimes missed out on what was happening. Especially when Clooney's character unveiled his... uh, contraption to a pie-eyed McDormand.
ning house at the Oscars for No Country For Old Men earlier in the year, the Coen Brothers managed to put behind the unfortunateness by which they were plagued throughout this decade. (The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers) But it was Burn After Reading that proved that the Coens comeback wasn't a short-lived flash in the pan. With an impressive cast of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and the ever charming Tilda Swinton among others, the Coens offered a tapestry of idiots and a slew of pant-pissing moments that demanded a second viewing from Burn After Reading. Because you were likely to be laughing through the following scene and oftentimes missed out on what was happening. Especially when Clooney's character unveiled his... uh, contraption to a pie-eyed McDormand.2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I've gush
ed in a previous posting about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. David Fincher's masterful direction, a brilliant script, impeccable performances and pretty much every aspect of exquisite filmmaking all vie for the spotlight. What happens instead is they all lovingly work together to create an epic tale of a man born elderly who ages backwards through the 20th century. For all of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's genius it also has the ability to break your heart, make you thank it for doing so and make you a better person for it. At the risk of sounding like a pretentious Hollywood film industry schmuck who believes everything they say, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is what filmmaking is all about. So much to the point where you don't mind being reminded of how Brad Pitt keeps getting better looking.
ed in a previous posting about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. David Fincher's masterful direction, a brilliant script, impeccable performances and pretty much every aspect of exquisite filmmaking all vie for the spotlight. What happens instead is they all lovingly work together to create an epic tale of a man born elderly who ages backwards through the 20th century. For all of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's genius it also has the ability to break your heart, make you thank it for doing so and make you a better person for it. At the risk of sounding like a pretentious Hollywood film industry schmuck who believes everything they say, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is what filmmaking is all about. So much to the point where you don't mind being reminded of how Brad Pitt keeps getting better looking.1) The Dark Knight
I'm incre
dibly tempted to write the word duh and leave it at that, but doing so would be entirely too easy. A movie as exceptional as The Dark Knight deserves far more of an explanation. There are many reasons as to why this movie is deserving of this less than prestigious spot at the top of my movies of 2008 list (aside from it being a Batman movie.) Could it be that with a little tinkering The Dark Knight could've been a great movie without having anything to do with Batman and his villains? How about Heath Ledger's exceptionally frightening and Oscar-winning turn as The Joker? Christopher Nolan's grimly appropriate direction? The fact that The Dark Knight being a sequel surpassed its forerunner Batman Begins in practically every way? Forget the fact that The Dark Knight is a great comic book movie, it's great movie period. And at risk of sounding like an elitist fanboy turd, it is official--anyone who didn't like or can't appreciate this movie is completely retarded. And you can quote me on that. I insist you quote me on that...
*Honorable Mention: The Spirit
Pillar of t
he comic book community Frank Miller found his directorial sea legs when he co-directed the screen adaptation of his Sin City graphic novels with Robert Rodriguez in 2005. Miller eventually captained his own ship he took on the big screen adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit. And if you've ever read one of Miller's graphic novels, comic books, what have you, then saw his adaptation of The Spirit you'll know that all Miller really did was make another comic book. Instead of a flat page, pencils, inks and occasionally colors he used actors, cameras, occasional colors and every trick he could pick up from Rodriguez. Admittedly, The Spirit does look a lot like Sin City but I like to think of it more as Sin City's caffeinated little brother with less impulse control. Not the greatest movie, but one worth mentioning...
dibly tempted to write the word duh and leave it at that, but doing so would be entirely too easy. A movie as exceptional as The Dark Knight deserves far more of an explanation. There are many reasons as to why this movie is deserving of this less than prestigious spot at the top of my movies of 2008 list (aside from it being a Batman movie.) Could it be that with a little tinkering The Dark Knight could've been a great movie without having anything to do with Batman and his villains? How about Heath Ledger's exceptionally frightening and Oscar-winning turn as The Joker? Christopher Nolan's grimly appropriate direction? The fact that The Dark Knight being a sequel surpassed its forerunner Batman Begins in practically every way? Forget the fact that The Dark Knight is a great comic book movie, it's great movie period. And at risk of sounding like an elitist fanboy turd, it is official--anyone who didn't like or can't appreciate this movie is completely retarded. And you can quote me on that. I insist you quote me on that...*Honorable Mention: The Spirit
Pillar of t
he comic book community Frank Miller found his directorial sea legs when he co-directed the screen adaptation of his Sin City graphic novels with Robert Rodriguez in 2005. Miller eventually captained his own ship he took on the big screen adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit. And if you've ever read one of Miller's graphic novels, comic books, what have you, then saw his adaptation of The Spirit you'll know that all Miller really did was make another comic book. Instead of a flat page, pencils, inks and occasionally colors he used actors, cameras, occasional colors and every trick he could pick up from Rodriguez. Admittedly, The Spirit does look a lot like Sin City but I like to think of it more as Sin City's caffeinated little brother with less impulse control. Not the greatest movie, but one worth mentioning... 
I still haven't seen Quantum of Solace... wtf is wrong with me???
ReplyDeleteI'll never ever ever forget Will Farrel tea bagging that drum kit. NEVER. Right along with the snapshot of The Snuggler getting a mouth feel by a slot-machine granny.