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Top 8 Movies of 2008
Thinking back over last year (feels so good to call 2008 last year), it wasn’t one of the greatest movie years in recent memory. Of course, it had a lot to live up to, with 2007 bringing us such gems as “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood.”
At least that’s my excuse in only being able to come up with eight movies for my year-end list. It didn’t help that I missed out on some movies about which I have read and heard really good things. So, before I give my Top 8, I will confess I did not see the following movies, which very well may have made the list. (“Happy-Go-Lucky,” “Wendy and Lucy,” “Frozen River,” “Waltz with Bashir,” “Rachel Getting Married,” “Doubt,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “In Bruges.”) I’m sure I’ll get to them soon, and I resolve (among several other things) to get to more movies this year.
1. “Slumdog Millionaire” - A breathtaking, unapologetic tear-jerker of a movie with amazing cinematography that gives a wonderful sense of India and tells a story of love and redemption against all odds. (Of note, screened at Austin Film Festival. Read Chris Garcia’s discussion with filmmaker Danny Boyle here and Charles Ealy’s interview with star Dev Patel here.)
2. “Man on Wire” - Slow-moving, atmospheric story of one man’s ambition and the personal costs of said.
3. “The Wrestler” - If Mickey Rourke doesn’t get nominated for an Oscar, I will eat my hat. Every self-effacing joke, pained expression, hopeful smile and desperate act of trying to reclaim past glory rings true. I can’t imagine anyone else pulling off this role. (Check it out with live wrestling at the Alamo Drafthouse at the premiere on Friday, January 9.)
4. “Synecdoche, New York” - Charlie Kaufman’s tortured and neurotic genius has never been on such wonderful display as with this script. He is once again at his ambiguous best as a writer with a movie that makes some feel tortured and others hopeful. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is simply as good as it gets in a movie that could have used a little more directorial discipline. (Of note, AFF also screened this one. Check out my interview with Kaufman here.)
5. “The Dark Knight” - Visually stunning, complex and somewhat morally ambiguous, this is the best comic book movie I’ve ever seen, and Heath Ledger gives the best supporting performance of the year. Bonus points for the IMAX experience.
6. “Milk” - I was a bit ashamed to say that I did not know the story of Harvey Milk, or the pervasiveness of the legalized discrimination of gay people in America, before seeing Gus Van Sant’s moving biopic. The use of stock footage adds great detail and texture to a movie that Sean Penn carries with heart, soul and dignity.
7. “Let the Right One In” - Vampires seem to be all the rage these days, unfortunately this vampire flick got less attention than the lesser “Twilight.” It’s a beautiful, sparse (thank you, Sweden) depiction of youthful alienation and our desire to feel connected and loved.
8. “The Counterfeiters” - Wonderful performances highlight this morally-charged tale of Jewish concentration camp prisoners and their involvement in forging money for the benefit of their Nazi captors.
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