Favorite Films of 2008

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

Benjamin Button was good, but could have been a lot better. The acting and the technical side of the the film were brilliant, but I agree with whoever said that the pacing of the aging seemed disjointed... I thought all of the supporting characters and story lines (Tilda Swinton, Captain Mike, Queenie and her man, the Bushman, etc.) were all more enjoyable interactions than when it was just Pitt and Blanchette.

 

By degrees, I saw Gran Torino the next day and thought: Benjamin Button is the better technical film, but I actually enjoyed Gran Torino more.

 

And then I saw Nothing but the Truth the next day and actually, that was right up there with both films.

 

As for true 2008 films, two of my favorite films were indies: Shotgun Stories (probably my favorite movie I saw last year) and Ballast. 4 months, three weeks, two days is also excellent... The Fall I enjoyed but saw some areas for improvement... The Wrestler was pretty great, although I wished they had stopped the handheld back-of-the-head shot much sooner than they did at the beginning...

 

Big stuff: I enjoyed Dark Knight, Ironman,

 

Didn't enjoy: all the stuff my wife made me see...

[homer]

"were all more enjoyable interactions than when it was just Pitt and Blanchette. "

 

Agreed. Didn't sense any chemistry there at all.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

Saw Changeling last night... between that and Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood had a very, very good year...

[EdgarDiazRocks]

i really didn't see or hear enough this year to feel warranted to start these threads, but here I will say that I didn't love "Dark Knight" as much as everybody else and that I loved "Wanted" more than everybody else. I never got to see "Blindness" which was the film I was most excited about, and that hopefully 2009 will be better for me getting out of the damn house to see stuff.

 

I can't say I am more intrigued by anything as much as am by the thought of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cobra Commander in "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" Oh, bring THAT on!!

 

I also really want to see a US release of Kore-Eda's "Still Walking"

[homer]

You could do an entire thread on most anticipated movies of 2009.

 

The one I'm looking forward to most is The Road.

[davego]

High School Musical 3 was not bad. Not the film #2 was, but still solid. Nice way to wrap up the trilogy.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

You could do an entire thread on most anticipated movies of 2009.

 

The one I'm looking forward to most is The Road.

Being an equal fan of literature and film, The Road falls into the: "Oh please dear God do not screw this film up" category.

 

That book is still the best book I've read in the last five years or so (The Story of Edgar Sawtelle came close)...

[jjfanec]

i really didn't see or hear enough this year to feel warranted to start these threads, but here I will say that I didn't love "Dark Knight" as much as everybody else and that I loved "Wanted" more than everybody else. I never got to see "Blindness" which was the film I was most excited about, and that hopefully 2009 will be better for me getting out of the damn house to see stuff.

I was excited to see Blindness as well but I thought it was terrible. I did not engage with the characters, the filming seemed sloppy, it was like they were trying to be really artistic but it turned out poorly. There were other things that I personally did like about like the graphic sexual content that I just was not expecting.

[homer]

RayKingsForemanGrill wrote:

Being an equal fan of literature and film, The Road falls into the: "Oh please dear God do not screw this film up" category.

 

That book is still the best book I've read in the last five years or so (The Story of Edgar Sawtelle came close)...

Agreed. I'm fairly hopeful it will be great given the cast and director.....and Omar from The Wire is in it so there's no way it can suck. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[RU Rah Rah]

You could do an entire thread on most anticipated movies of 2009.

 

The one I'm looking forward to most is The Road.

Being an equal fan of literature and film, The Road falls into the: "Oh please dear God do not screw this film up" category.

 

That book is still the best book I've read in the last five years or so (The Story of Edgar Sawtelle came close)...

I'm feeling this way about Revolutionary Road, which I have yet to see. I read it in like 1990 (?) and have been recommending it to people ever since -- the point where it became a running joke among my friends.

 

Did anyone else like Hamlet 2? I thought it was amazingly funny.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

I'm feeling this way about Revolutionary Road, which I have yet to see. I read it in like 1990 (?) and have been recommending it to people ever since -- the point where it became a running joke among my friends.

 

Did anyone else like Hamlet 2? I thought it was amazingly funny.

I, personally, thought the film version of Revolutionary Road was not good. Quality, technical filmmaking - just wasn't into it...

[bjkrautk]

http://www.imdb.com/features/rto/2009/oscars

 

I'm sure someone else will start an Oscars thread - but I was more surprised by Downey Jr.'s nomination than I was TDK's non-nomination.

[RobertR]

At least the documentaries category is not an embarrassment for a change. I loved Man on Wire.

 

Robert

[TooLiveBrew]

I thought Man on Wire was OK. I didn't think it was as thrilling as some made it seem to be. Decent rental.

 

I disagree. I thought the story was incredible, and as a documentary the film itself imo was fantastic. I also think Petit (the performer) came off as a total jag.

 

 

Did anyone else like 'Hamlet 2'? I thought it was amazingly funny.

 

Loved it. It was different from what I expected, but still great. Catherine Keener is very good, Steve Coogan was brilliant imo. Good writing... loved Amy Poehler as the hard-ass ACLU lawyer that didn't care about the play itself at all (love that wrinkle).

[milwaukeesportsfan]

Valkyrie was pretty good. I won't say what happens, but it definitely makes you think how different things could have been.

[Brewtacular]

Valkyrie was pretty good. I won't say what happens, but it definitely makes you think how different things could have been.

I heard he survives. Pure speculation though.

[Patrick425]

Since I really don't get out to see movies to often, this is the first time I've checked out this thread.

Wall-e? Really? We rented it a couple of weeks ago. I was not overly impressed at all. It was ok. Seemed like any other animated film to me (I guess I don't have an eye for what makes animation great). My son, who was the one that wanted to rent the movie, did not care for the story that much and was somewhat bored with it.

[brucrustu]

Valkyrie was pretty good. I won't say what happens, but it definitely makes you think how different things could have been.

I have a WWII quasi-historian at work. I told him they get Hitler in the end and all the Valkyrie guys go on to run Germany. HE WAS PISSED!

 

I was actually a little disappointed in it. I never got emotionally involved in the characters or story. Seemed like I could have been watching the history channel.

[fstorm1]

Over the past few weeks, had some very good (and often very lucky) fortune to catch a number of the bigger award type films. I can say that I completely understand all the pub that The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, and Gran Torino have received. All excellent films, with only Torino being a step below the others. Rourke in Wrestler, and Langella in F/N are unbelievable. I could very easily see (and support) either of them for the trophy. Both Wrestler and Slumdog took me by surprise by how good they were. Just amazing. But I still honestly believe that Dark Knight was the best film of the year. They took a super hero, a comic book, and turned it into a gritty, powerful, and completely engrossing crime thriller. Movie making at it's finest. At the very least, bare minimum, it should have gotten a best picture nom, or best director. Once again, the Academy proves it's almost (almost) as inept as the Grammy idiots. Oh, well. Same old, same old. I'll be rooting for Slumdog (third best picture of the year behind TDK and Wrestler) for the big prizes.

 

And for the record, as much as I enjoy Robert Downey Jr., his performance in Tropic Thunder, albeit the only good part of that movie, wasn't even as enjoyable as his Stark.

 

Just my opinions, of course. Whatta I know? Nothing. I'm just part of the movie going public. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[homer]

I also think Petit (the performer) came off as a total jag.

I'd be willing to bet most street performers that take themselves seriously are total jags.

[DuWayne Steurer]

But I still honestly believe that Dark Knight was the best film of the year. They took a super hero, a comic book, and turned it into a gritty, powerful, and completely engrossing crime thriller.

 

This is exactly my thoughts on this film. At no time did I feel like I was watching a comic book adaptation or super hero movie. It was as you say, a crime drama, albeit with a few over the top characters.

[RU Rah Rah]

I thought Man on Wire was OK. I didn't think it was as thrilling as some made it seem to be. Decent rental.

 

I disagree. I thought the story was incredible, and as a documentary the film itself imo was fantastic. I also think Petit (the performer) came off as a total jag.

Did anybody catch him on Colbert the other night? It was hilarious.

[bjkrautk]

But I still honestly believe that Dark Knight was the best film of the year. They took a super hero, a comic book, and turned it into a gritty, powerful, and completely engrossing crime thriller.

 

This is exactly my thoughts on this film. At no time did I feel like I was watching a comic book adaptation or super hero movie. It was as you say, a crime drama, albeit with a few over the top characters.

There's just something about those quotes which don't sit well with me....and I can't really put my finger right on-point. Is there some inherent virtue in a comic book movie not "feeling" like a comic book (green hair and bat-suits notwithstanding)? Or is the idea that comic-based properties could have plotlines that are more thought-provoking than a Michael Bay movie really a surprise to people?

 

I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with comic books since about age 5, so it doesn't surprise me to see interesting storylines playing out within the cape and cowl set. Not every movie has to be pewpew lazers or plotless CGI-fests which require you to leave your brain at the door (see my thoughts on the "Wanted" movie from earlier in the thread). When X-Men is at it's best, it often involves using mutant-kind as an allegory for civil rights or adolescent angst; the scene in X2 where Iceman "outed" himself as a mutant to his parents is a perfect example....even if it doesn't continue to hit you over the head with the idea like Dark Knight did (dumb cops can do a lot to make criminals look smart). And, honestly, one of the things that made me enjoy Iron Man more than TDK was how close they came to the comic book version....and the potential to tell some of those classic stories without everything getting the 'Daredevil / Elektra' makeover.

 

Or it could just be that, after all the other successful comic-based projects (e.g. Sin City, 300), and with Watchmen on the horizon....I'm surprised that we're still having that kind of a discussion.

[DuWayne Steurer]

No doubt "comic book" movies have taken a gigantic step forward over the last several years. I'm not going to argue that (though apparently I alone didn't care for Sin City)

I guess it's hard for me to put into words why to me, at least, TDK stands above the rest of the very fine comic book movies that have come out over the last decade or so. I thouroughly enjoyed Iron Man, 300, and the first Spider Man. X-Men, not so much. I think it strayed way too far from the comics. I liked Tom Jane's Punisher (again, it seems I stand alone on that point). I eagerly await watchmen, Wolverine, and (eventually) the Avengers.

And no, I don't think a comic movie not "feeling" like a comic movie makes it better, just different, which can be good or bad, depending on the context.

[Katuluu]

Let's not forget comic book films like Road to Perdition, A History of Violence and Ghost World. Not to mention the dozens of other films that are highly influenced by comics like The Iron Giant, The Warriors or The Incredibles. Even the movie Stardust was originally a comic that was made into a book that was made into a movie.

 

I just get tired of people being surprised that comics aren't empty childish drivel. Some of the best authors on the planet are comfortably working in comics, because as a medium it affords an author to do a lot of things they can't do in a standard book.