Films of the Year: 2008

Now transferred to the Film Blog and updated here's an update of all my favourite films from 2008.

25. High School Musical 3: Senior Year

A fitting finale for the gang of East High, if film number one was about beginnings, and film two was about negative influences, then film three is about the future. The fact that this was the first film to be shown in cinemas, demosntrates how popular this franchise has become and the songs are as good as ever with added poignance as this is the last time we will see Troy, Gabriella, Ryan etc. However it looks like the legacy will continue all be it with a new class. Go Wildcats!

24. Tropic Thunder

After 2007's rise of the Apatow brigade in Knocked Up and Superbad, 2008 saw the some suffer with a string of average films such as Walk Hard, Drillbit Taylor and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Thanks then for Tropic Thunder which is an excellent film spoof in which five actors are put in the Vienetamese jungle by their struggling director in order for them to finish the film. The three main performances vary Jack Black's drug-addled comedian character struggles to be likeable, Ben Stiller plays his usual dumb-sterotype as the action star but Robert Downey Jr. sparkles as Australian actor Kirk Lazarus who underwent surgery to play the black colonel of the troop and stays in character most of the time. Stiller's script has more misses than hits and thankfully the supporting cast get most of the laughs whether its Nick Nolte's war veteran, Danny McBride's effects surpervisor, Matthew McConaghey's agent or best of all Tom Cruise giving his best performance in years as the film's foul-mouthed producer. A good comedy which is bound to sell well on DVD.

23. Man on Wire

A superb documentary following the attempts of a Frenchman to tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. Narrated by people who were involved in the stunt as well as containing pictures and videos of the events preceding and following the walk. Although a times a little slow, this builds into a story of courage, persevence and sheer luck. One to watch.

22. In Search of a Midnight Kiss

A surprise entry for this black and white indie comedy which sees a down-on-his-luck aspiring screenwriter looking for love on the internet in time for a Midnight Kiss on New Year's Eve. The unknown cast do a wonderful job with an utterly charming script which draws particularly on Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise/Sunset series. And any film which ends with a sing-a-long of The Scorpions' Wind of Change has surely got to be in the Top 10.

21. Iron Man

A lot of the time this latest comic-book adaptation relies on Downey Jr's cocksure performance alone to push the story along. However that seems to be enough as Sebastian Stark he delivers the somewhat comic script with ease. For a comic book adaptation there's not a lot of soul-searching which serves it well in a way allowing us to concetrate on the action and the characters. Ample support is provided by a bald Jeff Bridges and an actually fairly good Gwyneth Paltrow as the bizzarely named Pepper Potts. Although the inevitable sequel will have more depth, this was certainly one of the best films of the summer.

20. The Visitor

Tom McCarthy took audiences by surprise in 2004 with his low-key debut The Station Agent which won a BAFTA for its screenplay. After four years and a role in the final series of The Wire, McCarthy returned to write and direct his second feature about a college professor who is forced into returning to his rented New York apartment for the first time since his wife died in order to attend a confrence. He then finds two illegal immigrants squatting there and decides to let them keep living their and bonds with both of them. The film has a lot to say about immigration but at its heart is a film about love, loss and new beginnings. The central performance by Richard Jenkins rightly earned an Oscar nomination and the whole thing is filled with warmth, wit and beautiful music.

19. The Wackness

Next up is this sweet film set during the hot New York summer of 1994 it sees Josh Peck as high-school loser and pot dealer Luke Shapiro who forms a relationship with one of his clients a therapist played surprisingly well by Sir Ben Kingsley. Shapiro ends up falling in love with the therapists step-daughter and they begin an interesting relationship over the summer. Filled with inner-turmoil, a great relationship between Kingsley and Peck and a 1994 hip-hop soundtrack, The Wackness is a likeable yarn with a good script and if weren't for Kingsley making out with one of the Olsen twins it may have figured even higher in the list.

18. The Savages

The first of two Philip Seymour Hoffman performances in this list sees him star alongside an Oscar nominated Laura Linney as two siblings forced together as they search for a home for their father who is suffering from dementia. The darkly comic script brings out the best from both its leads as well as Philip Boscoe as the father. The trick of this film is that it makes two vain unlikeable characters seem very likeable. There's a nice comedy dog in there as well.

17. Son of Rambow

A great British Comedy with two fantastic young leads in this story of a boy whose raised in a religious community and not allowed to watch T.V. being exposed to Rambo: First Blood by a rebellious classmate and the two then making a film together. The eighties flashback allows the soundtrack to be as weird and wonderful as possible and although there is a needless subplot involving a French exchange student this is still funny and charming with a crowd-pleasing ending.

16. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Draws on shades of Tarrantino's Jackie Brown and mixes a bit of Shakesperian tragedy into the story, this film involves two brothers who try and plot the perfect crime in the roberry of their parent's jewellry store. The structure of the film doesn't follow a linear narrative so more of the story is explained as the film progresses. A quartet of brilliant performances from Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the brothers, Marissa Tomei as Hoffman's wife and Hawke's mistress and best of all Albert Finney as the boy's father whose final tragic scene makes the film.

15. The Fall

For those who say that films like The Princess Bride or Time Bandits don't exist any more should check out this little seen fantasy film. It sees a Hollywood stuntman and a young orange picker staying at the same hopsital in the 1920s. Roy the stuntman starts to tell the young girl a tale which comes to life through her fantasies. However the story is just a ruse for Roy to try and commit suicide something that the young girl is unaware. The mixture of fantasy and the very real subjects makes this an interesting watch and the visuals are truly fascinating. This is worth watching just because you won't see anything else like this for a long time.

14. Persepolis

A French animated film about an Iranian girl growing up during the conflict years of the 1970s, this follows her journey from Iran to Europe and back again, narrated by Catherine Deneuve and featuring the voices among others of Sean Penn and Iggy Pop this included a lot of gravitas as well a many comic moments. As this film is animated a lot of the scenes are reinforced and there's less limitations on what can be achieved with animation like their may be if this was a live action film. A joy to watch from beginning to end.

13. No Country for Old Men

2008's Best Picture winner didn't resonate as well with me as it did others, I found it slow and laboured at times with an ambigous ending that didn't really work for me. Saying that though there were enough superb set pieces and a well-written script to keep me going and make this one of the top 10 films of the year. Also Javier Barderm's Oscar winning performance as well as the likes of Woody Harrelson and Tommy Lee Jones in the cast meant this one is definitely a Coen classic.


12. The Dark Knight

Most people's film of the year, didn't make my Top 10. Nothing wrong with this film I do believe its excellent if not a little over-hyped. From the bank heist at the beginning to the final showdown at the end, Nolan's direction and script keep us on the edge of our seat. Bale's Batman is as good as he was in the last one however inevitably its Heath Ledger's Joker that steals the show. There is also fine support from Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart. But the real star is the Gotham City backdrop which provides the bleak and cold setting for this tale of crime and revenge. A cut above your usual superhero movie and the best Batman film to date.

11. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

A heart-warming and ingeniously well-made French film about the accident that saw the ed itor of Vogue magazine completely paralysed and unable to communicate apart from his left eye. Using this eye he was able to narrate his autobiography to the nurses and ordelies and eventually have it published. The storytelling and acting are both superb and even if at times the lead's self pity is a bit too much to handle, that is quickly forgotten. There is also some sumptuos cinematography to enjoy.

10. 4 Months, 3 Days and 2 Weeks

Although a Romanian film about backstreet abortions doesn't seem to be a very good way to start the top 10 this superbly captivating and realistic drama is a great example of artistic film-making. The story concerns two friends, one of whom is pregnant and wishes to have an abortion before it is too late. Because abortions were illegal in Romania at the time the film was made everything has to be done under the radar. However things start to go wrong when the other girl makes the plans and for a minute it looks like the abortion might not happen. It seems wrong to apply peril to a subject as sensitive as abortions but it makes the film all the more watchable. It also is very set on applying the situation to the characters and not really exploring why abortions have been made illegal or the relgious and moral viewpoints about what the two girls are doing. At the end of the day this is a film about too close friends and it is a testament to the director that he is able to pull that off.

9. In Bruges

A film that can suddenly turn from Colin Farrell's drunken Irish comic turn, into serious drama deserves a place in this film as Farrell and Brendan Gleason play two Irish hitmen forced to wait in Bruges, Belgium following a job gone wrong. Gleason gives an outstanding performance as the veteran hitman while Farrell's performance is more out-and-out comedic criticising the entire cit of Bruges. While Ralph Fiennes' cockney accent is a bit strong he also impresses as the boss of the two hitmen and this film is at its best when it lets its actors get free reign over these complex multi-dimensional characters. And the drab setting of Bruges also deserves a mention as it provides an adequate background for the action to take place.

8. Changeling

Every year Clint Eastwood seems to direct a different type of picture that is both well-made and draws on an interesting subject matter last year it was the duel war films - Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima and this year it was the 1920s set Changeling. The film is seemingly about mother who loses her son but it spirals into a conspiracy drama as the son who is returned to her isn't her son at all. The story goes into two different areas, one is about exposing the corruption in the LAPD and the other is looking at what has actually happened to her son. Eastwood's attention to detail is astounding and the period sets and costumes are top-notch as is the script. Also worth a mention is the great lead performance by Angelina Jolie who is a revelation as the devastated mother. All in all a brilliant well-crafted film and yet another triumph for Eastwood.

7. The Orphanage

After 2006's Pan's Labyrnith, Guillemero Del Toro has bought us an equally visually spectacular film however this time he is simply presenting. The Orpanage is a story of a couple and their young son who move to a house by the sea which used to be the orphanage where the mother lived. Of course strange things keep happening, an odd woman visits the couple and the son disappears. When horror films today are usually trashy American slasher films or brutal films from Eastern Asia its great to see a film rely on real shocks and horror than simply gruesome behaviour. This is an incredibly well shot and well played horror film that had me on the edge of my seat fro beginning to end.

6. Lars and the Real Girl

Ryan Gosling cements his role as a hot young star with this indie black comedy as he plays smalltown boy Lars who begins a relationship with a lifesize doll. However this is not Mannequin 2 and instead studies the psyche of Lars who actually believes his doll to be quite real. Lars' anguish is portrayed brilliantly by Gosling however the small-town charm and warmth provided by the supporting cast also makes the film and the doll herself deserves a mention for being one of the most origninal romantic leads of the year.

5. Waltz With Bashir

Similar to Persepolis, this film is a cartoon but deals with extremly emotional and sensitive issues. In this case it is of a former soldier who can't remember anything about the Lebanon conflict so has to meet up with former colleagues as well as a reporter who were all in Beiruit at the time to give their recounts of the event. Using real interview footage as most of the narrative track this almost like a realist animation by using the interviews conducted and turning them into a visually stunning film. The colours used are stark and brutal and the music is incredibly effective and at the end you see beyond the animation and realise how brutal things were for the army during that particular war.

4. Juno

A comedy written by an ex-stripper and starring a bit part player from X-Men 3 and the guy out of Arrested Development shouldn't have worked. Luckily Juno, the story of a quirky high school girl who gets pregnant, worked so well it won Diablo Cody the original screenplay award and cememnted Ellen Page as a star. The film is as good as it was when I first watched it and Cody's words come out of Page's mouth so well its like the two were joined as one. A good supporting cast featuring Jason Bateman, JK Simmons, Alison Janney and Jennifer Garner in one of her finest film roles to date meant this was truly an ensemble piece. It also in my opinion had the best soundtrack of the year moulding together Belle and Sebastian, The Kinks, Sonic Youth and Moldy Peaches, with Kimya Dawson of the latter band providing some original music as well.

3. I've Loved You So Long

I've Loved You So Long is really an 'acting film', there are no real massive plot points and there isn't any exreme filming. What you get though is a character piece about a woman who is released from jail and goes to stay with her sister. Bit by bit the revelations come thick and fast what did she do and why did she do it. The lead performance by Kristen Scott Thomas, taking the lead in a French film for the first time, is truly stunning and deserved a lot more credit than it was given. The subtle cinematography is also well used to capture character's emotions and thoughts and overall this is just a beautiful little film that needs to be seen by a lot more people.

2. Wall-E

After the distinctly average Ratatouille, Pixar fought back with this delightful animation which boldly features fourty minutes of no dialogue. This purely visual experience sees an Earth that has been completely demolished by rubbish and the rubbish is being picked up robots one such being Wall-E, he then meets another robot Eve and falls in love. Although Pixar reverts to type by having more dialogue in the third part, Wall-E still features enough laughs and heart to be Pixar's best since Finding Nemo. And those who don't tear up during the final scenes have hearts of stone.

1. There Will Be Blood

I drink your Milshake, I Drink it Down. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a massively large and epic performance in this Oil-Soaked epic of mid-western American in the 1920s. Paul Thomas Anderson's direction and a top-class script added to the action and the sinsiter soundtrack and sweeping cinematography made this the film of the year and was cruely denied an oscar for Best Picture, although there was a win for Day-Lewis. Paul Dano also provided good support as twin brothers Paul and Eli Sunday. The final scene involving a Bowling Alley is one of the most darkly comic things ever comitted to film.

So overall a good year for cinema but we look forward to 2009.