Yes, it's that time of year when magazine editors get a serious case of listmania. Even during my CCM days, the focus group stats always showed that readers really enjoyed this sort of thing, so as a staff, we often got quite list-y ourselves—especially toward the end of the year.
So in celebration of this most list-y time of the year, I'm submitting one of my own—My Top 10 Movies of 2008. * For the record, this isn't a list where I'm wearing my critic's hat for Crosswalk.com. Instead, these are the flicks I really, truly enjoyed for a variety of reasons—just as a fan of films in general.
For those keeping track at home, I reviewed 45 flicks this year (including those I did junkets and interviews for) for Crosswalk and saw countless others just for the fun of it.
Basically, I spent a lot of time in those cushy theater chairs. And now with no further adieu, here's my illustrious best-of list...
10)Penelope, starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon
This movie's release date was delayed several times which typically has "disaster" written all over it. But this adorable fable about a girl who is born with an unfortunate pig's nose and is forced to find love to "break the curse" is an unexpected delight. Both the leads, not to mention a bad-girl cameo by Witherspoon are pitch perfect.
9)Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman
No, it's not as much fun as Moulin Rouge, but Baz Lurhmann's latest movie has sumptuous visuals and plenty of old-movie charm if you're willing to hang in there after a slow-ish beginning. Think Gone With the Wind in the Australian outback, and you're right on the money (no matter what the critics say).
8)21, starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey
Watching a group of brilliant MIT students win—and lose—their money in Vegas has never been more fun in this fun, fast-paced cautionary tale. Plus, the song by MGMT in the soundtrack flat out rocks.
7)Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich
Although Jolie doesn't fare so well in those scenes where she's a mother, (strange, considering she's got six kids of her own) this true story of a mother who loses her son, only to have the LAPD "find" him and bring back a completely different kid for her to take care of, will totally break your heart.
6)The Visitor, starring, well, probably nobody you've ever heard of
I'm guessing if Will saw this one, he'd call it a little "Shawshank-y," the word he coined for flicks like The Shawshank Redemption, the sort of uber cheesy movies everyone says are their favorite. Potentially shawshank-y or not, though, I adored the story of a college professor who discovers a pair of illegal immigrants (the victims of a NYC apartment scam) unexpectedly living in his apartment. Yes, there are the requisite lessons learned, but I thought it had a great message (and a fantastic screenplay) nonetheless.
5)Ghost Town, starring Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni
Nobody seems to have actually seen this movie, (the box office numbers were very, very dismal), and it's a real shame because Ghost Town was unexpectedly funny and thoroughly enjoyable. It's hard to think of David Brent (a.k.a. the obnoxious boss on the BBC's version of The Office) as a leading man, but somehow, it works. Thanks to his dry sense of humor and a fascinating premise, you can't help but smile when he's trying to win Tea Leoni's character over with his very limited charm. Per usual, Greg Kinnear was great as a cad (albeit a dead one).
4)Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrance Howard
If Ricky Gervais as a romantic hero wasn't tough enough to buy, I was also supposed to believe that ex- bad boy Robert Downey Jr. could rock it as a superhero this summer. Well, as it turns out, he really can. Not only was his cynical sense of humor a huge plus, but his gadgets, especially that super cool costume of his, were about as good as it gets for not being The Dark Knight.
3)The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Seriously, what can be said about The Dark Knight that hasn't already been said? Yeah, it was absolutely terrific. Heath's performance definitely wasn't over-hyped. Maggie was definitely better than Katie in her teeny-tiny role (but that's not saying much), and Aaron Eckhart was seriously underrated. Sure, the whole Two-Face character was a bit tacked on, but he still managed to shine. Makes you kind of sad for Batman himself because it wasn't really his movie.
2)Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Mathieu Amalric
Until Daniel Craig took on the James Bond role, I never could understand the fascination with this particular spy—British (which I loooove) or not. He said cheesy things; he always got the girl. Blah, blah, blah. But Craig gave Bond a more human, even flawed flair that you could really rally around in Casino Royale. As good a Royale was however, the deck was definitely stacked in its favor to far surpass anything the filmmakers could do with Quantum of Solace. And even though Solace isn't nearly as character-driven (one of Royale's biggest strengths), the stunts, not to mention the addition of the always-brilliant Mathieu Amalric as a villian, makes the whole experience a ton of fun to watch. In fact, I already can't wait for the next one...
And my #1 film for 2008 is (drum roll, please)...
Wall-E, starring an adorable hunk of junk (a.k.a. a lo-fi trash compactor), his sweetheart EVE and old Hello Dolly clips thrown in for good measure
Pixar has taken another unlikely premise, thrown in a heaping portion of creativity and has created the most entertaining, heart-wrenching and sweetly superb movie of the year. Not only is the animation truly out of this world, but this unlikely love story gets its legs not from savvy dialogue, but from the little bleeps and far-off looks exchanged between the two leads.
*Now of course, had I seen Yes Man, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Marley and Me (I'll be screening these next week), they probably would've squeaked in the Top 10 somewhere, but I'm okay with their omission for now (I'll let you know in a future blog entry if they're actually worth seeing).
No list of Top 10 movies is complete without an honorable mention section, right? So here goes...Bolt, Get Smart, Definitely Maybe, Twilight and the latest installment of Indiana Jones were enjoyable-enough cinematic diversions this year (just not superior enough for the elusive, cat-daddy Top-10 list).
Lastly, for the people out there wondering what the single worst movie was this year, that's an easy one. The embarrassingly bad Mike Myers-Justin Timberlake movie, The Love Guru, wins hands down. It was so awful (not to mention insulting) that I can't even begin to describe its sheer awfulness. But I'm guessing you may have figured that out from the trailer, right? Let's hope so...I was forced to watch it an assignment and tried to steer away as many would-be viewers as possible.
So what were your favorite movies of 2008? Leave a comment, won't ya?
I L-O-V-E-D PENELOPE--it was so different and well, I do have that James McAvoy obsession. I'm also into long scarves.
I'm trying to think of what I think is the best movie of 2008, but the only one that comes to mind is THE BUCKET LIST. And, clearly, I need to see more movies because I haven't seen half of the ones on your list.
Posted by: Amy | December 10, 2008 at 10:49 AM
don't know how i've missed out on the blog all this time. i just figured out how to get to it today. or back to it, maybe. think i might have run into it one other time. sigh. my computer illiterate self. yay! i have lots to catch up on!!! woohoo.
Posted by: lori | December 29, 2008 at 03:55 PM
So I'm commenting again after further reviewing. :)
Penelope is one of my all time favorites. And Nate and I recently watched The Visitor and loved it. I was pleasantly surprised to see it on your list. LOVED Australia. Marley & Me. And am really wanting to see Ghost Town after reading this review.
Posted by: Girly Muse | January 03, 2009 at 06:16 PM