the ten movies of 2008

The following movies, I haven't seen, but people say they are good.  But they weren't considered for this list:

Valkyrie

Doubt

Milk

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Che

Let the Right One In.
Synecdoche, New York

10.  Forgetting Sarah Marshall
    Maybe it was due to the festival atmosphere, but I thought this movie was hilarious.  Maybe a little too much Jason Segel here and there (you know what i mean), but this was one of my most favorite crowd pleasers of the year.  But honestly, it wouldn't have made my top 10 without the play.  I'm a Kristin Bell fan, mostly due to her Veronica Mars days, and I thought it was pretty humorous for her to pretty much satirize her own career.  Segel wrote the movie himself, and as far as comedies go, it's pretty solid.  Can't wait to see what he does with the Muppets.
9.  Iron Man
    I don't really even know if I should put it here.  It was good, but it's mainly here because it builds my anticipation for what is to come.  Not saying it's the only reason it's here, or else Hulk would be here as well. 
8.  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    This is/was perhaps the most dissappointing movie I've seen this year, yet was better than most things out there.  I wait very patiently for Fincher to hit us with something as good as Se7en or Fight Club, but his last few movies have missed for me.  To be honest, the whole "aging backwards' thing wasn't really as "magical" or as poignant as I thought it would be.  It all came across to me as a movie that tried very very hard to be great, but just couldn't.  Brad PItt is no Morgan Freeman when it comes to narration, and while I understand the storytelling mechanic of the dying person in the hospital bed, and why Katrina played a part, it just felt really unnecessary.  Did Fincher tell Brad PItt to play maybe the most lifeless character in the history of the universe?  Maybe I just really wanted something to take my breath away when watching this, and maybe I just really wanted to watch "Big Fish" over again instead.  But what I ended up getting was just a normal story of a normal person who just happened to age backwards.  I could never really "feel" for any of the characters.  The only part that I really liked was his relationship with Tilda Swinton's character.
7.  JCVD
     There's a certain feel to this movie that makes you really connect with JCVD.  It's really well done, and his aside monologue almost makes you feel sorry for him.   Until you go to IMDB and realize he's making Universal Soldier 3.
6.  Dear Zachary
      In the past few years I think i've been seemingly inundated with little people (aka babies), mostly due to my nephew, and that everyone else decided to have some of their own as well.  I don't think it takes a lot to understand the relationship between father and son, but it certainly adds to it.  There are not many movies out there take run the full gamut of emotions, let alone a documentary, but this one certainly does.  I won't spoil any of it, just go see it.

5.  Frost/Nixon
     Watching how things develop between Frost and Nixon are worth the price of admission alone.  Honestly I don't know much about the Watergate scandal other than what is very common knowledge.  I forget it was a different time back then when we had more faith in our politicians and what they signified to us, as well as what Watergate meant to the country. 
4.  Cloverfield

    So, maybe the actual movie wasn't AWESOME.  But in terms of self perpetuating hype and interest, I think only The Dark Knight and Iron Man supersede it, which is pretty impressive given the built in fanbases of both of those movies.  I DO get motion sickness, but this movie did not make me want to throw up.  You have to admit, this was a pretty unique movie.  
3.  The Wrestler
     Certain movies center around a plot, a storyline, an event, and let everything else revolve around that.  It doesn't take much analyzing to see that Aranofsky does not make such movies.  He makes movies about characters and let's the plot evolve around them.  I have to admit that the movie starts really slowly and takes a while to get you involved, but eventually you do.  And by the time the last frame appears you are just left to sit there and listen to the great Springsteen track.  And think.  Great performances all around and it was nice to see Aranofsky do a film that doesn't require a lot of fancy editing.  You realize he's only made 3 full length motion pictures before this? (In 10 years).   
2.  Slumdog Millionaire
     I like Danny Boyle movies.  So I may be biased.  He doesn't always make critically acclaimed movies, but they have always been entertaining and not a waste of time.  This guy flat out knows how to tell a story.  I knew next to nothing about this movie besides that it was about some indian kid who was on their version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and that there was a girl involved.  To contrast this movie with Benjamin Button, I cared tons more for the character of Jamal than I did for Benjamin.  I admit, upon first viewing I merely thought this was just a good movie, but not great.  But i've watched it a total of 3 times now, and when you start catching the subtle themes and points in the movie it really becomes something greater.  (on a side note, check out his other movie "Millions" if you liked this) 
1.  The Dark Knight
     No doubt.  The only movie I felt that coulda given this a run for the money for #1 was Benjamin Button and it failed.  Maybe this movie was tailor made for me.  I love comics, esp. Batman, and I love crime dramas.  There are so many things about this movie that amaze me, from the cinematography, the story, and especially the acting.  The scene between Batman and Joker in the interrogation room is nothing short of legendary.  From how it was made to how it was presented, this movie has no equal (yet). 

Honorable Mentions:

Religulous

Man on Wire

Revolutionary Road

Quantum of Solace

Son of Rambow

Tropic Thunder

Definitely, Maybe

Be Kind, Rewind

The Promotion