Scots Taffer on 17/12/2008 at 01:40
The second best thread in holiday tradition! :)
It's been an absolutely shithouse year for movies. In my opinion, many sequels to previously strong pedigrees were dogshit and I lost count of the number of films that got slammed so hard prior to release that I eventually gave up any hope of them being good.
However I will admit that there are many, many movies that have been released this year that either got limited/no release in my area of Australia or I missed due to one thing or another. So, as usual, my list is incomplete and subject to change*.
Top Movies of 2008The Dark KnightWhile my original (
http://www.howdoiblog.com/the-dark-knight/) hyperbolic review has been tempered by the passage of time, I still hold that this is the best movie I've seen this year. There are movies that grab you by the short and curlies and take you on a ride, sheer cinematic spectacle, they become part of your cinematic consciousness and an instant thrill fix when you want something to remind you why movies are awesome.
The Dark Knight is one of those flicks. Partly aided by the fact that they decided to widen the thematic scope and the literal scope with the IMAX cameras, this movie feels bigger than it has a right to be. I love the effortless way that it builds dread and suspense, making comic book excess feel grounded in reality by making it close to our hearts and fears - people who complain that it's not light enough for a comic book movie, see the next one on the list and shut up. The tumbler/batpod chase is the tentpole of the movie and is one of my favourite slices of action cinema. The blu-ray is spectacular also and will be a regular on my home cinema.
Iron ManInstant, easy-access fun, bursting at the seams with style, action, humour and peppy pacing, another gorgeous looking movie that's just perfect popcorn. Tony Stark is the coolest motherfucker in the history of cinema.
Wall-EA rare jewel of cinema, happens to be a beautiful love story, a funny satire, a vibrant and bleeding-edge-tech animation, a cute kid's movie and moral story all in one, and entertains every step of the way. Can't wait to catch this on blu-ray!
The SolidBurn After ReadingThe Coens try to pick up where they left off before last years opus with an absurdist comedy and have mixed results, there's a blend of humour with shocking violence that's a bit of an oil and water mix. It fits that they wrote this inbetween working on No Country though.
CloverfieldInteresting take on the monster movie genre, however it lacked ingenuity in the camera work and devolved into a bit of a creature feature down in the subway, bonus points for the bleak ending though.
ChokeI love Sam Rockwell and I loved Fight Club, so how can I not love a marriage of that actor and Palahniuk's stylings? Well, I can like it, but not love it since it was largely predictable but still offensive and absurdly hilarious to work in parts.
The VisitorRichard Jenkins performance is only a revelation to those who weren't already aware that his ubiquitous presence in television and whose turns in shows like
Six Feet Under offered more of his wiry cynicism than we see in this remarkably straight-laced drama regarding some illegal aliens. If anything I found him to be a little underwhelming here, the story a little too plodding, but there's still warmth to be taken from the bittersweet ending.
The AverageIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullThis script should have been sunk to the bottom of the ocean in a lead-lined plutonium-irradiated refrigerator in the face of Darabont's script (with a little polishing). Elements of this movie work well, the first half is essentially a brilliant continuation of the classic Indy franchise and it devolves into the usual Lucas farcical proceedings - aliens, monkeys, CGI reliance and a complete degeneration of character in the face of crappy story. Very disappointing.
The Incredible HulkLargely forgettable non-reboot-non-sequel non-starter, Norton plays the weedy Banner behind the green man with laconic, bland aplomb which drags down the relatively okay action scenes. Though Abomination is aptly named, what a load of bollocks.
Tropic ThunderProbably the funniest ten minutes of parody I've ever seen from the mock trailers until the camera pulled back from the movie-within-a-movie, then a few hits here and there but largely a creaky plot driving a lot of groan-inducing jokes of the typical Stiller fare.
Quantum of SolaceOne of the biggest disappointments of the lot, epileptically-edited action, minimal character development, useless characters, horrible cliches drags the Daniel Craig reboot down - the wormy villain, fairly realistic world domination scheme and a few nice moments don't win this one back from being a pretty average outing overall.
A Clockwork-Orange-like Audiovisual TortureIn Motherfucking BrugesTwo hitmen, a dwarf, a foul-mouthed Ralph Fiennes? How can this fail? Well, it not only spectacularly failed at its attempts at black humour but the whole thing was a complete abortion of pacing, acting and story.
RamboWhat might have been a vacuum-sealed time-capsule of 80s action-movie excess became a preponderous build-up to repetitive action with only one or two money shots.
Forgetting Sarah MarshallOne of the most painfully unfunny films I've ever seen and dicks aren't funny, guys, seriously.
LeatherheadsGot switched off after 20 minutes it was so shit. Sorry, George, 30s-era slapstick only works when the Coens are behind the camera.
There were also movies that fell off my list because the reviews were so uniformly terrible:
The X-Files, Hancock, Run, Fatboy, Run, Be Kind Rewind, The Happening.My favourite movies are probably going to shift drastically in the face of the coming flicks:
The Wrestler,
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,
Zack and Miri Make a Porno,
Slumdog Millionaire,
Synedoche, NY among others, but I may as well get this out there. Not to mention that I've missed <strike>
The Visitor</strike>,
Towelhead and
Wall-E which are films I reckon I'll love to death.
* For example, my revised list for my favourites of 2007 are as follows:
1. No Country For Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Hot Fuzz
4. The Mist
5. Eastern Promises
6. Ratatouille
7. Superbad, Knocked Up (tie)
8. Stardust
9. The Valley of Elah
10. Zodiac
Aja on 17/12/2008 at 01:54
Films I loved:
1. Wall-E
Because it's Pure Joy from start to finish..?
2. Be Kind Rewind
Because I just learned from your post that it came out this year, and I thought it was great. Went on Rotten Tomatoes afterwards and was flabbergasted. Critics have no soul. The parody of Ghostbusters alone is worth price of admission.
Movies I hated:
1. Dark Knight
Just kidding.
2. Indiana Jones
physically and emotionally painful :(
Haven't seen anything else 'cause I've been too busy listening to music ;)
Your list is pretty depressing though; doesn't sound like I missed much. I finally saw Hot Fuzz, though, and it was hilarious!
kidmystik101 on 17/12/2008 at 02:29
Awesome movies, in no order
1 - DARK KNIGHT - Do I have to say anything?
2 - RUN FATBOY RUN - A fantastic romantic comedy, and while not pegg's usual style of comedy it comes up tops. Very enjoyable flick all in all.
3 - SAW V - An interesting flick, still lots of traps and gore. An enjyoable watch, but hasn't topped the 2nd.
4 - INDIANA JONES'S CRYSTAL SKULL BUSSINESS - Fairly enjoyable
movie, not as good as the originals though. Harrison ford still has it!
5 - WALL-E - A fantastic film from start to finish. Did Wall-e remind anyone else of Gromit? Amazing how much emotion he can convey through one word and his eyes.
6 - GET SMART - While bearing nothing in common with the original, save the name, it's a great movie and highly recommended
HORRIBLE FAILURES, IN NO PATICULAR ORDER ALSO!
1 - CLOVERFIELD - I really tried to like it, but the entire thing just seemed..bleh. The shakycam effect becomes really annoying (and I know that it's all supposed to be recorded on a handheld video camera but come on, seriously.) and the viral marketing seems fruitless on any information (Slusho anyone?). All in all an interesting experiment, but not worth the money
2 - POSTAL - Uwe boll. 'Nuf said.
3 - YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN - Sandler fails again! Should've given up after 50 first dates.
4 - HANCOCK - Utter shit. Not worth the DVD it's burnt on.
5 - DISASTER MOVIE - Wow, the name says it all!
Angel Dust on 17/12/2008 at 02:29
That's a pretty crummy list Scots! But yeah, there are more than a few potentially great films on the way!
I'll pop my list up when I get home although I can tell you right now my current #1 is 'The Visitor'.
BEAR on 17/12/2008 at 02:50
Why even put Indiana Jones in there at all, lets just try to forget (if only I could).
ercles on 17/12/2008 at 03:18
mmm this year was a bit of a let down compared to last year, but there were some good watches nonetheless.
Once again in no order of preference
1. Burn After Reading: This actually gave The Big Lebowski a run for its money in the laughter department, especially every scene with Bradd Pitt. Considering this was following up the impossibly cool No Country for Old Men, it's a spectacular achievement
2. Man on Wire: Never would have thought that a movie about a tight-rope walker could have been so layered or so damn fascinating, it doesn't hurt that the tightrope walker is the fucking man.
3. Where on Earth is Osama Bin Laden: Morgan Spurlock has bucketloads of charisma, and this was a thoroughly interesting examination of middle eastern politics, deeper and far more honest than one might think. Also, Spurlock is funny to boot, which always helps.
4. Tropic Thunder: I think the actual film itself was far funnier than Scots gives it credit, not just because it had Tom Cruise dancing in a fat suit. I was honestly suprised that Stiller actually had the ability to do a funny spoof movie, because his films were getting very tired for a while. RDJ was ridiculously good.
5. Waltz with Bashir: It's very difficult to describe this one because it was so intense, it's one of those films that everyone needs to seee, but very few people will. Reminded me a lot of Thin Red Line because of the lucidity and calm with which some of the battle sequences were presented.
Most Disspointing
The Dark Knight. I'm really not sure this is worth all the flaming, but I honestly thought this was a huge let down. Poorly edited to the point where it at times didn't make sense, and at other times felt rushed when it least needed to be. I also thought the pacing was off, Christian Bale basically didn't have a character in the film which was a shame considering how immensly talented he is as an actor, and finally I felt like many of the ideas used in the set pieces used I had seen before. That said, there aren't enough accolades that can be given to Heath Ledger for this one, he was simply incredible to watch.
Stitch on 17/12/2008 at 03:46
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
Forgetting Sarah Marshall -
One of the most painfully unfunny films I've ever seen and dicks aren't funny, guys, seriously.I find the above borderline offensive in how staggeringly wrong it is.
Fafhrd on 17/12/2008 at 03:47
1. Hellboy II: The Golden Army. My fairly truncated thoughts are in Muz's recently opened Hellboy II thread, but to truncate them even more, it's a visually sumptuous, often hilarious, and utterly heartfelt love letter to fairy tales and folk lore, wrapped up in a superhero movie with probably the best shot and choreographed action sequences of any film this year. I really, really hope that Del Toro gets to make Hellboy II once he's done with The Hobbit films.
2. Iron Man. That's right, it's ranked above The Dark Knight. The movie that reminded the world that Robert Downey Jr. is the most effortlessly cool motherfucker alive. A fun comic based film, but with a core of seriousness in its themes of responsibility.
3.The Dark Knight. Scots loved all over it, so I'm going to focus on the missteps that kept me from ranking it higher. Too long, too dour, and Harvey Dent's journey to becoming Two Face was left pretty much completely undeveloped, which compromises a lot of the thematic centre of the film. (Also, jesus christ Christian Bale's Batman voice can just fuck off already.) Heath Ledger's Joker is by far the best part, and a double edged reminder of how great an actor we lost when he died.
4. Burn After Reading. After No Country for Old Men definitively showed everybody that they had in fact NOT lost their touch, the Coens dip back into the black comedy well that they tapped so well with Fargo. And simultaneously give a giant middle finger to everyone that thought No Country's ending didn't make any sense.
5. Wall*E. Now probably my favourite Pixar film. A completely charming love story, sprinkled with brilliant bits of slapstick, and a warning about consumer culture.
The B Movie Action Gore Triple Feature
6. Rambo. A movie about finally letting go of your past and moving forward knowing who you've been doesn't have to constantly haunt who you are. And reducing the ENTIRE Burmese army into meaty chunks.
7.Doomsday. Scotland, FUCK YEAH! Neil Marshall's homage to the best of John Carpenter, simultaneously totally retro and thoroughly modern. Escape from Gladiator of the Rings: Beyond Thunderdome. Fuck you if you didn't enjoy this movie.
8.Punisher: War Zone. The Punisher kills lots of fools. Dominic West devours scenery, two old lady deaths, and a fist through the head. A much better time in the theatre than it should have been, especially considering all the poisonous rumours that came out during the production.
And the rest...
9. The Incredible Hulk. Hulk Smash. This is in fact correct. Hulk does not cry about his paternal problems and his cold (yet gorgeous) ex and her droolingly insane father and HIS issues with Hulk's dad. Hulk wrecks shit.
10. Tropic Thunder. Yeah, it's essentially one joke stretched to feature length, but it's a joke that works (except Les Grossman), and I haven't laughed as hard as I did at Coogan's exit in any other movie this year. Downey completely steals this movie as soon as he opens his mouth.
Scots Taffer on 17/12/2008 at 03:49
Quote Posted by Stitch
I find the above borderline offensive in how staggeringly wrong it is.
Let me guess, you're one of those guys that thinks a Dracula puppet musical is funny.
PigLick on 17/12/2008 at 05:06
I havent seen any of those movies Scots
