Best of 2008 list

2008 was an odd year for movies. I watched a lot of them, I enjoyed many of them, and a disturbing number of them evanesced out of my consciousness the minute I walked out of the theatre. Therefore, coming up with a Best Of list has been interesting... but I think I’ve been able to at least pare down the list a bit.

1. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Slumdog Millionaire was the best movie I’ve seen this year. It whumped me in a way that movies don’t often do, which I was not expecting at all. The reviews that I’d read prior to having watched it made it sound facilely cute and I saw multiple blurbs for it being the “feel-good film of the year”. I’ll give you a little warning: it’s not. Not in the traditional “2 hours of warm fuzzies” kind of way. It’s brutal, hard to watch, and seriously heart-breaking... but the payoff is the most amazing endorphin rush I have ever experienced. And so you walk out of the theatre crying, yet walking on air. It’s an electrifying feeling. And one I recommend whole-heartedly to everyone.

2. Rachel Getting Married is not a feel-good film. It is frustrating, depressing, and (if you have ever acted in any way like Kym, or had a sister, brother, friend like her) strangely, compellingly embarrassing. Anne Hathaway is utterly light-years away from her Princess Diaries persona and god, is she good. And by “good”, I mean “powerful”, “terrifying”, and “oh, so self-destructively tragic”. I’m usually not a big one for dysfunctional family dramas, but I was struck dumb with awe by this film.

3. Hellboy II is my pick for “totally awesome popcorn flick of the year”. Yes, it’s a graphic-novel-based action movie (and a sequel, at that!), but it’s visually stunning, terrifically clever, and features some of the most beautiful CG work this side of Lord of the Rings. Generally I am a whore for anything Guillermo Del Toro does, admittedly, but this manages to keep the visual splendor of Pan’s Labyrinth intact while being much more emotionally palatable than that film (yes, I felt emotionally abused by that film -- it just cut a LITTLE too deep). It’s some of the most genuine fun that have ever had at a fantasy-action movie; a feat made possible both by the ogle-worthy visuals and the hammy charm of the cast (in especial, Ron Perlman as our eponymous hero).

4. Happy-Go-Lucky is a bit like a stew: when first consumed it’s good, but not mindblowing. Let it steep a day and go back to it, though, it’s amazing. The story of a by-hook-or-by-crook optimist, this British import is one of those rare films that actually gets better the more you think about it and mull over just how complicated the simple story and its characters really are. It’s one of the more fascinating character studies I’ve seen in recent years, and one that deserves to be sought out by more viewers. PS: I do not recommend seeing Rachel Getting Married and this back to back (as I made the mistake of doing). The rollercoaster of conflicting emotions and convergence of strong female characters is a bit overwhelming.

5. The Orphanage/ El Orfanato is going on this list because it is a near-perfect study of horror. I will never watch it again, but I can still respect it for its elegance, its emotional power, and the fact that it scared the bejeebers out of me for days. It’s one of the few horror films that somehow still makes you want to cry with compassion -- yes, it’s terrifying (even the opening credits are supremely creepy), but it’s somehow terrifically sad. You genuinely care for the characters and by the time the denouement comes around, it’s heartbreaking. Anthony Lane, in the New Yorker, has a great article on it here. He’s more eloquent than I could ever hope to be.

6. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. I dare you to find a movie containing more enthusiasm and dippy fun than this aimed-at-teens-but-smart-enough-for-adults romp. It also gets my “Sweetest Sex Scene” award. Who knew that handjobs could be so damn romantic?

7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It’s not going to win many awards, but man, it was funny and heartfelt and a damn good watch.

8. Burn After Reading. This gets my “WTF Moment of the Year” award... and somehow manages to win it multiple times. Brad Pitt is pure awesome.

9. Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. rocking the hell out of what could have been a pedestrian superhero-comics movie adaptation. Yes, please.

10. Dark Knight. Yea, yea, everyone else has listed this, too. The Batman franchise really should just shut down after this film -- there’s no way you’re going to top it. It’s going to be sad to see them try.