Best Films of 2008

[Z!NG]

Apparently the new 'cool thing' is to hate on dark knight.

 

[whacked]

Originally Posted by Z!NG

Apparently the new 'cool thing' is to hate on dark knight.

And you've been around for, what, 2 months?

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by Johnny Amiga

I'm very sorry, but I think you're still way off on your critique of Ledger's performance. Despite the film's pretensions towards profundity, it's still an comic book film and at no point does Ledger deviate from that. Is it realistic? Hell no. Is it an accurate portrayal of a disturbed person? No way. Does he steal every scene where he's involved? Yes he does (and that's a good thing, cause Joker is supposed to do that).

He's incredibly charismatic in the role and most of all, fun. I think Ledger's Joker is kinda like Johnny Depp in the Pirates films. I wouldn't say that Depp's performance as Jack Sparrow is hauntingly realistic or an authentic portrayal of a pirate, but again for what he's trying to achieve there, he delivers (well, atleast in the first film he did, never had no interest in checking out the sequels).

You might be in the minority who weren't amused by Ledger's antics, but to say that objectively (a word that should seldom be used when discussing cinema) his performance was lacking isn't an convincing argument. To compare Ledger in DK to say Rourke in The Wrestler is irrelevant, as the two actors are trying to do entirely different things.

Ledger's performance wasn't even my favorite of the year (that'd be Bernard Segerström or Michelle Meadows in Darling, Lina Leanderson in Let the Right One In or Rourke in The Wrestler), but in confines of the genre, it's one of the most impressive (and Fun) ever. Not that there's much worthy competition.

We do agree on Bale's voice though. That was just embarassing.

So Will Ferrell should be considered equally for acting like a moron for 2 hours with someone like Phillip Seymour Hoffman or Streep? I'm quite sorry, but there's a reason why even the ******* Oscars draw a line between 'fun', shallow and technically very simple roles for ones that deal with the depth of humanity and the asking of questions a little deeper than 'why do I dye my hair green'. I agree that Jack Sparrow is well acted, but I think Depp would find it totally ridiculous to compare it to something like his role in Gilbert Grape or Donnie Brasco.

 

[JSC437]

I want to change my above vote. I just saw the Wrestler.

THE WRESTLER IS BY FAR THE BEST movie I saw this year. Nothing is even close. Not Slumdog, not Gran Torino NOTHING is even in the same ballpark. And believe me, I love Gran Torino and Slumdog.

But that is just my opinion. I am not asking you to agree. Everyone has their own opinion.

Oh my God... I hope and pray that Mickey Rourke wins best actor. What an extraordinary performance.

If any of your are academy voters (or know any of the voters).... please. I beg you.

Mickey Rourke = Best Actor

 

[ArtisticShowcase]

Just saw Slumdog Millionaire, definitely the best film of the year, beats Button easily. Only problem, awkward dance scene in the credits.

 

[Kas]

I have to add RockNRolla to my list, very cool.

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by ArtisticShowcase

Only problem, awkward dance scene in the credits.
spoiled the whole movie for me.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by m@T

spoiled the whole movie for me.

I don't understand how something unrelated to the film (and a clear nod to Bollywood), would spoil the whole movie for you. It's just an aside. That said, I hated the last 5 minutes of the film, seeing as they really reached for the saccharine.

 

[Matt]

I was sitting there thinking 'the book canes this, but it's pretty good' and then they take a movie that - and this is a quote from a good friend and Mumbai native who was watching it with me - 'understood my city', then gave it the cheesiest, most inappropriate, Indian film cliched "aside" at the end.

Just no idea why Boyle thought "hey, this is appropriate" - it was pointless, and completely out of place. "hey there's the guy that had his eyes scooped out...now lets all watch him shimmy"

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by m@T

I was sitting there thinking 'the book canes this, but it's pretty good' and then they take a movie that - and this is a quote from a good friend and Mumbai native who was watching it with me - 'understood my city', then gave it the cheesiest, most inappropriate, Indian film cliched "aside" at the end.

Just no idea why Boyle thought "hey, this is appropriate" - it was pointless, and completely out of place.

Don't get me wrong, I thought it was completely marsupialed. If you can forgive some of the puppy love and cheese you'll see a very nice film that sort of introduces India to the rest of the world, in a small way. The end was very tacky and I see no reason why they did it. I was out of the theatre moments after anyways since I generally stay right through the credits or get up immediately because I hate hearing the post mortems of the hoi polloi, it just depresses and angers me.

 

[Matt]

There's a thread on the movie, and I posted on this there, but I did think it was a decent film. I just hate-hate-hated that ending and wished they didn't go there.

I guess my perspective of the film was tainted by having read (and prefered) the book. Q&A has a certain wide-eyed-wonder mixed with a gritty sense of the fantastic, as well as an eye for detail and nuance that the movie just couldn't match (and, in fairness to Boyle et al, if they tried, the film would have been eleven hours long).

 

[princemarko]

Girls Gone Wild Cancun 2008

 

[Artisan Fan]

Australia
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon

...were some of my favorites.

 

[Matt]

you liked Australia, AF? God I cringed so hard that the wrinkles may be permanent. OK, I am Australian, which gives me a diffferent perspective on it, and it was visually beautiful, and the little Aboriginal kid was great...but otherwise.....so so so cheesy and stereotype-laden, and so so so long.

 

[Matt]

just watched Gran Torino. That was good. 2008 is caught up. Now I can begin 2009