Webomatica’s Best Movies Of 2008
Truth be told I didn’t get out to the theater that much this year, so these titles are of movies I watched this year, not necessarily released in 2008. Still, I think it’s amusing to look over a year’s worth of movie reviews and see what floated to the top. These are all films I’d see again and would own, and affected me on an emotional level.
The Good
I really love films where several things (direction, acting, story, and characters) work together to transport me to another place, to where I’m affected emotionally and no longer aware I’m merely watching shadows on a screen. Milk achieved that quality several times. The icing on the cake is the film’s message that gay rights is a civil rights issue, one that is entirely applicable to today. People should know how far civil rights has come, and how far it still has to go. A must see.
Ambiguous ending aside, the rest of the film is masterfully executed. The Coen brothers really know what they’re doing — every moment is intentional. If the ending is vague, it’s not a failure on their part. I have no doubt they intended it that way.
The Dark Knight is an increasingly rare movie that absolutely must be seen on the big screen. As with Iron Man, the final frames left me eager for the sequel.
I have no idea how I missed this movie all these years and am kicking myself for not seeing it sooner. Beautiful, romantic, and inventive. Plus, I can’t get that song out of my head!
The obvious music doesn’t kick in until that last key moment when the film ends too soon. Afterward, I wanted to see Iron Man kick more ass, which is the best compliment one can make in regards to these superhero flicks. Before the credits began, I was already looking forward to the sequel.
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, Raiders Of The Lost Ark
I had to revisit why that sequel was so “meh” and found these two movies still hold up very well.
I last watched The Usual Suspects several years ago, and was a bit worried that on a second viewing, the film wouldn’t hold up as well, as I already knew the “surprise.” It actually held up decently, since there’s still a big puzzle as to how much of the story is fact or fabrication. And one can still enjoy the amusing acting by Kevin Spacey in particular.
His one match against Apollo Creed isn’t just a fight against one man — it’s a fight to overcome all the crap he put up with his entire life to get there.
Won me over with a tasty mix of sci-fi, horror, and plot twists, mesmerizing me to the end… it’s a shining example in a genre I tend to avoid like the plague.
K-k-k-ken.
I found Zodiac so very haunting because transcends the murders and examines the complex nature of evil itself. The desire to expose evil has a damaging effect on the characters investigating the case. We see characters obsessing over the Zodiac decades after the killings, with no resources to do anything about it — they have the will but not the means.
The quirky Juno reminded me of a Wes Anderson movie, but populated with real, heart felt characters rather than cut out, cartoony ones. It’s a blend that I hope to see more of.
Essentially, the music’s rough edges match the characters perfectly. Guy is a folk singer loner, possibly interested in music to his detriment (I’m guessing he’s over thirty). He lives with his father, works in a vacuum repair shop, and listens to music in a slightly disconcerting manner: standing completely still and staring straight ahead as if lost in thought. The girl is a single mother from Czechoslovakia, with inferred impulsive side. Her father was a classical pianist. Imagine for a minute what sort of music these two passionate, raw, and slightly flawed individuals would create: Once nails it.
After contemplating the fates of Cecilia and Robbie, I was left feeling woefully sorry for a little girl who spends an entire life contemplating a half-baked truth. A character who makes a terrible mistake earned my sympathy, and for that reason I highly recommend this movie.
An awesome return to form. All the actors involved fill their roles perfectly and I really got caught up in this flick. I’d watch it again.
[…] in addition to awesome movies, I reviewed many horrible ones over the course of the year. Some I brought upon myself via the So […]