Top Ten List - Best Films 2008

10. Paranoid Park - Sometimes Gus Van Sant does mainstream brilliance (Good Will Hunting) and sometimes he does artsy to the extreme (Gerry), but 2008 seems to be the year he is marrying the two together. Paranoid Park is another gem from Van Sant. With it's minimilistic cineamatography, non-linear story telling and mostly non-professional cast, Paranoid Park is a perfectly executed thrilling story. It's exceedingly well done with an interesting story (did a high school skateboarder accidentally kill a security guard?) and great acting from a lot of unknowns. Van Sant has not disappointed me in a very long time (and more on that later!).

09. Revolutionary Road - Revolutionary Road is devastating. I've been going back and forth on whether or not to include this or Doubt on my top ten list. The fact is, Doubt has this purely engaging, wonderfully written and realized script. Revolutionary Road has it's flaws, for sure, but it's so heartbreaking that it's hard to not include it here. Essentially, it's the story about two people who want something more out of their lives. When it comes down to them, life (jobs, kids, money, responsiblity) breaks them down and ruins their dreams. That's sort of something I can relate to. The lead performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and the supporting performance by Michael Shannon are all top notch. This story and movie has its problems, but the emotional punch it packs makes up for any minor problems.

08. Funny Games - This movie gets into your head because it shows absolutely nothing. You are left to imagine what is happening off screen (and director Michael Haneke uses great long takes so it sometimes feels like minutes before you actually find out what happened) and that is more terrifying than seeing anything. The movie is really a superbly crafted intellectual film (it's maybe almost too smart at times, actually). The acting is great - especially from Naomi Watts, the victim and Michael Pitt, the polite and kind potential killer. Also, the ending boat scene? Fricking brilliant!

07. In Bruges - One of the most surprising films of the year, In Bruges is just simply enjoyable on every level. It follows a "job" gone terribly wrong for two Irish hit men who are forced to hide out in Bruges, Belgium, a little place where there is not a lot to do. The forced waiting, sort of like purgatory, gives Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson a chance to shine through some marvelous dark yet comic dialogue. It's a character study with such wonderful interplay. The movie works as a comedy and a satire. It's been a long time but Colin Farrell finally gets to shine as a morally challenged hit man.

06. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Fincher's epic story about a man aging backwards is a moving and emotionally harrowing journey through the life of one man. Fincher directs the hell out of this thing which has a great script and great performances (especially from Taraji P. Henson). It starts out a little slow but kicks into high gear in the second half. There are so many moments of brilliance that it makes up for it's uneven beginning. It may be a little long but The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a beautiful journey well worth the time.

05. Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Woody Allen is as sharp and witty as he was thirty years ago. Here he tells the story of two American tourists (Scarlett Johannson and Rebecca Hall) and the romantic entangelments they become involved in with a Spanish painter (Javier Bardem) and his borderline crazy and completely volatile ex-wife (the amazing Penelope Cruz). Barcelona looks beautiful! The cinematography is beautiful (witness the amusement park and the bike riding scenes). This movie also shows how Allen has grown as a filmmaker. Years ago, he stockpiled as many jokes in the film, no matter how silly. Here, thre is a particular moment where a character is set to tell a joke he warns is bad... and Allen cuts out of the scene! He's more interested in the development of these outrageous and well developed characters than telling silly jokes. With writing as crisp, original, witty and smart as it is here, he doesn't need cheap laughs.

04. The Wrestler - This movie is honest and feels so very real. Maybe it's because Mickey Rourke brings a feel of reality to his role. The character, Randy the Ram, has eerie similarities to his own life (wasted youth, struggling with growing older and losing your career, damaging your body and your personal relationships). Maybe it's because Darren Aronofsky is an amazing director. I don't know. Either way, The Wrestler is a gem of a movie, beautifully realized and utterly heart breaking. This movie is gritty, raw, sometimes funny and sometimes very depressing. There's so much compassion here. This is one of the best movies of the year - a tough, funny, dramatic tear jerker. It's a must see. Rourke and Senn Penn will fight to the finish for that Oscar come February and really, I'd be happy to see either win it.

03. The Dark Knight - The Dark Knight is a huge step forward for comic book / superhero movies. For years, those kinds of movies were seen as brainless summer popcorn flicks. The Dark Knight, however, is a whole different kind of movie. It's a well-done, classy, smart film - the kind that will stand the test of time and the kind that should definitely be called a masterpiece. Everything in this movie is so well done - special effects, story line, acting. This movie probably has the best cinematography of the year. And then there's Heath. He deserves the Oscar. That's all I will say at this point. Everything else has already been said. Overall, The Dark Knight is two and a half hours of pure entertainment. There's little to nothing wrong with the movie. All those months of anticipation and expectations? It not only meets them but also surpasses them.

02. Wendy and Lucy - It seems so simple on the outside. Michelle Williams perfectly portrays Wendy, a young woman traveling to Alaska to find a job. She takes her dog Lucy with her and just enough money to make the trip. But then everything starts fo all apart. When her car breaks down and she loses her dog, Wendy's life begins to slowly unravel. It's a quiet film, a short film, a simple film. It's mostly Williams searching every nook and cranny for her dog. But it's raw and surprisingly gripping. It's touching and bittersweet. I cried my eyes out and I'm not afraid to admit it. It's a simple story with a powerful message.

01. Milk - There may be a more touching, gripping, emotional, politically timely, perfect film released this year... but I haven't seen it. Milk is everything a movie should be. Directed by the fantastic Gus Van Sant (director of the year!) and starring Sean Penn (probably the second greatest living actor), the film tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in the late 1970s in San Francisco. The supporting cast is all fantastic - Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Alison Pill. This movie is a celebration of a man who worked endlessly to bring about a change. With the recent passing of Prop 8 (which is much like Prop 6 in the movie), its clear to see that after thirty years, Harvey's fight is still not over. This movie should be a rally cry, a call to people to come together and stand up for gay rights, civil rights, human rights. Milk is perfect.

Oscar contenders arrive - Men who age backwards, nuns and political activists, oh my!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Benjamin Button is maybe the most fascinating man you'll ever meet. Born with a warped face and amidst doctors warnings that he wouldn't live very long, his birth father abandoned him on the back steps of an old person home where the loving and caring Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) found and raised him as her own. As Benjamin (Brad Pitt) beat the odds and grew up, he may have looked like the other old men in the house but he sure didn't act like them. As his life progressed, he became younger and younger, living a full and amazing life. He left home to join a tugboat captain (Jared Harris, stealing scenes as usual) and eventually join a war. He met the alluring Brit Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) and a host of other interesting characters. But it was the lovely Daisy (Cate Blanchett) who was the love of his life. While she aged normally, he aged backwards - could their love ever really work out? Based on the line "youth is wasted on the young," the film is a moving and emotionally harrowing journey through the life of one man. David Fincher directs the hell out of this film which has a great script and great performances. For as slow as it moves in the first half, the emotional aspect is kicked into high gear in the second half and it becomes a near masterpiece. There are so many moments of brilliance that it makes up for it's uneven beginning. Brad Pitt is the star but it's more about his journey than his acting. The acting stand outs, for me, came from a trio of fabulous women - Swinton who is all toughness and sophistication, Henson who is the heart and soul of the film and knocks it out of the park (let's start the Oscar campaign now!) and Blanchett who takes Daisy's vain, self centered nature and turns it into something that actually works. There is no one more beautiful than Blanchett as she dances in the fog. Overall, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a beautiful journey well worth the time.
Grade: A-

Doubt - There is a particular scene at the end of the film between Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman that just proves these two are arguably the two best working actors today. I didn't think anyone was going to make it out of that scene alive. Streep is the stubborn and stern Sister Alyisous who begins to think that Father Flynn (Hoffman) had an inappropriate relationship with the only black student at the school. Stripped down to just four main characters - Amy Adams as the naive and sweet (and I think the key to making your final decision about Flynn's innocence or guilt) Sister James and Viola Davis who has one powerful scene as the boy's mother - the film is very character driven with intense dialogue and a great, well written story. John Patrick Shanley is indeed a fantastic writer. I'm not convinced he is a great director, however. He's making a character/dialogue driven film but spent much of the first act using strange camera angles to tell a very simple story. His choices at times were very distracting from the effectiveness of the script. The performances, however, make up for it. Every one is making a huge deal about Viola Davis and I admit she was quite good. However, and maybe it's because I've been hearing for so long about how amazing she is, I didn't think she was quite as riveting as everyone else. Instead, in the supporting actress character, I felt Adams' more subdued and understated work was far more impressive. Then there's Streep and Hoffman and, like I said, they were pheneomenal in every way.
Grade: B+

Milk - There may be a more touching, gripping, emotional, politcally timely, perfect film released this year... but I haven't seen it. Milk is everything a movie should be. Directed by the fantastic Gus Van Sant (he has directed two of the best this year - Milk and Paranoid Park), Milk tells the true story of Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), the first gay man elected to public office in the late 1970s in San Francisco. It follows his long journey to the top - where he ran for office numerous times, losing over and over again before finally winning and fighting for gay rights, human rights before being shot down by a disgruntled co-worker, Dan White (Josh Brolin). Milk surrounded himself with a group of young, empassioned followers who helped rally the gay community, including Cleve Jones (a fantastic Emile Hirsch), Anne Kronenberg (Alison Pill, the spitfire) and two boyfriends including the long suffering Scott (James Franco) and the needy and smothering Jack (Diego Luna). The script is face paced and well written. Van Sant sticks to straight directing, for the most part. However, there are a few of his little artsy moments thrown in there and it adds to the film, for sure. Whether he's directing art films or more mainstream work, Van Sant is one of the most daring and interesting directors working today. Of course, the cast is amazing. If all is right in the world (which, of course, it's not) the men of Milk could all but over run the Supporting Actor category. Franco, Brolin and especially Hirsch are all fantastic. But, of course, this is Penn's show and he embodies Harvey Milk like you wouldn't believe. Known for his moody and intense work, it's refreshing and lovely to see him play someone a little more carefree and emotionally open. His performance is Oscar worthy, for sure and I'd love to see him win a second Oscar. The best thing about Milk, however, is how very timely it is. With the recent passing of Prop 8 (which is much like the Proposition 6 that Harvey fights so tirelessly against in the film), it's clear to see that after thirty odd years, Harvey's fight is still not over. This movie should be a rally cry, a call to people to come together and stand up for gay rights, civil rights, human rights.
Grade: A+