My Favorite Movies of 2008 (Part 5)

Dice's Favorite 25 Movies of 2008

(These are, in order, the movies I enjoy, respect, desire, and love the most that I saw for the first time in the calender year 2008.)

* possible objectionable content warning

5. Cloverfield - This movie was almost as much of a social experiment as it was a film.  JJ Abrams loves a good mystery, and started this one with a stealth trailer release and little to no information other than that it was a monster movie.   What unfolded on the screen just a few months later was an incredible first hand account of what the monster movie might look like in a Youtube generation.  If you stand the motion sickness you were rewarded with a Hitchcockian delight.
4. King of Kong - Easily the best documentary I have ever seen, and a movie that should be viewed by all whether or not you hold any interest in the art of playing arcade games.  What is amazing about this movie is that it has all the elements of a great sports movie and yet it is being documented as a film, as these amazing events are happening.  The filmmakers must have felt like prospectors finding the mother lode, as each new twist and turn was mined in this tale.  What's even more amazing is that this story continues today as the good guy and the bad guy continue to duke it out.

3.  Iron Man - Jon Favreau continues to prove he just knows how to flat out make amazing movies.  Add his gift to the triumphant return of the gregarious Downey and you have the makings of a great experience.    It had the added bonus of catching people off guard, since it didn't have the pressure of a big name comic on it.  Spiderman and Batman are supposed to be amazing, but who would have thought that Iron Man would be?

2.  The Dark Knight - Overshadowed by a legendary performance by the late Heath Ledger is the fact that this movie manages to one up what was widely considered to be the perfect Batman movie, Batman Begins.  That fact that this group of people took the unreasonable expectations set after that first film and completely left them in the dust will remain a testament to the skill of many people, primary among them Christopher Nolan, who hasn't gotten nearly enough credit for what he has pulled off here.

1. Wall-E - I'm convinced that Pixar is just operating on a whole different level than any other film company working today.   It's just unfathomable to make this many movies in a row without experiencing either some sort of letdown or backlash.  Wall-E continues the streak with a cast of characters that barely even utter a spoken word for the entire length of the film and yet somehow become fully ingrained in our consciousness and more importantly our hearts.   Maybe I'm blinded by devotion to these geniuses, but I'm content to see Pixar's movies resting atop the pile each and every year as long as they keep affecting me so deeply.

My Favorite Movies of 2008 (Part 4)

Dice's Favorite 25 Movies of 2008

(These are, in order, the movies I enjoy, respect, desire, and love the most that I saw for the first time in the calender year 2008.)

* possible objectionable content warning

10. Ocean's 13 - The third movie in the series somehow managed to recapture all the feelings of the first that Ocean's 12 had left scattered on the floor in a dozen pieces.  13 found footing in going back to the humor and intricacy that made the first heist so memorable, and though it doesn't fully match 11, it's at least a step in the right direction, and a lot of fun to watch.

9. I am Legend* - I was not prepared for how much I loved this movie.  I've never really enjoyed "zombie" movies (the hilarious, but offensive, "Shaun of the Dead" excepting), so I was expecting more of the same.  Let's just say I was wrong.  The depth, emotion, and resonance of this movie was incredible and Will Smith continues to solidify himself as a true screen legend. Seeing this movie at number 9 makes me think that this top 10 may be one of the strongest I've seen.

 
8. Gone Baby Gone* - A powerful look at the cost and peril of making correct moral choices and an exploration into whether or not the ends really do justify the means.  If you can stand the profanity in this one, I can't recommend it highly enough.  It floors me that Ben Affleck directed this, and his brother Casey's performance is nuanced and brilliant.  This movie deserved every award it won and probably many that it didn't.

7. Sunshine* - A low budget Sci-Fi masterpiece?  This look at madness and purpose is incredible both for it's sheer audacity and it's character and story development.  I don't want to give too much of this one away, but it is one of the most compelling ensemble cast performances I've seen in a long while.

6.  Bolt (3D) - Even though this is a Disney brand film, you can see John Lasseter and Pixar's fingerprints all over it.  The story is engaging, the characters are fun and given time to develop, and the drama and action are exuberant and gorgeous.  Add to all this that it used 3D technology perfectly (to add depth not gimmick) and this may have been the most flat out fun I had sitting in a theater all year.