Thursday, November 20, 2008

TOP 20 OF 2008

As the year progresses, and I have the chance to re-watch movies on DVD that I first saw in the theater, my list continues to change. Here's my top 20 for the year thus far:

Tarsem’s THE FALL (****)
Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT (****)
Jonathan Demme’s RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (****)
Andrew Stanton’s WALL*E (****)
David Gordon Green’s SNOW ANGELS (****)
Clint Eastwood’s CHANGELING (****)
Werner Herzog’s ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (****)
Martin McDonagh’s IN BRUGES (****)
Joel & Ethan Coen’s BURN AFTER READING (****)
Marc Forster’s QUANTUM OF SOLACE (****)

David Gordon Green’s PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (****)
Ben Stiller’s TROPIC THUNDER (****)
Matt Reeves’ CLOVERFIELD (****)
Martin Scorsese’s SHINE A LIGHT (****)
Roger Donaldson’s THE BANK JOB (****)
Stephen Walker’s YOUNG @ HEART (****)
Kimberly Peirce’s STOP-LOSS (****)
Jay Roach’s RECOUNT (****)
Tom McCarthy’s THE VISITOR (****)
Chris Bell’s BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER (****)

These are the 20 films I have seen so far this year that I basically have no problems with. For me, they all delivered in their respective genres, and in some cases, stand as landmarks (THE FALL, THE DARK KNIGHT). Some are more thematically challenging than others. Some are pieces of pure escapist entertainment. But whatever the reason, these are the best films that I have seen so far this year. And from here on out, things get interesting, as the awards season pile up is about to begin. I love this time of year as the studios start trotting out their big, end of the year prestige pictures. There's lots to look forward too over these last six weeks of 2008.

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