Sunday, December 7, 2008

20 BEST SO FAR

There's only a few weeks left in 2008, but there's more than a few notable releases still to come: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, BENJAMIN BUTTON, MILK, CHE, GRAN TORINO, MAN ON WIRE, THE WRESTLER, FROST/NIXON, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, THE READER, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, DEFIANCE, and DOUBT will all be closers for me this year. But so far, here's where I'm at with a top 20. There's aren't necessarily the "best films of the year," because how can people really be so pompous as to suggest that with film, there can be "best" and "worst?" Here's my 20 "favorite" films of the year:

Tarsem’s THE FALL (****)
Charlie Kaufman’s SYNECDOCHE, NY (****)
Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT (****)
Andrew Stanton’s WALL*E (****)
Jonathan Demme’s RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (****)
David Gordon Green’s SNOW ANGELS (****)
Werner Herzog’s ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (****)
Ben Stiller’s TROPIC THUNDER (****)
Clint Eastwood’s CHANGELING (****)
Martin McDonagh’s IN BRUGES (****)

David Gordon Green’s PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (****)
Joel & Ethan Coen’s BURN AFTER READING (****)
Marc Forster’s QUANTUM OF SOLACE (****)
Matt Reeves’ CLOVERFIELD (****)
Martin Scorsese’s SHINE A LIGHT (****)
Mike Leigh’s HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (****)
Roger Donaldson’s THE BANK JOB (****)
Stephen Walker’s YOUNG @ HEART (****)
Kimberly Peirce’s STOP-LOSS (****)
Jay Roach’s RECOUNT (****)

4 comments:

Joel said...

I will be posting a top ten on January 1, ut I definitely agree. They'll be my favorite films, but not necessarily the best.

I will be renting "The Fall" on December 16 (next Tuesday) after seeing "The Day the Earth Stood Still" on the 13, "Frost/Nixon" on the 14, and "Gran Torino" on the 15. I'll be hopefully checking out "Synecdoche, NY" on the 17, but I may instead see "The Wrestler." Decisions, decisions...

But everything will heat up Christmas Day and the next with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Revolutionary Road," which are still my most anticipated this year. I also hope to catch "Slumdog Millionaire," "Milk" (definitely; looks like a masterpiece), and "Man on Wire." A lot for me to see, my friend. :)

Actionman said...

I have Man on Wire coming tomorrow from Netflix. Button is an x-mas day viewing. Slumdog is this weekend. Milk, The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road, Gran Torino, and Frost/Nixon will all happen as soon as they are out near me. On the fence with Day the Earth Stood Still. And I really want to see Let the Right One In, which finally arrives this weekend.

Joel said...

I think "Let the Right One In" released in Dallas this past weekend. I'm expecting something brilliant.

I'll see the others when they come out.

And I'm loving the looks of DTESS. Looks like this season's big-budget mainstream event, like "The Dark Knight." Just not as good.

Actionman said...

I have read nothing but brilliant stuff about Let the Right One In so I am expecting something special. Horror films are not my genre and I almost never pay to see them in the theater. But I am planning on making an exception with this one.

DTEST...I don't know...the original is such a classic and this one looks (predictably) like an exercise in CGI flash-and-awe. It might be worth a matinee. I am waiting to see some reviews, of which there haven't been any. NEVER a good sign with only 4 days left till release.