living in grand rapids is often tough for a film geek, mainly because it takes ages for smaller films to get here, if they ever show at all. because of this i haven’t had a chance to see two of my most anticipated films of 2008, slumdog millionaire and the wrestler. so here’s my top five movies of 2008, which obviously only includes those i’ve been able to see thus far.
1. the dark knight
i’m not sure i even need to explain this one. it’s fucking brilliant, relentless, bleak, heartbreaking, all of the promise of batman begins amped up 100% and mixed with clearly the best performance of the year in heath ledger. while i’m not sure if it should win best picture, ledger definitely deserves a posthumous best supporting actor win.
2. wall-e
talk about gorgeous. i can’t even imagine what this looks like in 1080p. not since the silent era has a character done so much with so few actual words. pixar can really do no wrong and wall-e is further proof of that. i have a hunch that this might be the first animated film since beauty and the beast to garner a best picture nod from the academy.
3. forgetting sarah marshall
i actually didn’t think i was going to like this one going in, but i think i enjoy it more and more every time i watch it. it’s easily the best of the apatow crop from this year. paul rudd, russel brand, jack mcbrayer, bill hader, the entire support cast is hilarious. and russel brand, christ. i get “inside of you” stuck in my head every time i hear it.
4. bigger, stronger, faster*
i’m a documentary junkie. i really want to see dear zachary, but considering the doc’s i’ve seen this year, bigger stronger faster is my fav. and i don’t even like sports or care about bodybuilding. it’s just really compelling and well done and makes you interested in something you would have never thought twice about before. that’s the mark of a great doc.
5. let the right one in
i’ve talked about this film here before, but i just can’t say enough about it. the cinematography is breathtaking, the relationship between the young protagonists is honest and refreshing. it’s a great new take on a tired genre that goes above and beyond standard fare and dares to do something unique. there’s already a remake in the works, which is troubling. see the original now.
full disclosure: i have not seen twilight, seeing as i am neither a 12-year-old girl or a sexually frustrated soccer-mom. if you want young vampire romance that’s, you know, actually good, check out let the right one in. that being said, i found eric d. snider’s rejected twilight screenplay immensely hilarious. and from what i’ve read about the book/movie, it’s spot on.
BELLA: It’s tough being the new kid in school! Especially when everyone is so friendly and helpful and interested in me. Why can’t they just leave me alone so I can sit in the corner and cut myself? CLASSMATE: You’re awesome, Bella! BELLA: See what I have to put up with? Hey — who are those hot people over there? CLASSMATE: Those are the Cullens. They avoid direct sunlight, they don’t eat food, they sleep in coffins in a graveyard, and holy water burns them. I think they’re Canadians. BELLA: They sure are spectacularly gorgeous. CLASSMATE: Yes, they are. BELLA: I mean seriously, those people are BEAUTIFUL. Especially the one who keeps looking at me. Man alive, that guy is stunning. I mean, wow. He is hot buttered seduction on a stick. I’m not interested in him sexually, of course, because sex is dirty, but wow — LOOK AT HIM! Yee-ikes! Hubba hubba! If you don’t mind, I’d like to spend the next 75 pages talking exclusively about how attractive he is, and then bring it up again every paragraph or so for the remaining 400 pages. CLASSMATE: Knock yourself out.
$74 million domestic box office, people. christ on a cracker.
if you have the chance, do yourself a favor and go see let the right one in. i watched it last night via completely legal means (ahem) and i will definitely be seeing it at the uica when it’s released here in grand rapids next month. the premise, a lonely boy befriends a mysterious girl who turns out to be vampire, sounds less than stellar at first. but it’s so much more than that. the cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful, which contrasts perfectly with the brutal violence of the film. i was completely mesmerized by this little swedish import. check out the trailer below and then go find it in your city.
i’m not sure i even need to explain this one. it’s fucking brilliant, relentless, bleak, heartbreaking, all of the promise of batman begins amped up 100% and mixed with clearly the best performance of the year in heath ledger. while i’m not sure if it should win best picture, ledger definitely deserves a posthumous best supporting actor win.
