Top Five Movies of 2008
Whereas last year there were so many films from 2007 that I liked I was hard pressed to pick ten favorites, this year I find myself in precisely the opposite situation. First, I didn't see nearly enough movies last year (less than 30 total new theatrical releases) for my "top 10" to mean anything. Second, of those I saw, only a handful really impressed me in any way; even the best of the rest stirred nowhere near the level of enthusiasm that, say, my *20th* favorite movie of 2007 did. Third, the insane "December rush" once again made it impossible for me to see all the likely contenders for my top ten. For example, I have yet to see "The Wrestler," "The Class," "A Christmas Tale," "Waltz With Bashir," "Revolutionary Road," or "The Reader." I also missed movies earlier this year like "Reprise" and "Man On Wire" that I wanted very much to see.
For these reasons, I'm only naming my top five movies for 2008; list subject to expansion if I see more Christmas-release movies in the near future.
1. RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
2. ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
3. MILK
(big gap)
4. MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS (yes, I know I am probably the only person in the world who's listing this *very* flawed film so high, but Wong Kar-Wai on an off day still has more artistry in his little finger than most directors have in their entire being)
Edited 1/19/09: I have to let the movie gel a little more in my own mind, but I think THE WRESTLER may take the #4 spot and push everything else down.
5. Tie between FROST/NIXON, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, and I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG - all movies I enjoyed but didn't quite live up to their full potential
And if I absolutely *had* to make a top ten, the next tier would probably consist of some combination of the following, though I'm not sure which or in what order:
Worthy but flawed and overrated: WALL-E; SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Flawed but worthy and underrated: NICK & NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST; BURN AFTER READING; IRON MAN
For these reasons, I'm only naming my top five movies for 2008; list subject to expansion if I see more Christmas-release movies in the near future.
1. RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
2. ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
3. MILK
(big gap)
4. MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS (yes, I know I am probably the only person in the world who's listing this *very* flawed film so high, but Wong Kar-Wai on an off day still has more artistry in his little finger than most directors have in their entire being)
Edited 1/19/09: I have to let the movie gel a little more in my own mind, but I think THE WRESTLER may take the #4 spot and push everything else down.
5. Tie between FROST/NIXON, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, and I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG - all movies I enjoyed but didn't quite live up to their full potential
And if I absolutely *had* to make a top ten, the next tier would probably consist of some combination of the following, though I'm not sure which or in what order:
Worthy but flawed and overrated: WALL-E; SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Flawed but worthy and underrated: NICK & NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST; BURN AFTER READING; IRON MAN
posted by lylee at 2:54 AM
6 Comments:
Nice selection of films.
Wait... Iron Man is underrated?
Underrated as compared with "The Dark Knight," I guess. Personally I enjoyed "Iron Man" a lot more, even if it wasn't aiming to be anything except pure entertainment.
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Heh, well, most anything is underrated compared to The Dark Knight.
I guess it all depends on where you're coming from, anyway -- I've been noticing Iron Man getting a lot of love compared to most films this year, and to me that was a bit baffling.
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