The Top Movies of 2008

Well, it’s been an interesting year for movies, that’s for sure. Whether it’s a controversial Pixar flick once again bending the rules, a Batman flick (headed by a death) battling Titanic for box office supremacy, hoards of surprising success, and Best Picture wanna-bes finding a tough time to find theaters (not audiences, theaters), there’s plenty to talk about in terms of movies. I’ve rounded up a list of films that I’ve deemed the best of 08. Granted, I didn’t see ALL the movies (Slumdog Millionaire, In Burges, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express) I did see enough to make a list of 7 grand movies that should be viewed by everybody. Here, we, go!

#7: Eagle Eye

There’s a major lack of Hitchcock theater in cinema nowadays, but Shia and D.J. Caruso seem to be borrowing from his books. First was the surprisingly suspenseful Disturbia, and then we have the North By Northwest-like Eagle Eye, that is about two total strangers suddenly thrown into a world of terror, grief, and endless surprises. The cast does a swell job in hiding the major conflict (and cause of) from the audience for a major amount of time and keeps the film gripping and tense by delivering wild chases, devilish twists, and more. Now, to fix that nasty camera…

#6: Kung Fu Panda

Surprise, surprise. Nobody saw this turning into a 600 million-dollar smash hit that had a good amount of heart, soul, comedy, and action. The voice acting was phenomenal, the animation was crisp, it never got preachy, never got pop-cultreish, and was wrapped up in the end nicely. The sequel is bound to happen, but as long as they continue with this winning formula, I’ll be first in line to see it.

#5: Iron Man

20 minutes away from being the top comic book movie of the year. Aside from the final fight and conflict leading up to it, Iron Man was virtually flawless. Robert Downey Jr. was spectacular, the special effects were great, the film was a smooth, slow, yet enjoyable beginning to a superhero that deserves a killer franchise. We need more of him in the suit for the next installment, and we are totally set. Too bad Terence Howard had to be such a prick.

#4: The Dark Knight

Oh boy, here we go. The film is inches away from reaching a billion dollars in worldwide sales, its getting a major push for Best Picture, and its setting the benchmark for super hero films everywhere. Here’s where I look in the other direction. Yes, the Dark Knight is good, but not the best. There’s way too much going against it (lack of art direction, sloppy acting from the extras, anticlimactic ending, Batman having a cold, attempting realism to something that has little of it to begin with) to qualify as the best film of the year. However, this is a must-see, as it does weave a grand tale and does contain some awesome scenes. Then, let’s not forget Mr. Ledger as the Joker.

#3: Tropic Thunder

This one is ranked higher than most people would rank it, but personally I got a major kick out of this. Whether it’s the ridiculousness of it all, the subtle humor all over the place, the crazy spoofing, hilarious one-liners, unexpected cameos, and utter madness that drowns the picture 10 minutes in, Tropic Thunder will attack the funnybone and becomes quite relentless in getting a laugh.

#2: Harold and Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay

Shame on me, a film major, for placing this offensive, crude, and ridiculous sequel to the cult stoner classic so up high on this list----past Dark Knight, past Iron Man, past Doubt, past every movie but one. Let’s just make one thing clear: this movie does what most 2008 movies didn’t do: deliver exactly what it advertised. Sex and the City lacked the sex, Batman lacked the fun and comic book feel, Wanted lacked action, Madagascar 2 lacked laughs, Bond lacked Bond, Hulk lacked personality, and Zohan lacked everything. Harold and Kumar promised more laughs, more political correcting humor, more absurdity, and more drugs. Guess what, that’s exactly what we got, and it never once slowed down. It even had a hintage of heart, and the best cameo of the year. In the league of films I’ve given an 8/10, this one rises above them all.

#1: Wall-E:

Pixar has time and time again best the rules, pushed the limits of animation, provided year after year of instant classic material, and made every other animation studio look dreadful when compared to the relatively young company. Pixar started hitting the extremely high notes and started garnishing its major respect when Finding Nemo busted on to the scene, and from then on the expectations got higher and higher. The Incredibles was a grand movie, Cars was their only setback, Ratatouille is the first (and only) computer animated film to breathe flavors of indie-filmmaking, and now we have Wall-E: a Chaplin-like gem of a tale with minimal dialogue, seven layers of plotlines, and one of the most charming love stories of the 21^st century. For the first time since…well…last year did we have an animated movie push for the Best Picture prize. But unlike Ratatouille, this one may have a chance. In the meanwhile, it remains the best movie I have seen in 2008.