Year in Review: 2008
It's that time again, when I sit and do mini-reviews of all the movies I saw during the year. As always, I'll try to keep the reviews short and sweet and spoiler-free, so let's get started.
The Great
Juno: this is not your average flick about teenage pregnancy. It's funny, it's poignant, and despite the remarkably clever dialogue, it felt realistic. The movie had heart and lots of it, and showed viewers that teenage pregnancy is about more than just an abortion/adoption/forced marriage. There are twists in this story that would break your heart, and there were moments that would warm it. If I ever have a daughter, I'm making her watch this movie.
Iron Man: what a delight. I'm no fan of the Iron Man comics but when it comes to comic-book movies, where Greg goes, I'll follow, and this was just plain delightful. Robert Downey Jr. played his part pitch-perfect, and the film had the same tight, solid plotting as Batman Begins. It's a great, entertaining flick and it's got me looking forward to the sequel.
The Dark Knight: Epic. Simply epic. Like many, when I first heard that Heath Ledger had been cast as the Joker, I scoffed, "Are you kidding me?" Then I saw pictures. Then I saw the trailers. And then, of course, Ledger died. Watching his performance in this movie is a suckerpunch every time because it makes you want to see what he would've done next in both this franchise and the film industry. His performance as the Joker is masterful, but that's not all that masterful about this film. While completely different in story than Batman Begins, it takes the world-building and the characterization to the next level. I've heard people complain about a lack of plot or too much violence, but give me a break: this is the Joker, and the movie dialogue makes it VERY CLEAR what the whole point of the Joker and therefore the violence really is: there is no point. The Joker wants chaos, and chaos is what you get. Ledger aside, the casting and writing is once again fantastic, and it really gives me hope that this franchise will keep going strong.
Wall-E: I loved this movie from the moment I saw that little robot in the trailers. It's a unique film for Pixar, and really, it's more for adults than it is children. But it's rich, and quite frankly one of the best science fiction stories ever told, and that's saying something. It's chock full of symbol, meaning, and truth, and for those who complain the movie does nothing but beat a dead horse in terms of its platform, take a step back and think again. Science fiction is all about the next logical step, and like it or not, this is it. The great thing is that this movie also offers hope and love, and if you can't love Wall-E and all the other delightful robots in this movie, I suspect you have no heart.
Quantum of Solace: was it was tightly plotted as Casino Royale? No. But what it did was pick up right where Casino Royale left off and simply built on it, both plot-wise (which was a little convoluted in its layer-like revelations of conspiracies within conspiracies) and character-wise, and character-wise is what I loved most about this film. Seeing Bond comes to terms with what happened with Vesper and seeing how this makes him the man of legend is fascinating, and the gritty realism of the movies really drives it home. Oh, it's not perfectly realistic, but at least the stunts in this look better than the obvious and cheesy ones of previous Bond films. *cough*Die Another Day*cough* I've never gave a rat's ass about Bond until Daniel Craig hit the scene, and as long as they keep doing what they're doing, I'm going to be a very happy Devil. This isn't your daddy's Bond, and it's not supposed to be, and thank God for that.
The Good
Cloverfield: say what you will about J.J. Abrams and his gimmicks, but this works, and it works well. Far less annoying than, say, Blair Witch Project, and it does a good job keeping the viewer focused on how things might really be if such an impossible situation really happened. The characters look normal, act human (aka, they aren't necessarily likable), and the movie keeps you guessing. It's a good flick, and the ending (the theatrical version, I haven't seen the others) is just right.
The Incredible Hulk: ah, Edward Norton, how much do I love thee? Enough that I didn't kick and scream at being dragged to another Hulk movie after the flop of 2003. Don't get me wrong, the 2003 version had a lot of great moments, but this movie takes an implausible and unbelievable premise (guy gets angry, turns green and starts bashing things) and makes it believable and gives you a reason to care. I loved the jokes made at 2003's expense, and the love story was tighter and the plot itself more realistic than that of 2003. I also love how they're deliberately tying this film in with the Iron Man universe, because you know they're aiming for a crossover. And if these films keep getting made like this: realistic with solid acting, then it'll work.
Get Smart: the teaser trailer for this movie had me laughing my ass off, and since I love Steve Carrell in The Office, I had to see this. True to the teaser, the movie also had me laughing my ass off, and since I've never seen the original, I was surprised by the characterization of Max Smart. At any rate, this movie was a lot of fun with a lot of heart and just the right amount of mockery of serious film. Definitely worth it.
Religulous: I've actually forgotten a lot about this documentary so you'll have to forgive me. Greg was really itching to see this, and I had no trouble tagging along, as I've become sadly cynical in regards to organized religion during the past eight years, and I've got Bush to thank for it. At any rate, Maher interviews various people about the state of religion (worldwide, so it's not just Christianity that gets attacked) and illustrates the amount of hypocrisy that's out there. And if the hypocrisy isn't enough, he also points out the disturbing comparisons between various religions' End-of-World texts and shows the viewer that it's not God or any other religious deity hastening the end of times, it's us and more to the point, the people we put in power. It's a movie that's meant to offend, though I wasn't and really didn't expect to be. It's worth seeing, especially if you're willing to keep an open mind about it. The more educated you are about religion and its history, the better off you'll be. I will say I wish the interviews had been a little more objective in certain regards, but really, this is just like an extended episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. There's an angle, yes, but Maher's questions put him in a position of wanting to learn, and often, those who answer those questions end up looking bad because they're making assumptions.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: let's face it: Fincher is a great director, and I wanted to see this flick as soon as I heard about it. I mean, a man who ages backwards in world that goes forward? Fantastic. And the movie is really well done, with appropriate points of humor to break up some of the more serious tension. What doesn't sit well with me is how similar this movie is in my mind to Forrest Gump. You have a man who is out of touch with the world for whatever reasons, a woman who is completely in touch with the world, a love story that always intersects but has trouble finally connecting, and that same man being present for notable moments in history. Don't get me wrong, it's a really good movie, but I didn't fall in love with it because I kept making comparisons, and the ending felt me feeling a little odd. There's a frame story dealing with Katerina, and while I intellectually understand the symbolism, it's weird and not as strong correlated in my mind as I'd like it to be.
The Good for what it was, but nothing spectacular
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: we had to buy the trilogy and watch it first before seeing the fourth installment, as I'd not seen any of the Indy movies save for Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is still my favorite of the four. I absolutely hated Temple of Doom for so many reasons, and fortunately, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is much better than that, though I guessed some of the surprises and the twists. It was a fun movie, and I really couldn't ask for more than that.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Better than The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe for lots of reasons, mostly, I think, because it was more of a traditional fantasy and it simply had more heart. The cast gelled much better, and I couldn't help but adore Caspian, who I think would make an excellent little brother to Orlando Bloom. Good movie, entertaining, but Narnia has a long way to go before it reaches the superiority of the LOTR films. Though, that may not happen since Disney's dropped it.
Hellboy II: I loved Hellboy so much that this just disappointed me. More cheese than was funny or necessary (Hellboy and Abe singing drunkenly was just ridiculous--this ain't a musical), and the story itself felt very weak. However, the fight scenes and visuals were amazing, and the movie was fun, so there is that.
Babylon AD: this just looked too entertaining to miss, and thanks to the character of Riddick, I now have a soft spot for Vin Disel. This movie was SERIOUSLY WEAK on plot and plausibility, and visually, it was good to look at, and the entertainment factor was there. But the ending, totally whack, and it kind of left the viewer wondering what the point was, as the movie was trying to be both a kick-ass blockbuster action-flick and an intelligent, poignant SF film and it couldn't be both so it ended up neither.
Punisher: War Zone: This movie is close to being bad, but I've got to consider the source material. While I agree with Greg that someone should really take the material and make a serious, well-done flick, it's not happened yet and I doubt it will. What was good in this movie was the casting: all the good guys were cast perfectly and fit their roles just right, especially Soap and Frank Castle. The bad guys were all completely cheesy. The plot actually existed and made sense, and the ending, lets face it, was just right. I enjoyed this a lot better than I thought I would, and that's saying something.
The Bad
The Happening: this movie didn't bother me in theaters. I found the whole premise behind "the happening" rather interesting, especially some of the connections made between it and the disappearance of honey bees. But frankly, there was no need to make this movie an "R" and while I don't mind Wahlburg, the cast and its chemistry was just boring. I don't like to criticize Shyamalan's films because it's been the popular thing to do since The Sixth Sense became so popular, but it's really time for Shyamalan to give himself a break and adapt some material. And I think he actually is, so that's a good thing. The Happening, not so much.
My movie total this year is up to 16 from last year's 14. A lot of really good movies came out, movies that looked promising enough to spend the time and money in seeing them. I didn't get to see everything I wanted, but that's always the case, and that why God invented DVDs and BluRays.
And speaking of DVDs and BluRays, here's a list of all I watched this year:
* = watched more than once
Hot Fuzz
The Patriot
Terminator
Terminator 2
Sunshine
30 Days of Night
The Shining
POTC: At World's End
Hellboy
The Orphanage*
IJ: Raiders of the Lost Ark
IJ: Temple of Doom
IJ: Last Crusade
Pixar Short Film Collection
Monsters, Inc
Princess Bride
Cars
The Fountain
Batman Begins
Enchanted
LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring EE
Alien
LOTR: Two Towers EE
LOTR: Return of the King EE
V for Vendetta
Chronicles of Riddick
Jeremiah Johnson
Pitch Black
Lost Boys
Doom
Event Horizon
Lost Boys: The Tribe
Interview with the Vampire
Transformers
Clockwork Orange
Batman: Gotham Knight
Scream
Scream 2
Scream 3
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Tropic Thunder*
The Great
Juno: this is not your average flick about teenage pregnancy. It's funny, it's poignant, and despite the remarkably clever dialogue, it felt realistic. The movie had heart and lots of it, and showed viewers that teenage pregnancy is about more than just an abortion/adoption/forced marriage. There are twists in this story that would break your heart, and there were moments that would warm it. If I ever have a daughter, I'm making her watch this movie.
Iron Man: what a delight. I'm no fan of the Iron Man comics but when it comes to comic-book movies, where Greg goes, I'll follow, and this was just plain delightful. Robert Downey Jr. played his part pitch-perfect, and the film had the same tight, solid plotting as Batman Begins. It's a great, entertaining flick and it's got me looking forward to the sequel.
The Dark Knight: Epic. Simply epic. Like many, when I first heard that Heath Ledger had been cast as the Joker, I scoffed, "Are you kidding me?" Then I saw pictures. Then I saw the trailers. And then, of course, Ledger died. Watching his performance in this movie is a suckerpunch every time because it makes you want to see what he would've done next in both this franchise and the film industry. His performance as the Joker is masterful, but that's not all that masterful about this film. While completely different in story than Batman Begins, it takes the world-building and the characterization to the next level. I've heard people complain about a lack of plot or too much violence, but give me a break: this is the Joker, and the movie dialogue makes it VERY CLEAR what the whole point of the Joker and therefore the violence really is: there is no point. The Joker wants chaos, and chaos is what you get. Ledger aside, the casting and writing is once again fantastic, and it really gives me hope that this franchise will keep going strong.
Wall-E: I loved this movie from the moment I saw that little robot in the trailers. It's a unique film for Pixar, and really, it's more for adults than it is children. But it's rich, and quite frankly one of the best science fiction stories ever told, and that's saying something. It's chock full of symbol, meaning, and truth, and for those who complain the movie does nothing but beat a dead horse in terms of its platform, take a step back and think again. Science fiction is all about the next logical step, and like it or not, this is it. The great thing is that this movie also offers hope and love, and if you can't love Wall-E and all the other delightful robots in this movie, I suspect you have no heart.
Quantum of Solace: was it was tightly plotted as Casino Royale? No. But what it did was pick up right where Casino Royale left off and simply built on it, both plot-wise (which was a little convoluted in its layer-like revelations of conspiracies within conspiracies) and character-wise, and character-wise is what I loved most about this film. Seeing Bond comes to terms with what happened with Vesper and seeing how this makes him the man of legend is fascinating, and the gritty realism of the movies really drives it home. Oh, it's not perfectly realistic, but at least the stunts in this look better than the obvious and cheesy ones of previous Bond films. *cough*Die Another Day*cough* I've never gave a rat's ass about Bond until Daniel Craig hit the scene, and as long as they keep doing what they're doing, I'm going to be a very happy Devil. This isn't your daddy's Bond, and it's not supposed to be, and thank God for that.
The Good
Cloverfield: say what you will about J.J. Abrams and his gimmicks, but this works, and it works well. Far less annoying than, say, Blair Witch Project, and it does a good job keeping the viewer focused on how things might really be if such an impossible situation really happened. The characters look normal, act human (aka, they aren't necessarily likable), and the movie keeps you guessing. It's a good flick, and the ending (the theatrical version, I haven't seen the others) is just right.
The Incredible Hulk: ah, Edward Norton, how much do I love thee? Enough that I didn't kick and scream at being dragged to another Hulk movie after the flop of 2003. Don't get me wrong, the 2003 version had a lot of great moments, but this movie takes an implausible and unbelievable premise (guy gets angry, turns green and starts bashing things) and makes it believable and gives you a reason to care. I loved the jokes made at 2003's expense, and the love story was tighter and the plot itself more realistic than that of 2003. I also love how they're deliberately tying this film in with the Iron Man universe, because you know they're aiming for a crossover. And if these films keep getting made like this: realistic with solid acting, then it'll work.
Get Smart: the teaser trailer for this movie had me laughing my ass off, and since I love Steve Carrell in The Office, I had to see this. True to the teaser, the movie also had me laughing my ass off, and since I've never seen the original, I was surprised by the characterization of Max Smart. At any rate, this movie was a lot of fun with a lot of heart and just the right amount of mockery of serious film. Definitely worth it.
Religulous: I've actually forgotten a lot about this documentary so you'll have to forgive me. Greg was really itching to see this, and I had no trouble tagging along, as I've become sadly cynical in regards to organized religion during the past eight years, and I've got Bush to thank for it. At any rate, Maher interviews various people about the state of religion (worldwide, so it's not just Christianity that gets attacked) and illustrates the amount of hypocrisy that's out there. And if the hypocrisy isn't enough, he also points out the disturbing comparisons between various religions' End-of-World texts and shows the viewer that it's not God or any other religious deity hastening the end of times, it's us and more to the point, the people we put in power. It's a movie that's meant to offend, though I wasn't and really didn't expect to be. It's worth seeing, especially if you're willing to keep an open mind about it. The more educated you are about religion and its history, the better off you'll be. I will say I wish the interviews had been a little more objective in certain regards, but really, this is just like an extended episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. There's an angle, yes, but Maher's questions put him in a position of wanting to learn, and often, those who answer those questions end up looking bad because they're making assumptions.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: let's face it: Fincher is a great director, and I wanted to see this flick as soon as I heard about it. I mean, a man who ages backwards in world that goes forward? Fantastic. And the movie is really well done, with appropriate points of humor to break up some of the more serious tension. What doesn't sit well with me is how similar this movie is in my mind to Forrest Gump. You have a man who is out of touch with the world for whatever reasons, a woman who is completely in touch with the world, a love story that always intersects but has trouble finally connecting, and that same man being present for notable moments in history. Don't get me wrong, it's a really good movie, but I didn't fall in love with it because I kept making comparisons, and the ending felt me feeling a little odd. There's a frame story dealing with Katerina, and while I intellectually understand the symbolism, it's weird and not as strong correlated in my mind as I'd like it to be.
The Good for what it was, but nothing spectacular
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: we had to buy the trilogy and watch it first before seeing the fourth installment, as I'd not seen any of the Indy movies save for Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is still my favorite of the four. I absolutely hated Temple of Doom for so many reasons, and fortunately, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is much better than that, though I guessed some of the surprises and the twists. It was a fun movie, and I really couldn't ask for more than that.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Better than The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe for lots of reasons, mostly, I think, because it was more of a traditional fantasy and it simply had more heart. The cast gelled much better, and I couldn't help but adore Caspian, who I think would make an excellent little brother to Orlando Bloom. Good movie, entertaining, but Narnia has a long way to go before it reaches the superiority of the LOTR films. Though, that may not happen since Disney's dropped it.
Hellboy II: I loved Hellboy so much that this just disappointed me. More cheese than was funny or necessary (Hellboy and Abe singing drunkenly was just ridiculous--this ain't a musical), and the story itself felt very weak. However, the fight scenes and visuals were amazing, and the movie was fun, so there is that.
Babylon AD: this just looked too entertaining to miss, and thanks to the character of Riddick, I now have a soft spot for Vin Disel. This movie was SERIOUSLY WEAK on plot and plausibility, and visually, it was good to look at, and the entertainment factor was there. But the ending, totally whack, and it kind of left the viewer wondering what the point was, as the movie was trying to be both a kick-ass blockbuster action-flick and an intelligent, poignant SF film and it couldn't be both so it ended up neither.
Punisher: War Zone: This movie is close to being bad, but I've got to consider the source material. While I agree with Greg that someone should really take the material and make a serious, well-done flick, it's not happened yet and I doubt it will. What was good in this movie was the casting: all the good guys were cast perfectly and fit their roles just right, especially Soap and Frank Castle. The bad guys were all completely cheesy. The plot actually existed and made sense, and the ending, lets face it, was just right. I enjoyed this a lot better than I thought I would, and that's saying something.
The Bad
The Happening: this movie didn't bother me in theaters. I found the whole premise behind "the happening" rather interesting, especially some of the connections made between it and the disappearance of honey bees. But frankly, there was no need to make this movie an "R" and while I don't mind Wahlburg, the cast and its chemistry was just boring. I don't like to criticize Shyamalan's films because it's been the popular thing to do since The Sixth Sense became so popular, but it's really time for Shyamalan to give himself a break and adapt some material. And I think he actually is, so that's a good thing. The Happening, not so much.
My movie total this year is up to 16 from last year's 14. A lot of really good movies came out, movies that looked promising enough to spend the time and money in seeing them. I didn't get to see everything I wanted, but that's always the case, and that why God invented DVDs and BluRays.
And speaking of DVDs and BluRays, here's a list of all I watched this year:
* = watched more than once
Hot Fuzz
The Patriot
Terminator
Terminator 2
Sunshine
30 Days of Night
The Shining
POTC: At World's End
Hellboy
The Orphanage*
IJ: Raiders of the Lost Ark
IJ: Temple of Doom
IJ: Last Crusade
Pixar Short Film Collection
Monsters, Inc
Princess Bride
Cars
The Fountain
Batman Begins
Enchanted
LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring EE
Alien
LOTR: Two Towers EE
LOTR: Return of the King EE
V for Vendetta
Chronicles of Riddick
Jeremiah Johnson
Pitch Black
Lost Boys
Doom
Event Horizon
Lost Boys: The Tribe
Interview with the Vampire
Transformers
Clockwork Orange
Batman: Gotham Knight
Scream
Scream 2
Scream 3
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Tropic Thunder*