My picks for 2008's top films (and then some other bits, too): galactic

galactic_jack

My picks for 2008's top films (and then some other bits, too)

Feb 09, 2009 20:16

I haven't posted in an age, but I wanted to just post up my picks for the best flicks of last year. There's top 10 films, runners-up stuff, M/F acting, worst, disappointments and unexpected gems, too. Though there's no waffle about the lists this year, as I have done - or, more to the point, will do - write-ups on my film blog, which is where I do all of my film writing nowadays (and which I'll link to as soon as I've finished doing some final tweaking and adjustments and the like). I can add thoughts, if so choose you, in the comments bit below, where you can ask quite what exactly I think I'm playing at, young man.

All these flicks, by-and-large, were released theatrically in the UK between Jan 1st and Dec 31st '08 (though some were "premiered" on DVD, and some may have been shown first on the telly). Some picks were a complete surprise, others were entirely expected, but all either made me think, feel, laugh, and a bit more besides. You get the picture.

Male acting: (as in, these are men doing some of that acting lark that's good. Have a gander at them below)

(Top row: 10 - 6; Bottom row: 5 - 1)

01. Michael Fassbender Hunger
02. James Franco Pineapple Express
03. Michael Shannon Shotgun Stories
04. Pat Shortt Garage
05. Thomas Turgoose Somers Town
06. Eddie Marsan Happy-Go-Lucky
07. Mos Def Be Kind Rewind
08. Albert Finney Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
09. Tommy Lee Jones In the Valley of Elah
10. Karl Urban Out of the Blue

Also good, in no order: (as in, not as good as the above lot, but worth a coupla few bob)

Colin Farrell In Bruges / Michael Pitt Funny Games U.S. / Diego Luna Mister Lonely / Ricky Gervais Ghost Town / Gary Oldman The Dark Knight / Benicio del Toro Things We Lost in the Fire / Brad Pitt Burn After Reading / Samuel L. Jackson Lakeview Terrace / Baki Davrak The Edge of Heaven / Toby Jones The Mist

Female acting: (as in, these are women doing some of that acting lark that's good. Have a squizz at them below)

(Top row: 10 - 6; Bottom row: 5 - 1)

01. Julianne Moore Savage Grace / Blindness
02. Asia Argento Une vieille maîtresse
03. Jennifer Jason Leigh Margot at the Wedding
04. Juliette Binoche The Flight of the Red Balloon
05. Sally Hawkins Happy-Go-Lucky
06. Isabelle Huppert A Comedy of Power / Private Property
07. Anamaria Marinca 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
08. Helena Bonham-Carter Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
09. Mary Beth Hurt The Dead Girl
10. Marcia Gay Harden The Mist

Also good, in no order: (as in, not as good as the above lot, but worth a coupla few quid)

Nicole Kidman Margot at the Wedding / Jennifer Garner Juno / Pauline Malefane Son of Man / Galina Vishnevskaya Alexandra / Wei Tang Lust, Caution / Maria Bello Butterfly on a Wheel / Hanna Schygulla The Edge of Heaven / Samantha Morton River Queen / Mister Lonely / Cynthia Nixon Sex and the City / Melonie Diaz Be Kind Rewind

Worst, in order: (as in, no thank you Mr. Filmmaker, I will gladly hand these back to you. Good day to you)

01. Funny Games US (Michael Haneke) / 02. Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov) / 03. Scar 3D (Jed Weintrob) / 04. Charlie Wilson’s War (Mike Nichols) / 05. The Happening (M. Night Shyamalan) / 06. Smiley Face (Gregg Araki) / 07. My Blueberry Nights (Wong kar-wai) / 08. Ghost Writer (Alan Cumming) / 09. Sex and the City (Michael Patrick King) / 10. Pathology (Marc Schoelermann)

Disappointments, in no order: (as in, I was expecting the good shit, but got very little)

Dan in Real Life (Peter Hedges) / Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg) / The Orphanage (Juan Antonio Bayona)/ Redacted (Brian De Palma) / Reservation Road (Terry George) / Quantum of Solace (Marc Forster) / Changeling (Clint Eastwood) / Diary of the Dead (George A. Romero) / Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck) / Eagle Eye (D. J. Caruso)

A Few Underrated/unexpected mini gems, in no order: (as in, these were much better than a great many more high profile flicks and/or I reckon these filmmakers will make more, possibly even better, quality flicks in future times to come)

P2 (Franck Khalfoun) / The Dead Girl (Karen Moncrieff) / Butterfly on a Wheel (Mike Barker) / The Duchess (Saul Dibb) / Awake (Joby Harold) / Black Water (David Nerlich/Andrew Traucki) / All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (Jonathan Levine) / The Good Night (Jake Paltrow) / What Happens in Vegas (Tom Vaughan) / WTC View (Brian Sloan)

Films, 11-20: (as in, ooh, so close, you nearly made the top list but didn't quite. Shame)

11. Savage Grace (Tom Kalin) / 12. Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas) / 13. You, the Living (Roy Andersson) / 14. Out of the Blue (Robert Sarkies) / 15. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (Sidney Lumet) / 16. Somers Town (Shane Meadows) / 17. Mister Lonely (Harmony Korine) / 18. Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh) / 19. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton) / 20. Une vieille maîtresse (Catherine Breillat)

Other random good flicks, in no order: (as in, yup, worth the eyetime spent in front of them)

Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green) / The Edge of Heaven (Fatih Akin) / Be Kind Rewind (Michel Gondry) / Alexandra (Aleksandr Sokurov) / The Savages (Tamara Jenkins) / [●Rec] (Jaume Balagueró/Paco Plaza) / WALL·E (Andrew Stanton) / My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin) / We Are Together (Paul Taylor) / 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu)

But my top 10 are: (as in, ooh, look, these have pictures)

10. Our Daily Bread (Nikolaus Geyrhalter)