The Top 8 (plus 3, minus 1) of '08
I sure haven't updated this with an actual "livejournal" post.
10.Pineapple Express
I think this movie is as high as it is because James Franco perfectly plays my crazy ex-roommate, to an almost scary degree. Hilarious movie and has some of the best physical comedy sequences I've ever seen.
9.Slumdog Millionaire (Pronounced "mill-on-ahre")
This was the last movie of 08 I saw and I feel bad having this movie so low on the list. This is a good movie and I really enjoyed the framing device (The questions relating to key points in Jamaal's life) and thought it was a really well shot and enjoyable flick. I don't really get where "best movie of the year" is coming from, but it was solid.
8.Forgetting Sarah Marshall
This movie grows on me the more times I see it. It's not only a really funny movie, but it has a really great message behind it and delivers it really well. Fantastic ensemble cast too.
7.In Bruges
I watched this movie on the plane to England, slightly drunk on red wine. Thats pretty much the best way to watch this movie. Manages to be really funny in parts and super-dark in other parts and it doesn't feel forced.
6.Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull
Everyone hated this movie but me, apparently. This isn't Raiders of the Lost Ark, its not even quite as good as Last Crusade, but man did I love this movie. Its by no means a perfect film, but sequences like Jones in the nuclear test site and the jungle chase are classic Spielberg fun. This was a really great adventure flick and a great farewell to one of my all-time favorite fictional characters
5.Iron Man
Iron Man kicked off the summer movie season and it's maybe my favorite marvel movie. It pulls off being both a great superhero movie and a great subversion of superhero movies (especially when you compare the angst-filled never ending drama of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson to the more realistic and emotionally mature romance between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts). This isn't the best comic book film of the year, but it manages to be the most fun one. Faverou and Downey have created a fantastic start to a potentially amazing franchise.
4.Tropic Thunder
I have never laughed so hard so quickly at a movie. An unbelievable ensemble comedic cast, a really sharp satire of the film industry and its a crime that Robert Downey jr. won't get nominated for this, because he gives one of the best performances in a comedy I've ever seen. This is easily the funniest movie of the year and that says alot in year of really spectacular comedies.
3.Cloverfield
I haven't seen this movie again since I saw it the one and only time I saw it in theatres. My lack of desire to watch this again puzzled me for awhile, but I realize now its because this movie just crushes you. Its a terrifying film and, as much as people give it crap for the "shakey cam", it puts you in the film and you don't feel comfortable until the credits roll.
2.Wall-E
I dunno what to say about this movie other than its a truly beautiful film and Pixar's best yet and the fact this is accomplished with very little dialogue is astonishing.
1.The Dark Knight
I'm still not sure if this or Wall-E should be in the number 1 spot, but I'm giving it to Dark Knight if only because this is the most ambitious movie of the year. It's not only a great comic book adaptation and a great crime film, If Superman:The Movie created is the first great superhero movie, The Dark Knight is the first great movie about superheroes. Bale is great, Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman are amazing and Heath Ledger is,unarguably, perfect.
The Bottom three
3. Get Smart
I don't understand how this movie managed to be not funny at all, but it was bad. I felt like I was watching the Agent Michael Skarn script from that one episode of The Office.
2. The Happening
This is one of the most unintentionally hilarious movies I've ever seen. Everything about this movie is terrible and it alternates between being unbelievably stupid and depressing. It was like watching Shyamalan fall apart on film, you almost believe the "oh it was meant to be a comedy" damage control bs he tried to spin, its that bad.
1. Disaster Movie
This was the most excruciating awful movie I've ever seen and I hope the directors get eaten alive by animals.
Speaking of movies, check out my new post on Fire Lisa Shwarzbaum, the blog about terrible movie reviews created by myself, John and Zach!
http://firelisaschwarzbaum.blogspot.com/
whew.
10.Pineapple Express
I think this movie is as high as it is because James Franco perfectly plays my crazy ex-roommate, to an almost scary degree. Hilarious movie and has some of the best physical comedy sequences I've ever seen.
9.Slumdog Millionaire (Pronounced "mill-on-ahre")
This was the last movie of 08 I saw and I feel bad having this movie so low on the list. This is a good movie and I really enjoyed the framing device (The questions relating to key points in Jamaal's life) and thought it was a really well shot and enjoyable flick. I don't really get where "best movie of the year" is coming from, but it was solid.
8.Forgetting Sarah Marshall
This movie grows on me the more times I see it. It's not only a really funny movie, but it has a really great message behind it and delivers it really well. Fantastic ensemble cast too.
7.In Bruges
I watched this movie on the plane to England, slightly drunk on red wine. Thats pretty much the best way to watch this movie. Manages to be really funny in parts and super-dark in other parts and it doesn't feel forced.
6.Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull
Everyone hated this movie but me, apparently. This isn't Raiders of the Lost Ark, its not even quite as good as Last Crusade, but man did I love this movie. Its by no means a perfect film, but sequences like Jones in the nuclear test site and the jungle chase are classic Spielberg fun. This was a really great adventure flick and a great farewell to one of my all-time favorite fictional characters
5.Iron Man
Iron Man kicked off the summer movie season and it's maybe my favorite marvel movie. It pulls off being both a great superhero movie and a great subversion of superhero movies (especially when you compare the angst-filled never ending drama of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson to the more realistic and emotionally mature romance between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts). This isn't the best comic book film of the year, but it manages to be the most fun one. Faverou and Downey have created a fantastic start to a potentially amazing franchise.
4.Tropic Thunder
I have never laughed so hard so quickly at a movie. An unbelievable ensemble comedic cast, a really sharp satire of the film industry and its a crime that Robert Downey jr. won't get nominated for this, because he gives one of the best performances in a comedy I've ever seen. This is easily the funniest movie of the year and that says alot in year of really spectacular comedies.
3.Cloverfield
I haven't seen this movie again since I saw it the one and only time I saw it in theatres. My lack of desire to watch this again puzzled me for awhile, but I realize now its because this movie just crushes you. Its a terrifying film and, as much as people give it crap for the "shakey cam", it puts you in the film and you don't feel comfortable until the credits roll.
2.Wall-E
I dunno what to say about this movie other than its a truly beautiful film and Pixar's best yet and the fact this is accomplished with very little dialogue is astonishing.
1.The Dark Knight
I'm still not sure if this or Wall-E should be in the number 1 spot, but I'm giving it to Dark Knight if only because this is the most ambitious movie of the year. It's not only a great comic book adaptation and a great crime film, If Superman:The Movie created is the first great superhero movie, The Dark Knight is the first great movie about superheroes. Bale is great, Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman are amazing and Heath Ledger is,unarguably, perfect.
The Bottom three
3. Get Smart
I don't understand how this movie managed to be not funny at all, but it was bad. I felt like I was watching the Agent Michael Skarn script from that one episode of The Office.
2. The Happening
This is one of the most unintentionally hilarious movies I've ever seen. Everything about this movie is terrible and it alternates between being unbelievably stupid and depressing. It was like watching Shyamalan fall apart on film, you almost believe the "oh it was meant to be a comedy" damage control bs he tried to spin, its that bad.
1. Disaster Movie
This was the most excruciating awful movie I've ever seen and I hope the directors get eaten alive by animals.
Speaking of movies, check out my new post on Fire Lisa Shwarzbaum, the blog about terrible movie reviews created by myself, John and Zach!
http://firelisaschwarzbaum.blogspot.com/
whew.