The Five Best Films of 2008
In Bruges, The Visitor, Happy-Go-Lucky, Wall.e,The Dark Knight
Dec 20, 2008
Despite what anyone says, 2008 was another exemplary year at the movies. It was hard to pick just five films that reigned above and beyond all the other good ones that came out, and surely enough, if these five had never been made there would have been another five, and maybe even another five after that, ready to take their place at the top of the heap. So here they are:
5. In Bruges: A funny, poignant, moving, violent crime film that offers what very few films of the genre ever do: genuine understanding and remorse for its main characters. The film, in its comic moments, plays like an adaptation of the best novel Elmore Leonard never wrote, and then elevates itself above the standard genre fare by drawing sharp characters, expertly played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and developing them, not as generic types, but as people with real flaws and emotional misgivings.
4. The Visitor: Richard Jenkins has been very good, creeping around the sidelines of films for many years. Now, with the Vistor, in a starring role, Jenkins has turned in the performance of a career. Jenkins is able to strike a perfect balance between the morose and the lovely in this simple tale of friendship and music. It's a film that quietly glides by on the rhythms of day-to-day social behavior.
3. Happy-Go-Lucky: Every once in a while a film will present us with a female character who sweeps in and steals our hearts. Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria comes to mind, as does Amelie, and now here is Poppy in British master Mike Leigh’s newest film. Not quite a comedy, but not quite a drama, Leigh lets the viewer drop in on this character to see how she functions and how that affects the people around her: nothing more, nothing less. Sally Hawkins is a revelation in a role that few actresses would be fit for.
2. Wall-e: Wall-e is pure magic. It provides at once provides one of the most endearing characters ever put on screen, fully realizing him with not one word of spoken dialogue, and then immerses him in a story that is part fantastic science-fiction story and part sly attack on society and its increasing reliance on technology. It was directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) at Pixar Studios, who continue to be the leaders of feature length animation because they, at their heart, are true storytellers who refuse to take their audience for granted. A family film in the truest sense of the word.
1. The Dark Knight: Call it contrived, call it predictable, call it whatever you want, there was not a single film in 2008 that was as wholly satisfying on all fronts as the Dark Knight. It’s a great comic book film, a great action picture, a great psychological drama, a great film noir, a great character study. Its special effects are flawless, as are its performances. Its story is dark and uncharacteristically intelligent, asking hard questions and not providing them with easy answers. It’s exciting and electrifying, a true grand event in a way that not many movies are anymore. In summation: It’s a true masterpiece and the absolute best film 2008 saw.
