» Feature
The 2008 Movie Blog Awards
There is only one honor this awards season that really means anything at all. It’s not the Golden Globes. It’s not the Oscars. No my friends, the one award that studios and publicists in Hollywood clamor for, campaign for… and yes… even beg for. The 2008 Movie Blog Awards honoring the best in movies for the past year.
Ok, maybe no one actually cares… but that doesn’t stop us from doing them anyway.
All things considered, I’d have to say this was a pretty damn good year for film. Yes, there was a lot of crap on the screen this year as well (as you can see from our “Worst 10 Movies of 2008″ post we did a few days ago), but overall a solid year.
So as we get ready to dive head first into the major awards season and get ourselves pumped up for the new year in film, let’s take a few minutes to look back on 2008 as we now present to you the winners of the 2008 Movie Blog Awards!
This award is given to the best overall film of 2008
WALL-E
Easily, without question and hands down the best film of 2008. The movie is a brilliant mixture of humor, emotion and message. Never before have I seen a character so engaging, likable and emotionally investable without ever really saying a word (other than Eve a couple of times). It is the #1 critically rated film of the year for good reason, and this year’s recipient of the 2008 Movie Blog Best Movie Award.
Honorable Mention (In no particular order)
- Frost/Nixon
- Slumdog Millionare
- Milk
This award is given to the film achieving the best and most consistent laughs
STEP BROTHERS
Like many people, I had begun to grow a bit tired of the Will Ferrell schtick, especially with the horrible Semi-Pro only coming out months earlier. However, Step Brothers seemed to tap into that intangible quality that makes Will Ferrell the funniest man on the big screen when he’s on his game, and John C. Reilly is his perfect on screen partner. Hilarious from start to finish. For our money, the funniest movie of 2008.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- Tropic Thunder
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- Sex Drive
This award is given to the best film in the Comic Book, Sci-Fi or Fantasy genres
THE DARK KNIGHT
We all thought Christopher Nolan accomplished the near impossible when he masterfully resurrected the Batman property into a new living breathing franchise. Then he faced an even greater challenge in trying to top Batman Begins. Well… he did it, delivering one of the greatest comic book films in history.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- Iron Man
- Hellboy 2
- The Incredible Hulk
This award is given to the film which exceeded its initial low quality expectations by the greatest amount
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
My first thought of The Spiderwick Chronicles was… well… pathetic. Just another throw away film trying to capitalize on the modern trend of converting popular children’s books into mid grade movies. The trailers looked terrible too and so my expectations for the film were below basement level. But to my shock, I ended up truly enjoying just about every minute of it. Freddie Highmore does a fantastic job playing twin brothers. The movie is magical and I found myself getting caught up in the wonder of it and feeling like I was 8 years old again.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- Bolt
- Step Brothers
- Kung Fu Panda
This award is given to the best film of the year that receives little to no attention or credit for its quality
DEFINITELY, MAYBE
A sweet and endearing story told from a very interesting perspective. The concept of the narrative of the movie being told by the father through a series of stories to his daughter as a game so she can figure out which woman in the stories is her mother worked surprisingly well. The movie also serves notice that when called upon, Ryan Reynolds can be one hell of an actor and in my opinion this was the best performance he’s ever given in his young career.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- In Bruges
- Wanted
- The Forbidden Kingdom
SEAN PENN - MILK
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)
- Frank Langella (Frost / Nixon)
- Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
REBECCA HALL - VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
- Meryl Streep (Doubt)
- Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)
HEATH LEDGER - THE DARK KNIGHT
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- Ralph Fiennes (In Bruges)
- Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
- James Franco (Milk)
MARISA TOMEI - THE WRESTLER
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- Kate Winslet (The Reader)
- Viola Davis (Doubt)
- Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona)
So there you have it folks. I’m sure there are a million different opinions out there for each one of the categories, so now is your chance to jump in the comments section and let us know how your “awards” would break down.
Also, are there any other categories you can think of besides the old traditional ones that you’d like to see us do a follow up post in this coming week? Let me know.
I can’t say I was surprised by any of your picks.
That said, I can’t say I disagree with any of them either. ;)
Heck, the year was good enough to deserve an award. I just wish Dark Knight fans hadn’t been so vociferous anytime the slightest problem was mentioned with Dark Knight. There was little middle ground, even before Dark Knight, fanboys were wanting to dump “Jump the Shark” for “Nuke the Fridge”. Then the net had Clone Wars bashing for dessert… It felt like the early aughts when if you were either in the Star Wars camp, Matrix camp or LOTR camp…
So, Why was the fan base so zealous for DK (to the point where you couldn’t include in a sentence I liked it BUT…)… it was very off putting.
By ‘Best Comedy’ do you mean funniest film or best film that is a comedy? I thought In Bruges would have made your list and possibly Burn After Reading.
Hey Tom
Like it says:
“This award is given to the film achieving the best and most consistent laughs”
So funniest film.
Cheers.
I can honestly say that i was a little bit disapointed when it the post hit the best actor part and you stopped giving little paragraphs under the pictures explaining your choices. Although i probably could have predicted what you would say about them it would’ve been nice to have them in anyways, and probably people who don’t read the movie blog regularly or thoroughly wouldn’t so it would be nice for them too. Though i must say that this is overall a wonderful post and a realy love all the quality pictures you picked for this post, they’re realy nice (with some nicer then others).
I hope that some day the major awards show take notes from this site and finally get things right. Big studio and independent films should be recognize equally. Anyway, my awards would go to:
Best Picture: The Dark Knight (Runner-up Wall-E)
Best Comedy: Tropic Thunder (Runner-up Pineapple Express)
Best Geek Genre: The Dark Knight (Runner-up Iron Man)
Most Surprising: Definitely, Maybe (Runner-up Kung Fu Panda)
Most Underappreciated: JCVD (Runner-up In Bruges)
Best Actor Lead: Clint Eastwood – Grand Torino
Best Actress Lead: Lina Leandersson – Let The Right One In
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Rosario Dawson – Seven Pounds
I think that Movie Blog hit the nail on the head with there awards!!!
John!
how could you leave out ‘Harold and Kumar 2′ and ‘Tropic Thunder’
H+K 2 is easily funnier than sarah marshall.
Great post. Being in the UK, I haven’t seen quite a few of the films in the list as they haven’t come out here yet (maybe i could move to the US!?) but the ones you’ve picked that I have seen - I cant disagree with!
Great choices.
I wouldn’t say that WALL-E is ‘unquestionably’ the best movie this year, judging by the arguements it’s caused. It’s a good pick all the same.
I’m just happy tropic thunder didn’t get best comedy, was it a war movie spoof? was it a spoof on movie actors? or was it ben stiller taking up way too much time with ‘retard’ jokes?
In burges was deserving of runner up status, but i’m Irish so you can probably ignore that…
cheers
michael
Thanks for replying John, somehow I didn’t see that there.
John, just wanted to say great 2008 awards list. I too have been trumpeting the greatness of Wall*E from the rooftops, hoping the Academy honors it with a Best Pic nod instead of relegating it to the animated category.
Also read your “state of the union” piece about your trials and tribulations over the past few months. Sorry to hear about all the bs you had to deal with, but I offer a sincere “thank you” for keeping judymoodymovie.com and all of its great reviews, news and other features going through tough times!
Happy holidays,
Rick
P.S. Major props for the “Defintiely, Maybe” love. Highly underrated flick.
And yes, “Step Brothers” had the most laugh-out-loud moments of 2008’s comedies. Can’t believe I waited for rental on that one, but what a funny film…
Pathetic stuff as always.
WallE was one of the most overrated movies.
The message, the story, the characters were all so cheap and flat.
For kids: Great. For people with a brain. Good entertainment, but nothing great at all.
I personally think Iron Man was better than The Dark Knight. I recently got the Dark Knight and I really don’t think Christian Bale makes a great Batman. That voice just turns me off to it. His Bruce Wayne on the other hand, great. I still think that if Heath Ledger wasn’t in the film, it wouldn’t have been nearly as good.
I feel like The Dark Knight had too many of those “and here’s the lesson to this situation” speeches that just gave off this cheese-factor I don’t care for.
Iron Man’s acting and dialog, paired with some nice quirky humor kept the pacing going and provided me with more entertainment in which I’d much rather come back to over The Dark Knight. Which isn’t to say The Dark Knight is a bad or sub-par film. It’s great. Just not feelin’ it as the “best”.
Great list John. I haven’t seen Wall-E yet so I’ll reserve judgement on that. I do remember you praising Ratatouille as best picture but I didn’t really see that at all.
As far as TDK goes, I loved nearly every minute of it except when Batman would talk. That gravelly voice was so awkward it took me out of the movie. Nolan should have had Bale tone it down a bit. I suppose it’s a minor complaint but goddamn I hate it when they miss stupid shit like that. I know it didn’t bother everyone…
It’s not an easy call for me as there are some films which I have not seen yet, most notably Wrestler, Benj. Button and Valkyre which the latter could very well be the biggest surprise.
So really, for me, not that much debate with John’s list. Except three, and I’ll get to that in a bit. Spyderwick was a big surprise to most, not to me- I heard great stuff about it before the release date got shuffled around. But it still would be no#1 for me too- but with The Ruins getting an honorable mention.
One category I’d like to add here: Best Documentary. which I would give to Standard Operating Procedure (runner up: Man On Wire)
Anyway, the three I disagree with?
Best Comedy.
To me, it was Get Smart, with a second to Baby Mama.
Best Underrated/Under Appreciated
To me , Charlie Bennett is first, followed by City of Ember.
now the next one isn’t a *complete* disagreement. Still…
Best Supporting Actor
I’m sorry…I….look, I can’t simply say “Heath Ledger” was the best supporting actor in The Dark Knight When in truth, there were several, most notably who I would choose for #1. That of course, is Aaron Eckhart. Ledger would actually come in third for me. Who is second? Ready for a surprise?
Thomas Haden Church in Smart People.
Smart People?
Yes! The film even John Campea forgot about!
(or simply didn’t have enough room)
Gary Oldman (and I say this who is normally not a fan) was easily the best actor in The Dark Knight. He simply was Gordon. Its a shame his subtlety has been overlooked for the irritating histrionics of Ledger.
Why didn’t WALL-E win best geek film? It certainly fits the category.
The Dark Knight was best pic in my opinion
Please tell me your kidding with your Step Brothers pick. I thought your are suppose to laugh at a comdy movie. It was just not that funny. Same with tropic thundar. Take away the first 10 minutes of fake trailers and I didn’t laugh at all.
Not even close Sarah M was the funnyiest movie of the yeart.
Only one I disagree with is Step Brothers. It was no different then any other Will Ferrell movie from the last 3 years. Role Models was a hundred times funnier, IMO.
yeah Tropic Thunder was a major dissapointment, honestly guys for me Pineapple Express was the funniest of the year for me, granted I don’t see aloof comedies. That is, if Yes Man can top it
Hey John, what about Role Models in the comedy category? Did you not see that film, or did it just not sit well with you? I think I should at least be included in the runners up.
Well it’s slightly different for me because my two favourite films of the year were ones that you guys got to see last year but didn’t come out in the UK till 2008; ‘There Will Be Blood’ & ‘Gone Baby Gone’.
I’d actually say this has been my favourite year for film to date.
the only choice that i am confused about is putting “Wanted” in the honorable mention list for Under-Appreciated. It was one of the most talked about movies this year. There are two lists that movie belongs on. “Movies with the most mixed, extreme reviews” and “Movies that most disappointingly butchered the original story”.
And i agree with it being one of the best movie years, but not topping 1994. (Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, True Lies, Leon the Professional, Dumb and Dumber, Shawshank Redemption, The Usual Suspects, Clerks, Quiz Show, etc.)
Javier should win an award too. (Is that Javier in the picture?)
Formless,
Of course “The Dark Knight” would not be as good without Heath Ledger. You can’t be a great film without great acting. It’s like saying “There Will Be Blood” wouldn’t be nearly as good without Daniel Day Lewis… duh..
slight correction to be made john
“other than saying eve a couple OF HUNDRED times….”
and to the guy who said “if heath ledger hadn’t have been in the dark knight it wouldnt have been as good”
whats your point? I don’t really get it because you see ledger was in it so you have no point.
I mean if i had wings and was aerodynamically designed I could fly.
and for the record the best movie of the year is let the right one in. by a mile. nothing comes close.
IMO spiderwick chronicle sucked giant ass….the fx looked like something from the 80’s….sure the mom was good in the show weeds but the really doesnt act that good at all…plus the children sucked…..
now best comedy…step brothers wtf….every joke in the movie was meh at best..u seen it coming…nothing new just rehashed shit……now i have shown tropic thunder to like 20 people and they all say it is just about one of the funniest movies they ever scene,,,,,im gonna have to say sometimes i think i understand how your brain works then i see some shit like this and im astonished.
Nice list.
My choice for best supporting actress would be Penelope Cruz, she was brilliant in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
I agree with including Kung Fu Panda in your Surprising Movie list, I thought for sure it would suck like A Shark Tale but it was surprisingly and excellent animated film.
yeah Kung Fu Panda was really really good
ya the dumb ass who made the comment about heath ledger is a nub.
u could have put a shit ton of people in it as the joker and it would have been a kick ass flick……..dude freeman and the rest of the actors are all top notch actors and actresses….get over the fact that heath ledger was good in the movie and he died….jump on a new band wagon…hey i think maybe u can ride the penis of bandwagon riding into the new year!
“Let the Right One In” was kick ass, but “The Dark Knight” is still #1 for me. I wonder if John has seen the better of the two vampire films to come out this year?
you know, the more i haer about Let The Right One In, the more i want to see it
@Aaron,
Me too! I’ve heard nothing but great things about it. Sadly, I’ll probably have to wait for the DVD.
cool, but i checked on Box Office Mojo, and it says it’s coming in wide release in 2010. But a little over a year!!?? how can i wait THAT long?!!
Let The Right One In was SPECTACULAR. HIGHLY recommend that to everyone.
In Bruges, Wanted or Bolt should win, one of them is The Right One, you guys are way off.
I thought Tropic Thunder was hilarious with the exception of Jack Black who just downright sucked in 98% of the movie.
You get some real rude pricks on this blog.
@BigSampson
Anyway, the point of mentioning Heath Ledger was that I, that is to say “me”, believe that The Dark Knight would not have been nearly as good a film without Heath Ledgers performance. This has nothing to do with the “death bandwagon” or whatever half-assed reasoning you’ve come up with. He didn’t win awards for Best Supporting Actor in a bunch of different places because they were on some “bandwagon”. He did a spectacular job.
I didn’t find many of the leads to be “amazing”. Aaron Eckhar certainly kicked tons of ass. He was my other favorite in the movie. Don’t get so crazy because someone doesn’t think like you do.
@Ric Ocasek:
So basically you agree with me then? I don’t see the point you’re trying to make besides the movie wouldn’t have been good without him. I made other points in my first post.
@Formless,
Get used to it. There are some very opinionated people on this site.
Hey John, have you seen JCVD yet. I was supriced that it was not on any of the lists.
@I AM HARD TARGET
Van Damme is so awesome in JCVD that I think John hasn’t gotten around to seeing it because he would have definitely listed it here if he had. I mean, some of the nominees he has here are pretty good but JCVD merits even more recognition because it’s such a refreshing surprise.
I really want to know what john thinks of let the right one in.
I have a feeling he won’t like it..only because i do so much and we have incredibly different tastes.
But for me let the right one in was head and shoulders above everything else. i mean i have my own top ten (dark knight, wrestler, benjamin button, role models, man on wire etc etc)
but let the right one in is just a fucking masterpiece. and i don’t throw that word around loosely. i mean it. its amazing. the pool set piece a lone is probably the best scene of the decade.
cant believe you pick walle as best of 2008, the movie is great but it has a gayass hippie theme and a predictable ending, dude are you gay or hippie?
am i the only one that thinks wall-e is overrated and really not that great? if so im willing to accept that. i watched it and just wasn’t that impressed.
I’m glad the dark knight wasn’t even brought up in honorable mentions for best movie. I’m so sick of everyone babying it. It was great, but had no where near the depth wall-e had. I mean serriously… the two main characters of the movie never once said a word…
CPTJCHITE, if you read the list you would see that The Dark Knight was competing in a different category.
Just because you liked Wall-E better, doesnt mean DK was not a great film.
Some nice picks, John. Indeed, Bolt was definitely a pleasant surprise, this year. I initially had almost no interest in seeing it, primarily because I haven’t been too impressed by Disney’s more recent animated films (such as Meet the Robinsons and Chicken Little). I have to say, though, that Bolt is easily my second favorite film of this year, and probably one of my all-time favorite Disney movies, as well.
what about son of rambow?
was the good?
Tropic Thunder should win for best comedy, although Jack Black was a bit of a retard. (Never go full retard)
STEP BROTHERS
STEP BROTHERS
STEP BROTHERS for best comedy, or i would definitely have at least mentioned it honorably!!!!!!
seriously predictable,i think people need to stop sucking the teat of stereotypical cinema and leave there comfort zone because all these lists all the same and the only choice i could totally agree with is sean penn for best actor.plus you created a catagory like “best geek film” just to paise the overrated dark knight because we all know its not even close to “best movie this year”.or ….maybe im simply not impressed with this year
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS FOR BEST COMEDY
i’m like the extremest minority when it comes to my pick for best comedy of the year. I’m not sure anyone agrees with me, but i’m sticking to my opinion. It was the most times i laughed in a comedy this year
Brilliant list…I still have to see Milk and Frost/Nixon, therefore so far I agree with ‘WALL-E’ being the film of the year.
Also, why isn’t Pineapple Express up there (as an honorable mention)? Did you not like it? Didn’t get a chance to see it?
thankyou DG!
Formless,
I think it’s an incredibly flawed point you are making about how TDK wouldn’t have been as good without Ledger. Did you notice how good the writing for the character was? That wasn’t Ledger. That was Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan. Now Ledger did a lot of excellent improvisation on the set and of course the eyes, lip smacking, voice, etc. was all incredible. But the Joker character itself was always a major character in the film. Taking the Joker out of the film itself OF COURSE would hurt the film’s quality. He is a huge plot device. He causes a crisis for pretty much every other character in the movie. Ledger’s performance was amazing and I am very grateful to him that he put so much effort into it, but his performance wouldn’t have been so great without such an excellent script. The Joker easily had the best dialogue of any character in the film.
Daniel nailed it, however i still think that Ledger is the only one who would’ve turned in that performance, without a doubt he was AWESOME in TDK. Now, look i know there are tons of actors good enough to play the joker, but most likely it wouldn’t be received as good enough because everyone would compare it to Ledger’s performance. And, the voice-THE VOICE, you can’t even tell it’s him with that voice. Truly awesome.
Yes, Heath was amazing. Definitely one of the best villain performances in modern cinema. But the character is amazing too. I really think even if he wasn’t in the film, that if it was DDL or Johnny Depp, the movie still would have kicked just as much ass. The best thing about the movie was the relationship between Batman and the Joker. That has more to do with great writing than great acting.
that is true, the relationship between batman and the joker was amaizng, and the character was written well. Anyone else besides me who not only saw the film but read the script, knows that there was a scene with the joker cut out (the one where he licks the bloody knife in the script) it wouldve been R
alfies top ten films of the year
1. Let The Right One In.
I have been championing this film since I saw it back in august. A beautiful film that avoids pretty much every vampire cliche. It doesn’t go on with unnecessary exposition or filling us in with the “rules” of being a vampire. Its a simple coming of age story in which one of the characters happens to be a vampire. It’s the best film of the year. By a mile. Nothing came close until I saw…..
2. The Wrestler
Loved it. It’s the type of film I am always predisposed to like and it did not disappoint. Rourkes performance is great but thats hardly a surprise. His problem was never his acting - he was always a great actor. His problem was that he was a shithead. But the film is a beutiful character piece with true heart and true soul. I shudder to think how bad it would have been if Nic Cage had played the part as originally intended.
3. The Dark Knight
Blah blah blah blah. Seriously what more needs to be said. It has been talked to death but the joker is my favorite character of all time out of any mediium and ledger was great. It does transcends its genre.
4. Kung Fu Panda
Best animated film of the year for me. The action set pieces were the best of the year. The prison escape, the bridge fight, the dumpling training - Just amazing fight scenes and while the story is hardly original its told very well.
5. Eden Lake.
British horror film. Very nasty. Short and sharp with a gut punch ending. No supernatural nonsense just a series of avoidable events getting way way out of hand. Highly recommended.
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Fincher does it again. He is one of the best directors working today and it would take 50 panic rooms in a row before I would give up on him. (panic room is not that bad but its by far his worst film). Pitt is great. Blanchett and swinton are as well.
7. Man on Wire
When I first heard the premise I thought “how boring” but it turned out to be the best thriller of the year. Must see doco. Amazing story told incredibly well
8. The Happening
The best comedy of the year by far. Nothing made me laugh as much as this film did. I am convinced it was all intentional. A massive prank played on the studio as it is just jaw droppingly terrible but absolutely entertaining from beginning to end. I have seen it three times and I swear to god it gets funnier and funnier. Wahlbergs scene where he admits an “indiscretion” to his wife should get him an oscar. He must be so glad peter jackson cast him in lovely bones before this came out.
9. Milk
I was surprised how standard a biopic this was considering the director but its a good film. Penn is great as usual and this is a very timely film with whats happening with the stupid prop 8 situation. Not a patch on the old doco the times of harvey milk though. If you enjoyed milk seek out this doc today.
10. Slumdog Millionaire
Boyles best film to date.Shallow Grave and Trainspotting are so good that it would be tough for anyone to follow them up and stay at that quality But even without the shadow of those two great great films hanging over him life less ordinary and the beach would still be stinkers. I like sunshine a lot (until attack of the blurry man begins at the end) and 28 days later is a good little horror film.
But slumdog millionaire is something else all together. Its wonderful.
I can see why it has become the oscar dark horse and if it was to win I would not be upset.
honorable mentions:
Foot Fist Way - Hilarious
I think we’re alone now - doc about two people obsessed with 80’s pop star tiffany. Hilarious yet incredibly sad.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster - Great doco.
Iron Man
In Bruges
Doubt
Rachel Getting Married
american teen - mock me all you want but i liked it.
Biggest disappointment
frost/nixon
WORST FILM OF THE YEAR
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
they did something I thought was impossible. They made indy uncool. the whole film was so uncool. totally unhip and awful beyond imagination. People who like this and say it fits in well with the original seriously need to go and watch the originals again. It in no way sits with them at all. Its embarrassing from beginning to jaw dropping “no they fucking didn’t” stupid end. For me the series ends with them riding into the sunset at the end of crusade (which was marginal itself)
runner up worst film
WANTED.
I WANTED to walk out.
and even though it is not officially out yet I have seen the spirit is every bit as bad as you are imagining.
my most anticipated films for 2009
The Lovely Bones
Avatar
Inglorious Basterds
Friday The 13th
Che
Bruno
Star Trek
Transformers 2
Funny People
Drag Me To Hell
Good job on the list, John. I was happy to see Rebecca Hall acknowledged, as I thought she was the stir the swirled the pot in Vicky Cristina. A great, under the radar performance. I have to strongly disagree with Definitely, Maybe though. A good opportunity missed. A hokey film with absolutely no chemistry whatsoever between the leads. We’ll be hosting our list soon, but you can be sure that you won’t see Pineapple Express anywhere on a good list. That has been the worst film/greatest disappointment I have seen this year.
Wall E is not only the best film of this year, it is now on my ten best films list of all time.
And I never thought that would happen.
hmmm….seems as if no one has seen ‘The Curious Case of Benjam Button’. I loved Wall E but it is no Benjamin Button…
I agree with The Rake about Pineapple Express - it made no impression on me at all. Of course James Franco was charming but that was about it. And Vicky Christina Barcelona would not be on my list either. Penélope Cruz was as annoying as she useally is….I just wanted her to stop talking. Screaming in a foreign language is not acting. And Definitely, Maybe… not list worthy either. It was okay. Just okay. And I like Ryan Renolds and I am waiting for the vehicle that really does him some justice. That film was not the one. I like his performance better in Fireflies in the Garden….a better film.
And ‘Let the right One In’ was not on your list at all. A is a superb film. My pick for the best film of the year. I was impresssed on many levels.
good, but none of these movies I watched, I will try to watch them, WALL-E looks good.
Ok, I really don’t understand how “Step Brothers” was selected as this years Best Comedy. I agree it was funny, but the antics got old pretty fast. There wasn’t even that mush originality involved. Though, Ferrell & Reilly are a good team, it left me wanting/expecting more. Maybe the winner for most use of the “F” word maybe, but the best use was “Role Models.”
Now, easily, my Best 2008 Comedy pick goes to “Tropic Thunder.”
Robert Downey; Jr. was totally awesome and Tom Cruise was a complete gut busting surprise!!!
Honorable pick for me, no one had seemed to mention, would have to be, “Ghost Town.” Why? Well, Ricky Gervais has the the great skill at being annoyed without even trying. Reminds me of how Woody Allen was skilled at being frantic. It just comes natural to them. Gervais should be recognized for that and hopefully he will have more films out. Again, “Ghost Town” wasn’t the Best Comedy, but should definitely be on the Best Comedies list for this year.
Oh, and I forgot to mention… John, what is your fixation on the movie, “Wanted?” It did have some cool effects and decent plot, but really the only reason most of us went out to see it was because of Angelina Jolie. With all of the other great movies out this year, “Wanted” should have been left off your Best Of list.
Hi, I just found this site. I think it’s amazing, and the post is great. Great choices, though I haven’t seen all the movies, but I’ve read reviews and seen trailers, so I have an idea of what you’re talking about. I’m from Peru and movies usually come a bit delayed. We don’t have a good web site or blog here to discuss movies, so I’m exited I’ve found this one. Thanks and great choices!
I’m surprised that Richard Jenkins, who gave an amazing, heartwrenching, star-making turn as Walter Vale didn’t make your list of Best Actor candidates. While I always enjoy his performances, Clint Eastwood in Grand Torino plays the same character he’s made his stock in trade the last 8 or 9 years. Interesting but among the top 4 of the year? I don’t think so.
“Let the right one in”
no doubt, the best film of 2008!!
http://lauchuvafilm.blogspot.com/2008/11/lat-den-ratte-komma-in.html