Top 10 Movies of 2008

So I'm a few weeks late on my Top 10 list of 2008. I figured it was better late than never. Plus I wanted to put my list out before the Golden Globe awards tomorrow. For what it's worth, here is my list of the Top 10 movies of 2008.

10. The New Frontier
DC's modern retelling of the Silver Age forming of the Justice League was beautifully adapted from the incredible mini-series by the brilliant Darwyn Cooke. The animation and voices were top notch. DC's animation studio continues to hit on all cylinders. I would have loved to have seen this film on the big screen instead of a direct to DVD release.

9. High School Musical 3
The end of the Troy and Gabriela saga for the HSM cast was handled very well in the first big-screen effort. The songs, sets and costumes were all amped up with big-screen budgets. On top of that, it was a fun, and still innocent tale of growing u and learning to make your own choices. "I Want It All" by Ryan and Sharpay was the highlight of the film for me. An obvious big budget number that could not have been done on the small-screen.

8. Kung-Fu Panda
I expected a silly animated film and ended up with one of my favorite films of the year. A great tale of learning and acceptance with standout voice acting by Jack Black, Ian McShane and Dustin Hoffman. Plus it contains some of the best fighting scenes of the year. One of the years best films for the whole family.

7. Cloverfield

Yes, it came out very early in 2008, and was really nothing more than disaster-porn, but no movie had me more on the edge of my seat in 2008. Scary and chilling at times, it made you forget that the ridiculously good looking cast was getting eaten alive. Fun concept, that was very well executed. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
This was another movie where I expected nothing and walked out thoroughly loving the film I had seen. The marketing campaign for this movie was brilliant and initially drew me in ( okay, Kristen Bell in the cast didn't hurt) but the movie definitely delivered. It was more than the typical cookie-cutter romantic comedy. Fun, heart-warming, gross and tender, all at the same time.

5. Iron Man
I was incredibly excited for this movie, and it didnt disappoint. Robert Downey Jr. was perfectly cast as Tony Stark. That and the modern re-telling of the the characters origin wonderfully directed by Jon Favreau made this an easy choice for the Top 5. Marvel proved that an obscure comic book character done smartly and right could make for a huge box-office hit. Hopefully everyone stayed through the credits and saw Samuel Jackson brief but brilliant turn as Nick Fury.

4. The Reader
A coming of age love story between a teenager and middle aged woman that spirals into a legal thriller about the Holocaust where we learn to what lengths some people will go to keep a secret. Amazing performances by the incomparable Kate Winslet (the best actress in Hollywood today) and Ralph Fiennes make this movie a must see. I wouldn't be surprised to see both performances be nominated. Great work also by the makeup artists in the film. The movie covers almost 50 years so the characters do a serious amount of aging which is wonderfully captured on screen. Some will think the movie is a little gratuitous, if you can handle the nudity and some adult situations, you'll be in for an epic film.

3. The Dark Knight

Quite possibly the greatest comic book film ever made. Christopher Nolan has crafted a wonderful and realistic modern mythology in his Batman movies. Proving that you can make comic movies intelligent, yet still cater to the popcorn set. Easily put, one of the best movies of the year. Also, enough cannot be said about the brilliant performance of Heath Ledger as the agent of anarchy known as the Joker. Simply brilliant and deserving of a nomination. I hope they can get the whole crew (Nolan, Bale, Caine, Oldham) back together for at least one more foray through the streets of Gotham.

2. Revolutionary Road

The movie is best described by a phrase that is used in the film "the emptiness of hopelessness". Sam Mendes directs another movie in the vein of American Beauty. A movie about a young couple that seem perfect on the outside, but the closer you look, the more you realize how empty their lives truly are. Which character is really worse off, the husband who hates his job but supports his family, or the wife who sits and home and raises children but hates her life. Watching it all spiral out of control makes this movie truly special. Kate Winslet turns in the performance of the year and deserves to take home an Oscar for her efforts. Michael Shannon in two scenes practically steals the movie. He may also get a nomination for maybe 10 minutes of screen time, but every single second of it is riveting.

And now, finally my pick for the number 1 movie of 2008

1. Wall-E

The folks at Disney Pixar continue to churn out hit after hit. When I first heart that the first 30 minutes of the film where practically silent with only the beeps and boops of robots, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was the best film of the year. A brilliantly crafted tale written by Andrew Stanton on the perils of how we currently live our lives and the dangers we face. Wall-E is more human and emotional, barely saying a word than most lead actors in movies today. As perfect a film as I've ever seen. Incredibly animated and acted. a great piece of film-making.