Best Movies of 2008
By The Colonel
Making movies is a teamwork, whether it’s porn, crime drama or western spaghetti, it requires utilizing several people and investing capital, time and effort, it’s a group experience; while watching movies is a personal experience, you may love or hate a movie despite it’s box office status or critical applaud, for reasons that matter to you and nobody else. With that being said, here is my list of best movies of 2008, so if you like some of them, god bless you. If you don’t, again, god bless you; we agree to disagree.
1. Gran Torino: Clint Eastwood plays as Walt Kowalski, a grim, ill-tempered, beer-chugging retired Detroit autoworker, living in a run-down neighborhood that’s rapidly getting saturated by the foreigners whom he eventually becomes friend with and protects against local gangbangers. This is Eastwood’s best movie since The Unforgiven. When he points the shotgun at a bunch of gangbangers and groans: Get off my lawn, it’s not just Walt Kowalski talking, it’s Harry Callahan, it’s William Munny, it’s Frankie Dunn, and above all, it’s Clint Eastwood.
2. The Wrestler: Mickey Rourke plays professional wrestler Randy Robinson, a battered, washed up, self destructive man holding on to the last chance of his life and career. In other words, Mickey Rourke plays Mickey Rourke, and the result is simply astonishing. This is performance of a lifetime.
3. The Dark Knight: The second installment in newly re-invented Batman franchise is The GodFather Part II of comic book movies: utilized by a superb story and powerful performances, most notably the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, visually spectacular and morally compiling. The bar is raised too high, let’s just hope the next installment won’t turn into The GodFather Part III of comic book movies.
4. Quantum of Solace: The bloodiest James Bond movie ever, featuring an angry agent 007 hell bent on vengeance and destruction. Daniel Craig at the top of his game, and Mark Forster does a fine, stylish job as director. Some people complained why Bond didn’t spank Miss Moneypenny and didn’t drive an invisible car. I suggest they make time and read Bond original novels to get a better glimpse of his edgy, gritty character and the atmosphere surrounding his world. I’m sure if they do, they’ll understand and appreciate this movie better.
5. The X-Files: I Want to Believe: This is perhaps the most personal movie in my list. Is this mediocre, mythology free story what I expected from Chris Carter and Co. after a six-year hiatus? No. Do I think they could and should do better? Of course, But I love this movie for what it is: Mulder-Scully relationship, disturbed characters, haunting snow covered landscapes, and creepy music. That does it for me.
6. The Bank Job: One of the best heist movies I’ve seen in a long time. The story is based on true events, and takes place in the gritty streets and undergrond clubs of London in the 70’s. Jason Statham does what he does best: kicking ass and taking names. Gotta love him, he’s the man’s man, sharp and well dressed for action. Serve him a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, hand him the key to an Aston Martin DB5, and he could be Bond.
7. Appaloosa: Ed Harris directs this gutsy, old fashioned western and stars as Virgil Cole, gunfighter for hire turned sheriff who with help from his friend Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) tends to bring down Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), an evil, murderous rancher and his gang. The best western I’ve seen since The Proposition in 2005. Unfortunately these days they don’t make movies like this too often.
8. Burn After Reading: The Coen brothers are back with their best comedy since The Big Lebowski. Once again, they discover and expose idiot America in a story of espionage, blackmail, love affairs and plastic surgery gone awry. The most memorable scene is where Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) reveals his gift to his wife, which of course I’m not going to reveal here. Watch the movie, if you still haven’t, and thank me later.
9. Tropic Thunder: The most mean-spirited, outrageous and politically incorrect comedy of the year, featuring a bald, fat Tom Cruise and a black Robert Downey Jr. Perhaps the best and most notorious publicity for the movie was the retards protest at the premiere night.
10. Doomsday: This British futuristic thriller depicts a plague infested England, where the remaining of the human race must fight against zombies, cannibal anarcho punks and medieval warriors led by no other than Malcolm McDowell. 70’s science fiction combined by 21st century action and special effects. I’m sold.
I hope you have enjoyed or will enjoy these movies as much as I did. Now if you excuse me, I have to go see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.