Top 10 Films 2008:
1. There Will be Blood – directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Technically, this came out last year but I didn’t see it until earlier this year so I didn’t get a spot on the 2007 list. Either way this film is perfection in every sense of the word. Paul Thomas Anderson directs a film that is the closest contender to matching the cinematic craftsmanship of my favorite director of all time, the late Stanley Kubrick. I can say with pure confidence that “There Will be Blood” would have made my number 1 spot over any film released over the last 5 years.
2. Inside “À l’intérieur” – directed by Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
The French are making the most exciting and original horror films in the world right now and leading the pack is the indie horror masterpiece “Inside”. This movie not only makes my #1 horror film for 2008, it’s a possible candidate for best horror film of the last 5 years. I’ll never forget the feeling I got after my first viewing, it was an adrenaline rush (suspense) mixed with nausea (gore), excitement (original story), and admiration (cinematography/direction). Everything that I want to feel from a horror movie viewing.
3. The Dark Knight – directed by Christopher Nolan
It wouldn’t be a 2008 top 10 list if The Dark Knight wasn’t listed somewhere in the top 5. This movie is brilliant in the sense that it pleases every audience including: comic books fans, indie movie buffs, art house snobs, general moviegoers, etc. The 2 ingredients that make this film great are of course Heath Ledgers performance and Christopher Nolan’s flawless direction. I still think the second half of the screenplay could have been a little better.
4. The Fall – directed by Tarsem Singh
I remember occasionally researching director Tarsem Singh after watching his visually impressive and interesting debut film “The Cell”. I figured he gave up on filmmaking because the film wasn’t exactly a hit and so much time had passed since it was released, but then I saw a trailer for “The Fall”. As soon as I saw the trailer I had a STRONG feeling the film would be one of the years best. After my fifth viewing I will say that this movie is a masterpiece, not only visually (which is the film’s most obvious strength) but the story/screenplay is touching, and there are fantastic performances from everyone involved.
5. Iron Man – directed by John Favreau
Although I really love the comic book character Iron Man and director John Favreau, I never anticipated this film being as good as it was. In my opinion this film features the best special effects of the year, and also one of the best performances from Robert Downey Jr. as the lead Tony Stark. The screenplay was strong in my opinion and the ending set up a fantastic opportunity for a unique superhero franchise that is on par with Batman and Spider-Man.
6. Midnight Meat Train – directed by Ryuhei Kitamura
Under the brilliant direction of Ryuhei Kitamura and based on the short story by Clive Barker, this film was treated like a leper by Lionsgate and dumped into dollar theatres for one week. It’s too bad because it’s an excellent horror film that has real potential to be a future cult classic. Originality is very hard to come by in horror films these days, but this one manages to try something new.
7. REC – directed by Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza
This is a terrifying Spanish horror film shot in the Cinéma vérité style much like “The Blair Witch Project”. With little gore, it relies on horrific imagery that really leaves a lasting impression. It makes me sad that they made a mediocre remake before the original even received a Region 1 DVD release.
8. Southland Tales – directed by Richard Kelly
After a long wait, and a ton of bad press we finally are treated to (Donnie Darko) filmmaker Richard Kelly’s sophomore effort. Playing like a Philip K. Dick story, it is a brilliant satire and visually stunning film that like 2001: A Space Odyssey will be discovered down the road to be one of the best sci-fi films of the decade.
9. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army – directed by Guillermo del Toro
If nothing else, this movie confirmed my opinion that Guillermo del Toro can do no wrong. I thought this film was FAR better than the first. A perfect blend of fantasy/horror/action for all almost ages. Hellboy works because he’s a totally different superhero than all the other comic turned movie heroes. All we need now is another installment to complete a fantastic trilogy.
10. In Bruges – directed by Martin McDonagh
This is a fantastic debut film from director Martin McDonagh, it work’s so well because it never classifies itself in any particular genre. There are very hilarious parts mixed with serious drama. Not to mention the film also has some great action sequences mixed with some innovative camera work and excellent performances from everyone involved. I can’t wait to see what his next film is like.
- Special Mention –
Films to Keep You Awake – “A Christmas Tale” & “To Let” – Since they aren’t technically feature length films I did not add them to the top 10 list. This whole set was pretty fantastic and showcased some really talented Spanish horror directors & writers.
5 Honorable Mentions:
- Doomsday – Not quite as good as I was expecting, but Neil Marshall still delivers the goods in this Sci-Fi/Apocolyptic/Horror film.
- Transsiberian – A solid suspense/semi-horror film from director Brad Anderson. Not as stylish or terrifying as “Session 9” or “The Machinist”, but still a great Hitchcockian type mystery.
- Insanitarium – By the screenwriter of “Midnight Meat Train”, this movie is low budget but still a fun horror movie and one of the best straight to-DVD horror films of the year.
- Rogue – This is the sophomore film from “Wolf Creek” director Greg Maclean. This creature feature had flawless effects & cinematography. It would have made my top 10 if it had a little less dialogue and a few more attacks (and little more gore).
- Re-Cycle – I never thought I would be putting a PANG brothers film on my top films of the year list, but the movie was an awesome blend of fantasy/horror which is rarity.
5 WORST:
1. Prom Night – One of the worst and most generic horror films I’ve ever seen. It’s hard for me to express in words how bad this movie was. Avoid at all costs.
2. The Strangers – Terrible, nothing but a few hipster killers standing around with masks looking scary. PLEASE, watch the French film “Them Ills” instead.
3. Mother of Tears – Can anyone tell me what the hell happened in this? I still don’t know. Time to retire Mr. Argento.
4. Mirrors – Not the worst film ever, only the fact that Alejandre Aja made it makes it so bad. Maybe I will like the unrated DVD version better who knows.
5. 88 Minutes- A generic suspense/thriller that is TERRIBLE. It is not really horror but really bad no matter what genre it’s classified in.
STILL HAVE NOT SEEN:
Martyrs
Let the right one In
Bad Biology
Timecrimes
