Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 Films in Review

The staff at Relevant Magazine joined together with some of Relevant's writers, including myself, to compile a list of Relevant's Top 10 Films of 2008. I was happy to contribute to this because as a film addict, I have been disappointed in recent years with the hype-to-reality ratio of many films. This year, however, was an exceptional year for good movies. "Amidst a year of economic turmoil and political history, the film industry kept a steady hand on America's imagination," Relevant's list introduction declares. "Some of the most creative, innovative and compelling films ever made were released in 2008." 

However, I must add something of a disclaimer. First, I have never seen the 8th, 9th or 10th movie on this list. If you hated those movies, don't vent to me because they weren't my picks. Second, there were a couple of movie that I lobbied for which didn't make it. I definitely would have included Ghost Town, the best movie of 2008 that you probably didn't see. I also suggested Son of Rambo, which never had a chance to make a list like this because of its Indy release, and Hellboy II, which was a brilliant movie visually and artistically despite its tragically cheesy name. I also listed The Fall as a runner-up simply because of it's breathtaking cinematography and visual effects. 

So there you have it folks. It was a crowded pack this year with so many good flicks, but those are my selections. Between the list itself and this appendix, did I miss anything? Is there something that you think is a must-watch that didn't get mentioned? Let's chat about it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, I can honestly & happily say that out of those 10 I have only heard of one film. Wall-E.

I have only heard of it because my youngest son has a pair or two of Wall-E underwear. And, other than the description of the film in the article - I know nothing about it.

Along with than that - the other 9 films I've never heard of. (Nor the 4 additional films you mentioned).

And, it actually makes me happy to say that.

Anonymous said...

ok...I'm going to go out on a limb here. I'm sure many will disagree, but stay w/ me here...my pick for movie of the year is...Twilight. Here is why...for a movie that only took $37 million to make, it took in around $70 million in it's first weekend...so that's not bad. But that is not my entire reason. I like this movie because I am a huge fan of the book series. My 6th grade students got me started on them and I basically put my life on hold for 2 weeks while I finished them...the books are whimsical and romantic and a fun read, but most importantly they seemingly promote love, chivalry and abstinence. In our modern culture, how many TV shows or movies or books' main characters actually wait to have sex until they get married...very few if any. So I chose this movie, because hopefully it will get kids interested in reading, but more importantly they will be reading something that is fun, romantic and suspenceful and not morally deficient. :-)