Top Ten Films 2008

Just in time for summer!

10. The Wrestler
I wanted to like this one way more than I did, probably in part because I was expecting more of an I-can-still-wrestle-damnit kind of story, rather than the I-can’t-wrestle-anymore-so-now-I-want-to-Earl-myself-back-into-your-good-graces story that I got. There were some really good moments, but mostly I think this was just over-sold (not a surprise, coming from Searchlight).

9. Man On Wire
When people say that 2008 was a weak year for movies, what they probably mean is that it was a weak year for fun movies. Even the reliably upbeat crew at Pixar threw us a dark curveball with WALL-E. Man On Wire was at least as much fun as Philippe Petit’s stunt was audacious (and was very well edited, too). Plays like a heist movie, but the emotions are so well captured that there is little doubt about the story's veracity.

8. Revolutionary Road
I’m biased toward this picture because I loved the novel so much, but apart from that I think it’s actually pretty good on its own merits - despite being too melodramatic. The score is excellent, as are the supporting roles (particularly Michael Shannon), and the art direction. And then there’s Kate Winslet, whose presence is commanding, even in lesser films. I think this picture might have gotten more of the attention it deserved if Harvey Weinstein hadn’t made such a diabolical push to get The Reader out in 2008.

7. Milk
A clumsy frame kept this from landing higher on my list, making the film longer than it needed to be and less powerful than it should have been. Sean Penn was excellent, as he almost always is; and Josh Brolin was really good, too; but Harvey Milk is the real hero. I would think that it takes courage to fight for gay rights even today in this country, and I can’t even imagine what it must have taken for Milk to do what he did thirty years ago. The meaning of what he achieved - and by extension the power of this picture - will only grow, as more states strike down their illegal and discriminatory laws that violate the United States Constitution and restrict the rights of gay people.

6. Synecdoche, New York
Don’t ask me to explain this one. I don’t know if I could, even if I went back and read my review and a whole bunch of other reviews, too. This is just one of those movies you have to watch and appreciate in whatever way you as an individual will appreciate it. I could say a few things about the story, but you might watch it and see a completely different layer of meaning. It goes without saying that Philip Seymour Hoffman is a joy to watch, but it’s probably less well known that Samantha Morton can hold her own, and then some, next to a talent such as Hoffman’s. Charlie Kaufman’s nearly impenetrable story is both metaphysical and circular and rapidly turns into something like a metastasizing tumor, growing more and more out of control; but it’s an awful lot of fun, too.

5. Frozen River
I think the best thing about Frozen River is that it takes a story that most people would probably think of as very, very uninteresting and turns it into a powerful cautionary tale about the death of the American Dream. Also, it never veers down the path of didacticism (that might not actually be a word), never judges the characters or casts aspersions upon them; and it doesn’t cheat at the end, either. An exceptionally well made film that juxtaposes desperation and hope without confusing or conflating the two.

4. The Visitor
Ryan called this a “pat yourself on the back for being a liberal” movie, which I liked; and while I’m sure that this story is an easier pill to swallow for the reasoned souls who understand the shades of grey that the neocons see only as black and white, it’s also a damn good movie if you dig on music and character development and excellent acting. So, uh yeah...sign me up. It may be stylized fiction, but it’s feel-good stylized fiction that takes a good faith stab at authenticity. And I loved loved loved the ending.

3. Moscow, Belgium
Speaking of authenticity, this is a love story that eschews every “true love” covention in the book. It’s ugly and unpleasant in places, but it’s really well acted. I’ve seen a lot of foreign language films over the years, but this is the first one I’ve seen where I could almost tell what the characters were saying just by watching them speak, by watching their emotional responses to a scene. It’s a little rough around the edges, but it’s a welcome switch from love stories that end with people climbing fire escapes and girls watching their would-be suitors freeze to death and then drown for good measure.

2. Wendy and Lucy
This picture does so much with so little (if Kevin Smith paid for Clerks with his credit cards, then Kelly Reichardt could surely have written a check for this one) and does it so well that it sort of makes my heart ache for all of the great little pictures that we never play and that I will never even hear of. If it weren’t for the combination of the nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards last year and a nice article in Newsweek - I think back in December - I might well have missed this film altogether. It’s a simple story with a powerful theme, and it restores my faith in cinema the way that Cormac McCarthy restores my faith in literature. Of all ten movies on this list, this is the best of them.

1. Rachel Getting Married
I’ve flogged this movie quite enough since I saw it, so I won’t torment you with any more of it. I fully admit that I am biased toward Jonathan Demme and that I liked this film extra-lots because of his adept direction and unique style; but it’s also an awfully good movie on its own merits, if for no other reason than it proves that Anne Hathaway has tremendous acting chops and that those unfortunate pictures she did early on for the Mouse House may well have been nothing more than a dalliance to get a foot in the door.