My Top Ten Films of 2008
(film comment by Mark R. Leeper)
2007 had been a good year for films, mostly in the latter months.
I was hoping that 2008 would be equally good. Sadly there were not
as many memorable films. There were some very good films, but not
enough to match the best of 2007.
-
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
More than just a film, David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN
BUTTON is a genuine accomplishment. It stylistically shows a span
of history, carefully orchestrating an evolution of feel and mood
that tracks the passing years. This is an intelligent fantasy with
a beautifully sustained and intricate attention to tone. This is a
loose adaptation and a translation forward in time of the story by
F. Scott Fitzgerald from his TALES OF THE JAZZ AGE. Rating: +3 (-4
to +4) or 9/10
-
TRUMBO
The story of Dalton Trumbo's career is told, based on the play of
the same name by Dalton's son, Christopher Trumbo. The biography
is illuminated by Trumbo's writings, particularly his
correspondence dramatically read by major actors of the film
industry. Actors recreate the moods of this always tremendously
well-spoken man. This may be the last film to feature Trumbo's
writing and it has some of his most powerful prose. It is maybe
the best film that has ever been made about the Hollywood blacklist
and the Hollywood Ten. Rating: low +3 (-4 to +4) or 8/10
-
MILK
Gus Van Sant directs a powerful docudrama of the life and times of
Harvey Milk, from coming to San Francisco to being elected city
supervisor to being murdered along with the mayor of San Francisco.
The style is realistic and not overly polished. This is a highly
affecting film, and Sean Penn gives the most moving performance of
the year of a very ordinary man whom history moved to greatness.
Rating: low +3 (-4 to +4) or 8/10
-
THE DARK KNIGHT
In a year in which so many films are based on comic books this is a
super-hero film whose depth is like no other. It plays with the
whole philosophy of the superhero and the whole nature of superhero
battles. It manages to bring together an action film and a thought
piece. This is a lot more than we have come to expect from a comic
book film. Christopher Nolan directs and co-authors the screenplay
with his brother. Rating: low +3 (-4 to +4) or 8/10
-
THE WRESTLER
Boxer/actor Mickey Rourke makes an acting comeback as a
professional wrestler trying to retire and return to his personal
life. Like his character, Rourke has been scarred by his years of
fighting but can still make a pretty good grab for the viewer's
empathy. Darren Aronofsky tells a solid character-driven drama
with simplicity and impact. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10
-
WALL-E
Pixar Animation is known for making good kids' films that even
adults can enjoy. But now they have crossed over the line to make
an adult film that even kids can enjoy. WALL-E is a light fun
comedy set against a very grim background. This film has a lot
more message than just "have a good time." It is all about some
serious problems our world is facing. Under the laughs and the
humanized robots this is a serious science fiction film and well
above average for the genre. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10
-
THE BANK JOB
When high political powers in Britain, wanting a piece of
"evidence" to disappear, arrange for a bank robbery to take place,
the result is complex chaos. Jason Statham plays Terry Leather, a
family man going through a bad patch who takes what appears to be a
great opportunity to rob a bank. The robbery opens a legal and
political Pandora's Box. This film is full of action and actual
suspense. The wit of the story is not always obvious when watching
the film, but does come out in retrospect. Rating: high +2 (-4 to
+4) or 8/10
-
DEFIANCE
This is an unusual true story of two Jewish brothers from
Belorussia who fought back against the invading Germans and offered
protection to a community of over a thousand fugitive Jews.
Occasionally using thuggish tactics and more often being heroic,
they survived in the forest while in constant danger from both the
Nazis and the Soviets. The story is made a little idealized, but
this is a chapter of history that has rarely been explored before.
Rating: +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10
-
THE COUNTERFEITERS
The Austrian-German production THE COUNTERFEITERS is good cinema
that deals with serious moral issues. It is about the ethical
question of concentration camp prisoners prolonging their lives by
helping the Nazi war effort. The issue is at what cost is
survival. Writer/director Stefan Ruzowitzky does not give a pat
and easy answer. Be aware that survivors of the camp do not
remember the central moral question ever being asked. Rating: high
+2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10
-
THE VISITOR
Richard Jenkins, a popular character actor going back to SILVERADO,
finally has the lead in a film and gives a strong performance as an
insular and lonely professor who gets a cause that brings him out
of his shell. The cause comes in the form of two illegal
immigrants squating in his New York apartment. He befriends and
learns from them and they learn from him. He also gets involved in
the politics of US immigration policy. Thomas McCarthy who wrote
and directed the excellent THE STATION AGENT writes and directs
again. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10
Honorable Mention goes to these films:
- CHOP SHOP
- CLOVERFIELD
- GHOST TOWN
- HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
- QUANTUM OF SOLACE
- REFUSENIK
- RELIGULOUS
- THE TRAITOR
- VALKYRIE
One film that should have been mentioned last year, but I saw too
late:
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@optonline.net
Copyright 2009 Mark R. Leeper