Watching movies in 2008 was both a trying (“The Happening”) and exhilarating (“The Dark Knight”) experience, with many quality movies falling into the “good” category without being “great.” There were, however, a handful of great movies that were better than the rest, and they’re listed below as my “Top Ten” movies of 2008.

10. Wall*E
Clearly the best animated film of the year, and certainly the most heartwarming. Both a parable of taking care of our planet and the innocence of love, writer/director Andrew Stanton’s adorable movie deserves to be ranked with the best of the Disney/Pixar efforts (“Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story”). Now available on DVD.

9. Funny Games
Admittedly, it’s awful to see Tim Roth and Naomi Watts’ characters held captive in their vacation home. But director Michael Haneke’s film is also a clever reflection of the nastiness we crave in American pop culture, made brilliant by the creation of an unthinkable emotional torment that never shows the gore and bloodlust that slasher movie fans crave. Now available on DVD.

8. Slumdog Millionaire
Danny Boyle’s (“Trainspotting”) film tells the story of Jamal (Dev Patel), who was born in the slums of Mumbai, India, and has led a life of crushing poverty. Ironically, when he goes on the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” it’s his life experiences that explain how he knows the answers. Solid performances highlight a movie that has become even more powerful given the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai. In theaters now.

7. Tell No One
The best foreign film of the year was the French production “Tell No One.” Writer/director Guillaume Canet’s tense and suspenseful film follows a doctor whose wife was supposedly murdered eight years earlier, but recent discoveries now suggest she’s still alive. It’s great storytelling that Hitchcock himself would have loved. Available on DVD in March.

6. Young at Heart
The best documentary and by far the most inspiring movie of the year follows the Young at Heart chorus in Northampton, Massachusetts, as it prepares for an upcoming concert. Here’s the catch: The average age of the chorus is 81 years young, and all it performs are pop songs, including James Brown’s “I Feel Good” and the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive.” If the determination of the chorus to press on in spite of health issues doesn’t inspire you to live life to the fullest, nothing will. Now available on DVD.

5. Revolutionary Road
“Titanic” stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are together again as Frank and April Wheeler, an unhappily married couple living in the Connecticut suburbs in the 1950s. The unfulfilled dreams and harsh realities of life are expertly rendered in director Sam Mendes’ film, which features great performances from DiCaprio, Winslet and best supporting actor contender Michael Shannon (“Bug”). In limited release January 2nd and expanding throughout January.

4. Snow Angels
Another portrait of domestic unhappiness comes in writer/director David Gordon Green’s (“Pineapple Express”) dramatic showpiece. Set in a small northern town, Green’s mosaic of discontent follows a waitress (wonderfully played by Kate Beckinsale) and her crazy ex-husband (Sam Rockwell) as the centerpieces for a multi-layered treatise on the good and bad of love and happiness. Now available on DVD.

3. Milk
Gus Van Sant’s biopic is based on the last eight years of the life of slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The mix of archival footage, perfect pacing and great script by Oscar frontrunner Dustin Lance Black creates an incredibly moving, brilliantly acted (especially Sean Penn in the title role) film that deserves all the accolades it will likely receive. In theaters now.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, Brad Pitt’s title character is born an old man and ages backward toward infancy, leading to a fascinating series of revelations as he discovers death, sex, war, heartbreak and love with Cate Blanchett’s Daisy. Director David Fincher’s film opens nationwide Christmas Day.

1. The Dark Knight
The late Heath Ledger (Joker) gave the best supporting performance of 2008 in the best and most popular ($530 million box office) movie of the year. With pitch-perfect direction by Christopher Nolan and a tireless story, “The Dark Knight” is the best superhero movie ever made and a legitimate Oscar contender. It will be re-released in theaters in January, but if you prefer movies at home, it is currently available on DVD.

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Alberto Ruiz said:

	You're crazy.... "Slumdog Millionaire" was way better than that Forest Gump wannabe "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 30, 2009
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