I started this blog while thinking that I won’t write about anything which relates to politics. I can’t help it though, politics in my passion and I can’t really ignore it. But nonetheless, I write this blog to list my top ten movies of 2008.
It has been a good year for movies for me personally. Due to my train travel I get time to watch more movies this year than for a long time. Having a bouncing baby boy has stopped us from heading to the cinemas, but this hasn’t stopped me from watching movies on my trusted iPod.
Of course the list below is only a small list which covers only the movies I have seen and in no way is a representation of all movies and is not a best of 2008 list. It is just best of 2008 based on the movies I saw ….makes sense? Ok! Here we go:
Yet another comic book adapted movie. I hated Hellboy part 1 and was hesitant in watching this movie. But after reading all the positive reviews I went ahead and saw the movie and was thoroughly entertained.
9. Horton Hears a Who
Previous Dr. Seuss adapted movies had disappointed badly with the ‘Cat in the Hat’ and The Grinch. Finally they realised that puppets don’t work! In this day and age of animation, this is the time to go all out. The movie is interesting and nicely made. Jim Carrey has done well to play Horton and not go too overboard (like he normally does).
8. Iron Man
Robert Downey Jnr. comes back in this smart and edgy movie. I was a fan of Iron Man back in the day and the movie doesn’t disappoint.
7. Kung Fu Panda
This animation should have been up there if only Wall-E wasn’t there. This is a great animated movie with all the characters playing their parts really well. It is interesting to note that even with all the violence there is no killing. A very funny and entertaining movie overall.
6. The Happening
Shyamalan’s latest movie is a little different to his earlier movies as it doesn’t particularly have a twist. Even so, it is a chilling and creepy movie. He has once again proved that he is one of the best in the genre of horror and suspense.
5. Body of Lies
Leo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe – how can you go wrong. It tackles the sensitive issues of torture and terrorism in a refreshingly unbiased way.
4. Burn After Reading
The Cohen brothers’ latest masterpiece! This movie is really funny and also very dark at the same time. It has a huge cast and an interesting story with great results. The lives of different characters get connected in a strange way and it’s all in all a very funny and smart movie.
3. Taxi to the Dark Side
This documentary chilled me to the bone. Shows how some people’s lives can change so suddenly for the worse. This movie is a very powerful and disturbing tale of a common man in Afghanistan.
2. Wall-E
Pixar has done it yet again. They keep coming out with gems every time. The last time it was Ratatouille and this definitely is at par with that. For an animated movie to be entertaining without any dialogue for the first half an hour or so is certainly an achievement worth noting in this day and age. It is very a entertaining and a fun movie.
1. The Dark Knight
You can’t go past this movie in 2008. This has to be the best super hero I have ever seen. The story is smart, the performances are fantastic, the action sequences are out of this world and the direction and screenplay are just amazing. This takes the cake in 2008 by a long shot. I had a lot of expectations going into the movie and still came out overwhelmed by the sheer ‘amazingness’ of this movie. Of course Heath Ledger’s performance and his death had a lot to add on the phenomenon of this movie but that doesn’t take away how good this movie was overall.
As it is the award season soon, there are a few good movies coming out in the next few weeks as well as some movies I have failed to see this year which will definitely affect this list. Some of the movies I am looking forward to watching are:
- Synecdoche, New York
- My Winnipeg
- 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
- Milk
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Slumdog Millionaire
- Speed Racer
- Encounters at the End of the World
- The Reader
- Doubt
- Revolutionary Road
- In Bruges
- Frost/Nixon
- Valkyrie
- Changeling
- Man on Wire
Happy New Year!
