Film of the year?

[Woo]

So 2008 was a pretty good year for films and a very successful one financially what with Mamma Mia becoming the highest grossing movie ever in the UK beating Titanic's record (!) and Batman Dark Knight being the 2nd highest grossing film ever- just behind Titanic. Which I guess means either the films this year were very good....or that cinemas are now charging more per ticket than ever- but what was the best one?


I think everyone will probably say this but I'm going for Batman. It was just incredible. I was hoping James Bond would be good, and it was, but nowhere near the brilliance of Casino Royale. Sweeny Todd, which I think was released here in 08 was great too as was the first half of Wall E- but Batman wins.

[Layne]

TDK was everything the hype machine said it would be and more, so it gets my vote.

I watched it in Holland too, which was fun.

[Steala]

I just saw The Dark Knight for the first time yesterday, so yeah, no surprise entry from me.

[Carter]

I narrowed it down between Dark Knight and Bolt....

I went with Dark Knight with the slightest of margins...

[MetalBlade]

Dark Knight is quite obviously film of the year, as unlike Woo, I think this has been an extremely poor year for quality films. It has been a year filled with endless sequels and remakes. But although Dark Knight is itself a sequel, it would rank up there with the very best sequels of all time, including even The Godfather 2.
I have seen very little in the way of unique and pioneering filmmaking, or outstandingly scripted storytelling throughout the whole of 2008.
In fact the best movies this year have mostly been comic book adaptations, with Iron Man and even The Incredible Hulk both impressing me immensely.

But above all the crap, rose two future classics in There Will Be Blood and The Assassination Of Jessie James By The Coward Robert Ford, the latter of which I compare favourably to Sam Peckinpah's classic character study Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid. This is probably Brad Pitt's best performance since Fight Club, but the standout for me was Ben Affleck's brother Casey, who is quite honestly a revelation in this.
I hear he is also equally impressive in the film Gone Baby Gone, which I've not seen yet, but if the plaudits are anything to go by, should be definitely worth checking out.

And There Will Be Blood is pure performance-driven high drama, with Daniel Day Lewis teaching Robert De Niro a thing or two about choosing his roles wisely.
I seriously believe Lewis only makes the films which he himself considers worthy of his immense acting talent, and that's not me accusing him being a braggart, only of him knowing his limitations.

Also worth a mention although I'm not sure if it qualifies for this year, is No Country For Old Men, in which the Cohens returned to the simple cat and mouse formula of their debut Blood Simple. It showcased three major acting talents in the massively understated Tommy Lee Jones, the incredibly calm ferocity of Javier Bardem, and this year's actor of the year for me, Josh Brolin. This guy will become the Jack Nicholson of our generation, I am sure.

But overall, you gotta go with Dark Knight, as it was indeed deserving of all the hype, especially where Heath Ledger's Joker was concerned. The film had everything - breakneck action, terrific sci-fi elements, great dramatic performances by all the main players, and a storyline and script that is as good as anything that's won oscars over the last five years.
All under the direction of Chris Nolan, who in such a short space of time has shown himself to be a major talent who can handle such unbelievable pressure heaped upon him by a film of this magnitude.

[Electra]

I dont have any other nomination to make tbh. Its Batman all the way for me. I remember finding out that Heath Ledger was to play the Joker and the fuss my other half made of that- He couldnt picture how a "teen rom-com" actor could possibly play one of the darkest roles. I think Heath suprised everyone with his performance and it gave us a glimpse of the actor he could have become.

I dont think Christian Bale should be overlooked either, he is by far my favourite Batman and I have enjoyed all of the films I have seen him in so far. From the Machinist (recommended by Somar) in which I was so impressed at the obvious lengths he had gone to to play the part and of course the Prestige which is one of my all time favourite films. Im looking forward to the new Terminator film in which he stars and of course the new Batman which will sadly be the last in this trilogy.

[HitmanHague]

Gotta be Dark Knight if only for Heath Ledger's performance.

Regardless of his death he was fantastic and proved everyone wrong.

I watched it again yesterday and whenever he wasn't on the screen it was pretty boring.

He lit up the screen with his appearance and delivery.

Sounds like I have a crush on The Joker doesn't it? haha

[Layne]

I saw this again on Boxing Day as my dad got on DVD. Better on a second viewing and you can't say that about many films.

[Woo]

Dec 26, 2008 18:14:44 GMT -1 MetalBlade said:

unlike Woo, I think this has been an extremely poor year for quality films.

I meant that it was a successful year financially rather than quality, but I don't think it's been too bad on that front. Not fantastic either.

One great film I saw which was made outside of Hollywood and was a Spanish film from the guy who made the critically acclaimed Pan's Labyrinth and was the horror movie The Orphanage. Man that was one scary film! Expect a Hollywood remake in a couple of years lol. That film really is haunting, it was in my head for days.

Another haunting film was The Boy In the Stripped Pyjamas....Jesus that film really was harrowing. Very good....but far, far too distressing to ever see again.


Getting back to Hollywood films Iron Man is pretty good and Tropic Thunder was great in parts ie. Robert Downey Jr's character.

[MetalBlade]

You just reminded me about another fucking excellent film I saw this year - REC.
It is bloody terrifying! I remember seeing the trailer for it when I went to see 30 Days Of Night I think it was.
The trailer got the greatest reaction I ever saw for a trailer. Basically everyone was stunned into silence and looked at each other as if to say "what the fuck did we just see?"

The film itself is a bit like Blair Witch project, concept-wise, but it is much more unnerving.

Also, I forgot about Doomsday. It's like the best Mad Max film they never made!
Think Mad Max meets Judge Dredd meets Escape From New York. Awesome, awesome film.
Neil Marshall is a genius I think. He makes the film HE always wanted to see, and it just happens to be the film I always wanted to see.

So factor in REC and Doomsday, along with There Will Be Blood, The Assassination Of Jessie James..., and No Country For Old Men, plus The Dark Knight, and ANOTHER one I forgot about which I loved - CLOVERFIELD, and I guess it has been a pretty vintage year after all Woo.

Sorry for doubting your wisdom.