Sunday, December 28, 2008

Pegasus News Movies 2008: Cream of the crop, from our heaving critical gizzards to yours

By Alex Bentley , John P. Meyer

In order to provide you, dear readers, with more complete coverage of the movies showing up on North Texas area cinema screens, Alex and I typically take in different movies on a weekly basis. (Because - given our other editorial duties - neither one of us could possibly cover them all.)

Thus, it should come as little surprise that our lists of the best films of the year are (almost) totally different.

Without further ado, here are our separate-but-equally-insightful lists of the best five (or ten, if you combine them) films released in North Texas during calendar year 2008. [Since Dark Knight appears in both accountings, you might take that as an indicator you should see that one twice - once in IMAX and once on DVD, perhaps.]

Batman prepares to go all medieval on The Joker

JOHN'S PICKS: First off, let me say that there were some real toss-ups on the short list, with Charlie Bartlett, Married Life, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and RocknRolla losing out only because I was forced to somehow pare down. They are all incredibly entertaining films, and I heartily recommend you catch them on DVD or in re-release on the big screen. In addition, there were some truly outstanding foreign films and documentaries that I wish everyone could see, such as The Band's Visit, Captain Abu Raed and Let the Right One In (foreign); and Body of War, Crawford and Standard Operating Procedure (documentary). As for my top five:

5) Doubt - While a surface reading of its subject matter (potentially altar-boy-molesting priest; disciplinarian nun out to get his new-age, non-traditional sermon-delivering ass) might easily turn one away in search of more mainstream material, let there be no doubt that the performances turned in by the two leads (Streep and Hoffman) are mesmerizing. Beautifully filmed, to boot.

4) Slumdog Millionaire - See previous entry re. subject matter: in this case, we're talking about an underprivileged Indian fellow trying to hang on as long as possible on the subcontinent's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and featuring actors you've likely never seen on screen before and almost certainly never heard of. None of this will stop Danny Boyle's gritty-yet-romantic Eastern fantasy story from charming your socks off. Bring on the Bollywood credits.

3) The Visitor - Alienation and separatism are overcome by shared need and friendship in this touching tale of cross-cultural collaboration, featuring the unlikeliest buddy pairing (Richard Jenkins and Haaz Sleiman) since - um - Barack and Rick. When ICE comes down hard on one of the duo, how far will - or can - the other one go to maintain their friendship?

2) In Bruges - this really great action/thriller with a (twisted) brain came out so early in the year I fear many critics will have forgotten about it altogether. Thus this reminder. Working class British hitmen "vacation" in a lesser-known European tourist destination while demonstrating varying levels of cultural acumen and personal loyalty. Black comic hilarity ensues.

1) My vote for best of the year has to go for the film that entertained me more than any other: The Dark Knight. No great moral lessons (unless you care to dig beneath the thrill-a-minute surface - but why go there?) - just a rollicking good Discordian time as the dour and purposeful caped crusader tries to figure out (amidst explosions and random carnage) what this Joker chap can possibly be up to. Heath Ledger's elegant and overpowering swan song performance connects with a solid right upper-cut. KAPOW!

Sean Penn shows off a smile that's been on hiatus since Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

ALEX'S PICKS: With apologies to such films as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Sex and the City (yes, really), and documentaries Young@Heart and Bigger, Stronger, Faster, here are my top five films of 2008.

5) WALL-E/Bolt - Sorry, I can't separate these two because both were huge successes of Disney animators. The first was made by the always-magnificent Pixar branch, while the second was made by Disney's newly-created Walt Disney Animation Studios. WALL-E was the most mature animated film that could still appeal to kids that's ever been made, while Bolt was a raucous adventure that still respected the audience's intelligence. Both could win the Oscar for Best Animated Film, though WALL-E will probably emerge the winner.

4) The Dark Knight - I'm not as overwhelmed with the latest Batman film as some (still dislike Batman's dinosaur voice and the weird way in which Two-Face was dealt with at the end), but Heath Ledger's Joker makes this a must-see film for anybody that loves movies. The bravura action sequences (opening bank robbery, air rescue in China, face-off between Batman and Joker on the streets of Gotham) are better than any others in 2008.

3) Tropic Thunder - Rarely has a mainstream comedy been willing to go this far for laughs, and it pays off in a big way. Ben Stiller shows off his writing and directing skills (he's good as an actor here, too) and Tom Cruise makes perhaps the cameo of the year as a bald, overweight, profane, dancing-aficionado studio exec. But it's Robert Downey, Jr. who steals the show by daring to perform in blackface and still getting huge laughs. He may not get it, but he deserves an Oscar nomination.

2) Happy-Go-Lucky - This English charmer from director Mike Leigh (who has yet to make a misstep in my opinion) at first feels like it can't keep up its premise, but lead actress Sally Hawkins is such a force that the film can't help but succeed. Hawkins' Poppy is believable because she never appears delusional – she acknowledges the bad things and sadness around her, but always chooses to keep a smile on her face. It's next to impossible for audience members not to do the same.

1) Milk - Simply put, Milk is able to shatter barriers that other mainstream movies have been unable to do up until this time, something of which its protagonist, Harvey Milk, would be rightly proud. Focusing a film almost entirely around gay characters and not stereotyping them in any way is almost a miracle, but director Gus Van Sant has done it. Sean Penn's performance is a revelation, even for a perennially-acclaimed actor like him. Top it off with of-the-moment relevance given a recent vote to ban gay marriages in California, and you have the best film of the year.

Related stories

• Pegasus News week in view: New day edition (Jan. 8, 2009)
• Pegasus News week in view: New Year’s edition (Jan. 1, 2009)

See more stories in:

• Arts > Movies / Film

Comments

CitizenKane Anonymous

"Man on Wire" deserves to be on both these lists.

10 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Michael Davis Verified

I saw Batman in IMAX. It was one of the best movies I've seen. I hope they bring it back when the Oscars are announced.

10 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Alex Bentley Staff

CitizenKane, I agree that Man on Wire was a great film, although I did have some issues with the film overall. Check out my review here. If I had gone to 10 films, it probably would've made the list.

10 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Chris Kidd Verified

Michael, I heard somewhere Dark Knight is getting a limited release starting this weekend for Oscar Consideration.

I'll also give a tip of the cap to local boy David Gordon Greens Pineapple Express, as well as Tropic Thunder, as they were two of the funnier films of the year that didnt get the press they really deserved.

10 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Holston Verified

Great lists. I think Slumdog Millionaire was my favorite film of the year. I found it thoroughly entertaining, and thoughtful, beautifully shot as well.

10 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )