Top Ten Films 2008

My top ten list this year is being made with a number of caveats, given that many films making critic’s top ten choices: Waltz with Bashir, The Class, Revolutionary Road, My Winnepeg, etc, I have not seen. But out of the films I’ve seen this year here are my choices for the best. 

1) Synecdoche, New York **** 

Charlie Kaufman is the god of screenwriters. In a world where there are no original ideas left, Charlie continues to produce them. I remember the first time I saw “Syncedoche, New York” I hated it. As I was walking out of the theater, I stopped myself and I thought, “I hate a Charlie Kaufman film… that’s not possible.” And I turned around, went back in the theater, sat down and watched the film again. When I was done I was sure I had seen one of the great films ever made.

The movie is about the human mind (as are most of Charlie’s films) here represented on a sound stage where a director is building a set. The set itself is the compartments of the brain, each with its own memories and ideas, each different than the other. Our perceptions form our world and here Charlie creates a literally canvas to paint this story. In what could be merely an intellectual exercise the way that some of the weaker David Lynch films function, instead turns into a tour-de-force of emotion, watching the director age and fight against his own perceptions. A great movie.

2) Rachel Getting Married **** 

Jon Demme is one of our great artists. “Rachel Getting Married” is a masterpiece of screenplay and direction. Feeling much like a Robert Altman film, the camera roams and places you in the wedding itself. The reality of the film pushes us to emotional depths that we were not expecting and Anne Hathaway carries the movie. One of the most real and moving experiences I had at the movies this year.

3) The Wrestler ****

Darren Aronofsky is one of the great modern directors. Since his first major film “Pi”, he has always pushed the boundaries of cinema, perhaps non-more-so than his time tripping “The Fountain,” which was a less than successful venture. Here, like Jon Demme in my choice for the second best film of the year, Darren reduces his directorial instincts and goes for realism… what realism it is. If “Rachel Getting Married” is a moving and emotional masterpiece, than this film is a tragedy. The main character played by Mickey Rourke in a career best performance is a wrestler at the end of his career. In many ways he is reminiscent of athletes in Charles Bukowski’s poem “Betting on the Muse”. His life is over, but he won’t give up. Finding himself after his career is a gift that comes too late in life.

4) Snow Angels **** 

David Gordon Green is the best independent filmmaker working. His films have long been a mainstay on my top ten. Here he moves away from his southern Gothic style of film-making. Here is a small town. In tone and emotion, the film reminds me of “The Sweet Hereafter”, a film about a tragedy that reveals the connections of a small town. Here the tragedy of the film occurs in the first few minutes before flashing back. A film that almost deals with school shootings but is more interested in the small connections between people. Not an easy film to watch.

5) 4 month, 3 weeks, 2 days **** 

Speaking of movies that are not easy to watch, “4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days” ushers in a new film movement from Eastern Europe. Wow… this is a powerful film about a woman’s attempt to get an abortion. Yes, this an issue movie, but it is also a human movie about the difficulty of going through the process even when you know it is the right decision.

6) The Dark Knight **** 

Chris Nolan’s best film. With “The Dark Knight” Nolan takes what he had started with “Memento”, in terms of style, and “Batman Begins” in terms of story and finds himself as a director. “The Dark Knight” is not a superhero movie in almost any sense. Yes there is a superhero and villain, but Nolan is much more interested in dealing with the forces of order and chaos as symbolized in Batman and the Joker. Heath Ledger turns in one of the greatest performances of all time. Some say it cost him his life. This is a movie that will last the ages.

7) Happy-Go-Lucky **** 

In looking at my top ten, one thing I noticed this year is that this year has been a celebration of great directors. Mike Leigh is another. I don’t know why he is not more highly regarded. This film does not have the expanse or scope of something like “Topsy-Turvy”, but instead, the small character detail of his earlier works “Secrets & Lies” and “Naked”. Sally Hawkins, a truly underrated actress, turns in a performance that in any other hands would play as satire. Her character is so happy and tries to live it, but we believe it. A great character study.

8) In Bruges *** 1/2

Martin MacDonagh is one of our best playwrights, although in his heart of hearts he is a screenwriter. After winning the Oscar for his short, “The Shooter”, he brings the same character played by great Irish actor, Brendan Gleeson, but this time pairs him with Colin Farrell. I have loved Colin’s earlier work, especially in “Minority Report” but his comedy is a revelation here. Like Tarantino before him, MacDonagh is interested not as often in what people are saying, but how they are saying it. The film ultimately turns from a comedy to something much deeper and revelatory. I wouldn’t risk revealing it, a must see.

9) Frozen River *** 1/2

A great thriller, plain and simple. Melissa Leo turns in a career best performance as a woman on the edge who needs money. Agreeing to smuggle across a frozen river into Native American lands, she feels she has nothing to lose, but as the stakes raise she realizes she’s in over her head. My favorite thriller of the year.

10) The Visitor **** 

Tom McCarthy is a fascinating director. Every film he makes is different from the last one. Here we get a human story. Richard Jenkins, a long time character actor, finally gets a leading role and he delivers with the power of a man who has lost an interest in life, only to discover it from the people who are accidently squatting in his apartment. That they are illegal immigrants takes us into the depths of the problem with our immigration system. His unraveling at the end is earned… I only wish we saw more of the immigrants who were detained as it is told from his perspective, but still a triumph.

Runners up: Frost/Nixon ****, Forgetting Sarah Marshell ****, Tell No One ****, Wall-E ***1/2, Slumdog Millionaire ***1/2, Doubt *** 1/2, Iron Man ***1/2, Tropic Thunder *** 1/2, Milk ***1/2, Vicky Cristina Barcelona *** 1/2, Hellboy 2 ***1/2

Best Performance by an Actor: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler” 
Runner-up: Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor” 

Best Performance by an Actress: Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky” 
Runner-up: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married” 

Best Supporting Performance by an Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight” 
Runner-Up: Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder” 

Best Supporting Performance by an Actress: TIE: Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler” and Viola Davis, “Doubt” 
Runner-up: Olivia Thirlby, “Snow Angels” 

Best Screenplay: “Syncedode New York” by Charlie Kaufman
Runner-up: “Rachel Getting Married” by Jenny Lumet

Best Adapted Screenplay: “Snow Angels” by David Gordan Green
Runner-up: “The Dark Knight” Jonathan and Christopher Nolan

Best Animated Film: “Wall-E” 
Runner-up: “Kung-Fu Panda” 

Best Documentary: “Encounters at the End of the World” 
Runner-up: “Man on Wire” 

Worst Film of the Year: “Funny Games”