Yes, my friends, it is that time again. Finally, you will be able to move on with your lives, no longer stuck with the crippling curiosity and damning desire to know.

We'll start with 2008's totals, as chronicled here.

Totals:
Total # of movies to date: 204
Total # of movies seen in a theater: 67
Total # of movies seen elsewhere: 137
Total # of different movies (cutting out multiple viewings of the same film): 173
Total # of movies seen for the first time: 115

These are definitely the lowest numbers I've had since I started keeping track back in, I think, 2005. I will mostly attribute this to the situation at work and the price of gas during the summer. Still, it's not bad, I guess. Unfortunately, there are a number of films currently playing that I have not seen, but really want to see. Movies like The Wrestler or Gran Torino won't be on this list and they won't be on next year's list, either. I hate that shit. I had the same problem with There Will Be Blood last year. I didn't see it in 2007 and it'd be stupid and lame to put it on this list. You know? So those movies will just have to settle for not being on either list and deal with undoubtedly catastrophic financial consequences that this will cause. You would think that the studios would try to avoid this by holding a private screening for me or something, but,,, I guess they'll never learn.

Anyway. My only real criteria for picking movies for this list is whether or not they were made available to me in 2008. I don't care if IMDB says the movie came out in 2007, if it wasn't on DVD or relatively accessible, it's eligible. Ok? Ok. Let's go.


#10
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson


Hunter S. Thompson is someone I've really admired for some time, but never really knew that much about. This documentary on the man's life fixed that for me while being funny as hell and interesting all at the same time. The movie gave me a renewed desire to catch up on the man's works, as well, which was probably the whole point, yeah? The movie also made me look at the comic book Transmetropolitan a little differently. I had no idea the character of Spider Jerusalem was THAT heavily based on HST. Interesting.



#9
The Machine Girl


SURPRISE!!! Holy shit, this movie was fun. Blood sprinklers, limbs flying, a drill bra and chicks beating the shit out people! That last one is a common theme this year, and that means this was a good year for me and movies. I feel like I should say something else about this movie, but... it is what it is and I don't think anyone needs me to explain any further why I loved it.



#8
The Fall


Without question the most visually appealing film I saw this year, even though I saw two Wong Kar Wai movies for the first time this year (Ashes Of Time: Redux and My Blueberry Nights). It was that striking. Added to the visuals was a great, imaginative story with some excellent performances, particularly by 9 year old lead actress Catinca Untaru. I bought this for my dad on Blu-Ray for X-Mas and I can't wait to borrow it from him and bring it over to The Lady's to watch again.



#7
Let The Right One In


Talk about putting a new spin on an old genre. I can't remember ever seeing a vampire film that I was so fascinated by. This story about two kids, one of which sucks blood, is much, much more than just a vampire movie. It's creepy, it's sweet, it's intense, it's sad... if you haven't seen this, then you are seriously missing out. Watch it with the lights on and the sun shining through the window if it'll make you feel better. Seriously. Just see it.



#6
Tokyo Gore Police


I only got to see this because my pre-order came in 3 weeks early. Lucky me. The banner ads for this movie say "If The Machine Girl was too tame for you" and that's pretty much exactly right. This movie is 10 times weirder, sicker, nastier and more fucked up than the previously mentioned Machine Girl. Not that it's knocking that movie at all. It's totally different. TGP doesn't smack of low-budget-ness quite as much as MG. Clearly, MG's instant (and I mean that literally) cult classic status gave the filmmakers enough of a name to get some serious cash for the next film. And they made damn fine use of it. Fucked up, nasty and hilarious. It's everything you want it to be.



#5
Chocolate


I've said this a million times, and I'm going to say it again. I love movies with women beating the shit out of people. The fighting and the stunts in this movie are unfuckingbelievable. If I watched nothing but the fight scenes for the rest of my life, I don't think I'd ever stop giggling watching Jeeja Yanin kneeing anonymous Thai henchmen in the face. Ever. It doesn't matter that the plot is lame. This is like porn, but with fighting in place of sex. Chocolate, bitches. Chocolate.



#4
[•REC]


Put simply, this is just the scariest movie I've seen in a really long time. A reporter and her cameraman get stuck in a building with two firemen, two policemen, the buildings tenants and... well, you'll figure that out. The entire thing is seen through the news camera, and you can probably guess how that can add to the film's intensity and atmosphere. And, fucking shit, this movie has tons of that. I didn't get to see the remake (Quarantine), but supposedly, it was shot for shot. I don't know what the plans for releasing this one in the US are, or if there even are any, offhand. You may need to do a little looking for this, but it's worth it.



#3
Tropic Thunder


There were a LOT of sorta similar comedies that came out this year, Zack & Miri Make A Porno, Pineapple Express and Role Models all come immediately to mind, but none of them were anywhere even close to this. Is there anyone left who doesn't like Robert Downey Jr? I don't know if it'll happen, but his performance as Kirk Lazarus should go down as one of the best comedic characters in the history of fucking film. And Tom Cruise almost steals the show?!?! Tom Cruise?!?! Fuck yeah, Tom Cruise. You know, I like Ben Stiller. I don't care for a lot of his movies, but I like him. I never expected anything this awesome from him, though.



#2
À l'intérieur (aka Inside)


Trying to explain why I love this movie so much isn't easy. It's maybe the single most unrelentingly brutal movie I've ever seen and some of the gore actually had me cringing. Hrm. Did I just explain why I love this movie so much? Maybe. To me, a movie like this is what a "horror" movie really is. Just creepy, fucked up and bloody. And this one is as good as any I've seen.



#1
The Dark Knight


Obvious? Tough shit. Yes, my friends, this is the The Empire Strikes Back of our generation. IT IS. DEAL WITH IT BECAUSE IT IS. Seriously. There are so many layers to this movie. So many theories as to what the movie is symbolizing or trying to tell your subconscious. It's fascinating. The only time I can ever remember reading so many interesting opinions about a movie was for The Matrix: Reloaded, except that most of those ended with "we'll see what happens after Revolutions..." and then that came out and no one was saying shit. You can study the fuck out of this movie, or you can not and it's brilliant either way. Not perfect. But brilliant. Especially for a superhero movie.



Honorable Mention:

Ashes Of Time: Redux - I wasn't sure if I should put this on the list or not. The original cut of Ashes Of Time has been out on DVD for a while, but it's such poor quality that I couldn't watch it. So would it count? I don't know. It was a fantastic film, though. The all star cast was everything you'd expect and the visuals were jaw droppingly gorgeous. Can't wait to own it on DVD.

Sukiyaki Western Django - I really wanted to put this in because it was so much fun, but there was just too much else. Takashi Miike is a director who is completely unafraid to try different things, take a shot at different genres and completely experiment, but the guy has a very, very defined sense of humor and if you've seen a few of his movies, it's almost instantly recognizable. I had a great time watching this movie, and I expect i'll have a great time every time I watch it in the future.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird - Like the one listed above, this movie was a hell of a lot of fun. A clear homage to many of the great spaghetti westerns, I bet making this movie was even more of a blast than watching it. I hope it actually gets a theatrical release in the US in 2009 because it deserves to be seen by everyone on a theater screen. These two would make an AMAZING double feature....

Quantum Of Solace - I know this one wasn't particularly well reviewed, but I loved the breakneck pace and outstanding stunt choreography. I'll take either of Daniel Craig's Bond movies over ANY of the previously released ones any day. Even the one with Michelle Yeoh.


The Most Disappointing Movie Of 2008
The Forbidden Kingdom


Sigh. Jet Li and Jackie Chan FINALLY get around to making a movie together and they do it with fucking Yuen Woo-Ping and THIS IS WHAT WE GET?! SERIOUSLY?!?! FUCK!!! I could, honestly, spend all day writing about what I disliked about this film, but I don't want to. It's not worth it. I can't even muster up the bile to spew out at this. Ultimately, the film really "wasn't that bad" for a family film, but "wasn't that bad" is a fucking disgrace when you consider the potential.

Tags: top 10 list