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Films of 2008by Ari
The best thing about 2008 was how the variety of films divided audiences perhaps more than any other year of the decade thus far. While 2007 gave us an unusually high amount of quality films, I feel like most people agreed that There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men stood above the rest (or at least dominated all the year-end discussions), while few critics and viewers had any surprising choices. There doesn’t seem to be a clear favorite this year; instead we find a slew of intriguing, provocative pictures that cater to specific sensibilities. As someone who encourages discussion and debate, I find all the opposing views and disagreements as a clear indication that 2008 was a worthy, even great, time for movies. As I do each year, I’ll start with the films that didn’t quite make the list, but were all enjoyable, admirable, and in some cases, great efforts. Also, a sidenote: I haven’t seen every movie released this year, but I’m also against the idea of catching up on everything for the sole purpose of making a list. After all, a list isn't exacty that important. At that point it becomes a big contest, not a way to really appreciate the movies on their own terms. The following list represents my film experience of 2008. The films I made the effort to see, the films that defined my year. If there’s something you feel I missed, then please comment and recommend it so I can eventually seek it out. Honorable Mentions: There’s no better film to start with than Clint Eastwood’s hysterical ode to his legendary tough-guy image, Gran Torino. Easily one of the most enjoyable, hilarious experiences of the year, with Clint doing his thing with relish. Also on the comedic front is Martin McDonagh’s funny and touching In Bruges, with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson at their best. The Coen brothers returned with Burn After Reading, a sly riff on paranoia thrillers and spy films with Brad Pitt stealing the show as one of those classic oddball Coen characters (”you think that's a Schwinn!”). Miracle at St. Anna and W. were two films I felt were unfairly maligned by the critical community - flawed but ambitious efforts by great American directors Spike Lee and Oliver Stone. Chicago 10 and Waltz with Bashir effectively use animation to tell very emotional stories; the former details the protest and trial following the 1968 democratic national convention, the latter a biographical account of director Ari Folman’s experiences during Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Man On Wire is the most innovative and entertaining documentary I’ve seen in years, a moving look at Philippe Petit’s tightrope walk between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is essential viewing for anyone interested in the troubled life of the mastermind behind Chinatown and Repulsion, and Dreams with Sharp Teeth is a laugh-out-loud portrait of famed sci-fi author Harlan Ellison. Encounters at the End of the World displays Werner Herzog’s unique, crazy humor (he’s fascinated by the idea of gay Penguins, "but why?") and trademark beautiful visuals. Doubt is a brilliantly acted religious drama about faith and authority that didn’t quite live up to my lofty expectations, but it’s a solid, worthy film that deserves a look. There’s also the highly praised vampire drama Let the Right One In, a film I feel is 2/3 great but falters in the last act. Lastly, there’s David Fincher’s heartbreaking The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a beautifully crafted Hollywood epic with dazzling imagery and tremendous performances by Brad Pitt (who had a great year) and the always reliable Cate Blanchett.
1. Che - Steven Soderbergh Soderbergh’s ambitious two-part film on Ernesto “Che” Guevara is certainly asking a lot from its audience at 4 1/2 hours. But is Che really too long and too detached? Is it pretentious to take an objective, distant stance on one of the most controversial figures of the 20th Century? Some people obviously think so, and I’m sure those people can make convincing arguments about the direction Soderbergh took with this endeavor. Che is a tough, debatable film, the kind of storytelling that always divides audiences. I was relieved to see a film that didn’t glorify Guevara with the standard biopic formula we see repeated so many times over. As I wrote in my review, the film isn’t for or against Che, it’s simply (very simply, actually) a straightforward reenactment of two military campaigns, one in Cuba, the other in Bolivia. Success and failure, revolution and death.
Soderbergh recreates the two events with an astonishing level of detail and realism, transporting the viewer into the period, environment and collective mind-set of the soldiers with masterful aesthetic grace. Part I follows a more familiar structure as it intercuts Che’s growing influence in Cuba with his U.N. address and trip through New York City. Part II is the more difficult of the two films. Slower in pace, darker in tone, Soderbergh takes us through the Bolivian disaster without pushing any sympathetic emotional buttons. It’s not like the film is devoid of emotional interest (it’s not), but the approach is certainly unusual. Benicio del Toro disappears into the role with a commanding performance that never relies on big, showy moments. The entire experience is unlike anything I’ve experienced in theaters, quite easily my pick for film of the year.
2. Speed Racer - Larry and Andy Wachowski I prefer my escapism to be of the deranged, experimental sort, I suppose, so I credit the now underrated Wachowski brothers for stripping away the dull aesthetic of basic CG spectacle in favor of something visually adventurous and radiantly cinematic. Speed Racer brings forth the most uniquely imagined sci-fi universe since Blade Runner’s dark, neon metropolis, though in this case it’s obviously lighter, softer and playful in texture and color. It’s pop art at its most delirious and intoxicating, a film that manipulates the images as a way to communicate its innocent personality.
The story is simple and sweet, a Pixar-like view on family values and “important moral lessons" such as never selling out to big, nasty, soulless corporations that only care about the “unassailable might of money”. Everything fits the retro/1960’s atmosphere (the decor, the cars, the hilarious, catchy score) as the Racer family battles for the purity of passion and love. The inspired use of montage and the expressionistic approach to time and space creates a breathless journey through exotic locales and spectacular set-pieces. It’s all handled with the appropriate cheekiness one would expect from a cartoon fantasy, but that the Wachowskis still insisted on pushing artistic boundaries should be reason enough to at least acknowledge the ambition and individualism behind their effort. Hopefully, in time, Speed Racer will find its audience, and perhaps even persuade a few of those viewers who initially dismissed it.
3. Rachel Getting Married - Jonathan Demme Jonathan Demme’s gut-wrenching study of a dysfunctional family left me stunned and emotionally drained with its frank, often brutal, depiction of sibling tension and family tragedy. There’s a beautiful, cathartic conclusion to Rachel Getting Married that brings everything together in a way that any admirer of free-form, naturalistic, Altman-esque filmmaking will appreciate. Demme puts you right there with the Buchman family for a weekend of awkward moments, devastating truths, loving promises and wild, exuberant celebration. The story follows the troubled, guilt-ridden Kym (Anne Hathaway) as she takes the weekend off from rehab to attend her sister Rachel’s (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding and hopefully make amends for all the difficulties she and the rest of the family have experienced over the years. The hand-held visual approach is effective at placing the viewer in between the madness of the event, both in terms of the emotional ups-and-downs of the family members, and the extravagant wedding Rachel and Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe) unveil.
Screewriter Jenny Lumet made the two families as opposite as they could possibly be in order to increase the level of spectacle for the wedding (which includes a plethora of international music and dance), but the relationship between the two characters, though a supporting element of the story, is still entirely believable. Sidney’s use of Neil Young’s “Unknown Legend” for his vows is a sweet little surprise that shows the pure, emotional power of music as a way to communicate what you can’t possibly articulate with mere promises. Still, the core of the film is the relationship between Kym and her sister and parents, and it’s here that Rachel Getting Married is most affecting. Whether it’s Kym’s extremely awkward speech at the rehearsal dinner or a quiet moment between the sisters after an accident, the family dynamic at play is nothing short of remarkable. No surprise this is Demme’s best film in years.
4. The Last Mistress - Catherine Breillat
Perhaps the most erotic period film ever made, Catherine Breillat’s explicit tale of 19th Century love, lust and tragedy between young libertine Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Ait Aattou) and the seductive foreigner, Vellini (Asia Argento), who becomes the object of his desire. After a traumatic event breaks apart their passionate, loving affair, Ryno decides to marry a beautiful young girl of a noble name, “the love of his life”. We all know better, of course. His hopeless attraction to Vellini creates a storm of gossip throughout the aristocracy as hearts are broken, traps are set and lots and lots and lots of sex is had. The performances are remarkably brave, especially Argento’s heated, provocative seductress. If the idea of Vellini sucking blood from Ryno’s bullet-torn flesh doesn’t seem too enticing on the page, just wait till you see how it’s executed and performed in the film. The sequence drew applause from the audience I saw it with.
5. Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Woody Allen A sensual summer excursion has a few interesting surprises for friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlet Johannson) in Woody Allen’s best comedy since, what, Sweet and Lowdown?
Balancing humor and drama with the same effortlessness that made me fall in love with his early work, Vicky Cristina Barcelona has the sweet taste of a fine short story. It’s light and memorable, quick but substantial. I know the narration irritated a lot of people, but what I like about the device is that it allowed Allen to skip expository dialogue for the characters. Everyone can simply discuss the situation at hand. Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are particularly excellent as a fiery couple who need a third companion to balance their tempers.
6. The Dark Knight - Christopher Nolan Beyond the gripping, expertly choreographed mayhem of The Dark Knight lies a story with something on its mind. Timely themes involving the abuse of power, moral sacrifice and civil unrest in the face of terrorism and anarchy have been well discussed since its July release, but considering the weight and force with which those themes are delivered, it’s still surprising and inspiring to me that audiences fell for it so enthusiastically.
It certainly helps that The Dark Knight is also a blistering piece of entertainment made only greater by Heath Ledger’s unstoppable performance as Gotham city’s newest nightmare. His awkward, threatening body language and peculiar, twisted voice (which is part whiney, part angry, part impossible to describe) command your attention like no other performance this year. Christopher Nolan has quickly established himself as the most consistent and talented big-budget directorial force in Hollywood today. With The Dark Knight, he and co-writer/brother Jonathan have taken sophisticated adult entertainment to its culminating point.
7. The Edge of Heaven - Fatih Akin
A cross-cultural drama with intertwining characters and storylines, Fatih Akin’s The Edge of Heaven was easily one of the most devastating film experiences I had this year. On the surface the narrative resembles Babel or 21 Grams in the way each plot thread connects, however Akin writes with a subtler, steadier hand than Guillermo Arriaga, slowly but powerfully developing a sense of dread and tragedy. The open-ended final shot is one of the most beautiful images of the year, a transcendent finish to a brilliant meditation on regret and forgiveness.
8. The Wrestler - Darren Aronofsky The biggest surprise of 2008. I haven’t been the strongest supporter of Darren Aronofsky beyond his directorial debut, but with his newest and best film, The Wrestler, the stylistic flourishes of his previous work took a back seat for a tender portrait of beaten down wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) as he tries to reconnect with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and romance an equally troubled stripper (Marisa Tomei).
It may sound conventional on the page (and it is to a degree in the film), but Aronofsky and his actors keep everything subtle and realistic as The Ram encounters the world outside the ring. Gritty 16mm photography adds to the wounded, exhausted mentality of Rourke’s brilliant performance.
9. Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh The cheerful personality of Poppy (Sally Hawkins) shouldn’t keep you away from Mike Leigh’s newest examination of behavior and relationships. Happy-Go-Lucky is as much about how happiness can heal as it also can wound. Poppy engages several different characters much like Johnny did in Leigh’s Naked, but here the viewpoint studies an optimistic outlook instead of a bleak one.
Poppy’s personality is infectious. For some of her friends it’s a relief, for some of the people who have to put up with her, it’s agony. A lot of Happy-Go-Lucky’s critics have accused the film of being too much of a departure for Mike Leigh. I don’t see it at all. The same depth and understanding of relationships and drama is on display in this film just as it is in the best of his work. There’s nothing wrong with a little optimism when it’s actually believable. My problem with audience favorite Slumdog Millionaire is how childishly it presents the notion of hope and happiness, as if love and beauty is a complete fantasy with no basis in reality. I find that far more obnoxious than a film like Happy-Go-Lucky, where cheerfulness and kindness takes some actual effort to make a difference.
Sean Penn’s best performance? Maybe. Milk is an accessible biopic that never completely submits to formula thanks to Van Sant’s impeccable craftsmanship. Still as relevant today as it was in the mid ‘70s, Milk’s campaign for gay rights is an inspiration to anyone who cares about the concept of equality. Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and James Franco give tremendous support to a well-written, passionately directed historical recreation.
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