The animated "Wall-E" is No. 3 on Brandy McDonnell’s list of 2008’s best films. Walt Disney Pictures Photo
My favorite movies of 2008 transported film-goers from the slums of Mumbai to the dank back alleys of Gotham City to a futuristic Earth covered in trash. But in a good way.
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Good luck finding a cohesive double feature on this list, which includes period pieces, intimate dramas and huge blockbusters. I know it’s a cliche, but this list truly offers something for every movie fan, proving that diversity was an overarching theme at the cinema in the past year.
1. "Slumdog Millionaire.” From rethinking zombie movies with "28 Days Later” to elevating family-friendly fare with "Millions,” Danny Boyle has proved he can helm just about any type of movie. He brings all his formidable skills to "Slumdog Millionaire,” a captivating tale of an orphaned Mumbai teen (appealing newcomer Dev Patel) who endures poverty, exploitation and torture to make it onto the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” with dreams not of money but of finding his lost love. Boyle seamlessly blends horror and humor, magic and romance, drama and a lively Bollywood dance number in this crowd-pleaser worthy of the grand prize.
2."Frozen River.” Writer-director Courtney Hunt makes a remarkable feature film debut with her authentic and resonant tale of two desperate single moms (Melissa Leo and Misty Upham) — one white and one Mohawk Indian — who reluctantly partner in the lucrative, high-stakes business of smuggling illegal immigrants from Canada to the U.S. across the frozen St. Lawrence River. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and Leo deserves an Oscar for her gutsy performance.
3. "Wall-E.” The animation geniuses at Pixar deliver the year’s most original movie. This surprisingly engaging, visually rich film follows a quirky robot that gets the chance to make a difference and find companionship after 700 years of cleaning up an Earth polluted by uncontrolled consumerism.
4. "Frost/Nixon.” Frank Langella and Michael Sheen put in powerhouse performances as former President Richard Nixon and British TV personality David Frost. Director and Oklahoma native Ron Howard steadily ratchets up the tension as the ambitious pair matches wits in a series of 1977 TV interviews.
5."The Boy in Striped Pajamas.” Several films this year reflected on the Holocaust and its aftermath. The horrors of that dark chapter in history have rarely been more coldly or powerfully captured on film than in writer-director Mark Herman’s heartbreaking adaptation of Irish author John Boyne’s best-selling fable. The devastating tale of lost innocence works because Herman unswervingly tells it through the eyes of 8-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), the sheltered son of an S.S. officer (David Thewlis).
6."The Dark Knight.” More crime epic than superhero flick, the sequel takes all the elements that worked so well in "Batman Begins” — Christopher Nolan in the director’s chair, Christian Bale as the troubled Caped Crusader and Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine in the supporting roles — and adds the late Heath Ledger’s indelible performance as psychopathic anarchist the Joker.
7. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Director David Fincher’s sweeping, larger-than-life film about a man (Brad Pitt) who ages backward triumphs as a technical and visual feat and as a poignant and absorbing rumination on life, love and death.
8. "The Wrestler.” The story of the broken-down athlete trying to reclaim lost glory has become as ragged and timeworn as an ancient sports jersey put through too many washings. But Mickey Rourke’s career-transforming turn as a formerly great professional wrestler grappling with the consequences of fast living gives this film emotional heft. Helmer Darren Aronofsky refreshes the premise with a mix of dramatic eloquence, wry humor and raw action, including an unforgettable, wince-inducing bout involving barbed wire and a staple gun.
9."The Fall.” Director/co-writer Tarsem Singh spent more than a decade scouting locations and filming in about 20 countries to create his visually stunning, dark fairy tale. He matches the eye-popping landscapes with an involving story of an injured movie stuntman (Chickasha native Lee Pace) who uses a tall tale of love and revenge to con a little girl (newcomer Catinca Untaru) into unwittingly helping him commit suicide.
10."The Visitor.” Veteran character actor Richard Jenkins quietly shines with his unpretentious performance as a widowed college professor whose aimless life changes when he finds an immigrant couple living in his little-used New York apartment. Writer-director Thomas McCarthy proves that a movie can explore important cultural issues with understated dignity rather than with shrill melodrama.
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Frozen River blew, the middle dragged in Benji Button, and I fell asleep in Wall-E. It pains me to say that Dark Knight is still at the top of my list, but I want to check out this Slumdog movie I've heard so much about...
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