Christine Champ,
Dec 29, 2008
DISCLAIMER: There are several films I predict may be in my 2008 Top 10 that I've yet to screen, such as The Wrestler, Frozen River, Revolutionary Road, and Doubt. With that being said, here are my fave flicks of the season so far.
10. Let the Right One In
A strange, bewitchingly beautiful vampire romance whose snowy scenery and atmospheric cinematography steal the show. Think supernatural sparkle and gobs of gore.
9. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
This modern-day, Kevin Smith fairytale is a big-screen bearing of his soul at its sincerest and wittiest, if not filthiest. It has writing that's intelligent and insightful, but the bottom line is it's hilarious. A comedic bull's-eye.
8. Iron Man
The comic-book movies has all the charm, clever quips, gadgets and adventure that have been left out of the new James Bond generation. Plus, with the fun-loving flippancy and bad-boy vulnerability Robert Downey Jr. does so well. That's entertainment.
7. Tropic Thunder
Even now I can see Tugg fleeing across a bridge, with the "son" he tried to save on his shoulders, stabbing him in the neck. I admire the irony, intelligence and gut-busting humor of this scene -- and every scene. Plus, Robert Downey's tour-de-force turn as an actor within actor within an actor is a slam-dunk slam on Hollywood.
6. Gran Torino
Dirty Harry makes his last stand. Clint's still got it, the badass attitude and acting chops for a story that shines in its ability to honestly and poignantly mirror the corners of society and the citizens in it we try to avoid -- especially grandfathers with virtuosic vocabularies of racial slurs.
5. Slumdog Millionaire
It's Bollywood meets Hollywood with something for everyone. The film's strength is its bold, raw and affecting portrait of childhood trauma and triumphs of spirit. By way of a dangerous, colorful, dirty journey into the heart of India. Its main flaw, though: a too-generous dollop of sentimentality once Jamal and crew reach adulthood.
4. Synecdoche, N.Y.
What is it? Accused of being appreciated only by a "cadre of eggheads," this is a film with just as much heart as brains. Kaufman's shorthand for life is crammed into a Freudian dream. The "truth not yet spoken" trying to wake you up to your life before it's over. Did that make sense? Just go see it for yourself.
3. Frost/Nixon
Arguing Frank Langella's Nixon isn't Oscar-worthy is like arguing Keanu Reeves' Klaatu is. It's doubtful any other actor will ever do Tricky Dick or any biographical bit better. Langella blazes with captivating complexity and haunting depth. Whether he's luring you down the dark rabbit hole of his soul or clobbering Frost in their battle of wits. Consumed by his character he elevates a good film to greatness.
2. The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger's an unfathomably dark Joker. A slice of the soul of a movie daring enough to look deep into the eyes of evil, in a world where neither evil nor good is an immutable force. Not your average comic-book movie, it's brave and morally provocative for any genre.
1. Milk
Penn is predictably phenomenal, Brolin is riveting, and Franco is disarming. A stirringly noble docudrama that does its job transporting you to another time and place to witness a monumental moment in history. An all-around A.
