Eric D. Snider
Eric has been a film critic since 1999, and a beard wearer since 2008. He holds a degree in journalism and used to work in "the newspaper industry," back when that was a thing.
Top Ten Movies of 2008 – Eric D. Snider Edition
Eric D. Snider December 23, 2008
I don’t like suspense. I like to start with No. 1, then let the rest tumble out in sequence. I’m just keepin’ it real.
1. WALL-E
Pixar’s computer-animated tales have always been marvels of smart, efficient storytelling, filled with unfailingly engaging characters — even when, as in this case, they aren’t human (they’re not even biological), and they barely speak. When WALL-E and EVE hold hands, everything else about the movie — its sublime pop-culture references, its sophisticated sight gags, its subtle satire — is almost beside the point.
Charlie Kaufman once wrote a movie about people climbing inside John Malkovich’s head. I know I’m not the first person to say this, but I’d really like to spend a few minutes inside Kaufman’s. What must it be like in there? Does it resemble the surreal, wistful, hilarious, multi-layered, brilliantly constructed story of Synecdoche, New York? Would I make it out with my sanity intact? At any rate, his directorial debut is wonderfully bizarre, and the rare film that truly rewards repeat viewing.
Kurt Kuenne’s documentary about his slain friend is part tribute, part true-crime story, and part scathing indictment. What I remember most, though, is the ennobling story of the murdered man’s saintly parents. Kuenne makes no effort to be fair or even-handed, nor is it a requirement that a documentary do so. This one is raw, personal, and completely unforgettable.
This delightfully mischievous English comedy, about two young boys setting out to film their own Rambo movie, got very little attention stateside, and it hasn’t been released on DVD yet, either. Yet Mamma Mia! sits on every Blockbuster shelf in the country. Where is the justice?
Mickey Rourke’s comeback does not interest me. What interests me is his honest, unselfconscious performance in this sweetly affecting film about a washed-up pro wrestler trying to make sense of his life outside the ring. Darren Aronofsky, whose films have tended toward the artsy and abstract in the past, brings it down to earth here, and the result is something beautiful and moving.
I’m in awe at the sheer number of gags in this pitch-perfect Hollywood satire, and at the different types of humor employed, and at how well-oiled the whole machinery is. The director’s cut on the DVD adds about 13 minutes to what was already an excellent film, and actually improves it in the process.
A documentary about a chorus of senior citizens who sing rock songs could have been full of “look at the silly old people” jokes. Instead, this British production about the Massachusetts-based Young@Heart Chorus is joyous and uplifting, brimming with vital oldsters you’ll want to adopt as grandparents. It has something to say about the power of music, too.
Hells yeah it’s too long. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?? Heath Ledger’s performance transforms every scene he’s in, and the rest of the film is a treasure trove of popcorn thrills, heady socio-political ideas, and good old-fashioned superheroism. The film raises the bar on comic-book movies to a ridiculously high level.
If the shaky camera makes you queasy, you’re excused. For the rest of us, it’s a scarily effective technique for bringing us directly into the action. The ebb and flow of the story — intense thrills, quiet regrouping, more intensity — holds up nicely on repeat viewings. It’s also pretty amazing from a technical standpoint.
This melancholy story about a young man released from prison after serving 10 years for a crime he committed as a child is bolstered by Andrew Garfield’s heartbreaking, award-winning performance. It’s the stuff of high drama, and it asks some tough questions about forgiveness and second chances — like, for example, do such things really exist?
Tags: the dark knight, tropic thunder, wall-e
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