FaN Picks: Our Favorite Movies of 2008
Our FaN team weighs in on the best movies of 2008. Agree, disagree or don’t see your pick on our list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was whimsical and heartfelt (if overlong), and Milk was unusually prescient given the passage of Proposition 8 in California. — Charles Cron from Thought Chuck
This year was super-tough, because I adored so many movies. But in a neck-to-neck battle between Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I’m going to have to give it to Button, just because I’m a sucker for anything that aggressively investigates Life and Death. — etc
I don’t think I’ve seen it yet…but in it’s place either The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Tropic Thunder. — Kelli Bielema from “Fierce in Seattle”
The Dark Knight: Just as Michael Phelps’ record eight gold medals at this past summer’s Olympics set the bar incredibly high for athletic accomplishment, Christopher Nolan’s film is now the standard not only for all future comic book movies, but the entire tentpole genre. — Ryan Dixon from “Fierce Anticipation”
I have to go with The Dark Knight. I know it’s predictable, but I loved the moodiness and honestly Heath Ledger was brilliant. At the end I was peeved cause he can’t be the Joker again. How shallow am I? — Amy Robinson from “Tall Drink of Nerd”
Die drei Räuber (Les Trois Brigands): An animated feature from Germany, about three gruff thieves who kidnap an orphan girl and fall in love with her utter cuteness (and of course change there ways and save the day), based on a classic children’s book. I first saw the director on a panel, and it made me adore the European animation industry for the cooperative and reasonable way they do things. I saw the film itself 5 months later when I went on to Paris for the first time, to answer the (almost ridiculous) question “would I want to live there?”, and I loved both the movie and the town. — Gudrun Cram-Drach from “Secret Life of a Nerd Girl”
Frost/Nixon: Nixon branded my childhood. In fourth grade I doodled Tricky Dick cartoons in class instead of doing schoolwork. I did Nixon impressions for my little neighborhood friends: “Let me make this perfectly clear,” shaking my jowls. I remember the amazement and suspense when the Nixon/Frost interviews were announced: could Frost nail that crooked old bastard to the wall? The movie captured all of that and deepened it. Langella’s impression was much better than mine. — Jeff Rogers from “Hippie Squared”
I should probably start by saying that between pregnancy, bedrest and a new baby, I did not see very many films this year. But hands down my favorite was Iron Man. Why, because it was unexpectantly wonderful! I had my doubts about Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, but he was perfect (way to hot for words), the story line was well done and the special effects were great! I loved it! — Monique King-Viehland from “Political Physics”
Let the Right One In! The Fargo of vampire movies. Beautiful, quirky, funny and what’s creepier than a little girl who sucks blood? — Delia Hauser from “Chic Geek”
We saw Persepolis one night and there was a talk afterwards from some of the women’s studies professors at University of Georgia. I loved this movie because of the simplicity in form and the story it told. I felt especially moved by the stories about Marjane as a child. — Missy Kulik from “Dork Lifestyle”
Pinapple Express! Two words: Big Sexy. — Tabitha Esther from “Fierce Science”
Slumdog Millionaire: It was intense, moving, and smart. The best part was seeing it with an invested audience who cried out when they believed Jamal, the main character, had answered a question incorrectly. “NO!” They screamed. Good thing those audience members were wrong; we would have had a white upper-class foreign-film-going-audience riot on our hands. — Redheaded Stepchild
Slumdog Millionaire: I loved this movie great pace great story. — CH from “Buy Your Geek This”
Wall-E…. just so adorable. — Jessica Glassberg from “Musings on the Amusing”
I adored Wall-E. I don’t know what it is about those damn Pixar films, but they consistently get it right and they always know how to make me cry (damn them). And I don’t do that much while watching movies these days. This film was truly beautiful. — Robin Rosenzweig from “Wonderfully Awful”
It may not be my favorite movie, but The Wrestler has my favorite performance of the year. I became a Mickey Rourke fan back in the 1980s when he was a shining star. In films like Diner, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Barfly, he displayed a machismo undercut with sly sensitivity. Then the 1990s happened and Rourke vanished into a fog of plastic surgery, boxing injuries and straight-to-cable movies. As Randy “The Ram” Robinson — an aging, battered and down-on-his luck former pro wrestler — the almost unrecognizale Rourke lays bare all that character’s scars and flaws, and in doing so acknowledges his own journey from stellar heights to depressing lows. The Ram makes one final leap for glory knowing that it may damn well kill him. Here’s hoping Rourke survives for more bouts in the future. — Clark Perry from “Nerd Date”
And keeping it random…
I don’t go see movies very often so I can’t recall what I saw this year. But I will say that my favorite movie from the last two years is Basquiat. Yeah I know it came out in 1996, which totally explains why Courtney Love was in it- timing being everything, but it’s the only movie that has made an impact on me in recent years. — Kelly Kaboom from “Venice Flytrap”