Everybody's doing it, so why can't I ? Hoping to do some catch-up during the Holidays, I tried to push the publication of my top 10 as far as possible. As it turned out, I spent more time at the day job than at the theaters and ended up missing a lot of the big titles released in 2008. That won't stop me from giving you ten titles I believe you'll enjoy during their theatrical run or on DVD later in 2009. Let's also use the feedbacks section to hear about what you guys liked !
2008 was a strange year for films. While studios where claiming less people went to the movies, a super-hero flick remained number one at the box-office for a record of six weeks. In terms of quality, author cinema has been surprisingly calm where movies were good without being truly amazing. While thinking about my favourite movies, I realized the surprising absence of major art house names. People like Greenaway, Haneke and Egoyan were either working on something new or produced a feature that's okay but not up to what we would expect from them. On the other hand, genre movies have been real strong and proved once again its major strenght lies in its diversity. I'm also shocked by the number of overrated titles this year. Movies like Martyrs, Bad Biology and Slumdog Millionnaire received nothing but praise but, in my humble opinions, were just average flicks. It is surprising to see Miller's The Spirit, a fine pastiche with a lot of humor, getting trashed while other okay titles are considered for Oscars. Here in Quebec, I keep hearing the year was great with amazing new films from a new generation of filmmakers but sadly, I missed most of them for various reasons. My 2009 resolution is to provide more reviews of films from my count... province. There is a big festival opening in Montreal in February that will allow anyone in town to see everything they missed and discover new titles.
So let's start with what I loved with passion in 2008, shall we ?
10 - JCVD The strangest project of the year is a true success. JCVD finally allows the lead actor to gain back the diginity he lost over the years and morph into a true cinematic hero. The now famous monologue scene managed to put you to tears, not something you would expect from a Van Damme flick. I don't know what the actor will do next, but he can finally sleep easy at night because this film will change our perspective on his future work.
09 - Wall-E Oh wow, this one was unbelievable. So refreshing to discover Pixar is capable of producing adult material without putting kids on the side. Wall-E is a true piece of animated art. Beyond it's esthetic qualities, it also offers a charming story about rejection, friendship and time. There is something powerful about this film that remains in you a long time after the screening. I found the same magic movies like Snow White and Le Roi et l'Oiseau provided when I was a kid.
08 - Pontypool Who could have thought a zombie movie based on linguistic theories could even exist and be so great ? Pontypool was the biggest surprise at TIFF for me. It's an intellectual film that remains entertaining and can be enjoyed as a simple rollercoaster ride. The acting is fantastic and the setting, a radio station in the middle of nowhere, becomes a character in its own right. This one should be released for Valentine's Day, If you want your date to feel protected for 90 minutes and a have a good chat with her after, go with this one.
07 - La frontière de l'aube Reviewers have been really unfair towards this film. Yes, it can be considered pretentious for its poetry and yes, the fantasy twist is surprising and a bit funny, but let's not forget how touching this love story is. Philippe Garrel once again proved he's a filmmaker who plays with a cinematic memory while keeping a unique vision on life and death, happinness and desperation. La frontière de l'aube is as beautiful as it is haunting.
06- The Wrestler Aronofsky left his stylish mise en scène for a documentary approach close to the Dardennes Brothers in order to tell a simple story of a man looking for love and respect. As good as the directing is, this film is all about Mickey Rourke who gives hands down the best performance seen in an American film this year. The Wrestler is full of movie magic and deserves all the raves it currently gets.
05 - Parking Programmers, please look into this film, it's a real crowd pleaser. Director Chung Mong-hong uses the butterfly effect as a device to let us go throught various emotions with an impressive fluidity. Calling it an anthology film wouldn't do justice to a script that keeps everything logically linked. Try to seek this one, you won't regret it.
04 - Tokyo Sonata Aaaah, the movie that made me cry like a baby. Kurosawa leaves his cherished ghosts for a family stuck in a web of lies. Amazing movie that grabs you by the heart and won't let you down until the exquisite conclusion. I loved this one to death.
03 - Dear Zachary Another family drama, but a real one this time. This personnal diary about a filmmaker documenting memories about his desceased friend will quite simply destroy you. Kurt Kuenne's particular approach to documentary is fresh and the subject matter is universal. One of the best non-fiction piece of this early millenium and the greatest doc of 2008. I believed it played on television a few days ago, but a DVD release should be available in the near future.
02 - Let the Right One In Everything you heard about Let the Right One In is true. This is one of the greatest deconstruction of the vampire myth I've seen in my life. All the recurrent elements are there but transformed into a brand new take that leaves the audience breathless. I will admit I was getting tired to see this film winning every best picture awards in all the festivals it played, but it truly deserved them all.
01- The Dark Knight For giving us everything we wanted and so much more, for the most subversive ending ever seen in a superhero movie, for establishing new standards in a usually repetitive genre and for being just do damm good, Nolan's The Dark Knight is my favorite movie of the year. Batman has never been so tormented and the Joker has never been so scary. I agree with Todd, it has some flaws, but it stands out for its elegance and brutality. Awesome movie.