Before I begin my list, I want to say that because I live on the desolate prison island of Australia, many of this years Oscar potential films, such as Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler and John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt have yet to be released in cinemas near me, and so unfortunately they do not make the list. Obviously these are not the definitive five best films of the year, but for whatever reason they were my favourites. Enjoy.
Number 5: Man on Wire
Obviously, a lot of people are going to be put off by the movie because a) it’s a documentary and b) a lot of it is in French. Never the less, I was drawn in by this amazing piece about a man’s dream to tightrope walk from one tower of the World Trade Centre to the other. Told through news footage, re-enactments and interviews, we see Philippe Petit’s journey, as he trains for the incredibly feat by walking across Notre Dame and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This movie feels more than anything else like a heist film; the planning and preparation all shown with home video footage. A fascinating movie that you won’t believe is based on true events.
Man on Wire is playing in select cinemas in Melbourne, is available internationally on DVD now, and will be released on DVD in Australia on the 4th February
Number 4: WALL-E
Dare I say that this is Pixars best film? Probably the only studio in history that has never made a bad film (although Cars was a bit simple) this animation powerhouse continues to produce masterpieces even as DreamWorks churns out agonising sequels with celebrity voices like Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Shrek Goes Fourth (I’m not joking, that’s what it’s called.) The first third of WALL-E, the film about the world’s most adorable robot, is almost a silent film, with no human dialogue. I am ashamed to say that the only version of this film I have seen is a crappy pirated Hong Kong DVD, but even this highly pixelated version is incredibly beautiful. This may be the movie that makes me buy a Blu-ray player…how often to you praise the cinematography in an animated film? The prophetic vision it lays out for humanity highly depressing, although the ending sort of sugar coats it all. Oh, and the bit where thousands of morbidly obese people in red jumpsuits slide across the floor of the spaceship could be the funniest thing in the history of cinema.
Wall-E is available internationally on DVD now, and will be released on DVD in Australia on the 14th of January.
Number 3: In Bruges
Holy Christ, Colin Farrell can act? Probably one of the most overlooked films of the year, In Bruges is the first feature film from critically acclaimed playwright Martin McDonagh, and it is very, very funny. To call in Tarantino-esque is sort of obvious…honestly; I think this is far more mature than any of his films. Incredibly dark, but morbidly funny, the film follows to hitmen played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, both who have been deservedly nominated for Golden Globes, who are hiding out in the Belgium town of Bruges. Part drama, part comedy, the direction is beautiful, the acting fantastic and the dialogue hilarious.
In Bruges is available on DVD internationally now, and will be released on DVD in Australia in 2009.
Number 2: Slumdog Millionaire
This movie is just so much fun. Danny Boyle’s direction captures the massive energy of millions of people who live in the slums of Mumbai. An unlikely romance based on the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup and adapted by Simon Beaufoy who was a co-writer on The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire is a film that has to be experienced on the big screen. The cinematography, the editing, the soundtrack and the acting are brilliant without exception, and despite some horrifyingly dark turns, the movie will leave you feeling good about humanity. I have already written a more detailed review where I lavished just as much praise onto the film…if you see one movie this year; I think it should be this one.
Slumdog Millionaire is in cinemas now.
Number 1: The Dark Knight
What do you want, an apology? I’m a nerd! In years to come, I probably won’t consider this film to be as good as I do now, and honestly I think Slumdog Millionaire is probably better. But The Dark Knight was the first real event picture of my life…I looked forward to this film for three years, and was not disappointed. Given that it’s made 995 million US dollars worldwide, I probably don’t need to give you a plot synopsis, and to praise Heath Ledgers performance would be to say what thousands have already said far more articulately then I ever could. What I will say is that every time I left the theatre (I saw it three times) I could tell that the audience had been affected by what they had just seen. The scope of the film is mind-blowing, especially when backed up by the amazing score. One of my biggest regrets of the year is not seeing this movie in IMAX, although I suspect I will get another chance at some point. I’m not going to recommend this film, because you’ve already seen it.
The Dark Knight is available on DVD now.
Well, I guess that about wraps it up. Honourable mentions to Iron Man, which was one of the most entertaining films of the year and Kung Fu Panda, which is probably the first computer animated film that can compete with Pixar. I’m certainly looking forward to 2009, with movies like Watchmen, Terminator Salvation and Quentin Tarantino’s WWII film Inglorious Bastards looking to blow us away.
What were your favourite films of 2008? Leave comments now!
