My Ten Best of 2008

Here is my ten best list, with a couple of honorable mentions.  The first seven were the only ones I awarded five stars, and the last three and the honorable mentions come from the 14 that I gave four stars, out of the 93 films reviewed in 2008.

1.  "4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days" is a dark and gripping drama, masterfully written, directed, and acted, covering one day in the life of a woman who helps a friend in the Romania of 1987.

2.  "Milk" is a superb biographical drama deftly mixed with documentary footage about the tragically short career of the nation's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk. In one of his most accessible features Gus Van Sant captures the man, the moment, and the movement at a time in the '70's when Anita Bryant was leading a national crusade to deny homosexuals protection from discrimination.

3. "Slumdog Millionaire" An outstanding film in story, composition, music, direction, editing and performances, "Slumdog Millionaire" tells the Dickensian story of a street-wise orphan of the Mumbai slums whose life has strangely prepared him to answer questions on a popular TV quiz show. 

4.  "WALL-E" Accessible to both kids and adults, there are lessons to absorb, technique to marvel at, and a great sweep of story that takes you literally out of this world. It's the best.

5.  "Tell No One" ("Ne le dis a personne") a tight, breathless suspense and murder mystery film, combines the craft of Hitchcock with the adrenaline of "The Fugitive." 

6.  "The Dark Knight" It's easily the best Batman movie ever.

7.  "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" A technical tour de force and completely satisfying movie epic.

8.  "The Visitor" may surprise in its depiction of illegal immigrants, who are notably voiceless this election year, but it does not come across as a political tract, but rather as a glimpse into some lives that we would not have otherwise known.

9.  "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"   A delightful, sexy, wryly- and sharply-written character study from Woody Allen at his best.

10.  "Rachel Getting Married" sometimes searing, often warm and touching, ultimately sobering portrait of a recovering addict and her family.

Honorable Mention

"The Fall" The denizens of a 1920's Los Angeles hospital, every-day people, become colorful heroes in the imagined world an injured actor invents for a young patient, a voluptuous, exotic visual feast of a tale - a movie within a movie.

"Priceless" ("Hors de prix") an entertaining variation on an old theme as a hotel clerk is smitten with a gold digger and must pay the price.

"Iron Man" a super-satisfying, super-action-filled, super-entertaining movie that surpasses the genre.