Best of 2008 (Filmleaf Contributors' Lists)

[oscar jubis]

FAVORITE UNDISTRIBUTED FILMS OF 2008

1. SOLITARY FRAGMENTS (Jaime Rosales/Spain)
2. EAT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY (Michelange Quay/Haiti-France)
3. COCHOCHI (I.Cardenas-L.Guzman/Mexico)
-- LE CANT DES OCELLS aka BIRDSONG (Albert Serra/Spain)
5. ESTOMAGO: A GASTRONOMIC STORY (Marcos Jorge/Brazil)
-- YOU, THE LIVING (Roy Andersson/Sweden)

Runners-Up
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' (Nemescu/Romania)
EMPTIES (Sverak/Czech Rep)
LAMB OF GOD (Cedron/Chile)
THE OTHER (Rotter/Argentina)
SECRET SUNSHINE (Lee/Korea)
TRICKS (Jakimowski/Poland)
YO (Cortes/Spain)

Honorary Mention
I Just Didn't Do It (Jap), Blue Eyelids (Mex), Encarnacion (Arg), Slingshot (Phil), Help Me Eros (Taiwan), The Zone (Mex), Barcelona:Un Mapa (Spa)

[Chris Knipp]

Maybe (US) unreleased might be a better word? Since they often are released but poorly distributed.

I have seen
Solitary Fragments
You the Living
Secret Sunshine
I Just Didn't Do It
Barcelona (una mapa)

Would like to see
The Zone.

What about 2007 or 2008 American films?* They sometimes don't get distributed either.

Others I might mention

All is Forgiven (Tout est pardonné) or was it 'distributed'?
The Aqurium (Nasrallah)
I'm Gonna Explode (Naranja)
Medicine for Melancholy (Barry Jenkins--this is American)*
Shall We Kiss (Un baiser s'il vous plait)
Sleep Dealer (Alex Rivera--also American)*
Time to Die (Kedzierzowska)
Tony Manero (Larrain)
Valse Sentimentale (Constantina Voulgaris)


Others, shown in a theater, that I forgot to mention on my favorites lists or didn't have space for:
London to Brighton
The Wackness
Operation Filmmaker
The Last Mistress (Breillat)
Still LIfe (Jia Zhang-ke).

Why did I omit Still Lilfe? Well I saw it a couple years ago. Released January 18, 2008 in New York.

That's all I can come up with for now.

[oscar jubis]

I didn't watch a single non-distributed American film I liked enough to list.
All the ones on your list that begins with All is Forgiven are indeed undistributed. SLEEP DEALER opens 4/19/09. And all the ones in your last group are indeed 2008 releases. STILL LIFE: I watched it in 2007 but its officially a 2008 release and one of the very best. I consider my top 6, films no serious film buff can ignore. Keep an eye for any opportunity to watch the four of them you haven't seen, which by no means implies you will love them all, of course. I expect Naranjo's Voy a Explotar to be a Miami Film Festival selection. This year, by necessity, my coverage will be significantly more compact. I will simply ignore films that are not good or just mention them superficially. I will submit a long review of a current release per week though. I started with CHE.

[Chris Knipp]

Ah, hes, SLEEP DEALER's makers said at the SFIFF that they were expecting a deal. Let's hope it gets some play; it's iffy. I know a lot about Cochochi from your descriptions and others. I vaguely remember you writing about LE CANT DES OCELLS aka BIRDSONG . The others I don't know anything about. Of the four I mean.

I don't know if it's time to list my main 2008 favorites yet or not.

Apropos of nothing, Serge Bozon's LA FRANCE (also seen at the SFIFF) got on some Ten Best lists I think, though I don't see it on the Film Comment poll you posted. Cahiers du Cinema listed it. Also, see below.

[Chris Knipp]

Since this is for last year, it shows that making "undistributed" lists can lead to redundancies.

[SOURCE ALTERNATIVE FILM GUIDE blog. (http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-movies/top-ten-undistributed-films-2007/)]


See below the results of indieWIRE’s poll of the Ten Best Undistributed Films of 2007 in the United States:

SECRET SUNSHINE, directed by Lee Chang-dong (34 votes)

USELESS, directed by Jia Zhang-ke (20 votes)

THE ROMANCE OF ASTREE AND CELADON, directed by Eric Rohmer and In the City of Sylvia, directed by Jose Luis Guerin (14 votes)

Profit motive and the whispering wind, directed by John Gianvito and The Man from London, directed by Bela Tarr (11 votes)

LA FRANCE, directed by Serge Bozon (9 votes)

YOU, THE LIVING, directed by Roy Andersson (8 votes)

FROWNLAND directed by Ronald Bronstein and Go Go Tales, directed by Abel Ferrara (7 votes)

BATTLE FOR HADITHA, directed by Nick Broomfield (6 votes)

Two of these got shown in theaters this year, ASTREE AND CELADON and BATTLE FOR HADITHA. But I doubt that you could see them outside of a few places. BATTLE FOR HADITHA was shown briefly at the Roxie Film Center in San Francisco, which gets very rare releases. Not many people saw it ever here.

[oscar jubis]

I missed both the Rohmer and the Broomfield film. The latter is out on dvd, the former (and to me more interesting of the two) is out on 2/10/09, just before I make best of 2008 lists. Did you get a chance to watch the Iraq Veteran drama THE LUCKY ONES?
Here are my reviews of EAT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=19904#post19904) and
ESTOMAGO (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=19668#post19668)
I didn't review LE CANT DES OCELLS.

[Chris Knipp]

Yes. DVDs are coming of a lot of stuff. I remembered your review of ESTOMAGO, not the other one, which sounds hard going but maybe worth it (obviously you emphatically think so). I missed THE LUCKY ONES and I really don't know why, since I am interested in Iraq war movies.

[Johann]

To see and report on all the important films of the year would be a full-time job and personally I'm grateful we have you two men to give us glimpses at a good number of them.

My New Year's resolution was to write a lot more FILM reviews.
Good ones. This is a film website. Stick to movies, dummy! :)
It's almost Feb. and I haven't begun anything yet.
Gotta put the bong down and get going...

I value the "list" threads very much.
They're a constant reference for me even if it doesn't seem that way...

cheers

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I missed THE LUCKY ONES and I really don't know why, since I am interested in Iraq war movies.
That's one of the reasons I asked you. Another reason is that two critics I read: J.R. Jones (Chicago Reader's main critic) and Rosenbaum liked it a lot. It's a movie built on too many coincidences and an extreme temporal compression of events which I find a bit offputting. But it does make you care deeply about the fate of the three veterans returning to America, at least until their next tour of duty. And it manages to inject bits of humor that don't feel out of place. Rosenbaum's assertion that there's a parallel between the reasons these three joined the army and the reasons America/Bush invaded Iraq is not without value but I wasn't quite able to make the connection without his help. I feel director Burger strived to make an apolitical film and it came too damn close to suit me. So personally I think THE LUCKY ONES is worth watching but nothing special.

[Chris Knipp]

MY BEST MOVIE LISTS FOR 2008

COMMENTS

Though year's-end arrivals like Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Rachel Getting Married, Happy-Go-Lucky and the Cinderella surprise Slumdog Millionaire are impressive award contenders, nothing hit me in late 2008 as No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood did last year, or had that unmistakable stamp of Great Movie on them. So I'd like to step away from the game of lining up the year's "best" for a moment and first highlight some films I specially care about.

Technically US releases for the most part, these were hard to see outside the festival circuit or NYC. Carlos Reygadas' Silent Light, about adultery in a Mennonite community, is haunting and magical; it confirms that this still relatively little-known Mexican is one of the most distinctive and gifted directors working in the world today. Steve McQueen's Hunger astonished me; I'd never heard of this young Black UK artist. His first film about the Irish nationalist Bobby Sands's struggle to the death is as artistically elegant as it is emotionally strong--a stunning debut. Lance Hammer's Ballast was made with local first-time actors in the Mississippi Delta. It's the American indie debut of 2008 with the most integrity and authenticity.

Other personal "prejudices" make me single out Gus Van Sant, Tarsem (Singh), and some new French films. Van Sant's Milk is another gay mainstream movie milestone, like Brokeback Mountain, and that's important to me as a gay person. Let's also remember that Van Sant's 2007 Paranoid Park, another of this most high-profile American gay directors' artistic visual poems about death and boyhood, the most accessible of the stylized quartet that includes Gerry, Elephant, Last Days, also technically had its US theatrical release this year. Tarsem (Singh)'s generally overlooked The Fall, a multiple-location, exquisitely-costumed dream vision, is a rare feast of visual exotica that puts middlebrow high-tech slogs like Benjamin Button to shame. France still produces great movies, and I admit I'm very partial to them: The Class, A Christmas Tale, Summer Hours (not a US release), The Secret of the Grain are all fine, and movingly full of a sense of family, culture, and society. But it's Honore's Love Songs, a film about young people in love and in mourining in the Bastille quarter of Paris, that went beyond admiration and became a real personal fetish of mine. Mark Olsen wrote in Film Comment that "Christophe Honore's films aren't just films you like; you develop little crushes on them." That's true for me, at least this time. A very post-Jacques Demy French film musical, it really is something a lot of Americans don't seem to "get." At the Lincoln Center screening, a number of press people shook their heads and said it was terrible. Fortunately all of these recommendations of mine can be enjoyed on DVD away from critics and head-shakers. And when the Oscars are over, we'll see what matters most.

Some other notes: Documentaries continue to be in far richer supply than in the past. So many are worth a look, it's impossible to list them all. Taxi to the Dark Side is the one essential one. The horrors perpetrated by the old regime aren't going to go away just because of a charismatic new leader: let Alex Gibney's film be a reminder of the grim legacy. In contrast, quite apolitical and even indifferent to matters of legality, Man on Wire is a movie whose exhilarating finale moved me more than any other "real" footage this year.

Below are my formal lists, but I have not tried to give out prizes. You may be sure that they all contain the highest accomplishments in all fields, including acting. A few memorable performances came in films that aren't so special, notably Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, Clint Eastwood in his own Gran Torino, and of course, the late Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

LISTS

(Not ranked. Links to CK reviews.)

UK AND AMERICAN DIRECTORS
Ballast (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20065#post20065) (Lance Hammer 2008)
The Fall (http://www.cinescene.com/knipp/fall.htm) (Tarsem Singh 2006)
Frost/Nixon (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=2418) (Ron Howard 2008)
Happy-Go-Lucky (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20780#post20780) (Mike Leigh 2008)
Hunger (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20763#post20763) (Steve McQueen 2008)
Milk (http://www.cinescene.com/reviews/milk.htm) (Gus Van Sant 2008)
Paranoid Park (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18605#post18605) (Gus Van Sant 2007)
Rachel Getting Married (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2371) (Jonathan Demme 2008)
Slumdog Millionaire (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=2406) (Danny Boyle 2008)
WALL·E (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20290#post20290)Andrew Stanton 2008)

BEST FOREIGN
Alexandra (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18621#post18621) (Alexandr Sokurov 2007)
A Christmas Tale (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20847#post20847) (Arnaud Desplechin 2008)
The Class (http://www.cinescene.com/knipp/class.htm) (Laurent Cantet 2008)
Edge of Heaven (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=19541#post19541) (Fatih Akin 2007)
The Flight of the Red Balloon (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18560#post18560) (Hou Hsiau-hsien 2007)
Let the Right One In (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2409) (Tomas Alfredson 2008)
Love Songs (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=19388#post19388) (Christophe Honore 2007)
the Secret of the Grain (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20109#post20109) (Abdelatif Kechche 2007)
Silent Light (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18549#post18549) (Carlos Reygadas 2007)
Summer Hours (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20803#post20803) (Olivier Assayas 2008)

SHORTLISTED
Battle for Haditha (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20171#post20171) (Nick Broomfield 2008)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (http://www.chrisknipp.com/writing/viewtopic.php?t=1172) (Mark Harmon 2008)
Take Out (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=2299) (Sean Baker, Tsou Shih-Ching 2003)
The Visitor (http://www.chrisknipp.com/writing/viewtopic.php?t=1018) (Thomas McCarthy 2008)
Waltz with Bashir (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20811#post20811) (Ari Forman 2008)
The Wrestler (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20805#post20805) (Darren Aronofsky 2008)
Wendy and Lucy (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20711#post20711) (Kelly Reichardt 2008)

BEST DOCUMENTARIES
American Teen (http://www.baltimorechronicle.com/2008/080508Knipp.shtml) (Nanette Burstein 2008)
The Betrayal: Narakhoon (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2412) (Ellen Kuras 2008)
Bogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (Stefan Forbes 2008)
Constantine's Sword (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20367#post20367) (Oren Jacoby 2008)
Man on Wire (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2335) (James Marsh 2008)
Patti Smith: Dream of Life (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=20705) (Steven Sebring 2008)
Stranded: I Come from a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20016#post20016) (Gonzalo Arijon 2007)
Surfwise (http://www.chrisknipp.com/writing/viewtopic.php?t=1105) (Doug Pray 2008)
Taxi to the Dark Side (http://www.cinescene.com/knipp/taxidark.htm) (Alex Gibney 2008)
Trouble the Water (Carl Deal, Tia Lessin 2008)

MOST OVERRATED:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (http://www.cinescene.com/knipp/button.htm) (David Fincher 2008)
The Dark Knight (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20400#post20400) (Christopher Nolan 2008)
Four Months, Three Weeks, and Two Days (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18561#post18561) (Christian Mungiu 2007)
Frozen River (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=20652) (Courtney Hunt 2008)

ALSO LIKED OR WAS INTERESTED IN:
Burn After Reading (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20695#post20695) (Coen brothers 2008)
My Blueberry Nights (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=2257) (Wong Kar-wai 2008)
(Those two were better than people said)
Cloverfield (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2236) (a real tour de farce; Matt Reeves 2008))
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (http://www.cinescene.com/knipp/gonzo.htm) (Alex Gibney 2008)
In Bruges (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2216) (the briliant crazy Martin McDonagh does a film, 2008)
Lars and the Real Girl (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=19185#post19185) (only from Ryan Gosling; Craig Gillespie 2007)
London to Brighton (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2219) (intense stuff, Paul Andrew Williams 2007)
Mister Foe (well crafted little Scots film with Jamie Bell; David McKenzie 2008)
Revolutinonary Road (http://www.cinescene.com/knipp/meltdown.htm)(Richard Yates' novel is a gem; Sam Mendez 2008)
Redbelt (http://www.cinescene.com/knipp/redbelt.htm) (decent David Mamet 2008)
Roman de Gare (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=19387#post19387) (fun trickery from Claude Lelouch 2008)
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2328) ((Marina Zenovich 2008)
The Wackness (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2325) (Jonathan Levine 2008)

[oscar jubis]

Thanks for the post. I enjoyed reading your thoughtful comments about the year in film and the ones that you personally found most inspiring or worth loving and taking seriously. I'm still about three weeks from posting my list of films officially released in 2008. Two from your list I consider 2009 films are HUNGER (IFC changed release date from 12/08 to 3/09) and SUMMER HOURS (not a criticism of your decision to include them on '08 list just stating the fact that they won't be in mine until next year). Interesting split between US+UK directors vs. Foreign. My split is slightly different because it's according to language so that a film like THE POOL, an amazing film directed by a guy from Milwaukee and financed with US money, will get listed under "Foreign-Language" because it's spoken in Hindi and Hou's MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS goes into my "English" list even though the auteur is Chinese.
You and I should start our own, very exclusive Tarsem's THE FALL Appreciation Society.

[Chris Knipp]

I saw The Pool. I don't think I reviewed it. I could separate the main best lists "English language" and "other languages" but I've settled on this. It's true that movies cross over country categories. Anyway I only separate the top twenty that way, so. for the other categories it doesn't matter. Click on my link for The Fall to my Cinescene review--it's beautifully presented there. It's funny how some people can direct a quite successful movie in a language they don't know, and Julian Schnabel's Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a spectacular example. Maybe it's better not to have language categories or any categories, but this way I can list more films without having it be too long a list.

[Chris Knipp]

I may have one last list called "Movies I forgot to mention."

[oscar jubis]

Those captures from THE FALL make me want to see it again right now! I'm so glad I watched it in a theater. My friend has an excellent HD set and we'll watch the dvd on it soon. I can hardly wait. For the next few weeks I'll continue to catch up with a few potential candidates I haven't seen and re-watch a couple I'm not entirely sure about. I'm glad you watched THE POOL. I was ecstatic last night after the screening. I'm at the library working on an essay for film class on REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. I'm still debating whether to make a DVD RELEASES list. I don't remember my 2007 dvd list getting much of a response so perhaps I won't bother.

[Chris Knipp]

People who watch a lot of DVD's usually appreciate recommendations. I guess you mean hard to find films that came out on DVD in the past year.

What are the "potential candidates" you're gong to be catching up on?

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Chris Knipp
People who watch a lot of DVD's usually appreciate recommendations. I guess you mean hard to find films that came out on DVD in the past year.
A 2008 list equivalent to
this 2007 one (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=19235#post19235), which didn't get a single response.

What are the "potential candidates" you're gong to be catching up on?
Let's see if I remember off the top of my head....Techine's THE WITNESSES, BOY A, WENDY AND LUCY, CHARLIE BARTLETT, BURN AFTER READING, WALTZ WITH BASHIR, THE CLASS....

[Chris Knipp]

It got 266 hits, which seems pretty good to me. Do you need to see THE WITNESSES, BOY A, WENDY AND LUCY, CHARLIE BARTLETT, BURN AFTER READING, WALTZ WITH BASHIR, THE CLASS....? Yeah, I should guess you do.

[oscar jubis]

BASHIR IS HERE ONLY TWO MORE DAYS SO I BETTER FIND THE TIME OR IT GOES IN THE "NOT SEEN YET" PART OF THE 2008 LIST.

What surprised me about your lists is the inclusion of WALL-E in your top 10. I 'd have to characterize your review of it as "mixed". Or so it felt when I read it in the summer. Even if mostly favorable, it didn't read like a review of a film one loves enough to include among the top 10 of the year. Have you re-watched it or not?

[Chris Knipp]

No, I have not re-watched it. I'll have to re-read my review, though. It just seemed and seems special to me. Let's say it adds flavor (and warmth and humanity) to the list. I have stronger reservations about Waltz with Bashir, but it is certainly a must-see. Of this list of yours--

THE WITNESSES, BOY A, WENDY AND LUCY, CHARLIE BARTLETT, BURN AFTER READING, WALTZ WITH BASHIR, THE CLASS--

THE CLASS seems to me the most important one. WENDY AND LUCY is another one that I might not have sounded so enthsiastic about, but which emerges in my mind as special. CHARLIE BARTLETT doesn't seem like a must-see; but I would want to see it because of my thing about Eighhties youth pictures, which it resembles. Some people hate BURN AFTER READING, but I think it's actually pretty cool. People are just turned off by the Coens' coldness, and are let down after the perfection of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (which anyway you didn't like, though). Other people liked THE WITNESSES better than I did. To me, it merges into the mass of gay historical films and is not unique. BOY A I found very touching and memorable (though again, my review may not sound like a rave.)

[oscar jubis]

This doesn't happen to me often: The dvd of THE WITNESSES arrived from Netflix and the very first frame brought the whole film back to my conscious awareness. I watched it in a theater 11 months ago and liked it quite a bit. Probably enough to list as a runner-up on the foreign list.
I'm watching WALTZ WITH BASHIR tomorrow. THE CLASS and WENDY AND LUCY should open here soon. The other 3 are already available on dvd so they will get their chance to be listed.

[Chris Knipp]

LES TEMOINS makes sense to be a runner-up on a foreign film list. I don't know why it just didn't grab me. Obviously the material is important; it seemed a bit late comeing from a gay-theme director,but that doesn't explain my reaction. I like Techine. Some of his films have impressed me deeply, such as LES VOLEURS and I DON'T KISS. But does your remark mean you had forgotten you'd seen it? Then maybe it didn't grab you either.... THE CLASS, WENDY AND LUCY, and WALT WITH BASHIR were all in the NYFF.

[tabuno]

tabuno's best of 2008 movie list

1. The Reader (2008). An intensely moving and powerful movie about romantic love, about legal morality, about vital decisions of life-altering events. Kate Winslet with a brilliant performance engages in a relationship with Ralph Fiennes as a boy. This is the "Summer of 42," "Love Story" packaged into a more haunting, emotionally substantive and riveting story about Winslet's character as a Nazi SS employee on trial and Mr. Fienne's character having to reconcile his own conscience. With minor omissions notwithstanding, a classic movie. [Reviewed 1/5/09]. 9/10.

2. Mama Mia!!! (2008). A near perfect musical for the baby-boomer generation that is pure refreshing, uninhibited entertainment, with great comedy and choreography, along with an award-winning singing, acting performance by Meryl Streep. Nine out of Ten Stars. [Reviewed 7/24/08].

3. Body of Lies (2008). Director Ridley Scott along with actors Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe have created an important statement in regards to cultural understanding and awareness in this captivated, compelling story about anti-terrorism and the need for human assets with compassion and heart. A mentally stimulating thriller with some techno-action, but it's starring role is the humanity sustained in this movie. [Reviewed 10/12/08]. 9/10.

4. The Women (2008). Hits right on delving into the light comedy-drama of contemporary women of today's generation. Bringing together a powerful ensemble cast of well-known female actresses, this movie explodes with an entertaining but fascinatingly real essence of contemporary women dealing with business and relational issues. [Reviewed 9/27/08]. Nine out of Ten Stars.

5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton star in this movie about a man who ages in reverse. The dazzling photography, luscious music, and the substantive and sensitive plot and subplots make up this amazing movie that spans the entire life of this unusual character. [Reviewed 1/10/09]. 9/10.

6. Get Smart (2008). A groundbreaking, rough around the edges, sophisticated, underplayed adventure comedy in this Steve Carell helmed movie that reprises the television series. 8/10. [Reviewed 6/21/08].

7. The Chronicles of Naria: Prince Caspian (2008). Pevensie siblings after 1,300 years to a darker world and must address their own egos in this well balanced human and non-human interplay between good and evil on a much more realistic juvenile fantasy realm. 8/10. [Reviewed 5/18/08].

8. WALL*E (2008). A creative innovation in animation using a solid script that requires substantially less dialogue and vastly more difficult physical, visual communication of ideas in this meaningful movie about loneliness, simple emotions and ideas about this only remaining robotic waste collector on earth who accidentally discovers (even unknowingly) the key to the fate of humanity. Eight out of Ten Stars.

9. Tropic Thunder (2008). An adult comedy (R-Rated comedy circuit acts made into a movie with special effects). This no-holds barred comedy offends and satirizes, emotionally packs a thought-provoking punch at times about actors who believe in they are in war movie when they encounter real drug lords in an Asian Country where the movie is being shot. A risky, cultish movie that misses a few times but makes up for its daringly fresh comedy acts. [Reviewed 8/21/08]. Eight out of Ten Stars.

10. Slumdog Millionaire (2008). A fascinating look at India through the eyes of a lower caste boy and his eventual rise to fame on a game show as well as his growing up in the face of harsh poverty, crime, and flirting with a love relationship as well as his boy. Gorgeous music, a number of stumbling weaknesses can't hide the inspirational and rarely seen look at another culture behind the scenes. 8/10.


Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order)

The Bank Job (2008). This crime thriller is a straight forward yet compelling bank job that has a hard-edge element that keeps the audience wondering about the climax. There are also more mature relational themes as background elements that lend more heavy weight meaning. [Reviewed 3/21/08]. 8/10.

Burn After Reading (2008). A quirky black comedy about the craziness of relationships, self-obsessions, and mistaken who done its starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, and Tilda Swinton. The delicate balance of drama and black comedy precariously teeters but remains nicely balanced at the end.

Definitely, Maybe (2008). This heart-warming and contemporary family drama reaches out and presents a strong performance and script on the life of one man and his various serious relationships (not necessarily being serious all the time) in his life as well as his efforts to become a Presidential speech writer. In many ways, Will Hayes (played by Ryan Reynolds) has a typical but fascinating life as he meets and plays with and struggles with the "complicating" life of relationships. This movie avoids the stereotypes and deals mostly from the heart.
8/10.

Forbidden Kingdom (2008). A predictable but entertaining fantasy martial arts movie with fine performances by Jackie Chan and Jet Li as a boy is the center of a prophecy to save a kingdom and return a magical staff. [Reviewed 4/18/08]. 8/10.

Frost/Nixon (2008). A fascinating behind the scenes look at one of the most revealing and human insights into this momentous interview that took place between David Frost and former President Richard Nixon regarding some of his life and in particularly his own personal beliefs about what he had done in regards to Watergate. A number of weaknesses arose including the pseudo-documentary interview format of the primary characters supplementing the main storyline, some editing, pacing issues, and Frank Langella's appearing to act or perform as Nixon at times. [Reviewed 1/15/09]. 8/10.

Ghost Town (2008). British Actor Ricky Gervais captivates in a difficult comedian, jackass role and pulls it off in this funny and delightful romance comedy about a dentist who died briefly and can now see ghosts. [Reviewed 9/21/08].

Hancock (2008). Wil Smith and Charlize Theron offer up a nice change in chemistry as alcoholic superhero Wil Smith must come to terms with his chemical problem in this different dramatic, fantasy comedy Directed by Peter Berg that brings to the screen a new human perspective to the superhero story. [Reviewed 7/8/08]. 8/10.

Horton Hears a Who (2008). A fun, simple, entertaining animated full-length movie based on Dr. Seuss's short story with Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell in meaningful animated characters that stand on their own. [Reviewed 4/7/08]. 8/10.

The Hulk (2008). A great superhero movie of the year with a nice blend of humanity and action, an Edward Norton who brings a real human being to the screen along with a high-tech computer generated Hulk that captures sufficient realism to make his scenes fit well into the movie. 8/10. [6/15/08].

Kung Fu Panda (2008). A richly entertaining animated feature starring Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman's finely nuanced roles in a movie the finely blends animation with an sensitive script with nice elements of humor and creative martial art fighting. [6/13/08]. 8/10.

Made of Honor (2008). An entertaining and good look at men and female relationships as Patrick Dempsey, playboy gets a wake up call as his best girlfriend informs him that she's getting married and he gets to be her maid of honor. Contains a great look at men's failures when it comes at women but at the same time provides a great look at the intimacy that is required of relationships. The only failings is the beginning macho, man gets girl sequences, the initial Dempsy becoming a true maid of honor, and his horseback riding instead of swimming feat. [Reviewed 5/4/08]. 8/10.

The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). An exciting, creative action-thriller that improves on the action scenes along with a incorporation of sometimes predictable but funny humor with a slightly darker dramatic edge, along with some flaws. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining thrill ride that pushes the envelope of excitement at the risk of making a few mistakes along the way. [Reviewed 8/3/08] 8/10.

Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig is a human James Bond who is vulnerable but resilient in this technology eschewing version that emphasizes the rich emotional intrigue and human dilemma of espionage. A gripping movie, except for some lazy-actions sequences in the beginning that fail to capture the original potential that the stunt directors attempted but failed. [Reviewed 11/14/08]. 8/10.

Revolutionary Road (2008). Leo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet are reunited in this family drama set in the 50s where they are torn apart of the rigid conformity of the American culture of their times. A powerfully emotional and compelling, but somewhat flawed movie. [Reviewed 1/25/09]. 8/10.

Seven Pounds (2008). Wil Smith plays an IRS agent with a past in which he begins to plot the fate of several other people he has studied in this insightful, emotional movie about redemption. [Reviewed 12/21/08]. 8/10.

Sex and The City (2008). An emotionally charged romantic drama about contemporary relationships among the more professional female crowd. Sometimes difficult to experience for its male-bashing, the movie eventually presents a insightful, balanced depiction of relationships, avoided the soap-opera, politically correct stereotypes this movie could have fallen into. [Reviewed 6/1/08]. Eight out of Ten Stars.

Swing Vote (2008). A comedy-drama about one man's vote (Kevin Costner) to decide the U.S. President that is a meaningful statement on American politics while at the same time offering a poignant depiction of a daughter who carries adult responsibilities and a flawed man who has yet to find himself and his place in his daughter's life. [Reviewed 8/3/08]. 8/10.

War, Inc. (2008). John Cusack, co-produced, co-wrote, and starred in this biting, dark comedy about the contemporary military-industrial conflict in a fictional country and resembles the Iraqi conflict. A boldly risky script with drama as well as a wry, intellectual humor that strives to stay the course. Except a terrible idiotic scene of Mr. Cusack running in a bunker, War, Inc. survives to victory in making its statement about war. [Reviewed 11/22/08]. 8/10.

The Wrestler (2008). Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei (as a stripper) star in this authentic, real-feel drama about an almost used from professional wrestler. This is a lot of depth and visually exciting story, even though the relational elements are somewhat too superficial to adequately promote a resonance. However, Mr. Rourke's character performance feels spot on, worthy of a best actor award. [Reviewed 2/7/09]. 8/10.

Good But Failed to Make the Grade

27 Dresses 7/10.
Alvin and the Chipmunks 7/10.
Bee Movie 7/10.
The Dark Knight 7/10.
The Day the Earth Stood Still. 7/10.
Fool's Gold 7/10.
Journey to the Center of the Earth. 7/10.

In Bruges. Colin Farrell along with Branden Gleeson star as two average paid killers who find themselves in Bruges in Belgium on assignment. This dark comedy while gritty and raw, is forced a few places with an almost too realistic Colin Farrell (won Golden Globe for best actor in musical or comedy), with the mental warts and wrinkles and all with a convenient ending. 7/10.

Iron Man 7/10.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day 7/10.
Nim's Island 7/10.
Stop Loss 7/10.
Vantage Point 7/10.
Wanted 7/10.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe 7/10.

Disappointments

21 6/10.
Bedtime Stories 6/10.
Eagle Eye 6/10.
Four Christmases 5/10.
Hellboy II 5/10.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 6/10.
Vicky Christina Barcelona 6/10.

Terrible

Cloverfield 3/10.
The Happening 3/10.

Missed/Haven't Seen Yet

Australia
The Changling (Angelina Jolie)
Che
Defiance
Doubt (Meryl Streep)
Flash of Genius
Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood)
Happy Go Lucky
Milk (Sean Pean)
Pineapple Express
Rachel Getting Married (Anne Hathaway)
The Secret Life of Bees
Under The Same Moon
Valkyrie
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

[oscar jubis]

tabuno, thanks for sharing. Below, my documentary list...

[oscar jubis]

Favorite Documentaries of 2008

Undistributed
1.-CALLE SANTA FE (Carmen Castillo/Chile-France)
2.-SANTIAGO (Salles/Brazil)
(tied at #3) DINNER GAME (Coutinho/Brazil)
FADOS (Saura/Spain)
MY DREAM (Huang/China)
(tied at #6) STALAGS: HOLOCAUST AND PORNOGRAPHY IN ISRAEL (Libsker)
SILHOUETTE CITY (Wilson/USA)


Top 10
(tied at #1) AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR (James-Gilbert)
CONSTANTINE'S SWORD (Jacoby)
WALTZ WITH BASHIR (Folman)
(tied at #4) MAN ON WIRE (Marsh)
THE ORDER OF MYTHS (Brown)
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (Morris)
STRANDED:I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED IN THE MOUNTAIN (Arijon)
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE (Gibney)
TROUBLE THE WATER (Deal-Lessin)
UP THE YANGTZE (Chang)

Runners-Up
Encounters at the End of the World, Body of War, Stealing America Vote by Vote, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Dear Zachary: Letter to a Son About His Father, Iron Ladies of Liberia.

Subjects for Future Research
Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind, The Betrayal-Nerakhoon.

[Chris Knipp]

Pretty good list. I can go with a number of them (:-P

Future resarch, you mean watching the movies?

[oscar jubis]

Thanks. Yes, s.f.f.r. means Not Seen Yet But Will (beginning with Dear Zachary which comes out on dvd in 2 weeks)

[Chris Knipp]

Those were both absorbing.

[oscar jubis]

The list below attempts to follow certain rules about release dates in the USA. It doesn't include two films I love: ASHES OF TIME Redux (changes made to the original 1990s version are too minor to consider this as a new release) and SILENT LIGHT (not officially released in the USA until January 2009). Every fiction film in a language other than English released in 2008 qualifies.

Top 10

1. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND TWO DAYS (Mungiu/Romania)
---STILL LIFE (Zhang Ke/China)
3. ALEKSANDRA (Sokurov/Russia)
---OPERA JAWA (Nugroho/Indonesia)
---XXY (Puenzo/Argentina)
6. BEAUTY IN TROUBLE (Hrebejk/Czech Republic)
---FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (Hou/France-Taiwan)
---PARAGUAYAN HAMMOCK (Encina/Paraguay)
---THE POOL (Smith/USA)
---THE POPE'S TOILET (Charlone-Fernandez/Uruguay)

Runners-Up
A CHRISTMAS TALE (France)
THE CLASS (France)
BEFORE I FORGET (France)
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Sweden)
THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (France)
THE DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS (France)
THE EDGE OF HEAVEN (Germany-Turkey)
THE BAND'S VISIT (Egypt-Israel)
MOSCOW, BELGIUM (Belgium)
THE LAST MISTRESS (France)

Honorable Mention
The Custodian, I've Loved You So Long, The Romance of Astree and Celadon, Luxury Car, The Counterfeiters, I Served the King of England, In the City of Sylvia, Reprise, The Witnesses, The Bet Collector, A Dirty Carnival.

Not Seen Yet
The Silence Before Bach, August Evening.

[Chris Knipp]

Can't really respond fully to this because busy with NYC film projects, but this means my Silent Light listing is wrong; still, I saw it in September 2007 in the Nyff, so I'm ready to let it go. I would differ with you strongly on some listings and agree with you strongly on some; there's barely any middle ground. Except maybe THE POOL, which was a nice little film but hardly worthy of making so much fuss about as you have.

The ones I have not seen:

OPERA JAWA (Nugroho/Indonesia)
PARAGUAYAN HAMMOCK (Encina/Paraguay)
THE POPE'S TOILET (Charlone-Fernandez/Uruguay)
MOSCOW, BELGIUM (Belgium)
THE CUSTODIAN (Argentina)
Luxury Car,
The Debt Collector
The Dirty Carnival
The Silence Before Bach.

I also have ot heard of them. Except for OPERA JAWA. I think I have not seen it. And by now I guess I've heard of THE POPE'S TOILET, but I don't know what it is.

I like your simpler format, though I still think the previous format of ---s instead of numbers is imcomprehensible and probably hokey.

[oscar jubis]

I use your list as a guide as to what I must seek out. But I have no expectations that I would like or dislike any films on your list. It's only natural that we're going to agree on some films and disagree about others. It couldn't be any other way, really. I know you are busy and that is good. Here are some links to reviews I like of some of the least advertised films from my list. Perhaps you can come back to them when you have time. I will post English list in a couple of days and begin my scaled-down coverage of the MIFF.

LUXURY CAR's Variety Review (http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117930595.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0)
THE BET COLLECTOR's Fipresci Review (http://www.fipresci.org/festivals/archive/2006/moscow/moscow_johnston.htm)
PARAGUAYAN HAMMOCK-review by J. Hoberman (http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-05-13/film/forest-through-the-trees/)
A DIRTY CARNIVAL's Variety Review (http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931366.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0)

[Chris Knipp]

Thanks, I've looked at the reviews you linked to and noted it's BET not DEBT.

I'm curious how you saw all these titles if not at the Miami Festival--in theaters, or on DVD?

[Chris Knipp]

Thanks, I've looked at the reviews you linked to and noted it's BET not DEBT.

I'm curious how you saw all these titles if not at the Miami Festival--in theaters, or on DVD?

Did you revdiew CHE? I see you say earlier you have seen it, but I gather then it is not among your faves. Since you have such a long undistributed favorites list maybe you should make a list of your ten favorites of the year overall, including both distributed and undistributed.

What happened with WALTZ WITH BACHIR?

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I'm curious how you saw all these titles if not at the Miami Festival--in theaters, or on DVD?
PARAGUAYAN HAMMOCK: I watched it at the 2007 MIFF and it made my undistributed list that year. In 2008, it had a one-week run at the Anthology which qualifies it for my regular 2008 list. No sign of a dvd release.

LUXURY CAR and THE BET COLLECTOR: Logically, by placing these two in the "Honorable Mention" section, I imply that they are remarkable but in no way masterpieces. Both, as well as The Custodian were distributed by that wonderful organization called Global Film Initiative (http://www.globalfilm.org/). Their film board (which includes Weerasethakul, Trier, Almodovar, etc.) picks ten undistributed films each year for release.)

In that spirit, I'd like to reiterate my deep appreciation to another similar organization called Film Movement (http://www.filmmovement.com/) which releases one lamentably overlooked film per month on dvd. Three films they released in 2008 made my lists: XXY, Choking Man, and The Pope's Toilet (I watched all three at the Miami FF then re-watched them on dvd).

A DIRTY CARNIVAL: This outstanding crime drama from South Korea went straight to dvd courtesy of a smallish American dvd outfit called Genius Products. Among their 2008 dvd releases is personal favorite Paranoid Park.

Did you review CHE?
Yes I did. And you responded by commenting on the film's reception history, which was quite a valuable contribution since it's an aspect I chose not to tackle. For some reason, I put it on my on-going list of titles to consider for the English-language list (honorable mention likely). Is it because about half of it is in English? I don't quite remember...

What happened with WALTZ WITH BASHIR?
Tied for favorite documentary of the year.

[Chris Knipp]

You exaggerate in saying half of CHE is in English.

Of course XXY was shown in some theaters. I saw it in a theater in Berkeley.

You didn't exactly answer my question but that's okay. If you say some only on DVD, then the question is how did you know to seek them out?

[oscar jubis]

I thought it was clear that the only one I watched initially on dvd was the South Korean film, A Dirty Carnival. I always keep up with what's coming out on dvd, via film magazines or websites. Then I do a bit of research and I decide what seems worth checking out.

[Chris Knipp]

Pray tell which film magazines or websites serve you best in this regard.

[oscar jubis]

Acquarello's site has a good dvd release page (http://filmref.com/release/) that includes a section for European dvd. Dave Kehr's site is a good source of info and opinion. Rosenbaum's international column "Global Discoveries" in Cinema Scope magazine (available on-line). Film Comment has a release list. Metacritic has a dvd page but ignores dvds of older titles...

[oscar jubis]

1. CHOP SHOP (Ramin Bahrani)
2. PARANOID PARK (Gus Van Sant)
3. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (Sam Mendes)
4. THE FALL (Tarsem Singh)
-- SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (Charlie Kaufman)
6. BALLAST (Lance Hammer)
-- THE EXILES (Kent MacKenzie)
-- FROZEN RIVER (Courtney Hunt)
-- MOMMA'S MAN (Azazel Jacobs)

Runners-Up (Alphabetical)
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS
THE DARK KNIGHT
DOUBT
GRAN TORINO
MILK
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
THE READER
THE VISITOR
WALL-E
WENDY AND LUCY
THE WRESTLER

Honorable Mention
Che, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Boy A, Towelhead, Happy-Go-Lucky, Slumdog Millionaire, Charlie Bartlett, Apaloosa.

Not Seen Yet
My Winnipeg, The Black Balloon.

[Chris Knipp]

Thanks for the source page and also for the English language choices.

[oscar jubis]

Thanks for your interest Chris.

[Chris Knipp]

ONE'S I Have not seen on your list:

THE EXILES
MOMMA'S MAN
TOWELHEAD
THE BLACK BALLOON

However I could have seen MOMMA'S MAN but it didn't sound interesting, and was gong to see TOWELHEAD and then it got such terrible reviews I gave it a by.

Your runners up list is surprisingly mainstream and like mine.

I think you will like WENDY AND LUCY. And since you like Guy Maden I'm pretty sure you'l like MY WINNEPEG, which I much preferred to THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD.

[oscar jubis]

I wouldn't say Towelhead got "terrible" reviews. It received a wide range of notices. Many, perhaps most and even those not so enthusiastic , had good things to say about the acting. Several of the negative ones seem derived from the writer being uncomfortable with the topic of teenage sexuality. David Edelstein explains that it's "hard to know what to feel" about the narrative, which for me is usually as a sign of a good film. Ebert opines that a story of child sexuality "HAS to be either a tragedy or some kind of dark comedy like Kubrick's Lolita", which I find limiting and categorical. Obviously by listing the film as my 23rd favorite English-lanhuage film of the year, I am not saying it's a great film or a classic but it's a film that deserves to be seen and debated, and one which I found well worth seeing.

Momma's Man is a better film and one I recommend.

[Chris Knipp]

I shouldn't have said Towelhead got "terrible reviews." That's not true at all. The reviews of Towelhead were mixed as reviews usually are, Metacritic 57,with a couple of 100's from people I don't really trust and a lot of 50's from people I do, but the main thing is that I got information from various reviews that convinced me I would be offended by it, after seeing the preview over and over and over in California. Not seeing Momma's Man was just a fluke, a matter of chance; other things came up, and then it was no longer available for me to see in a theater. Had it been handy or come more to my attention, I'd have certainly seen it.

[oscar jubis]

One character I found quite compelling in Towelhead is the father of the young protagonist. He is a Catholic Lebanese-American who is angry about people associating him with Islamic extremism yet he has racist attitudes towards African-Americans.
Anyway, I'm glad you're interested in seeing Momma's Man. If it isn't available on dvd now, it will soon. (It was a THINKFilm Release with a metacritic score of 84).

[oscar jubis]

I've edited my lists after watching the following 2008 releases: The Class, Wendy and Lucy, I've Loved You So Long, and Dear Zachary. All are well worth seeing but none cracked my top 10s. THE CLASS (Cantet) and WENDY AND LUCY (Reichardt) came very close.