OFFICIAL top ten of 2008 thread - VOTING CLOSES 3/18

[Boner M]

The other one got a bit messy, so this is the thread I'm gonna tally all the lists from, and then count them down in a big fun thread.

Post your FINAL TOP TEN here. You may go back and edit your list until the thread is locked. If you do edit it, DO NOT make a duplicate list within the thread. If you do, I will beat you with a sock full of WALNUTS and then poke your BRUISES while GIGGLING.

Also, you can post your BOTTOM 10 films as well, as I will also be doing a 'worst of' countdown. The same rules for the top 10 apply to that one.

List away.

[Watashi]

TOP TEN:

1. Happy-Go-Lucky
2. WALL-E
3. Speed Racer
4. Rachel Getting Married
5. Paranoid Park
6. The Dark Knight
7. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
8. Tropic Thunder
9. Wendy and Lucy
10. The Visitor

BOTTOM TEN:

1. Blindness
2. Semi-Pro
3. The Forbidden Kingdom
4. Hancock
5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
6. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
7. 21
8. Miracle at St. Anna
9. Australia
10. Eagle Eye

[Spinal]

Top 10:

1. Let the Right One In
2. City of Ember
3. Burn After Reading
4. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
5. California Dreamin'
6. The Last Mistress
7. The Edge of Heaven
8. Repo! The Genetic Opera
9. Speed Racer
10. Standard Operating Procedure

EDIT:

Top 10:

1. Let the Right One In
2. City of Ember
3. Burn After Reading
4. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
5. Milk
6. California Dreamin'
7. The Last Mistress
8. Repo! The Genetic Opera
9. The Edge of Heaven
10. Speed Racer

Bottom:

6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
5. Mamma Mia!
4. Be Kind Rewind
3. Diary of the Dead
2. Igor
1. Hamlet 2

[Derek]

Top 10:

1. A Christmas Tale (Arnaud Desplechin)
2. Man on Wire (James Marsh)
3. Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)
4. Hunger (Steve McQueen)
5. In the City of Sylvia (Jose Luis Guerin)
6. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
7. Still Life (Jia Zhang-ke)
8. Wendy & Lucy (Kelly Reichardt)
9. Woman on the Beach (Hong Sang-soo)
10. Tell No One (Guillaume Canet)

Bottom 5:

1. Jumper (Doug Liman)
2. The Happening (M. Knight Shyamalan)
3. Frozen River (Courtney Hunt)
4. Run Fatboy Run (David Schwimmer)
5. Be Kind Rewind (Michel Gondry)

[B-side]

Top 10:

1. Wall-E (Stanton)
2. Synecdoche, New York (Kaufman)
3. The Dark Knight (Nolan)
4. The Wrestler (Aronofsky)
5. Milk (Van Sant)
6. Religulous (Charles)
7. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Allen)
8. Eden Lake (Watkins)
9. Cloverfield (Reeves)
10. Wendy and Lucy (Reichardt)

Definitely a work in progress...

[Ezee E]

Top 10:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Dear Zachary: A Letter to A Son About His Father
3. Rachel Getting Married
4. The Wrestler
5. Let the Right One In
6. The Fall
7. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Day
8. Iron Man
9. Blindness
10. Redbelt

Worst 10:
1. Towelhead
2. The Happening
3. The Tracey Fragments
4. Diary of the Dead
5. Recount
6. You Don't Mess With The Zohan
7. Smart People
8. How To Lose Friends and Alienate People
9. The Bank Job
10. Step Up To The Streets

[Ivan Drago]

Top Ten:

1. The Dark Knight
2. Revolutionary Road
3. Tropic Thunder
4. Cloverfield
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Frost/Nixon
7. W.
8. Burn After Reading
9. Doubt
10. Valkyrie

Bottom:

6. Gran Torino
5. The Reader
4. 21
3. Four Christmases
2. Eagle Eye
1. The Spirit

[Rowland]

Hmm. I'm still not ready. Oh well...

[Spaceman Spiff]

1. Synecdoche, NY
2. Wall-E
3. Rachel Getting Married
4. Burn After Reading
5. Adoration
6. Let the Right One In
7. My Winnipeg
8. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
9. Man on Wire
10. Pineapple Express


Subject to repositioning, and I still need to see a couple of movies. When are you closing this up and tallying it Boner?

EDIT: Saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona and really liked it.

[Dukefrukem]

TOP TEN:

1. WALL-E
2. The Dark Knight
3. Gran Torino
4. The Wrestler
5. Milk
6. Frost/Nixon
7. Iron Man
8. Eden Lake
9. Let the Right One In
10. Tropic Thunder

BOTTOM TEN:

1. Hancock
2. Wanted
3. Jumper
4. xxxxx
5. xxxxx
6. xxxxx
7. Diary of the Dead
8. Cloverfield
9. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
10. Semi-Pro

[NickGlass]

Whatever. As I agree with Derek on page 3, 2008 gave us a collection of very good films, not just a few masterpieces.

Top 10:

1. The Class
2. The Secret of the Grain
3. Jellyfish
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
5. Milk
6. Paranoid Park
7. The Edge of Heaven
8. Encounters at the End of the World
9. Woman on the Beach
10. Reprise

Bottom 5:

1. Choke
2. The Punisher: War Zone
3. Teeth
4. Charlie Bartlett Mister Foe
5. Mister Foe

[Morris Schæffer]

Top 10

The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Gomorrah
Loft
Speed Racer
The Bank Job
3:10 to Yuma
Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf & Death
Wanted
Quantum of Solace

*********************
Bottom 5

Rambo
Cloverfield
The Happening
George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead
The Forbidden Kingdom

[balmakboor]

Top Ten

1. Happy-Go-Lucky
2. Paranoid Park
3. Milk
4. Trouble the Water
5. Diary of the Dead
6. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
7. Gran Torino
8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
9. Slumdog Millionaire
10. The Wrestler

[Stay Puft]

Top Ten:

1. Flight of the Red Balloon
2. Reprise
3. The Edge of Heaven
4. Encounters at the End of the World
5. Ashes of Time Redux
6. Burn After Reading
7. Speed Racer
8. My Blueberry Nights
9. The Fall
10. Mad Detective

[Sycophant]

TOP TEN:

1. The Fall
2. Wall-E
3. CJ7
4. Rachel at the Wedding
5. Burn After Reading
6. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
7. Speed Racer
8. Synecdoche, New York
9. Get Smart
10. The Wrestler

BOTTOM TEN (worst at top):
1. Mamma Mia!
2. Wanted
3. Hancock
4. Falling
5. Tropic Thunder
6. Meet Dave
7. Hellboy II
8. The Dark Knight
9. Iron Man
10. Then She Found Me

As usual, these are by US release date, right?

[Philosophe_rouge]

Top 10
The Class
Milk
The Wrestler
A Christmas Tale
Let the Right One In
Gran Torino
Vicky Christina Barcelona
Waltz with Bashir
Wendy and Lucy
Happy-Go-Lucky

Bottom 10
Bangkok Dangerous
Rambo
Prom Night
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Other Boleyn Girl
What Happens in Vegas
Sex and the City
Blindness
Synecdoche New York

[Dead & Messed Up]

I still have way too many to see to compile a top ten.

[Derek]

How's about we just consider everyone's top 10's tentative and a work in progress since we'll probably all see at least one other 2008 film over the course of our lives, k? Since this particular MatchCut top 10 is being compiled this week, be a dear and submit whatever top 10 you got, or perhaps a top 5 if that helps you sleep at night. It'd be more fun if everyone gets a vote.

[NickGlass]

How's about we just consider everyone's top 10's tentative and a work in progress since we'll probably all see at least one other 2008 film over the course of our lives, k? Since this particular MatchCut top 10 is being compiled this week, be a dear and submit whatever top 10 you got, or perhaps a top 5 if that helps you sleep at night. It'd be more fun if everyone gets a vote.

Great. Now, if we get a deadline date, we can get the ball rolling.

[Sycophant]

I'm waiting to order them until I get the word from above.

You're talking about Boner, aren't you? At first, I thought you were talking about God.

[Ezee E]

You're talking about Boner, aren't you? At first, I thought you were talking about God.
...

[Sycophant]

...

:eek:

[dreamdead]

1. Still Life
2. Rachel Getting Married
3. Reprise
4. Happy-Go-Lucky
5. Woman on the Beach
6. Summer Palace
7. Up the Yangzte
8. Wall-E
9. Jellyfish
10. Paranoid Park


Bottom 5:
1.The Happening
2. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull
3. Run, Fat Boy, Run
4. The Incredible Hulk
5. My Blueberry Nights

[Pop Trash]

Top Ten Movies 2008:
1. Synecdoche, New York
2. The Wrestler
3. Paranoid Park
4. My Blueberry Nights
5. Wall-E
6. The Dark Knight
7. Stuck
8. Pineapple Express
9. Waltz with Bashir
10. Man on Wire

Worst Five Movies 2008 (that I bothered to see):
1. Speed Racer
2. Rambo
3. Step Brothers
4. The Ruins
5. Funny Games

[balmakboor]

I still have way too many to see to compile a top ten.

If I waited until I could make informed lists, I would still be holding off on all of my top tens starting from 1891. :)

I agree though. I haven't seen about 2/3 of the movies listed even in this short thread.

[balmakboor]

My Blueberry Nights sure is up and down.

[dreamdead]

My Blueberry Nights sure is up and down.

Yeah, I didn't watch too much mediocre stuff, so it did end up being hit with a harsher evaluation from me. It just didn't seem to extend out Wong's themes but only seemed to recycle them, and it didn't do enough temporally (usually Wong's strong suit) to win me over. This was the first film of his where I was left feeling that the characters were only ciphers, though I know that detractors have long leveled this claim at him.

[soitgoes...]

TOP 10
1. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson)
2. Burn After Reading (Joel Coen)
3. Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant)
4. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (Kurt Kuenne)
5. WALL-E (Andrew Stanton)
6. Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt)
7. My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin)
8. Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme)
9. Snow Angels (David Gordon Green)
10. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)

BOTTOM 10
1. The Happening (M. Night Shyamalan)
2. 10,000 BC (Roland Emmerich)
3. Quarantine (John Erick Dowdle)
4. Lakeview Terrace (Neil LaBute)
5. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Kevin Smith)
6. The Ruins (Carter Smith)
7. Sukiyaki Western Django (Takashi Miike)
8. Hancock (Peter Berg)
9. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg)
10. Eagle Eye (D.J. Caruso)

[eternity]

TOP 10
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher)
2. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves)
3. Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt)
4. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)
5. Rachel Getting Married (Jonathon Demme)
6. Speed Racer (Andy and Larry Wachowski)
7. The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky)
8. Burn After Reading (Joel and Ethan Coen)
9. Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)
10. Snow Angels (David Gordon Green)

BOTTOM 10:
1. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Nathan Frankowski)
2. Twilight (Catherine Hardwicke)
3. Quid Pro Quo (Carlos Brooks)
4. Never Back Down (Jeff Wadlow)
5. 10,000 BC (Roland Emmerich)
6. The Happening (M. Night Shyamalan)
7. Eagle Eye (D.J. Caruso)
8. Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino)
9. Righteous Kill (Jon Avnet)
10. The Reader (Stephen Daldry)

[Melville]

1. Synecdoche, NY
2. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
3. Burn After Reading
4. Let the Right One In
5. Waltz with Bashir
6. Flight of the Red Balloon
7. Still Life
8. My Winnipeg
9. In Bruges
10. Paranoid Park

Worst:
1. Dear Zachary
2. Quantum of Solace

[Raiders]

4. Rachel at the Wedding


Is this a joke or are you confused?

[Derek]

Is this a joke or are you confused?

What, you didn't like this more than Margot Getting Married? ;)

[Rowland]

It probably makes me a bad person, but:

Margot at the Wedding > Rachel Getting Married

[Raiders]

It probably makes me a bad person, but:

Margot at the Wedding > Rachel Getting Married

I can't argue since I haven't seen Baumbach's film, but safe to say I am assuming I disagree with you.

[Watashi]

It probably makes me a bad person, but:

Margot at the Wedding > Rachel Getting Married
No, it just makes you a dumb person.

[Rowland]

No, it just makes you a dumb person.Nah.

[balmakboor]

I guess I'm surprised about the many high Speed Racer placements. It seemed to me both very pretty and very stupid.

[Sycophant]

It's a joke because they're so similar.






...I'll change it.

I think I might ultimately prefer Baumbach's film as well, but they're both among the best films of their respective years.

[Sycophant]

I guess I'm surprised about the many high Speed Racer placements. It seemed to me both very pretty and very stupid.

You might be interested to read our thread about the film, as a fair number of us rather loved it and had a few things to say about it.

We didn't have a Speed Racer banner for well over a month as an ironic statement.

[Derek]

It probably makes me a bad person, but:

Margot at the Wedding > Rachel Getting Married

No, it makes you correct.

[Mysterious Dude]

1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
2. The Fall
3. Waltz With Bashir
4. Let the Right One In
5. The Dark Knight
6. Paranoid Park
7. Reprise
8. Boy A
9. Burn After Reading
10. The Wrestler

[The Mike]

1. Iron Man
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. The Fall
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Gran Torino
6. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
7. Redbelt
8. Let the Right One In
9. Be Kind Rewind
10. The Dark Knight

[Boner M]

Subject to repositioning, and I still need to see a couple of movies. When are you closing this up and tallying it Boner?
After our awards ceremony.

[NickGlass]

You're talking about Boner, aren't you? At first, I thought you were talking about God.

Is there a difference?

[Boner M]

1. Hunger (McQueen)
2. Flight of the Red Balloon (Hou)
3. Let the Right One In (Alfredson)
4. My Winnipeg (Maddin)
5. Wall-E (Stanton)
6. Ballast (Hammer)
7. The Tracey Fragments (McDonald)
8. Woman on the Beach (Hong)
9. Burn After Reading (Coen)
10. Silent Light (Reygadas)

[balmakboor]

You might be interested to read our thread about the film, as a fair number of us rather loved it and had a few things to say about it.

We didn't have a Speed Racer banner for well over a month as an ironic statement.

I don't know about ironic, but I was glad to see it finally change. I don't mind the current banner because it at least features the one thing about the movie I liked.

(And no, I didn't realize you liked VCB until after I posted that.)

I'll venture back and read some Speed Racer thoughts when I get a chance.

[Silencio]

1. Synecdoche, New York
2. Rachel Getting Married
3. My Winnipeg
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. Wendy and Lucy
6. Milk
7. Hunger
8. The Wrestler
9. Happy-Go-Lucky
10. Wall-E

[ledfloyd]

i still have a couple to see. but right now:

A Christmas Tale
Wall-E
The Flight of the Red Balloon
Let the Right One In
The Wrestler
Happy-Go-Lucky
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Wendy and Lucy
Gran Torino
In Bruges

the ordering is off but oh well

[Ezee E]

added 6-10

[Lazlo]

Top Ten:

1. The Dark Knight
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Rachel Getting Married
4. WALL-E
5. In Bruges
6. Pineapple Express
7. Let the Right One In
8. Frost/Nixon
9. The Fall
10. Iron Man

Bottom Ten:

10. Be Kind Rewind
9. Leatherheads
8. Step Up 2 the Streets
7. Wanted
6. Semi-Pro
5. The Happening
4. Never Back Down
3. Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
2. Strange Wilderness
1. In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

[SirNewt]

Damn, I have so many movies to see. I've way too much school work so I guess I won't be posting a top ten.

[Kurosawa Fan]

1. Burn After Reading - 9.5
2. Wall*E - 9.0
3. Rachel Getting Married - 9.0
4. Let the Right One in - 8.5
5. Man on Wire - 8.5
6. A Christmas Tale - 8.5
7. Speed Racer - 8.5
8. Mad Detective - 8.5
9. Tropic Thunder - 8.5
10. Milk - 8.0

[B-side]

I've given nothing this year over an 8-something.

[Boner M]

No TCCoBB, KF?

[Kurosawa Fan]

No TCCoBB, KF?

Nope. Reflection hasn't been kind. All I can remember a few weeks later are the things I didn't like about it. I'd still give it a positive rating, but I don't like it on my top ten. I have a feeling a second viewing would back that up.

[jesse]

01) Chansons d’amour (Love Songs) / Dans Paris
02) Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
03) Une vielle maîtresse (The Last Mistress)
04) Le Voyage du ballon rouge (Voyage of the Red Balloon)
05) Les amour d’Astrée et Céledon (The Romance of Astree and Celedon)
06) Ne touchez pas la hache (The Duchess of Langeais)
07) Were the World Mine
08) Twilight
09) Savage Grace
10) Guest of Cindy Sherman

And an attempt at an explanation here (http://memoriesofthefuture.wordpress. com/2009/02/16/thoughts-on-2008/).

[NickGlass]

It seems that my film viewings habits and general cinematic sensibility is turning into something downright schizophrenic—objectively this looks like a laughable mash-up of the lists of an overly pretentious artfag and a 15 year old girl.

That's wonderful.

[Ezee E]

That's wonderful.

He's also got the baby_doll syndrome of calling titles under their French name.

But hey, you liked Ari Graynor the most out of any performance. That's a plus.

[Spinal]

Using excessive French > splitting your number #1 slot between two different films

[NickGlass]

I was, uh, paying a compliment.

[balmakboor]

Dog Days (Seidl, 2001) 70
Chelsea Girls (Warhol, 1966) **

Why did you switch your rating system for Chelsea Girls? Is Warhol unclassifiable by usual standards?

Chelsea Girls and My Hustler are two films I'd really like to see some time.

[Ezee E]

I was, uh, paying a compliment.
So was I.

[Spinal]

I wasn't.

[jesse]

He's also got the baby_doll syndrome of calling titles under their French name. Yes, that is generally my habit. But in this particular situation those were the only titles they were known as at the time I first saw them. It was only about a year after I saw Ne touchez pas la hache that they decided to call use (the awfully dull) title of The Duchess of Langeais for its American release. Some people were translating it as The Last Mistress and others as The Old Mistress, and for a while it was Voyage of the Red Balloon instead of Flight of the Red Balloon. I find it easier for me just to use the original title.


Using excessive French > splitting your number #1 slot between two different films Sure, that's legit, and it's something I generally avoid doing. But they're films I love equally and far and above everything else on the list, are by the same director and share the same lead actor, and in the case of latter, would technically be disqualified by its release date. And as I said, I find making lists like these ridiculous, so I have no problem doing ridiculous things with them if I think it's an accurate reflection of my thoughts and feelings.

[jesse]

That's wonderful. :)

And here I was expecting another Dev Patel quip...

[Kurosawa Fan]

I suck at reading posts.

[Pop Trash]

Update:


Apparently you didn't read Boner's initial post. Be prepared for beatings.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Apparently you didn't read Boner's initial post. Be prepared for beatings.

Crap.

[Boner M]

I already beat your ass a few weeks ago, I'll spare you this time.

[Boner M]

My Bottom 5:

1. The Happening
2. Cloverfield
3. Cassandra's Dream
4. Wanted
5. Changeling

[Raiders]

1. WALL•E (Andrew Stanton)
2. Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme)
3. Man on Wire (James Marsh)
4. Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant)
5. Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green)
6. Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood)
7. Burn After Reading (Joel & Ethan Coen)
8. My Blueberry Nights (Wong Kar-Wai)
9. Up the Yangtze (Chang Yung)
10. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves)

[Spinal]

My Bottom 5:
2. Cloverfield




10. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves)


Heh. :)

[Boner M]

We used to be friends.

[lovejuice]

1. The Wrestler
2. Rachel Getting Married
3. Speed Racer
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. Waltz With Bashir
6. Milk
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Flight of the Red Balloon
9. Wall*E
10. Bolt

:frustrated: what a crappy movie year!

[Derek]

:frustrated: what a crappy movie year!

I thought it turned out to be a rather good year. My top 5 isn't nearly as strong, but the top 25-30 are of comparable quality overall.

[lovejuice]

I thought it turned out to be a rather good year. My top 5 isn't nearly as strong, but the top 25-30 are of comparable quality overall.

it's not a bad year per se if you don't mind super hero movies. and i miss some of the better films like woman on the beach, man on wire, tropic thunder, vicky christina barcelona and let's the right one in.

[NickGlass]

I thought it turned out to be a rather good year. My top 5 isn't nearly as strong, but the top 25-30 are of comparable quality overall.

Indeed, although I often feel as if I praise 1-20 films of the year--all on a similar level--and then shrug the rest off. This is my year, I guess, since there's not much pressure to laud three new "masterpieces."

[eternity]

Seeing that one of my best of the year will probably end up topping the worst list makes me want to crack my head like an egg.

[Ezee E]

How to Lose Friends... hits the worst list.

[Ivan Drago]

If Cloverfield winds up topping the Worst list, I must break every last one of you.

[baby doll]

Premiers:
1. Adoration (Atom Egoyan)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh)
3. Le Frontière de l'aube (Philippe Garrel)
4. Burn After Reading (Joel and Ethan Coen)
5. The Shaft (Zhang Chi)
6. Australia (Baz Luhrmann)
7.
8.
9.
10.

US Dates:
1. Les Témoins (André Téchiné)
2. Still Life (Jia Zhang-ke)
3. In the City of Sylvia (José Luis GuerÃ*n)
4. Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh)
5. Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas)
6. The Man From London (Béla Tarr)
7. La France (Serge Bozon)
8. Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (Eric Rohmer)
9. The Fall (Tarsem Singh)
10. Boarding Gate (Olivier Assayas)

Worst:
Blindness (Fernando Meirelles)
Night and Day (Hong Sang-soo)

[Boner M]

6. Australia (Baz Luhrmann)
Worst:
Night and Day (Hong Sang-soo)
lol

[baby doll]

5. In the City of Sylvia (Jose Luis Guerin)
6. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
7. Still Life (Jia Zhang-ke)One of these things is not like the other
One of these things just doesn't belong
Can you tell me which one of these things was made by people totally indifferent to sounds and images
Before I finish this song?

[baby doll]

lolThe former is an exciting, structurally ambitious Hollywood epic and the latter is a meandering, shapeless nothing of a movie that goes nowhere and runs an excruciating two and a half hours, and Hong's mise en scène and framing suck. Some critics wondered why Hong's film wasn't shown at the Toronto International Film Festival when they've supported his work in the past, and the reason (from what I can discern from what's on screen) is that it's a very bad film.

[Mysterious Dude]

I almost included Cloverfield in my top ten. It was kind of a coin toss between that and The Wrestler.

[NickGlass]

lol

I haven't seen Australia, but--as much as I've adored Hong's films over the past few years--Day and Night is pretty pathetic.

[Boner M]

Actually I didn't love Night and Day and I didn't see Australia, so whatever.

[ledfloyd]

i think this year turned out alright. though my top 20 has far less american films than it usually does. it was a bad year here but alot of good stuff turned up overseas.

i only saw two films i'd give 10s. which is about half of last year. but, the top 20 is about equal quality to last years.

[thefourthwall]

1. Rachel Getting Married
2. Wall-E
3. Happy-Go-Lucky
4. The Dark Knight
5. Slumdog Millonaire
6. My Blueberry Nights
7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
8. Let the Right One in
9. The Wrestler
10. Vicky Christina Barcelona

[Kurosawa Fan]

Edited in Rachel Getting Married.

[lovejuice]

Edited in Rachel Getting Married.
welcome to the "we like RGM" club. :)

[Kurosawa Fan]

Added Man on Wire and reordered some stuff.

[Ezee E]

Alright. Finally success for K-Fan. Thoughts?

[Boner M]

Any stragglers? I said I'd close the thread by the end of last week but I think I'll leave it open a bit longer; like maybe a week. Then I'll go on a PM witch hunt.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Any stragglers? I said I'd close the thread by the end of last week but I think I'll leave it open a bit longer; like maybe a week. Then I'll go on a PM witch hunt.

Do you want me to edit my bottom five into my original post, or can I make a new post? I can't handle another beating right now.

[Boner M]

Do you want me to edit my bottom five into my original post, or can I make a new post? I can't handle another beating right now.
I'll beat you again anyway, so do whatever ya want.

[Kurosawa Fan]

My Bottom Five:

[Kurosawa Fan]

5. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

[Kurosawa Fan]

4. Slumdog Millionaire

[Kurosawa Fan]

3. The Reader

[Kurosawa Fan]

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Krystal Skullz

[Kurosawa Fan]

1. Wanted

[Boner M]

Good #1 choice, so I'll let ya off the hook.

[Pop Trash]

Added Waltz with Bashir. (Sadly) removed Redbelt

[Ezee E]

Edited mine if it can still count.

[baby doll]

Can I vote for episodes of 30 Rock?

[Boner M]

Can I vote for episodes of 30 Rock?
Only if you list the French titles.

[baby doll]

Premiers (updated):
1. Adoration (Atom Egoyan)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh)
3. Le Frontière de l'aube (Philippe Garrel)
4. Burn After Reading (Joel and Ethan Coen)
5. The Shaft (Zhang Chi)
6. Australia (Baz Luhrmann)
7. Trente rock [épisode "Le Jour de la sandwich"] (Don Scardino)
8.
9.
10.

[Boner M]

Rep for accenting the 'e' in episode, but I'm only counting four of those titles.

[baby doll]

Rep for accenting the 'e' in episode, but I'm only counting four of those titles.Which four?

[Boner M]

Which four?
1, 2, 4 & 6. US release dates, yo! (which I realise I didn't specify in the first post, sorry).

[baby doll]

1, 2, 4 & 6. US release dates, yo! (which I realise I didn't specify in the first post, sorry).In that case, just go by my U.S. dates list on the third page.

[Boner M]

In that case, just go by my U.S. dates list on the third page.
Aye.

[Ezee E]

You opened a whole can of worms. But I'll avoid listing TV episodes.

[Pop Trash]

Would it be possible to hold this thread open for another week Boner? There are a whole assload of "quality" movies coming out on DVD Tuesday and many of these lists might change if people catch up with movies they missed.

[Boner M]

Would it be possible to hold this thread open for another week Boner? There are a whole assload of "quality" movies coming out on DVD Tuesday and many of these lists might change if people catch up with movies they missed.
Sure. I'll be seeing A Christmas Tale next Sunday on the 15th, so I'll probably close it then (I know, how selfish...).

[B-side]

Top 10:

1. Wall-E (Stanton)
2. The Dark Knight (Nolan)
3. The Wrestler (Aronofsky)
4. Milk (Van Sant)
5. Religulous (Charles)
6. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Allen)
7. Eden Lake (Watkins)
8. Cloverfield (Reeves)
9. Wendy and Lucy (Reichardt)
10. A Complete History of My Sexual Failures (Waitt)

Definitely a work in progress...

Just discovered that you were doing US release dates, so I edited.

[Boner M]

SOCK FULL OF WALNUTS, Brightside.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

1. Rachel Getting Married
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. The Fall
4. Man on Wire
5. Flight of the Red Balloon
6. My Winnipeg
7. Burn After Reading
8. Reprise
9. Wendy and Lucy
10. A Christmas Tale

[dreamdead]

Edited in Happy-Go-Lucky; down goes Burn After Reading.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Edited in Happy-Go-Lucky; down goes Burn After Reading.

And down goes dreamdead! Down goes dreamdead!!!

[Watashi]

No, dreamdead is 100% correct.

[Kurosawa Fan]

No, dreamdead is 100% correct.

And down goes Watashi! Down goes Watashi!!!

[jamaul]

Banner change reminded me I should Probably make one of these. Even though I didn't much like the movie . . .

1. Synecdoche, New York
2. The Dark Knight
3. Wall-E
4. Paranoid Park -and- Milk
5. Still Life
6. Gran Torino
7. Burn After Reading
8. Rachel Getting Married
9. Flight of the Red Balloon
0. Encounters at the End of the World

[The Mike]

1. Iron Man
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. The Fall
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Gran Torino
6. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
7. Redbelt
8. Let the Right One In
9. Be Kind Rewind
10. The Dark Knight
Updated.

[transmogrifier]

What a crappy year.

EDIT: I feel like I should elaborate more, as my comment does nothing to elevate the level of discourse in Match Cut. So:

What a monumentally crappy year.

[Fezzik]

Weird...

I haven't done this yet.

1 - Wall-E
2 - In Bruges
3 - Burn After Reading
4 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5 - Let the Right One In
6 - Rachel Getting Married
7 - Tropic Thunder
8 - The Wrestler
9 - Iron Man
10 - The Dark Knight

[baby doll]

9. Wendy and LucyBoo! Hiss! Down with good-but-under-ambitious cinema! Down with celebrating mediocrity!

[Raiders]

Boo! Hiss! Down with good-but-under-ambitious cinema! Down with celebrating mediocrity!

...


Frost/Nixon (Ron Howard, 2008) / ***
Indeed.

[Weeping_Guitar]

01. Wall-E
02. I've Loved You So Long
03. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
04. The Dark Knight
05. In Bruges
06. Encounters at the End of the World
07. Ghost Town
08. Happy-Go-Lucky
09. Burn After Reading
10. Quantum of Solace

[soitgoes...]

Boo! Hiss! Down with good-but-under-ambitious cinema! Down with celebrating mediocrity!
At least you have Australia.

[baby doll]

Indeed.It's a good film and I gave it three stars, which on the Ebert scale means it's enjoyable. I didn't put it on my top ten list. The film hits its points without beating one over the head too much (obviously, I could've done without the boxing metaphors, but thankfully, Howard doesn't insist on them too much). Also, the cinematography and art direction are both top notch. Incidentally, while it's not as good a film as Changeling (and never could be because the true story it's based on is far less dramatic), it confirms my impression that Howard is a better director than Clint Eastwood.

[soitgoes...]

it confirms my impression that Howard is a better director than Clint Eastwood.
:|

[jamaul]

Also, the cinematography and art direction are both top notch. Incidentally, while it's not as good a film as Changeling (and never could be because the true story it's based on is far less dramatic), it confirms my impression that Howard is a better director than Clint Eastwood.


Ronnie Phone-It-In Howard probably doesn't give an ounce of shit about the photography nor the art direction -- I'm sure he's pretty quick to leave those duties in the hands of his below-the-line staff to figure out so he can spend more time not having a vision. And even if Howard took a risky detour into slight narrative significance, the director of The Grinch and The Da Vinci Code is too inept to find ways to make the material compelling. Howard's Cinderella Man w/o the Gloves features Frank Linghella as the most uninteresting Nixon impersonation I've ever seen, with monotonous delivery and about as much human depth as a blade of grass. And all the verbal sparring amounts too is a page worth of dialogue summing up what anyone could gather whether Nixon admitted it or not. Maybe it was compelling in '77, but it certainly isn't anymore. Gimme any five minutes of Altman's Secret Honor or Stone's Nixon any day, over Howard's bland, irrelevent work of 'topical' art.

And I would argue why Eastwood is the better director, but why bother? - the Howard-over-Eastwood camp is probably lonely enough as it is . . . it would be cruel to rub it in.

[Sycophant]

Look, I'm no fan of Ron Howard, but he seems plenty concerned with things like art direction and photography.

[B-side]

Top 10:

1. Wall-E (Stanton)
2. Synecdoche, New York (Kaufman)
3. The Dark Knight (Nolan)
4. The Wrestler (Aronofsky)
5. Milk (Van Sant)
6. Religulous (Charles)
7. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Allen)
8. Eden Lake (Watkins)
9. Cloverfield (Reeves)
10. Wendy and Lucy (Reichardt)

Definitely a work in progress...

Dropped A Complete History of... and added Synecdoche into the #2 spot.

[ledfloyd]

i don't think either eastwood or howard are particularly talented as directors.

[baby doll]

Ronnie Phone-It-In Howard probably doesn't give an ounce of shit about the photography nor the art direction -- I'm sure he's pretty quick to leave those duties in the hands of his below-the-line staff to figure out so he can spend more time not having a vision. And even if Howard took a risky detour into slight narrative significance, the director of The Grinch and The Da Vinci Code is too inept to find ways to make the material compelling. Howard's Cinderella Man w/o the Gloves features Frank Linghella as the most uninteresting Nixon impersonation I've ever seen, with monotonous delivery and about as much human depth as a blade of grass. And all the verbal sparring amounts too is a page worth of dialogue summing up what anyone could gather whether Nixon admitted it or not. Maybe it was compelling in '77, but it certainly isn't anymore. Gimme any five minutes of Altman's Secret Honor or Stone's Nixon any day, over Howard's bland, irrelevent work of 'topical' art.

And I would argue why Eastwood is the better director, but why bother? - the Howard-over-Eastwood camp is probably lonely enough as it is . . . it would be cruel to rub it in.It's funny that so much of you've said can neither be proven nor refuted based on what's actually on screen. Was Howard simply phoning it in or did he passionately care about the film he was making? How involved was he in the overall look of the film? Who can say? What matters to me is that the film looks great, as opposed to Changeling (which Howard produced), which looks like every other Eastwood film.

As far as the material being compelling, in Frost/Nixon, he's fighting an uphill battle to begin with because he's dramatizing an event of such slight historic significance. I think the important thing is that Howard brings a light touch to the material, and doesn't insist on Frost's valor or Nixon's odiousness, in stark contrast with Eastwood's taste for melodrama (we know off the bat that the serial killer in Changeling is a bad dude because of his nervous twitches and Peter Lorre haircut). Howard is even capable of being funny (the running gag about Italian shoes), which I can't imagine Eastwood doing in one of his serious movies (I haven't seen Space Cowboys since it came out and can barely recall it).

[jamaul]

It's funny that so much of you've said can neither be proven nor refuted based on what's actually on screen. Was Howard simply phoning it in or did he passionately care about the film he was making? How involved was he in the overall look of the film? Who can say? What matters to me is that the film looks great, as opposed to Changeling (which Howard produced), which looks like every other Eastwood film.

As far as the material being compelling, in Frost/Nixon, he's fighting an uphill battle to begin with because he's dramatizing an event of such slight historic significance. I think the important thing is that Howard brings a light touch to the material, and doesn't insist on Frost's valor or Nixon's odiousness, in stark contrast with Eastwood's taste for melodrama (we know off the bat that the serial killer in Changeling is a bad dude because of his nervous twitches and Peter Lorre haircut). Howard is even capable of being funny (the running gag about Italian shoes), which I can't imagine Eastwood doing in one of his serious movies (I haven't seen Space Cowboys since it came out and can barely recall it).

Okay, I will give you that, in terms, no I don't have first-hand knowledge of what went into it or how dedicated Ronnie was. My feeling toward the material is that it isn't nearly as compelling now as it may have been eight years before I was born. I big bulldog, a glorified car salesman, got backed into a corner and finally barked. Whoopdie-doo, he was corrupt and above the law. What president isn't? Do we walk out of the theater compelled, stimulated, ready to talk, argue, anything? My reaction? -- meh, bedtime...got work tomorrow. My girlfriend's? -- she didn't make it through. She fell asleep. Uncompelling Material + Hackneyed Filmmaker = Lifeless Cinema, DOA

Mocking Eastwood for wardrobe choices is fine with me, especially since I haven't seen Changeling (although I think most of the choices in Frosty Nixon were less immersing than just plain obligatory)... damning a film for looking like the director's other films may be in breach of the auteurist theory, which I also don't care about because anyone who calls themself an auteur or suggests it is a self-fellating bozo. But yeah, Howard's film? It looked like the rest of 'em: visionless and boring -- a by-the-books effort to bring a screenplay to the screen without letting silly things such as compelling performances or stylistic verve get in the way. Every time I watch a Ron Howard film I feel like I'm watching Spielberg-lite.

[Grouchy]

1. The Dark Knight
2. The Wrestler
3. Let the Right One In
4. WALL-E
5. Aniceto
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
8. Speed Racer
9. Changeling
10. Slumdog Millionaire

[Pop Trash]

Bumped Synecdoche, NY to the top of my list. After a second viewing, further thought and watching the interesting round-table discussion on the DVD extras, I'm even more convinced this film is quite brilliant if emotionally & intellectually devastating/exhausting.

[Boner M]

Could someone add a "VOTING CLOSES 3/18" to the thread title?

A Christmas Tale didn't change anything, but it was still good. More thoughts to come, I guess.

[baby doll]

Premiers:
1. Adoration (Atom Egoyan)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh)
3. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)
4. Le Frontière de l'aube (Philippe Garrel)
5. Burn After Reading (Joel and Ethan Coen)
6. Australia (Baz Luhrmann)
7. The Shaft (Zhang Chi)
8. Trente rock [épisode "Le Jour de la sandwich"] (Don Scardino)
9.
10.Still not sure where to put it on my U.S. release list, but I felt I should make a note of its awesomeness.

[EyesWideOpen]

1. Let the Right One In
2. Wall-E
3. Speed Racer
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. The Dark Knight
6. The Happening
7. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
8. Step Brothers
9. Cloverfield
10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

[thefourthwall]

Added Vicky Christina Barcelona and Let the Right One in--goodbye Australia, goodbye Burn After Reading.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Added Vicky Christina Barcelona and Let the Right One in--goodbye Australia, goodbye Burn After Reading.

You two are killing me.

[dreamdead]

You two are killing me.

Two out of ten in terms of parallel opinions ain't too bad, holmes. :)

I like it well enough, and I suspect that repeat viewings would make the Coens' rapid and vapid characters even more amusing. I suspect I'm underrating this one just like I did The Big Lebowski, but until one of us happens to view it again, which is unlikely in the near future, I have to adhere to my initial opinion, that it's solid if not a trifle bit diverting. Perhaps if it'd have had more of J. K. Simmons' deadpan delivery.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Two out of ten in terms of parallel opinions ain't too bad, holmes. :)

I like it well enough, and I suspect that repeat viewings would make the Coens' rapid and vapid characters even more amusing. I suspect I'm underrating this one just like I did The Big Lebowski, but until one of us happens to view it again, which is unlikely in the near future, I have to adhere to my initial opinion, that it's solid if not a trifle bit diverting. Perhaps if it'd have had more of J. K. Simmons' deadpan delivery.

When you watch it again and realize you were wrong, just send a mea culpa my direction. It'll help ease the pain.

[Hugh_Grant]

Oh, why not...

1. Mamma Mia!
2. The Wrestler
3. The Visitor
4. WALL-E
5. The Reader
6. Tropic Thunder
7. Milk
8. Frost / Nixon
9. In Bruges
10. Slumdog Millionaire

[soitgoes...]

Edited Rachel Getting Married into my Top 10 (Gomorrah out). Also added Zack and Miri Make a Porno on my Bottom 10 (Australia out).

[thefourthwall]

You two are killing me.

Hey, it was there once--it's still number 11, so it's not all bad.

[Ezee E]

Rachel Getting Married could be #1 on this list.

[Boner M]

Rachel Getting Married could be #1 on this list.
Even though I didn't like the film, this would be a nice surprise.

[Ezee E]

Even though I didn't like the film, this would be a nice surprise.
Seems like one thats on a ton of lists. Wall-E will be up there too I figure.

[Spinal]

Last minute edit to include Milk.

[Raiders]

Rachel Getting Married could be #1 on this list.

Not a chance. Just quickly reviewing the thread, I would say The Dark Knight has it by quite a margin.

[origami_mustache]

1. Speed Racer
2. My Winnipeg
3. Still Life
4. Waltz With Bashir
5. Flight of the Red Balloon
6. Pineapple Express
7. The Wrestler
8. Blindness
9. Let the Right One In
10. Milk

[Boner M]

7. Two Lovers
9. Tokyo Sonata
US 2009.

[origami_mustache]

US 2009.

edited

[Ivan Drago]

One last update:

1. The Dark Knight
2. Revolutionary Road
3. Synecdoche, New York
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Cloverfield
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Frost/Nixon
8. W.
9. Burn After Reading
10. Doubt

Removed Valkyrie for Synecdoche. Bottom 6 is the same as the list on the first page.

[Pop Trash]

One last update:

You people are killing Boner. But since you loved S.N.Y. I forgive you.

[Boner M]

Closing this in a few hours, gonna do the tallyin' tonight.

[monolith94]

1. The Fall
2. Speed Racer
3. Wall-E
4. Encounters at the End of the World
5. The Dark Knight
6. In Bruges
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Tropic Thunder
9. Be Kind Rewind
10. Iron Man

[EyesWideOpen]

1. Let the Right One In
2. Wall-E
3. Speed Racer
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. Milk
6. The Dark Knight
7. The Happening
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
9. Step Brothers
10. Cloverfield

Final Update

[Boner M]

Somebody lock this thread, plz?