Rachel’s wedding - the movie lovers’ social event of the year

It was a year where Rachel tied the knot and half brothers fought. Four months, three weeks and two days marked a trying time and living on Revolutionary Road was not sublime. We crossed a frozen river and toasted Milk and had no doubt that we were thrilled by the Joker and his ilk. In the end we fell in love with a trash compactor, his lover in the air and an Indian slumdog millionaire.

This was a very, very difficult year to choose the order of films. I guess I had a soft spot for films that didn’t reach a wider audience this year. Underdogs seem right for the tough 2008. So take all films on the list as equally worth seeing. And as I said for last year’s list, things are subject to change over time and upon seeing films I missed. Last year’s list didn’t change too much, but a few films from 2007 that I saw in 2008 popped onto the top 25 and there were a few more honorable mentions, all films I highly recommend. You can check out the amended list at the bottom of the original ranking if you’d like.

So who knows maybe some of the following films might pop upon the 2008 list once I’ve caught up with them. ALEXANDRA; ANITA O’DAY: THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER; AUSTRALIA; BALLAST; THE BAND VISIT; BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER; BOOGIE MAN: THE LEE ATWATER STORY; BOTTLE SHOCK; BOY A; THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS; BRICK LANE; CADILLAC RECORDS; CHE; A CHRISTMAS TALE; CHOKE; CHOP SHOP; CITY OF EMBERS; DEAR ZACHARY; DEFIANCE; THE DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS; THE EDGE OF HEAVEN; ELEGY; FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON; THE FRONTRUNNERS; FROWNLAND; FUGITIVE PIECES; FUNNY GAMES; A GIRL CUT IN TWO; GRAN TORINO; GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON; HENRY POOLE IS HERE; HONEYDRIPPER; HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE; IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS; I.O.U.S.A.; I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG: KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL; LAKEVIEW TERRACE; THE LAST MISTRESS; THE LUCKY ONES; MAN ON WIRE; MILLIONS (A LOTTERY STORY); MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA; MOMMA’S MAN; MONGOL; MY WINNIPEG; PARANOID PARK; PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL; PRICELESS; THE READER; RED BELT; RELIGULOUS; REPRISE; SHINE A LIGHT; SILENT LIGHT; A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS; TOWELHEAD; TRANSSIBERIAN; TROUBLE THE WATER; VALKYRIE; WENDY & LUCY; THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE; XXY; YELLA; YOUNG@HEART; and ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO are all films I have to see.

So now for the list. These films brought me hours of great entertainment and/or enlightened discussion, and I’m happy to share it with you.

1) RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
When I looked at the fall releases, Jonathan Demme’s family drama didn’t even pique my interest enough to make my list of the top 30 anticipated films of the fall. How anticipation serves us wrong. No film in 2008 filled me with more joy. Rich characters performed by a perfectly cast ensemble, this film has an eye and ear for how real people behave and speak. As the troubled Kym, Anne Hathaway presents a smart, but selfish, young woman whose past keeps her from moving into a better future. Rachel, played with great restraint by Rosemarie DeWitt, is the good sister tired of taking a back seat to the drama of Kym, especially on her wedding day. In great supporting work, Bill Irwin plays their doting father and Debra Winger plays their mother, who feels left out of their lives. The multi-cultural wedding counters the dark family issues with song and happiness. Jenny Lumet’s thoughtful script doesn’t try to solve all the characters’ issues over a weekend and some relationships end up worse than they started. But in the end, we see a path for its characters, one that leads to the healing they need. Fiction takes on a powerful magic when it reflects life accurately. No film from 2008 will cast a bigger spell over you.

2) SHOTGUN STORIES
Here is a fitting pun — SHOTGUN STORIES blew me away. Like RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, the story has truth at its core. This tale of feuding half brothers is like a modern Greek tragedy. Michael Shannon stars as Sonny Hayes, a young man whose father left his mother and two brothers to form a better life with another family. When you think this film is on a runaway course to a certain ending, it finds ways to surprise. Jeff Nichols makes an impressive feature film debut with this Southern gothic tale. Photographed with the same worn beauty that fills the films of David Gordon Green and Terrence Malick, SHOTGUN STORIES is as subtle and beautiful as it can be powerful and tragic. As Roger Ebert described ONCE from last year, this film is one of those films that makes you hold your breath — not because it’s scary, but because its so good that your scared the filmmaker doesn’t know how good it is, and might drive the perfect train off the tracks. Nichols never steers wrong, taking the viewer on a powerful journey, stopping at places they never would have expected.

3) 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS
In my original review of Cristian Mungiu’s masterpiece, I said it’s a film that shakes you with the knowledge that cinema is not dead. As tense and gripping as any thriller, this drama presents a simple scenario that turns out to be anything but simple. Set in Soviet-run Romania, a young woman, with the help of her friend, seeks an abortion. The procedure is illegal and could land both women in jail. Anamaria Marinca gives a remarkably subtle performance as the best friend anyone would ever want. Laura Vasiliu plays the naïve pregnant woman whose own fear and ignorance creates more problems for the duo. Mungiu paces the strategically crafted story with percussion, laying out pieces, which build a tower of tension, leaving the viewer balanced high above, fearful of the fall. As for the subject of abortion, there is no other fictional film that has dealt with the issue with such honesty. It does not choose sides; only observes a very difficult situation where each decision can bring tragedy.

4) REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
This devastating look at the pressure to conform and how that affects marriages is one of the most difficult films of the year. It’s uncomfortable subject matter touches on truths many people wish to mask with any number of vices and lies. The TITANIC couple Leonardo DiCapri and Kate Winslet give powerful adult performances as the conflicted Wheelers, a 1950s “perfect” couple who believe their better than the suburbs and martinis with their bland neighbors. Michael Shannon strongly confirms that he is one of the best character actors working today. All three deserve Oscar nominations for their work. Director Sam Mendes deals with the same middle class malaise like he did in AMERICAN BEAUTY, but without the filter of hopeful fantasy. Justin Haythe’s adaptation of Richard Yates famed novel stripes the complex novel to its core, leaving the audience with a powerful expose nerve.

5) FROZEN RIVER
Courtney Hunt’s directing debut deals with illegal immigration without dealing with illegal immigration. The same can be said about the working poor and the isolation of Native Americans in America. These issues are all present, but they are presented simply as facts in the lives of its characters. Melissa Leo gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Ray Eddy, a woman who can only get part-time work in her New York border town. When her husband runs off with their down payment on a double-wide trailer, she finds herself desperate, and ends up smuggling illegals across the border with trouble Mohawk Lila, played by Misty Upham. The bleak winter setting fits the material well, but that’s not to say the film is a complete downer. The filmmakers understand its characters and their situation, and do not over dramatize or down play their struggles, which many Americans deal with every day. When looking at the story as families doing what they have to to survive, the film can be inspiring, even if things don’t turn out perfect in the end. Lessening the struggle would only do them a disservice.

6) MILK
Arriving in the same year that California banned gay marriage makes Gus Van Sant’s biopic of famed gay rights leader Harvey Milk seem extra poignant. However, its arrival in the year Barack Obama was elected president is equally a serendipitous occurrence. While Milk advocated for the rights of homosexuals, his story of perseverance is also a story of how a community organizer can change more than just his community. In another transformative performance, Sean Penn plays Milk as a helpful soul who is determined to make something of his life. Through his story, we see the ups and downs and gamesmanship of local politics, a sport that Harvey excelled at. Penn is supported by James Franco as his longtime love Scott Smith, Emile Hirsch as activist Cleve Jones, and Josh Brolin as Dan White, Milk’s straight-laced conservative fellow supervisor. If BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN was an intimate gay love portrait, MILK is a gay dramatic epic, featuring a charming central character whose painting on a grander canvas, which shows us the various shades of being gay.

7) DOUBT
Like RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, DOUBT features multiple Oscar-worthy performances. Two-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep, stern and subtly comic, plays Sister Aloysius, a nun certain that her new parish priest Father Flynn, played with heart and passion by Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, has commit sexual abuse on a child. However, her certainty is not based on facts. She governs with her gut. The innocent Sister James, played sweetly by former Oscar-nominee Amy Adams, is caught between the two dynamic characters. Then about midway through Viola Davis shows up as the boy’s mother, and reveals secrets that change everything. Her 12-minute performance is a showstopper. John Patrick Shanley’s subtly constructed drama never spells out what really happened, allowing the audience to deal with their own feelings of doubt. While the film addresses directly the intolerance of blind faith, the film stretches beyond the boundaries of religion into our daily lives with a simple message from the Bible — Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged…”

8) THE DARK KNIGHT
Without a doubt THE DARK KNIGHT is the best superhero movie ever made. With all the attention going to Heath Ledger’s fiery performance as the Joker, other, subtler, work has been overlooked. Bale feels right at home as both Bruce Wayne and the Caped Crusader. His battle with right and wrong is far more complex than simple good and evil. Aaron Eckhart’s dedicated DA Harvey Dent is just a pawn in the Joker’s twisted scheme to warp the good people of Gotham into losing their morality. Gary Oldman brings needed humanity into the midst of these larger than life characters. Christopher Nolan’s actioner is more like an adult crime drama than a comic book entertainment. The plot twists and turns perfectly, retaining the same thrills upon repeated viewings and revealing nuance missed upon the first ride. For those who look deeper, the story has modern political implications that are more nuanced than many films that deal with the same issues directly come close to accomplishing. Superheroes aren’t just kids’ stuff anymore.

9) WALL•E
With last year’s RATATOUILLE and now WALL•E, Pixar is proving that they are only getting better. On an intellectual level WALL•E didn’t hit me as profoundly as RATATOUILLE, but emotionally it gripped me completely. The nearly silent beginning is pure movie magic, reminding reviewers that dialogue sometimes allows us to drift away from how performance and visuals tell the story. WALL•E’s sweet romance with the slick robot Eve is the best love story of 2008 by far. Set as a backdrop to this romantic comedy is a biting satire of gross consumerism, where humans have destroyed the planet and grown so large that they have lost the ability to move around on their own. In bringing these characters of metal to life, the animators should be up for acting awards for some of the most moving performances of the year. When other studios are content with only serving children junk, Pixar cooks up something worthy of any cinematic palate.

10) SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
This Dickensian love story has won the hearts of those who have seen it. This Bollywood epic, directed by Danny Boyle, chronicles the life of slumdog Jamal Malik and how it has led him to the final question on India’s WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? This classic underdog story is a magical and moving tour of the various social levels in modern India told through the coming-of-age story of an orphan, his gangster brother and the orphan’s one true love. Boyle cuts this romantic drama with an electric pace that makes one easily forget they are reading an innovative form of subtitles. Dev Patel gives a subtle and charming performance as the older Jamal and Freida Pinto is a captivating screen beauty as Jamal’s true love Latika. While there is a darkness contained in this story, you will be left feeling great joy. It is overcoming hardship that invigorates us, and Jamal is the kind of good soul that we so desperately want to win.

11) LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
When it comes to ties on my top 25 list, I try to keep the films to thematic similarities when they would arrive on the list about the same place. I so desperately wanted to get this Swedish gem into my top ten, but the ten films above it are nothing like it. There are very few films like it. One of the best vampire films ever made, this horror film mixes scares with a sweet young romance. Oskar is bullied mercilessly at school and his divorced parents are no comfort. So when he meets a lonely 12-year-old vampire he might have just met his soul mate. When it comes to bullies that want to drown you, going steady with a vampire is a great bonus. This film is just as good as any other films in my top ten.

12-tie) STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE & TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
While TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE won the Oscar last year for Best Documentary, it didn’t arrive in theaters until 2008. Much like NO END IN SIGHT did last year with the missteps in the Iraq War, this film takes a somber and sobering point-by-point look at America’s new policies on torture. Errol Morris’ STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE deals with the same subject, focusing its attention on the infamous Abu Ghraib pictures, uncovering the complex story of the who and why from those that were there. These documentaries are required viewing for all Americans.

13) THE VISITOR
Another 2008 film that deals with the issue of illegal immigration, this joy-filled drama is a heartfelt story of second chances and friendship and music. Like RACHEL GETTING MARRIED and DOUBT, it has Oscar-worthy performances from all its leads, especially Richard Jenkins.

14) FROST/NIXON
Ron Howard’s dramatization of the famed David Frost/Richard Nixon interviews creates a compelling boxing match between two men desperate to revamp their tarnished images. Led by Frank Langella’s powerful interpretation of Nixon, this true-life story subtly comments on our current entertainment-fueled news and tarnished presidency.

15) IRON MAN
Along with THE DARK KNIGHT and SPIDER-MAN 2, IRON MAN sits at the pinnacle of superhero movies. Robert Downey Jr.’s charming performance as the war-profiteer turned superhero has revitalized his career and given audiences one of the most memorable screen superheroes power in and out of costume.

16) IN BRUGES
This overlooked dark comedy from the beginning of 2008 put two assassins on holiday in Bruges after a job goes wrong. Biting performances from Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes make this quirky crime tale one of my oddball favorites of the year.

17) SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
The writer of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, Charlie Kaufman, is let loose on his own material, crafting a maddeningly fascinating ode to identity crisis. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and a wonderfully understated Samantha Morton, this id-fueled nightmare is like Woody Allen meets Franz Kafka.

18) TELL NO ONE
From actor/director Guillaume Canet comes the best thriller of 2008. Francois Cluzet plays a doctor whose wife goes missing and then seems to resurface mysteriously. Mixing a murder mystery with a wrong man suspense flick, this French production will keep you guessing until the conclusion, and hoping for a happy ending.

19) THE WRESTLER
Darren Aronofsky’s behind-the-scenes look at pro wrestling truly captures the punishment these modern-day gladiators endure for their fans. Mickey Rourke’s soul baring performance as Randy “The Ram” Robinson is supported by great work from Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood.

20) HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
In a year of signature performances, Sally Hawkins in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY  is the most blissful. As the perpetually positive Poppy, she sets out to make everyone, including the audience, happier. But Eddie Marsan’s brilliantly bitter driving instructor poses a difficult task for our happy heroine. It’s 2008’s sure cure for the blues.

21) AUTISM: THE MUSICAL
Don’t let the title fool you. This moving documentary about an L.A. theater project for autistic children is one of the best films I’ve ever seen on the disorder.

22) BLINDNESS
Possibly too bleak and disturbing for most audiences, Fernando Meirelles’ challenging sci-fi drama had me thinking for days. Led by a brave performance from Julianne Moore as the only sighted person in a world of the blind, this allegorical story deals with far more complex issues than one might think from the one-sentence premise.

23) WALTZ WITH BASHIR
Ari Folman’s animated documentary chronicles the filmmaker’s journey of self-discovery after he realizes he has no memories of his time serving in the Israeli army when they occupied Lebanon. This innovative foreign-language film pushes the boundaries of what animation can be and how it can be used as an effective narrative style that only enhances the story.

24) BURN AFTER READING
The Coen Brothers hilarious spy spoof twists and turns like any spy thriller, but makes you wonder what is this really all about? George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, and Richard Jenkins all give first-rate performances in this dark satire.

25) FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
This “lowbrow” comedy has richer characters and smarts than many dramas. Star and writer Jason Segel establishes himself as a real talent in his honest portrait of what leads to couples breaking up.

Honorable mentions go to:
APPALOOSA
BALLET SHOES
CHANGELING
CHICAGO 10
CLOVERFIELD
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DIARY OF THE DEAD
DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO!
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF WORLD
THE FALL
HANCOCK
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
KUNG FU PANDA
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
RECOUNT
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES
SON OF RAMBOW
SPEED RACER
STOP-LOSS
STUCK
TEETH
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
W.

Amendment

1) Rachel Getting Married
2) Shotgun Stories
3) 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
4) Revolutionary Road
5) Frozen River
6) Milk
7) Doubt
8) The Dark Knight
9) WALL•E
10) Slumdog Millionaire
11) Let the Right One In
12) Man on Wire (Added 1/1/10)
13) Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (Added 1/1/10)
14-tie) Standard Operating Procedure
14-tie) Taxi to the Dark Side
15) The Visitor
16) Frost/Nixon
17) Iron Man
18) In Bruges
19) Synecdoche, New York
20) Tell No One
21) The Wrestler
22) Happy-Go-Lucky
23) The Reader (Added 1/1/10)
24) Autism: The Musical
25) Blindness

Honorable Mentioned
Appaloosa
Ballet Shoes
The Band’s Visit (Added 1/1/10)
Burn After Reading
Changeling
Chicago 10
The Class (Added 1/1/10)
Cloverfield
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Diary of the Dead
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!
Encounters at the End of the World
The Fall
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Gran Torino (Added 1/1/10)
Hancock
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The Incredible Hulk
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I.O.U.S.A. (Added 1/1/10)
Kung Fu Panda
Lakeview Terrace (Added 1/1/10)
Quantum of Solace
Recount
Religulous (Added 1/1/10)
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
The Secret Life of Bees
Son of Rambow
Speed Racer
Stop-Loss
Stuck
Teeth
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
W.
Waltz with Bashir
Young @ Heart (Added 1/1/10)