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Steve's Top
10 of 2008
It may be said every year, though personally I feel 2007 was not a great example, that this last twelve months has been a great one for film. This is true of 2008 where we have been graced with some truly astonishing performances and some wonderful, riveting, engrossing stories. I would have liked to have picked my favourite twenty films for 2008 for thoughtsonfilm, but as we can only honour the ten listed here, it goes without saying that these are some of the best examples of the cinematic art being produced today. Once you get to the lofty heights of the top ten of the year, there is little to choose between them, aside from personal choice and your own individual perspective, so I hope you recognise some of your own favourites amongst them.
Honourable mention: The Escapist, The Duchess, and Man on Wire
10. Slumdog Millionaire: The story of Jamal Malik, a once homeless Indian teenager, who goes onto great things when becoming a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". Directed by Trainspotting's Danny Boyle, the film leaps seamlessly between biography and quiz show, telling the story of Jamal's life as if it's very telling leads up to his moment of ultimate triumph.
9. Burn After Reading: The Coen Brothers take on light-hearted international espionage. When Chad (Brad Pitt) and Linda (Frances McDormand) accidentally come across the memoirs of a CIA agent on a compact disc, they see an opportunity to make a quick killing. What follows is an irreverent rollercoaster of oblique and seemingly abstract events that gel together delightfully. All done with the understanding that no-one should take themselves too seriously, director's included.
8. The Wrestler: Darren Aronofsky directs Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood in this biopic of Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, from glory days of superstardom to nights of solace and regret. The lead role could have been written for Rourke, who pulls off this performance with ease, brilliantly capturing the fragility of the human condition.
7. Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Yes, you can finally believe it. Woody Allen really is back on form. Directing up a storm of performances from Penelopé Cruz, new muse Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem, Allen captures all the beauty of the Mediterranean, then dumps the neurosis of three eclectic and electric individuals as they struggle to co-exist with one another in difficult circumstances.
6. In Bruges: Martin McDonagh both writes and directs this tale of two hitmen hiding out in the lovely and inviting Belgian town of Bruges, after their last job goes a little awry. Full of sharp and witty dialogue, beautiful scenery, a dwarf and guns, what's not to like? Crisp and playful in both word and deed with excellent performances from Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson make this my own guilty pleasure for this year.
5. Milk: In a performance that re-iterates why Sean Penn garners so much respect as an actor, this movie tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office, the rocky road by which he achieved the accolade and the tragic circumstances of his most untimely death, with great support by Josh Brolin, James Franco and Emile Hirsch. Both hopeful and tragic, this is a respectful and moving obituary to a visionary. Directed by Gus Van Sant.
4. Frost/Nixon: Ron Howard takes a series of interviews with a disgraced ex-president and makes high drama. Starring Michael Sheen as broadcaster and playboy David Frost and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon, the tension onscreen is palpable and impossible to tear yourself away from. The performances from both Sheen and Langella are startlingly lucid and it is easy to forget that this acting at all. A master class in timing and direction and written just perfectly for the screen by Peter Morgan.
3. The Reader: The first appearance in my top ten for Kate Winslet, but the second for Ralph Fiennes this year. Stephen Daldry directs this difficult story of a young man's dalliance in Berlin with an older woman during one summer after the end of World War II. When events take an unexpected turn for him and his lover, his life will be changed forever. Wonderful acting from all of the cast make this picture a thing of touching tragedy. The story is effortless and paced superbly, flitting between four startlingly different decades with ease.
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: David Fincher goes mainstream. At just shy of three hours, not one second is wasted. This is truly why Hollywood exists at all. To produce this kind of entertainment is nothing short of inspiring. When Benjamin is born old and grows younger, you simply know that this story will be full of wonder for the viewer. Realised superbly by Fincher, this movie has just about everything any movie fan needs. Soak up every moment and simply let yourself stare in wonder at the complex human patterns unwinding in front of your eyes.
1. Revolutionary Road: Just one paragraph to sum up my film of the year seems impossible. Sam Mendes directs wife Kate Winslet and old friends Leonardo DiCaprio and Kathy Bates in an epic battle royale of fifties suburban domesticity. Both this and Button previously display the ability to accurately pause the human condition for collected moments of brilliant clarity and this is where their appeal for me lies. The juxtaposition of Button's escape into fantasy with a gripping hold on human virtues sits neatly alongside Revolutionary Road's in your face 'reality bites' misery. Where Button offers hope and optimism, Revolutionary Road takes the very notion of such dalliances and crushes it in the fist of one furious and hopeless existence. While they both offer the viewer something remarkable, it is the chord of realism that just slightly wins the day here, though both eminently recognise perfectly the fragile needs, desires and failings of the individual.
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