With the end of the year in front of us, it's natural that we look back at 2008 and reflect. Each day, we'll do another Ten Best list and ask for your picks. Today, it's the Best Movies of 2008. From NowPublic, here is the consensus list of critically acclaimed movies:
1 Slumdog Millionaire
2 Wall-E
3 Milk
4 The Wrestler
5 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6 The Dark Knight
7 Frost/Nixon
8 Doubt
9 Revolutionary Road
10 Rachel Getting Married
I am probably the worst person of the C&L team to do this, since I rarely see movies in the theaters and when I do, they are invariably kid movies that usually don't make anyone's ten best list. This year, however, I can say that Wall-E is deservedly on that list with stunning animation and a surprisingly sophisticated and progressive underlying message. I just saw The Dark Knight on DVD, and thought that with the exception of Heath Ledger's performance, the movie was really overrated. Being from San Francisco, I am really looking forward to seeing Milk (although the events precede my residence here); from the clips I've seen, it's really uncanny how well Sean Penn has channeled Harvey Milk. And although not on this list, just from word of mouth from people whose opinions I respect, I'm also looking forward to the DVD release of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Doubt.
My list of favorite films of 2008 (in alphabetic order): The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; Gone Baby Gone; In Bruges; Iron Man; Mamma Mia (yes, I'm the demographic for this movie and I love Greece and the male eye candy as well -- sue me); Persepolis; Taxi to the Dark Side; The Visitor and Wall-E.
What were your favorites of the year and what films did you think were overrated?
