The Top Ten Films of 2008 - Cross The Streams

This was a difficult list to put together. The goal her was to try and put the obscure with the popular; the accessible with the hard-to-find; the great with the greatest. These are what I thought were the ten best films of 2008. It was a decent year, but there were some great films that came from it. Ram Jams? Magic tricks? Jai Ho! It's all good.

The paper's not letting us do individual top tens this year. This dissapoints me. Everyone seemed to love 'Tropic Thunder' except for me. I'm also not too keen on "Wall-E," bu that a fgfight for later. I'm not a snob, but I happen to like varying films. That's why I wanted put out this list on my own. It's eclectic yo.

Without wasting more time, here's ten to one:

Incredible youth minutiae. A young boy witnesses a horrific accident — which he caused — and life changes in a subtle, yet devastating way. A Gus Van Sant work of art, and half of his real good year. The voice of a new, disconnected generation.

Mickey Rourke hands in what's probably the best role of his life in this super predictable, but incredibly well-executed ram jam of a movie. I never liked Aranofsky until this film. Watch Rourke beg for forgiveness from his audience, and then actually deserve it. 

Like 'The Orphanage' the year before, this is a heart-breaking and heart-ripping mix. A young female vampire and a bullied young boy fall in love in a chilly Sweden. A perfect date movie. And you'll never want to swim again. See it to get it.

Complain all you want about the ending — which belongs on a stage, not a screen — but as a big time drama with a perfect use of Catholic detail, this is a great film. Sure Hoffman and Streep showboat, and they are great, but look out for Viola Davis's beautiful soliloquy about her son. Best 12 minute character of the year.

Perhaps the best documentarian account we'll ever see about Hurricane Katrina. Eat it Anderson Cooper. A couple stays in their home during the worst of the event, and they come out with inspiring video and a life affirming story about hope and dealing with the hand you're dealt with. Too true.

A brilliant character study from Turkey. Within the first few minutes you're hooked as an older man goes hunting for his possible sister in Istanbul. An unfortunately underseen film, find it. Now. It's online and in good quality. Watch-movies.net. I'm not endorsing that site. I'm endorsing this movie.

Another documentary. But what a fascinating, unique and original one it is. This is about an Australian cult known as Kenja where physical energy sharing and musicals are the norm — you can't make that up. This gave me a whole summer of quotes and off behavior as I tried to channel energy from friends with an Aussie accent. I saw this through my internship at a film festival, and I'm sure this won't be seen by many people. But it needs to be. It's bizarre in the best way possible. Wholly original.

While one is a self-reflexive, modern western, and the other is a great and inspiring political fable, each film shares a common thread. They're both great American fiction films with progressive values and perfect leads. Both films are coming at a time of great ideological change, and each film embodies different but admirable idealism that more people could abide by. Go see them at the same time and try not to think of each as fighting brothers.

A modern fantasy that's a truly wonderful experience. This Dickensian masterwork has more charisma and charm than any film from 2008, and it leaves you feeling super optimistic in the end. I think New Yorker had the best joke about this, citing that it could fix the economy it's that positive. Scoff all you want about the game show story, but you'll totally get it when you see it. Guerilla imagery, pulsating music, and a gifted youth cast makes this Boyle's masterwork. Perhaps it was written that it would be this good. 

Little can be said about this total artwork that hasn't already been said. But on a visceral and intellectual level, this film satiates on all grounds. Sure, Heath Ledger steals the show as the Joker, but as a collaborative filmic process, 'Dark Knight' is quite perfect. It was written, performed, shot, edited, designed, scored and released in the best ways. It's not just a comic movie, but so much more. 'Dark Knight' is a superlative production where every grand detail can be appreciated on the screen, this is like a spandex-clad 'Godfather' that gets better with every viewing. A brooding adventure and drama for the ages, 'Dark Knight' is not only the arguable best sequel ever made, but one the finest films ever made too. I know I have a Batman/Chicago/IMAX bias, but at the end of the day, this movie was that good. My initial review said 4.5 out of 5 stars, and well, I was wrong. 

This was the best of 2008.

Did I miss anything? Got a different opinion? Put your lists on the comments. 

Honor Roll:

- Frozen River

- Shine A Light

- CHE: Part One

- You Don't Mess With the Zohan

- Religulous