I've Seen Them All (Almost) - Part 2
In my opinion, the following are the 5 Best Films of 2008:
5. THE WRESTLER 
I can’t stand sports where the competitor is deliberately hurt by the other to win points, e.g., boxing and wrestling. This is the reason why I had no plan of watching The Wrestler. I couldn’t care less about Mickey Rourke’s much-raved performance in this film. This movie, however, has earned so much buzz and it’s directed by one of my favorite directors, Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem For A Dream). I then decided I had to watch the film and I’m glad I did. Yes, Mickey Rourke’s performance is indeed one of the best in 2008. Although there were some moments of gore that I almost couldn’t stand watching, the unsympathetic feel of the film for the lead character was all that I could remember and it was good. Only few are given second chances.
What surprised me most watching this film were the goings-on at the back stage before and after each match.
Director: Darren Aronofsky / Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
4. FROZEN RIVER
This tale of survival and making choices showcases Melissa Leo’s subtle yet sustained performance, which is easily one the year’s best. This is a kind of film that made me feel the two main characters, the unlikely duo of two mothers – a single mother raising her two sons and Mohawk woman whose child was taken away from her after birth. Their first meeting was all wrong; however, out of desperation they forged a partnership and plunged into the dangerous trade of human smuggling. How the film reached the point where one unexpected choice would be expected to change their lives forever is the marvel of this small film.
Director: Courtney Hunt / Cast: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham
3. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
The film tells the struggle of a young couple (Frank and April Wheeler) who live in a picture perfect Connecticut suburb in the 1950s. The film develops in a calculated pacing as the couple come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their kids.
It’s not easy to like this film. I understand those who didn’t. The film is as depressing as the book. I read the book by Richard Yates from which it was adapted three months before I watched the film. Yates was so good in writing the story that the depressing undertone it left me was almost indelible for days. I have no complaint on the adaptation. Reading the book made me appreciate more the efforts poured by the director, the writer and actors to make the film work. The lead actors did equally intense performances that are worth the raves they’re getting. The film is depressing and that’s the point. It’s a good film, after all. I guess I’m not alone in this.
Director: Sam Mendes / Cast: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kathy Bates
2. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
There is not much I can add to all the praises (and misses) bestowed onto the film that landed in most of the best films lists of 2008. The film’s premise is simple. An uneducated slum boy joined India’s edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? He was not concerned on the big prize. His reason for joining as contestant in the most watched show in India was far bigger and more important than the millions he could win. The show went on, questions after question, as we learned about Jamal’s story.
The ability of film to make audience hold back or let their tears burst is never an indication of good film. This film, however, was so good that it got me involved without really meaning to.
I just love this film. The masterful cinematography captured the feel and atmosphere of the slums as well as the emotions of the characters. Even the film’s score successfully helped set the mood of every scene.
I sensed that the India shown in Slumdog Millionaire is the same India described by Aravind Adiga in The White Tiger. That’s impressive.
Director: Danny Boyle / Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto
1. IN BRUGES
In Bruges is a dark yet funny film, a character study that can also qualify as a thriller. In my humble opinion, it’s the best film of 2008.
Two Irish hit men, a sympathetic old timer and a young hothead who had just learned the trade, were sent by a Dublin crime lord to Bruges after a successful assignment that went wrong. Bruges, declared the old timer after reading the guide he bought, is the best-preserved medieval city in Belgium. There, they were supposed to lie low while waiting for a new assignment that both had found intriguing.
I liked the placement of these hoodlums in the maze of winding cobbled alleys and romantic canals in the medieval atmosphere of Bruges. Whether Bruges would be a stopover or their final destination depended on that call they had been waiting. The brief escapades and encounters occurred as the story and characters developed, which led the film to a conclusion that was more likely driven by the characters’ ethical choices rather than forced by the plot.
Director: Martin McDonagh / Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes
I can’t stand sports where the competitor is deliberately hurt by the other to win points, e.g., boxing and wrestling. This is the reason why I had no plan of watching The Wrestler. I couldn’t care less about Mickey Rourke’s much-raved performance in this film. This movie, however, has earned so much buzz and it’s directed by one of my favorite directors, Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem For A Dream). I then decided I had to watch the film and I’m glad I did. Yes, Mickey Rourke’s performance is indeed one of the best in 2008. Although there were some moments of gore that I almost couldn’t stand watching, the unsympathetic feel of the film for the lead character was all that I could remember and it was good. Only few are given second chances.
What surprised me most watching this film were the goings-on at the back stage before and after each match.
Director: Darren Aronofsky / Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
4. FROZEN RIVER
This tale of survival and making choices showcases Melissa Leo’s subtle yet sustained performance, which is easily one the year’s best. This is a kind of film that made me feel the two main characters, the unlikely duo of two mothers – a single mother raising her two sons and Mohawk woman whose child was taken away from her after birth. Their first meeting was all wrong; however, out of desperation they forged a partnership and plunged into the dangerous trade of human smuggling. How the film reached the point where one unexpected choice would be expected to change their lives forever is the marvel of this small film.
Director: Courtney Hunt / Cast: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham
3. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
The film tells the struggle of a young couple (Frank and April Wheeler) who live in a picture perfect Connecticut suburb in the 1950s. The film develops in a calculated pacing as the couple come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their kids.
It’s not easy to like this film. I understand those who didn’t. The film is as depressing as the book. I read the book by Richard Yates from which it was adapted three months before I watched the film. Yates was so good in writing the story that the depressing undertone it left me was almost indelible for days. I have no complaint on the adaptation. Reading the book made me appreciate more the efforts poured by the director, the writer and actors to make the film work. The lead actors did equally intense performances that are worth the raves they’re getting. The film is depressing and that’s the point. It’s a good film, after all. I guess I’m not alone in this.
Director: Sam Mendes / Cast: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kathy Bates
2. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
There is not much I can add to all the praises (and misses) bestowed onto the film that landed in most of the best films lists of 2008. The film’s premise is simple. An uneducated slum boy joined India’s edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? He was not concerned on the big prize. His reason for joining as contestant in the most watched show in India was far bigger and more important than the millions he could win. The show went on, questions after question, as we learned about Jamal’s story.
The ability of film to make audience hold back or let their tears burst is never an indication of good film. This film, however, was so good that it got me involved without really meaning to.
I just love this film. The masterful cinematography captured the feel and atmosphere of the slums as well as the emotions of the characters. Even the film’s score successfully helped set the mood of every scene.
I sensed that the India shown in Slumdog Millionaire is the same India described by Aravind Adiga in The White Tiger. That’s impressive.
Director: Danny Boyle / Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto
1. IN BRUGES
In Bruges is a dark yet funny film, a character study that can also qualify as a thriller. In my humble opinion, it’s the best film of 2008.
Two Irish hit men, a sympathetic old timer and a young hothead who had just learned the trade, were sent by a Dublin crime lord to Bruges after a successful assignment that went wrong. Bruges, declared the old timer after reading the guide he bought, is the best-preserved medieval city in Belgium. There, they were supposed to lie low while waiting for a new assignment that both had found intriguing.
I liked the placement of these hoodlums in the maze of winding cobbled alleys and romantic canals in the medieval atmosphere of Bruges. Whether Bruges would be a stopover or their final destination depended on that call they had been waiting. The brief escapades and encounters occurred as the story and characters developed, which led the film to a conclusion that was more likely driven by the characters’ ethical choices rather than forced by the plot.
Director: Martin McDonagh / Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes
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