1. The Dark Knight
4 Heath Ledger’s tour-de-force performace as Joker. The eyes, walk, cadence and licking of lips. Wow! Give this guy an Oscar.
4 Strong supporting cast that adds gravity to the film, especially Aaron Eckart and Gary Oldman. Talk about fully-fleshed out characters
4 Christopher Nolan brings us great action sequences and a great story with some powerful messages about anarchy and the human condition
2. Wall-E
4 The beginning of the film is like a stylish silent film reminiscent of Chaplin’s early work. A brave idea for a family cartoon.
4 Some spot-on commentary on consumerism, the environment and survival.
4 So cute! The beautiful intimacy of holding hands still makes me smile and little misty eyed. A nice change of pace from our oversexualitzed culture.
3. Slumdog Millionaire 4 You can’t go wrong with an uplifting, inspirational tale that teaches that love will always be better than money. 4 The superb child acting, especially Ayush Mahesh Khedekar. You wanna take the kid home with you. 4 Danny Boyle’s cinematography and editing is captivating from beginning to end. 4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 4 David Fincher makes three hours fly by with compelling storytelling and beautifully dark visuals in this fantasy-driven epic. 4 Brad Pitt does amazing work as Button but don’t forget Taraji P. Henson as the only person who truly accepts Ben from the start. 4 Compliments to the make-up crew for aging Pitt & Blanchett and then making Brad look like his Thelma & Louise days. Such an important aspect for a film with a running commentary on aging. 5. Cloverfield 4 An ingenious concept of filming a monster movie from only the protagonist’s point of view. Less is sometimes more. 4 While the camera work is shaky, it’s completely justified and keeps you in each dizzying moment. Much better than The Blair Witch Project. 4 TJ Miller does an excellent job of providing comments that are filled with both sarcasm and dread. I was rooting for him the whole time. 6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall 4 Jason Segel plays the perfect everyday schlub you want to root for, even if you have to look at his penis for a couple of minutes. 4 Segel wrote a very funny script with some great jabs at relationships and the media, but there is still an emotional anchor to the story. 4 The supporting cast from the Judd Apatow gang and various TV comedies bring lots of flavour to this already rich script. 7. Iron Man 4 Robert Downey Jr’s natural charisma makes this movie what it is. He embodies the fun and emotional sides of Tony Stark. 4 Surprising great work from Gwyneth Paltrow, with some fun sexual tension. The helping robots are pretty fun too. 4 Jon Favreau does a great job of making Iron Man accessible to those who don’t know much about the superhero. 8. Frost/Nixon 4 Frank Langella is captivating as Nixon. Michael Sheen is impressive as Frost. Talk about power-house performances! 4 The interviews are a beautifully choreographed boxing match of dialogue. Not only the words but also the stares. 4 A stellar supporting cast of Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell and Kevin Bacon. It’s all about the acting people! 9. Horton Hears a Who 4 Stunning animation from Blue Sky Studios, the guys behind Ice Age. The field of clover flowers is amazing. 4 Excellent voice acting from Jim Carrey, Steve Carell and Will Arnett who make sure their antics serve the story over getting laughs. 4 Appreciate an animated film that is directed at kids without having to result to more adult situations to please older audiences. 10. Yes Man 4 A fun concept that may not be Liar, Liar worthy but works well, nonetheless. 4 Jim Carrey is back to form and Zooey Deschanel holds her own with a fun performance. Nice chemistry. 4 Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, especially during a scene that involves a favourite Third Eye Blind song.
1 comment:
I'm T.J. Thanks for the shout out. For reals. Happy New Year.
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