The Pre Top Ten

I am very close in revealing my absolutely positively no doubt about it best films of 2008 within the week. In the mean time here is a list of films that didn't quite make the list but still warranted a mention.

The Reader: Hands down my favorite Best Picture contender (Although I've yet to see "Milk) I hesitated seeing this film as it sounded like yet another holocaust film, yet I was deeply moved by the story and the performances. Kate Winslet gives a complex performances as a former SS guard who begins with an affair with a young man. The story raises some strong questions concerning passing judgement and forgiveness of another persons crimes, and it does not sugar coat any of the solutions. Strongly acted by all involved.

The Dark Knight: A darker more complex look into a super hero genre made for a more gratifying and entertaining super hero movie. The film dares to cover depths other super hero films never tried and succeeds by giving us a more flawed hero, and perhaps the most charismatic Joker ever put on screen as portrayed by Heath Ledger. The film became this years must see movie and it never gave up on its thrills and surprises till the very end.

Man on Wire: A Shoe in for Best Documentary at the Oscars, this film plays like a heist film as it follows the story of frenchman Phillipp Petit when in the late 70s he succeeded in hanging a wire between the two World Trade Centers and then proceeded to walk across it. The film is an interesting tale of one man's obsession to achieve his dream, and the ingenious task it took for it come into fruition.

Flight of the Red Balloon: A charming story set in Paris inspired by the classic short film "The Red Balloon". This film feature Juliet Binoche in another wonderful performance as a workaholic mother who's son finds magic and wonder with a red balloon that seems to follow him through Paris. She gets some help with a nanny who is a student film maker and watches the son. The film may seem somewhat mundane at first viewing, but it has a certain quietness rarely seen in a children's film.

Up the Yangtze/Still Life: Two films concerning the flooding of the Yangtze river in China and the effect it has on the people who's homes are flooded away forever. One is a documentary concerning a family who's home is lost and must force their daughter to work for a cruise ship that travels up the river. The other film is the story of two people trying to find lost loves among the ruins of China as the river levels continues to rise. Both are powerful in their own way.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A technical achievement more than anything, but this mainstream movie doesn't hide the fact that it's all about death, but there is something very sweet and sublime in what this film is trying to say. Perhaps the most delicate and heartfelt movie Hollywood came out with this year.

Shine a Light: Martin Scorsese's concert film concerning the Rolling Stones made a believer out of me that the legendary rock group is still a force to be reckoned with, and despite all the "Old Men" jokes throughout the years, these guys still know how to put on a pretty good show. One of the most entertaining times I had at the movies this year.

Appaloosa: Perhaps I had no right in enjoying this film as much as I did. Although this western doesn't try to re imagine the cowboy film in any way it still remains entertaining if a bit slow at times. Ed Harris and Viggo Mortenssen play guns for hire and best friends who stroll into town one day to clean it up. Enough said, but the film spends more time on its characters than it does on the action which is perhaps why I liked it so much.

The Wrestler: A nice gritty character piece for Mickey Rourke who gives one of the best performances of the year by anyone. Rourke plays a former pro-wrestler who is coming to terms with the fact that he's entering the twilight of his life a broken man who is alone. Marisa Tomei is top notch as the stripper who befriends him, and could someone tell me why that Bruce Springsteen song did not get nominated?

Standard Operating Procedure: Errol Morris' latest concerning the graphic photographs taken inside Abu Ghraib prison, but Morris does more than just show us the people who took the picture as well as the ones who performed the unspeakable acts, he deconstructs the images like an investigator to give us a full picture as to what all when down in the prison. A fascinating and disturbing study.

2008 may go down as not being a very strong film year, but I would just like to say that I wouldn't be surprised to see any of these films on anyones top ten list. And as you can see, I still have ten more to go. Stay Tuned.