TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2008

Ok, I realize this list is coming about a month and a half (or more) too late for anyone to really care. Even with the extra time I still didn't get to every movie on my to-see list. This may not be among my strongest top 10 lists, but those top four can hold up to any other year. Let's get to it.

1. The Dark Knight
The Academy may have dropped the ball, but The Dark Knight is still the movie of 2008. Sure, Heath Ledger's Joker is already one of the greatest movie villains of all time, and yes, Christopher Nolan managed to make perhaps the most politically resonant movie of the year using comic book characters. But the real reason The Dark Knight is my #1 is because when you rewatch it, and see how all the instantly iconic scenes build and build for two and a half hours, it's clear what the movie is: a classic.

2. Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog may just be the straight-up most enjoyable movie of the year. Blending Dickensian storytelling, Bollywood dancing, and just the tiniest dash of neorealism, it ends up transcending all labels. All those torture and eye-removal scenes just make the fairy tale ending all the more satisfying.

3. Wall-E
The other brilliant blockbuster of 2008, Wall-E somehow managed to be a biting critique of civilization while simultaneously showing hope for humanity...and did so with robots in love. With only a few well-placed "Waaaall Eee"s and "Eeeeeeevaaaas" for dialogue, Wall-E and Eve were the most touching couple of the year. Pixar has animated many things - fish, cars, toys - but it was the low-vocabulary robots that really came alive.

4. Milk
How often does a movie make you want to go out and take action at exactly the right moment in history to do so? The passing of Proposition 8 may have given a somewhat tragic air to Milk, showing how little has changed in the past 30 years. But there's just so much hope, and belief in the power of the political process, that you know Harvey Milk's story isn't over yet.

5. The Wrestler
For me, The Wrestler is at its most powerful in that final scene. We've gotten to know Randy so well and seen so much of his life in the past two hours, that we know exactly what that final Ram Slam means to him, heading into that heartbreaking Springsteen title song. A look at the fakery of pro wrestling and a career-best Marisa Tomei add to the movie's greatness, but it's Mickey Rourke's incredible performance that anchors it.

6. Revolutionary Road
Revolutionary Road may be the anti-Titanic, bitterly showing the dissolution of love instead of its beginning, but what better way to take advantage of the chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet? Forget Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt, this was the powerhouse acting battle to watch in 2008. With beautiful production values and a scene-stealing turn by Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road shows how to turn an unadaptable literary novel into a great film.

7. Synecdoche, New York
This movie is so deeply flawed that I can't wholly stand behind it. The second half doesn't even make any sense. But the parts that do work are just so brilliant that it's impossible to ignore. Whether a surrealist comedy, a serious meditation on life and death, or a brainteasing puzzle, Synecdoche, NY was easily the most original movie of the year. And confusion goes down a whole lot easier with such a talented ensemble cast.

8. Rachel Getting Married
It's not just the handheld camera that makes you feel like you really attended this wedding. As dysfunctional as it may be, the family feels more believable than in any Hollywood wedding movie I've seen. Black sheep Kym could easily shatter that authenticity, but Anne Hathaway plays her so genuinely that you believe every drug-addled story about her you hear. Playing against type never felt so good.

9. Frost/Nixon
The better of the two theatrical adaptations, Frost/Nixon wins by taking advantage of the screen. The "how he did it" before the interview is engaging enough, but it's the key moment when Nixon falters that makes the movie. Like all good history tales, it works past and present: Frank Langella will make you completely rethink Nixon while letting you imagine what it would be like if someone nailed Bush the same way.

10. Burn After Reading
The Coen Brothers love to play with old Hollywood genres, replacing Bogart with The Dude in The Big Lebowski. Well, here the concept was "what if we took a spy movie and made the McGuffin worthless?" Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and the rest of the top notch cast take that concept and run with it, making for one of the Coens' funniest movies. CIA Chief JK Simmons' line pretty much sums it up, "Report back to me when it...you know...makes sense." That wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Best Picture: The Dark Knight
Runners-Up: Slumdog Millionaire, Wall-E, Milk

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Runners-Up: Sean Penn, Milk; Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Runner-Up: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Runners-Up: Emile Hirsch, Milk; Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Runners-Up: Samantha Morton, Synecdoche, NY; Viola Davis, Doubt

Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Runners-Up: Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight; Gus Van Sant, Milk

Best Original Screenplay: Rachel Getting Married
Runners-Up: Milk, Wall-E

Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Runners-Up: The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon

Best Animated Film: Wall-E

Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Runners-Up: The Dark Knight, Milk

Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Runners-Up: The Dark Knight, Wall-E

Best Original Song: "The Wrestler," The Wrestler
Runners-Up: "Down to Earth," Wall-E; "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire

Oscar Overload

As it has the past few years, AMC is doing a marathon of all five Best Picture nominees on the day before the Oscars, February 21st. The schedule goes like this:

10:30 AM Milk
1:05 PM The Reader
3:45 PM The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7:15 PM Slumdog Millionaire
9:45 PM Frost/Nixon

I'm personally not sure who would really want to subject themselves to this kind of a marathon. At least two of the movies (The Reader, Benjamin Button) are way too heavy to make you want to watch more, and they come in the first half.

Though if Benjamin Button isn't going to end the marathon, following it with Slumdog is a good choice. No better way to wake up from the Brad Pitt slumber than with Slumdog's fast cutting, fun music, and hopeful story. And I like Milk as a starter, since it gets you excited despite its downer of an ending. Sad though that so few will end up making it to Frost/Nixon.

So, if over 12 hours of super-serious Oscarbait is your idea of a good time, click the link above. If, like me, you think that sounds kind of like torture, then best start catching the best pic nominees now.

What to See on Jewish Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! TBS will be airing its yearly 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story at 8 PM tonight. I've actually never seen it, so maybe I'll check it out this year. But today I'd like to talk about one of my favorite holidays: Jewish Christmas. For those of you unfamiliar with Jewish Christmas, you celebrate it by eating Chinese food and seeing a movie. Now, you might ask, "Mah nishtah nah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot?" [Why is this night different from any other night?] After all, my family eats Chinese food and sees movies all the time. But Jewish Christmas makes that a holiday, and that's special.

Now, as I did on Thanksgiving, I've got some advice on what movie to see. Once again, the movie selection is pretty weak, with most mainstream movies looking like the cinematic equivalent of a lump of coal. Yes Man and Bedtime Stories do nothing for me, while Seven Pounds and The Spirit have gotten reviews terrible enough to curdle your egg nog. So while I can't vouch for (or even recommend) some of the movies on this list, they're at least worth considering.

Slumdog Millionaire

It was my #1 pick for Thanksgiving, and it's still my #1 pick for Christmas. But unlike a month ago, Slumdog has now expanded to the point where I was able to see it again in Virginia yesterday. If you haven't seen it, you'll have fun and feel good. Even if you have, a rewatching is more worthwhile than Yes Man.

Marley & Me

A PG-rated movie with Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, and a dog? That's a big no thanks for me, but it's a logical choice. It's based on a super popular book, has two likable stars, and looks the most tolerable of the family movies. The reviews may be mixed, but they're certainly not terrible. If you can stand the trailer, you might want to check it out.

Valkyrie

The image of a one-eyed Tom Cruise leading a team to go kill Hitler is definitely silly. But silly might be preferable to all the super serious Oscarbait in theaters. Its solid Rotten Tomatoes score of 60% means it isn't the bomb we feared (that would be The Spirit at 14%). If your hatred of Tom Cruise doesn't turn you off, this could be a fun way to spend the holiday.

Frost/Nixon

Usually, the last thing you want during the holiday is politics. But this is surprisingly entertaining, filled with humor and wit. Yes, it's Oscarbait, but it's on a different level from the dour seriousness of Benjamin Button and Doubt. With such weak mainstream movies this year, Frost/Nixon may be a nice compromise.

Milk

This was also on my Thanksgiving list, and like Slumdog has since expanded further. It's still in pretty limited release (not playing in Virginia), but I've heard it's amazing. Still, a political movie about civil rights that ends with a death might not be the holiday cheer you were looking for.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Releasing wide on Christmas day, this epic tale of a backwards-aging man (Brad Pitt) will get a lot of attention. A big, epic tearjerker brings together the whole family, and women can enjoy Brad Pitt. But consider: It's nearly three hours long, it's incredibly slow, and it's really not that good. Still, the movie's Rotten Tomatoes score of 77% shows I may be alone on my opinion, so you may want to see for yourselves.

Doubt

Another very serious movie I didn't love (review coming soon), Doubt doesn't make for a fun trip to the movies. It may be well short of Benjamin Button's running time, but its slow pace nearly put me to sleep. Still, its great performances will get Oscar attention. And Meryl Streep vs. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a battle worth paying to see. It will expand enough tomorrow to find easily enough. It's not my first choice for Oscarbait, but it is an option.

And the Rest...

Yes Man's trailers make me want to bludgeon myself. The Day the Earth Stood Still may induce an Independence Day marathon to remember what a good alien movie looks like. Seven Pounds, well, I've covered that. The Tale of Despereaux and Bedtime Stories seem like they're just for kids. Instead of seeing The Spirit, just watch Sin City again. The Wrestler, The Reader, and Gran Torino are all better options, but are all in super limited release.

Whatever you choose, enjoy the holidays!

Movie Review: Frost/Nixon

Grade: A-

When Richard Nixon left the presidency, he was on the outs with America. By abusing his power and continuing an unpopular war, Nixon gravely injured the American people's faith in government. Sound familiar? It does seem convenient that Frost/Nixon, a film about interviewing an unpopular president, came out the very week that President Bush began his exit interviews. Although based on a play, the timing of the release makes the film a nice bit of wish fulfillment that Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams, or any of the others may do the same for us.

David Frost, as played by Michael Sheen (Tony Blair in The Queen), is not the 1970s equivalent of our current newsmen. Hosting a low-grade show in Australia when not picking up women on airplanes, Frost seems more the 1970s Russell Brand. Yet despite his unlikely resume and complete lack of political convictions, he scores an interview with Nixon in 1977, three years after Nixon's resignation. With none of the networks biting, Frost has to raise money to put the interviews on air himself. Over the course of four lengthy interviews, Nixon uses Frost as a platform to reclaim his image. Until a final, incredible showdown in which Frost gets a reaction from Nixon that America had been waiting to hear.

I admit I'm at somewhat of a disadvantage reviewing the movie, having not seen the play or the original Frost/Nixon tapes. But as far as I can tell, Peter Morgan (The Queen, The Last King of Scotland) has done an excellent job adapting his own play. The writing is clever, witty, and quite funny throughout. With one exception, which I'll get to later, the movie does not show its theatrical roots too deeply. Documentary-style segments, in which characters comment on the events to the camera, do not jive tonally with the rest of the movie. But whenever the action unfolds, the dialogue is uniformly top-notch.

The acting is stellar throughout. Like in The Queen, Sheen has what at first seems a thankless part, underplaying against the flashier, awards-getting role. Yet he does a lot with a little, especially in reaction shots. In the final showdown, each close-up captures his surprise and excitement through his smallest movements. The transition to film has clearly helped him in creating a subtle yet powerful character. The supporting cast features many familiar character actors, including Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Toby Jones, and Rebecca Hall. They all move the story forward and have their moments, but keep the focus on the two leads.

But the actor you came to see is Frank Langella as Nixon. Langella won a Tony for the role, but the part should not work on film. Nixon speaks almost entirely in monologues and demands the kind of hammy performance that plays well in the balconies. Yet not only does Langella make the part work for film, but he dominates every second he is onscreen. Much like Josh Brolin in W, he does not go for a straight-up impression. Yes, the deep growl and the jowl-shaking are there. But in digging deeper, he makes all those surface tics seem effortless. His Nixon is a talkative, intelligent, and pathetic man who wants people to like him and is frustrated that they won't. With his racist remarks and underhanded insults, you won't want to give him a hug. But even more so than Brolin's George W. Bush, Langella creates enormous sympathy for this largely unsympathetic figure.  

While the writing and acting is strong, I did question the approach Ron Howard took in directing. While the first two thirds of the movie are certainly enjoyable, they come across as rather light. Howard seems afraid to bore his audience with a political film, repeatedly relying on the script's humor and playing up sports metaphors. Not until the final showdown does the movie really have an impact. With a bright color palette and an intense but ever-present Hans Zimmer score, the mood is very much typical Hollywood. Which is a shame, because the story has the makings of a journalism classic like fellow Nixon film All the President's Men or, more recently, Good Night and Good Luck. Like both of those, Frost/Nixon shows a time when journalists made a difference by questioning the powerful. A darker tone and a more hard-hitting, 1970s approach could have made the film's impact all the stronger.

Of course, I'm essentially criticizing Howard for not making an entirely different movie. When judging him solely on the movie he did make, it's clear Frost/Nixon stands up there with Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and (my personal favorite) Splash as one of his best. He makes the 2 hour, 2 minute running time zoom by. He digs deep into Frost and Nixon's characters by keeping the focus squarely on them. He also avoids the easy mistake of making the movie too theatrical. The one great exception is when Nixon calls Frost late at night to deliver a monologue. You can tell the writing is top-notch. You can tell Langella hits it out of the park. You can tell this scene would kill onstage. But it has zero impact onscreen. Not knowing how to dramatize the monologue, Howard makes some seriously bizarre shot choices, distancing Nixon and making me lose focus. It's the one blatantly theatrical moment of the film.

Howard makes up for it though by utilizing something theater can't do: the close-up. In the final interview, Frost and Nixon are seen almost entirely in close-up, registering every emotion and eye twitch they feel. This is an important advantage for film, as the power of the close-up is a key theme in the movie. In all of his close-ups, Howard puts his faith in his talented actors. He keeps the directing straightforward because the material is strong enough to work without additional flourishes. By letting the actors and script shine, Howard has created a highly entertaining, immensely interesting look at an important but largely forgotten historical event. He just didn't give the movie the added oomph to make it the classic it might have been. 

Oscar Preview

With the election now behind us, we can focus on a far less significant contest: the Oscars. While it's far too early to know what will hold up and what will crash and burn, here are the movies I think will hold up enough to be the best picture nominees this year.

My first pick: The Dark Knight. Many won't consider it because it's a comic book movie. But what they feel to realize is that it's the best comic book movie ever. It's also so much more than that, as an instant crime classic that looks at darker themes than even the real serious Oscar bait. Besides, Heath Ledger's Joker is the best villain since Hannibal Lecter. So comic books or not, I still think this is the one to beat for the win.

Next, another movie I've already seen, Slumdog Millionaire:



This is probably an even safer bet, as it's hard to imagine anyone not loving this movie, least of all Oscar voters. It's an epic, it's heartfelt, it's uplifting, and most of all it's really, really good. Acting, writing, directing, story, music, it all works together for one of the most enjoyable movies of the year. The only thing working against it is that about a third of the movie is in Hindi. It comes out November 12th, so make sure to go see it.

Another strong contender for a win (if good) is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button:



First off, the trailer looks pretty amazing. A beautiful looking film about a guy who ages backwards set against a long period of time? That sounds like Oscar territory. But add David Fincher as director, who hasn't made a bad movie since Alien 3 (Panic Room doesn't count), and Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett giving what look to be strong performances, and I'm sold too. I just hope it lives up to the hype.

The last of my solid predictions is Milk, another one you can see before December:



Director Gus Van Sant has recently just done dull experimental films (Elephant, Paranoid Park), but he showed with Good Will Hunting how well he does mainstream. Sean Penn sometimes overacts, but this part seems like a good fit for him. The supporting cast is very strong, with Josh Brolin, James Franco, and Emile Hirsch. And after the passing of Proposition 8 in California, a film about the first openly gay elected official in San Francisco's Castro region could not be more relevant. With all the early reviews raving, this one looks like it's in.

But while I feel good about the above movies' chances at this early point, there are a lot of movies that could fill the fifth slot. My current pick is Revolutionary Road:



Revolutionary Road is straight-up Oscar bait. Former winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty) is directing in familiar terrain. There's a Titanic reunion for Oscar favorites Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It's based on a classic novel. And it is extremely reminiscent of Mad Men, which won the Emmy for best drama. But as obvious as its Oscar aspirations are, this is one I'm actually excited for. Not only am I a fan of the book and Sam Mendes, but the trailer looks pretty fantastic. Nobody's seen it yet, but if it's as good as the trailer it will definitely be a contender.

There's also two movies based on highly respected plays, Doubt and Frost/Nixon:





Both feature great actors likely giving great performances, and each will take up many acting slots. Of the two, I'm more excited for Doubt. Part of that is because I'm more familiar with the play. But I'm also really unimpressed with the Frost/Nixon trailer. Frank Langella in his Tony-winning role doesn't seem to resemble Nixon at all. The movie seems to paint the interview as an underdog triumph, the Mighty Ducks of journalism films. The Academy does love subpar Ron Howard movies though, so certainly don't count it out. As for Doubt, it's probably too small-scale for best picture, and early word has been mixed. Both might have to settle for the acting nods.

Last of the major contenders is Australia:



Australia seems likely to either be great or terrible. It's got an old Hollywood, epic style that Oscar voters love. Baz Luhrmann seems just the director to take this kind of period piece and make it feel modern. Yet I can't say I'm too excited. With the culture clash romance, a war, and something about Nicole Kidman helping Australian kids, I don't really know what the movie will end up being about. Until anyone sees it, this remains a mystery.

Beyond those eight, there are a number of other movies still in the running. Gran Torino is the second Clint Eastwood movie this year, Changeling's bad reviews probably keeping it out of contention. You can never count out Clint Eastwood, but the trailer made it look more like a stupid action movie where an old Eastwood goes around with a shotgun killing young people for making too much noise. It looked pretty silly to me, but you never know.

The Reader has the Holocaust, Kate Winslet, and Ralph Fiennes, definite Oscar checkboxes. The trailer also looks surprisingly good. But the behind-scenes drama between the producers may be enough to sink it.

The Wrestler has mostly gotten attention for Mickey Rourke's lead performance. But after Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky has shown he's got what it takes. And people who have seen it have loved it.

Going back further, there's also arguments to make in favor of Wall-E, Rachel Getting Married, The Visitor, Changeling, Che, Defiance, Nothing But the Truth, and Seven Pounds. Something else could also surprise (Valkyrie?). I'll know better once I've seen more. But if you're looking for what to watch in preparation over the next few months, the list above should help you be well prepared when it's time to make your Oscar pool.