2008 was not a great year for movies, but it was a pretty good year for documentaries. I saw a lot of them, and they stayed with me long after the lights came up. When I finished watching them, it felt like $14 dollars was actually not too much to pay for a movie ticket, and that’s after they take off the student discount (I have been out of college for about 10 years by the way). Maybe I should have thought twice about buying that one pound bag of Reese’s Pieces, but my weaknesses get the best of me sometimes. Some documentaries you experience more than watch, and I kick myself for not seeing more of them throughout the year. Watching a documentary can make you feel like you have experienced something unique, and something you can’t find anywhere else.

So, I am presenting this list of documentaries to you in no particular order. However, I will point which documentary I think is the best one of 2008. Just like in “Highlander:”

“THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!”

Roman Polanski – Wanted and Desired

This one has had some strong legal impact as it has gotten lawyers for Polanski trying to overturn his conviction for unlawful sexual intercourse back in the 70’s. Everyone knows the case, how it came about, and that Roman ended up fleeing the country rather than face jail. But what director Marina Zenovich does with “Roman Polanski – Wanted and Desired” is bring to light the specifics of the case, and of the misuse of judicial power by a judge who got caught up in the sheer spectacle that the case brought about. Judge Rittenbrand is a major character in this film, and a strong case is made against him in how he was more concerned about his own image then in doing things the legal way.

Many say that this movie is a bit too sympathetic towards Polanski. Perhaps it is, but the movie never fully exonerates him for what he did. How could it? Besides, how can you not feel sorry for a man who lost his parents in the Holocaust, and who later lost his wife Sharon Tate in the horrific murders committed by Charles Manson and his deranged followers? All of this is not presented as an excuse for him giving drugs and alcohol to 13-year old Samantha Geimer, but it perhaps explains how he came to this moment in time which would later lead him to flee America and never return.

What I really liked about “Roman Polanski – Wanted and Desired” is how it shows that the fury and hoopla of celebrity trials did not start with OJ Simpson, and that the treatment of celebrities and our obsession with their private lives is no more worse than it is today. The only thing that has changed about all that is the technology used and how endlessly invasive it can be. Looking at Samantha Geimer now, having since forgiven Polanski and having been more than prepared to move on with her life, this is a case that really should be put to rest.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

I always wanted to know more about Hunter S. Thompson ever since I saw Johnny Depp play him in Terry Gilliam’s “Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.” Hunter never seemed like he was completely incapable of ever being a normal person. Truth be told, he was more like a wild animal that was unleashed on the world and watched everything going on in it through a drug filled microscope. Is Alex Gibney’s “Gonzo” the definitive account of Dr. Thompson’s life? I can’t really say, but it sure makes me want to read more of his work. As fascinating as he was unique, Hunter broke through many boundaries with his writing, and he took no prisoners in his razor sharp portrait of American politics. It is unlikely there will ever be another writer quite like him.

It says a lot that director Alex Gibney managed to get politicians that Thompson mercilessly attacked to participate in “Gonzo.” Pat Buchanan humorously recollects some of the things Hunter said about him, and Jimmy Carter even had a few choice words about Dr. Thompson as well. We also see how drugs really ended up taking away the gift he had for writing, as well as his enjoyment of it. A fascinating study of one of the most original writers, “Gonzo” also acts as a kind of cautionary tale of how a person can destroy themselves ever so selfishly.

You should listen to his commentary track on the Criterion DVD for “Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.” Seriously, it has to be heard to be believed!

American Teen

Nanette Burstein’s documentary on a group of teens in their senior year of high school didn’t light up the box office like many hoped it would. Many critics have accused Nanette of staging some scenes instead of letting things come naturally. Whether or not that is true, “American Teen” is still a compelling documentary which will bring back memories of your time spent in the hell of adolescence. I really liked how Nanette took the model of “The Breakfast Club” and had a person from each clique from the social ladder of our “distinguished” high schools and how she turned the concept upside down to reveal the many different facets of each person. The film works best when we get to see the different sides of these kids as well as the face they put on while roaming the school halls. There are people who you care and root for in the movie, there are people you want to see suffer, and there are others you just roll your eyes at in embarrassment for them. We all know people like these, and we all wanted to forget many of them when we escaped through the process of graduation.

The real breakout star of “American Teen” was indeed Hannah Bailey as she was the most appealing of the bunch, and the one we felt the most sympathy for. We watch her go from being a free spirit to becoming utterly devastated and withdrawn when she is used by someone she thought loved her. Watching Hannah pick herself up from that spirit crushing moment made us care about her all the more. This was contrasted with Megan Krizmanich whose bitchiness threatens to remain untamed long after the movie has ended.

“American Teen” certainly doesn’t want to make me relive my high school years (who wants to anyway?), but it was nice if a bit emotionally draining to look back at it for a thankfully brief period of time.

Religulous

Yes, this is a very biased documentary about religion, but you can’t say that Bill Maher doesn’t have a strong point of view here. With “Religulous,” Maher takes aim at the realm of religion, and of the irony of how it can divide and tear people even as it tries to bring us all together. Church people will probably not like this movie, and many of them tried to keep Bill and director Larry Charles from filming them and around their churches of worship. But in the end, they both make a compelling case of how religion can be more dangerous than we first realized, and it illustrates how it can be a magnet for the greedy and the disillusioned.

Also, it is hell of funny. Maher may seem cruel in how he taunts some of his interview subjects, but some of them have it coming. One person he talks with keeps showing off his expensive clothing and jewelry which he got from what he saw as the love he spreads for Jesus. But we are told that Jesus was not a man of riches, so this all seems a bit hypocritical in retrospect. Another has convinced himself that he was “cured” of his homosexuality, but we end being as convinced as Bill is, which is to say not at all. Bill is told that Jesus will return to earth, to which he asks:

“What’s he waiting for?”

The archival footage director Larry Charles includes has the movie’s funniest and scariest moments. We see a television preacher finding a state of utter elation by talking like a baby, and we also see what certain religions believe in which will have your jaws dropping to the floor in disbelief. A highly entertaining documentary on religion, “Religulous” was also one of the funniest movies to come out in 2008.

Stranded: I’ve Come From A Plane That Crashed On The Mountains

There have been several films and documentaries that covered what happened during and after the 1972 Andes plane crash, and of what a team of rugby players had to do in order to survive. But with Gonzalo Arijon’s brilliantly absorbing documentary “Stranded,” we get the most intimate portrait of it all, and it gave the survivors of the crash an opportunity to be openly interviewed about it for the first time. You feel their fears as they are left to fend for themselves, and you feel their utter desolation at the strong possibility that they may never get off the mountains alive. Watching “Stranded” made me wish that I brought a sweater with me, because the freezing temperatures they had to endure felt like they were coming off of the screen. While some controversy may remain over their decision to resort to cannibalism in order to stay alive, you find yourself not blaming them for doing so. Would you have allowed yourself to give up and die in that situation? I don’t think I would have.

This true story was made into a film back in 1993 called “Alive” which starred Ethan Hawke among others. But despite a thrilling and terrifying plane crash at the start of that film, it easily pales in comparison to Arijon’s documentary. “Alive” made us see the story from a safe distance, but “Stranded” makes us feel like we are right there with these people. What a relief it is when they are finally rescued.

Man On Wire

It took me a while to get around to seeing this one. Watching the trailer gave me an intense feeling of vertigo, so maybe that’s why I didn’t catch in theaters. Of all the documentaries released in 2008, this is probably the one that people will most remember. It chronicles the “artistic crime of the century” as we see how Philippe Petit managed to do a tightrope walk between the two towers of the then new World Trade Center. James Marsh’s documentary is a look at how Philippe and a group of people managed to pull this off without getting caught, and at Philippe himself and what inspired him to do something that was more likely than anything else to lead him to his death (if there were high winds, he wouldn’t have made it across).

“Man On Wire” is one of the most entertaining documentaries in a while because it is kind of like a heist movie. We see all the preparation going into this, and we share their fear and excitement as they hide themselves from the eyes of security guards. It reminded me of all those hide and seek games I loved playing as a kid. I also loved it for bringing the two towers of the World Trade Center back to life, even if it was for a short time. It is nice to remember the towers for something other than the horrible tragedy of September 11th.


And now, my pick for the Best Documentary of 2008:

Encounters at the End of the World

Werner Herzog’s documentary on his Antarctica trip and of his discoveries there made it the best and most fascinating 2008 documentary for me. This would actually make a great double feature with his brilliant “Grizzly Man” which chronicled the late Timothy Treadwell. Werner gives us something much more than the average Discovery Channel documentary, and he makes this clear when he says in the voiceover that he did not want to forced into filming with penguins.

On top of the discoveries that Herzog makes there, he also takes the time to interview those who work in one of the most isolated places on earth, and we get to see the personalities behind them as well. These people would have just been talking heads if anyone else directed this. They all seem to agree that the earth is doomed, and that human life will end one day, so there is a bleakness here that is inescapable. They all come from different walks of life, and we learn more about them as people than just as scientists.

There is also a great sense of wonderment to be found as well, especially in that great scene where Herzog and the scientists put their heads to the ice to listen to the strange sound of the seals singing as they swim right underneath them. It is unlike anything I have ever heard before, and it was not at all what I expected.

But the real highlight of “Encounters at the End of the World” is the footage of the underwater landscape beneath the ice. The images are so incredibly beautiful to behold, and we also get to see sea creatures don’t exist anywhere else on earth. The visuals that are brought to us here are simply amazing, and it reveals a world all of its own making and undoing. Seeing this in the trailer for this documentary made me want to see it the day it opened.

However, the most haunting image from this documentary is when Herzog captures on film a lone penguin (even he couldn’t resist) wandering away from the rest of the penguins into the barren landscape and certain death. This all plays in to Werner Herzog’s favorite themes of nature and madness that has played a part in some of his most memorable movies like “Aguirre - The Wrath Of God.” We are left wondering why this creature would just run off into the distance to certain death, and it illustrates what Herzog sees in the world around him. We are all blindly heading towards our own destruction, and it seems like we are powerless to escape from it.

“Encounters at the End of the World” gets my vote for Best Documentary for its incredible visuals, and for the powerful vision and themes Herzog brings to it. This is the only documentary that would have broken into my list of the best films of 2008, had I chose to add it.


I’m sure there were a lot of other great documentaries that are worth mentioning from 2008 as well, and it’s a shame that I didn’t get to see them all. Then again, there is only so much coverage one can take of the Iraq war. Documentaries definitely deserve more attention and credit than they typically get. Many times, they give us a more invigorating moviegoing experience than all the unnecessary and crappy films Hollywood keeps throwing at us. Some have twists and turns that no screenwriter could ever come up with on their own, and they can provide you with a specific view of life that is unencumbered by the crappiest and most obvious of clichés.

Hopefully, we will get to see more great documentaries of this caliber in 2009.

Well, here we go again. It’s time to give my list of the best movies of 2008. It’s also time to admit that there still are several movies from 2008 that I have not yet seen, and I tried to hold out long enough to check them out. It’s also that time where I have to say that I really need to get this out of the way so I can start looking at what 2009 will bring us. So, if you will forgive me, the following movies will not be on this list (or listed as an honorable mention) because I have not seen them yet darn it:

Ballast
Happy Go Lucky
I Have Loved You For So Long
In Bruges (I know I’m gonna get hell for that one)
Paranoid Park
The Class
Doomsday
Quarantine
And other movies I can’t think of right now…

There will also be no documentaries on this list because I saw many great ones this year, and I think they are deserving of their own list, and not just listed as honorable mentions. So look for that list to come out at some point in this lifetime.

2008 was a year more memorable for who died as opposed to its movies. We lost Heath Ledger, Brad Renfro, George Carlin, and Paul Newman among many others, and their individual deaths spread through the news like an uncontainable wildfire. Their passing left a big mark on us all. When we look back at this year, I think people will think of these deaths more than anything else. Many of us will remember where we were when it was announced that Heath Ledger had died, but they will not remember how much money they wasted on “Righteous Kill.”

2008 did pale in comparison to 2007 which itself had a tremendous wealth of great films come out of it. Many say that this was a horrible year for films with expectations foiled over some big summer tent pole franchises, and of there being way too many remakes (something that’s not gonna slow down in 2009 though). The way I see it, I think 2008 had a lot of really good movies, but not a lot of great ones. There was a big drought of good movies worth seeing at one point, and I started to wonder if I would have enough of them to create a top ten list. If it were not for the year’s end and all those Oscar hopefuls that were unleashed on us, I’m sure I would have come up short.

In retrospect, 2008 proved to have many films worth remembering, and others we still struggle to forget. So, let us commence with this fine list (if I do say so myself) of the 10 best movies of 2008:

10) (tie) The Reader & Revolutionary Road
These two I had to put together for various reasons. Of course, the most obvious being Kate Winslet starred in both movies and was brilliant and devastating in her separate roles. Also, they were movies with stories of relationships laden with secrets, unbearable pressures, and deeply wounded feelings. Both were devoid of happy endings and of stories that were neatly wrapped up at the end. Each one also dealt with the passing of time and how it destroys the characters’ hopes and dreams.

“The Reader” looked at the secret relationship between Winslet’s character and a young man, and of the repercussions from it which end up lasting a lifetime. There is so much they want to say to one another but can’t, as it will doom them to punishments they cannot escape. Speaking of escape, that’s what the characters in “Revolutionary Road” end up doing throughout, which itself is brilliant in the way it shows us characters who think they know what they want, but have no realistic way of getting it. Each movie deals with characters who are trapped in situations they never want to be free from but can never be, and of feelings just underneath the surface but never verbalized until too late.

Both Stephen Daldry and Sam Mendes direct their films confidently, and they don’t just great performances from their entire cast, but they also capture the look and setting of the era their stories take place in. All the elements come together so strongly that we are sucked so deeply into the emotional state of each film, and we cannot leave either without being totally shaken by what we just witnessed.

Once again, this is Kate Winslet’s year, and she had better get an Oscar if not two!

9) Doubt
Looking back, I wondered if I was actually reviewing the play more than I was John Patrick Shanley’s movie of his Pulitzer Prize winning work. But the fact is that Shanley brilliantly captures the mood and feel of the time this movie takes place in, and he surrounds it all with one great performance after another. Meryl Streep personifies that teacher you hated so much in elementary school, Philip Seymour Hoffman perfectly captures the friendly priest we want to trust but are not sure we can, and Amy Adams illustrates the anxiety and confusion of the one person caught in the middle of everything. Don’t forget Viola Davis who in less than 20 minutes gives us a galvanizing performance as a woman more worried about what her husband will do to their child more than of the possibility of her child being molested by the priest who has been so kind to him. Long after its Broadway debut, “Doubt” still proves to be one of the most thought provoking stories ever, and it lost none of its power on the way to the silver screen.

8) Vicki Cristina Barcelona
This is the best Woody Allen movie that I have seen in a LONG time. Woody’s meditation on the ways of love could have been going over subjects he has worn out, but that is not the case here thankfully. “Vicki Cristina Barcelona” is a lovely and wonderful character driven piece filled with one great performance after another, the best being Penelope Cruz’s as Javier Bardem’s ex-wife. Penelope is a firecracker every time she appears on screen, and she gives one of the most unpredictable performances I have seen in the longest time. Just when I was ready to write off Woody completely, he comes back to surprise us with something both funny, lovely, and deeply moving.

One day, I will be as sexy as Javier Bardem. Just you wait!

7) Slumdog Millionaire
Danny Boyle, the most versatile of film directors working today, gave us a most exhilarating movie that dealt with lives rooted in crime, poverty, desperation, and yet he made it all so uplifting. It is a love story like many we have seen before, but this one is done with such freshness and vitality that I felt like I was seeing something new and unlike anything before it. Danny also reminds us why “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” was so exciting before ABC pimped it out excessively on their prime time schedule. “Slumdog Millionaire” was pure excitement from beginning to end, and it was a movie with a lot of heart.

6) Frost/Nixon
Ron Howard turns in one of the best directorial efforts of his career with his adaptation of Peter Morgan’s acclaimed stage play that dealt with the infamous interview between former President Richard Nixon and TV personality David Frost. Despite us all knowing the outcome of this interview, Howard still sustains a genuine tension between these two personalities, one being larger than life. Ron also has the fortune of working with the same two actors from the original stage production, Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. Langella’s performance is utterly riveting in how he gets to the heart of Nixon without descending into some form of mimicry or impersonation. You’d think that a movie dealing with two people having an interview would be anything but exciting, but when Langella and Sheen are staring each other down, they give us what one of the most exciting moments to be found this year. Like with “Apollo 13,” Howard amazes you in how he can make something so familiar seem so incredibly exciting and intense.

5) Rachel Getting Married
Jonathan Demme’s latest movie had a huge effect on me in its raw emotion, and I loved how he made us feel like we were at the wedding taking place. When the movie ended, it felt like we had shared some time with great friends, and Demme (from a screenplay by Jenny Lumet) gives us a wealth of characters that are anything but typical clichés. Anne Hathaway is a revelation here as Kym, the problem child of a family who is taking a break from rehab to attend her sister’s wedding. Kym is not the easiest person to like or trust, but Hathaway makes us completely empathize with her as she tries to move on from a tragic past that has long since defined her in the eyes of everyone around her. Great performances also come from Bill Irwin (so wonderful as Kym’s father), Rosemarie DeWitt, and the seldom seen Debra Winger who shares a very intense scene with Hathaway near the movie’s end. I really liked this one a lot, and it almost moved me to tears.

4) The Wrestler
Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” has grown on me so much since I saw it just weeks ago. While it may be best known as the movie where Mickey Rourke gave one mother of a comeback performance, this movie works brilliantly on so many levels. To limit the success of this movie to just Rourke’s performance would not be fair to what Aronofsky accomplished here. Darren surrounds all the characters in the bleakness of the urban environment they are stuck in, and he makes you feel their endless struggles to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. “The Wrestler” succeeds because Darren’s vision in making it was so precise and focused, and he never sugarcoats the realities of its desperate characters. Mickey Rourke more than deserves the Oscar for Best Actor. Furthermore, the movie has great performances from Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood as those closest to Mickey’s character, and who look past his faded fame to see the wounded man underneath. The more I look at “The Wrestler,” the more amazing it is.

3) Let The Right One In
Tomas Alfredson’s film of a friendship between a lonely boy and a girl vampire was so absorbing on an atmospheric level, and it surprised me to no end. What looks like a horror movie turns out to actually be a sweet love story with a good deal of blood. Widely described as the “anti-Twilight,” “Let The Right One In” gives a strong sense of freshness to the vampire genre which is currently overflowing with film after film. The performances given by Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar and Lina Leandersson as Eli are pitch perfect, and despite the circumstances surrounding their improbable relationship, I found myself not wanting to see these two separated from one another. Like many other movies on this list, it stays with you long after you have seen it.

Please see this movie before it becomes another needless American remake. J.J. Abrams is already signed up to work on the remake, and while the vapid Ben Lyons of the horrifically revamped “At The Movies” might be looking forward to the remake, I AM NOT!!!

2) WALL-E
Pixar does it once again and makes another masterpiece that puts so many other movies and movie studios to shame. Granted, many of Pixar’s movies are brilliant, but this is one of the very best. With “WALL-E,” director Andrew Stanton took some big risks by leaving a good portion of the movie free of dialogue, and that allowed us to take in the amazing visuals of our planet having since become completely inhospitable. Plus, it is also one of the best romantic movies to come out of Hollywood in ages. The relationship between Wall-E and his iPod like crush Eve is so much fun to watch, and the two of them coming together gives the movie such a strong sense of feeling that instantly sucks into the amazing story. The fact that these two are machines becomes irrelevant, especially when you compare them to the humans they meet in a spaceship, imprisoned by their laziness and gluttony.

I got this movie on DVD for my mom as a Christmas present, and she said that you could do an entire thesis out of it. That couldn’t be truer as it is such a brilliant achievement that dazzles us not just on a visual level, but also in its story which is the basis from which all Pixar movies originate. “WALL-E” is the kind of movie I want to see more often, a film that appeals equally to kids and adults. For the most part, that’s not usually the case.

Finally…

1) The Dark Knight
The biggest movie of the year was also the best movie of 2008 in my opinion. I was blown away with not just what Christopher Nolan accomplished, but of what he got away with in a big budget Hollywood blockbuster. “The Dark Knight” is not just an action movie, but a tragedy on such an epic scale. Many call it the “Empire Strikes Back” of the Batman series which is a very apt description. Many will point to this movie’s amazing success as the result of the untimely death of Heath Ledger. Heath’s performance as the Joker all but blows away what Jack Nicholson accomplished in Tim Burton’s “Batman,” but the sheer brilliance of the movie is not limited to Heath’s insanely brilliant work. Each performance in the movie is excellent, and Christian Bale now effectively owns the role of the Caped Crusader in a way that no one has before.

Aaron Eckhart also gives a great performance as Harvey “Two-Face” Dent, one that threatens to be the most underrated of the year. The “white night” becomes such a tragic figure of revenge and that we pity him more than despise him. The movie is also aided greatly by the always reliable Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. Every one does excellent work here, and there is not a single weak performance to be found.

Where as the other Batman movies (the Schumacher ones especially) were stories about the good guys against the bad guys, “The Dark Knight” is a fascinating look at how the line between right and wrong can be easily blurred. Harvey’s line of how you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain perfectly personifies the dilemmas for the characters in this movie. To capture the Joker, Bruce Wayne may end up becoming the very thing he is fighting against. I can’t think of many other summer blockbusters that would ask such questions or would be as dark. “The Dark Knight” took a lot of risks, and it more than deserved its huge success. It sets the bar very high for future comic book movies. They will need all the luck they can get to top this one!

Despite this not being the best of years for movies, there are still a few more movies worthy of mention.

Honorable Mentions

Milk - Leaving this one out of the top 10 was a tough decision, as Gus Van Sant’s biopic of the late Harvey Milk was a grand achievement. Sean Penn gives yet another extraordinary performance as Milk, and Josh Brolin is brilliant as Supervisor Dan White.

Gran Torino – Clint Eastwood gives a great performance in what could be his last acting gig on the big screen, and he also directs the story of his Korean war veteran coming to know the Hmong family next door with a lot of care and heart. Great movie.

Recount – This HBO movie does a great job of capturing not so much the debacle of the 2000 Presidential election, but of the threat to democracy. Great performances come from Kevin Spacey and especially from Laura Dern as Katherine Harris.

Shine A Light – Martin Scorsese’s concert film featuring the Rolling Stones was a blast to watch, and he perfectly captures the love that the band has performing live after all these many years.

Cloverfield – The first truly entertaining movie of 2008, and also the best monster movie in ages.

U23D – Another great concert movie, this one does make you feel like you’re at a concert thanks to the amazing 3D technology.

Diary Of The Dead – George Romero’s fifth zombie movie brings him back to his low budget roots, and it is darkly satiric look at the YouTube generation that watches more than it participates.

The Bank Job – Dammit! This is the most entertaining heist movie in a long time, and it is the movie that should have turned Jason Statham into a big star. What gives?!

Forgetting Sarah Marshall – One of the funniest movies of 2008, and another great one from the Judd Apatow comedy factory.

Iron Man – Another great comic book adaptation brought to life by director Jon Favreau and through one of the many tremendously entertaining performances from Robert Downey Jr.

Frozen River – Melissa Leo’s performance as a desperate mother who supports her family through the illegal smuggling of immigrants had better get Oscar consideration. She gives one of the best performances of the year in Courtney Hunt’s independent thriller which deserved a bigger audience than it got in theaters.

Tropic Thunder – Ben Stiller’s vicious satire of filmmaking was the funniest movie of the year, and it had some of the most inspired performances of the year. One was from Robert Downey Jr. as one of the ultimate method actors, and Tom Cruise as a profane, overweight and balding film executive.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – While not on the same level of David Fincher’s other cinematic masterpieces, this was still a brilliant movie to take in on a technical scale. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett both give terrific performances.

Funny Games – Movies don’t get more disturbing than this one. While Michael Haneke’s remake of his own film really pissed a lot of people off, I am still strangely fascinated by it. Great performances abound from the entire cast, especially from Naomi Watts.

Welcome to another edition of She Screams, He Screams. In this edition, me and Kelsey are looking back at the year that was, 2008. We have are top 10 lists already, so lets get to our lists.

Kelsey's Top 10 horror films

1. Frontier(s): This is one of my favorite horror films of the year, because it uses horror as a platform with such understanding of the genre. It uses crisis, deception, and injustices that the filmmakers saw in France and injected it to this film to give us a creative and very symbolic film. The movie is extremely brutal and it uses the massive bloodshed to show the harshness in the world.

2. Inside: Along with Frontier(s), Inside is a great example of French horror at its best. The intensity level is the same, but it is far more simplistic. There is very little dialogue and aside from a few policemen who aren’t around for very long there are only two characters: the victim and the killer. The entire film is a very engaging, especially the intense cat and mouse chase. The whole film takes place in the same house and for most of it the victim is stuck hiding out in the bathroom. This gives it a very claustrophobic and entrapped feeling that is exposed through the tension that builds up. Motherhood and protecting it is of the most importance to the characters of the film. We learn that there is a reason to what happened to cause this hunt and it is more than a random home invasion. There is a desperation and desire to have and protect children. However, it turns in to a supplier of evil that will spur further lies. There is no real build up in the film, we are just thrown in to a bloody battle between these two women. The gore is continuous throughout the entire movie, giving us a fast paced horror film that still seems to take its’ time with all that it conveys.

3. Repo! The Genetic Opera: Repo! The Genetic Opera is daring, creative, and gives us something completely original unlike anything we have seen before. It takes us in to a completely different world and really goes in to deceit, corruption, and desperation of the characters and the twisted roads they are heading in. With Alexa Vega, Paris Hilton, Paul Sorvino, Bill Moseley, and Sarah Brightman in a film together it is one of the oddest casts, but an incredible one at that. I probably wouldn’t be crazy about the music itself, but it really fits the characters perfectly and furthers the story. The entire film with many different sub-plots and characters is all told through these songs. The music is inventive, full of atmosphere, and has a purpose in that it tells us the story effectively. Repo! The Genetic Opera is a very gothic film with dark shadows and tones. There is great contrast in the lighting though as it seems so much, but particularly Shilo and Mag, are constantly glowing. There are comic illustrations in between several of the musical numbers that help give clear context and narrates what is happening now and the horrors of some of the characters’ pasts. There is a lot that is hidden from other characters, but we are able to understand these prevailing lies and injustices even when the characters are still ignorant of this. The colors and drawings are vibrant and really jump out at you. All of the images in the film really take you in to this dreamlike, very dark and disturbing world.

4. The Orphanage: The Orphanage is one of the best ghost movies in the past decade. It is layered with so much that draws us in to the film. Built up tension leads to evils that piles up to a terrifying mirage. The visuals between the past, present, and the new state that is found in the end is very well done and explores what each of these mean. The characters are strong and through the bond that is established in the beginning as well as the history that we learn give us an understanding and connection through the hardships that our main character, Laura, goes through. Through her we get the powerful psychological side to the film that brings everything alive. The film has a way of showing the horrors that come to surface when you try to bury the past and does wonders with displaying the tension building up to this. The house itself has a very creepy feel adding on to the suspense. The cinematography is stimulating and brings us in to a new world that plays with darkness, fear, and how this can strangely be a miracle in the right context.

5. Baby Blues: Baby Blues is a very disturbing look inside real life horrors. It takes a very depressed and paranoid mother and takes away the nurturing and protective role that she is supposed to uphold, turning her in to a vicious and relentless murderer. The film has plenty of blood, but really what made it such a great horror film is how much depth the characters had. The oldest child who was being hunted was the symbol of innocence, yet one who refused to let himself be a victim. He showed more intelligence and strength than most adults would have in a similar situation. You hear about mothers murdering their children all too often, but it is quite another thing to witness this on screen. The film is one take on it, but it includes many universal themes that speaks to these tragedies. What I really appreciated about this is it wasn’t just done for shock factor. Every second of the film is shocking, but more importantly somehow through the cruel acts it manages to be so personal and compassionate. As murderous and horrid the mother is, I didn’t see her solely as a monster. I saw her struggle and the pain emerging throughout her. The fact that I was able to feel for a women that sets out to murder every one of her children says a lot regarding the time that was put in to her character, the writing, and the performance. Everyone is given such human qualities that what we are watching seems all too real.

6. Otis: Otis is an adrenaline pumped satire on the torture porn sub-genre that glues you to the screen. Some of the funniest moments are through how the media treats missing persons cases. The real gem of the film is how it shows suburbia gone crazy. It depicts brutally torturing and making an individual suffer in the sickest and most twisted ways as if that was the only normal and healthy response for a family member to have: the one true way to show that they cared. By doing this in the movie, it in itself is critiquing how morality is often lost in our society today. The family is more murderous than Otis was since he was actually very disappointed when his victims died. He only harmed them in hopes of scaring them in to giving him the acceptance that he has longed for. He creates a dungeon that mirrors the world of a high school girl. Otis like many others, wasn’t happy in high school and lost someone he loved. The only difference between him and a million other people who experienced this is he sets out to create new high school memories, even if they are artificial and torture induced. The writing in the film accompanied by the brilliant and energy charged portrayals of these unique, but all very likeable characters in one way or another, is spot on making it smart, hilarious, disturbing, and very real.

7. Let The Right One In: This Sweedish vampire film is slow moving, but interesting and visually vibrant movie. The bulk of it seems much more like a drama than you would expect. Rather than action or gore based, it uses a very still and strangely quiet atmosphere. It isn’t even as heavy on dialogue as you would think, yet through the relationship between a vampire girl and a weaker human outcast so much is shown to us. What sets this apart from other vampire films more than anything else though is the dedication that is clearly put in to every second of it. It actually makes the outside world and those who use violence as sport seem like the true monsters. Especially with the death and blood being spread out, it puts the concentration on our two main characters. The cinematography is visually stimulating as majority of the film is glowing white . The blood against the shining image of the snow combined with the moderation it is showed to us in makes it stand out even more. Whenever there is even a hint of light when a vampire is present, there is almost an overpowering brightness. Let The Right One In deals with injustice, dependency on violence, loneliness, friendship, and bending the rules at times. It is a very different and subtle vampire film, but one of the best films of its kind out there.

8. Dance of the Dead: Dance of the Dead is a coming of age teen comedy inside of a zombie outbreak. All of the characters, performances, and relationships seem very natural and with so many types of kids covered, there is someone for everyone to relate to. What is really fun with the wide variety of characters is how they all ban together when they learn of the zombie attack, strangely enough this is what it takes to bring them all together. Who doesn’t love two decapitating teen ferociously biting in to each others flesh to show their love for one another? It doesn’t get much better than that when meshing teen romance with horror. The film adapts a lot of zombie movie standards and pokes fun at just about all of them along the way. There is comedy in almost every situation and with the characters being so fun and likeable, Dance of the Dead gives us a very intelligent, entertaining, and inventive zombie film.

9. Nympha: The environment is very secluded and there is a very unsettling mood. It is very cold and empty, ultimately becoming very draining as it is more difficult to watch as it goes along. We watch as someone who only has intentions of doing good for the world is stripped of everything she has including faith and strength. The physical torture is attacked one sense at a time, since it is supposed to be drawn out to bring her closer to God. It has the opposite effect though as the mental torture escalates and turns in to something completely different. The ideas of good and bad are played with a lot, ensuring the viewer that nothing is what it seems to be and evil can be hiding anywhere. The corruption, abuse, and twisted mindset power the film. Tiffany Shepis gives the best performance of her career in Nympha. Shepis doesn’t have a ton of dialogue, especially in the scenes where the most is conveyed through her. She depicts so much depth, suffering, and betrayal mostly with facial expressions alone.

10. Zombie Strippers: For a film that takes place during George W. Bush’s fourth term in office, having horror and political elements only seem natural. For the horror side, you get nothing less than you would expect: cheesy gory fun and decapitating flesh among a rising epidemic of the living dead. The political subtext was handled very well as it is subtle enough to either ignore it or appreciate it, but the choice is up to the viewer. The dialogue and most of what we are seeing is very goofy and light, which doesn’t make us feel like we are being hit too hard over the head with any of the context. Using strippers as zombies really shed light on the need for acceptance and how conformity can be a necessary step towards this for some. The more political side of it is the disease itself and all of the experimentation used were designed to get more soldiers, ones that would be able to eternally fight. After they were shot down, they could just get up again; making them undefeatable. An army of zombies could be very dangerous, but this is the very thing the government is willing to take lives for. This adds a great deal of horror to the film as both aspects work very well together. Robert Englund in one of his best recent performances is reason enough to see this film. Through every crooked move and evil laugh joy is just seeping out.


Anthony T’s Top 10 Horror Films

1. Inside: “Inside” is probably the most shocking and ultra-violent slasher film, I’ve seen in years. I could see, why both Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury were highly rumored to directed “Halloween 2”. Their direction was perfectly flawless, as it had the suspense that classics are made of. The suspense makes this film, as you begin find out why, the person is stalking the mother to-be. They also did a great job developing the characters and the film’s story until its shocking end. Also, the film has great performances, from both Alysson Paradis and Beatrice Dalle. They make their characters, so believable; it helps sells, the film’s suspense. It’s a film; I highly suggest you seek out, if you are a true slasher fan.

2. Brutal Massacre: “Brutal Massacre” was a very funny mockumentry, on the horror genre. Director Stevan Mena, does a great job with both the screenplay and the direction here. This film felt like a Christopher Guest, with the zany humor and weird characters. What makes this film entertaining was the fact that each of the cast was very funny. This was one of those comedies where I was laughing out loud, a lot. The film has a lot, of very notable horror personalities, like David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London), Ellen Sandweiss (The Evil Dead), Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead (1978)), and Gunner Hansen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) who steal the show, with his performance.

3. AM 1200: There were a couple of short films, I was considering for my list. This is the only that made it. I first caught this film, at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival. AM 1200 was a throwback to the days of “The Twilight Zone” and The Outer Limits”. This film has a dark and suspenseful story. Director David Prior, did a great job building up the suspense through atmosphere, character, and story development. It’s definitely, a short film that can’t be missed. You can purchase a copy of this film, at the film’s official website at http://www.am1200.com/.

4. The Signal: “The Signal” was an original and interesting horror film that didn’t get much attention, during its theatrical run, which was very sad to see, as this was the best theatrically released horror film of the year. The directors did a great job keeping the action moving. One of the things that make this a very good job film is the fact that each of the three stories felt different, from one another, while continue on the main plot line throughout, as it felt like a combination between “Pulp Fiction” and “Videodrome”. The acting was also very good, as the actors made their characters believable. In return, that provided some interesting and entertaining stories.

5. Mulberry Street: Even though this film was released back in 2007. I didn’t consider it a 2007 film because I consider After Dark’s Horrorfest, a film festival. “Mulberry Street” was the best film, from the “2007 After Dark Horrorfest. This film had a lasting impact, on me, especially with the end of the film. This film was frightening and intense. The performances were very good, as I really cared about the characters. Beneath all the action, they’re good political subtext, about society today.

6. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead: What 2008 horror list, wouldn’t be complete with Lloyd Kaufman on it. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead” is Kaufman’s best film, since “The Toxic Avenger” and “Tromeo and Juliet”. One of things that make this film very good, the way Kaufman directs. He keeps the action moving, through the story and the performances This film also was entertaining, as the musical sequences was well timed and the screenplay pokes fun, at various issues, which you will enjoy.

7. Dance of the Dead: “Dance of the Dead was a fun film. I liked, how the film actually lived up to the buzz, from the SXSW Film Festival. This film had a good screenplay that focuses on the characters. These characters were written, very well, as they didn’t seem stupid or dumbed down. They were fun to watch, I wish more films would do this, as some of the horror films that I watched this year, featured groups of teens that were either annoying or felt lifeless to the point that I didn’t care. The film also features some very good action and humor that made this film, very enjoyable.


8. Bloodstained Romance: Along with another film further up, on my list, “Bloodstained Romance” was very shocking and gory. This film does a great job, focusing on the psychology, of the demented killer. Travis B. Miller did a great job covering up the production value, with a very frightening story. His screenplay really focuses on the killer’s state of mind and the obsession that he has with the female lead. The film features a very good lead performance, by Chris Bruchette, as he makes his performance terrorizing, to the point there you felt shocked, throughout the course of the whole film. The film will be out on DVD February 24th.

9. Gutterballs: This is a film that I almost forgot about, if it wasn’t the fact that it’s coming out on DVD, this month. “Gutterballs” was a very fun and shocking send off to the grindhouse and 80’s horror films, as most of the kills, are those that you have to see to believe. Ryan Nicholson’s screenplay was also very good, as the story was entertaining and contains some of the most original deaths, you will ever see, in a horror film. The film will be out on DVD, via “Danger After Dark” on the 27th of this month. The good thing about this release, you’ll be able to see, the version I saw, as some of the stuff, in the film, wouldn’t get by, the MPAA.

10. The Devil’s Muse: “The Devil Muse” ends my list, at number ten. One of things that made this film great was the direction Rami Azbed. He does a great job crafting an old story based on the Black Dahlia murders and making it into neo nourish film. But what makes this film standout is Azbed’s direction, as its very surreal and dark. It’s what cinema is supposed to be, an artform. The film has also has one of the best performances of the year, as Kristen Kerr makes her character, like one of those innocent character, from those forties and fifties crime films.

Now were going to do something different, as both of us, will now comment on each other’s top 10 list.


Kelsey’s Thought on Anthony T’s Top 10

Anthony T’s top 10 list-

10. The Devil’s Muse: I was completely taken away with the film as it began to unravel.The film does have some pacing issues as it began to lose me throughout some of the film. There were a few vastly underdeveloped and unnecessary characters. The story line with our two main characters is intensely interesting though. What stood out to me the most in the film was the dramatization of the role of Elizabeth, just the presence of it. Lisa takes on the role of this character and as she is studying her and getting in to the script at some point she stops acting. It isn’t a character anymore, it seems that it isn’t even someone who has departed from the world. 60 years after her death, the mind of Elizabeth finds a way of coming back through Lisa; now residing in her head. These two characters almost become one, making for a very interesting relationship. The Devil’s Muse is a very artistic and symbolic film. Especially towards the beginning there are so many beautiful visuals that immediately take you in to the story before it has really started. They are not hollow images either, but frame the work of a certain helplessness. I would have liked for the film to go in to some of the character development and more in to the killer, but it is based on an unsolved mystery case and I can understand not wanting to make up what isn’t known. The Devil’s Muse has a few flaws, but the imagery and concepts in the film remain strong enough to make it an interesting horror film.

9. Gutterballs: Without a doubt the best horror throwback film to date. There were a few things that I think could have been handled better, particularly the characters none who were really sympathetic, but all just horrible people. Gutterballs really looks and feels like a slasher right out of the 80s though. So as a throwback film it does the job. There are plenty of slashers with throwaway characters during that time, so the weak characters were excusable. The deaths in the film were really where the originality lied. There are nods to other deaths such as one from Halloween, but as a whole the deaths were ones that I had never witnessed before. Every death involved a bowling prop, most of them were the bowling pin. There were so many sick and gruesome instances used with this same bowling pin that triggered the suspense not with the questioning of if, when, or who was going to die next, but in what creative way this bowling pin would murder them.

8. Bloodstained Romance: I haven’t seen this one yet, but I have only heard good things about it. I will have to watch this sometime.

7. Dance of the Dead: I had a great time with this one as well. It has this really fresh and fun quality to it. It really uses the teen comedy aspects and the horror perfectly together, neither seeming outweighed by the other. The cast really added to this and I hope we see some of them in the future. Towards the beginning I was worried that by using different categories of people that these characters would just be stereotypes. In the end, it was just the opposite of that though. Every character was gone in to and we were able to see several sides to them, especially when these people who would never be around one another normally banded together against the zombies. The dialogue was very well done, playing with zombie film traditions and using the teen characters to have fun with the epidemic they were facing. One scene where this really shows is when the gym teacher gives all of the kids their weaponry. There was a grave worker who saw the outbreak coming that was not only reminiscent of character in zombie films, but even reminded me a lot of one from Friday the 13th. There is a lot of great deaths as well throughout this extremely fun and creative zombie film.

6. Poultrygeist: This movie was just plain crazy, but you have to love it. Poultrygeist really is a Troma film through and through. It is definitely one of the best recent zombie films with societal critiques, mostly because it does so in such an extreme and silly way. It would have to with what type of movie it is: a musical about chicken zombies on an evil fast food chain built on an Indian burial ground. There are plenty of gross out moments in the film, some regarding the gruesome deaths, but the line isn’t drawn there as just about everything in the film is as over the top as you would expect it to be. Overall, a very wacky but fun horror film.

5. Mulberry Street: I haven’t seen this film, but one of my biggest fear is rats so I am sure at the very least it would creep me out.

4. The Signal: This film seemed a bit overrated to me. I enjoyed it to an extent and the idea of in a technology driven world the frequencies could turn everyone in to killers and spur essential chaos is an interesting premise. The first act presented this to us and engaged me in the film, but it seemed like it didn’t know what to do in the middle and I found myself getting less in to the movie as it went on. The film seemed to lose its focused and especially towards the end it seemed more hectic than natural. The performances were very good and like I said I really liked the premise for the film, I just thought it could have gone farther with it.

3. AM 1200: I wasn’t familiar with this movie before, but with questions of heaven and hell and going against the common thought of the purity of heaven and towards the thought that hell may be more manageable it sounds like the film deals with some interesting storylines. I am curious to see where that goes, I will have to watch it now.

2. Brutal Massacre: A mockumentary that uses very subtle but intelligent humor. It centers on a film set of a horror film where everything goes wrong, one disaster after the other. It says a lot about how non-horror fans view the genre. Cheesy and out there horror films are looked down upon. However, when the director tries to put out a film that is focused on the story and has some serious elements and real purpose to it, the only producer that will actually listen to him immediately tries to dumb it down. The element of nudity trying to be shoved in is shown here even in the case where it might not fit at all. This is actually an unfortunate fault of the core audiences, because the mainstream audiences mostly respond to low quality horror films. The film also showed the opposite example of this, while a simple part of his film, which is really a shortcoming, is mistaken for an innovative statement by a critic who wants to see more than what is really there. With actors like Ken Foree, Brian O’Halloran, and Gunner Hansen the movie is a lot of fun while still focusing on critiquing Hollywood’s flaws.

1. Inside: Definitely one of the best horror films of the year. It has a very still tone, partially because of the seclusion, the concentration of just the victim and the villain, and the limited dialogue. This really brings our full attention to the intensity of the situation and to the focus on what is going on in the context of each character. The blood is completely brutal and such a constant throughout the film. Especially that scene with the scissors stabbed through her hand on the other side of the door and of course the ending of the film are extremely intense. Inside is a great horror film that uses a constant death chase all to uphold or re-attain motherhood.

Anthony T’s thoughts on Kelsey’s list

Kelsey’s List

10. Zombie Strippers: Anything with G.W getting a fourth term, as president, will get my attention. “Zombie Strippers” was a very fun film. I had a chance to interview, Jay Lee, in 2008. That was a very good interview. His direction was very good, as this felt truly like a grindhouse film. The film also goes a good job taking shots, at the Bush administration, while adding humor that made this film entertaining.

9. Nympha: “Nympha” almost made it, on to my list. If this list were a top twenty list, then this would be my number eleven film. What made this film very good was Tiffany Shepis’ performance. Even though she doesn’t have much dialogue, it’s the way she portrays the character through the mannerisms. She makes her character, very terrified. It’s shows how she has come, from her first film “Tromeo and Juiliet”. The film also has a very dark and gothic atmosphere that makes this, very gothic.

8. Dance of the Dead: It’s number 7 on my list.

7. Let The Right One In: This is a film that I really wanted to see in 08. The only problem was, it only played, at my local arthouse theat,er for one week. This is why; I don’t like the way independent films are treated, in my neck of the woods. I will be definitely, be renting or purchasing this film, when it comes out on Dvd, because I’m very interested in seeing this film.

6. Otis: “Otis” was a good film. It was funny, as the humor was written, very well. This was a more asscible film than Tony Krane’s last film “Sublime”, which was also very good. The film does have, very good comedic performances, from Daniel Stein, Illeana Douglas and a very demented performance from newcomer, Bostin Christopher. The film was fun, but wasn’t fun enough to warrant any consideration, for my list.

5. Baby Blues: I’ve never heard about this film, until a couple of weeks ago, as I read your review for it. It’s in my Netfilx quere.

4. The Orphanage: 'The Orphanage” was a very good film, as it was haunting and suspenseful. I would highly recommend it to anyone, who is looking for a good supernatural film. It’s like another film on my list. I;m glad that this film received a decent size theatrical release. This was a frightening and intense, supernatural film. The problem was that it came out too early and got lost, in the mix.

3. Repo! The Genetic Opera: I was really looking forward to this film, but it hasn’t played, in my area at the time of this posting. I can thank Lionsgate President Joe Drake for this, as he only care about releasing boring “Saw” films and the “My Bloody Valentine in 3D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”. Hopefully, I will have my chance to review this film soon.

2. Inside: See my Number 1 film

1. Frontier(s): “Like “Nympha”, this barely missed my list. This was a very shocking film. It falls into the same trap, as “The Orphanage did. It was released to early and wasn’t shocking enough, to leave a lasting impression. Still, the film was very good. Amidst the torture that takes place, there was an entertaining and suspenseful story, which made the scares effective and makes you interested in the characters.

Thank you for taking your time to read our lists and I hope continue to read our column, as we have great things planned for 2009.

This has been a year that I would like to forget, as there are many films that you can’t say, “It was a classic,” as most of the major films were very disappointing. But there were some very good films to come out this year.

Before I get to my top 10, the Honorable Mentions in no order: “Hamlet 2”, “The Signal”, “Slippery Slope”, “Cocaine Cowboys 2”, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”, “The Promotion”, “The Go-Getter”, “Be Kind Rewind”, ‘Mulberry Street”, and “Killing Zelda Sparks”.

The Top 10 of 2008.

10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Even though 2008 was a bad year for films, there have been a lot of good comedies coming out. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” was surprisingly funny and very entertaining. When I first thought about this film, I thought that this was going to be another annoying gross out comedy, but surprisingly, it wasn’t, which started the trend of very entertaining comedies this year. This film had a “Knocked Up” feel to it, in the way that the story takes more precedent than the gross-humor. The main reason for the film’s success was Jason Segel, who wrote the screenplay and was the main star of the film. This was a non-stop, laugh-out loud film, as the humor was written very well. The acting was also very good. Segel did a great job making his character very loveable and translating it, in his performance onscreen. The film also has some very good supporting performances from Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand (as that singer that you wanted to punch in the face so badly), and SNL’s Bill Hader.

9. Turn the River

“Turn the River" is a film that flew under everyone’s radar but mine. This was a very powerful and realistic film, with a powerful performance from Famke Janssen, as she really made her character dark and troubled. This was a character that you wanted something to go right in her life. The film also has a very good screenplay from writer/director Chris Eigeman. The screenplay really goes into Jenssen’s character. At least, I was happy that the film received an Indie Spirit nomination for Best Feature for under 500,000, so it got some notice. It’s really a film that people should be checking out. It's in video stores now.

8. Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading almost didn’t make it on the list, but after seeing it for a second time, it still holds up, as a very funny and entertaining dark comedy with an all-star cast, with the likes of George Clooney, John Malkovich, Francis McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Brad Pitt. The performances were very good, especially from Pitt, who should be considered for a Best Supporting Actor nomination. The Coen Brothers brought their trademark dark humor while making the characters and situations very weird and surreal. At least it wasn’t like “Intolerable Cruelty”, where the story didn’t feel humorous.

7. Brutal Massacre

“Brutal Massacre” is a very funny mockumentary on the horror genre. Director Stevan Mena does a great job with both the screenplay and his direction. This film felt like a Christopher Guest film, with the zany humor and weird characters. It's what “For Your Consideration” should have been, not a boring film with dry characters. What makes this film entertaining was the fact the cast was very funny. This was one of those comedies where I was laughing out loud a lot. The film has a lot of very notable horror personalities, like David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London), Ellen Sandweiss (The Evil Dead), Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead (1978)), and Gunner Hansen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), who steals the show with his comedic performance.

6. Crawford

Crawford was a very powerful documentary that focuses on the people of the town, instead of our soon to be ex-president. Director David Modigliani does a very good job, not injecting his own political view to this project, as it easily could have gone that route. You get to know, each of the people that you meet in the film. The director treated them with a lot of respect than you would see in other documentaries. It gives you that small town feel that makes each of the people interviewed very fascinating to watch.

There are three ways that you can see this film. The film is available for rental on Netfilx, Netflix Watch Instantly, and on the official film’s website at www.crawfordmovie.com.

5. A l’intérieur (Inside)

“Inside” is probably the most shocking and ultra-violent slasher film I’ve seen in years. I could see why both Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury were highly rumored to directed “Halloween 2” this past year. Their direction was flawless, as it had the suspense that classics are made of. The suspense in this film makes it very shocking, as you begin find out why the person is stalking the mother to-be. The film’s story was just great. They do a great job developing the characters and the film’s story until its shocking end. Also the film has great performances from both of its stars, Beatrice Dalle and Alysson Paradis. They make their characters so believable, which also helps sells the film’s suspense and make the story more interesting than just being a generic slasher film. It’s a film I highly suggest you seek out, if you’re a true slasher fan.

4. In Search of a Midnight Kiss

“In Search of a Midnight Kiss” was one of those great independent films that didn’t play in many theaters because, well, it was too good for the multiplexes. Like “Turn the River," it too received an Indie Spirit nomination for Best Feature under $500,000. Even though the film did get some exposure the IFC On Demand service, this is truly an indie gem. This was a very good look at relationships and the search for companionship. The film has two great performances from both Scoot McNairy and Sara Simmonds, as they made the characters very interesting. The direction and story was also good, as this is a great look at love in the 21st century. I hope you will have a chance to check out this film when it hits DVD sometime in 2009.

3. The Dark Knight

The biggest blockbuster of the year was “The Dark Knight”. There was a lot of hype surrounding this film, with the death of Health Ledger this year. Everyone was saying that this was his best performance. Going into this film, I didn’t believe what everyone was saying, because I was one of those people that thought that Ledger was miscast and didn’t think that his performance would be better than Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of “The Joker” in Tim Burton’s “Batman”. Ledger’s performance did live up to the hype and then some, as this was a great performance. I truly believe if he was still alive today, this performance would still get the same attention that it’s getting, as he make the legendary character very dark and twisted. This film is brilliantly directed by Christopher Nolan. The film felt more like “Heat” or “The Departed” instead of a comic book film. It definitely should be getting Oscar consideration for Best Picture.

2. The Visitor

“The Visitor” is the most powerful drama I’ve seen this year. This film should be getting a lot of Oscar consideration, especially for Best Picture and Best Actor for Richard Jenkins (who also co-stars in “Burn After Reading”). One of the people that’s not getting enough praise for this film is writer/director Tom McCarthy, who previously directed the critically acclaimed “The Station Agent”. Like that film, “The Visitor” really touches you in a way. McCarthy does a great job developing the story, as he spends time developing the relationship between this professor and the couple, who has taken refuge in his apartment. It helps you be emotionally invested in the film and its characters. He also gets great performances from his cast, as this one of the best ensemble acting pieces of the year. The film also has an Oscar worthy performance from veteran character actor Richard Jenkins. His performance makes you very tuned to his character and the events that will change his character’s life forever. This could have been easily boring, but Jenkins makes sure that his character becomes one that you sympathize with by the end of the film. It’s a film that I highly recommend you go out to your local video store and rent it, as “The Visitor” is truly an independent gem.

1.Wall-E

Isn’t weird that TonyD and I both agree on the best and worst film of 2008. I’ve seen this film three times. To me, this film just gets better every time I watch it. I’m so glad to anonounce this film as the best film of 2008. This is one of those films that I didn’t get a chance to see until DVD. Wall-E is truly the best film that Disney has put out since Toy Story 1 & 2 and it might also be the best film that Pixar has put out. This is a film that everyone will enjoy, as it also has some adult themes along with all the zaniness that the kids will enjoy. Andrew Stanton’s direction was pure magical. He and the screenwriters did a great job making this film very accessible to everyone and not its target audiences. They also did a great job moving the pace of the film along, considering that the film was almost dialogue-less for the half of it. But what makes it so great is the fact that the characters were very likable and charming. For a family film to be successful for kids and adults, the characters and humor must be perfect. I was surprised that it was perfect in both aspects. I liked how they also go into adult themes like the environment and the issue of obesity to name a few. But what makes this film very successful is the fact that it has a story that is very heartwarming. Every film fan or regular fan can’t say that this movie is awful, because it is not. It’s a film that within the next ten years or so will be on the AFI Top 100 Films lists, as it’s a film that can truly be considered as a classic.

It is now the beginning of 2009, and you know what that means right? The Best of 2008 lists! (And Worst of 2008 lists!) I’m sure that I and a whole shitload of critics will agree – 2008 was one of the worst years for film in recent memory, but when there were great films, they stuck to the audience for a long time. Without further ado, I’ll begin with the Ten Worst Films of 2008, and oh god I really felt like doing more than ten.


10. “Seven Pounds” – Remember how awesome Will Smith was a few years ago? He was the only reason why “Bad Boys II” was watchable and he held his own all by himself for most of “I Am Legend.” Now, it’s hard enough for him to hold a film. Between “Hancock” and “Seven Pounds,” I’m starting to question why Will Smith went from the rap industry to the film industry. “Seven Pounds” was so horrifically terrible that it screams failure all over it. The first ten minutes are laughably bad, and it doesn’t improve at all. Then comes the worst ending of 2008, and “Seven Pounds” makes number ten on my list. I had to come home immediately after this movie just to get the stink off of me.

9. “The Happening” – Early reviews began popping in about Shyamalan’s first R-rated film called “The Happening,” and they weren’t pretty. I thought that it couldn’t be THAT bad. So I went through all of Shyamalan’s films and examined just how they were. The only little bit of evidence that I got out of the Shyamalan Experiment is that there must always be a twist. The twist in “The Happening”? Umm… plants are causing people to kill themselves? Add that with a moody Zooey Deschanel and Mark Wahlberg talking to a fake plant, begging it not to make him go crazy, and “The Happening” gets a spot on the list.

8. “The Love Guru” – You know that this year was terrible if “The Love Guru,” the new film starring Mike Myers, is only at number eight. “The Love Guru” has not a single redeemable quality to it. It’s not funny, it’s offending, and it’s boring. But what really got me mad about the film was not the unfunny schlock that “The Love Guru” was, or how offending Guru Pitka was, or how boring the film was, but how Mike Myers tries to set-up the film around playoff hockey games and can’t even get the fucking sport right. And who actually believes that Jessica Alba could manage a hockey team?

7. “An American Carol” – This film was so terrible that David Zucker had to recycle jokes from “The Onion Movie” just so the audience just had to get some laughs. “An American Carol” marks the return of David Zucker, who once brought us the hilarious comedies “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun,” but now I wish he just would have stayed hidden. But it is a good thing that no one saw it, because the story of how the producers think that many theaters were against people seeing this movie actually just might be one of the funniest stories of 2008.

6. “10,000 B.C.” – And holy shit, you couldn’t get crappier than this one. “10,000 B.C.” isn’t terrible because of the plot. It is terrible because Roland Emmerich couldn’t get anything right. I can excuse the whole English language nowadays because if you want to make big bucks, you got to do it in the English language (unless if you’re Mel Gibson). But what I cannot excuse is ignoring the event of the Ice Age. If you think the film looks pretty, go to New Zealand and see it for yourself. There is no reason why you should spend a dollar on this film.

5. “Twilight” – Easily one of the most hyped films of 2008, and easily one of the worst, “Twilight” manages to do everything wrong but making the audience laugh at how stupid it is. Based off a book that is popular with Emo teenagers and single moms who wish they were thirteen again, “Twilight” is one of the most bland films of the year. The film kills the vampire mythology, and bludgeons the idea of how to kill a vampire. Nothing happens until the last thirty minutes and by then the film is over. It’s also probably one of the most uneasy films of the year. One character tells another that she is his brand of heroin. Unrealistic, sure, but if I went up to a girl and whispered that in her ear, she would have blown her rape-whistle.

4. “Henry Poole is Here” – “Henry Poole is Here” is the reason why I don’t believe in God. Luke Wilson plays Henry Poole, who is so cynical that he believes that there is no reason to live. So why didn’t we off him in the first ten minutes of the film? Because he has to CHAAAANGE. And what happens when he begins to change? He changes back, and he fucking Paul Bunyans his house down until it falls on top of him. There is no feeling sorry for anyone in this film, only unintentional laughter. God, this movie SUCKED.

3. “Stuck” – This film really could have been one of the best films of the year, but it was made in such a shitty way that it is one of the worst films of the year. Stuart Gordon, who made the overrated “Re-Animator,” directs Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea in a crappy film about a guy getting hit by a car. Supposedly a true story, “Stuck” never comes off as anything more than a fantasy film. How do I know this? Because the character that Mena Suvari played was a black lady, but Stuart Gordon’s decision to give Suvari cornrows makes Suvari look like a wannabe black person. Suvari’s boyfriend in the film is black, and behind her back, he’s fucking other ladies. If “Stuck” gets the award of the most racist film made this year…

2. “Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys” - … then Tyler Perry wins the award for the most racist filmmaker this year. A man like Tyler Perry can do a number of things right. He can make Academy Award nominated actresses do the worst work of their career. He can have a woman get the shit slapped out of her and get applauses from the audience. And he can still be racist to his color and still be considered as a God to African Americans all over the world. If this was a fair world, Tyler Perry would have stayed on stage, and this movie would have never been made.

1. “The Spirit” – But not everything is a fair world. Aside from having to watch “The Family That Preys,” I watched “The Spirit” in the final days of the year. If you remember back in July, I named “The Spirit” as the film that I wanted to see the most out of the second half of the year. “The Spirit,” however, is easily the worst film of the year, and the worst film that I have ever seen in my life. It’s like Frank Miller wrote a book of everything that you could do wrong in a movie and did it. He got Louis Lombardi to play a multitude of annoying fat clones. He got Eva Mendes to scan her ass on a scanner for no reason whatsoever. He allows Samuel L. Jackson to melt a kitten and Gabriel Macht to come back at him and scream, “THIS IS FOR MUFFIN!” And he manages to get the entire “Spirit” story wrong. “The Spirit” is the “Batman and Robin” of the decade.

Note: I didn’t include “Disaster Movie,” “Meet the Spartans,” “The Hottie and the Nottie,” “Witless Protection,” and a few others on the list for a reason. I think you know why…

And my Best Ten of 2008 goes as followed:

10. “The Wrestler” – No performance this year could match up to the performance that Mickey Rourke gives in the new Darren Aronofsky film “The Wrestler.” Rourke and his character have a lot in common, which I found only helped him with the role even more. Both Rourke and the character he plays (Randy “The Ram” Robinson) were treated very unkindly when the 90s came around. There’s a great scene in “The Wrestler” where Rourke and another character in the film played by Marisa Tomei repeatedly say that the 90s sucked. Overall, “The Wrestler” is a pretty damn fine movie. Won’t win any Best Picture awards, but I dare you to find any finer than Mickey Rourke this season. (SEAN PENN FTL!)

9. “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” – If this was any other year, “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” wouldn’t have made this list. It’s not because it is a terrible film, which it most certainly isn’t, but it is such an unhappy tale that it makes “The Dark Knight” look like fucking “Happy-Go-Lucky.” I can guarantee you that if you go into “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” expecting a lot of good times, then you might as well give your money to something like “The Spirit” because you’re probably retarded. However, if you’re looking for a movie that you actually want to shed a tear at, there isn’t a better choice on this list… well maybe… Oh, and this film gets the award for Best Musical Score of the Year.

8. “In Bruges” – If I had watched “In Bruges” at least five more times since it came out on DVD, it would probably end up being number five or four on my list. Back when I first watched the film, I felt disappointed, and if it wasn’t for a few people convincing me to give it another go, it probably wouldn’t even be on this list. “In Bruges” is a movie that you will never get tired of watching once you watch it once or twice. The jokes are still funny the fifth time around and the performances only get better the tenth. This is the “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” of 2008, no question about it.

7. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” – I originally gave this film three stars when I first saw it in theaters back in April, but it’s grown on me. Only on my list will you find “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” at number seven, and you know what? I take that as a compliment. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” has more laughs than any film this year and has one of the most loveable characters of the year. Russell Brand brings the laughs and the tunes with this film. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” brought the romantic comedy back – and it feels good to say that again.

6. “Doubt” – Mickey Rourke might have given the best performance of the year, but “Doubt” gets the award of the best cast of the year. Everything that you have heard is true – Meryl Streep gives the only female performance worth remembering this year; Phillip Seymour Hoffman does the best work of his career (and lord knows what that means); Amy Adams shines like a bright star in this film; and Viola Davis, with less than ten minutes of screen time, gives the most effective performance of the film. I believe that “Doubt” has the best ending of any film this year, as well.

5. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” – Again, another film that you will find only on my top ten list. I hold this film to my heart just as much as any other Kevin Smith film (including “Jersey Girl”). This one might possibly be Smith’s best film. It was filled with enough raunchy humor to last five Judd Apatow-produced films and still wasn’t annoying. The screenwriting, as with all of Kevin Smith’s films, is top-notched. Seth Rogan does his best work of his career and Elizabeth Banks is just as great, but it is Craig Robinson from TV’s “The Office” (which happens to be the best sitcom on TV) that gives the best performance of the film.

4. “Frost/Nixon” – Previously, my favorite underdog film was “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters,” a documentary that showed two very competitive gamers fighting for the world record at Donkey Kong. After “Frost/Nixon,” I might have to make a few adjustments. This is a tale that is rarely told in any classes (aside from journalism, possibly, but even I wasn’t taught this), but “Frost/Nixon” very well just might be the smartest film of the year. In reality, the first and only time President Nixon confessed his involvement with Watergate was during this interview, but being that this interview was watched by forty-five million people, does that mean that he has confessed it forty-five million times?

3. “The Dark Knight” – The single best live-action blockbuster of the year that doesn’t deal with nuclear bombs and a fridge, “The Dark Knight” is the real film of the year. I know that there are two more ahead of it on my list, two films that I like more than “The Dark Knight,” but I have a feeling that “The Dark Knight” has hit people harder than any film this year. There are some people who must have seen this film at least ten times and there are some people who only saw it once in theaters, but no matter what the number, everyone seems to be on the same page – “The Dark Knight” is an instant classic. The film has one of the best villains of all-time played by the late Heath Ledger, but I think I like Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart, even more. There are so many things that you can examine that occurred in “The Dark Knight” that it will probably take you a week to go through them all.

2. “Let the Right One In” – Putting this here was very difficult. I didn’t know how hard it was going to be to put my number 2 and my number one in the order that they are in. “Let the Right One In” is THE vampire film of the year. The tale of two children who both need each other hasn’t been told so great. The acting is great, the direction is fantastic, and the special effects aren’t overdone. “Let the Right One In” is fantastic, and it will stay on your mind for a long time after watching it.

1. “Wall-E” – Like I said in my first paragraph, this year in film sucked, but when there were great films, they stuck with you for a long time. “Wall-E” was the one movie that I haven’t been able to get out of my head since I first saw it in June. Since then, I must have seen it ten times and cried every time since then. I thought that Pixar couldn’t get better than “Ratatouille,” but I was wrong. And who better to do it than the guy that made the single worst Pixar film, “Finding Nemo.” Only Pixar could get away with calling us Americans fat. They are the only studio who can tell us that we have been brainwashed by technology and consumerism. “Wall-E” is the best romantic film since “Casablanca,” the best animated film ever made, and one of the best movies of ALL-TIME.

Even though there are many horror films on this list, 2008 was a bad year for films all round, as your don’t have great films that stand out from the rest. You have a horror genre that has original films being shelved to DVD or given limited releases (ex.”Repo, Rouge, and “Midnight Meat Train”), while sub-par sequels and awful remakes are the ones hitting theaters. That’s not all, as there were many disappointing films that I had high hopes for, like “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Quantum of Solace”. All and all, this has been a very bad year for films, in general. With that said, the ten worst films of 2008...

10. Dead And Gone

“Dead and Gone” was painful to watch, as the film moves fast and doesn’t spend time on setting up the scary scenes. The direction wasn’t good, as it felt flat and uneventful. I really didn’t care for any of the characters. The film was also confusing to watch, as it felt weird and unsuspenseful. Thankfully, the film’s running time was 84 minutes. If it would have went longer, then it would have been much worse.

9. Secrets of the Clown

It’s a film that I’m not going to get into that much, as it will be the next edition of “Reviews From the Horror Chamber” which will come out later this week. This film definitely deserves to be on this list. This film felt like amateur hour, as it had horrible acting and a story that was very dull and uninteresting. I’ll spend more time on this in my next column on this awful film.

8. J-ok’el: The Curse of the Weeping Woman

“J-ok’el: The Curse of the Weeping Woman” gave new meaning to the term boring. This film was full of lifelessness. The actors seemed uninterested with the material and the director didn’t care that everyone looked lifeless. It made the action very dull. He also doesn’t provide any scares, as the film could easily play on the Lifetime channel than being a horror film.

7. The Haunting of Rebecca Valentine

“The Haunting Of Rebecca Valentine” has a director that was obsessed with making a gory horror film, than the film’s original purpose, a supernatural horror film. There was no development whatsoever, as the filmmakers never intended to tell a story. The whole purpose of this film was to kill characters to horrifying ways. It made the film very boring to watch. No wonder why it took so long to get a U.S. DVD release date, because this is one horrible supernatural film.

Films Six and Five contain villains that you could easily punch in face and survive their villainous ways, because they are not convincing enough.

6. Cruel World

“Cruel World” was like a reality TV show. It was painful to watch. The main reason for that was that the acting was so horrible. Edward Furlong was horrible, as his performance came off, as annoying. It also didn’t help that I want to kick his character’s ass so badly. The film also suffers from horrible acting and uninteresting characters, like those found on those stupid reality shows. Forget this film ever existed, like I have.

5. Funny Games

Another film that made me, want to go into the film and punch the living daylights out of the villains. The film should hae been a decent film, with talent like Naomi Watts, and Tim Roth, but this was awful to watch. I don’t know why they would ever think that this was a good project to work on. The script was awful, as it had villains that you could easily beat up. I really wanted to break the fourth wall and punch those preppies out myself, like they did to the stupid family in the film.

Here’s film’s four and three, in which, in any year that could easily be considered, as the worst film of the year. Please notice that the directors for these two films should never be considered.

4. Seed

Why is Uwe Boll still making films? I convinced of the hype that he has no directing talents at all. I’m not going spend a lot time on this, as I have other things to rant about, but here’s a couple of the highlights of why this film was bad. This film had a screenplay that was boring. The screenplay made no sense to it all. Boll, also add disturbing elements to the film’s story that doesn’t scare you, as it makes the film’s content plain disgusting, not horrifying. The direction was also awful, because the action was dull. Boll doesn’t care about keeping your interest. I had to shut this film off a couple of time because I was so outraged and disgusted with this film.

3. One Missed Call (One and a Half Missed Hours of my Life)

“One Missed Call” would have been the easy pick for worst film, but it really didn’t disappoint me that much, as the bottom two films did, because I had no expectation going into this film. If I declared this the worst film, then I would not make a major statement about the bottom two films and it’s highly profiled directors and stars, which I’m pissed off with. This film has all the ingredients for worst film of the year: a predictable story, no development of any of its characters, uninteresting characters, and no logic. Even though I still think that this is the Worst Film in the History of Modern Cinema, I want to make a major statement and show how this has been an awful year for films. Enough said.

The two worst films of the year are films that I didn’t review for the site and they both have Samuel L. Jackson. You know it’s a bad year if one of your favorite actors is in two of the worst films of the year.

2. Jumper

“Jumper” made me wanting to try to jump, from my seat to the theater exit doors. It really mazes me how far director Doug Liman has fallen ever since the last third of “Mr. And Ms. Smith”. He used to be a very talented director with film like “Swingers”, “Go”, and “The Bourne Identity”. It was like they were setting up the second film in the first one.

In this film, his direction was bad. I do not need to see characters jumping every five seconds. After the first couple of times, I get it. His use of special effects is repetitive throughout the whole film. It drove me crazy. He really needs to choose projects more wisely in the future. The screenplay written by David "Hit or Miss” Goyer, Jim Uhls, and Simon Kinberg was equally awful. You know that there’s a problem if Diane Lane is only in it for four minutes. Yes, it’s the same Diane Lane that was in Untraceable, in which she was the main star. Also, where’s the character development, as it make me dumbfounded that the writers, only cared about inserting 10 million jump sequences, while giving no background on his home life or character. I would have liked to know what his parents were like but no; the story needed a lot jumping sequences, instead. My other major complaint was the fact it didn’t answer any questions regarding the main character. The only thing that I got out of that screenplay was that if you are a kid from a broken home, then you can jump all over the world. The acting wasn’t that great neither. I thought Hayden Christen was very bad here. It’s one of those roles, where he’s just annoying all the time, especially every time he smiles. Samuel L. Jackson wasn’t that good, as I could not stand him in this film or “The Spirit” for that matter. It seemed, like he was playing the same character, in both of these film, by delivering one-liners, all the time, which made his performances suffer.

Jumper will make you jump for the exit doors, as it’s full of repetitive effect with way too many questions and no character development.

1. The Spirit

If you told me in the middle of June that “The Spirit” would be my pick for Worst film of 2008, I would have been laughing at your face. I have been looking forward to this film, since late last year. But it is true; “The Spirit” is a piece of over-hyped crap. Frank Miller should not be allowed to helm a film by himself again. That’s how bad this film is.

The direction and writing was awful. The whole film was dreadfully slow, as the direction was lifeless. Miller makes no attempt to move the action, instead that we are treated to endless monologues and horribly written dialogue. What made it very horrible was the fact that Miller tried to make this into a “Sin City” clone. Hello, it’s nearly impossible, when the film rating is PG-13 and the fact that there is no action to keep your interest. The acting also seemed lifeless, especially from Gabriel Macht, as his performance made you not care about this superhero. What is wrong with Samuel L. Jackson and his choices of projects? He stars, in my two worst films of the year. It feels like the same Samuel L. Jackson villainous performance that he gives in “Jumper”, which I’m not going to waste my time on, as I already talked about it.

What made “Sin City” great, was the fact that the film did a great job developing it’s characters. In this film, there is no development, whatsoever, like the relationship that The Spirit has with Ellen Dolan. There was room there, for some development, but instead, we are treated to endless boring monologues, which slow the film down. Also, I was also confused, in the way that some of the characters looked alike, as I had trouble telling a couple of them apart. But what made this awful, the fact that the dialogue was badly written. It made the characters annoying, like the clones and some of the female characters. “The Spirit” probably would have worked better, as a franchise or TV series, not a single movie. This was an utter and complete failure that should have never seen the light of day.

All and all, this has been an awful year, in films. Hopefully, next year will be better, unless the actor's strike takes place, then we could be in for another bad year.