2008 Movie Review List

2008 Top 10 (so far):
Honorable Mention: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
10. Visitor, The
9. Gran Torino
8. Revolutionary Road
7. In Bruges
6. Iron Man
5. Frost/Nixon
4. Defiance
3. Rachel Getting Married
2. Wall-E
1. Wrestler, The

2008 Movies:
10,000 B.C.: 2/10
21: 5/10
24: Redemption: 7/10
27 Dresses: 4/10
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days: 7/10
88 Minutes: 2/10
Appaloosa: 7/10
Australia: 4/10
Baby Mama: 6/10
Babylon A.D.: 3/10
Bangkok Dangerous: 3/10
Bank Job, The: 7/10
Batman: Gotham Knight: 5/10
Be Kind Rewind: 4/10
Bigger Stronger Faster*: 7/10
Black List, The: Volume One: 5/10
Bolt: 8/10
Burn After Reading: 8/10
Cassandra's Dream: 4/10
Changeling: 8/10
Charlie Bartlett: 6/10
Chronicles of Narnia, The: Prince Caspian: 4/10
Class, The: 8/10
Cloverfield: 8/10
Counterfeiters, The: 7/10
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The: 8/10
Dark Knight, The: 8/10
Day of the Dead: 3/10
Day the Earth Stood Still, The: 4/10
Death Race: 5/10
Defiance: 9/10
Definitely, Maybe: 7/10
Diary of the Dead: 6/10
Doomsday: 3/10
Doubt: 5/10
Drillbit Taylor: 4/10
Duchess, The: 6/10
Eagle Eye: 6/10
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed: 1/10
Express, The: 6/10
Eye, The: 4/10
Eye of the Beast: 4/10
Fall, The: 8/10
Finding Amanda: 5/10
Flash of Genius: 7/10
Fool's Gold: 5/10
Forbidden Kingdom, The: 6/10
Forgetting Sarah Marshall: 8/10
Four Christmases: 4/10
Frost/Nixon: 10/10
Funny Games: 4/10
Futurama: Bender's Game: 6/10
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs: 7/10
Get Smart: 5/10
Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control: 4/10
Goal II: Living the Dream: 6/10
Gran Torino: 9/10
Hamlet 2: 7/10
Hancock: 4/10
Happening, The: 3/10
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: 5/10
Hellboy II: The Golden Army: 8/10
Horton Hears a Who!: 5/10
Hottie and the Nottie, The: 2/10
House Bunny, The: 6/10
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People: 4/10
How to Rob a Bank: 2/10
In Bruges: 9/10
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: 2/10
Incredible Hulk, The: 7/10
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 8/10
Iron Man: 9/10
Journey to the Center of the Earth: 6/10
Jumper: 4/10
Justice League: The New Frontier: 6/10
Kung Fu Panda: 7/10
Leatherheads: 5/10
Love Guru, The: 2/10
Mad Money: 3/10
Made of Honor: 4/10
Mamma Mia!: 3/10
Man on Wire: 8/10
Marley and Me: 8/10
Max Payne: 3/10
Married Life: 5/10
Meet the Spartans: 1/10
Midnight Meat Train, The: 4/10
Milk: 8/10
Miracle at St. Anna: 4/10
Mirrors: 4/10
Mummy, The: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: 3/10
My Best Friend's Girl: 6/10
Never Back Down: 7/10
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: 7/10
Nights in Rodanthe: 4/10
One Missed Call: 3/10
Other Boleyn Girl, The: 5/10
Outpost: 5/10
Over Her Dead Body: 3/10
Pathology: 3/10
Pineapple Express: 8/10
Pride and Glory: 5/10
Prom Night: 3/10
Punisher: War Zone: 7/10
Quantum of Solace: 8/10
Rachel Getting Married: 10/10
Rambo: 5/10
Reader, The: 5/10
Recount: 8/10
Redbelt: 5/10
Religulous: 6/10
Revolutionary Road: 9/10
Righteous Kill: 4/10
Rocker, The: 5/10
Rogue: 7/10
Role Models: 7/10
Romulus, My Father: 7/10
Ruins, The: 4/10
Run Fatboy Run: 7/10
Savage Grace: 3/10
Saw V: 5/10
Scorpion King 2, The: Rise of a Warrior: 4/10
Semi-Pro: 7/10
Senior Skip Day: 3/10
Seven Pounds: 7/10
Sex and the City: 4/10
Shine a Light: 8/10
Slumdog Millionaire: 8/10
Smart People: 5/10
Speed Racer: 4/10
Spirit, The: 1/10
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: 5/10
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder: 3/10
Step Brothers: 7/10
Step Up 2 the Streets: 4/10
Stop-Loss: 4/10
Strangers, The: 6/10
Street Kings: 5/10
Superhero Movie: 3/10
Teeth: 5/10
Traitor: 8/10
Transporter 3, The: 6/10
Tropic Thunder: 7/10
Twilight: 6/10
U2 3D: 7/10
Untraceable: 7/10
Valkyrie: 7/10
Vantage Point: 3/10
Vicky Cristina Barcelona: 7/10
Visitor, The: 9/10
W.: 5/10
Wackness, The: 7/10
Wall-E: 10/10
Wanted: 8/10
What Happens in Vegas...: 6/10
Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?: 4/10
White Noise 2: The Light: 5/10
Wrestler, The: 10/10
X-Files, The: I Want to Believe: 7/10
Yes Man: 7/10
You Don't Mess with the Zohan: 6/10
Zack and Miri Make a Porno: 7/10
Zombie Strippers: 2/10

007 Rankings

Having now seen Quantum of Solace for the second time I finally feel comfortable unveiling my revised James Bond film rankings:

1. Casino Royale (2006)
2. Goldeneye (1995)
3. Goldfinger (1964)
4. From Russia With Love (1963)
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
6. Dr. No (1962)
7. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
8. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
9. Thunderball (1965)
10. Quantum of Solace (2008)
11. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
12. The Living Daylights (1987)
13. Live and Let Die (1973)
14. You Only Live Twice (1967)
15. Never Say Never Again (1983)
16. The World is Not Enough (1999)
17. Die Another Day (2002)
18. Licence to Kill (1989)
19. Diamonds are Forever (1971)
20. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
21. Moonraker (1979)
22. Casino Royale (Climax!) (1954)
23. Octopussy (1983)
24. A View to a Kill (1985)
25. Casino Royale (1967)

Best Bond:
1. Sean Connery
2. Daniel Craig
3. Pierce Brosnan
4. George Lazenby
5. Timothy Dalton
6. Roger Moore
7. Barry Nelson
8. David Niven (et al from '67 Casino Royale)

Academy Award Predictions

I know, I know, it's been forever since I've posted and I'll return with a review binge soon. For now here are my personal rankings of the nominees in each category and my prediction for who will win each. NB: Films I've yet to see are not ranked, just arranged alphabetically...

Best Picture

Ranking:
1. Frost/Nixon
2. Milk
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. The Reader
Prediction:
Slumdog Millionaire
Should've been a contender:
The Wrestler; Wall-E; Rachel Getting Married

Best Actor

Ranking:
1. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
2. Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
3. Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
4. Sean Penn, Milk
5. Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Prediction:
Mickey Rourke
Should've been a contender:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road/Body of Lies; Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man; Colin Farrell, In Bruges; Daniel Craig, Defiance; Don Cheadle, Traitor

Best Actress

Ranking:
1. Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
2. Kate Winslet, The Reader
3. Angelina Jolie, Changeling
4. Meryl Streep, Doubt
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Prediction:
Kate Winslet
Should've been a contender:
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road; Rebecca Hall, Vicky Christina Barcelona; Diane Lane, Untraceable; Jennifer Aniston, Marley and Me

Best Supporting Actor

Ranking:
1. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
3. Josh Brolin, Milk
4. Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
5. Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Prediction:
Heath Ledger
Should've been a contender:
James Franco, Pineapple Express/Milk; Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading; Michael Sheen, Frost/Nison; Bill Iwin, Rachel Getting Married; Brendon Gleeson, In Bruges; Jamie Bell, Defiance; Viggo Mortensen, Appaloosa; Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire; Said Taghmaoui, Traitor; Doug Jones, Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Supporting Actress

Ranking:
1. Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
2. Amy Adams, Doubt
3. Viola Davis, Doubt
4. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
5. Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Prediction:
Penelope Cruz
Should've been a contender:
Hiam Abbass, The Visitor; Rosemarie Dewitt, Rachel Getting Married; Clemence Poesy, In Bruges; Isla Fisher, Definitely, Maybe; Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married

Best Director

Ranking:
1. David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
3. Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
4. Gus Van Sant, Milk
5. Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Prediction:
Danny Boyle
Should've been a contender:
Jonathan Demme, Rachel Getting Married; Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler; Andrew Stanton, Wall-E

Best Original Screenplay

Ranking:
1. Martin McDonough, In Bruges
2. Andrew Stanton, Wall-E
3. Dustin Lance Black, Milk
4. Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
UR. Courtney Hunt, Frozen River (NB: Still need to see Frozen River)
Prediction:
Dustin Lance Black
Should've been a contender:
Jenny Lumet, Rachel Getting Married; Robert Siegel, The Wrestler; Tom McCarthy, The Visitor; Joel Coen/Ethan Coen, Burn After Reading; John Kamps/David Koepp, Ghost Town

Best Adapted Screenplay

Ranking:
1. Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
2. Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
4. John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
5. David Hare, The Reader
Prediction:
Simon Beaufoy
Should've been a contender:
Clayton Frohman/Edward Zwick, Defiance; Justine Haythe, Revolutionary Road; William Monaghan, Body of Lies

Best Editing

Ranking:
1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. Frost/Nixon
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Milk
5. The Dark Knight
Prediction:
Slumdog Millionaire
Should've been a contender:
Defiance; Rachel Getting Married

Best Cinematography

Ranking:
1. Claudio Miranda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight
3. Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
4. Tom Stern, Changeling
5. Chris Menges/Roger Deakins, The Reader
Prediction:
Anthony Dod Mantle
Should've been a contender:
Colin Watkinson, The Fall; Guillermo Navarro, Hellboy II: The Golden Army; Eduardo Serra, Defiance; Roger Deakins, Revolutionary Road; Mandy Walker, Australia

Best Art Direction

Ranking:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. The Dark Knight
3. Revolutionary Road
4. Changeling
5. The Duchess
Prediction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Should've been a contender:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army; The Fall; Defiance; Australia

Best Foreign Language Film

Nominees:
1. The Class (France)
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)
Prediction:
Waltz with Bashir
Should've been a contender:
Gomorrah; Let the Right One In

Best Documentary

Nominees:
1. Man on Wire
2. Encounters at the End of the World
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
The Garden
Trouble the Water
Prediction:
Man on Wire
Should've been a contender:
Standard Operating Procedure; Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

Best Animated Film

Ranking:
1. Wall-E
2. Kung Fu Panda
3. Bolt
Prediction:
Wall-E
Should've been a contender:
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Best Song

Ranking:
1. Down to Earth by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Wall-E
2. Jaiho, Slumdog Millionaire
3. O Saya, Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction:
Down to Earth
Should've been a contender:
The Wrestler by Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler

Best Score

Ranking:
1. James Newton Howard, Defiance
2. Thomas Newman, Wall-E
3. Alexandre Desplat, Benjamin Button
4. Danny Elfman, Milk
5. A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction:
A.R. Rahman
Should've been a contender:
James Newton Howard/Hans Zimmer, The Dark Knight; Danny Elfman, Hellboy II: The Golden Army; David Arnold, Quantum of Solace; Clint Mansell, The Wrestler; Geoff Zanelli, Ghost Town

Best Visual Effects

Ranking:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Iron Man
3. The Dark Knight
Prediction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Should've been a contender:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army; Quantum of Solace

Best Makeup

Ranking:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
3. The Dark Knight
Prediction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Should've been a contender:
The Fall

Best Costume Design

Ranking:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Revolutionary Road
3. Australia
4. The Duchess
5. Milk
Prediction:
The Duchess
Should've been a contender:
The Fall; Hellboy II: The Golden Army; The Other Boleyn Girl; Changeling; Defiance

Best Sound Mixing

Ranking:
1. Wall-E
2. The Dark Knight
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Wanted
5. Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction:
The Dark Knight
Should've been a contender:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army; Defiance; Quantum of Solace

Best Sound Editing

Ranking:
1. Wall-E
2. Iron Man
3. The Dark Knight
4. Wanted
5. Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction:
The Dark Knight
Should've been a contender:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army; The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Best Animated Short
Nominees:
1. Presto
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
This Way Up
Prediction:
This Way Up

Best Live Action Short
Nominees:
Auf der Strecke
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Prediction:
New Boy

Best Documentary Short
Nominees:
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306
Prediction:
The Conscience of Nhem En