BEST OF 2008

10. Man On Wire

This marvellous documentary features a story just waiting to be brought to life on the big screen. Early one morning in 1974, a French wire walker named Philippe Petit spent an hour walking back and forth across a wire suspended between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. He dazzled the viewers below with his near defiance of gravity before eventually stepping off the wire and being taken away by police for psychological evaluation. More than thirty years later, filmmaker James Marsh conducted interviews with Petit and the crew that helped him execute this amazing feat and compiled the interviews with footage and still photos of the event in order to create this powerful dissection of the astonishing stunt. Petit himself is so gloriously energetic and enthusiastic that his interviews are solid entertainment on their own. When added to this mixture of love and passion, his enthusiasm becomes infectious, making Man on Wire a powerful and engaging look at one man's journey to realize his dream.

 

9. Funny Games

This deeply unsettling home invasion movie that pits a loving family of three against two sadistic young men is easily the best horror movie I saw all year long. The movie is directed by Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke and is actually a remake of his own 1997 movie. In fact, this version (starring such great non-American actors as Naomi Watts and Tim Roth) is titled Funny Games U.S. in the opening credits. The story is easily set up at the beginning, as the happy family arrive at their cabin on the lake for a weekend of relaxation. Soon after arriving, a young man appears at the front door, claiming to be a friend of the neighbours and requesting a few eggs. This gentle situation grows more awkward as the man is joined by his friend and they make it very clear that they have no interest in eggs. What follows is a series of supposed "funny games," all of which are horrific and involve humiliation and murder. Haneke cranks up the tension to an almost unbearable level, as the family begins to lose hope that they will survive until the next morning. Roth and Watts are great in their roles, giving us a real reason to care and have an emotional investment in the movie, which transforms Funny Games from just a scary movie into a tragic, inescapable nightmare.

 

8. Frozen River

This miniature gem about a down-on-her-luck mother who resorts to smuggling people across the frozen St. Lawrence River to make ends meet marks the arrival of a great new female filmmaker. Considering how rare a breed female filmmakers are, it was with great elation that I discovered writer-director Courtney Hunt's warm, lyrical voice bringing such a harsh world into focus. That Hunt channels her voice through the immensely capable actor Melissa Leo further solidifies Frozen River as one of the most encouraging debuts of the year.

 

7. Son of Rambow

A genuine love letter to the magic of cinema. Writer-director Garth Jennings has crafted a beautiful celebration of imagination and heartfelt entertainment in this story of two unlikely friends who team up to remake First Blood. They come from completely different worlds (one belongs to a religious group that bans him from watching movies, while the other is an angry loner bullied by his older brother), but they bond over the bloody mayhem of Rambo's first outing. The two main kid actors (Bill Milner and Will Poulter) are absolutely sensational from beginning to end. Their performances, along with Jennings' script and direction, elevate Son of Rambow to a very special place where real friendships are forged and happy endings are earned.

 

6. Speed Racer

I am tempted to call this the most underrated movie of the year, but in the end, such a distinction does not matter. Abysmal box office and a heavy dose of critical venom aside, Speed Racer is an explosive symphony for the senses that will surely find an audience in the coming years. After revolutionizing the action movie genre in 1999 with The Matrix, brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski have brought their genre-altering imaginations to the world of family entertainment with this gorgeous and supremely energetic adaptation of the cult classic anime series. The cast leaps into the CGI backgrounds and exaggerated emotions to help bring the Wachowski's unique vision to life and provide the movie with a much-needed soul. But it is the racing sequences that are the real stars of this movie, as brilliant camera work combines with perfectly timed editing to create one of the most heart-pounding experiences of the year.

 

5. Milk

Sean Penn delivers one of the very best performances of his career (perhaps his very best) as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the United States. Penn vanishes into the role of Harvey and fills every inch of his body, wearing the part as if it were a second skin. Along with Penn, director Gus Van Sant and writer Dustin Lance Black combine their abilities to tell an engaging, moving story of how Harvey fought his way into politics and became an icon for the gay rights movement. Immersed in the world of 1970s San Francisco, Milk feels genuine in every way, from the examination of its setting to the very powerful emotions experienced by each character. Milk is a solid biopic that rightfully takes its cues from history and Sean Penn's astonishing performance.

 

4. Tell No One

Leave it to the French to teach Hollywood a lesson in filmmaking. This captivating thriller finally made its way across the Atlantic this year and reminded me how exciting a great movie thriller can be. In the year of Hollywood mishaps like The X-Files: I Want to Believe and Eagle Eye, Tell No One comes as a huge surprise, a throwback to old-fashioned thrill rides that are based on character instead of set pieces. This tale of a man who is contacted by his seemingly murdered wife eight years after her disappearance has more in common with Hitchcock than the effects-laden thrillers of today. The plot is very dense and convoluted, but director Guillaume Canet keeps it interesting by convincingly placing us in the protagonist's shoes. As the man searching for his missing wife, Francois Cluzet is entirely believable, pulling us into his personal predicament with every step that brings him closer to the truth.

 

3. Slumdog Millionaire

Chameleonic filmmaker Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine) has once again entered unexpected territory with this uplifting drama about a young man's journey from the slums of Mumbai to the seat of the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" As each question is asked, we are hurtled back into Jamal's past, where we learn something about his upbringing that coincidentally parallels the question he is being asked on the game show. This approach to the narrative is brilliantly unique, as each flashback develops the characters and reinforces the main narrative thread at the same time. The acting is flawless from everyone in the movie, which is a wonderful surprise when you consider how many children at different ages had to explore a range of emotions on screen. The vibrant photography buzzes with life and the musical score provides great aural support. Slumdog Millionaire is one of the most original movies that I had the pleasure of seeing in 2008 and a beautiful celebration of love and determination.

 

2. The Dark Knight

In following up his successful franchise reboot Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan raised the bar so high that he shattered the ceiling. Envisioning the movie as a sprawling crime saga laced with Greek tragedy, Nolan pulls the tortured Batman into the darkness and leaves him to fester in the midst of his own fractured morality. The scope of the story, the character arc designed for Batman, and the stunning visuals are among the reasons that this movie is so fascinating to watch. But in the end, it is the inclusion of Batman's nemesis The Joker (and the resulting collision of hero and villain) that make The Dark Knight the greatest comic book movie ever. Heath Ledger's profoundly disturbing performance as the anarchy-loving killer in clown makeup is the stuff of legend and will rightfully be remembered forever. Never before has the tormented journey of a hero behind a mask been so masterfully realized on the big screen and never before has the sick and twisted mind of a villain been so electrifying.

 

1. Rachel Getting Married

By stripping the narrative experience down to its bare bones, screenwriter Jenny Lumet and director Jonathon Demme have crafted a movie that is utterly unforgettable. The plot revolves around a young woman named Kym (played by Anne Hathaway, in my favourite female performance of the year), who is temporarily released from rehab so she can attend her sister Rachel's wedding at the family home. The gentle simplicity of the plot instantly gives way to a tidal wave of heart-wrenching complexity, as Kym's presence infects every aspect of the wedding weekend, from seating plans to Rachel's choice for the Maid of Honour. The entire cast is brilliant, bringing to life each character with such honesty that the movie could be mistaken for a documentary. The camera wanders through the house, capturing every moment of joy and brutal sadness with the fascinated disconnection of an innocent bystander. But it is the trifecta of Hathaway, Lumet, and Demme that solidifies Rachel Getting Married as a moving masterpiece. The amalgamation of actor, writer, and director is irresistible, as they all combine their talents to create a work of astonishing art.