Celluloid Psychosis

20. TROPIC THUNDER - I’m definitely not a fan of Ben Stiller or Jack Black - both of their acts became stale and tiresome years ago.  But this hysterical satire of Hollywood filmmaking may very well be their saving grace.  While both men are doing their typical shtick to a degree, they’re doing it right, but it’s really the performances by Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Cruise, and others that make this a clever and extremely entertaining comedy.

19. REALITY BLEED THROUGH - This ultra low-budget sci-fi/horror/head movie is a breath of fresh air in the underground film arena.  While not without its fair share of flaws as any homegrown production is, it’s an eerie, intelligent, extremely layered piece with lots of striking imagery and thought-provoking ideas.  Hopefully this will get some wider distribution soon, as it deserves the attention way more than all the hackneyed slashers and backyard zombie turds out there.

18. IRON MAN - The first in a substantial line of comic book adaptations this year is a solid superhero blockbuster comprised of a credible performance by Robert Downey, Jr., some explosive action, and competent direction by Jon Favreau.

17. DOOMSDAY - Not nearly as good as director Neil Marshall’s first two movies - DOG SOLDIERS and THE DESCENT - this sci-fi/horror actioner nonetheless delivers in spades as a ballistic, rowdy, and just plain fun homage to post-apocalyptic flicks like ROAD WARRIOR and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.

16. DELIVER US FROM EVIL - This documentary uses one specific case to illustrate the Catholic hierarchy’s corrupt practices of covering up child molestation within their midst.  I was pissed at the Church before for this, but this emotionally stirring film sheds even more light on the crisis for me, and now I have nothing but utter contempt for it.

15. THE STRANGERS - Looking back on the year, I noticed that the pickings for horror films were extremely slim.  There’s only a small handful of titles that really stick out in my mind, but this taut home invasion thriller is definitely near the top.  Unlike most works in the genre, it bypasses the blood n’ guts to deliver some genuine suspense and sympathetic performances by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman (not that there’s anything wrong with the blood n’ guts).

14. HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY - The sequel to the hilarious buddy comedy HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE surpasses its predecessor, thanks to some biting political satire. The title characters, as well as others (including a returning Neil Patrick Harris as himself), are great, goofy enough to be funny but not so dumb they aren’t relatable, which is a key factor that most movies of this genre have completely forgotten these days.  I think its the funniest comedy I saw this year.

13. DEFIANCE - Filmmaker Edward Zwick is on a roll here after the awesome LAST SAMURAI and BLOOD DIAMOND.  Like those two, this is an epic action drama about a small group of individuals taking on an oppressive force.  Visceral action, moving performances especially by Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber, and engrossing human drama.

12. HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY - While DARK KNIGHT may win out as best superhero flick of the year in most people’s eyes, I’d say it’s a close tie between that and Guillermo del Toro’s sequel to his underrated supernatural fantasy about a demonic government agent vanquishing sinister forces.  I’d say this may even be better than the first (and that’s coming from somebody who loves the first).  Del Toro once again proves himself to be a master at evoking a sense of wonder with his films, weaving a concrete adventure with plenty of fun action and enticing fantasy imagery, but also plenty of pathos and heartwarming characters.

11. DARK KNIGHT - Well, I guess it’s pretty much mandatory that this be included in any end of year list at this point.  But yes, the second installment in the rebooted Batman franchise is an excellent superhero movie, more than likely one of the best, although honestly I think I still prefer BATMAN BEGINS over it.  The film reinforces that director Christopher Nolan’s decision to reject the fantastical, over-the-top (and in some cases blatantly homoerotic) style of previous adaptations and apply a grounded, more realistic approach was definitely the best, as it seems to be the one most suited for the material.  The story is mature and intelligent, the action gritty and visceral, Christian Bale is again awesome as the billionaire-turned-vigilante Bruce Wayne (and I sincerely think one of this generation’s best actors), as well as the rest of the cast being strong (especially Aaron Eckhart).  Then of course there’s Heath Ledger’s turn as the Joker.  So much has already been said about his demented performance that I won’t go in depth on it, but yes it does steal the show.

10. RED - The latest in a recent line of adaptations of the works of horror/suspense writer Jack Ketchum might very well be the best, if not at least the most accurate.  The riveting, nearly Oscar-worthy lead performance by Brian Cox is glue that holds together this revenge drama about a man on a quest for justice for the cold-blooded murder of his beloved dog.  Its bleak tone and avoidance of thriller conventions almost brought to mind NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN for me.

9. DIARY OF THE DEAD - Fuck CLOVERFIELD, George A. Romero’s latest effort in the zombie genre that he created is the true horror “verite” film of the year (along with the Spanish [REC], but it hasn’t been released yet so I’m not counting it).  Instead of just using the “found footage” premise as a marketing ploy like so many others, Romero is able to use it as a vehicle to intelligently explore how the mass media and technology can affect the reality of events.  I think it might be the best horror movie I’ve seen this year.

8. REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA - First of all, a big “fuck you” should go to the film’s studio Lionsgate for completely screwing over the filmmakers and theater-goers (including myself) who had been highly anticipating this brilliant sci-fi gore rock opera with a ridiculously minuscule theatrical play and making us wait for the DVD.  With the buzz and praise from the genre community, it would’ve definitely done fine with a much larger release.  Director Darren Lynn Bousman has proven he’s got some real vision here with his first feature that isn’t a SAW sequel.  Stunning BLADE RUNNER-esque imagery, a rockin’ industrial soundtrack (that I’m currently addicted to), a great ensemble cast (hell, even Paris Hilton is good, something I thought I’d never say), and some tongue-in-cheek satire about consumerism and society’s obsessions with perfection and celebrity make for an imaginative tour de force.

7. BIG BANG LOVE, JUVENILE A - Japanese maverick Takashi Miike is definitely one of my all-time favorite filmmakers.  Many people, including Miike himself, have deemed this his magnum opus.  While I may not completely agree, this definitely is up there as one of his best efforts, a somber existential prison drama with an underlying homoeroticism.  A surreal production design reminiscient of German expressionism, unique direction, and overall otherworldly tone.

6. RAMBO - Sly Stallone continues his solid comeback, following his sincere conclusion to the ROCKY franchise, with a reboot of his other famous character.  Like with ROCKY BALBOA, people expected a pathetic, laughable vanity piece with a past-his-prime star longing to relive his days as an action hero.  But instead we get a mature commentary on war wrapped up in an action flick that is dark, savage, grim, and grounded in a harsh reality.  Stallone does away with the macho patriotic fantasy of the earlier sequels and harks back to the bitter, cynical tone of FIRST BLOOD.  This is the true John Rambo, a warrior who is self-loathing, weary, and psychologically embattled.  I think this is personally the best action film I’ve seen in years.

5. THERE WILL BE BLOOD - Paul Thomas Anderson’s gloomy drama that explores the conflict between business and spirituality and how the extremes of each can corrupt is an eerie, poignant tour de force.  Consummate acting by Daniel Day-Lewis, solid direction, and a mesmerizing sound design.

4. PHILOSOPHY OF A KNIFE - Andrey Iskanov might very well be the best filmmaker working in the underground today.  He is willing to go farther artistically than most micro-budget directors are these days and has the gift to take minuscule resources and turn them into arresting and disturbing opuses of a unique, imaginative vision.  While his previous experimental horror films dealt with the thin boundaries of reality, this epic documentary delves into humanity’s capacity for sheer depravity and sadism by examining the macabre experiments conducted by the Japanese army Unit 731 during World War II.  The result is not just a movie, but a hypnotically hellish experience.

3. THE FALL - Tarsem Singh’s follow-up to THE CELL took 6 years to complete and was shot in over 18 countries, but despite its epic proportions it was swept under the rug for a couple years and dumped into a puny release where it was utterly ignored.  It’s a damn shame, because it’s a beautiful, spellbinding film that evokes the works of Guillermo del Toro and Terry Gilliam in how it allegorically blends wondrous fairy tale fantasy and poignant coming-of-age drama.

2. THE WRESTLER - Darren Aronofsky does it again - the man has made 4 films in his budding career, and in my opinion all 4 are absolute masterpieces.  Mickey Rourke gives a sincere, poignant performance of a broken-down pro wrestler who longs for his 80’s heyday and Marisa Tomei is great as the over-the-hill stripper who keeps pushing him away.  They both deserve every award they’re nominated for, but’s it’s practically criminal that this also didn’t get nominated for Aronofsky’s raw, intimate direction or even best picture.

1. WALL-E - Like a lot of people, I was completely caught unawares by this.  The early trailers did nothing but inspire annoyance (and mild loathing because it looked like they had ripped off Johnny Five from SHORT CIRCUIT) and I didn’t have an iota of desire to see it.  To me it looked like another empty Pixar exercise in making a quick buck by doing nothing but pandering to their child audience’s limited intelligence.  But after its overwhelmingly positive reception, I decided to see if I was wrong, and guess what?  I was!  WALL-E is a film that completely surpasses typical family fare to be a sci-fi masterpiece.  The film had an enormous effect on me on all possible levels - visually, emotionally, and intellectually.  The animation is flawless and striking, the characters and story heartwarming, but what makes this a noteworthy Disney picture is the fact that it managed to get away with a subtle but scathing satire that comments on our own rampant consumerism (I’m surprised conservative parents haven’t complained about it attacking a value system that they are probably trying to program their children with.  Then again, it’s probably not surprising it goes over most attention-deficient audiences collective heads).  I certainly would never predict I’d say this, but I believe this was the best film I saw all year, and I think possibly even the best thing Disney has ever done.

Honorable mentions:

KILLING GENE
MILK
CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
INCREDIBLE HULK
THE SIGNAL
RETURN TO SLEEPAWAY CAMP
REDBELT
THE RUINS
NORIKO’S DINNER TABLE

APPALOOSA

INSIDE

FRONTIER(S)

CHRISTMAS ON MARS

Stay tuned for my worst of ‘08.

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