31 December 2008

Baloney & Cereal Oh-Eight Sillies: Movies

I feel like any Top Movies of the Year List I do is woefully inadequate because I've missed so much these past two months. There are a handful of movies that I'm sure are great, but I can't get out to the theater to watch them. So I'll just have to make do with the ones I did see. In order to make it 8 for oh-eight, I'll do Top Five and Bottom Three.

Best Movies of 2008

1. Iron Man - I'm actually putting this movie ahead of the next, though it was very close. Robert Downey, Jr. is so amazing, he grounds the movie in such realism that you totally buy everything that happens. Love it.

2. The Dark Knight - This ended up in second place because of glaring flaws that couldn't be overlooked. The who-will-blow-up-the-other-boat scene -- it just rings false to me and bothers me more the more I watch it. Christian Bale's gravelly, unnecessary whisper. But those are small things when considering the big picture - and the Joker, Two-Face, and Commissioner Gordon.

3. Tropic Thunder - Hilarious. And for as good as Robert Downey, Jr. is (once again), it's Jack Black who steals the movie. And dammit, if it isn't the only Tom Cruise movie I have ever or will ever like!

4. Burn After Reading - Funny, quirky, a great return to Fargo form for the Coen Brothers. Brad Pitt and George Clooney are hysterical, the situations and characters are absurd, and it had me laughing even hours later.

5. Step-Brothers - Apparently, I really kept things light this year. All of the serious dramas come out at the end of the year, so maybe that's why I didn't see many. This movie is hilarious and destined to be a comedy classic, and I really just have one word to say: balls.

Worst Movies of 2008

1. The Happening - No words for how disappointing this was. Ridiculous, pointless -- oh look, I found two words!

2. Semi-Pro - Again, a disappointment. Whereas Step-Brothers is a classic Will Ferrell film, this one is just plain unfunny.

3. Max Payne - Disappointed yet again! Damn these marketing folks for making movies look good with their fancy trailers, music, guns, and biceps. Boring and dull.

No comments: