Best Movies of 2008

There's nothing I enjoy better than escaping into a really good movie. Action, comedy, drama, horror; they all have a place in my heart. I have managed a video store in Hazlet, N.J. and been a projectionist for Sony/Loews Theatres and between those 2 jobs alone, I watched hundreds of movies. But I grew up on movies, from E.T. and The Karate Kid to Grease and Labyrinth. All I'm saying is that I know a good movie when I see one. And you will notice that some of the year's biggest grossing films at the box office are absent from this list. Sorry Indiana Jones, but the new movie lost me way before the monkey scene which was unwatchable. Also Hancock was a rip-off of My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Also any movie with Brendan Fraser (Mummy 3 and Journey to the Center...)is automatically avoided instinctively. Hope you enjoy these movies as I did.

After Christopher Nolan restored the franchise with Batman Begins, the anticipation for The Dark Knight has grown. The hype for this movie went into another stratosphere coupled with the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger, who portrays a twisted, dark Joker in the film. And Ledger doesn't disappoint, with his intoxicating turn as the Joker he steals this movie from Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart (appearing as Harvey "Two-Face" Dent). Great scenes involving Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldham), Batman, and a disguised Joker, who's presence is so strong in this film that you are left thinking about him even when he's not onscreen. Repeat viewings by rapid die hard fans have escalated this movie into the #2 position all time in box office gross, and still going.

Action packed movie with Angelie Jolie as a sexy tattooed assassin (where have I heard this concept before) that lures a young protege into a world where they can bend bullets. The special effects in Wanted are spectacular and James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman round out the cast. McAvoy plays the son of the greatest assassin ever who was just killed, and he is the only one who can avenge his father's death.This film is in the Highlander realm and will get it's audience when it'd released on dvd. It's fun to watch a movie with an original idea and good actors making you believe what they're doing is possible. The action scenes are a great throwback to movies like Kill Bill that helped stylize violence with cool music

Robert Downey Jr. in the role of his lifetime as womanizing, billionaire weapons designer Tony Stark, who has a 'change of heart' after an attack overseas. As Iron Man he tries to redeem himself by fighting the very people he used to sell weapons to. Jeff Bridges plays the father figure bad guy to perfection,while Gwenyth Paltrow and Terrance Howard aide in Iron Man's quest for world peace. But it's Downey who makes this film special by adding great depth to Tony Stark, drawing from his own similar true life experiences to make the hero's alter ego the captivating prescence onscreen.

Much was made about Robert Downey Jr. wearing make-up to play a black man, but it is Tom Cruise as a nearly unrecognizable Hollywood studio executive that should have gotten more buzz. Every scene that he appears in is histerical, with all that extra body hair and enlarged forearms, just the image alone is priceless. Ben Stiller and Jack Black (he's better in Kung Fu Panda) round out the cast of actors unknowingly dropped into a actual hostile jungle to film a war movie, but it's Downey andespecially Cruise who make Tropic Thunder something special. Make sure you watch the closing credits for an extra bonus scene you don't want to miss.

Jack Black makes his 2nd animated feature since Shark Tale with an all-star cast including Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Seth Rogen as martial arts experts searching for the "one". Jack Black comes in as the panda chosen to batlle the forces of evil, Tai Lung (Ian McShane). Fantasic film that accurately represents each animal's fighting style during it's many battle and training scenes. On dvd November 9th with a special bonus dvd "Secrets of the Furious Five". It would be a great video game as well.

Quirky, dark comedy from the brothers Coen that brought you No Country For Old Men. Each actor really dives into their roles, from Brad Pitt and John Malkovitch to the smaller roles as well. A disk containing government secrets to found in the gym that Pitt and Frances McDormand work in. They try to blackmail Malkovitch, who is married to Tilda Swinton, but she's sleeping with George Clooney, who's also seeing McDormand. The web of characters all intertwine perfectly and the dialogue is full of memorable lines and the fast pace of the film leaves you wanting more.

The Wachowski brothers, the guys behind those innovative Matrix movies, take a fantastic approach to the old stop animation cartoon from the 1960's, Speed Racer, enchancing it with their signature cutting edge technology.

Starring Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) as Speed and an all-star ensemble cast including John Goodman, Christina Ricci, and Susan Saradon, but it's Paulie Litt as Speed's younger brother, Spritle, that really steals the movie. The effects and colors are dazzling and the races are magnificent to watch. This movie received harsh reviews and didn't do well at the box office, but I think it's underrated. It's the best cartoon I've seen in a while and it wasn't digitally animated.

Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman (Duets, Underworld) star in this story based on true events, which adds to the suspense and horror of this film. A couple returns from a friend's wedding to a remote summer house, and a late night knock at the door starts the terrible night off. The reality is that there are crazy people out there that are far scarier then any make believe monsters, and what's not seen can be just as scary as well. Or scarier.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star in this hilarious comedy about two grown men still living with their parents, thrust together when their single parents fall in love. The movie is basically men behaving as children, but Will's younger brother Derek (Adam Scott) is a great character as well as the parents played perfectly by Mary Stenburgen and Richard Jenkins. The final scene and song sung by Will Ferrell is the cherry on top.

Ed Norton, Tim Roth, Liv Tyler, William Hurt, and Tim Blake-Nelson all star in The Incredible Hulk which is an incredibly huge improvement on the 1st Hulk movie. Ed Norton stars as David Banner, on the run from the government and trying to stay calm as to not release the beast hulking, waiting inside of him. When we catch up with Dr. Banner, he's working at a bottling plant in South America, but when a drop of his blood draws the military to him, the Hulk comes out and he's on the run again. When Tim Roth joins in as a mercanary so impressed with the Hulk's power that he volunteers for top secret enhancements provided by Hurt's General, the movie is in full swing. I loved the way they stuck to the format from the old tv show, even a cameo by Lou Ferrigno himself.

James Franco is wonderful playing an out of his mind drug dealer with feelings. I guess Seth Rogen is playing himself, but he's funny also. I was excited to see Rosie Perez was on board as a corrupt cop, but she was wasted in this film. Very few lines for Rosie who was so funny in White Men Can't Jump. At least the movie doesn't suffer from her lack of good scenes. Funniest scene is when Franco gets his foot stuck in the windshield. Hysterical.

J.J.Abrams, the man behind television's hit Lost, made this movie as a homage to the old Godzilla movies. Shot from the view of one of the character's video cameras, the viewer is also on the run, trying to escape New York City, with the rest of the city's population. And unlike some movies where you don't get to see anything good, this film does give you a few great shots of the mystery crerature.

I will admit, I was apprehensive about this remake of the classic television series starring Steve Carell from The Office. As Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, Steve Carell doesn't remake the series,he reinvents it.I was hooked from the initial entry scene, which was updated but still reminded you of the classic series as well. And you could say that for the entire movie. I loved Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in supporting roles as members of CONTROL, but the even smaller roles were well executed by all the actors involved, especially the tech guys at CONTROL (Masi Oka & Nate Torrence) and the members of KAOS (Terence Stamp, Dalip Singh/WWE's 'The Great '). Overall, a very well made tribute to the television series, but also a terrific film.

This movie is almost too good to have a 2 in the title. It is a fantastic epic comicbook tale about the paranormal research team led by Hellboy (Ron Pearlman). But it so much more, with Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) directing and adding a slew of amazing creatures and monsters. Besides the usual crew of Hellboy's team including Selma Blair and Jeffrey Tambor, there are goblins, the angel of death, and swarms of calcium craving tooth fairies. The tooth fairies were so cool that they deserve their own film. Better than Lord of the Rings (and a lot shorter).