Top 10 Films of 2008

2008 was the year of the unexpected. Who knew Robert Downey, Jr. could break box-office records as both a black-faced soldier and a superhero? Who knew Anne Hathaway could chain-smoke? And who knew Brad Pitt would make such a fine … meathead?

Here are our picks for the 10 best films of 2008-or, rather, the 10 best of the first eleven months. It's just about time for filmmakers to start releasing Oscar-worthy masterpieces, since the Academy Awards are right around the corner. Although we can't vouch for unreleased films, we're sure there will be plenty of gems to watch over winter break.

Be sure to check out our picks for the top 10 albums of 2008 on Thursday.

-Stefanie Lee

1: The Dark Knight

"The Dark Knight" has made more than $500 million so far, and it deserves every penny. A true blockbuster, the movie is undeterred by Christian Bale's raspy-Batvoice and overly choreographed fight scenes. Instead, it's a visceral jumble of sights, sounds, emotions and the haunting, leering smirk of Heath Ledger's Joker.

Ledger is the core of the film; the terrifying role and the tragic story behind it combine to make a riveting and chilling character. Still, nuanced performances from Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and Bale form a backbone for the film and the majestic metropolis that is Gotham City.

"Knight" not only revitalized a genre that should have petered out with "Superhero Movie," it redeemed a summer that began with "The Love Guru." The bleak mood throughout resonates with audiences; it may be grim, but it is a movie for our times. A decaying Gotham City needed a hero-and America needed "The Dark Knight."

-Rebecca Wallace

2: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The term "romantic comedy" has been applied to films that are neither genuinely romantic nor particularly funny. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," however, is one of the few entrants that deserves its genre tag. The romance practically pulsates on screen; it's raw and genuine, stripped directly from the experiences of living, breathing people. The humor arises organically and is extremely perceptive and astute (which makes it all the more funny). But it's Woody Allen's knack for pinpointing emotional peculiarities that we all feel but never talk about that makes his latest film the masterpiece it is.

-Seth Millstein

3: Wall-E

Who knew that robot love could be so sweet or that human gluttony could be so disgusting? Through the clever points of view of two very loveable robots and a cast of people to whom adjectives like "jelly-roll" and "tubbykins" might apply, "Wall-E" explores the humanistic extremes of potential excellence and imperfection. Under the characteristic animated cutesy facade that the Disney-Pixar team is known for, be prepared for a gut wrenching investigation of what humanity is headed toward if we don't make some serious reforms-quick! Even with dire undertones, "Wall-E" is an adorable treasure for adults and kids alike.

-Sara Hayden

4: In Bruges

It's easy to overlook "In Bruges." Superficially, it's a comedy with some gun bits. Dig a little deeper and it's a compelling and multi-dimensional character study giving tasteful treatments to a half-dozen dramatis personae. The problem with "In Bruges" is that the "action/comedy" layer is so cohesive in and of itself that you don't even need to grasp the depth of the characters to like the movie. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes are all dynamic anti-heroes and their interactions are both hilarious and bittersweet. From comedy to action to drama and back, "In Bruges" functions on all levels.

-Daniel Kronovet

5: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is one of the few romantic comedies able to walk the incredibly thin line of commercial appeal. It has all the gross-out humor, wacky supporting characters and elaborate set pieces you'd expect from a mainstream Hollywood film, yet it never sacrifices its integrity. Jason Segel's portrayal of a miserable, post-break up man forced to spend time around his ex-girlfriend is brutal in its sincerity. "Marshall" certainly isn't an indie film, but the level of emotional honesty with which its characters are dealt is quite impressive, especially for a film of such stature.

-Seth Millstein

6: Mongol

"Mongol" is no ordinary film, just as Genghis Khan was no ordinary man. Tadanobu Asano is Temudjin, son of a tribal chief who is thrown into captivity after witnessing his father's assassination. Years later, he reunites with childhood love Borte (Khulan Chuluun) and aims to avenge his clan's downfall. Bridging the gap between David Lean's epic and the psychological completeness of Sergio Leone's westerns, Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" is a triumphal ode to the early life of one of history's most pivotal figures.

-David Liu

7: The Wackness

Featured in the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival, "The Wackness" was recognized as original approach in illustrating coming of age. Social outcast Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) spends the summer after his high school graduation trading pot with a shrink, Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley), for sessions to discuss life's poignancies. Featuring symbolic artists of the '90s, the soundtrack may be the high point of the film. It includes KRS-One, Method Man, Smashing Pumpkins and The Notorious B.I.G. Though not as exciting as Holden Caulfield's story, "The Wackness" has highlights that make it more than worthwhile.

-Allan Wetzel

8: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

This isn't your foreign "Juno" or "Knocked Up." This time, there's no way our protagonist is keeping her baby. Gripping and gritty, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" follows Gabita's procurement of an illegal abortion in the communist Romania of 1987. Both Gabita (Laura Visiliu) and her roommate Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) must suffer through the experience together. Despite the urgency of the situation, time seems to eke out as the characters wait for the moment to end. Extended single shots, scenes set in darkness and time spent in transit mark this film forever in waiting until the pregnancy comes to a halt.

-Christine Borden

9: Rachel Getting Married

Both a technicolor celebration of loved ones coming together and an unflinching dissection of a family coming apart, "Rachel Getting Married" is a panorama of a household in crisis. The film follows the emergence of a dented Anne Hathaway to normalcy before her sister's marriage. She portrays Kym, a recovering addict whose scalding cynicism and cigarettes stir a damaged family to revolt. The rare poignancy of the film's epiphanic moments anchor an occasionally sluggish plot while the documentary-style vivacity is indispensable in depicting a series of bruised-and bruising-family dramatics.

-Danica Li

10: Burn After Reading

Even if you can resist a star-studded movie, "Burn After Reading" boasts the talent and humor of the almighty Coen brothers. John Malkovich loaded with f-bombs and booze? Check. A bird-brained Brad Pitt? You got it. A sex-crazed, sex-machine-making, sex-ramp-using George Clooney? Boy, have you hit pay dirt.

Everyone else screws everyone else, and of course, someone has to die in the end. Malkovich's Osbourne Cox tries to make sense of it all: losing his CIA job, his drinking, his strained marriage and shmucks trying to blackmail him with top-secret personal information.

-Christine Borden

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