2008 Movies -- In Review

Well, another year has passed, and now the world yearns to know, "What did Russell think of all those movies he saw?"  I can only respond to such desperate curiosity with the following:

The Great

• Cloverfield
• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man
• Man on Wire
• Tropic Thunder 
• Speed Racer - Yes, I think it was great.  Sue me!
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Remarkably funny sex comedy
• The Incredible Hulk

The Good

• Eagle Eye - It's doofiness is easily counteracted by the solid performances and excellent action sequences.
• Frost/Nixon - Langella and Sheen are perfection.
• Get Smart
• Valkyrie - There's nothing wrong with this movie, but it doesn't have the magic necessary to raise it to "great" status for me. (Two in a row for Terence Stamp!)
• Body of Lies - Some great sequences and performances.
• Hancock
• Yes Man - Predictable, but if you like Jim Carrey, you'll love it. (Another Terence Stamp film!)
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - A completely unnecessary, but still enjoyable sequel.
• Vantage Point - Clever idea, a little weak in spots, but still enjoyable.
• The X-Files: I Want to Believe
• About Water: People and Yellow Cans
• Mamma Mia!
• The Day the Earth Stood Still - I liked the ways they stayed true to the original, and the ways they veered away from the original.  The vaguely presented eco-premise is shaky, though.

The Okay

• Twilight
• Burn After Reading - Loved Brad Pitt.  Not so much everyone else.
• The Bank Job - Interesting, but not something I'd watch again.
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• WALL-E - Yes, it's only okay.  Sue me!
• Jumper - (Note: This is a rare David review!  But I pretty much agree with him.)
• Rambo - Another unnecessary sequel.  And it's pretty boring.
• W.
• Garden Party
• Quantum of Solace - This was a HUGE disappointment after the excellent "Casino Royale".  Didn't like the performances, the story, even the babes.  They over-Bourned it.
• Wanted
• Babylon A.D
• The Strangers - The most one-note film I may have ever seen.  Sets the grim tone early on, and never changes.
• The Forbidden Kingdom - This is a weird amalgam of Western and Eastern storytelling, and not in a good way.
• TBD (Nothing to Lose)
• Prom Night - This isn't Polanski or anything, but it's a rare teen horror flick that doesn't have any "that couldn't happen" moments. 

The Bad

• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
• 10,000 B.C.
• Transporter 3
• Saving Grace
• The Spirit - Everything about this film (except maybe Dan Lauria) totally sucks.  The hero (Gabriel Macht) is boring. The villain (Samuel L. Jackson) is inexcuseable.  Scarlett Johansson looks bafled that she's even in the movie.  And Eva Mendes is... well, Eva Mendes.
• The Happening - Worst Movie of the Year!  Seriously.  It's not even worth watching to enjoy the badness.  It's just plain bad.