Below you'll find Gone With The Twins' lists of the Top Ten Films of 2008. Film critics Mike Massie, Joel Massie, Chris Pandolfi, Robert Bell and David Malsch all have fairly different tastes when it comes to cinema (see their qualifications, areas of expertise and more HERE), so be sure to take a look - and keep checking back as each critic will be unveiling their list throughout this week.
Mike Massie:
It's been one of the worst years for truly great filmmaking - we've seen the likes of record-breaking blockbusters The Dark Knight and Iron Man, but the variety of last year has vanished, along with the most inspiring and heartfelt dramas. Lead performances are just as impressive, but nothing stands out as being Best Picture Oscar-worthy, and this has been one of the most difficult Top Tens to comprise. I practically ran out of films after the first five. I've handed out zero 10/10's this year, and although I am usually a very merciless critic, in years before at least one film has always jumped ahead of the pack. Some of the most critically acclaimed films (like Revolutionary Road) rubbed me the wrong way and I found glaring flaws in almost every pick from the critics societies that announced their awards earliest. Some of my inclusions may seem off considering my usual preferences, but as I said, it's been a slow year for outstanding movies.
Runners-up, in no particular order, include Gran Torino, Mongol, Changeling, Milk and The Dark Knight.
Chris Pandolfi:
What a strange year 2008 was for movies, starting off so slowly before packing a wallop during award season. I picked mostly familiar titles as the best of the year, and some of them reflect what a majority of other critics have chosen. There are, however, a couple of films you will not see on this list. One is Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire,” which I think misses the mark as both a human drama and a Love Conquers All fable. The other is Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”; aside from being the most overrated film of 2008, it represents what I feel is an unnecessary shift away from the comic book origins of the Batman character. But be aware that another comic book adaptation made it on my list. So did an animated film, a virtually unseen Indie, and two films directed by the same person. See if any of your favorites ended up in my selection.
David Malsch:
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Be Kind Rewind, Blindness, Body of War, Burn After Reading, Cloverfield, The Dark Knight, Doubt, The Fall, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Frost/Nixon, Frozen River, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Hamlet 2, Horton Hears a Who!, I.O.U.S.A., Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda, Let the Right One In, Man on Wire, Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day, Paranoid Park, Pineapple Express, The Reader, Redbelt, Religulous, Revolutionary Road, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Snow Angels, Son of Rambow, Standard Operating Procedure, Tell No One, The Visitor, The Wackness, Young @ Heart.
Joel Massie:
Robert Bell:
- Gone With The Twins
More Recent News Articles:
Hi! Very cool layout! What I find interesting is we as the PFCS members have a handful that overall made our best movies. There's the others that are very good and give an insight into each member's favorite types of films! Great list!
Stan
:-)