The Top 10 Films of 2008
As chosen by Joel

10. Iron Man
Setting the pace and concreting the yardstick for the summer blockbuster season was never going to be an easy task for director Jon Favreau. Tony Stark is not exactly the most renowned comic book idol, unknown and undeserving to most of even being mentioned in the same breath as the big three: Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, and Peter Parker. Casting Robert Downey Jr. was Favreau's first step towards glory however. The comeback kid, who showed a taster of outstanding articulacy in last year's Zodiac, brings Stark to life, making a billionaire industrialist relatable but nevertheless ultra suave. The supporting ensemble is nearly as impressive as a certain other comic-based film of 2008, The Dark Knight, with Jeff Bridges a compelling scoundrel even though he has to sacrifice some of his villainous acting chops to amplify the glossy CGI hardware on show, Terence Howard solidifies himself as a predecessor to Samuel L. Jackson/Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow has never been more beautiful. Favreau presents formulaic escapism which acknowledges the genre where so many have failed, but his welcome surprise never seems mechanical or forced.

9. Step Brothers [My review]
All Will Ferrell films entertain on some level. Hell, one of the funniest men alive could conduct a lecture about the atrocities of 9/11 and draw the occasional chuckle. Well, maybe not, but you catch my drift. Step Brothers mainly works because of Adam McKay, the directorial mastermind behind Anchorman. He seems to squeeze the best out of Ferrell and the Saturday Night Live genius is first-rate in a rare non-sports parody. John C. Reilly is perfect support for the one-joke premise but it's truly Ferrell's film. A scrotum on a drum kit, job interview caricatures and pubescent bullying are all uproarious, but it's the opera singing at the climax which will remain one of the funniest scenes any filmgoer will ever witness.

8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall [My review]
8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall Nicholas Stoller's Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the perfect mix of raunchiness and romance for a successful, razor-sharp comedy. With Judd Apatow's fingerprints smothering every gag, it's quite easy to ignore the saga going on underneath the hysterics. Jason Segel and Kristen Bell obviously wouldn't be suitable for heavyweight dramatic material but here they undertake the quirky narrative flawlessly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Russell Brand is as amusing as expected having, evidently, made the Gervais transition to conquering America easily, but Paul Rudd steals the show, having me in fits of immature giggles in every scene. Funnily enough, whilst most critics enjoyed the comical Hawaiian vacation, audiences didn't take to the film as much as a Seth Rogen-starring Apatow production, but it's certainly worthy of a re-watch and has the quality to hold up as a reliable entertainer for years to come.

7. Charlie Wilson's War [My review]
Released here very early in the year but in 2007 across the pond, Mike Nichols' film is one of those awards-friendly efforts which crop up on American critics' lists the year previous to that of their English counterparts. Anyway, this is a list based on films released in the United Kingdom in 2008, and what a film Charlie Wilson's War is. Witty, satirical, and chillingly true, Nichols infuses great dramatic energy into the piece, effortlessly asking us to engage with the characters, played wonderfully by Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Emily Blunt, and Amy Adams. Philip Seymour Hoffman is worth the price of admission alone though. With one of those William H. Macy or Steve Buscemi wiseass roles, Hoffman sets the screen alight with some of the best one-liners of the year.

6. The Dark Knight
Being one of the most commercially successful and hotly debated films ever, what more can I say about Chris Nolan's second big, black bat film? Though a tad overlong due to the director being inevitably manipulated by bloated sequel syndrome, The Dark Knight is Nolan's version of Michael Mann's masterful Heat. With Heath Ledger's Joker and Christian Bale's Batman, two cinematic deities were born in a yarn light years beyond simply a comic book film but a thrilling crime chronicle. Nolan took the Gothicism from Burton's Batman and turned it psychotic with marvellous, visceral results.

5. No Country for Old Men
Talk about tension! Though seemingly a basic story, the Coen brothers push the thrilling pursuit narrative along in an unnoticeably complex manner, leaving No Country for Old Men as one of the greatest films I've ever seen for the first two acts. Even the unsatisfying finale, a change of direction which is so unorthodox that it's reminiscent of watching a Kate Hudson romantic comedy and then stating straight afterwards that Claude Lanzmann's Holocaust marathon Shoah is your favourite film, can't detract from the wonderful acting, sensational scenery and masterful directing. Cormac McCarthy has helmed the perfect novel for the Coens to illustrate how to show off their dexterity behind the camera whilst still showcasing a sound and vitally coherent sequence of events. Javier Bardem's amoral assassin is one of the greatest characters in cinema history with the Hitchcockian silences absolutely faultlessly placed in the film. No Country for Old Men is seriously pushing Fargo as the brothers' richest work and may even surpass it.

4. WALL∙E [My review]
Very few films come along and shake the foundations, broaden the customary conventions, and extend the possibilities of cinema. The visuals in space utilising Finding Nemo's underwater physics technique, body language communication, and a message to all humankind so profound the half a billion at the box-office and the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film really do not do such a unique film justice. Pixar show us how to delve into cinema's past without ever sacrificing narrative quality and do a fine job of constructing a message for future generations as a result. WALL∙E showcases the detrimental effects of mass consumerism, big business, and powerful governments, whilst still being a bright, optimistic joy.

3. Australia [My review]
Baz Luhrmann's film has been deemed unoriginal and too focussed on thinly developed characters. Forgetting these critiques and looking at Australia as a work of entertainment though, the Kidman/Jackman star vehicle is an old-school slobber knocker of a motion picture based on a foundation of impeccable production and glorious vistas. Like No Country, Luhrmann falls victim to a swollen third act, seemingly on a quest to make his epic completely memorable, but unfortunately it's a step too far and exceeds the 'classic' trajectory the film appeared to be on. Kudos though to a filmmaker who takes risks and hopefully, like any artist, he will learn from his mistakes and produce better work in the future.

2. Burn After Reading
The second Coen brothers film and possibly a surprise to some, especially being ahead of its Oscar-winning sibling, Burn After Reading is sheer idiocy. With Joel and Ethan shepherding a cast of stars, this is utter outlandishness and easily rivals Raising Arizona, Fargo and The Big Lebowski as the Coens' finest comedic work. Who can forget Brad Pitt's daft gym rat, George Clooney's aspirant big shot, John Malkovich's tentative member of the intelligentsia, Frances McDormand's naivety, and Tilda Swinton's bitchiness? It's a rare oddity of a film I never wanted to end, yet I cannot think of how these mad characters could have continued to drive the narrative. The Coens treat us to such exaggerated and subversive humour, in a complete anti-spy film, that it could be monotonous to some who don't share the same sense of amusement. However, the scheme is so slick, witty and farcical, and so beautifully presented into one cohesive entity, that its charm simply cannot be ignored. Burn After Reading demands evaluation and begs the audience to invest some time in these moronic characters and the madcap plot, which is still nonsensical and absurd after months of examination!

1. Pineapple Express [My review]
Stoner comedies are not normally my thing. One only has to look at my review of Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to understand my repugnance at satirizing the particular sub-genre. David Gordon Green's film though surpasses anything previously expected from a 'weed movie' and the Judd Apatow production seriously challenges archetypal buddy movies such as Midnight Run as being the benchmark in that genre too. Scribed by Seth Rogen and his writing cohort Evan Goldberg, cinema's favourite tubby Canadian has again cast himself here and to glorious aplomb. Rogen (Dale Denton) has the ability to be comfortable in whatever role he is given, expansive or cameo, and like the abovementioned Frances McDormand, never seems to be miscast. His vignettes with the marvellous James Franco (Saul Silver) certainly make the film what it is - an uproarious and untamed hoot reminiscent of the delightful Superbad and Knocked Up - but it's Danny R. McBride who steals the film in a manner indicative of Will Ferrell back in the 90s. Amber Heard, so beautiful it's almost indecent, looks like she could be a future major player with her shufti of a performance here. There's something engaging and magnetic about the rebellious Texan that glistens from the screen, a characteristic of all heavyweight actresses. With that being said though, a couple of bad choices in a cutthroat industry and you're forgotten in Hollywood quicker than a hiccup. In any case, even though her ridiculously miniscule turn has stayed with me for a few months, it was probably her sexuality talking like Megan Fox's overt femininity in Transformers. I digress. Nevertheless, if anyone needs a springboard to superstardom it's James Franco, the 21st century's answer to James Dean. With Spider-Man's success behind him, Franco has always been there or thereabouts in Hollywood and with efforts like Pineapple Express, which has serious 'cult film' credentials, and 2009's awards-friendly Milk, Franco has the opportunity to finally hit the big time. With a filmic foundation not entirely unique, Green really has to rely on his lead actors to deliver performances worthy of acclaim and Franco and Rogen hit homerun after homerun. Bongs, bullets, assassination, and guffaws galore, the mere mention of Pineapple Express still draws a smile as large as Saul Silver's stash.

Honourable mentions: There Will Be Blood, Tropic Thunder, W., Kung Fu Panda, Shine a Light, Quantum of Solace.

Text copyright Filmverdict 2009. Any film stills are copyright of their respective owners.