Best of '08

So it's the end of the year and that means it's time for me to list off this year's bests.
This is mostly for comics and movies and books.

Top Five Movies of 2008:

5. Iron Man - When I heard that John Favreau was directing the film I thought, 'Hmm, interesting.' Then I heard Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark/Iron Man and I thought, 'Holy Shit! That's AWESOME.' So, when the film actually came out after seeing the trailers, reading the aintitcool.com reviews, expectations were high. Then, I saw it. Well, expectations were met, exceeded, and blown the hell away. Downey Jr. IS Tony Stark. His performance hit every right note and then some. It was a great amalgamation of classic Iron Man comics, Marvel mythology, and the newer Ultimate universe. I attribute the success of this film to two things. One: Respect and reverance for the source material. The filmmakers were very faithful to the personas and values of each character as well as the essence of what makes Iron Man's universe and story fun and unique.
Two: Kick ass filmmaking. From Matthew Libatique's slick cinematography, to the killer soundtrack and cutting edge SFX, the film looked, and sounded the way a modern and mature superhero film should.

4. In Bruges - What happens when an aspiring Irish writer/director can't find a job in film? He starts writing plays of course. Dark, twisted, heartbreaking, and gloomy plays... that are freaking hilarious! Martin McDonagh started out as a filmmaker, couldn't cut it in film, and started writing plays. His plays are considered the Irish answer to Mamet's work. He's won and been nominated for numerous awards for his theater work, including a Tony nomination for his seminal play The Pillowman. The funny thing is, McDonagh HATES theater. So, after making an oscar winning short called Six Shooter, he got his shot at a Feature with In Bruges. I'm not gonna go into plot, because if you haven't seen it, well, you should. I will say this, you can tell that McDonagh has a love for the media of film through his use of the camera and sound, as well as the setting, to move and guide the story. However, the real brilliance of the film is in its writing and performances. The dialogue is funny and witty, sad and poignant, and always smart. However, no matter how good the writing of a script is, one needs an excellent cast to pull it off. In that, this film knocks it out of the park. When you combine the talents of Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrel as an odd-couple on the run, the result is hilarious and heartbreaking. Throw in a brilliantly played supporting performance by Ralph Fiennes as the explosive but principled mob boss and you have some of the best talent on the isle of Britain coming together for a remarkable film about accidents, decisions, and their consequences.

3. Wall-E - Probably one of the cutest and sweetest love stories I've ever seen. It's also one of the best sci-fi films I've ever seen. It's also the best animated film I have seen for both adults AND children. I mean look at it... the film is about robots falling love after an apocalyptic mass consumption on Earth. The film is layered with themes about humanity, responsibility, duty, compassion, and most importantly love. Plus, it has Fred Willard in it as the only non-CGI human which we can all agree is awesome. I'm honestly not sure what my favorite part of this film was. The animation is mind-blowingly gorgeous. I loved how real everything looked and yet it still had an element of the fantastic to it's cinematography. The fact that Roger Deakins was a visual consultant and that Ben Burtt was Wall-E and M/O's voice and that Sigourney Weaver was the voice of the ship's computer just adds to my love of the film. This is what all nerds have waited for, a sci-fi animated feature that eceryone can and does enjoy.

2. The Dark Knight - There's been so much written about this film that it almost feels unnecessary to spend a lot of time talking about it. Everyone's seen it, and if you haven't there's something wrong with you. All I have to say is this... It's not just Heath Ledger who's performace is perfect in this, everyone's is. Heath just lucked out by getting the best character in the film to play. The movie is everything Batman has wanted to be on film but just couldn't be before now. To me that is the film's greatest achievment. To be the most engaging, dynamic, and perfect adaptation of arguably the coolest superhero ever. Everything else is just gravy.

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Wow. That word is what comes to mind after I saw this remarkable film last week and what it's what has come to mind when I've caught myself pondering the film since. The story is more than a story. It documents one man's entire life from start to finish. Beyond the basics about the film's wonderful technical achievements and it's visual aesthetics, it is the story, the simple story about a man who ages backwards growing old, just like the rest of us. The film's brilliance is that it shows that every person's life is an epic journey and that we are all vital if not permamanent characters in the story of our lives. This film rivals Cinema Paradiso, Big Fish, and A Very Long Engagement as a favorite film of mine. It is everything that cinema should be. Go see it tomorrow.

Best Book of 2008: The Graveyard Book
A delightful, whimsical, and heartwarming/breaking tale of growing up and what one learns along the way, while living in a graveyard. Neil Gaiman casts his magical storytelling spell on me once again with this subtle tale of Nobody (Bod) Owens as he grows up in a graveyard being raised by ghosts, a dead witch, a werewolf, and a vampire. This is probably my second favorite Gaiman work next to The Sandman. For anyone who enjoys words, enjoys a good story, enjoys Gaiman, or enjoys Kipling's The Jungle Books, this is a tale for you.

Best New Artist's Album of 2008: Vol. 1, She & Him
What do you get when you mix the sultry vocals of cutie pie Zooey Deschanel and the sweet tunes of M. Ward? Musical Magic.

Best Album of 2008: The Re-Arranger, Mates of State
I would be willing to go out on a limb and say that this is their best, most mature album to date. They managed to find all the things that have made their past albums work and combine them altogether to make something that feels like pure joy. I feel like it's the album they always set out to make. They've found themselves as artists.

Best Comic Series of 2008: Tie- Fables & Ultimate Spiderman
You two never cease to intrigue and surprise me. When all else in the funny books fail, Fables and Ultimate Spiderman never cease to keep me hooked and caring.

Best TV Series of 2008: Fringe
So awesome.. So, so AWESOME!

Best Broadcast News Show: Countdown with Keith Olbermann
You were on fire this year, sir.

Best Guilty Pleasure of 2008: True Blood
Look, we all know it's trashy as hell, but it keeps us coming back for more.

Best Sports Moment of 2008: Super Bowl 2008
The Giants' last drive was epic. Best game in NFL history.

Best Concert of 2008: Mates of State Lollapalooza after show
The music and show itself was terrific, as to be expected by one of the best live acts out there. But that's not what made it the best. What made it the best of 2008 was the fact that I got to HANG OUT WITH MY FAVORITE BAND EVER AND IT WAS AWESOME!!!

I'm sure some of this sounded like rambling, but it's 4 AM so cut me some slack. Enjoy the holidays and the New Year folks! And try to see those movies, listen to those albums, and read those books if you haven't!