2008 Movie Reviews

All films have a U.S. release date of 2008 and are listed alphabetically with a 1-10 rating. Numbers to star equivalents are listed at the bottom.


21: 7/10 - Entertaining throughout, though it ends a little too neatly, making me question just how close to the true story the screenplay is. Regardless, most of the performances are solid and I have no reservations recommending it to anyone.

88 Minutes: 2/10 - This movie is unspeakably bad. Al Pacino's participation in it is a disgrace to the history of cinema and a blatant display of complete lack of respect for the industry he helped to form. I am thoroughly disgusted with how little Pacino seems to care about his fans and his legacy. This marks the first time that I have viewed a movie so terrible that it actually offended me as a film-lover.

Appaloosa: 7/10 - Halfway through the film, I didn't like it. I thought it was a color-by-numbers Western, placing predicable pieces of a very simple puzzle down in front of me. However, I left the film having enjoyed it. I'm not sure at exactly what moment my opinion shifted, but I can say that the film's conclusion was perfect. Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen share wonderful chemistry and I'd be willing to state that most fans of the genre will walk away pleased.

The Bank Job: 6/10 - A very convoluted plot with many characters that are never fully realized on screen. The film works though, it's fun and filled with several solid twists -- all in a story based on true events. Sometimes fact is more surprising than fiction.

Bigger Stronger Faster*: 6/10 - Director, and host of the documentary, Chris Bell takes a subjective look at steroids from their affect on competitive sports to the affect on the lives of his two brothers. The film runs a little too long at near two hours, but it works as an education for many Americans that know far too little on a subject they all want to talk about.

Body of Lies: 8/10 - A smart, roller-coaster film lead by one of Hollywood's best actors. Leonardo DiCaprio owns this movie and director Ridley Scott lets his star carry the film along. I actually found Crowe to be somewhat out of place -- the film's gritty realism was somewhat derailed by his performance: that of an actor playing a caricature of a CIA operative. Another issue is that I'm not sure if DiCaprio's character arc met his full potential; however, if the film is only taken as a subjective -- and very simplistic -- slice of the current war in the Middle East, it works wonderfully.

Burn After Reading: 6/10 - The Coen brother's newest film is a black comedy -- along the same vein as their Oscar winning film "Fargo" -- with characters so unbelievably dumb, that the integrity of the entire plot is often in jeopardy. The film does have several funny moments and all of the performances are very entertaining; yet, for such a short film, I found the narrative to be drifting far too often.

Changeling: 8/10 - Angelina Jolie is great in her portrayal of a heartbroken mother in search of her son, but it's Clint Eastwood's direction that stars. Everything about his film felt authentic and he has an uncanny ability to weave together a story. At two hours and twenty minutes, not once did I feel restless. Also worth noting was the shockingly great performance by Jason Butler Harner -- I'd be thrilled to see him recognized with a best supporting actor nomination at this year's Academy Awards (...even if it has all ready been engraved with Hath Ledger's name).

The Counterfeiters [Die Falscher]: 4/10 - With a topic so different and engaging I was saddened to feel so much apathy for it after it ended. With the exception of maybe "Life is Beautiful," it is easily the most unique Holocaust film I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it will be filled away in my mind with the many other mediocre ones I've seen.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 8/10 - It's a difficult film to review because of how unique it is. It's a tale of a man, played by Brad Pitt, who ages backwards, thus nullifying every relationship he ever has. The people we meet act as witnesses to our lives, and with every passing moment, grow older together. The film toys around with the variables in that formula and creates some very profound questions (without actually asking or answering any). Cate Blanchett delivers a wonderful performance as Pitt's love interest; in the hands of another actress I have little doubt her role would have been a two-dimensional cliché. I'm not sure if the completed film accomplished what director David Fincher ("Se7en," "Fight Club") intended, but I can state that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of viewing it.

The Dark Knight: 8/10 - Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker deserves all the accolade it has received and director Christopher Nolan is able to elevate the film beyond the scope of any superhero movie I've ever seen. The film's script does struggle with the overwhelming material though -- it's uneven and too grand, even for a filmmaker of Nolan's ability. The mishandling of Harvey Dent and the final 30-minutes of the film stood out as glaring flaws and subtracted from what could have been a masterpiece.

Doubt: 8/10 - Two brilliant performances by Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman give this film life. It is well crafted and never reaches too far in any direction -- it simply presents a case with no definitive conclusion...and it works very well.

Fool's Gold: 4/10 - Don't let the relatively high rating fool you, this movie is as bad as you can imagine: painfully contrived and more often than not it's completely ridiculous. However, it's also extremely light-hearted and care-free -- it manages to be entertaining on occasion.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall: 4/10 - A comedy without the laughs. When the best part of any comedy is how hot Mila Kunis looks, it's difficult to recommend it.

Frost/Nixon: 8/10 - Director Ron Howard reaches within inches of greatness with this film. There is not a dull moment to be found -- rightfully so given the topic -- yet, I felt as if something more was left on the table...as if Howard could have dug just a little bit deeper into the endlessly fascinating characters he chose to portray. Regardless, it was one of the most enjoyable trips to a movie theater I've made this year.

Get Smart: 6/10 - A hit and miss comedy with a few memorable highlights. While the film was casted perfectly, the script leaves something to be desired.

Gran Torino: 4/10 - My love for Clint Eastwood led me to rate this film far more favorably than it deserves. It contains one of the worst acting ensembles I've ever seen in a Hollywood film. Combine that with a pathetically predicable script and you're left with one of the bigger busts of 2008.

In Bruges: 4/10 - It's mostly entertaining and filled with wonderfully witty dialogue; unfortunately, the simple plot is not supported and writer/director Martin McDonagh struggles with the film's themes all the way until the end.

The Incredible Hulk: 8/10 - The best film to emerge from the Marvel Universe. It acted as the perfect palette cleanser to Ang Lee's disastrous attempt at the franchise -- "Hulk" (2003) -- and I sincerely hope that the direction the powers-that-be seem to be heading pans out as well as it potentially can. The film is can't-miss for comic book fans and those looking to see cutting-edge special effects.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 2/10 - The Worst film I've seen in theaters since Pearl Harbor (2001). I imagine much of my disgust stems from disappointment, considering the talent of the people involved and the material used. At best, I am fortunate enough to wake up one morning having forgotten I ever viewed it; at worst, it forever ruins one of my favorite franchises.

Iron Man: 3/10 - Superhero films normally are able to play out with more than modest suspension of disbelief; however, what director Jon Favreau and writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby crafted is an exercise in lunacy. I spent a large portion of the overlong running time feeling embarrassed for them.

Kung Fu Panda: 6/10 - An entertaining animation with solid voice-acting. The one thing that separates it from many of the Pixar classics was the overwhelming melancholy I felt throughout -- I was never able to reach the emotional highs that always accompany the latest Pixar installment.

Milk: 6/10 - The film is fairly sloppy and most of the supporting characters act as little more than set-pieces; however, it would be criminal of me to not recommend the film -- Sean Penn's performance alone merits the viewing.

The Other Boleyn Girl: 4/10 - The adaptation falls somewhat flat, though I will fully admit if I had read the book, I would have more than likely been equally unimpressed. Novelist Philippa Gregory takes such excessive liberties with world history that it left me feeling no connection with the historical figures being portrayed on screen.

The Promotion: 4/10 - Funny concept, but it falls flat. There was no chemistry between Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly and far too many opportunities went wasted due to poor writing.

Quantum of Solace: 7/10 - While the film completes the story arc created for Bond in Casino Royale, it barely makes a dent in the overall story arc of the villainous organization we've been introduced to. Daniel Craig is still great as the Bond 2.0 that has been created to satisfy those lusting for more action, though I will say, I hope the next Bond brings back some more of the aura that surrounded the originals.

Rachel Getting Married: 1/10 - I haven't walked out on a film in theaters since "Pearl Harbor" (2001). Nor have I ever viewed a film where I hated every single character on screen as much as this one.

Rambo: 6/10 - I'd happily make the argument that "First Blood" (1982) should not land clumsily in the category of action flicks -- it was a definitive statement for a hugely important moment in time and it created a character that represented more than blood-for-sport and over-the-top explosions. I would also happily watch that character read a phone book, so giving a negative review to any film Sylvester Stallone portrayed John Rambo in would be nearly impossible. Unfortunately, while I did enjoy the newest edition -- and do recommend it to fans of the series -- it failed to capture the magic of the first three films.

The Reader: 10/10 - Never before have I seen a film that is able to explore adolescent sexuality or the Holocaust so well...and this film covers both of them at the same time. Director Stephen Daldry ("The Hours") has created a masterpiece and the definitive best film of 2008. In addition, Kate Winslet delivers a mesmerizing -- and Oscar-worthy -- performance.

Recount: 7/10 - The narrative structure of the film mostly follows a democratic perspective, causing a certain level of bias throughout. Regardless, it is fascinating to witness a closer view of the dramatic 2000 presidential election. Few fictional tales have been told with more twists than that historical month in U.S. history. This film is worth viewing regardless of one's political affiliation for both its relentless storytelling and high quality performances.

Revolutionary Road: 9/10 - Sam Mendes has done it again. He has quickly put himself up with the best directors alive today. Every film he has made (four total) has been perfect. He is also able to draw out what is probably Leonardo DiCaprio's greatest performance, which is far from a trivial statement. The film focuses on a couple from the 1950's: both trapped in the life they've created for each other. It's a chilling and thought-provoking subject matter supported by top-notch acting and brilliant direction.

Righteous Kill: 3/10 - I thought it'd be a challenge to make a film that cast both Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro -- two of the greatest actors of all-time -- this bad. It seems that director Jon Avent was up for the challenge though. I am still wondering if he even watched it.

Slumdog Millionaire: 8/10 - A wonderful, heart-warming film that slowly crept up on me while I was watching it. Director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting," "28 Days Later...") poured his heart and soul into this film; and despite some slightly contrived moments, I left the theater truly touched.

Southland Tales: 7/10 - Where do I begin...well, I will say that the film is inarguably one of the sloppiest messes to ever grace the big screen...and then, I'll follow that up with stating that there's not a person I know that I'd recommend it to; however, it would be dishonest of me to suggest that I did not enjoy it. Director Richard Kelly ("Donnie Darko") is fearless in ways that might even impress David Lynch ("Mulholland Dr.;" "Inland Empire") -- he went out and made his movie, and he did it against the grain of everything Hollywood has established over the last century. It would be silly for me to suggest that a comedy about an actor's (Dwayne Johnson) screenplay -- based on his recent time travel, the upcoming apocalypse and his encounters with Neo-Marxists, a porn star (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and two versions of the same cop (Seann William Scott) -- would be for everyone (or anyone), but oddly enough, I think it was for me.

Standard Operating Procedure: 3/10 - Errol Morris' documentary is a shallow look at the events of Abu Ghraib prison during the beginning of the Iraq war through photographs and eye witness testimonials. I'd like to think everyone is aware of the mess in Iraq in 2003 (and for a good documentary on the subject, I'd suggest "No End in Sight"), but this film takes one small aspect of the disastrous leadership and doesn't do very much with it. I don't know what caused military personal at Abu-G to photograph their acts of insanity and it seemed Errol Morris had no desire to find out.

Tropic Thunder: 5/10 - An over-the-top ridiculous comedy that is saved by Ben Stiller cashing in on several favors to bring in a group of A-list actors for small roles, most notably Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise. Cruise delivers a performance that may rightly deserve a supporting actor nomination come award season.

Valkyrie: 6/10 - It felt as though I was watching a History Channel re-enactment, not a Hollywood film. Every character was two-dimensional and Tom Cruise is completely insane if he thinks audiences can suspend their disbelief to the extent of imagining him as a German World War II officer plotting to kill Hitler. Regardless, I cannot argue that the film was not entertaining or educational, so for those merits alone it is worth the rental.

WALL-E: 6/10 - Beautiful animation (as we've come to expect from Pixar) and a surprisingly good job at personifying robots -- something I thought would be far more difficult than the usual focus on animals. What hurt the film most unfortunately was the depressing and silently preachy plot. If the script had half the heart that the featured robots did, the film would have been a glorious success, rather than the definitive worst film that Pixar has produced.

Wanted: 3/10 - As beautiful as Angelina Jolie's ass is, and as entertaining as it was to watch the great Morgan Freeman channel Samuel L. Jackson in an effort to play Lawrence Fishbourne, I still feel confident in stating that viewing this film was one of the dumbest experiences I've had in my lifetime.

The Wrestler: 9/10 - The film is gritty, harrowing and unforgiving...and it is not for the squeamish. Director Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream") puts together a devastatingly realistic portrayal of a washed up wrestler and is able to include some of the most beautiful moments I've seen on film. Even more impressive was Mickey Rourke's ability to elevate the project to an instant classic with a frighteningly good performance. The best analogy I could give -- and something that I was thinking about at several times during the film -- is to what Charlize Theron accomplished with her character in "Monster" (2003): a complete transformation into another person.

Yes Man: 4/10 - One of the worst screenplays I've seen produced this year and it never felt like Jim Carrey was able to get any rhythm in the role. It does have a fair share of laughs, though unfortunately many of them were awkward chuckles from viewing all the various things that just didn't work.


Rating Breakdown:
10 = 4 Stars (Masterpiece)
9 = 4 stars
8 = 3 1/2 stars
7 = 3 stars
6 = 2 1/2 stars
5 = 2 stars
4 = 1 1/2 stars
3 = 1 star
2 = 1/2 star
1 = No stars (I was unable to finish viewing it)