Top 10 Opening Credits

Here are what I consider the greatest opening credits in cinema history. I put some thought into it and tried not to use the overall quality of the film dictate my options. The opening credits can be a more useful tool than many realize, setting up tone and introducing history of characters and plot. I tried to find all of them on YouTube, but I was not able to find all of them.

10. Sahara (2005)
Sahara starring Matthew MacConaughey and Steve Zahn about the adventurer Dirk Pitt and his search for confederate gold in Africa. The opening sequence is a long shot circling the yacht they call home highlighting pictures and other items of Dirk and his buddy Al's time in the Navy, and their past adventures. Star Wars may have been the obvious choice especially to highlight the history explanation of the soon unfolding story, but there is something about a scrolling paragraph that lacks creativity.

9. Casino Royale (2006)
A Bond flick had to be represented. They have been by far had some of the more consistently memorable openings in cinema history. Most of the time, they are simply a chance to show the credits and spotlight a song. This is by far my favorite. I might be a little biased because its also my favorite Bond flick featuring my favorite Bond (Connery be damned), but Cornell's song is so nostalgically classic rock but oddly fitting. Plus it has some of the more inventive imagery, as opposed to the overused (but always welcome) dancing female silhouettes.



8. Se7en (1995)
I have seen many people credit Se7en with the reemergance of the high concept opening credits. It mixes the hard rock sounds of Nine Inch Nails, with a number of creepy jounral entries and creepier hands sifting through them foreshadowing the events and eventual reveal of killer, John Doe.



7. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
One of the more classic opening sequences, it has been paid homage to a number of times most notably with Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, Crowe being a famous fan of the novel, referencing it in some way. The credits are played against a close-up of Scout, the young girl of the heroic Atticus Finch. It depicts Scout as the vessel for which we experience the story, and defines the subtle veil of childlike innocence in the way the story is presented to us.

6. The Fall (2006)
Director Tarsem Singh described it as "..chaos without energy." A beutiful combination of images and music. Beethoven’s Symphony No 7 sets the stage for a surreal, slow-motion mini-movie, one who's connection to the movie becomes apparent as the movie plays on, and upon second viewing becomes even more beautiful. An ode to falling.



5. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
A brilliant operatic science fiction. Thematically heavy, but still thrilling as the straight ahead horror/sci-fis. The opening is probably one of the most memorable openings of all time. A fantastic score that establishes the sweeping epic proportions the movie depicts. One of the most identifiable theme that makes all the right hits.



4. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of the biggest surprises in recent cinema weaving a smart and witty neo-noir that revels in its faults as well as its strengths. The opening sequence is a tribute to classic noir, resembling the old opening credits and retro covers of the detective yarns that spawned this underrated gem. Its jazz theme inspired images of fedora wearing gumshoes and survy seductive dames.




3. Romeo+Juliet (1996)
Baz Luhrman's take on Shakespeare's timeless tale of star cross'd lovers juxtaposes Shakes words over a modern era. In order to make the connection of Ye Olde English and 20th century America, Baz plays over the introduction of the play twice, once as a newscast on a lone television, and then again over a series of images of the movie and general 20th century iconography.



2. Watchmen (2009)
The highly acclaimed graphic novel adapted to celluloid has one of the greatest opening credits in recent time. It very well could be flash-in-the-pan opinion, but the unconventional choice of song in Bob Dylan's "These Times Are A-Changing" played against famous 20th Century iconography only this time with the added appearances of masked vigilantes to introduce us to a world with a vibrant history, a history the same as ours.....but not, leading up to the plot in question. Obviously, I cannot post the sequence, but if you look hard enough, you can still find it somewhere on-line. Thus is the beauty of the internet

1. Lord of War (2005)
Lord of War was pretty cool movie. A little too much coolness in general though. It was a dark comic drama with morally ambiguous characters. Its opening sequence is one of the MOST inventive and creative sequence to ever grace the silver screen. The camera afixed to a bullet starting at the beginning of creation to its killing blow in a war torn foreign world set against Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth."

Director's Review

Martin Scorsese
Best: Taxi Driver
Worst: Cape Fear
Overrated: Casino
Underrated: Bringing Out the Dead

Stephen Spielberg
Best: Saving Private Ryan
Worst: 1941
Overrated: A. I.: Artificial Intelligence
Underrated: Hook

Quentin Tarantino
Best: Pulp Fiction
Worst: Death Proof
Overrated: Kill Bill Vol. 1
Underrated: Jackie Brown

Robert Rodriguez
Best: Desperado
Worst: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
Overrated: El Mariachi
Underrated: The Faculty

The Coen Brothers
Best: O, Brother Where Art Thou
Worst: Ladykillers
Overrated: Raising Arizona
Underrated: Miller's Crossing

Terry Gilliam
Best: The Fisher King
Worst: The Brothers Grimm
Overrated: Brazil
Underrated: The Fisher King*

*I tried to keep only one movie per category per director, but that had to be said

That's my opinion. More to come.......................maybe.

Hidden Gems #3

Way of the Gun

Way of the Gun is probably my favorite underrated classics ever. Christopher McQuarrie creates a fantastic film that combines a Tarantino-esque cool crime caper with the grit and attitude of classic spaghetti westerns. McQuarrie effectively uses the yellow, brown, and gray color scheme against a dusty western backdrop to make modern day feel like 1880.

The title refers to the "way of the sword" which says, "you live by the sword, you die by the sword," a classic samurai philosophy that sets up the gung-ho lone gunmen mentality of the characters and continues the comparison of samurais and gunslingers started by the spaghetti western originators. The two main characters are played to perfection by Ryan Phillipe and Benicio Del Toro who did such a great job of "talking" to each other without words that their long lines of dialog written by McQuarrie were written out for their symbiotic relationship. This was partly in thanks to McQuarrie's trick of leaving the camera rolling after the scene finishes and allowing the actors to stay in character and continue the scene naturally leaving much of the scripted work on the cutting room floor.

Overall, McQuarrie sews a very cool crime yarn in a world where all of the characters are amoral and everyone has a secret, not all of which are revealed. A modern cult crime flick with heavy influences from classic westerns is always good in my book.

9/10

Casting Call: Cowboy Bebop

Keanu Reeves as Spike Spiegel pains me. 40 something wooden actor plays coolest character in anime who's 27 years old. This is how I think it should be.

James Franco- Spike Spiegel


Young up and comer. Pretty lanky but capable. Really laid back and has a good sense of humor.

Ron Perlman- Jet Black


Cult favorite actor, Consistent, Gruff, Definitely feels like retired cop. LOL

Christina Ricci- Faye Valentine


Spunky, Can balance attitude and keep up the appearance of naivity, I'm not 100% on her, but I think she is the best choice I can come up with now.

Top 5 Biopics I Want to See

Biopic, or Biography picture, are movies about real people.

5. 2004 Red Sox


First Red Sox championship in 86 years with a brand new superstar, who works as a the audience POV to a new group of characters, and a motley crew of big personalities.

4. Hunter S. Thompson


Gonzo journalist has had one movie and an adaptation of one of his books with one more on the way, but the guy is seriously interesting outside of his psychedelic novels. He spent time with the Hell's Angels and ran for public office in Colorado.

3. St. George


A brave Roman solider who in reality stood against his leader, Diocletian, for discriminating against Catholics, and in his golden legend slayed a dragon and saved a city. It could combine pretty good for something a little less realistic than Troy, a little less trippy than 300.

2. Nikola Tesla


Was an inventor, an electric engineer, and plum crazy. He had a Hatfield and McCoy relationship with Thomas Edison in what the history books called "War of Currents."

1. Robert F. Williams


RFW was a civil rights activist left out of the history books because he was more aggressive than Martin Luther King and was more passive than Malcolm X. He had a number of interesting events during Civil Rights Movement before being exiled to Cuba under suspicion of Communism sympathizer.

This Week in Movies

Bret Ratner signs on to Youngblood adaptation. No one cares.

Thanks to newest CGI, Arnold's original Terminator appearance might appear in Terminator: Salvation.

Aaron Eckhart signs on to The Rum Diary, another Hunter S. Thompson adaptation with Johnny Depp in the lead. I'm just excited it's finally happening. Eckhart is a cherry on top.

Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James and Rob Schneider team up for the first time together as actors since Saturday Night Live in a new movie. I'm on the fence.

Josh Brolin continues a director hot streak landing a role in another Woody Allen movie.

Bret Ratner promises to an R-rating if he actually gets Beverly Hills Cop off the ground.

Full Inglourious Basterds trailer hits. It looks fantastic.



Christopher Nolan's next project is Inception at WB. Don't expect the next Batman for at least 2 years.

Wachowski Brothers tipped for new Superman movie. Hopefully they leave Routh out of the picture.

Malkovich signs on as bad guy in Jonah Hex opposite Josh Brolin as the titular hero.

Miss March red band trailer hits starring 2 of the Whitest Kids You Know. Looks good.

Black Freighter trailer hits. Looks very cool.



New stills of Wolverine solo movie look horribly photoshopped


Scarlet Johanssen has been tipped as Black Widow in Iron Man if Emily Blunt doesn't take it. I think they could do better.

Top 10 Comic Adaptations I Want to See

10. Beware the Creeper
When Bruce Timm reintroduced the character in his animated series, I fell instantly in love. Of course DC wasn't as lovestruck until Steve Niles reintroduced the character. The way I envision it is The Creeper, a horror slasher type, is hunting down the mob and a GCPD police officer, like Crispus Allen who probably won't appear in Nolan's flicks, is trying to find. Hit up Sam Rockwell for the Creeper and you have a sleeper hit/cult classic.











9. Daredevil-redux
I tried to leave the remake type stuff off the list, but I have been reading Daredevil more often again and the comic has been consistently awesome. It captures the noir-ish grit and gothic tone Daredevil has come to be, and what the movie was the opposite. Michael C. Hall for Daredevil.













8. Nick Fury/SHIELD
I love Samuel L. Jackson, but I am not excited about Ultimate Nick Fury because he makes chances slim that Hasselhof will be the closest to getting a great Steranko Fury movie. Steranko's Fury was just so cool. It would effectively balance the modern blockbuster sensibilities with the dingy, edgy 70's exploitation movies a la Taxi Driver and Easy Rider













7. Aquaman
When Marvel was first making movies and described Namor as Star Wars underwater, I have been absolutely sold on an underwater Atlantis adventure. I think I'd prefer Aquaman as the subject though. The paralells to Arthurian legends are too good to pass up.













6. The Inhumans
The Inhumans are the result of primitive humans being experimented on by an alien race thus creating a new spieces devoted to isolation and peace. While depicted mostly as antagonists in Fantastic Four, I think the Inhumans present a great oppurtunity for great "science fantasy." It would look like a sci-fi movie, but feel like a period piece. Think along the lines of Dune.













5. Wally West as The Flash
It has gotten to the point in the genre where origin stories just don't cut it anymore. So and so gets power, is clumsy with power, beats the bad guy just bores me now. I'd say it was lucky Downey was so charming in Iron Man, or else it would have been a bore. Seeing Kid Flash graduate to Flash and deal with the pressure of living up to a predessor would present a much more dynamic superhero story.











4. Green Lantern Corps
Emphasis on Corps. I want the whole team fighting battles in space. With the absence of Star Wars and a bland expanded universe and not up to snuff copycats, a big budget space opera would be a welcome version. With 4 very different Earthling GLs who have great chemistry between each other, the audience should find it easy to relate to one of them.












3. Deadpool
Deadpool is easily one of my favorite characters. Cable and Deadpool series certainly made him something so much more than a movie quoting mercenary. He is ripe for a thrilling action movie with a funny memorable hero. Look for a spin off from the Wolverine flick because the Fox producers, the Marvel producers, Hugh Jackman, and Ryan Reynolds (who is cast as DP) seem completely in love with the character.












2. Hitman
Hitman is another one of my favorite characters. Superhero (sorta) who hates his superpowers. A hitman with morals; only going after the bad guys. Think Gross Pointe Blank with superpowers and less romance. Fun Hollywood fluff. It probably won't break any grounds but certainly be fun as hell. Dean Winters IS Tommy Monaghan (The Hitman).












1. Iron Fist
Haven't really been into Iron Fist until his most recent run Immortal Iron Fist. It takes the martial arts superhero from the street level to something much more grand. The tournament for the 7 Cities, the Iron Fist serial killer, and now the Eight City adventure. I just can't see Iron Fist going back to Heroes for Hire after all that. The series has proved to be quite stunning visually, and absolutely thrilling and dramatic without forgetting to be charming and quirky when necessary. I think this would be the groundbreaking comic movie that could follow something The Dark Knight. Upstart Charlie Hunnam would be perfect for Iron Fist, but please no Ray Park or Cyril Raffeli. Fantastic martial artists, but do you really think they can act?

Hidden Gem #2

Feast

I watched this project greenlight and thought that they were doing everything wrong. Dimension decided to supersede every ones script vote and pick Feast instead of even thinking over Affleck, Damon, or Craven's opinions. They picked a director who was borderline incompetent and unready for a studio picture, and none of the people on set seemed to like each other. But I have to say I was impressed.

The writers described the script as "Army of Darkness meets Die Hard." The story takes place in a bar in the middle of no where, where a rag-tag group of bottom barrel degenerates team up to fend of the likes of evil, hungry creatures

The actors do a bang up job, better actors than you would expect in a movie of this caliber. The direction was amateurish but fit the style of a very funny and scary monster movie. The gore was excellent, and the monsters were better than most prosthetics live up to these days. The story was more interesting than expected. Overall this flick is incredibly surprising at what it does.

Before watching of course, you should firmly place tongue in cheek and enjoy the gore and one-liners for what they are. Superficial horror fluff, but damn fun.

Casting Call: Avengers

So Marvel is doing their whole Avengers thing. 4 solo series and a crossover. Iron Man was perfectly cast and their are some really great casting possibilities for the sequel (Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Emily Blunt, and Tim Robbins have all been brought up in some capacity), and The Incredible Hulk had a solid cast (maybe not the best possible cast though).

Now its down to casting Captain America and Thor, and when I look at the casting suggestions from internet fanboys, I shudder. I know that Captain America and Thor are drawn with huge muscles, but so are most comic characters. If we went by that way of thinking every superhero would be a bodybuilder and every heroine would have DD breasts. But there are far more important things namely, THE ABILITY TO ACT.

When you see names like Triple H and James Preston Rogers up for Thor or John Cena and this mystery Ben Ryan man youtubers seem to love for Cap, you see people mention muscles and size and how nice they are off screen or how they love the character so much. Thats all nice, but without acting ability to back it up than they shouldn't be considered. Have we learned nothing from Brandon Routh?

Alexander Skarsgard as Thor

Skarsgard is definitely a high potential up-and-comer. On Generation Kill, he played a confident leader. On True Blood, he plays a former viking turned immortal arrogant vampire with a bit of a superiority complex. He's from Sweden and of Scandanavian descent. He's 6'4 and has a decent build to work on. Stellan Skarasgard is his father, so he has some impressive pedigree.

Philip Winchester as Captain America

Philip Winchester has made a name for himself with a famous British character, but make no mistake, he is a born and bred red blooded American. On Robinson Crusoe, he plays a crafty and intelligent survivor with a soldier's mentality. He has a strong physique, 6'1", to build upon and classic good looks albeit a pointier nose than Captain America is drawn with. Seems to be a breaking point for fanboys, but I think it makes him stand out more.

Both of them come with very good perks. For one, they definitely have more talent and potential than most up and comers and "hot" actors, like Jensen Ackles and Scott Porter. Being relatively unknowns, they would probably come pretty cheap. Important considering the top talent that Marvel has been raking in and their problems budget wise keeping them. Their size is also very congruent to each other. Skarsgard being 6'4 and Winchester being 6'1 means that Thor will be taller but not outshine Captain America.

Top 5 Most Anticpated Movies of 2009

5) Monsters vs Aliens- Great cast (Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Stephen Colbert, Keifer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, and Rainn Wilson) with a really cool and fun concept (its right there in the title)

















4) Public Enemies- Depp vs Bale, two of the more prolific actors today, in a movie about John Dillinger, one of the most infamous American criminals, directed by Michael Mann, one of the better crime directors out there. How could I resist? Also stars the fantastic and beautiful Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard, and set in one of my favorite time periods other than present. I am a sucker for the noirish Prohibition era type stuff (gumshoes and dames).










3) X-Men Origins: Wolverine- The title is a mouthfull, but Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is probably one of my favorite superhero portrayals of all time. Thank god they recasted Tyler Mane with Liev Shreiber. By the trailer alone I am confident in saying he'll make a better Sabertooth, I don't care how much bigger Mane is. Plus, the movie has Deadpool, and I love me some Deadpool. The fact that he is being played by Ryan Reynolds is as perfect a casting as Ron Perlman as Hellboy.











2) Inglourious Basterds- Despite Tarantino's horrible spelling, I have been looking forward to his WWII epic since back when Mickey Rourke was "attached" (way before The Wrestler). The cast is a bit of a let down except for Brad Pitt considering the likes of Michael Madsen, Sylverster Stallone, and Adam Sandler were once in talks for roles. Nevertheless, a WWII epic with a spaghetti western mentality is a fantastic enough concept to keep me interested.











1) Watchmen- Alan Moore might be too stubborn to watch it, but the "unfilmable" comic being directed by a highly visual director and an inspired cast is finally happening and I cannot be any more psyched. I feel that it has odd placement in the market, but the contrversey surrounding it and the intense visuals of the trailers will probably be enough to snag some unintiated viewers.

Review- Australia

Australia is a sweeping romantic epic set against a dramatic historical moment in similar vane to Casablanca and Titanic. The actual country serves as a fantastic aesthetic background. The landscapes are absolutely stunning. The filmmakers used a number of motifs and themes in a very creative fashion. Using traditional Australian aboriginal beliefs, the filmmakers depicted dreams and storytelling as a way that connect people of varying races and beliefs. They also uprooted the romanticized western world and superimposed it over Australia's own "Wild West" period.

The movie occasionally pays homage to the classic '30s pulp fiction a la Doc Savage. The whimsical, humorous nature of the homage seems to be a strength, a weakness, and a crutch all at the same time. The homage creates a vision for the movie of heroic champions and a golden Western color scheme, something recognizable that sets up the audience for the tone of the movie. Unfortunately, the beginning is also too cliche and tongue in cheek at first. Kidman's fish-out-of-water experience and Jackman's over-machismo, shotgun-punch hero lend to some overacting early on in the first act. This is probably done as a crutch to lesson the boredom of getting introduced to all the characters and settings, but at times feels a little awkward and forced. Thankfully, the movie itself eventually gets legs and grabs your interest for that time on.

Jackman and Kidman have great chemistry and make you believe that opposites definitely do attract. Each gave a great performance and showed depth as their characters started as archetypes and evolved over the course of the film. The supporting cast is solid and set up a very distinct Australian society. David Wenham in particular made a great villain, but probably the brightest shining light in the entire cast was newcomer Brandon Walters, who played the young mixed child Nullah. Walters flawlessly proved that he has more charisma and screen presence in his pinky than any other young up-and-comer in the business. I truly hope to see more from this kid.

As like any other epic, the music is on a playing field all its own, effortlessly complementing the drama and action when necessary.

8/10

This Week in Movies 2/1-2/6

-The Superbowl ads were played. We got a sneak peek at G.I. Joe, Transformers 2, Monsters vs Aliens, Star Trek, Angels and Demons, Year One, Fast and Furious, Land of the Lost, and Race to Witch Mountain. I'm probably looking forward to Monsters vs Aliens the most, but I will certainly see everyone of them before I see the dreadful looking Land of the Lost



- Scorsese picks his next, Silence. Set in the 17th century about two Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they go to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro, top-notch talent. Day-Lewis is pretty picky to so it must be one hell of a script.

- The Flash gets a writer, Dan Mazeau, who recently passed in a draft of Johnny Quest to Warner Brothers.


- John Carpenter picks his next, The Ward, about a women stalked inside an insane asylum. Hopefully he keeps the quality of his Masters of Horror episodes rather than the quality of Ghosts of Mars

- Slap Shot might get a remake. Not ideal in the least. Just go watch the original

- We got a first look at The Black Freighter addition to Watchmen


- People still don't know who Rourke is playing in Iron Man 2. :)

- Bale's temper got the best of him on Terminator: Salvation. Internet nerds are torn between hating and loving the talented actor who's planning on rebooting and improving every beloved film franchise ever. ;)

- Green Lantern gets a director, Martin Campbell of Bond fame (Goldeneye and Casino Royale)


- Disney is actually attempting to adapt Candyland to film.

- Jeff Bewkes, CEO of WB, says they'll make Batman movies until people stop paying. Could this be the next Bond, a franchise with 23 installments and counting.

- This week's releases: Coraline, Push, He's Just Not That Into You, Pink Panther 2, and in limited release Fanboys and Chocolate. If I had to see one, it would be Fanboys, a cool looking comedy that the Weinsteins bounced around for far too long.

Cool websites

JoBlo Movie Emporium
One stop shop of movie info. They even have a series of sister sites: a horror one, a DVD one, a hottie one, and a myspace-ish movie community.

Hollywood Stock Exchange
Kinda like fantasy movie studio. You can treat movies, filmmakers, and other cool options like the stock market

Warehouse 23
Found this on a whim once, just a list of "boxes" in a "warehouse" and the weird things they contain. Think of the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark except digital.

Pandora
Online radio. You create a station with your favorite bands and they play stuff you might like.

Beer Advocate
One stop shop for beer news and brews

Hidden Gems #1

SLC Punk

SLC Punk is a great film showing the angst ridden subculture of 1980s and the inability of rejecting responsibility. The film also doubles as a well-made argument of the ineffectiveness of anarchy in society (the pure chaos kind poser punks adhere too).

Matthew Lillard stars in this tale of a '80s punk (blue hair and all) and his voluntary rejection of modern society. He is on top of his game with a Chuck Palahniuk like inner monologue as well as an energy for his fictional cause. Its movies like these that allow actors to shine, even those who are seen as the comic relief (a typecast Lillard may never let go).

I recommend this to anyone who likes to turn up the Sex Pistols to deafening volumes and hang out with friends. A great eye opener for incoming high school and/or college students who have yet to find their maturity (a proverbial boot in the ass, if you will).

Most memorable scene: Matthew Lillard's oral report on "The Fight."

Hollywood and the Lost Cause

Hollywood is constantly worrying and trying to fix the long lasting decline in movie goers, so every year more and more crappy pictures come out that try to out due the last one. More explosions, more nudity, more shocks, more gore. This is not the way. The general audience is not stupid. they want sibstance and Hollywood is just scaring them away.

Plus, the real problem lies within the high movie prices and poor atomsphere that is the movie theatre. When I saw The Departed, I caught the old lady show (my first mistake) on Saturday afternoon. I wanted to pay matinee prices, so sue me. The lady behind me even though I asked her to stop more than once continued to talk about the graphic nature of the movie. The worst was when she said, "I didn't think it was going to be like this." Its rated-R. If it didnt have the gratuitous violence and language it would have been PG. Not to mention seeing the midnight show of The Omen 666 on 6/6/06 and seeing a young mother bring her 1 year old child. There is too much wrong with that equation, I do not evn know where to begin.

Top 5 Favorite Movies of All Time

5. Taxi Driver
Scorsese's look at post-war human psyche and existentialism in an American society that isn't what it once was.

















4. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford's homage to classic '30s pulp fiction that helped shape the action/adventure genre as we know it. Indiana Jones will go down as one of the greatest cinema heroes of all time. The American Film Institute ranked him the best hero, second only to Atticus Finch (a tough character to beat).













3. Die Hard

Die Hard has set up a precedent for every action movie after it. It's an industry joke that most action screenplays get pitched as "Die Hard on a boat/on a plane/etc." To this day, its still one of the greatest uses of physical effects and miniatures













2. Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino's tour de force that is one of the most memorable screenplays and has spawned plenty of imitators. Dialogue has rarely been both cool and relatively natural at the same time.














1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

A simple plot of a man who enters a mental facility and becomes an inspiration to the members puts a lot of weight on the actor and Jack Nicholson performed masterfully. This is the movie that transformed Jack Nicholson, one of the greatest actors to ever come out of the industry, from a promising up and comer to a superstar. Never will anyone watch a movie and want to kill the villain as much as this one.

Year in Review '08 Part 1- Top 10 Movies of 2008

The following are what I consider to be the Top 10 Movies of 2008

10. Pineapple Express
I'm a sucker for Judd Apatow's comedy stylings and pretty much all his buddies. Pineapple Express pushed the boundaries of ridiculousness by merging Apatow's sarcastic comedy with action movie cliches (although not as good as Hot Fuzz in the previous year). Rogen and Franco had great chemistry, and Craig Robinson continues to steal the show like everything else he is in.

9. RocknRolla

There was a time when I was on a Guy Ritchie trip, seeing Snatch. and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels in a role and then having Guy not deliver in his next 2 films, its nice to see a return to form with simple British crime stories with larger than life characters. The "Wild Bunch" was incredibly charismatic and serves as the best vehicle to the cool underbelly of England. And Toby Kebbell is an actor to look for. He gave one of the better manic performances in years second to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttom

Benjamin Button has got undeserved flack for being a Forrest Gump rip-off, mostly because it is one of the few movies that follows a character for a lifetime rather than a moment, but the themes, motifs, and tones are incredibly different than Forrest Gump with exception of the balance of inevitability of death and the satisfaction of life. One of the big show stopper these years, it would be higher on my list if not for the poor pacing and long runtime. A number of times it lost my attention especially during his nights taling with Tilda Swinton. I also think the gimmick (lack of a better word) of a man aging backwords clouded the themes and made the movie more fantasy escapism than thematic life journey. The inclusion of Hurricane Katrina was also very tacky, but the inculision of WWII was probably the most entertaining part of the entire film.

7. Role Models
There hasn't been an incredibly funny American film like this in years. Paul Rudd is easily the best thing to come out of Frat Pack/Apatow Crew type films and it baffles me that he does not get more starring roles, and Seann William Scott returns to form as the likeable loser with a big mouth. The two have a perfect love/hate relationship with eachother and their "little brothers" lends itself to a number of comedic confrontations. No bells and whistles, just legit laughs.

6. Iron Man
Everyonce in awhile, comic fanboys like myself get treated to the best possible casting anyone could ask for. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is one of those casts. Downey flawlessly became the fast talking, Martini swilling company man who traded his Armani for metal. It was your run of the mill three act origin story but Downey's performance saved it from being too bland. Scoring good placement in May, it was able to find an audience before The Dark Knight took over the summer, and now general audiences are as excited about Iron Man's next adventure as they are Batman's.

5. The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke was one of those actors who undeservedly faded into obscurity. I imagine there are so many young filmbuffs wondering who all these people like Brad Pitt is naming an influence and one of the greats. That is until they see this movie and know right off the bat that this guy was born to be a star. I don't think there has ever been such a comeback in cinema history. But when you think about who better to play a broken down celebrity looking for a last hurrah than Mickey Rourke. At least this isn't his last hurrah as he has set up an impressive film schedule for the next few years. In general, it's just nice to see a movie make a big splash without the use of giant robots or car chases.

4. Slumdog Millionaire

As a long time fan of Danny Boyle, its nice to finally see him get the attention he has always deserved despite Trainspotting being his much better film. Going into this movie, I thought it was a great concept. Following the life of one man and his connection to all the questions. The concept lends itself to fantasy melodrama, and while the movie is full of it, it never misses a step. The romantic fantasy is tastefully intertwined to true to life brutal nature of the slums creating a perfectly paced and balanced story couple with one of the more beautiful aesthetic atmosphere of 2008.

3. The Hurt Locker

When I saw this movie, starring the guy from SWAT and having the real actors in short cameos taking place in Iraq, I thought it was going to be terrible story and perfromances that would attempt to be anti-war preachy. Instead I got one of the more tense stories in years that effectively examined the human psyche during war-time. I'd even say this is the greatest war movie ever second only to Saving Private Ryan. Jeremy Renner has the screen prescence of an entire platoon and plays his character with the perfect combination of hotshot gung ho and human morality. He toes the line of doing what's right and what's exciting.

2. The Dark Knight

"Like OMG, he didn't but it at number 1." Sorry fanboys, but its true. The Dark Knight was one of the most fascinating movies of last year. It went above and beyond the call for a big budget movie that would usually get treated like Hollywood fluff should be. It was masterfully put together by Christopher Nolan with two of the better supporting actors of 2008, both Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart. Its a shame that award shows like the Oscars did not consider it, but there is no question that it will outlive the rest of nominees even if it didn't earn over $500 million at the box office. The biggest downside of this movie: its almost impossible to top it.

1. In Bruges

Biggest surprise of last year, I am happy that the award shows took to it so well. Never have I seen a movie that so masterfully balanced impressive wit and depressing guilt. Colin Farrel is the biggest surprise with a fantastic performance. Brendan Gleeson is awesome as always, and Ralph Fiennes is one of the more entertaining villains. This is a great hidden gem, and definitely my favorite film of last year. Simply well written, well directer, and well performed.