Warning: this is extremely long. But not like a normal person's extremely long.Well, here we are. I said Monday and I meant Monday and it's Monday. Unless you're east of the prime meridian, which is NOT my problem, so let's just get this over with. I'm doing a top fifteen because I've decided that's how I do things - five nominees from ten finalists, with five semi-finalists backing things up. It seems efficient enough.
Presented without much comment, and of the 105 films I apparently saw and count for 2008 (yay archive!), here are the 15 best of them IMFO.
THE SEMI-FINALISTS.
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#15 The ClassLaurent Cantet
(SPC, December 19)
#14 A Christmas TaleArnaud Desplechin
(IFC, November 14)
#13 AustraliaBaz Luhrmann
(Fox, November 26)
Ed. note: As most of you will recall from last year, I was completely obsessive about this movie months before it came out. I couldn't go five seconds without thinking/screaming aloud "OMG AUSTRALIA!" And it didn't disappoint me. It still hasn't. The problem was I was just too fanatical. I rolled with it's obvious flaws and claimed them as just adding to it's overall "masterful" existence. BUT I still think it's a great, thoroughly entertaining work of overly romantic awesomeness, and I probably like it more than most of the films on this list. So make of all that as you will.
#12 The WrestlerDarren Aronofsky
(Fox Searchlight, December 17)
#11 Waltz with BashirAri Folman
(SPC, December 25)
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MY TOP TEN, + THE FINALISTS.
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#10 The FallTarsem
(Roadside, May 9)
#9 RepriseJoachim Trier
(Miramax, May 16)
#8 The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonDavid Fincher
(Paramount/Warner, December 25)
#7 Love SongsChristophe Honoré
(IFC, March 21)
#6 Happy-Go-LuckyMike Leigh
(Miramax, October 10)
...
Which obvies leads to MY NOMINEES FOR BEST PICTURE.
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#5 The Dark KnightChristopher Nolan
(Warner, July 18)
#4 The ReaderStephen Daldry
(TWC, December 10)
#3 WALL•EAndrew Stanton
(Disney/Pixar, June 27)
#2 Paranoid ParkGus Van Sant
(IFC, March 7)
...
*drum roll*
...
And now, fiiiiinally, MY BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR.
...
#1 MilkGus Van Sant
(Focus, November 26)
That noise you hear is of you and everybody else not being surprised. Of course it's Milk, it was never gonna be anything else. Though it's more of an emotionally linked rallying cry than a truly great film at this point, it still IS a truly great film, and one of the most important and affecting I've ever seen. ♥
Now:
Winners in gold, runners-up in silver and bronze. Yes, medals. I'm original. If there's anything you want me to comment on, then ask in the comments. I usually try to act like I have a descriptive brain in that box.
I need to announce tho that I revoked Waltz with Bashir's Documentary Feature nomination. It's so categorically in the gray - it's more like a personal History Channel special than a flat-out documentary - that I thought it kinda does a disservice to more determinable docs.
For reference, here are all the winners in readable text form:
Best Director: Gus Van Sant, Milk + Paranoid Park
Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Best Adapted Screenplay: François Bégaudeau + Robin Campillo + Laurent Cantet, The Class
Best Animated Feature Film: WALL•E
Best Foreign Language Film: Love Songs
Best Documentary Feature Film: American Teen
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, Milk
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Penélope Cruz, Elegy + Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Art Direction: Australia
Best Cinematography: Milk
Best Costume Design: Australia
Best Film Editing: Milk
Best Make-Up: The Dark Knight
Best Original Score: Love Songs
Best Mix-Tape Score: Waltz with Bashir
Best Original Song: "Au Parc", Love Songs
Best Sound Mixing: Paranoid Park
Best Sound Editing: WALL•E
Best Visual Effects: Speed Racer
Best Ensemble Acting: A Christmas Tale
Best Limited/Cameo Acting: Karina Fernandez, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Juvenile Acting: Catinca Untaru, The Fall
Best Voice-Over Acting: Tress MacNeille, Futurama: Bender's Game
Man, that looks weird put together. And gay. And adolescent. And ADD-riddled. And I need to stop starting my sentences with the word 'and'.
I really hope people care and comment/tell me what they think! *nervous laughter*
18 comments:
"I Want it All" won the BRONZE?! La Tisdale will not be pleased.
Other than that, great winners! (Well, I kinda have to say that even though it's readily apparent what I think should have won)
In this instance, Norah Jones > La Tisdale. SUCK IT, JAMES. SUCK IT ALLLLLL DOWN.
But thanks. ;)
Apart from the Paranoid Park and Button mentions I'm very down with these picks.
Especially liking the Untaru juvenile award. Cuuuute :-)
where the fuck is slumdog millionaire jd?!?!? *ducks the fruit being thrown*
otherwise good list. I suppose :P xxx
sometimes it's good to be belated... nice choices (cept benjamin button), but my number one was definitely synecdoche, new york.
Paranoid Park > Milk.
But Gus Van Sant taking the top two? I can live with that, you just got it backwards is all.
Also,
*high five* for Futurama.
@Sean: If I weren't so attached to Milk, I might put it in your order. Might.
Elephant > them both. tho.
Agreed.
How can a movie like that be so damn watchable??
Harris Savides.
I've seen everything on your Top 5 but only two others on the list. The Fall is one of the greatest visual art pieces I've ever seen. The more you find out about the production, the more impressive it becomes.
Also, I loved loved loved loved loved Paranoid Park.
Where's RGM
surprised by your TDK placing, too. you're better than that
Now THAT's a solid list, minus Australia.
I'm one of those who would rather Nicole Kidman took her one-facial-expression and fucked off for about 2 decades. Along with that nasty Meg Ryan.
*throws something sharp at Adem*
Yay for WALL-E.
Looks like you did a nice job catching a lot of 2008 films!
No "Let the Right One In"? For me, it towered over everything else that year, w/"Chanson l'Amour" and "In Bruges" as runners-up.
I haven't seen it to be honest, lol. It never opened in my area and the whole fucked up subtitles thing or whatever after the DVD release kinda scared me off. :\
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