Top five movies and Oscar contenders of 2008 in review
By: Garrett Cook
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Entertainment
As I look back at the year 2008 in film, I can't help but be a little disappointed. At this point in 2008, perhaps The Dark Knight is the only film released thus far that has a serious possibility at nabbing an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. However, I present you with the five most delectable films of the year so far.
5) Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
This Apatow fellow is really cooking. After the success of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, he hands over the reins to writer-actor Jason Segel, who stars in the film as the dumped boyfriend of a famous actress. In an attempt to mend his heart, he flees to Hawaii, where said famous actress is vacationing with her new boyfriend, a famous randy rock star. Segel follows the Apatow formula of mixing crudeness with sweetness and comes out with a hit.
4) In Bruges:
This was a little indie released back in February that quietly received great reviews. Colin Farrell plays a depressive hit man who flees to Bruges, an old medieval city in Belgium, after a hit goes terribly wrong. Brendan Gleeson plays his partner who develops a conscience after he's ordered by Mob boss Harry Waters (played with malicious gusto by Ralph Fiennes) to kill Farrell.
3) Funny Games:
Like he did with Cache, director Michael Haneke has delivered another movie that invades the unconscious while your senses are being hypnotized. A remake of his own foreign-language film, Funny Games tells the story of a privileged suburban couple who go out to their country home for a weekend getaway only to have their home seized by two yuppies who go from innocent to terrorists in a matter of minutes. This is not only a deeply unsettling suspense thriller, but also a satire of the gratuitous violence so common in our films today.
2) The Visitor:
Long-time character actor Richard Jenkins finally gets his first shot at a lead movie role, and he knocks it out of the park. Playing Professor Walter Vale, a reserved widower who has been coasting through life for some time, Jenkins is exquisitely pinpoint perfect in his gestures and delivery. Wonderfully human and touching, this little gem gives Jenkins the role of a lifetime and could launch him to an Oscar nomination.
5) Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
This Apatow fellow is really cooking. After the success of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, he hands over the reins to writer-actor Jason Segel, who stars in the film as the dumped boyfriend of a famous actress. In an attempt to mend his heart, he flees to Hawaii, where said famous actress is vacationing with her new boyfriend, a famous randy rock star. Segel follows the Apatow formula of mixing crudeness with sweetness and comes out with a hit.
4) In Bruges:
This was a little indie released back in February that quietly received great reviews. Colin Farrell plays a depressive hit man who flees to Bruges, an old medieval city in Belgium, after a hit goes terribly wrong. Brendan Gleeson plays his partner who develops a conscience after he's ordered by Mob boss Harry Waters (played with malicious gusto by Ralph Fiennes) to kill Farrell.
3) Funny Games:
Like he did with Cache, director Michael Haneke has delivered another movie that invades the unconscious while your senses are being hypnotized. A remake of his own foreign-language film, Funny Games tells the story of a privileged suburban couple who go out to their country home for a weekend getaway only to have their home seized by two yuppies who go from innocent to terrorists in a matter of minutes. This is not only a deeply unsettling suspense thriller, but also a satire of the gratuitous violence so common in our films today.
2) The Visitor:
Long-time character actor Richard Jenkins finally gets his first shot at a lead movie role, and he knocks it out of the park. Playing Professor Walter Vale, a reserved widower who has been coasting through life for some time, Jenkins is exquisitely pinpoint perfect in his gestures and delivery. Wonderfully human and touching, this little gem gives Jenkins the role of a lifetime and could launch him to an Oscar nomination.
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