Critics' Top 10 Film Lists for 2008

[disneyfella]

I did a bit of surfing on the net and found the following critics' lists:

ROGER EBERT from The Chicago Sun Time (He actually ranked 20 films in alphabetical order)

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...812059997/1023

Ballast
The Band's Visit
Che
Chop Shop
The Dark Knight
Doubt
The Fall
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Iron Man
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Shotgun Stories
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York
W.
WALL-E





DAVID DENBY from The New Yorker

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blog...-movies-o.html

1. Defiance
2. Rachel Getting Married
3. The Class
4. The Wrestler
5. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
6. WALL-E
7. Milk
8. Trouble the Water
9. Revolutionary Road
10. I've Loved You So Long





JOHN WATERS director of Hairspray, and Pink Flamingos

http://www.artforum.com/inprint/id=21496

1. Vicky Cristina Barcelona/Love Songs (tie)
2. Mister Lonely
3. Savage Grace
4. Man on Wire
5. The Last Mistress
6. My Winnipeg
7. The Wrestler
8. Taxi to the Dark Side
9. Milk
10. Cassandra's Dream





LOU LUMENICK from The New York Post

1. "Slumdog Millionaire"
2. "Wall-E"
3. "Milk"
4. "A Christmas Tale"
5. "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
6. "Iron Man"
7. "Revolutionary Road"
8. "The Visitor"
9. "Synecdoche, New York"
10. "Waltz With Bashir"





KYLE SMITH from The New York Post

1. "Slumdog Millionaire"
2. "Man On Wire"
3. "Seven Pounds"
4. "The Dark Knight"
5. "Four Months, Three Weeks And Two Days"
6. "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
7. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
8. "Doubt"
9. "Rachel Getting Married"
10. "Funny Games"




RICHARD CORLISS from TIME Magazine

1. Wall-E
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. My Winnipeg
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days
5. Milk
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Iron Man
9. Speed Racer
10.Encounters at the World End





DAVID EDELSTEIN from New York Magazine

1. Rachel Getting Married
2. Wall-E
3. Happy-Go-Lucky
4. Cadillac Records
5. The Class
6. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
7. Waltz With Bashir
8. Shotgun Stories
9. Doubt
10. Trouble the Water





ANTHONY LANE from The New Yorker

1. The Orphanage
2. The Edge of Heaven
3. Four Months, Three Weeks, and Two Days
4. I've Loved You So Long
5. We Own the Night
6. Quantum of Solace
7. Iron Man
8. The Wrestler
9. Changeling
10. Wall-E





PETER TRAVERS from People and Rolling Stone

1. Milk
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. The Dark Knight
4. Frost/Nixon
5. WALL-E
6. Revolutionary Road
7. The Visitor
8. Doubt
9. Rachel Getting Married
10. Man on Wire





RICHARD ROEPER from The Chicago Sun Times (he gave a list of 25 films)

1. "Slumdog Millionaire"
2. "The Dark Knight"
3. "The Wrestler"
4. "In Bruges"
5. "I've Loved You So Long"
6. "Gran Torino"
7. "Milk"
8. "The Visitor"
9. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"
10. "Frozen River"
11. "Doubt"
12. "Snow Angels"
13. "Frost/Nixon"
14. "The Reader"
15. "Seven Pounds"
16. "Iron Man"
17. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
18. "W."
19. "Henry Poole Is Here"
20. "Burn After Reading"
21. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
22. "WALL-E"
23. "The Bank Job"
24. "Tropic Thunder"
25. "Che





STEPHEN KING author of The Shining

1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. WALL-E
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Funny Games
6. The Bank Job
7. Lakeview Terrace
8. The Ruins
9. Redbelt
10. Death Race





The American Film Institute (AFI)

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. The Dark Knight
3. Frost/Nixon
4. Frozen River
5. Gran Torino
6. Iron Man
7. Milk
8. WALL-E
9. Wendy and Lucy
10. The Wrestler





ED GONZALEZ from Slant Magazine

1. Rachel Getting Married
2. In the City of Sylvia
3. The Witnesses
4. Standard Operating Procedure
5. Summer Palace
6. Encounters at the End of the World
7. Mukhsin
8. My Father My Lord
9. Let the Right One In
10. Happy-Go-Lucky





NICK SCHAGER from Slant Magazine

1. Synecdoche, New York
2. Flight of the Red Balloon
3. Boarding Gate
4. Reprise
5. The Dark Knight
6. Dear Zachary
7. Chris & Don
8. Encounters at the End of the World
9. The Strangers
10. August Evening





KRISTOPHER TAPLEY from incontention.com

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. Bolt
3. Synecdoche, New York
4. Pineapple Express
5. The Dark Knight
6. Hunger
7. The Wrestler
8. Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father
9. Gomorrah
10. Let The Right One In





LISA SCHWARZBAUM from Entertainment Weekly

1. Wall-E
2. Milk
3. The Dark Knight
4. Waltz the Bashir
5. Gomorra
6. Wendy & Lucy
7. Trouble the Water
8. Happy-Go-Lucky
9. Man on Wire
10. Tropic Thunder





OWEN GLEIBERMAN from Entertainment Weekly

1. The Wrestler
2. The Dark Knight
3. Rachel Getting Married
4. Wall-E
5. Momma's Man
6. The Edge of Heaven
7. Burn After Reading
8. The Class
9. Milk
10. Tell No One





A.O. SCOTT from The New York Times

1. Wall-E
2. Silent Light
3. The Secret of the Grain
4. Man on Wire
5. The Edge of Heaven
6. Happy-Go-Lucky
7. Wendy & Lucy
8. Milk
9. Rachel Getting Married
10. Cadillac Records





MANOHLA DARGIS from The New York Times

1. Alexandra
2. The Dark Knight
3. Encounters at the End of the World
4. Flight of the Red Balloon
5. Happy-Go-Lucky
6. Paranoid Park
7. Silent Light
8. Still Life
9. Synecdoche, New York
10. Wendy and Lucy















I've got a handful more movies to watch before I make my top 10 list for the year. Has anyone else made a list?

[Jules]

Wow ... BOLT is the only other animated movie (to my knowledge) to actually make one of these lists. Is Kristopher Tapley a prestigious critic? If so, then I'll be over the moon.

[Widdi]

My top 10 (having access to limited release movies is awesome!)

1. Wall-E
2. The Reader
3. Milk
4. Doubt
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Burn After Reading
7. The Dark Knight
8. Synecdoche, New York
9. Rachel Getting Married
10. Iron Man

[Jack Skellington]

Well I'm glad at least one critic liked Changeling, I was starting to doubt on my taste for good movies.

[PixarFan2006]

My top 9 (did not see that many movies this year)

1.WALL-E
2.The Dark Knight
3.Iron Man
4.Kung Fu Panda
5.Burn After Reading
6.Be Kind Rewind
7.Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
8.Ghost Town
9.Dr Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!

[disneyfella]

Well I'm glad at least one critic liked Changeling, I was starting to doubt on my taste for good movies.

So far "Changeling" is my top movie of the year. I still have a handful of pictures left to see (including a bunch of award worthy ones), so that may get bumped down slightly. But I totally agree; Solid movie

[Just Myself]

My Top 10 (So Far)

10. W.
9. Ghost Town
8. Shine A Light
7. Bolt
6. Iron Man
5. Tropic Thunder
4. Frost/Nixon
3. Wall-E
2. The Dark Knight
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

As you can tell, I've got a LOT of movies to see.... I'll update when I see more.

Cheers,
JM

[Jack Skellington]

So far "Changeling" is my top movie of the year. I still have a handful of pictures left to see (including a bunch of award worthy ones), so that may get bumped down slightly. But I totally agree; Solid movie

Yeah me too, I can't write a list right now coz I haven't seen "Doubt" or "Revolutionary Road" which I think I'll probably really like maybe even more than Changeling, but unfortunately movie releases are starting to get a little tardy here lately.

[drfsupercenter]

LOL, didn't Doubt just come out because they wanted to nominate it for an Academy Award?
Regardless, I should probably see it... with all the hype I've heard of it.

And I'm surprised The Dark Knight was only on about half of those lists... while it might not have been *the* best movie, I'm surprised some reviewers felt there were 10 movies better than it this year.

I don't do ordered lists, but here are a few I would rank as my favorites of this year:

The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Iron Man, Indiana Jones 4, Hancock (yes, I actually liked it)... I don't even remember what other movies I saw this year

[Widdi]

How about a bottom 10 list? Any critics out there composing them?

Here's mine:

10. Fly Me to the Moon
9. Hancock
8. Twilight
7. Seven Pounds
6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
5. College
4. Blindness
3. Meet Dave
2. In the Name of the King
1. The Happening

[Jack Skellington]

LOL, good idea Widdi, I've watched a lot of bad movies this year,and here are my nominies for Worst Picture :

-The Mummy : Tomb of the Dragon Emporer

-Mamma Mia (yep I hated it so much I walked out)

-Step Brothers

-The Clone Wars

[David S.]

Thanks for posting the lists, Disneyfella.

I have not compliled a top ten list but I will list my favorite animated and live action film for 2008. (I have seen everything I wanted to this year except for the recently released Despereaux and Marley and Me, both of which I will see sometime in January)

ANIMATED: Bolt (out of 11 animated films I've seen with a 2008 release date)

LIVE ACTION: Kit Kittridge: An American Girl (out of 10 live-action films I've seen with a 2008 release date)

I was really glad to see one of the critics you listed (David Edelstein) give some love to Kittridge, an underated gem of a heartwarming family film that is a throwback to a time when films like this were more common. A nice period film with no intentions of being "ironic", "hip", or peppered with "bodily function" humor to appeal to a contemporary audience. But that doesn't tell the whole story as it just says the things the film thankfully avoided. This is an old-school period family film that has plenty of charm and uplifting heart, and at the end you feel better than you did before the movie started.

Often I see a family film from the 50's or 60's and think, "unfortunately, they don't make 'em like this anymore". Well thankfully, with Kit Kittridge, they did!

As for Bolt, I really enjoyed it, moreso than Meet the Robinsons and much more than Chicken Little. This was my favorite CGI film by far released by Disney's feature animation division. I thought the animal characters were cute and the film had plenty of heart, and was my fave animated film in a crowded 2008 field. I look forward to a second viewing the week before it leaves the first-run cinemas.

PS. I was having a hard time remembering which movies I saw this year as opposed to last year - then I found this list which listed everything by release date, which was really helpful in figuring out exactly what I saw this year:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_movies

[castleinthesky]

Wow ... BOLT is the only other animated movie (to my knowledge) to actually make one of these lists. Is Kristopher Tapley a prestigious critic? If so, then I'll be over the moon.

Kris Tapley isn't really prestigious. He just runs this blog: incontention.com

He's also interviewed some important figures, like Dustin Hoffman. I believe he's a film professor.

[castleinthesky]

Here is a scoreboard of average critic rankings: http://moviecitynews.com/awards/2009/to ... eboard.htm

[Widdi]

I've now seen all the movies this year I had any interest in seeing. Here is my top 30 of 2008:

1. Wall-E
2. The Reader
3. Milk
4. Doubt
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Burn After Reading
7. The Dark Knight
8. Synecdoche, New York
9. Rachel Getting Married
10. Iron Man
11. Revolutionary Road
12. Bolt
13. Slumdog Millionaire
14. Frozen River
15. In Burges
16. Role Models
17. Frost/Nixon
18. Tropic Thunder
19. Valkyrie
20. Hamlet 2
21. The Wrestler
22. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
23. Religilous
24. Gran Tarino
25. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
26. Cloverfield
27. Man on a Wire
28. The Incredible Hulk
29. Changeling
30. Vicky Christina Barcelona

[castleinthesky]

I've now seen all the movies this year I had any interest in seeing. Here is my top 30 of 2008:

You are pretty lucky to have seen all those movies. I'm still waiting for Slumdog Millionaire to reach my area.

The ones on your list I will end up not seeing will be Hamlet 2, Religulous, the Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Nick and Norah, Cloverfield, Role Models, and possibly Frozen River (don't know if I want to see this or not).

Still to see of 2008 movies for me:

Paranoid Park
The Visitor (maybe)
Redbelt (maybe)
Man on a Wire
The Fall
Frozen River (maybe)
Encounters at the End of the World
A Christmas Tale (maybe)


Dec 26th: Valkyrie
Dec 31st- None
January 9th- Gran Torino, The Reader
January 16th- Defiance
January 23rd- Revolutionary Road

TBD: Milk Slumdog Millionaire The Wrestler, Frost/Nixon, Waltz with Bashir, Let the Right One In, Gomorra, Wendy and Lucy, The Sky Crawlers, Che

[Disneykid]

I was going to make a separate thread for 2008 movies, but since people are posting them here, I'll do the same. Don't take this list too seriously, though. I'd say only the first 11 or so are rock solid in their placement. The ones after that are pretty interchangeable.

Excellent ****
1. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
2. WALL-E
3. Iron Man
4. The Dark Knight

Great ***½
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
6. Horton Hears A Who!
7. The Spiderwick Chronicles
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
9. Sex and the City
10. Mamma Mia!
11. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
12. Bolt
13. Kung Fu Panda
14. The Incredible Hulk
15. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
16. Valkyrie

Good ***
17. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
18. Get Smart
19. Eagle Eye
20. Speed Racer
21. Burn After Reading
22. The Day the Earth Stood Still
23. The X-Files: I Want to Believe
24. The Women
25. The Forbidden Kingdom
26. Tropic Thunder
27. Quantum of Solace
28. Hancock
29. Eagle Eye

Okay **½
30. Bedtime Stories
31. Righteous Kill
32. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
33. Twilight
34. High School Musical 3: Senior Year
35. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour
36. The Happening
37. The Eye
38. 88 Minutes

Mediocre **
38. Prom Night
39. Shutter

Movies I still plan on seeing
The Fall
Slumdog Millionaire
Rachel Getting Married
Australia
The Tale of Despereaux
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt

[Widdi]

You are pretty lucky to have seen all those movies. I'm still waiting for Slumdog Millionaire to reach my area.

Let's just say I don't use the most ethical ways to view all the movies I see.

I would if I could, but no theater owner is going to choose to open Milk over Twilight in such a small market.

[dvdjunkie]

Had to watch "At The Movies" last night to see what Ben and Ben had to offer as their best of 2008, wasn't disappointed that they missed a lot of the Best Movies of the Year in their lists. Neither listed "Wall-E" or "Appaloosa" or "The Changeling" in their lists.

Ben Mankewiesz (sp):

10. Iron Man
9. Happy Go Lucky
8. Towelhead
7. Rocknrolla
6. The Bank Job
5. Man On Wire
4. Milk
3. The Reader
2. Frost/Nixon
1. The Wrestler

Ben Lyons: (Note: the worst critic on television nowadays!!)

10. In Bruges
9. Miracle of St. Anna
8. The Reader
7. Let The Right One In
6. Frost/Nixon
5. The Dark Knight
4. The Wrestler
3. Milk
2. Slumdog Millionaire
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Of those listed "In Bruges", "Man on Wire", "The Dark Knight", and "Towelhead" are currently available on DVD.

Next week, the Worst of 2008, and I can't wait to see if they put "Zach and Miri" on their list. What a tragedy that would be.

[Lazario]

I don't think I've seen a single one of those movies. On any of those lists.