The Rake’s 2008 Film Rankings

2008 Film Releases Seen – From Best to Worst (All movies in Bold & Italics link to a review, if desired.)

So as I look back at the year that was, I have come to a couple of conclusions. It was very difficult for me to decide what would be my top film, “Ben Button” or The Wrestler. I think that Button is the greater achievement in filmmaking, therefore it gets my top spot, but The Wrestler (links to a review that is not done by me), primarily due to Mickey Rourke’s searing portrayal of a man with nothing in his life but wrestling, had a greater emotional impact on me. In Bruges, RockNRolla, and The Wackness were criminally underseen movies. Each one offers something unique that the majority of movies released this year didn’t have, and each had something different going for it. See them at your earliest convenience (all 3 are now out on video).

I was disappointed with big-budget “comedic” fair, like Tropic Thunder and the ridiculously bad Pineapple Express. The king of failure though was unquestionably Blindness. A haphazardly made exercise that had no point. Sure, expectations come into any sort of ratings and they affect my perception of how good/bad a film is, but those failed miserably in my eyes. I sat stone-faced at scenes that others riotously laughed at in Express, and I couldn’t help but feel I needed a big joint to ease my pain. Or LSD, but I digress. Debate, respond, enjoy the list. Looking forward to a fun ’09 at the movies.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Wrestler

In Bruges

Revolutionary Road

The Dark Knight

Slumdog Millionaire

RockNRolla