Best movies of 2008
Superhero films came to the fore in 2008. In summer, it seemed each week brought another superpowered or comic book-based tale. Other of the year’s top films featured washed-up wrestlers, 1970s politicians and an optimistic trash compactor. The following are my list of the best 10 films of the year.
1. “The Dark Knight” – Director Christopher Nolan made a crime epic disguised as a comic-book caper. The Joker looms large over “The Dark Knight,” as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger. The Joker’s lunacy has the town on edge. While the Joker ostensibly is working for the city’s criminal powers, his real goal is chaos. This creepy vision of the Joker is original and unsettling, with greasy hair and a painted-on smile covering scars.
Ultimately, Nolan’s Batman film asks viewers to consider when and why rules should be broken.
2. “Slumdog Millionaire” – Director Danny Boyle shows us the life of a young “slumdog” in Bombay, who becomes a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Alternately terrifying and uplifting, “Slumdog” is something of an Indian “It’s A Wonderful Life” as Jamal Malik attempts to explain his game-show success to police who suspect fraud.
3. “The Wrestler” – Mickey Rourke plays Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a former top pro wrestler who still lives for the adulation of the crowd while hanging on in the dregs of the business as he approaches middle age. He wants to re-establish a relationship with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), but isn’t sure where to start. He asks for help from a friend, exotic dancer Cassidy (Marisa Tomei – she’s also holding on to her profession past the usual sell-by date. Each of them must determine the best way to end this phase of their lives in this drama directed by Darren Aronofsky.
4. “Frost/Nixon” – Director Ron Howard makes the cat-and-mouse game between interviewer David Frost (Michael Sheen) and the resigned President Nixon (Frank Langella) into compelling drama.
5. “Iron Man” – Robert Downey Jr. plays billionaire playboy Tony Stark, forced to invent a high-tech suit of armor to save his life in “Iron Man.” Toward the end, “Iron Man” descends into formula, but before it does, the highs are incredibly high.
6. “WALL-E” – The animated Pixar film features a robotic trash compactor on an abandoned Earth. When a probe from the surviving humans arrives, WALL-E finds love. “WALL-E” is a classic love story disguised as a science fiction tale, but it works as both.
7. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin Button in this epic film loosely adapted from an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story. Benjamin is born old, then ages backwards. The sweep of the film reminds of “Forrest Gump” – Eric Roth wrote the screenplay for both.
8. “Milk” – Sean Penn stars as gay activist Harvey Milk in this 1970s biopic. Milk was the first openly gay man elected to office in California. Exceptional supporting performances abound, especially by Emile Hirsch as Milk protégé Cleve Jones. Also of note are Josh Brolin as Milk’s adversary and eventual assassin Dan White, and James Franco as Milk’s long-time companion Scott Smith. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant.
9. “Happy-Go-Lucky” – Sally Hawkins carries this film as the constantly happy Poppy. As the film begins, you can’t imagine making it through this movie without being irritated by her, but by the close you don’t want the movie to end. It’s a fascinating character study by Mike Leigh, with a strong supporting performance from comedian Eddie Marsan, here as an angry driving instructor.
10. “Gran Torino” – The better of two Clint Eastwood-directed films this year, this stars Eastwood as Walt Kowalski, a cranky, somewhat racist widower. Walt discovers his young neighbor Thao (Bee Vang) attempting to steal his prized car. After his neighbors insist, he allows Thao to do some odd jobs to work off his transgression. While “Gran Torino” has some flaws and an unbelievable ending, it deserves its placement on this list through the force of Eastwood’s portrayal of Walt, a retired Dirty Harry-type seething his way through his twilight years and forced to confront preconceived notions.
– Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
“Dark Knight” breaks $400 million
The Associated Press is reporting that “The Dark Knight” has broken $400 million in domestic box office revenue as of Monday, becoming the fastest film ever to $400 million. “The Dark Knight” is the #8 film of all-time in domestic box office, and stands ready to topple “Spider-Man” as the top comic-book adaptation of all time.
Sure, “The Dark Knight” is awfully, well, dark. But I think this would put to rest the idea that you need to drastically change the source material from the comic books to come up with a movie that filmgoers will accept. Nolan filters the Batman material through his own vision, but he hasn’t gone far afield from what comic-book fans want from their Bat-films — and it’s been a huge success.
– Matt Price
Bale arrested, released
Not my usual Nerdage topic, but I’ll at least mention that “Dark Knight” star Christian Bale was arrested, then released without charges, in London today. Bale was arrested in connection with assault involving his mother and sister; Bale denied the charges through his legal representatives.
I talked to PR executive Ronn Torossian about possible fallout here.
I also did a video with Angi Bruss of NewsOK about the situation.
“The Dark Knight” breaks opening-weekend record
The Associated Press is reporting that “The Dark Knight” will bring in $155 million for its opening weekend, besting “Spider-Man 3″‘s $151 million. Anecdotal reports locally lead me to believe that the local turnout for “The Dark Knight” was exceptional all weekend. And high levels of crowds were reported to me at several cinemas at the midnight showings and Friday night.
– Matt Price
Christian Bale suits up for “Dark Knight”
From Friday’s The Oklahoman:
By
Assistant Features Editor
Look for a more mobile Batman in “The Dark Knight.”Christian Bale, speaking at the press junket in
“It was much more comfortable. It was heavier, but it was actually much more comfortable,” Bale said. “I could move my head; it was much more mobile. … The suit actually was compatible with (the fighting style), whereas in the first one I was having to fight with the suit to do the fight sequences.”
Bale said he was pleased to return to the role of Batman, at least in the “Batman Begins” universe.
“I definitely have an interest in playing Batman the way that Chris Nolan likes to have him portrayed,” Bale said. “And I think this second movie has surpassed the first, and it stands as a great movie regardless of genre.”
Bale said he and the late Heath Ledger had a great dynamic as Batman and the Joker. He described the Joker as an “intelligent psychopath” who is gleeful to confront Batman.
“It’s impossible to leverage him, because he’s not looking for anything but living in the moment, and living in that anarchy,” Bale said. “He’s completely uncompromising, as is Batman, but Batman does have this one rule, (that) he will not kill. … But absolutely, the Joker comes closer than anybody has to provoking Batman to break that one rule.”
Bale expounded on the duality of the character of Batman, who uses violence in an attempt to end violent behavior.
“He’s in conflict often with himself about how far and how violent he can be, because he does embrace violence to an extreme degree and has to counter that with the altruism of do-good, and the inherited philanthropy of his parents,” Bale said.
While Batman has been campy in the 1960s and highly stylized in the 1990s, Nolan’s Batman is based on grounding the characters in a realistic portrayal, Bale said.
“I knew that the tone of Chris Nolan’s
What a “Knight” – filmgoers react to Batman
This is an expanded version of the story from Saturday’s The Oklahoman:
NORMAN — Believe the hype, according to fans attending midnight
“The Dark Knight” screenings in Norman and across the metro. ”Going
to see Batman” was shoe-polished on a truck in the parking lot of the
Hollywood 14, and following the film, viewers were glad they had.
Filmgoers were awed by director Christopher Nolan’s epic vision.
“The most adult comic book movie I’ve ever seen,” said Douglas Hurst,
31, of Norman. “It makes you think about what it means to be a hero.”
Others agreed that “The Dark Knight” was innovative and realistic.
“I liked the way they made comic-book stuff real,” said Brian Jones,
24, of Norman.
Theo Karn, 23, originally of Napa, Calif., said the filmmakers
“brought a new idea to the superhero” with their vision.
The anarchic Joker, portrayed by the late Heath Ledger, was noted for
his strong performance.
“That was really definitive,” said Stuart Belcher, 18, of Norman.
“Truly a masterpiece.”
Daniel Martin, 20, of Norman, agreed.
“Heather Ledger did an amazing job, the Joker was played to a T, I
thought, everything from the laugh to the heinousness.”
Matthew Sarsycki, 23, of Norman has been to a number of midnight
showings before, he said, so he knows it can be “exciting and
interesting.”
Other midnight showings he has been to include two of the “Lord of the
Rings” films and “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” and
“Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith.”
“I thought it was a tour de force delivery of epic proportions,
brilliantly executed by Heath Ledger as the Joker. I think this is
finally the first ‘Batman’ film that delivered as the creators of the
comic book wanted. … This is finally the ‘Batman’ everyone wanted to
see, and I’m glad I was able to see it.”
Fans enjoyed the serious tone of the superhero blockbuster.
“It was more focused on the characters than what they can do,” said
Chase Louthan, 19, of Harrah.
Joel Blackmon, 20, of Norman, said he enjoyed the effects of movies
like “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk,” but felt “The Dark Knight”
was more about story than effects.
Casual fans and comic-book experts were united in their praise.
Brian “Buck” Berlin, 24, the owner of New World Comics, 6219 N
Meridian, shared his expert opinion with The Oklahoman:
“Just about everyone did the performance of their career,” Berlin
said. “It really is amazing.”
Berlin said “The Dark Knight” stacks up well with other comic-book based films.
“Watching just about all of them a million times, I’d say this is by
far the best of them.”
Contributing: Richard Hall
“The Dark Knight” breaks one-day record
According to Variety, “The Dark Knight” made an estimated $60 to $63 million on Friday, which tops “Spider-Man 3″‘s previous record of $59.8 million. Nolan’s “Batman Begins” made $15 million on its opening day in June 2006, and $48.7 million for the weekend, Variety reports.
Next up? Possibly the $151.1 million non-holiday weekend opening record, held currently by “Spider-Man 3.”
– Matt Price
“The Dark Knight” breaks midnight release record
According to the AP, “The Dark Knight” cleared $18.5 million at midnight screenings, beating the record of $16.9 million by “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith.”
The people I talked to last night all seemed pumped, both before and after the film, so I think this film is going to have some legs. It’s not out of the question at all that this could become the highest-grossing Batman film ever and the highest grossing film of the year.
– Matt Price
Movie review: The Dark Knight
“The Dark Knight” begins as a heist caper, as goons in clown masks execute a bank robbery. But the twists in that scene foreshadow the entire film: “The Dark Knight” will not be business as usual.
In Gotham City, an aggressive new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and police Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) are following the lead of the crime-fighter Batman (Christian Bale) in taking it to the Mob. Together, the three have put a dent in the Mob’s control over the city. But the game is about to change. Anarchic madman the Joker (Heath Ledger) tells the Mob’s leaders that the answer to their problems is clear: Get rid of Batman.
The Joker looms large over the film “The Dark Knight,” at least partially because Ledger, who portrays the villain, died of an accidental drug overdose in January. But “The Dark Knight” is a tribute to his talents, as Ledger disappears into the role of the Joker. As the madman at the center of this crime epic, the Joker’s lunacy has the town on edge. While the Joker ostensibly is working for the city’s criminal powers, his real goal is chaos. This creepy vision of the Joker is original and unsettling, with greasy hair and a painted-on smile covering scars.
“The Dark Knight” is as much, or more, crime epic as comic-book adventure, and it reveals how far competent hands can take the Batman character when played straight. Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne, yearns for a real life, possibly with Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). But as long as
Gotham needs him as a protector, he must fill that role. Batman sees in Dent a possible replacement; his legal solutions for crime could take the place of Batman’s fists and technology.
The Joker doesn’t want a return to normalcy; he wants a city mad enough to need Batman for a defender. Their battle takes on multiple dimensions, both in the persons of Batman and the Joker, and the city at large, as director Christopher Nolan asks: What rules are worth breaking?
– Matthew Price
Mid-”Knight” show draws fans
From Friday’s The Oklahoman:
By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
The promotion for “The Dark Knight,” the latest Batman film, has been pervasive.
Walking through Quail Springs Mall in anticipation of Thursday night’s movie preview, one encounters the smiling Joker peeking from multiple store windows. T-shirts featuring the visage of the late Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” are joined by shirts with the classic look of the DC Comics character. It’s impossible to escape: It’s Batman weekend.
As the chain doors come down on the stores, locking the Jokers inside, more begin filing in from the parking lot. There’s a smattering of Bat-symbols, but many Heath Ledger Jokers gaze from fans’ clothing.
It seems the dark edge of “The Dark Knight” drew many fans to the midnight screening Thursday.
Kyle Schmidt, 24, of Bethany had been planning to see the Batman sequel “since they showed the Joker card at the end of the first one.”
Schmidt likes the depiction of Batman developed by director Christopher Nolan.
“They make it seem real,” he said. “It could almost actually happen.”
Ledger’s new take on the Joker was the draw for Matt Hollingsworth, 24, of Edmond.
“From seeing the previews, Heath Ledger has made him so incredibly twisted,” Hollingsworth said. “Jack Nicholson made him fun, but Heath Ledger has made him a villain.”
Jeremy Sturniolo, 17, of Oklahoma City bought the tickets as a gift for his father.
He’s been “amazed” by what he’s seen so far of Ledger’s performance. Ledger died in January of what is believed as an accidental overdose.
Not everyone was there just for Ledger, however.
“Christian Bale is my lover,” said Brooke Hammer, 23, of Edmond. “He has been since ‘Newsies.’ I have loved Christian Bale since I was literally 5 years old.”
