Movies I liked from 2008

By John Kim | January 4th, 2009

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These are some of my favorite movies of 2008, and I don’t claim that I’m an expert on films, but any movie that can keep my attention the whole way is a damn good accomplishment.

1. The Bank Job (Action)
This movie was based on true events of a bank heist that occurred in 1971. This was the biggest bank heist in the history of the UK, but there were no arrests, why?

Well when I first watched this movie, I expected it to be like the Italian Job, but the characters in “The Bank Job” came off unusually real. It wasn’t until later that I found out it was a true story. There was so much suspense in this movie it made my heart skip a beat. I recommend this film to anyone who wants a good thrill.

2. Be Kind Rewind (Comedy)
A quirky comedy about two unlikely characters joining forces to create massive amounts of home made videos of their favorite films. Ever want to see what ghost busters would look like on a budget of 100 bucks?

This movie was a trip down memory lane, seeing all my favorite movies of the 80s and 90s being remade on a camcorder. It made me want to produce my own homemade film, and was very inspirational for me. If you like strange and bizarre stories, and you want an excuse to revisit your past than this movie is for you.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Drama)
While everyone else gets older, Benjamin Button gets younger. This movie felt like I was watching a mix of Forrest Gump and Titanic. The story follows the life of Benjamin from the time he was born to the time he dies. This is a very beautiful film, and it was surprisingly funny. I really enjoyed seeing Brad Pitt getting younger, and seeing him 20 years old again was a very surreal moment. I still couldn’t figure out how they made him look 20.

4. The Dark Knight (Action)
This movie is about Batman, he’s a character from the DC Comic franchise, there’s nothing more to explain. The story has the same dark, ominous feeling of the previous “Batman Returns” film. In this sequal, Batman faces off against the Joker, the deceased Heath Ledger, and it was probably the best performance done by a comic book movie ever. Heath didn’t just act as the Joker, he was the Joker. Makes me wonder if he took drugs before they rolled the cameras. Watch this movie if you love a great solid action film, you don’t need to be a fan of comics.

5. Forbidden Kingdom (Adventure)
A boy played by a Michael Angorano, travels to ancient China. He meets 3 unlikely characters, one is a monk (Jet Li), one is a drunk (Jackie Chan), and the other is a young girl (Yifei Liu). They are all on an epic quest to save the monkey king, and free the land from evil.

Even though this movie is full of bad acting, and plot holes, I actually enjoyed watching it. I do admit that there were times where the film was slow, but the fight scenes made up for it, and were reminiscent of old school kung fu films from the 80’s and 90’s. Also it is both Jackie Chan, and Jet Li in the same movie, people have been waiting for this moment for decades. And the end was very heart warming and satisfying. If they could have cleaned up all the bad actors, then this would’ve been a solid film.

6. Ghost Town (Comedy)
Bertram Pincus is a dentist, and he’s just a plain jerk. After a visit to the hospital he gains the ability to see ghosts. Through these ghosts, Bertram redeems himself as a man, and gets himself into humurous situations.

2008 was filled with great comedies, and Ghost Town was one of them. The way the film setup their gags was pure genius, and I didn’t think I would laugh so hard. This is a must watch for anyone who just wants to watch a movie that will help them forget about their own miserable lives. Plus I actually shed tears at the end of this film, how can someone cry in a comedy? Well just watch it, and get ready for the waterworks.

7. Gran Torino (Drama)
Walt Kowalski is a disgruntled Korean war vet who had just lost his wife. Living in the solitude of his own home, he befriends the neighbors son, and saves him from a life of gang banging.

I have to say, there was so much racism in this film, but for some reason it was funny. Seeing an elderly Clint Eastwood call an asian boy eggroll had me rolling on the floor. I expected this to be a serious drama, but left feeling like I watched a teen comedy. It is kind of sad how a drama could be funnier than most comedies out there, I’m looking at you Sarah Marshal, Superbad, and Knocked Up. These guys could learn a lesson from Gran Torino.

8. The Happening (Thriller)
This is another M Knight Shamalan Film, and just like all of his films, this one is full of suspense, mystery, and a surprise ending. Although most people don’t like his movies because of how he ends the films, no one can admit that they aren’t fully captivated by his stories. He has a gift of creating movies that unfold, and keeping his audiences guessing until the very end. I feel that this is a very difficult form of story telling, and I respect his ability to do it time and time again. Just expect “The Happening” to surprise you, keep you on the edge of your seats, and then end in an unexpected way. You decide if you like the ending or not, either way he keeps releasing films for a reason. It’s because he get’s peoples asses sitting in the theater.

9. Iron Man (Action)
The weapons inventor and genius Tony Stark gets kidnapped by a terrorist group. To escape he creates Iron Man, and later realizes the harm his weapons have created. He turns his life around, and becomes a super hero.

If you liked Batman, you will like Iron Man, it’s basically the same story. A rich man, with no super powers, uses toys and gadgets to fight crime. But while Batman is dark, this movie feels like an Apple convention on steroids. It’s a computer geeks wet dream, and the movie is just plain cool. If you haven’t seen Iron Man, go see it, and if you are a self proclaimed computer geek, you might blow a load. Just be warned.

10. Rambo (Action)
It’s John Rambo, but now he’s old and the scars from the war is now showing. I couldn’t remember the last time I got so much enjoyment from seeing so many people die. When Rambo gets revenge, it becomes sweet revenge, and you want him to stomp the bad guys like they were little ants. If only there was a real life Rambo, and we could send him off to the middle east, and let him run amok. If you like war films, and sweet revenge, you might get some satisfaction from watching Rambo. But the gore level is at 10, so watch at your own risk.

11. Role Models (Comedy)
Danny and Wheeler were assigned to 150 hours of community service after causing a scene with a police officer at a local highschool. They chose to mentor children, and through their experience, they learn something about themselves, and they changed the lives of the kids they were mentoring.

I didn’t have great expectations of Role Models, I was expecting this to be another Superbad. I was very mistaken, Role Models was soo hilarious, and the reason why it was funny was because of the cocaine lady. There is so much nonsense coming out of her mouth that I couldn’t help but laugh. The strange lines was similar to Anchor Man, but it was like a watered down Anchor Man. If you like characters saying strange stupid things, then you will like this movie, it’s filled with it.

12. Speed Racer (Adventure)
After his brother goes missing, Speed follows after his shoes and works at becoming the next greatest racer of the world. Speed gets an offer from a billionaire, and gets a first hand look at the corruption behind the racing scene. Speed declines the offer, and chooses to race an honestly, but he’s in for the challenge of his life.

Based on the Japanese anime from the 1970’s, this film recaptures the anime with loving detail. Many people overlooked this movie because of it’s colorful appearance, but as an adult, I highly enjoyed it. Speed Racer was created by the makers of the Matrix, and they bring that same style to this film. I especially enjoyed how they developed the background story and characters in the beginning of the movie. The way they did the flash back was cool, it could have been it’s own short film. Also Speed Racer is non stop adrenaline pumping action, just think about King Kong, and that’s what you get with this film. I had a lot of high expectations going into this Speed Racer, and I wasn’t disappointed, this is very hard to do. So give this movie a try, it’s not only for kids, it’s for all ages.

13. Tropic Thunder (Comedy)
A group of actors filming a war movie gets stuck in an actual war, what kind of crazy antics will they get themselves into? Tropic Thunder was an unexpected surprise, I never thought that this movie would be as funny as it was. The first 20 minutes of Tropic Thunder was the best, if you missed it than you need to re watch it. My only complaint is that midway into Tropic Thunder everyone realized that they weren’t acting, and that things were real. But the best comedy comes from having misunderstandings. I feel like it would’ve been better if they all felt like they were acting till the very end, actually seeing them shoot real bullets into soldiers thinking they were fake. That kind of situation would have me rolling on the floor. But still a funny movie, and worth a watch.

14. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (Comedy)
The Zohan is one of the best of the Israeli Special Forces, but he secretly wants to be a hair dresser. He devises a plan to full fill his dreams, but he quickly realizes that becoming a hair dresser has many obstacles.

Unlike other Adam Sandler Comedies I’ve seen in the past, this movie is full of special effects. And all the special effects were put to good use, creating some awesome gags. I loved the torture scene, and if you haven’t seen this movie, I won’t ruin it for you. As with all Adam Sandler Comedies, Zohan is a mixture of stupid, strange and bizarre. Adam Sandler movies actually shaped my childhood, and so he was an influence in my sense of humor. I really love stupid, strange, and bizarre. So just watch The Zohan, and get a good laugh, don’t expect it to be a Oscar winner though.