Top 10: Best Movies of 2008

There are times, even though they are few, when Hollywood gets everything right. When a movie blows you away to a degree where you can't help but kneel down and thank the heavens you're alive. This was one of those all-too-rare moments.

With its crisp dialogue, stunning action scenes and some of the best actors ever to grace the screen in our modern age, you got everything you need for a great evening rife with goosebumps, excitement and 100 % pure entertainment.

That being said, it's my great pleasure to confirm that Christopher Nolan has done it again. As if Batman Begins wasn't enough to please our appetite, he has brought us yet another fantastic comic book adaptation.

In fact, this movie is so unbelievably good, that if I had my own award show, these are just some of the titles I would honor it with:

* Best movie of 2008

* Best Batman movie ever

* Best comic-book movie ever

* One of the best action films of all-time

* One of the top 10 movies of the decade

I could go on and on all day long with this. My point is, The Dark Knight is not just a movie, it's a cinematic masterpiece that will have you coming back for more. It's the bright ray of hope that Hollywood so desperately needed, to get itself up on its feet again and stand proud like never before. It's the movie that, once and for all, proves that good things come to those who wait :-)

About four years ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting Ron Perlman (a.k.a. Hellboy) at a movie convention in Sweden. I distincly recall a small chat I had with him about how much we both we looked forward to Hellboy 2 (this was back when the first movie had just come out, and the second movie was only at the idea stage), and I could tell by the way he talked about it that he's had a lot of fun with his character. And I can see why, because not only is Del Toro a great visionary director, but with Hellboy 2 he has created something quite out of the ordinary. For this is something as rare as a sequel that far exceeds the original, and one that, with its great action, agreeable sense of fun and amazing creature designs, amounted to one of the true highlights of the year. So whatever you do, be sure not to miss it!

Say what you want about Stallone and his age, but he certainly knows his character to the bone and has, much like with the resurrection of Rocky, done a wonderful job in bringing him back to the screen. For not only was this one of the greatest action movies I've ever seen, but it also turned out to be my favourite Rambo flick of all-time, which is something I certainly didn't expect.

The first 15 minutes or so were a bit slow, but once it got going this movie was an intense, gripping and quite powerful experience. I'm sure some people will loathe it for its extreme violence, but for me, I was glad Stallone didn't spare on said element, as it not only made things incredibly entertaining, but also dared to illustrate the true horror and evil that sadly still exists in many parts of the world. In that respect, the story became very compelling and thoughtprovoking, instead of just being a pointless blood bath like so many other action films.

My only complaint here concerns the dialogue, which was a bit weak in places, altough fortunately not to the point where it ever got bad. As for Stallone, well, I've never really considered him a good actor, but he did deliver a solid enough performance and emitted a cool vibe that reminded me of the character of Major Dutch (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the original Predator movie, which in this case is a good thing. And with the great jungle settings that served as the backdrop for the story, that nostalgic feeling became even more palpable.

To put it shortly, Rambo IV is the best movie I've seen so far this year and a nice return to the classic kind of action films that reigned during the 80's and 90's. I honestly can't the remember the last time I walked out of the cinema this excited and with such a great feeling of satisfaction over what I've just seen.

The first 15-20 min: 3½ out of 5 stars

The middle-section: 4½ out of 5 stars

The ending: 3½ out of 5 stars

= 4 out of 5 stars :-)

A significant improvement compared to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The action in this one was better and more frequent, with little room to spare for catching your breath. And with a darker and more mature story as its basis, the realm of Narnia have suddenly begun to lean more and more towards how all things fantasy ought to be: brilliant, engaging and visually stunning.

What still keeps its from being in league with movies like Lord of the Rings, however, is the obvious lack of depth and spirit, as well as the fact that I still don't find the main characters fully believable as action heroes. I had a great time watching it nonetheless though, and it's without doubt one of the best movies of the year, that is just as sure to end up in my dvd-collection.

Two thumbs up and four out of five Aslan-roars! d(' 'd)

Pixar never ceases to amaze me. Just when you think the quality level of their animation couldn't possibly get any better, they go above and beyond and raise the bar once again. Most of the scenes here were simply visually breath-taking, and even artful in some ways. In fact, it was so well-done at times that I could almost swear I was watching the real thing. The story itself was also highly entertaining, and the character of Wall-E is certainly one of the best and most memorable that Pixar has ever come up with. This is bound to become a beloved classic, that people will still watch and enjoy 20 years from now. So without further adue, it's my pleasure to entitle this as the best animated movie of the year!

Finally a movie that lives up to all the hype! Overlooking the fact that it was a bit slow in the beginning (I didn't mind though as it allowed us to get to know the characters properly) and despite the fact that the shaky camera movements got a bit annoying at times, this movie was one of the best cinematic experiences I've ever had. It felt so real all the way through and I found myself at the edge of my seat the entire time. Obviously, as did the rest of the audience I saw it with, because I don't think I've ever seen a movie where the audience has been so totally quiet and soaked up by what they're following on screen.

On another note, I know this film has gotten some criticism for its supposedly "bad" acting, but I think that's pretty harsh, because even though the actors weren't exactly A-list material, they still did a great job in making us care for them, because there were some very emotional and powerful moments in here, where you could really feel what the characters were going through, which is something that extremely seldom happens for me when watching a movie, especially one of this kind. And using unfamiliar faces was a stroke of genius indeed by J.J Abrams, whom I am now an even bigger fan of than before (I became one after having seen the premiere episode of the series Lost) and it gives me great hope in wait of his upcoming Star Trek film, which I'm sure now will be very good.

Anyway, when I walked out of the theatre I was still so much into the "Cloverfield mode" that I was almost expecting demolished buildings, fire and mayhem awaiting outside the exit, even though I'm a million miles away from New York. I know it sounds crazy, but it was just that genuine of an experience.

Cloverfield is not just a great concept, as in being a blend of the Blair Witch Project and Godzilla, but also works wonderfully in reality. It is, hands down, the best monster flick I've seen to date, and that's coming from a guy who has seen plenty. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed and anti-climactic, but the rumour is that there may be a sequel coming, and I certainly hope so, because I'm dying to know what happened in the aftermath.

Lastly, a little tip for those who plan to see this in the cinema: whatever you do, make sure you sit in the back row, because it could easily turn into an unpleasant experience if you sit too close to the screen, as the movie is indeed as shaky and intense as people say.

In recent years, I've more or less come to associate Jason Statham to mediocre action flicks (with an exception for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which is a movie he should truly be proud of having been a part of), but with run-of-the-mill material like Crank and Transporter 1 and 2 in mind, it's really no wonder. Surprisingly enough, however, The Bank Job managed to go way beyond said mediocracy and was actually much better than I had first expected. In fact, it's what I'd like to call a real sleeper.

The pacing was brilliant (which to me is always a key element as it comes to my overall enjoyment of the story) and it also featured a great deal of interesting characters and a quite unique sense of directing, which worked remarkably well. So despite my preconception of what this movie would be like, it did, after all, settle high above the usual standard. That being said, this was definitely something I'd be able to recommend with good conscience, especially if you're a fan of Statham, who once again delivered a solid performance. All in all, a terrific heist flick and one of the best British films I've ever seen.

A welcome return for one of my favorite movie characters of all time. There is so much I'd like to say here, that I'm afraid it would take a whole novel to make room for it all. But instead of doing so, I'm just simply gonna try and summarize the experience in the following three categories:

The good:

* Great re-use of some of the classic music themes.

* Harrison Ford, who despite his age, is still as good of an actor as ever.

* Amazing action sequences. Particularily the old school use of action set pieces.

* The fact that this movie felt like it was shot in the 80's. Well, if you count out the occational CGI.

* Surprisingly good chemistry between Ford and LaBeouf. Contrary to what I had first feared, Shia was actually a great addition to the cast.

* Beautiful scenery. The jungle settings were quite breath-taking.

The bad:

* Redundant use of CGI, hitting a big low in the movie in a very cheesy scene where Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) gets chased by monkeys. What were the directors thinking here?

* Too many supporting roles!

* A notable lack of magic. Some of it is still there, but just not in the same generous amount as is found in the first three films.

* The writing could have been significantly better, especially as David Koepp was behind the screenplay. It's a bad sign when even one of Hollywood's best writers seems to have run out of steam.

* Corny sense of humor, which made this movie feel more like a parody of the previous films, rather than a serious attempt to make yet another classic. I may expect cheese from movies like National Treasure, but it surely doesn't belong in an Indy flick.

The ugly:

* Cate Blanchett's hair cut. Something just didn't feel right about it.

* The poorly done blue-screen effects. It took away a lot from the movie's believability.

All things considered, I was both pleased and very disappointed at the same time. I mean, considering the fact that Spielberg and Lucas had so much time on their hands to get this right, I can't help but wonder if Spielberg, much like Lucas in recent years, have lost much of his old magic as well.

Don't get me wrong though, this was still a highly enjoyable experience, and I had a really good time when watching it in the cinema. It just didn't live up to my expectations and ended up being be my least favourite Indy flick in the quadrilogy. I still hope they bring us a fifth installment though, just as long as they still make Indy the main character, and don't replace him with Shia. It just wouldn't be the same without Ford in the lead.

Anyway, if you're in for a fun ride of a movie, with lots of humor, action and a touch of sweet 80's nostalgia, then this is something you definitely shouldn't miss. Because this is, after all, one of the best movies of 2008 so far. Just don't expect to be blown away.

Now this is what I call a comic book flick with class! Not only was it very entertaining, but it brought something to this genre that we surely don't get too often as movie-goers: namely something as rare as an intelligent script, with a plot that cares more about developing its characters, than it does about the action. It's so rare in fact, that I'd more likely call this a well-forged drama-thriller, rather than your typical comic book movie.

With it's tongue-in-cheek/hard rock attitude, good writing, awesome special effects and even better cast, I'd like to thank Jon Favreau (who by the way does a fun cameo in the film as one of Tony Stark's body guards) for giving us a movie that combines great action and drama and made me care about it's characters, despite the fact that I haven't read as much as a single page of the source material.

The only thing that weighed the movie down a bit for me was its slow-natured pacing, as it did tend to drag at times. It also felt a bit overly long, but I suppose it's something I can live with. Another thing I wasn't all too excited about was the main villian, which wasn't that interesting as a character to me, even though he was brilliantly played by Jeff Bridges. In fact, I'd say the whole cast was nothing short of excellent. Especially Robert Downey Jr, who carried the movie well on his shoulders, with a sense of dignity and coolness that few actors ever manage to come close to.

All in all, a good, but not great movie that left me pleased and wishing for more. And that's probably a wish I'm gonna get granted in the future, as things were obviously left open for a sequel :-)

Very over the top action-wise, but done in such a cool and visually pleasing way, that it's pretty much impossible not to get soaked up by its great sense of fun. So if you like movies like "Crank" and "Shoot Em Up", then you're gonna love this one. Because it goes without saying that this is one of the best action movies of the year!