Film Roundup 2008

It is now the time of the year when people such as I, time-starved writers and scribblers with little in the way of an original idea, get to write those oft use words 'how quickly did that year go past?'. The answer of course, is that it was no quicker nor slower than any other year in recorded history, but even in the cosseted and genteel world of cinema and the film critic, 2008 seemed to whip through at an extraordinary pace.

One year ago I wrote 'Was 2007 the year of the blockbuster...' but I of course had an insider's perspective, being the guy who compiled the lists. One year ago a number of dB Magazine's film writers and critics hailed 'The Bourne Ultimatum' as the standout cinematic release for the year, surprising themselves more than anyone else, I suspect.
This year I can say, emphatically, is not the year of the blockbuster. Nor, as it happens, is it the year of Baz Luhrmann's great vision for 'Australia', which has been warmly received by some, studiously ignored by others, and noted with bemused interest by most. No, for the dB Magazine film writers this year there were two parallel threads which emerged from their choices.

Firstly, they seemed utterly seduced by the performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker in the posthumously released 'The Dark Knight', the latest from the Batman saga. It may also be the writers were utterly seduced by the newsworthiness of the tragedy which surrounded the film's release.

Elsewhere, 2008 became the year of the crime thriller, a theme which is never far from the surface but has come of age in the last twelve months. In particular, Paul Thomas Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood' was nominated by the majority of the writers for its dark and malevolent tale, encapsulated in the fearsome performance of Daniel Day-Lewis. 'There Will Be Blood' stands as a modern day classic, a major achievement in a climate of shortened attention spans and gratuitous celebrity.

The other notable achievement comes in the appreciation of Ben Affleck's directorial debut for 'Gone Baby Gone', a very successful adaptation of the novel by Dennis Lehane.

Let's peruse the lists, shall we? Thanks for reading, and see you in 2009.

Alex Wheaton
Editor

1. There Will Be Blood
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Destined to hold a place alongside greats such as 'Citizen Kane' and 'Raging Bull', the macabre narrative concerning greed and religion is cinematic bliss. With Daniel Day-Lewis providing the most malevolent screen performance ever, '...Blood' acutely exposes paranoia and the dark side of the American Dream.

2. The Dark Knight
Director: Christopher Nolan
Drenching the superhero caper with brooding psychological and moral unease, Nolan's wildly triumphant second-take on the Batman franchise taps into the hero's tormented soul against an urban world that thrives on corruption and desolation.

3. Gone Baby Gone
Director: Ben Affleck
Gloriously resurrecting his career from Hollywood limbo, Affleck's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's sizzling text fires on all cylinders. Intellectually and emotionally stimulating, this neo-noir opus rises above a host of monotonous Hollywood crime thrillers, offering a terrifying portrait of human nature.

4. In Bruges
Director: Martin McDonagh
With first-rate acting and impeccable execution, this darkly powerful 'dramedy' pushes the archetypal gangster tale into an exciting new realm.

5. Inland Empire
Director: David Lynch
An ethereal dreamscape featuring a gypsy curse, a one-legged woman, a monkey, rabbit-people, and prostitutes launching into choreographed dances - yes, it's a quintessential David Lynch production.

Scott Macleod

There Will Be Blood
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson's grand sweeping film about the rise of silver miner Daniel Plainview from pauper to oil mogul at the cost of any human meaningful relationship is a sober reflection on capitalism and a true epic that harkens back to similar epics of half a century ago, including George Stevens's 'Giant' (shot in the same locale).

Lust, Caution
Director: Ang Le
Once again, Ang Le proves his extraordinary versatility by following 'Brokeback Mountain' with this sensual intriguing tale of espionage, lust and betrayal in Japanese occupied Shanghai.

No Country For Old Men (2007)
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
The Coen brothers' adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel is both a white knuckle thriller and a dark reflection on contemporary America's descent into self-absorption and nihilism.

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
Director: Sidney Lumet
Veteran director Sidney Lumet shows that he still has a finger on America's pulse with this shocking thriller where two sons' attempt to rob their parents' jewellery shop goes horribly wrong. Is this the death of family itself?

The Darjeeling Limited
Director: Wes Anderson
Another quirky, but more accessible and satisfying comedy from Wes Anderson about three brothers who discover more about themselves and the bonds between them whilst on an Indian odyssey to find their missing mother.

Mal Byrne

Sweeney Todd
Director: Tim Burton
Adapting one of modern theatre's greatest works, Tim Burton once again showed his visual flair and quirky story-telling skills about Fleet Street's most infamous demon barber.

Mamma Mia!
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Abba's tunes were wonderfully bought to life by an all star cast seemingly unafraid in spinning their own interpretation to Benny and Bjorn's words.

Not Quite Hollywood
Director: Mark Hartley
A very entertaining trawl through Aussie cinema's blood and thunder past, this bad boy showed that the local industry could mix it up with the other genre mis-fits.

Gone Baby Gone
Director: Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck's searing cinematic debut about a missing child uncovered a potentially bright future ahead for this diverse actor.

Lars & The Real Girl
Director: Craig Gillespie
An insightful study into human perceptions, this well acted piece featuring a loner and his doll of a girlfriend deftly walked the tightrope of drama and comedy with fine skill.

Patrick Moore

There Will Be Blood
Paul Thomas Anderson"I...drink...your....milkshake! I drink it up!". Paul Thomas Anderson's attempt at making the Great American Movie has yielded the decade's best film.

Inland Empire
Director: David Lynch
A bit of a cheat - it finally got a direct to DVD release two years late here- but I have thought about this movie almost every day since first watching it.

The Dark Knight
Director: Christopher Nolan
No need to elaborate, surely?

Burn After Reading
Joel & Ethan Coen
An absolutely hilarious, spot on satire of modern paranoia - one of the Coen Brothers' best and the smartest comedy in ages.

Kung Fu Panda
Director: Margaret Tang
Having bought this for my young sister and rewatched it with her, I can honestly say I liked this more than Wall-E.

James O'Connor


1. The Dark Knight
Director: Christopher Nolan
A demented action epic that actually lives up to the impossible hype. A popular choice, but undoubtedly the right one for film of the year.

Frost/Nixon
Director: Ron Howard
Ron Howard proves that he still has a few great films left in him. Tense and brilliantly performed - see it on Boxing Day.

Happy-Go-Lucky
Director: Mike Leigh
Though a Mike Leigh comedy sounds like an oxymoron, this is some of his best realised work. Funny, moving and at all times firmly grounded in reality.

Mongol
Director: Sergei Bodrov
The tale of Genghis Khan, ably done in blood soaked widescreen. Here's hoping for completion of a proposed trilogy.

Gone Baby Gone
Director: Ben Affleck
A dark, mature detective tale, and an extremely impressive directorial debut from Mr Affleck.

Patrick Lang

WALL-E
Director: Andrew Stanton
Pixar Studios never fail to deliver and this time they've even outdone themselves. Perfect in every way, both visually and with the message it conveys.

Taare Zameen Par
Director: Aamir Khan
The subtlety hard edged story of a hyperactive eight year old Indian boy sent to boarding school due to his undiagnosed learning difficulties. Truly heartfelt and beautifully filmed; a must see before the Americans decide to remake it and turn the plot into a telly movie.

Horton Hears A Who!
Director: Jimmy Hayward/Steve Martino
Finally, a Dr Suess big screen adaptation that's worthy of the man's brilliance! This is especially so considering how much the screenwriter's had to add to stretch a kid's book out to movie length.

Son Of Rambow
Director: Garth Jennings
Not an easy film to describe nor sit through if you expect things to run evenly. But given the subsequent, constantly busy adventures and the eventual purpose of these two unlikely school chums meeting, it's well worth the effort.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Director: Tim Burton
Dark, fun and very bloody. Something to which all good musicals should aspire.

Steve Jones

There Will Be Blood
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
An intense, riveting account of the obsession with oil that still drives America today, centred around Daniel Day-Lewis' frightening performance as ruthless tycoon Daniel Plainview, locked in bitter conflict with an eerily determined evangelist (Paul Dano). Johnny Greenwood's relentless score adds much atmosphere to an already immersive cinema experience.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Director: Sydney Lumet
Despite going from moments of quiet family drama to scenes of shocking criminal violence, not a note seems out of place in this wonderfully scripted gem of a film. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke might not seem an obvious choice as brothers, but their shared energy here is phenomenal.

The Dark Knight
Director: Chris Nolan
A superhero film that surpasses its genre to become a classic crime flick, and the definitive Batman story. Heath Ledger's erratic, almost surreal take on psychopathic master criminal the Joker is just one of the many great elements in a masterpiece that effectively mixes spectacular action and taut psychological drama.

No Country For Old Men
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Another harrowing cinema exercise. A story of stark simplicity, involving a man (Josh Brolin) who steals $2 million from a drug deal gone bad and the implacable killer who stalks him (mesmerising Javier Bardem), becomes an absorbing journey into the dark side of humanity. Worth every accolade it has received.

The Visitor
Director: Thomas McCarthy
A more uplifting film to finish. This brave film about a withdrawn college professor (Richard Jenkins) who connects with two illegal immigrants staying in his New York apartment strikes a blow for celebrating difference, standing up to bureaucratic tyranny and, most of all, the joyful power of music and friendship.

Henry Nicholls