2008 Year End Spectacular

Good day my loyal Droogies. It is I, your humble na-rrator.

It’s been a year since my last correspondence, and I feel just terrible that you’re lives have been absent of my ego boosting critiques of pop culture and unsuccessful attempts at scripted sarcasm.

So without the usual drivel that makes up my normal introductions to this blog, and because I know (or would like to believe) that the jigsaw puzzle space in your brain and heart would not be complete without the little piece of the puzzle shaped like my opinions…I am happy to bring you my year end wrap up bonanza, wrapped in a spectacular, tied up with a celebration colored ribbon, and topped with a awesomeness bow.

THE FILMS OF 2008

THE TOP TEN FILMS OF 2008

10. THE BANK JOB – Looking at the poster for THE BANK JOB, one might get the wrong idea about this film. Yes, Jason Statham is in it, but in this movie he never takes off his shirt, he does not shoots guns whilst flying through the air, and does not round house evil do-ers into giant piles of cargo boxes. No, with THE BANK JOB, Statham "regresses" back to the actor he once was, and happily becomes one of many textured characters in this thoroughly entertaining crime story. Expertly helmed by veteran director Roger Donaldson, THE BANK JOB takes the unfortunate recent trend of British crime films with too much style and no substance, and delivers a taught caper film filled with great twists and textured characters. What’s more, THE BANK JOB is based on a true story of Britain’s most famous….yup, you guessed it…bank heists. Like any good crime film THE BANK JOB contains layers upon layers of crooks, thieves, corrupt cops, dishonest politicians, etc…but it’s the script and Donaldson’s direction which separates this film from other crime yarns. Here the "job" itself is secondary to the textured reasoning, planning, and the inevitable implications and effects of a successful robbery. If you missed this film in the theater, go out and rent it, you won’t be disappointed.

9. NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST – To best describe NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST, I would have to equate the film to a theoretical emotional moment…the film is like reconnecting with your high school crush in the basement of your parents house, while curled up in your warm childhood blanket. The film is caringly directed by Peter Sollett and deftly written by Lorene Scafaria (based on the book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan). Michael Cera gives his best performance to date, and Kat Dennings’ Norah is the coolest and most honest portrayal of a "tween" on the presipus of adulthood since Ione Skye in SAY ANYTHING. NICK AND NORAH’S takes what could have been a cookie cutter high school "relationship" movie and adds, the often forgotten element of maturity to it. The film taps into that often overlooked part of the human emotional subconscious, the one that develops up until we’re 17 and then sort of freezes in time. It’s films that understand and hone in on this part of the mind that connects the generations, which make the parents (even though they won’t admit it) identify and connect with the emotional themes the teenage characters are going through, and in some way makes see the film like their teenage son or daughter. NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST is that film. It keep the bloodline of Heckerling and Crowe in tact and pushes it forward into the iPod generation.

8. TROPIC THUNDER – Ben Stiller is not given enough credit for the films he’s directed. REALITY BITES was a defining film for specific moment in time. It was a call to the Kurt Cobain slackers to evolve or be left behind in a changing cultural, social, and economic landscape. THE CABLE GUY, was an unfortunately little seen film and a cautionary tale to a generation of sheepish TV watchers. It came out almost a decade before the film’s warning actually became a frightening reality. And finally ZOOLANDER...the fact that this film is still watched and quoted speaks to the film’s place in history. Which finally brings us to TROPIC THUNDER, Stiller’s fourth directorial effort. There are far too many elements (script, cast, visuals, etc…) to praise for a short year end write up like this, so I am going to stick to Stiller’s most impressive accomplishment with THUNDER, and the one "thing" that separates the film from other traditional comedies. Similar to ZOOLANDER, TROPIC THUNDER is a film about the inner workings and absurdity of a specific ego driven industry (in this case the film business). Growing up in the business, Stiller is keenly aware of how Hollywood thinks it has sense of humor about itself, loves it when it’s roasted. This may be the case, but audiences rarely respond to these kind of projects. They can’t connect with the action because the majority of film goers don’t live "Hollywood" lives. They get their "Hollywood" from People Magazine and Entertainment Tonight, in the form of sound bites, caricatures, and picture captions. These "insider" films usually only appeal to the folks who work in Hollywood, and see it’s ridiculousness on a day-to-day basis. So the brilliance of TROPIC THUNDER is that the film works on two different satiric levels. Each level traveling independently down the same narrative path, but every intersecting every so often with each other to blur the two lines into one. The first level being a traditional "insider" Hollywood satire, incorporating inside jokes and nuances which people working in "the business" would find amusing. The second level is again a Hollywood satire, but this one cleverly constructed and grounded in the elements that most audiences identify with - the sound bites, the caricatures, and the picture captions. And the blurring of the two narrative lines is perfectly illustrated by the character of Les Grossman, the studio executive, played by Tom Cruise. Starting on the second level, the casting of Cruise in this role to any audience member outside the "industry" would come off as intriguing. Cruise’s Grossman is zany enough for any general audience, they like watching Cruise play "against type". But on the first level, Cruise’s portrayal is biting, brutal, and a scarily accurate depiction of the people who run Hollywood. The dialogue Cruise speaks could be interpreted as hyperbolic, but in reality could possibly be overheard in any board room in Studio City. And the casting of Cruise is almost tragic, he plays the role in reaction and defiance of everything he’s been through over the past few years (tabloid and all). It a nutshell, Grossman’s character is like THE MUPPET SHOW, colorful and screwball enough to entertain the kids, but subversive and funny enough to keep the parents entertained. As the co-writer, director, and producer of TROPIC THUNDER, Stiller is well aware of the textured film he’s produced, and his greatest achievement is that although it was made from the inside, it still feels like it was made by a bunch of outsiders. (By the way…please excuse all the quotation marks. I know how annoying it is.)

7. RELIGULOUS – I have to be honest, I’ve struggled with this write up for a week now. Started and stopped multiple times. In fact, as I type these words, the entire rest of the blog is complete, ready to post, minus this section. I just am unable to formulate sentences around my feelings for this film. Not because it is so great, but that my experience with RELIGULOUS was such a personal one. So outside of the personal stuff, what would I have written about the film? I would have tried to go into great detail about how I think Bill Maher is one of the more important voices of my generation. How this film has been erroneously labeled as anti-religion, when all it does is pose questions. I’d praise the fearlessness of both director Larry Charles and Maher for not compromising on their vision for the film. And finally, talk about the structure of the film, how it effortlessly beckons the audience in with laughs and absurdity, while slyly allowing the real issues of responsibility, accountability, and morality to ooze their way to the surface. I truly wish I could delve deeper into how this film made me feel on a personal level. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I am still working out my thoughts/feelings and don’t want to put anything down that I truly don’t stand behind. What I can say is this (and I do apologize if this comes off as cryptic and/or vague), but RELIGULOUS came to me at a time in my life when I was taking stock of my surroundings, the possible future, and this film was able to both challenge me and slightly shoved me in a directions I was already leaning but afraid to go. Now this won’t be the case for all of you, if anything, the film will at least get you talking…and that’s a great thing.

6. IRON MAN – For all the hubbub following the release of THE DARK KNIGHT (more on this later), there was another high quality comic book film released during the summer of 2008…IRON MAN. There’s a lot of good reasons the film’s world wide gross was $572,000,000, but the best reason I’ve heard came from a film school buddy of mine…"It’s just a good f@!%ing movie". Where THE DARK KNIGHT is a brooding character piece, IRON MAN is an astutely constructed film, cleverly disguised as high priced, summer, pop corn schlock. IRON MAN is Marvel Comics’ first fully financed film under the new Marvel Films shingle. When the Marvel Films brand was launched, the company made the decree that their super heroes were to be stars of their movies, not the actors or other talent involved. As a result, it gave the studio (yes, they are a studio now) the freedom to cast the best possible actors available because, in Marvel’s mind, there is no star out there bigger than one of their super heroes. Especially the ones who’ve been around since the 1960’s. Marvel also made a very concerted effort in hiring young directors who actually read and cared for the comics, because what Marvel didn’t want was paint by numbers action films that just so happened to have super heroes in them. Marvel wanted all their films to feel as part of one giant Marvel universe. So they hired directors early on in the process, made them producers, made the creative talent feel responsible to keep true the source material. And boy, did it pay off for them with IRON MAN. Just take the top players involved…Jon Favreau directing Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, and Terrence Howard…those names, in those roles, sounds more like a director and cast for a film being released at Sundance. But no, that’s who Marvel put in charge of their $140,000,000 freshman effort into cinema. Nice job Marvel, I am dying for the sequel.

5. WALL E – To all other animation houses, PIXAR Studios is the Saturday Morning Cartoons equivalent of all the evil geniuses coming together to gang up on the hero, but in this cartoon, the evil geniuses win and there are no heroes left. Every time they release a film it winds up on my top ten list. PIXAR is just that good. In fact, WALL E might be PIXAR’s best film to date. Take the fact that the first 40 minutes of the film contain little to no dialogue, and yet, the audience gets completely sucked in anyway. This is visual story telling at its best. And the choice to have a hand held style in an animated film is one of the most brilliantly overlooked decisions of the year. The shaky frame, and the power zoom through the vastness of Wall E’s world, played a huge part in adding to the film’s charm and intimacy. Aside from the wonderful direction by Andrew Stanton, the real star of this film is Ben Burtt. Burrt is considered the Godfather of modern sound design. He was the sound designer for all the Star Wars, and went on the develop and oversee the sound studio at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). For his work, Burtt has been nominated for an Oscar 8 times, and has won twice. For WALL E, Burtt has many credits, but the most important one is that he is singled out as the voice of Wall E himself. Which brings me back to those first 40 minutes. For as much as Wall E is animated (literally) as a character, it was Burtt’s sound work that gave the robot life, and allowed a world to connect with a rusted and forgotten garbage machine. I love this film.

4. THE DARK KNIGHT– What new praise could I possibly heap onto this film that hasn’t already been said or written? There’s not much. So I’m just going to pick apart and analyze 30 seconds of the film, and in doing so hopefully illustrate why this film is more than a comic book movie, but also one of the most intelligently put together films of the year. The scene…The Joker has called the local press to alert them that he is intending to blow up Gotham Memorial Hospital within the hour. The building is clearing out, there is mass hysteria everywhere, utter chaos. The Joker, dressed as a nurse has made his way into the hospital, and after having a cunning heart to heart with Boy Scout DA Harvey Dent, exits the hospital carrying the bomb’s detonator. The critique…Director Chris Nolan chooses to shoot this scene in the distinctive IMAX format which, even when down-converted to 35mm, captures every last detail of the mis-en-scene, and adds an off-putting perspective to the image. Creepy even. In one of his more quiet moments (in an otherwise brilliantly verbose performance) Heath Ledger’s Joker walks away from the building, twitching, and muttering under his breath. The camera tracks back as Ledger walks forward on the right side of the frame, franticly clicking the bomb’s detonator, but there’s just one thing…no explosion. The nurse outfit, mixed with the sadistic clown look, and the physical eccentricities in Ledger’s performance, all combine to embody the one of the film’s overarching themes of duality. All of a sudden, in the same shot (there has not been a cut yet, this is all one take)…BOOM…the bomb goes off, finally Nolan cuts (still in the IMAX format) to a God like high angle shot that gives the audience a freighting view of the entire hospital being swallowed up by a monstrous mushroom cloud of smoke and fire. Then, cut to the Joker standing with his back to the explosion as debris falls everywhere. It is a beautifully well constructed scene, where every choice made by the director, cinematographer, actor, and all those involved was the right one. THE DARK KNIGHT, as a whole…is filled with such brilliant choices.

3. MILK – You will be hard pressed to find a more Oscar ready, yet Oscar worthy film. Over the past few years, Gus Van Sandt has drifted away from the typical main stream flair (PRANOID PARK, LAS DAYS, ELEPHANT). This journey back into the independent film world, in many ways, has helped him become a more focused and nuanced filmmaker. And with his return to a more star driven and widely appealing type of film, Van Sandt has produced MILK, a wonderfully nuanced character piece of a somewhat forgotten American civil rites icon. The film is placed on the shoulders of and successfully carried by Sean Penn. Who channels all the humor, playfulness, and love of Jeff Spicoli; and combines it with the maturity and sense of activism we see from Penn the human. It’s a wonderful performance that is only heightened by his supporting cast. Josh Brolin caps off a solid year with his portrayal of the conflicted and tragic Dan White. James Franco gives the performance of his career by subtly playing what some would consider the "wife" role. Sprinkle in Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, Alison Pill, Dennis O’Hare, and Victor Garber and you’ve got the best ensemble of 2008. I have heard many dissenting voices to the structure of the film, which gives away the ending at the beginning, but I thought it was a very wise choice. This narrative choice helped force the audience to focus their attention on the film’s journey and overall message, which with Prop 8, is oddly more relevant now then when Van Sandt started shooting the film.

2. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – In my opinion, the hardest thing to capture on film is emotional brutality. It’s easy to shoot physical violence, but emotional aggression is much harder. In most arguments and domestic verbal fights depicted on the screen, loudness is usually equated to effectiveness. This is rarely the case. It takes a combination of talent on the writing, directing, and acting side to truly make words and emotions act like daggers and bullets. To make the audience feel like sadistic voyeurs, who happen to be catching a glimpse of two people who really want to hurt each other. Physical hurt can heal over time, but mental and emotional scars are much harder to mend. Although REVOLUTIONARY ROAD contains many "loud" moments, here "loud" is used as the hand that twists the knife deeper into an already punctured emotional skin. If it weren’t for a certain film about an Indian game show (see my #1 film), REVOLUTIONARY ROAD would be my choice for best film of the year. The greatness of this film is a very simple combination of three elements. First, a sharply written and pointed screenplay by Justin Haythe. Second, the subtle and caring direction of Sam Mendes. And finally, the a cast of actors who are not afraid to be raw, and pick at, and open very emotional scab in this two hour punch to the gut. Mendes is the master of taking silent action moments and transforming them into scenes rich with subtext, and when it comes time for the dialogue, as multi-Tony winner, he understands how to give his actors a safe space to perform. As a result, he’s able to capture a perfect mixture movement and emotion. Which leads me to Dicaprio and Winslet. In this film, they both give, what I consider to be, their best performances (and this is saying a lot for two such storied performers). Dicaprio goes to places physically and emotionally that are haunting to this day.

1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Let me set the scene. The year is 1997, I am a freshman in Syracuse University’s film program. Like many film schools, on the first day, the faculty makes everyone go around the room and introduce themselves by saying their name and their three favorite film directors. Now, to those who don’t know, for a any film geek, seeing someone’s collection of DVDs or hearing a "Top List" is the equivalent of normal people opening up a host’s medicine cabinet at a dinner party. You learn A LOT. So around the room it goes. Scorsese is said more times than can be counted, a few Spielbergs, a few Stones, and then comes me. My top three directors - Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi and Danny Boyle. People looked at me like I was nuts…their faces said it all…"Horror film directors?", "Why not Scorsese?", and "Do I really have to spend four years working with a guy who’s ambition is to direct EVIL DEAD 4?" Well, soon after I graduated in 2001, Peter Jackson produced trilogy of films about some small people and a ring that did pretty well, and Sam Raimi went off and made three moderately successful films about a guy who thought he was a spider. Was I vindicated? Not at all. There was still the grossly overlooked Danny Boyle. Who’s filmography is as diverse and underrated as anyone’s I have ever seen…SHALLOW GRAVE, TRAINSPOTTING, A LIFE LESS ORDINARY, THE BEACH, 28 DAYS LATER, MILLIONS, and SUNSHINE. So I am sure it comes as no surprise to everyone that I chose SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE as my number one film of the year, especially since it’s a Danny Boyle film. But in all honestly, I did think long and hard about this one. I took a good long look at the other films on my top ten list, and honestly could not find one reason to not to pick SLUMDOG as my number one film of the year. The acting, the writing, the direction, the cinematography, the costumes, the music…SLUMDOG is as close to a perfect film as one is going to find. What separates the film, and places it above all the rest is the fact that it’s not a message film, it doesn’t want to go back and explore a political moment in time, or famous icon. Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine put it best, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is a "is a buoyant hymn to life, and a movie to celebrate." This film makes you want to love somebody, and that is very rare.

(Note…If There were more numbers between 1 and 10, the other films on this list would be…FROST/NIXON, IN BRUGES, THE FALL, MAN ON WIRE, THE STRANGERS, THE WRESTLER)

THE BOTTOM TEN FILMS OF 2008
Up until this year I have never walked out, fell asleep in, or turned off a movie. As a result I have lost days, upon weeks, of "living hours" of my life in chunks of 90 to 120 minutes at a time. But in 2008, I witnessed three of the WORST films I have ever seen. Technically this isn’t even accurate…in 2008 I saw pieces of three of the WOEST films I have ever seen…because I either, walked out, fell asleep, or turned off the DVD.

10. SEMI PRO
9. 27 DRESSES
8. LEATHERHEADS
7. DRILLBIT TAYLOR
6. JUMPER
5. THE HAPPENING
4. WHAT JUST HAPPENED
3. 10,000 B.C. (fell asleep in the theater)
2. MAMA MIA (turned off the DVD after 29 minutes and 45 seconds)
1. THE LOVE GURU (turned off the DVD after 12 minutes and 17 seconds)

MY OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (My Winner)
2. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
3. MILK
4. WALL E
5. THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Actress
1. Angelina Jolie - CHANGELING
2. Kate Winslet – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (My Winner)
3. Meryl Steep - DOUBT
4. Kate Winslet – THE READER
5. Emma Thompson – LAST CHANCE HARVEY

Best Actor
1. Mickey Rourke – THE WRESTLER
2. Michael Sheen – FROST/NIXON
3. Sean Penn – MILK
4. Josh Brolin – W.
5. Leonardo Dicaprio – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (My Winner)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Robert Downey Jr. – TROPIC THUNDER
2. Heath Ledger – THE DARK KNIGHT (My Winner)
3. Frank Langella – FROST/NIXON
4. James Fanco - MILK
5. Philip Seymour Hoffman - DOUBT

Best Supporting Actress
1. Amy Adams - DOUBT
2. Marisa Tomei – THE WRESTLER
3. Rosemary Dewitt – RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (My Winner)
4. Ahney Her – GRAN TORINO
5. Penelope Cruz – VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA

Best Director
1. Christopher Nolan – THE DARK KNIGHT (My Winner)
2. Danny Boyle – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
3. Gus Van Sandt - MILK
4. Andrew Stanton – WALL E
5. Sam Mendes – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Best Screenplay
1. Dustin Lance Black - MILK
2. Ben Stiller, Etan Cohen, & Justin Theroux – TROPIC THUNDER
3. Robert D. Siegel – THE WRESTLER
4. Martin McDonagh – IN BRUGES
5. Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, & Jim Reardon – WALL E (My Winner)

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Simon Beaufoy – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (My Winner)
2. Peter Morgan – FROST/NIXON
3. Justin Haythe – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
4. Lorene Scafaria – NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
5. Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan – THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Cinematography
1. Anthony Dod Mantle – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (My Winner)
2. Maryse Alberti – THE WRESTLER
3. Roger Deakins – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
4. Colin Watkinson – THE FALL
5. Wally Pfister – THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Original Score
1. A.R. Rahman – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2. Ramin Djawadi - IRON MAN
3. Theodore Shapiro – TROPIC THUNDER
4. J. Ralph – MAN ON WIRE
5. James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer – THE DARK KNIGHT (My Winner)

OTHER FILM AWARDS FOR 2008

ACTORS OF THE YEAR – ROBERT DOWNEY JR. (IRON MAN and TROPIC THUNDER), JAMES FRANCO (PINEAPPLE EXPRESS and MILK), JOSH BROLIN (W and MILK)

ACTRESSES OF THE YEAR – MERYL STREEP (MAMA MIA & DOUBT), ANNE HATHAWAY (GET SMART and RACHEL GETTING MARRIED), and KATE WINSLET (REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and THE READER)

BEAKOUT MALE TALENT – DANNY MCBRIDE (TROPIC THUNDER, THE FOOT FIST WAY, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, DRILLBIT TAYLOR) "Mother Nature Just Pissed Her Pants Suit!!!"

BREAKOUT FEMALE TALENT – ELIZABETH BANKS (ZACH AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, W, ROLE MODELS)

BEST THRILLER – THE STRANGERS

BEST CRIME MOVIE – THE BANK JOB

BEST ACTION MOVIE – IRON MAN

BEST COMEDY – STEP BROTHERS

BEST COMIC BOOK ADAPTATION – THE DARK KNIGHT

BEST BOOK ADAPTION – NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST

BEST MUSICAL – HAMLET 2 ("Rock Me Sexy Jesus!")

BEST ANIMATED MOVIE – WALL E

BEST DRAMA – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

BEST LOVE STORY – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BLOODIEST MOVIE – RAMBO (could be bloodiest ever)

BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY MOVIE – HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY

BEST HORROR – CLOVERFIELD

BEST DOCUMENTARY – RELIGULOUS

BIGGEST DISAPOINTMENT(S) – INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, THE HAPPENING, WANTED, SEMI PRO, VALKYRIE, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE – BOLT, STREET KINGS, WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS

MOST UNDERRATED FILMS – IN BRUGES, THE FALL, SPEED RACER, THE INCREDIBLE HULK

MOST OVERRATED FILMS – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, GRAN TORINO, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

BEST TRAILER – PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

BEST CHARACTER – Rhino (BOLT)

BIGGEST MAN CRUSHES – Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright (Because I can’t stop watching SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, and SPACED)

BIGGEST FEMALE CRUSHES – TIE - Freida Pinto (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE) & ELIZABETH BANKS (Just for being her)

BIGGEST CHILDHOOD FEMALE CRUSH REKINDLED – Karen Allen (INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL)

FILMS OF 2008 I JUST REFUSED TO SEE – TWILIGHT, SEX AND THE CITY, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOOD STILL, CLONE WARS

FILMS OF 2008 I MISSED – BOTTLE SHOCK, SWING VOTE, SEX DRIVE, PRIDE AND GLROY, MAX PAYNE, SEVEN POUNDS, FOUR CHRISTMASES, SUPERHERO MOVIE, THE ROCKER, CHARLIE BARTLETT, BODY OF LIES, BEDTIME STORIES, MARLEY AND ME

TOP TWENTY MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2009
1. INGLORIOUS BASTARDS
2. WATCHMEN
3. THE WOLF MAN
4. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
5. STAR TREK
6. TERMINATOR: SALVATION
7. THE YEAR ONE
8. PUBLIC ENEMIES
9. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE
10. STATE OF PLAY
11. SHUTTER ISLAND
12. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
13. THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX
14. SHERLOCK HOLMES
15. AVATAR
16. FUNNY PEOPLE
17. BRUNO: DELICIOUS JOURNEYS THROUGH AMERICA FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING HETEROSEXUAL MALES VISIBLY UNCOMFORTABLE IN THE PRESENCE OF A GAY FOREIGNER IN A MESH T-SHIRT
18. DUPLICITY
19. THE LOVELY BONES
20. DRAG ME TO HELL

WHAT DAN WANTS THE MOST IN 2009 – An Official Announcement and Start of Production on the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MOVIE


THE TELEVISION OF 2008

THE TOP TWENTY SHOWS OF 2008 (Twenty is a lot, so I am only going to write about the top five. If you want to know my thoughts on the rest…email me, I am happy to elaborate)

1. THE WIRE – The best all around show ever made said goodbye for good, and although it’s fifth and final season had a few more than usual melodramatic moments, THE WIRE went out on it’s own terms and will forever be the standard that all shows much reach to be called "great".

2. THE SHIELD – The second best all around show also said goodbye for good. THE SHEILD is a much more traditional TV show. Traditional in structure, but not content. THE SHEILD always pushed the envelope with their storylines and visuals, and had one of the best all around casts a TV show has ever and will ever see.

3. LOST – Since Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse announced the show would end after the sixth season, LOST was rejuvenated because it was building to a true conclusion. What LOST did in season four was remind audiences why this show lends itself so well to obsession. There were more clues, answers, and questions in this shortened 16 episode season then in any of the first three. What’s more, we were also given one of the finest stand alone hours of TV with "THE CONSTANT" episode.

4. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS – FNL returned as is the lackluster second season was just a patch of crab grass on the Panther’s field. The show went back to basics and are digging deeper with more compelling storylines with heightened stakes. As always Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton prove they are the two best actors on TV, and their scenes together is season 3 are better than ever. It’s just a shame that when FNL returns to NBC in January fans will be seeing truncated episodes from DirecTV ones. Let’s just hope we get a fourth season.

5. HOUSE – Still the most consistently good show on TV. Each week it’s pretty much the same, sick patient with multiple symptoms, doctors search for clues, and in the end Dr. House figures it all out. It’s what this show does in the in between these formulaic moments that make it still one of the best shows on air. The subtlety of the drama, the unique personal narratives of the main characters, and of course everything is held together by the indispensable Hugh Laurie. Also, if you want to see stellar acting go back and watch Robert Sean Leonard in the final episode of season 4…utterly gut wrenching.

6. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
7. THE OFFICE
8. PUSHING DAISIES
9. SOUTH PARK
10. MAD MEN
11. CALIFORNICATION
12. 30 ROCK
13. THE UNIT
14. SONE OF ANARCHY
15. ENTOURAGE
16. BURN NOTICE
17. IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
18. LIFE
19. PRISON BREAK
20. THE DAILY SHOW / THE COLBERT REOPRT
20 ½. DR. HORRIBLE’S SING ALONG BLOG

OTHER TV AWARDS FOR 2008

TOP FIVE MALE PERFORMERS (Drama)
1. Michael Chicklis – THE SHIELD
2. Hugh Laurie – HOUSE
3. Kyle Chandler – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (My Choice for "Best")
4. Dennis Haysbert – THE UNIT
5. Damian Lewis - LIFE
(Honorable Mention to the entire cast of THE WIRE. How do you choose just one? They are all incredible. OK, maybe Omar Little. May he rest in peace.)

TOP FIVE MALE PERFORMERS (Comedy)
1. David Duchovny – CALIFORNIACATION
2. Steve Carell – THE OFFICE
3. Jeremy Piven – ENTOURAGE
4. Jeffery Donovan – BURN NOTICE
5. Lee Pace – PUSHING DAISIES (My Choice for "Best")

TOP FIVE FEMALE PERFORMERS (Drama)
1. Connie Britton – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (My Choice for "Best")
2. Katey Segal – SONS OF ANARCHY
3. CCH Pownder – THE SHIELD
4. January Jones – MAD MEN
5. Regina Taylor – THE UNIT

TOP FIVE FEMALE PERFORMERS (Comedy)
1. Anna Friel – PUSHING DASIES
2. Kristin Chenoweth – PUSHIN DAISIES (My Choice for "Best")
3. Natascha MeElhone - CALIFORNIACATION
4. Tina Fey – 30 ROCK
5. Sarah Chalke – SCRUBS

TOP FIVE SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMERS (Drama)
1. Walton Gogging – THE SHIELD
2. Michael Emmerson – LOST (My Choice for "Best")
3. James Callis – BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
4. Vincent Karthheiser – MAD MEN
5. Robert Sean Leonard - HOUSE

TOP FIVE SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMERS (Comedy)
1. Callum Keith Rennie – CALIFORNIACATION
2. Tracy Morgan – 30 ROCK (My Choice for "Best")
3. Ed Helms – THE OFFICE
4. Kevin Dillon – ENTOURAGE
5. Chi McBride – PUSHING DAISIES

TOP FIVE SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMERS (Drama)
1. Sarah Sahi - LIFE
2. Anne Dudek – HOUSE
3. Michelle Hicks – THE SHIELD
4. Mary McDonell – BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
5. Elizabeth Moss – MAD MEN (My Choice for "Best")

TOP FIVE SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMERS (Comedy)
1. Amy Ryan – THE OFFICE (My Choice for "Best")
2. Angela Kinsey – THE OFFICE
3. Madeleine Martin - CALIFORNIACATION
4. Pamela Adlon - CALIFORNIACATION
5. Katlin Olsen – IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA

BEST ENSAMBLE CAST (Drama) – THE WIRE

BEST ENSAMBLE CAST (Comedy) – PUSHING DIASIES

BEST SINGLE EPISODE (Drama) – LOST (4.5, "The Constant")

BEST SINGLE EPISODE (Comedy) – SOUTH PARK (12.8, "The China Problem")

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SINGLE EPISODE (Drama) – TIE - Robert Sean Leonard, HOUSE (4.16, "Wilson’s Heart") & Henry Ian Cusick, LOST (4.5, "The Constant")

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SINGLE EPISODE (Comedy) – Steve Carell, THE OFFICE (4.9, "The Dinner Party")

BEST WRITING FOR A SERIES (Drama) – THE WIRE

BEST WRITING FOR A SERIES (Comedy) – CALIFORNICATION

BEST WRITING FOR A SINGLE EPISODE (Drama) – Lisa Albert, MAD MEN (2.2, "Flight 1")

BEST WRITING FOR A SINGLE EPISODE (Comedy) – Trey Parker and Matt Stone, SOUTH PARK (12.12, "About Last Night…")

BEST DIRECTING FOR A SERIES (Drama) – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

BEST DIRECTING FOR A SERIES (Comedy) – THE OFFICE

BEST DIRECTING FOR A SINGLE EPISODE (Drama) – Dean White, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (3.3, "How The Other Half Live")

BEST DIRECTING FOR A SINGLE EPISODE (Comedy) – Paul Feig, THE OFFICE (4.14, "Goodbye Toby")

BEST NEW SHOW – SONS OF ANARCHY

BEST REALITY SHOW – WHALE WARS

BEST RE-BOOT OF A FRANCHISE – PRISON BREAK

BEST SHOW WE LOST – TIE – THE WIRE & THE SHIELD

BEST SHOW WE LOST BECAUSE IT WAS CANCELLED – PUSHING DASIES

BEST SHOW WE ALL NEED TO FIGHT FOR OR WE MAY LOOSE – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

SHOW I AM STILL ON THE FENCE ABOUT – FRINGE (The first 5 episodes were awful, but the last 6 were terrific, X-FILES esque. Maybe the show has hit its stride, or maybe it will slide back into mediocrity…we’ll just have to wait and see. Either way, if they do cancel it, FOX at least has a terrific spin off show…one solely focusing on Joshua Jackson and John Noble’s characters. They are the reason I tune in every week. Anna Torv, the woman who plays the lead role, is just horrendous, completely embarrassing. For J.J. Abrams, a guy who clearly knows how to cast unknown female leads better than ANYONE in Hollywood…Kerri Russell in FELICITY, Jennifer Garner in ALIAS, and Evangeline Lily in LOST…he went horribly wrong with Torv…horribly wrong.)

BIGGEST SAVIOR DURING THE WRITERS STRIKE – DR. HORRIBLE’S SING ALONG BLOG

BIGGEST MAN CRUSHES – TIE – KYLE CHANDLER (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) & HUGH LAURIE (HOUSE)

BIGGEST FEMALE CRUSH – CONNIE BRITTON (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS)

MOST ANITICIPATED RETURNING SHOWS IN 2009 – LOST, BIG LOVE, BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA, RESCUE ME, 24

MOST ANITICIPATED NEW SHOWS OF 2009 – DOLLHOUSE and EAST BOUND AND DOWN

WHAT DAN WANTS THE MOST IN 2009 – An Official Announcement and Start of Production on the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MOVIE

That’s it…2008 is in the books. A year filled with industry crippling strikes and reality show hosts at the Emmys. Let’s hope 2009 will be just as, if not more interesting. I know most of you don’t care, but my New Years resolution to you all is to post more often.

If only to dump these brain droppings somewhere other than unwanting ears who just happen to be passing by. And with this pledge now written in cyber-stone, let me tease three upcoming blog topics that have been rumbling around the pop-culture wormhole I call a brain…

1. The New Holy Trilogy: How Peter Jackson did the impossible, and made us geeks hate George Lucas

2. Hollywood’s New Casting Agencies: Apatow, Stiller, Ferrell, and Associates vs. Clooney and Soderbergh Inc.

3. It’s Not TV, it’s not even HBO, it’s Showtime

I hope to have at least one of these three entries posted by February (but don’t hold me to it…for all we know, you won’t hear from me again till the end of 2009).

So my loyal Droogies, with this all said…I your humble na-rrator bid you a fond adu.

This is Lieutenant Ripley, the last survivor of the Nostromo signing off…(click)