2008 in Review

  1. Doubt, A, well-written showcase for great acting
  2. Madagascar 2, A, consistently funny with strong characters
  3. Young at Heart, A, fun, bittersweet movie about octogenarian rockers
  4. Iron Man, A-, superhero flick features solid acting and writing
  5. Ghost Town, A-, cute, funny, romantic; this is a nice movie
  6. Bolt, A-, good movie about a lost dog and his sidekicks
  7. The Crimson Wing, A-, beautiful footage and music of pink flamingos
  8. The Dark Knight, A-, big action movie runs a little long; great joker
  9. Wall-E, B+, Buster Keaton and Metropolis meet Pixar
  10. Hancock, B+, a movie about a failing superhero has a twist
  11. In Bruges, B+, very dark comedy about gangsters with ethics
  12. The Bank Job, B+, good caper movie based loosely on a true story
  13. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, B+, suprisingly conventional Apatow romantic comedy
  14. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, B+, nice portrait of growing up in the 2000s in NYC
  15. Goodbye Solo, B+, typical indie movie set in Winston-Salem
  16. Frost Nixon, B+, great portrayal of Nixon but not a battle of wits
  17. Milk, B+, good, if pedestrian, movie about gay rights leader
  18. Journey to the Center of the Earth, B+, big silly action movie is still fun to watch
  19. Burn After Reading, B+, not as funny as it would have liked to be
  20. Encounters at the End of the World, B+, atypical antarctic documentary focuses on humans
  21. Man on Wire, B, good documentary about a famous stunt
  22. Gran Torino, B, Bad acting nearly ruins Eastwood's culture clash
  23. Kung Fu Panda, B, good movie, nothing really all that new
  24. Prince Caspian, B, still good, but feels a little tired
  25. The Great Buck Howard, B, nice story is enjoyable but has rough edges
  26. Tropic Thunder, B, not bad, just not always that funny
  27. Transsiberian, B, good thriller, but characters do stupid things
  28. Penelope, B-, cute story about a cursed modern-day princess
  29. The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, B-, nice, but familiar story, well executed
  30. The Incredible Hulk, B-, entertaining, but poorly executed
  31. Slumdog Millionaire, B-, neat idea shows life in slums but very violent
  32. Horton Hears a Who, B-, classic Suess tale feels very padded
  33. Mamma Mia, C+, even with low expectations I was disappointed
  34. Indiana Jones 4, C, all the ingredients, none of the magic
  35. Four Christmases, C, good idea, great actors, but it doesn't work
  36. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, C, everything I don't like about madcap romps
  37. Nim's Island, C-, bad writing, bad directing, bad acting, nice try
  38. W, D, wandering introduction to someone we already know

Years in Review