Gino's Best of 2008

Boy, this is a difficult year to sum up. Unlike Tiny, who said he saw 5 movies this year, I had what must be a record year, seeing around 85 movies or one every 4.3 days. This is certainly due to a stretch where I was recording movies on cable TV and watching them on the train to NYC. (Who can forget my all-important reviews of "Caddyshack" or "Back to the Future, Part III", the stuff memories are made of?) Oh, and also complete lack of doing anything more productive with my life. That too. But let me not be depressing about it: about 38% of those films got a recommended (>3.5 star) rating from me. Which means: I saw a lot of good movies.

Very hard to order a "top 5" this year, because basically I have many tied for second place... and many "honorable mentions" that could be in the top 5, and many more that could have been "honorable mentions" that are not listed here. But no use trying to wiggle out of it:

1. First place goes to "The Dark Knight." I am not a fanboy. I don't even particularly care for comic book movies. But in 2008, I got the most enjoyment for my buck from this dark popcorn film that took it's subject very seriously, and featured a great performance from Heath Ledger as the Joker.
2. There Will Be Blood
3. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4. Babel
5. Apocalypto

Honorable Mentions: The Wind that Shakes the Barley, The Departed, No Country for Old Men, etc.

Happy New Year,
Gino