Best Films # 8: 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' | Top 8 Movies of '08 | Comcast.net

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Top 8 Movies of '08

Best Films # 8: 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

Though it's filled with comedy A-listers like Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, and Jack McBrayer, the hilarious “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” turned out to be a sleeper hit of sorts. Perhaps it was the amount of on-screen time Jason Segel spent totally naked or the Dracula puppet musical he wrote that scared movie-goers away? Interesting factoid: It was Segel’s work with puppets in “Sarah Marshall” that landed him the gig writing the next Muppet movie.

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Best Films # 8: ... Though it's filled with comedy A-listers like Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, and Jack McBrayer, the hilarious “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” turned out to be a sleeper hit of sorts. Perhaps it was the amount of on-screen time Jason Segel spent totally naked or the Dracula puppet musical he wrote that scared movie-goers away? Interesting factoid: It was Segel’s work with puppets in “Sarah Marshall” that landed him the gig writing the next Muppet movie.
Best Films #7: '... Every year there always seems to be an indie import that manages to capture audiences with its quirky charm. Garth Jenning's "Son of Rambow" fits that slot. It's a wacky little nostalgia piece about two English lads that set out to create a sequel to "Rambo." One is the school troublemaker and the other is the angelic, religious kid, that experiences rebellion for the first time with their secret film project. Jennings manages to strike a balance with the absurd and the affecting making for a unique coming-of-age story.
Best Films #6: '... It's refreshing to know that truly unique films aren't completely extinct. Case in point: David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." The strange and lyrical tale of a man born old, who then ages young, gives Brad Pitt a beautiful canvas of life to explore.
Best Films #5: '... Danny Boyle’s rags-to-riches “Musketeers” tale follows Jamal Malik, a boy orphaned in the dirtiest slums of Mumbai, who rises to fame and fortune when he lands a seat as a contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Part coming-of-age drama, part action movie, and part Bollywood love story, “Slumdog” has garnered tons of critical acclaim and looks like the indie movie to beat come Oscar season.
Best Films #4: '... So wrong, but so right. “Tropic Thunder” took all of Hollywood to task in a hilarious send-up of self-obsessed actors, overly artistic directors, and bad filmmaking conventions. Both Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise received Golden Globe best-supporting actor nominations for the film. Downey for his outlandish role of the pompous method actor Kirk Lazarus and Cruise for his scene-stealing part as the hot stepping studio exec Les Grossman.
Best Films #3: '... Pixar does it again! Seriously, can they make a bad movie? Even if you don't adore their latest, there's really never been a stinker from this computer animation powerhouse. "Wall-E" is arguably their most ambitious offering to date, with the majority of the film dialogue free. It unfolds like classic Chaplin or Keaton, with the tiny robotic garbage collector all alone on the long abandoned planet Earth. Over the decades, he's become a lonely collector of human oddities and a unabashed romantic (thanks to "Hello Dolly"). But when he encounters the visiting robot EVE, the little compactor sets out on an epic adventure to follow his heart. It's endlessly charming and touching.
Best Films #2: '... "The Dark Knight" is a movie for the ages. It's a masterpiece in its execution, for its action sequences, and just the sheer talent harnessed from everyone involved. It's also one of the few comic book films that takes itself absolutely seriously. There are no cheesy throw-away puns or comedic battles. The action, the conflict, and the stakes are no less than life and death and they riff on contemporary issues of violence, greed, celebrity, and sacrifice that ground the story in a tragic reality.
Best Films #1: '... Robert Downey Jr. makes the list a second time for his pitch-perfect portrayal of wealthy industrialist-turned-superhero Tony Stark. Thanks to director John Favreau’s nerd-tastic vision, and the awesome explosions, killer “Iron Man” suit, and snarky dialogue that go along with it, movie-goers can almost forget that Gwyneth Paltrow made an appearance in the movie. It just goes to show no one does comic book movies better than a fan boy.
Which is your fa... Did we overlook a movie? Which is your favorite? "Click here to comment!"
Worst Films #8: ... “Repo! The Genetic Opera” is the little rock opera/gore film that could. Overcoming a cheesy soundtrack, a ridiculous storyline, the heavy-handed direction of “Saw” mastermind Darren Lynn Bousman, and (scariest of all) a singing cameo by one Paris Hilton, “Repo!” finally saw a limited release.
Worst Films #7: ... Shockingly, three of these spoof “Movie Movies” came out this year – “Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans” written by the yuck-tastic tag-team of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and “Superhero Movie” written by the maverick behind "Scary Movie 3" and "Scary Movie 4." Not sure what they’re about? Just ask a group of fifth grade boys. Our New Year's wish? Make these movies STOP!
Worst Films #6: ... Honestly, Patrick Dempsey needs to break out of his romcom rut. Yes, "Grey's Anatomy" resurrected his waning career, but at this point he really should be trying some different genres. His big screen choices like "Made of Honor" are not helping him a bit. This flip-flop riff on "My Best Friend's Wedding" has none of the charm of that film, and manages to annoy by including every lame wedding cliche into it's painful 101 minutes. Can we get a divorce?
Worst Films #5: ... Even with the return of the drug-abusing Neil Patrick Harris, tons of hick jokes, and shocking amounts of full frontal nudity, “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” is not nearly as good as “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.”
Worst Films #4: ... Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz slum it for this "opposites attract" comedy that proves chemistry is kind of key in a romantic comedy. Diaz plays an uptight New Yorker that meets slacker Kutcher in a wild Vegas weekend. They get drunk and then married and not much hilarity ensues. Trying to earn a divorce, they make each others lives miserable, and in turn, ours too.
Worst Films #3: ... Director Paul W.S. Anderson’s re-envisioning of 70’s cult-classic "Death Race 2000" takes place in the not too distant future, where inmates of the world’s worst prison race each other to the death or to their freedom. Neither the excellent acting abilities of Joan Allen and Ian McShane, nor the shirtless pull-ups of Britain’s answer to Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, could stop this movie from running out of gas.
Worst Films #2: ... M. Night Shyamalan tries again to salt the careers of actors way better than the pap he manages to lure them into. Billed as Night's first R-rated film, "The Happening" really should have been called his first comedy. Mark Wahlberg, John Leguizamo and an weirdly zombie-like Zooey Deschanel try to figure out why people are suddenly committing horrible acts of suicide whenever the wind blows. If you listen closely, you can actually hear the breeze whispering "Where's my agent? Get me out of this piece of crap!"
Worst Films #1: ... After taking a six year break from writing, Mike Myers returned this summer with his first original character since Austin Powers - Guru Pitka in "The Love Guru." All we can say is perhaps Mike should have stayed in the ashram a few more years. It's as if Myers took out a "Powers" script and just replaced "groovy spy" with "creepy Indian" and then deleted all the jokes to boot. Thanks for ruining our Zen, Mike!
What do you thin... Did we overlook a movie? Which movie would you have walked out on? "Click here to comment!"

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