It's been a while that my film year revisit has been such a modern year but as is the case when my exploration comes in a very random order. Anyone 2008 is a rather weak year for film even on this revisit the amount of stellar films is just not as high as what I would want from any year. This is especially present in the eventual best picture winner which was Slumdog Millionaire a film which I liked it parts at the time but on retrospective I continued to hate the film even more. The film has a great ending dance number and that's about it, how this film came from Danny Boyle is beyond me and should've stayed as a straight to DVD film like the plan was for it to be. The field as competition was equally as unexciting: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader. Slumdog is probably my least favourite of the five which makes the win even sorer. Benjamin Button is a Fincher film but not really your typical Fincher film which is why this film was probably embraced because even with a story so odd it's such an unconventional feature. Frost/Nixon is such a boring and stale film adaptation of a play filled with such life. Langella makes it worth watching but sadly Howard crafted such a flat and uneventful film to back him up, Milk is a fun and riot of a true to life bio drama. Penn is especially effortless and Sant makes a film worth your time that is why I see it as my choice from these five films. Finally is The Reader the film that changed the way best picture is presented due to it's surprise inclusion to the mainstream. The film is typical edge of your seat drama which is quite heavy to get through and through the camera of Daldry quite dry and dull that the nomination makes the field look even bleaker for something I consider all time great. So really the academy goes to show how unexciting the race became which sort of reflects my feelings of the year in film.
Anyway away from being depressed and now I'm going to move on and discuss what I feel is the best film had to offer in 2008. Charlie Kaufman is the creative genius of the modern film industry and with his directorial debut Synecdoche, New York he continues his train of exceptional films. This might be my favourite because it's completely his creation from a scripting level all the way to his camera. The film is such a love letter to theater which is such a main staple of my life and seeing someone so dedicated to the art through the portrayal of Philip Seymour Hoffman is a love of theater and life I don't think I've seen as strong before or since. No one other than Kaufman would've been able to craft an expert film like this and while some might be turned off by it's look and feel I was completely devastated. The Dark Knight is my runner up, blockbuster film making has been affected for the worse by this 2008 feature but that in no way takes from my enjoyment of this film. In the 8 years since gritty and dark has been done all wrong but Nolan just had the perfect formula with Dark Knight. Whether it's the exceptional stunts or the sadly departed Heath Ledger in a role he has put his stamp on and no matter what will be so synonymous with the role. Nolan is a director I respect more than love however with Dark Knight I feel both emotions for his work. Darren Aronofsky is for sure an underrated film maker that was overlooked for nearly 20 years until 2010's Black Swan however 2 years before he crafted a true to life underdog drama starring the unmatched Mickey Rourke. Who would've guessed Rourke a teen idol burned by time could deliver a performance this lived and experienced that his loss is considered so heartbreaking since that night in 2009. The film supports Rourke being so unwilling to give up and wanting to succeed which thankfully it does. Steve McQueen fresh out of art school broke big with Hunger his debut feature. Fassbender was such a find playing Bobby Sands and while the two went onto bigger and better things that is in no way a slight on Hunger. My final choice for best picture is the underrated Woody Allen gem Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Sure many have praised Penelope Cruz to the heavens (deservedly so) but the entire film is a rolicking fun adventure through Spain. Rebecca Hall is quite marvelous in a lead role and her Vicky is such an engaging character that whether we are dealing with her life problems or any of the other 2 female leads it's a pleasurable film to watch.
The amount of 2008 films I've seen is a lot and like I've said before it's not an overall great year but the film I have near the top are some truly great films. Below is my list of winners and nominees I would've chosen for 2008.
OUTSTANDING PICTURE:
01. Synecdoche, New York (Produced by Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jonze, Sidney Kimmel & Anthony Bregman)
02. The Dark Knight (Produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven & Christopher Nolan)
03. The Wrestler (Produced by Darren Aronofsky & Scott Franklin)
04. Hunger (Produced by Laura Hastings-Smith & Robin Gutch)
05. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Produced by Letty Aronson, Jaume Roures, Stephen Tenenbaum & Gareth Wiley)
06. Rachel Getting Married
07. Let the Right One In
08. Frozen River
09. Man on Wire
10. WALL•E
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR:
Tomas Alfredson for Let the Right One In
Darren Aronofsky for The Wrestler
Charlie Kaufman for Synecdoche, New York
Steve McQueen for Hunger
Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR:
Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sandsin "HUNGER"
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Caden Cotard in "SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK"
Richard Jenkins as Walter Vale in "THE VISITOR"
Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in "MILK"
Mickey Rourke as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in "THE WRESTLER"
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS:
Juliette Binoche as Suzanne in "FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON"
Rebecca Hall as Vicky in "VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA"
Anne Hathaway as Kym in "RACHEL GETTING MARRIED"
Sally Hawkins as Poppy in "HAPPY-GO-LUCKY"
Melissa Leo as Ray Eddy in "FROZEN RIVER"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Liam Cunningham as Father Dominic Moran in "HUNGER"
Ralph Fiennes as The Duke in "THE DUCHESS"
Bill Irwin as Paul in "RACHEL GETTING MARRIED"
Heath Ledger as The Joker in "THE DARK KNIGHT"
Brad Pitt as Chad Feldheimer in "BURN AFTER READING"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Penelope Cruz as Maria Elena in "VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA"
Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel in "RACHEL GETTING MARRIED"
Lina Leandersson as Eli in "LET THE RIGHT ONE IN"
Tilda Swinton as Elizabeth Abbott in "THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON"
Marisa Tomei as Cassidy in "THE WRESTLER"
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Enda Walsh & Steve McQueen for Hunger
Dustin Lance Black for Milk
Jenny Lumet for Rachel Getting Married
Charlie Kaufman for Synecdoche, New York
Woody Allen for Vicking Cristina Barcelona
OUTSTANDING ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Screenplay by François Bégaudeau, Robin Campillo & Laurent Cantet; Based on The Class by François Bégaudeau, The Class
Screenplay by Eric Roth; Story by Eric Roth & Robin Swicord; Based on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, The Dark Knight
Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley; Based on Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
Screenplay by John Ajvide Lindqvist; Based on Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One In
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Kung Fu Panda (Directed by Mark Osborne and John Wayne Stevenson)
WALL•E (Directed by Andrew Stanton)
Waltz with Bashir (Directed by Ari Folman)
OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION:
Production Design by Catherine Martin; Set Design by Beverley Dunn for Australia
Production Design by Donald Graham Burt; Set Design by Victor J. Zolfo for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Production Design by Nathan Crowley; Set Design by Peter Lando for The Dark Knight
Production Design by Mark Friedberg; Set Design by Lydia Marks for Synecdoche, New York
Production Design by Ralph Eggleston for WALL•E
OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH/DEBUT:
Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married)
Michael Fassbender (Hunger)
Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Misty Upham (Frozen River)
OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Claudio Miranda for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister for The Dark Knight
Sean Bobbitt for Hunger
Hoyte Van Hoytema for Let the Right One In
Frederick Elmes for Synecdoche, New York
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN:
Catherine Martin for Australia
Jacqueline West for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Michael O'Connor for The Duchess
Danny Glicker for Milk
Gabriela Salaverri for Savage Grace
OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY:
Man on Wire (Directed by James Marsh)
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR:
Burn After Reading (George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, J. K. Simmons, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, Jeffrey DeMunn, Devin Rumer, Olek Krupa, Dermot Mulroney)
A Christmas Tale (Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Anne Consigny, Mathieu Amalric, Melvil Poupaud, Emmanuelle Devos, Laurent Capelluto, Chiara Mastroianni, Hippolyte Girardot, Emile Berling, Françoise Bertin)
Rachel Getting Married (Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Debra Winger, Tunde Adebimpe, Mather Zickel, Anna Deavere Smith, Anisa George, Victoria Haynes, Jerome LePage, Carol-Jean Lewis, Fab 5 Freddy, Robyn Hitchcock, Sister Carol East, Beau Sia, Andre Blake, Roger Corman, Tamyra Gray, Kyrah Julian, Roslyn Ruff, Sebastian Stan)
Synecdoche, New York (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis, Tom Noonan, Sadie Goldstein, Robin Weigert, Deirdre O'Connell, Jerry Adler, Lynn Cohen, Josh Pais, Daniel London, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Amy Wright, Paul Sparks, John Rothman, Frank Wood, Elizabeth Marvel, Daisy Tahan, Cliff Carpenter, Amy Spanger, Nick Wyman, Dan Ziskie, Rosemary Murphy, Tim Guinee, Joe Lisi, Alice Drummond, Michael Higgins, Christopher Evan Welch, Peter Friedman)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Chris Messina, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn)
OUTSTANDING FILM EDITING:
Robin Campillo & Stephanie Ledger for The Class
Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lee Smith for The Dark Knight
Joe Walker for Hunger
Robert Frazan for Synecdoche, New York
OUTSTANDING FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Che: Parts I & II (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)
A Christmas Tale (Directed by Arnaud Desplechin)
The Class (Directed by Laurent Cantet)
The Edge of Heaven (Directed by Fatih Akin)
Let the Right One In (Directed by Thomas Alfredson)
OUTSTANDING MAKEUP:
Greg Cannom for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Caglione, Jr. & Conor O'Sullivan for The Dark Knight
Mike Elizalde & Thom Floutz for Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Maria Strid for Let the Right One In
Judy Chin, Naomi Donne & Mike Marino for Synecdoche, New York
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE:
Alexandre Desplat for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Carter Burwell for In Bruges
Johan Söderqvist for Let the Right One In
A. .R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire
Thomas Newman for WALL•E
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG:
"Dracula's Lament", Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Music and Lyrics by Jason Segel)
"Jai Ho", Slumdog Millionaire (Music by A. R. Rahman; Lyrics by Gulzar)
"O Saya", Slumdog Millionaire (Music and Lyrics by A. R. Rahman and M.I.A.)
"I'm Just a Little Person", Synecdoche, New York (Music and Lyrics by Jon Brion & Charlie Kaufman)
"The Wrestler", The Wrestler (Music and Lyrics by Bruce Springsteen)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR:
Robert Downey Jr. (The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Tropic Thunder)
Ralph Fiennes (The Duchess, In Bruges, The Reader)
Richard Jenkins (Burn After Reading, Step Brothers, The Visitor)
Angelina Jolie (Changling, Kung Fu Panda, Wanted)
Tilda Swinton (Burn After Reading, The Chronciles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Curious Base of Benjamin Button)
OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING:
Douglas Murray, Will Files, Luke Dunn Gielmuda, Robert Shoup, Josh Gold, Andrea Gard, Steve Bissinger & Kim Foscato for Cloverfield
Richard King for The Dark Knight
Frank Eulner & Christopher Boyes for Iron Man
Dane A. Davis, William R. Dean, David A. Whittaker, Drew Yerys, Bryan O. Watkins, Christopher S. Aud, Adam Kopald, David Werntz, Mike Chock & Tom Ozanich for Speed Racer
Ben Burtt & Matthew Wood for WALL•E
OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING:
Olivier Mauvezin, Agnes Ravez & Jean-Pierre Laforce for The Class
Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo & Ed Novick for The Dark Knight
Christopher Boyes, Sean England & Lora Hirschberg for Iron Man
Michael Semanick & Ben Burtt for WALL•E
Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño & Petr Forejt for Wanted
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS:
Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton & Craig Barron for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber & Paul Franklin for The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick & Shane Mahan for Iron Man
Mark Russell, Richard Friedlander, Eric J. Robertson & Brett Miller for Synecdoche, New York
After a recent revisit going far back in history seems just right. 1959 will be my next revisit when Ben-Hur dominated and won a total of 11 academy awards. Do I agree with this choice come back and see.
