The year in movies: 2008’s Biggest Surprises and Disappointments

This could be an annual list… we’ll see what you guys think about it… here it is, my list of biggest disappointments (bad) and surprises (good) in movies for 2008.

Biggest Disappointments of 2008:

 5. “Vantage Point”

This was hyped as one of the better movies in the first quarter of the year, but how quickly it was forgotten and tossed aside.

While the story was pretty good and the twists were solid, the device of showing the “event” over and over and over and over from different… “Vantage Point”s… got old… and old… and old.

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 4. Robert DeNiro movies

Sorry Mr. DeNiro, but “Righteous Kill” and “What Just Happened” – were not as good as I hoped they would be, and critics liked them even less than me… I really respect his work, but both movies were missing a little bit of something and had a little bit too much of something else… with DeNiro as the main ingredient these movies were entrees that couldn’t be served at a quality restaurant… and were better served as fast food.

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 3. “Appaloosa” 

Sorry Ed Harris, but I really wanted this movie to do better and be better than it was, I love westerns, but this missed the mark.

I really like the look and feel of the movie and the set pieces and costumes were great, so was Viggo Mortensen and Mr. Harris.. just not good enough to get past the slow editing pace of this movie.

I appreciate the interview though.

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 2. “Star Wars: Clone Wars”

I’ve said it before (My Birthday Wish List), and I’ll say it again… this movie should have been several half-hour tv shows like it was originally designed for… the story was okay, but should have been broken up.  Bottom line: please stop torturing the die-hard Star Wars fans with movies we think we need to see… weren’t the prequels enough ?

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 1. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”

I’m probably safe in saying at this point… without spoiling…. what I didn’t like about this movie… but just in case…. you’ll have to click to read more…

… okay, so I tried not to spoil it… but the fact that the movie’s end climatic scene involves and alien ship coming out of the ground and the Crystal Skull referenced in the movie’s title is an alien skull was stupid.  The stupidity of it also unraveled all the little stupid things earlier in the movie that I was just accepting as a BIG FAN of the Indiana Jones franchise.  It seemed liked the end sequence I am referring to was more like the end scene from “A.I.” than an Indiana Jones movie.

Biggest Surprises of 2008:

 5. “The Happening”

This is so close to being on the disappointment list… its a surprise because M.Night Shyamalan’s previous 2 movies were not well received critically or at the box office. 

I really differed from most of the country on this latest movie, I thought “The Happening” was good, while most people who saw it didn’t really like it. 

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 4. “Marley & Me” 

Not all of the movies on the list were good surprises… seriously… I know I wasn’t the only person in West Michigan that thought this movie was just going to be another romantic comedy *before* I saw it.

But as those of us who have seen it (no spoiler)… we know that’s not true… just be sure you know that its not all happy and fun… and if you’ve ever owned a pet… be prepared to get teary eyed.

 3. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”

This is one of the best romantic comedies of the year… if not the best… there are so many good things to say about this movie and just a couple bad.

I didn’t expect a lot from this movie and it delivered both as a romantic comedy and a regular comedy… so it was a pleasant surprise.

A fun cast with Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd.

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 2. “Iron Man”

Sure it was highly anticipated, but not as much for me, before the months leading up to the movies release, I never really knew much about the character, but I ended up loving it, and the way it ruled the box office for the beginning of summer was a sweet surprise!!!  

Robert Downey, Jr. lead a great cast (Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard) that perfectly became the characters in the movie… supporting a recent trend in movies of using quality actors in superhero movies, lending even more credibility to the movie… and improving the genre.

Other recent movies to use quality actors : The Dark Knight, X-Men, Hancock, and The Incredible Hulk (2008) – unlike the mostly unknown/untalented actors in old movies.  One of the best examples of that is 1980’s Flash Gordon.  The old superhero movies that were successful used some quality actors: Superman (1978) had Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman, while Batman (1989) had Jack Nicholson and Jack Palance.

“Iron Man” also made 3rd on my list of Favorite Superhero Movies.

 1. “Slumdog Millionaire” 

Its a great movie with a small budget, a big heart, one of the most inspiring and well-made movies in a downer year both economically and in most storylines for most of the really good movies this year.

I also wasn’t expecting as much from this movie until a week or so before I saw it, when the hype was just getting started.

Every once in awhile a movie comes along and just grabs you… its realism grabs you, its story inspires you, its little moments makes you smile, and in the end root for the main character – this is one of those movies.

I highly recommend seeing it… if you haven’t already… its certainly one of the top 3 for Best Picture in both Golden Globes and Academy Awards… its my sleeper pick for Best Picture of 2008 !!!