Before I get to the list I have to mention the films that didn't crack the top ten that were very worth seeing:
· Milk
· Flash of Genius
· Miracle at St. Anna
· Frozen River
· Vicky Cristina Barcelona
· Encounters at the End of the World
· Constantine's Sword
· Anamorph
· The Band's Visit
· In Bruges
10. The Dark Knight – Batman is back but he plays a distant second fiddle to Heath Ledger's Joker. The vision of Nicholson as Joker is forever superseded. How much greatness resided in Mr. Ledger is something we will never know. A guaranteed Oscar for him.
9. Shotgun Stories – A suspenseful, edgy drama of families feuding in Middle America. The tale is minimalist but the performance of Michael Shannon is one of the most overlooked acting gems of the year.
8. Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh's novel comes to life again and this is its best cinematic version. Ben Whishaw, like Michael Shannon, turns in a great performance that may tragically be flying below the radar.
7. Tokyo – Three outstanding directors each give us their offbeat vision of modern day Tokyo. One is more twisted than the next. Michael Gondry's entry, “Interior Design”, is a masterpiece.
6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – In a year with seemingly 500 movies about the Holocaust, this one crushes the rest by relating the horrors through the eyes of a young German son of a Concentration Camp Commandant.
5. Young @ Heart – No movie this year captures real human joy like this documentary. It's written all over the faces of the senior citizens that find a reason to be, by belting out rock and roll and punk rock music.
4. Tell No One – French thriller is one of the closest things to a vintage Hitchcock as you are likely to happen upon in this day and age. Even works at times as an action flick.
The top three are all within a hair of each other, so it was difficult to separate them, but in Top 10 lists you are forced to assign numbers so...
3. Waltz With Bashir – No film in '08 packed a more powerful wallop than this animated documentary that examines war in Lebanon in 1982, with the Israelis, Phalangists and Palestinians as the participants. It is hesitatingly told and re-lived through the recalled memories of an Israeli soldier who was there.
2. Slumdog Millionaire – The most intricately written pic of the year. Toss in a luxurious look, despite it being shot in the middle of a poverty stricken Mumbai, and performances that all complement each other beautifully and you've got a million bucks.
1. Frost/Nixon - I didn't think that Opie had it in him after putting out overly manipulative films for most of his career but this examination of a historic television confrontation between a British talk show host and a fallen US President is taut, tight, thrilling and suspenseful. Langella IS Nixon.
