Within every human being is the innate desire to create lists. The end of a year (and the corresponding beginning of a new one) somehow brings that desire even further to the fore.
It is perhaps with that excuse that I have decided to cast my take on the last year — and the one to come — as regards the realm of movies. The upcoming year appears to be a doozy for the cinema, and 2008 wasn’t too shabby, either…
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January 8, 2009 -
Posted by
Aaron |
geekery |
Iron Man, JJ Abrams, lists, movies, reviews |
6 Comments
No thoughts on Mama Mia? Sex and The City? X-Files 2?
I’ve seen about half of the ones you mentioned here and I thought about the same. Indy IV I enjoyed while in the theater but it really didn’t stick with me. I loved the Dark Knight… but can they really do a third movie that’s worth watching? Here’s hoping.
My personal favorite movie this year is a toss-up between Wall-E or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. With the latter, I didn’t realize I’d love it so much… but then I did. It’s one of those movies you’ll either love or hate. There’s no particular plot, it is more like vignettes from Benjamin’s life. But still, a very satisfying movie.
You saw a lot more movies than I did. Once school started, I had to quit watching movies for awhile. I do agree that Iron Man was AWESOME.
You and I saw pretty much the exact same movies this year (go figure), with one exception. I didn’t see Cloverfield, but I DID see Mamma Mia. (And I have to say that Mamma Mia was probably the most fun I had watching a movie all year, with the possible exception of Get Smart at the drive-in.)
Movies on your list that I truly enjoyed:
21
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Get Smart
The Dark Knight (though I don’t think it lived up to the hype)
Movies on your list I thought were only so-so:
Jumper
Prince Caspian
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Too Much CGI
Wanted
Quantam of Solace
Movies on your list I fell asleep during and therefore can give no fair opinion:
Hellboy 2 :)
[...] I briefly reviewed the 2008 releases I’d seen, then made a list of 2008 releases I’d yet like to see. Now, concluding this series of [...]
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Your grace, I must disagree with your assessment of the gory failure of Prince Caspian. I don’t think the Caspian/Peter hissy-fit dynamic crippled the plot and destroyed the efficacy of the movie, although I do think it weakened it a bit. I really, really loved the books as a kiddo, and can understand the yearning for purity in the film, but overall I thought they did a really good job of transferring the images I envisioned to the screen.
Great blog though, and love the opening line about the ubiquitous desire for lists :).
Goose – I wouldn’t call it a “gory failure,” though that’s a description I’ll have to remember for future disasters. I thought the Caspian/Peter conflicts were certainly the worst example, but I felt there was mis-characterization in a lot of areas — Trumpkin, Susan, Reepicheep, and others. I also thought that making the movie more about the battles lessened and possibly eliminated several of Lewis’ original themes, not least of which was the one about Aslan’s redemptive, renewing power.
All that said, I appreciate your opinion as one who values and understands the original stories. I’m glad that you enjoyed it, and I’ll concede that the film wasn’t a total loss. I do hope, though, that if some other studio picks up Dawn Treader (my own personal favorite of the series) that they’ll adapt it a bit more faithfully rather than “reinterpret” it.