2008 Leaman Awards

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*Last Updated: 3/2/2023

2008 Films Seen: 120
Number of Films with A or A+ Grade: 1
Key Films Still to See: n/a

Brief Summary: Saw an enormous amount of films this year and it was an overall disappointing year in cinema for me as much of the Oscar bait and my favorite directors failed to produce content that really spoke to me. For me, the year is dominated by Christopher Nolan's towering achievement The Dark Knight and after that there's a smattering of fun stuff to be had, but also a landscape of failed films to avoid.
Not a "best of" list or a "favorite" list - but a list of the films and sequences (action, drama, comedy, & musical) that I think represent the best the year had to offer. So think of it as a strange mixture of favorite, best, and defining. Once you get to the top ten films, it definitely becomes more defined as a Top Ten list of the year. The number one film is my favorite of the year. 

Honorable Mentions: Gomorrah, Gran Torino, Flame and Citron, Journey to the Center of the Earth

25. Cloverfield (B)
24. Slumdog Millionaire (B)
23. The Bank Job (B)
22. Funny Games (B)
21. Son of Rambo (B)
20. Bolt (B)
19. Man on Wire (B)
18. Role Models (B)
17. The Spiderwick Chronicles (B)
16. Rambo (B)
15. The Wrestler (B)
14. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About his Father (B+)
13. Encounters at the End of the World (B+) *My Review
12. The Counterfieters (B+)
11. The Boy with the Striped Pajamas (B+)

THE TOP TEN

10. Frozen River (B+)

9. Happy-Go-Lucky (B+)

8. In Bruges (B+)

7. Hunger (A-)

6. The Class (A-)

5. Doubt (A-)

4. Speed Racer (A-): Lampooned by both the critics and the populace, Speed Racer was one of the biggest flops of 2008. Several critics called it headache inducing and simply labeled it just another special effects laden film of the OCD age. To say that is to really miss the originality and creativity of the film and the genius that the Wachowskis brought to Speed Racer. On display here is a comprehensive new perspective on putting a film together; the writing, the editing, the cinematography, and the direction perfectly combined together to compose a truly uniquely cinematic product. I found it easily enjoyable with a simple but moving message about the importance of family. I hope the world gives this film a second chance, for its one of the standout films of 2008 that remains a unique experience to this day. 

3. Kung Fu Panda (A-): Po is an overweight panda with a passion for kung fu, but he is clumsy and works in a noodle shop with his adopted father. One day, the kung fu school hosts the choosing of a new "Dragon Warrior" who will join the current all-star team of kung fu masters, "The Furious Five," and defeat the impending threat of Tai Lung. Much to the surprise of everyone, the head of the kung fu school, Master Oogway, chooses Po. No one is more surprised than Dustin Hoffman's voiced "Shifu" who cannot imagine such a figure becoming a warrior. Po, voiced by Jack Black with an childlike innocence and boundless enthusiasm, struggles through training, but eventually him and Shifu make some breakthroughs and Po defeats the villainous Tai Lung before the end. While I don't quite like the, "Just be confident in yourself" messaging of the film, I love pretty much everything else about the film. The kung fu setting here is not just a gimmick, this film exudes a love and understanding of what makes the genre so special. The audience gets to experience through Po's eyes the basic joy of the good vs evil kung fu setup, the creative training sequences, cool weapons and moves, the pop philosophies, and the dance-like choreography of its best action sequences. The animators went out of their way here to honor the genre in a beautiful art style, character designs, and thoughtful action sequences that are some of the best in their genre. Po's fantastic, funny, and charming, but it is Dustin Hoffman's Shifu that I think most of the adults watching the film connect with. His arc of going from a strict taskmaster broken from a formerly failed student to someone widening his moral imagination to see someone like Po as worthy of grace, love, and training. This is a kung fu tale worthy of the legends it constantly references. 

2. Rachel Getting Married (A-)

1. The Dark Knight (A): It has been some time since I've walked out of a theater with a mix of depression, hope, exhaustion, and admiration. Let me get this out of the way now, in my estimation, The Dark Knight is the best superhero film of all-time. The experience of watching the film is something similar to allowing your emotions to go on a world class roller coaster. Its a breathtaking and brutal affair and yet I always finish wanting to do it once again. What Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight has accomplished is remarkable. Not only has The Dark Knight surpassed its genre mates, it has obliterated them. There are all the hallmarks of the superhero comic book genre here, but what Nolan provides us with, elevates the film into an epic crime saga between Greek Gods, where everything has implications not only for our characters but for humanity as well. The idea of a costumed crusader out for justice in his city and a villain with an anarchic agenda to expose the meaningless of civilization with a flair for theatricality is squeezed for everything its worth. From these ideas spring a deep pool of themes ranging from what a hero really is, hope vs. despair, anarchy vs. civilization, and the basic goodness of humanity. Its as if the entire genre has come of age in one film. One of the movie's tag lines is "Welcome to a World Without Limits" and it seems Nolan has taken that to heart when it comes to superhero films.


FAVORITE ACTION SEQUENCES OF THE YEAR
The Very Good:
  • "Surprise Attacked by Mauraders When Examining a Site" -Doomsday
  • "Jackie vs. Jet" -The Forgotten Kingdom (Commentary)
  • "Training Exercises: Try and Eat...If You Can" -Kung Fu Panda
  • "Tai Lung Breaks Out of Prison" -Kung Fu Panda
  • "Across the Siena Rooftops: Chasing Down a Mole" -Quantum of Solace (Commentary)
  • "LARP Battle Royale Finale" -Role Models
  • "Casa Cristo Race Part 1: In the Deserts" -Speed Racer
The Great:
  • "Transporting Harvey Dent & Capturing the Joker" -The Dark Knight
  • "Racing the Mauraders to the Walls" -Doomsday
  • "Finale: Extracting the Prisoners leads to Rambo on a Giant Gun" -Rambo
  • "Casa Cristo Race Part 2: In the Mountains" -Speed Racer
  • "Ogre and Goblins Attack the House for the Book" -The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Best: "Finale: Dragon Warrior Po & Shifu vs. Tai Lung" -Kung Fu Panda
Commentary: Tai Lung is the greatest student of Master Shifu and yet he was denied the honor of becoming the Dragon Warrior. Lung was enraged and imprisoned for the damage his rage caused. The finale of Kung Fu Panda sees Shifu face off against his former student who broke out of prison and seeks the dragon scroll. The fight between Shifu and Tai Lung is both visceral (it’s quite hard hitting), beautiful (some gorgeously designed shots here), and sad. Shifu clearly is not strong enough and doesn’t have the will to face a student whose proud fall he responsible for. Right at the moment of Shifu’s near death, the real dragon warrior, Po the panda, steps up and takes on the fight…after he catches his breathe from the stairs. Little comedic moments like that work like bonkers in this sequence. There’s another moment where Tai Lung mocks Po and says, “What are you gonna do, sit on me?” and Po responds, “Don’t tempt me.” It’s a funny aside that shows Po’s essential goodness. The resulting fight between the two is well-designed and for the first phase of it we see the training moments from Shifu put to good use as Po tries to keep Tai Lung away from the scroll. Where the sequence really shines though is in how in subtle and obvious ways, it makes a “Panda” style believable as something that could combat the unbeatable leopard. In the same way that you scoff when you hear “Drunken Style” but then believe when Jackie Chan executes its unique abilities, the filmmakers here make you believe the flabbiness, the will for food, and the insatiable goodness are the only qualities that could perhaps be the perfect yin to the leopard’s powerful yang. The way Tai Lung’s punches and nerve moves don’t affect Po or rebound in a way that makes Po reflexively hit back are genius. The coup de grace of the scene is a callback to the wuxia finger hold mentioned early in the film. It’s a crowd-pleasing moment that perfectly encapsulates one of the best animated fight sequences and one of the best kung fu sequences of all-time.


FAVORITE DRAMATIC SEQUENCES OF THE YEAR
The Very Good:
  • "Thanking Pavel for His Help with Bruno’s Knee" -The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
  • "Finale: Bruno Goes Missing In the Camp" -The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
  • "Final Moments with Batman and the Joker" –The Dark Knight
  • "Sister Aloysius Discusses her Suspicion About Father O’Flynn with the Mother of the Child" –Doubt
  • "David Frost is Finally Able to Extract a Confession from Nixon" –Frost/Nixon
  • "The Child is Shot Off-Screen" –Funny Games
  • "Discussing his Life and Strategy with the Priest in a Uncut Sequence" -Hunger
  • “Suicide Attempt" –In Bruges
  • "Philippe Makes his Walk Across the Towers" –Man on Wire
  • "Dishwasher Showdown Ends with an Unexpected Plate" –Rachel Getting Married
  • "Surprised by an Old Friend at the Salon" –Rachel Getting Married
  • "Laura Opens up about her Rape and Terry Teaches her to Overcome It" –Redbelt
  • "Frank Finds Something in the Bathroom Closet and Confronts April about It" –Revolutionary Road
  • "Ben Thomas Fulfills his Plans and Blesses his Strangers" –Seven Pounds
  • "Lee Carter Gets to See the Finished Film" –Son of Rambow
  • "Final Executions are Carried Out" –Valkyrie
The Great:
  • "Student Admits She Didn't Learn Anything at the End of the Year" –The Class
  • "Batman Interrogates the Joker Leading to Rachel Dawes’ Lasts moments, Harvey Dent’s Downfall, and the Joker’s Freedom" -The Dark Knight
  • "Final Confrontation between the Sister and the Father" –Doubt
  • "A Lone Penguin Walks Off to the Mountains to Certain Death" –Encounters at the End of the World
  • "Rachel Readies Kym for the Wedding" –Rachel Getting Married
The Best: "The Final Stretch into the Checkered Flag at the Grand Prix” –Speed Racer
Commentary: n/a


FAVORITE COMEDIC SEQUENCES OF THE YEAR
Not a category I kept good track of - One of the toughest TBH
The Very Good:
  • "Chad & Linda Call Up Osborne Cox to Earn the Samaritan Tax on his Security Files" -Burn After Reading
  • "Confrontation with Tourists" -In Bruges
  • "Opening: Op Dreams of Awesomeness...and Attractiveness" -Kung Fu Panda
  • "Po Enjoys the Famous Artifacts & Breaks an Urn" -Kung Fu Panda
  • "Taking Down Red in his Own House" -The Pineapple Express
  • "Playing Russian Roulette with a Semi-Loaded Gun" –Semi-Pro
The Great:
  • "Super Agent Zohan Infiltrates to Capture Phantom" -You Don't Mess with the Zohan
  • "Opening Fake Trailers" -Tropic Thunder
The Best: "LARP Battle Royale Finale" -Role Models
Commentary: The best part of the film Role Models is that everything comes together and is essentially settled during the final battle of a LARPing contest. If you are not familiar, it is a medieval kind of role playing contest where people compete against each other and take each other out in fake battles. Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd’s characters come together to support the awkward and bullied Augie (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and help him in the contest. Together they form a country based on KISS characters. The battle itself is one of those that is both tongue in cheek silly, but also filmed as though it was as serious as it gets. Ken Jeong plays the evil King Argotron. The scene is filled with a lot of nice comedy bit players as well and they devise a handful of funny little bits to fill up the combat moments before the final showdown between Augie and the King. By the end, you’ve had several big laughs and you find yourself caught up in the story and cheering along to a well-choreographed Styrofoam sword fight.


FAVORITE MUSICAL SEQUENCES OF THE YEAR
*Only watched a total of two musicals this year
The Very Good:
  • "I Want It All" -High School Musical 3
  • "Mamma Mia" -Mamma Mia!
The Great:
  • n/a
The Best: "Dancing Queen" -Mamma Mia!
Commentary: n/a

BEST DIRECTOR
Nominees: 
  • Jonathan Demme Rachel Getting Married
  • Martin McDonagh In Bruges
  • Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight
  • Mark Osborne & John Stevenson Kung Fu Panda
  • John Patrick Shanley Doubt
  • The Wachowskis Speed Racer
Commentary: My choice for best director is the mastermind behind the most ambitious undertaking of the year - Christopher Nolan. Rescuing the Batman franchise from purgatory, Nolan’s unique and focused vision single-handedly brought The Dark Knight to the pinnacle of superheroes. Not content to fashion a modest follow-up to his moderately successful Batman Begins, Nolan has brought us what many have called The Godfather II of our generation.


FAVORITE FILM ENSEMBLE
Nominees: 
  • Burn After Reading
  • The Dark Knight
  • Doubt
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Frozen River
  • Happy-Go-Lucky
  • In Bruges
  • Rachel Getting Married
Commentary: There may have been other comic-book superhero films filled out with more talented roster of actors, but never has a superhero film ever given its cast such meaty roles to play with. The cast doesn’t waste the opportunity. Ledger’s Joker, Eckhart’s Harvey Dent, Bale’s Batman, and most surprisingly Oldman’s Gordon are all award worthy performances given the chance to go on a journey from the beginning to the end. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal all have great moments and give memorable performances as well. The Dark Knight’s ensemble doesn’t just give us great performances, they give us great characters.


FAVORITE MALE PERFORMANCES
Nominees: 
  • Michael Angarano Snow Angels
  • Leonardo DiCaprio Revolutionary Road
  • Michael Fassbender Hunger
  • Tom Hardy Bronson
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman Doubt
  • Bill Irwin Rachel Getting Married
  • Heath Ledger The Dark Knight
  • Eddie Marsan Happy-Go-Lucky
  • Gary Oldman The Dark Knight
  • Brad Pitt Burn After Reading
  • Mickey Rourke The Wrestler
Commentary: What can be said? Ledger's Joker is spectacular. As time goes on, his shadow lingers larger and larger. He is more than a villain, more than a nemesis for Batman to fight, Ledger embodies a Joker that in the end comes to represent chaos himself. While remaining completely human, Ledger transcends his character to create something of an archetype, a symbol of evil. This role will be remembered for a long time to come. It’s simply iconic.


FAVORITE FEMALE PERFORMANCES
Nominees: 
  • Cate Blanchett The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Viola Davis Doubt
  • Rosario Dawson Seven Pounds
  • Rosemarie Dewitt Rachel Getting Married
  • Anne Hathaway Rachel Getting Married
  • Sally Hawkins Happy-Go-Lucky
  • Melissa Leo Frozen River
  • Frances McDormand Burn After Reading
  • Meryl Streep Doubt
  • Marisa Tomei The Wrestler
  • Kate Winslet Revolutionary Road
Commentary: n/a


FAVORITE SCREENPLAY
(original or adapted)
Nominees: 
  • The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
  • The Counterfeiters
  • The Dark Knight
  • Doubt
  • Frozen River
  • Funny Games
  • In Bruges
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Rachel Getting Married
  • Speed Racer
Commentary: Aside from all the great achievements of The Dark Knight, the screenplay may be its greatest. When you strip away the music, the sound, the action, and the visual presentation, The Dark Knight would still have the power to captivate and entertain. This is rarely true of superhero films and action films. The fact that this movie would be able to work well on stage as a spoken play, speaks volumes for the genius that went into screenplay in relying on well-drawn characters, smart plotting, and strongly integrated themes.


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Nominees:
  • Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
  • Encounters at the Edge of the World
  • Man on Wire
Commentary: The key to winning this category is to have Werner Herzog's legendary voice narrating your documentary. While I jest, there is something about his accent that makes everything on the screen feel ten times more weighty. I loved this documentary about life in Antarctica and I'll never forget Herzog's reflection on a penguin that continued to walk away from his pack and to an area of the snow that would inevitably lead to his doom. Encounters at the End of the World is a documentary that plays in some ways like a travelogue, but boasts all the power of a drama. Werner Herzog, director of films like Rescue Dawn and Grizzly Man, brings along a film crew for his trip to Antarctica, and the footage is compiled into this documentary. On a cursory view, one would think that Herzog is just filming the several encounters he had in Antarctica with the different scientists, mechanics, engineers, and philosophers that find themselves at the south most part of the world. However, Herzog quickly puts that thought to bed when he reveals he told the American Science Foundation that the purpose of the trip wasn’t to “film fuzzy penguins”, but to try and answer questions about nature that have plagued him. Encounters at the End of the World is an excellent documentary and has stuck with me for some time since I’ve watched. I am ultimately not as cynical about man's interaction with nature as Herzog is, but for the span of an hour and a half, it’s quite an experience to view the world through Herzog’s eyes. I suppose its healthy to be reminded of man's smallness in the grand scheme of things, for isn't it written somewhere that "the dust returns from the ground it came from..."? I just like to always remind myself of the second part of that quote, "...and the spirit returns to God who gave it". For my full review of the documentary click HERE.





BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Nominees: 
  • Bolt
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars
  • Wall *E
  • Waltz with Bashir
Commentary: This was a good year of diverse animated films. While I think the first half of Wall *E is exceptional and is undermined by a ill-conceived second half - I appreciate Pixar taking ambitious swings rather than pushing out formulaic product. Bolt, Clone Wars and Waltz with Bashir are both strong in their own wars, but Kung Fu Panda connected with me in a way those didn't. I loved this homage to the kung fu genre that built a beautiful little world and gave us the broken but redeemed Shifu and the insatiable kung fu fanboy Po. While I can't give it an unqualified 'A' due to its unqualified "believe in yourself" messaging, this is one of my personal favorite animated films of all time.
BEST FILM EDITING
Nominees: 
  • The Dark Knight
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • Speed Racer
  • Traitor
Commentary: Dark Knight’s roller coaster editing is an enormous achievement, but I felt that the fresh and original editing style of Speed Racer was more integral to that films artistic success. There is an unprecedented synergy between Speed Racer’s cinematography, visual effects, and film editing, and it really is a marvel to watch. Eschewing traditional editing, Speed Racer is truly unique this year in how it brings together the story it tells and the pace, cutting, and rhythms in how it tells it.


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nominees: 
  • The Dark Knight
  • Rachel Getting Married
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • Speed Racer
  • The Wrestler
Commentary: I knew that The Dark Knight had cinematography in the bag the moment that I walked out of the theatre. The other nominees are all worthy of winning, but The Dark Knight, like Batman atop Gotham, sits heads and shoulders above its competition. Wally Pfister continues his quest to find even more shades and nuances in the color black, while giving us some of the most memorable and iconic images that will last throughout film history.


BEST ART DIRECTION
Nominees: 
  • Changeling
  • The Fall
  • Hellboy II: The Golden Army
  • Speed Racer
  • Synecdoche, New York
Commentary: Usually a fun category for me, but I think the art direction category was a little weak this year. In the end, Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army won on inventiveness and creativity alone. Del Toro really does have a great mind for interesting creatures and outlandish designs, and he allows it to run wild in this film. It’s clear that Del Toro cherished the art direction stages of making Hellboy II. I just wish a little more time would have gone into the screenplay stages as well.


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Nominees: 
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
  • Iron Man
  • Jumper
  • Speed Racer
  • The Spiderwick Chronicles
Commentary: While I wouldn’t say that Speed Racer introduces any genuinely new ideas into the field, it wins the award for the ways in which it so seamlessly uses everything at its disposal to create an entirely CGI’ed world that feels tactile and real, while still allowing the camera to move as freely as it wants. Re-watch the second half of the Casa Cristo Race in the mountains and just examine how in some sequences the camera freely zooms and floats from car to car to helicopter and back, without ever cutting away to an edit or taking us out of their created world. It’s the visual effects work of the year.


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Nominees: 
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Seven Pounds
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • Speed Racer
Commentary: I remember hearing a lot of praise for the score for Batman Begins and I must confess that I didn’t really understand it in 2005. Then came along The Dark Knight. This is hands down, my favorite score of 2008. The score perfectly captures the two genres of the film, giving us a pulse pounding thriller score for the crime aspects while also giving us a new take on the universal and transcendent theme from Batman Begins allowing us to soar with all the superhero aspects. On top of that two punch comes the creative punch of Joker's theme. Like no other musical cue, it single handedly conveys the chaos and anarchy that follows the Joker like a boat and its wake.


BEST SOUND DESIGN
Nominees: 
  • The Dark Knight
  • Iron Man
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Quantum of Solace
  • Wall *E
Commentary: The sound design by Ben Burt on Wall *E is really is an integral piece of why Wall *E is as loved as it is. Not much to say here - it's excellent and memorable work that supports the story by making Wall *E and his world real and believable.


BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Nominees: 
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
  • The Duchess
  • The Fall
  • Hellboy II: The Golden Army
  • The Other Boleyn Girl
Commentary: Every year there are a number of great costumed films and they mostly fall into the “historical” or “fantasy” category. As you can see from my nominees, this year is no different. It’s tiring to see most fantasy films year after year present practically the same armor and outfits, so it’s refreshing to stumble upon the “fantasy” outfits found in Tarsem’s The Fall. From mind blowing dresses to some truly authentic and unique armor, The Fall is the most unique, creative, and best costuming work of 2008.


BEST MAKE-UP & HAIR DESIGN
Nominees: 
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Hellboy II: The Golden Army
  • Synecdoche, New York
Commentary: A strong slate of contenders for the makeup crowd this year, but the giant leap forward that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button represents in the field of makeup cannot go unnoticed. The real achievement here is not that the makeup stands out as an achievement, but in its ability to make the viewer completely believe in the transformation that Benjamin undertakes throughout the film, without becoming a distraction.
BIGGEST GUILTY PLEASURE
Nominees: 
  • Death Race
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth
  • Mamma Mia!
  • Saw V
  • You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Commentary: n/a


MOST SURPRISING FILM
Nominees: 
  • The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Rachel Getting Married
Commentary: Outside of Pixar, Dreamworks was the only studio to putting out quality animated films on a somewhat consistent basis during this time. Still I had low expectations for Kung Fu Panda - judging by the trailers it just looked like a gimmicky cash-in. So it was to my surprise that Kung Fu Panda turned out to feature some lovely animation, a simply told story, and a genuine passion for the kung fu genre. It has all the lightness and charm of The Emperor’s New Groove combined with the kinetically choreographed action of The Incredibles. The world of they build is a pleasant one and Jack Black inhabits Po the Panda perfectly - this was a true surprise.


MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM
Nominees: 
  • Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Happening
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
  • The Love Guru
  • Synecdoche, New York
Commentary: n/a

MOST UNDERRATED FILM
Nominees: 
  • Speed Racer
  • The Spiderwick Chronicles
  • Traitor
Commentary: Lampooned by both the critics and the populace Speed Racer was one of the biggest flops of 2008. Several critics called it headache inducing and simply labeled it just another special effects laden film of the OCD age. To say that is to really miss the originality and creativity of the film and the genius that the Wachowskis brought to Speed Racer. On display here is a comprehensive new perspective on putting a film together; the writing, the editing, the cinematography, and the direction perfectly combined together to compose a truly uniquely cinematic product. I found it easily enjoyable with a simple but moving message about the importance of family. I hope the world gives this film a second chance, for its one of the standout films of 2008 that remains a unique experience to this day.


MOST OVERRATED FILM
Nominees: 
  • Milk
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • The Strangers
  • Wall *E
Commentary: How on earth do I put one of the year’s most critically acclaimed films as overrated? Certainly Wall *E is a decent story as well as a true triumph of art direction and sound design, but as anything deeper than a cute robot love story, I think it ultimately fails to execute. I felt that while Wall *E’s basic storyline was entertaining, its underlying themes (anti-corporation, anti-consumer, and that humans are inherently lazy) and accusations against human nature not only rang untrue to me, but miss the truth about humanity all-together. Much like Slumdog Millionaire, I felt Wall *E was a competent and compelling story, just shallow underneath.


WORST FILM
Nominees: 
  • An American Carol
  • The Happening
  • In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
  • The Love Guru
  • Passchendaele
Commentary: Mike Myers makes me laugh. I laugh at his critically acclaimed stuff and I even tend to laugh at his critically scuttled stuff. I mean, I even laughed at The Cat in the Hat (and bought the DVD!). The Love Guru however, does not make me laugh. If I were to end this blurb here, it would give you an accurate recommendation for The Love Guru. This is a disaster of a film. It’s not only not funny or “anti-funny” as A.O. Scott in the New York Times called it, but it’s an offensively vulgar PG-13 film as well. Much like The Happening has done for Shyamalan, The Love Guru makes one look back upon the previous works and wonder how things went right. This movie shows no sign of being written by someone who has several comedy films under his belt. There is nothing to recommend here, even for die-hard fans of Mike Myers. The film is not funny, its’ story is weak, characters flat, and it’s relentlessly crude (Elephants having sex is even a bit much for Myers). Do yourself a favor and stay away from this Guru.


BEST COMPILATION OF WORK
Nominees:
  • Robert Downey Jr: Charlie Bartlett, Iron Man, Tropic Thunder
  • Meryl Streep: Doubt, Mamma Mia!
Commentary: n/a


ERIC BANA AWARD
*Given for the best performance in a bad film (See 2004's Troy)
Nominees:
  • Brendan Fraser Journey to the Center of the Earth
  • Kathryn Heigl 27 Dresses
Commentary: n/a


THE END!

"You shouldn't forget the importance of entertainment" -Funny Games


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