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On last week’s episode of FilmCouch, I admitted that I can’t really defend myself against the criticisms that I tend to be friendlier to smaller films than blockbusters; as I pointed out, as of the recording of that episode, the highest grossing film that had a real chance of making my Top 10 of 2008 list had so far been out-grossed by 39 other films. Today, I took another look at Box Office Mojo’s 2008 box office chart, and noticed two things. 1) the film in question, Burn After Reading, has dropped to #41 for the year, likely due to the assent of Twilight into the Top 20; and of the 40 films that outgrossed the Coen Brothers film (which, for them, was a big hit), I’ve only even seen two: Iron Man (#2) which I did like, and 27 Dresses (#31) which … uh… all I can say is that I have insomnia and it was on HBO really, really late.
I know that I need to remedy this. I need to see some of the year’s highest grossing films, if my cheerleading for some of the lowest-grossing is to be taken as, at least, informed elitism, and not elitism of the knee-jerk variety. But I simply can’t watch all 38 films in the next four weeks. So where to begin? I know that I should have seen The Dark Knight (#1) and Wall-E (#5) over the summer, and I’ll definitely watch both on DVD before the year is out. I do not have much faith that Get Smart (#15) or What Happens in Vegas (#28) will be able to knock A Christmas Tale out of its tentative top slot on my personal Top Ten, but the populist argument would maintain that I have to see them before I dismiss them out of hand, right?
Or not? Basically, I need you help. Look at the list here, and tell me which high-grossing films you think I absolutely must see before the end of 2008 in order to be able to accurately assess, as a whole, The Year in Movies. I’ll do what I can to catch up with the consensus choice, and will report back on my impressions.
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We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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I’ve only seen The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Indiana Jones, Tropic Thunder, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, Cloverfield and The Happening. Of those, only The Dark Knight, Wall-E and Pineapple Express have any merit.
I don’t think any of the top grossing films this year are MUST see movies, with exceptions from TDK and Wall-E, both of which may ultimately disappoint you. And I doubt any of these will fall in your top 10. But thinking I know your tastes, you may have some guilty appreciation for Hancock, Mamma Mia! and Twilight, although I haven’t seen the latter two.
Wall-E is the only one worth seeing.
Pineapple Express, because David Gordon Green directed it, and it’s interesting to see how his quiet poetic style morphs to fit around the bro-down Apatow brand.
And Cloverfield, which is a noteworthy formal experiment that capitalizes on the ubiquity of digital cameras.
They’re not exactly Fassbinder, but they might be good springboards for other ideas about the sub-40 films you (and I) adore so much.
I’d recommend The Mummy.
The Dark Knight
Wall-E
Iron Man (haven’t seen it either, but I’ve heard reasonably good things)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (best film in the Top 40, hands down)
Oops, I take that back. Wall-E is the best Top 40 film, hands down. It was really good.
Hmmm… I saw 11 of those movies, and I thought there were more that I was excited about. I enjoyed most of them, but not many must-sees (besides, obviously, Batman and Cute Robot). Pineapple Express is interesting and entertaining, although not completely satisfying. I actually liked Eagle Eye pretty well for its endearing dopiness and surprisingly powerful Spielbergian paranoia, though I guess I’m alone on that one. I also liked Indiana Jones a lot. It’s silly, sometimes to the point of inviting indifference, but surprisingly touching if you are willing to care about cartoony but sincerely-drawn action movie archetypes. Twilight’s not bad, although too glossy for its own good.
The one I most highly recommend (besides, obviously, Batman and Cute Robot) is Quantum of Solace. I don’t know whether it will ultimately be judged as a strong step towards a more vivid, believable Bond or a misguided attempt to fit Bond into trendy models of Contemporary Relevance and Psychological Complexity, but… I liked it. The script is sometimes stupid, but Forster’s slightly arty style and Craig’s performance really crank up the New Bond combination of super-cool and horribly bitter. It uses terse action-movie style and imagery (rather than particularly interesting dialogue or themes) to develop character, and it works.
Hellboy II
Get Smart is actually worth seeing, if only for Anne Hathatway, who manages to make a character out of what could have been just another sexy secret agent. Likewise, Iron Man could have been just another superhero movie, but it never really feels like its just about a superhero. Which is, I guess, to say, that it works as the story of Tony Stark as much as it does the story of Iron Man ( who would be nothing with the man inside).
I’ve seen a lot of them because I have a friend who works at a mainstream theatre and I get in for free.
Obviously The Dark Knight and Wall-E.
Hancock is absolutely fascinating in how much of a mess it is. Definitely see it.
Why did you specifically single out What Happens in Vegas? Definitely do not see it, it is even more horrible than it appears. Seeing it that high on the box office list makes me weep.
Cloverfield is worth checking out, both because it’s kinda okay and due to its significance as a pop culture phenomenon that immediately fizzled out.
I laughed pretty hard at “Tropic Thunder”… if smarmy insider Hollywood comedy is your thing. But, Downey Jr. is near perfect. His reactions shots, the little murmurings he does… it’s worth it for his performance alone.
I got an unbelievable delight out of “21″, but then again playing poker is a hobby.
“Lakeview Terrace” was another surprise, with a wonderfully modulated performance from Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson.
ah, hell. I say go with your instincts and embrace your inner elitist. Most of that list is crap anyway, and the fact is that lowbrow crap nearly always outgrosses more serious-minded, thoughtful, or otherwise quality filmmaking. How else would Eddie Murphy and Mike Meyers keep getting work?
That list has a handful of fun diversions on it to be sure. But if you’re imagining that the likes of JUMPER or MADE OF HONOR are going to be revelations of ingenuity that cause you to rethink the blockbuster paradigm, you’re likely to remain disappointed.
I think you should see as many as possible that already fell from grace. Then you’ll be an expert in the most overlooked movies of 2008 AND the most forgettable blockbusters.
10,000 BC, The Mummy, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Jumper, Vantage Point, Fool’s Gold, The Happening, What Happens in Vegas.
Go where none of us have gone and share with us what you discover.
In retrospect I don’t think I care much about any of them. Iron Man, Wall-E, and The Dark Knight were all perfectly entertaining to me while they were blasting me in the face in Dolby-super-surround-3d-IMAX, but none of them have actually left me with much to think about, and even though I wrote and spoke favorably of them at the time, I can’t imagine buying any of them for a home viewing. The Dark Knight is worth seeing just because the mood of it was so appealing to people at the time that they overlooked a lot of clunkiness, and highbrow critics were so soured on its success, they overlooked some parts of it that were actually well done. People love nihilism as long as it’s in a really cold and dour northern European art film, but stick a couple of explosions in there and it’s fascist propaganda. Batman wasn’t smart enough to effectively propagandize anything, but I still think the guy taking the pencil in the eye socket was pretty awesome for a mainstream super-hero movie.
Going in reverse order:
39. Forgetting Sarah Marshall: A great comedy. I saw it in a second-run theater with some friends and it was hilarious and well-done.
I’ve heard good things about 36. Bolt.
32. Hellboy II… eh, I enjoyed it to a point, but I had a free ticket as well…
30. Cloverfield is great for a “watch it one time then toss it” movie. If you have a Blu-Ray / HDTV that is huge, turn off all the lights and watch it. Otherwise, you can skip it.
26. Pineapple Express is a laugh riot. And I’m not a stoner.
20. Step Brothers was pretty funny in an immature way.
I have also heard good things about 17. Tropic Thunder and 14. Wanted. Can’t endorse them, though.
6. Kung Fu Panda and 5. WALL-E are the current pinnacle of computer animation. Check out both.
1. Dark Knight. Most IMAX theaters are still showing it; go find one, it’s the best way to try to get it to live up to the hype. I honestly was underwhelmed even after IMAX… the buzz was just too much for it to overcome.
Definitely see The Bank Job & Definitely, Maybe. Get Smart is horrendous. Drillbit Taylor: Feh. Several others are on my list, but I haven’t seen them yet.
A few more observations:
Don’t Mess with the Zohan has a few funny moments, but otherwise it is eminently skippable, for all sorts of reasons.
Sex & the City: If you didn’t like the series, don’t bother; if you liked the series, well, maybe. It’s painfully long, and for all the lighting, the years show.
Spiderwick is a very bland, slightly sweet, very unscary movie for kids.
I didn’t see Madagascar II, but I saw the first one with my kids. Its awfulness was beyond description.
The Happening was totally misunderstood and very much worth seeing if you like B-horror films.
I would love to read a Karina review of Wanted though I’m sure A Christmas Tale would still be safe.