Every now and then you are reminded just how intensely a creature of habit you can be. This just happened to me when I realized that I have been subscribing to Entertainment Weekly magazine on and off for the last dozen years. Lately, with the amount of time I've spent shopping and working and watching movies, I've had a very hard time keeping up with them. They come once a week, guys! Anyway, there is one issue I would not miss though and that is their "Best of 2008" issue. Resident film critics, and personal writing heroes, Owen Gleiberman and Lisa Schwarzbaum have unveiled their official year end lists and I will now reveal them to you.
Let us begin with Mr. Gleiberman's list ...
10 TELL NO ONE
9 MILK
8 THE CLASS
7 BURN AFTER READING
6 THE EDGE OF HEAVEN
5 MOMMA'S MAN
4 WALL-E
3 RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
2 THE DARK KNIGHT
1 THE WRESTLER
I enjoy Mr. Gleiberman's list because, while it is internationally tinged (TELL NO ONE and THE CLASS are both French, while THE EDGE OF HEAVEN is German), it is also distinctly American. THE WRESTLER, which I still haven't watched despite having a screener sitting on my coffee table for more than a week now, is a celebration of a return to independence and the tale of an American underdog. And THE DARK KNIGHT represents everything excessive and grandiose about American film. Meanwhile, love thrown at MILK and BURN AFTER READING recognizes two of America's greatest filmmakers. Speaking of love, I could not be more happy to see RACHEL GETTING MARRIED in third place. This is the most underrated film of the year for me and it deserves serious consideration in the major categories at this year's Oscar's. It won't get it, of course, but it deserves it hands down. Of course, the most lovable robot of all time is just sitting pretty in fourth place but more on him in Lisa Schwarzbaum's list. Let's get to that ...
10 TROPIC THUNDER
9 MAN ON WIRE
8 HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
7 TROUBLE THE WATER
6 WENDY AND LUCY
5 GOMORRA
4 WALTZ WITH BASHIR
3 THE DARK KNIGHT
2 MILK
1 WALL-E
And there he goes, zooming right on up to first place. I would love to see WALL-E walk away with a Best Picture nomination at this year's Oscar's. I feel like the Academy might make room for a major hit this year considering a handful of them were actually that good. Still, I feel that most members will likely go the route of lopping WALL-E with the other animated flicks and leaving it at that. If anything, I feel like the Blockbuster spot will go to THE DARK KNIGHT. Quite frankly, considering the supposedly better indie fare I've seen thus far, and I still have some last minute catching up to do, I would shortlist them both in the Top 5 right now. I will be renting MAN ON WIRE very soon, catching WALTZ WITH BASHIR at the cinema down the street some time this weekend and scouring the internet for HAPPY-G0-LUCKY and GOMORRA as neither is playing in my city. As for the rest of the list, I can't say I agree with the inclusion of TROPIC THUNDER but I guess everyone's got a sense of humour. And MILK, this is a film that needs to be seen so as both critics included it, maybe this will help.
Please note the absence of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Although I doubt I could accomplish this, I would like to start a campaign to detract from this fine film. I caught it again yesterday, thinking I should as everyone seems to be tripping over themselves after seeing this film, but I felt the same after my second viewing. This is a fine film but this is not a Best Picture contender. I'm not sure what depth you all are getting from it. It is trapped by its own Q&A structure and can never truly break out into anything truly fated or unexpected. It is inconsistent and contrived and I fear that people are falling for it for all the wrong reasons. Yes, it is Indian and colorful; yes, it has a great, fun musical number during the closing credits; and yes, it has the American import "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" to give it all a familiar air. However, it lacks the emotional depth and understated simplicity that will make films like WALL-E, THE DARK KNIGHT, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED and MILK into the kinds of experiences that will still have meaning for years to come.
I see another CRASH coming and I feel powerless to stop it.