SIN-E-FILE (Not-Ten Films of 2008)

"I have the sin of the Cinephile" - Jean Luc Godard

When will critics finally stop the madness of making top ten lists of the best films of the year? I have either been reading critics’ top ten lists or reading critics making fun of top ten lists, who then make their own lists. But rarely do they actually refrain from the temptation of making one. (As of now, the only top ten list I anxiously await is Frank Palmcoast’s.)

When you really think about it, not only is it silly to place one film above another for whatever reason, (What possibly could place #9 above #8?!?!?!) but it is true madness to compile a list when you haven’t seen every single film of that year. And, honestly, what critic has seen every film that came out in 2008? It’s like crowning Miss America when some of the girls haven’t even made the stage yet. I remember reading one critic’s review, from a significant weekly paper last year, of There Will Be Blood. The critic loved it and was lamenting the fact that his “Top Ten Films of The Year” list had been published just one week before he saw P.T. Anderson’s epic, otherwise he would have placed it in the #1 spot!!!

As the Oscar nominations are announced later this week, and some people actually start to believe that the five films that are selected are actually the five best films of the year, I thought I would do my part to acquaint you or to remind you of the best work that I have SEEN SO FAR that happened to come out in 2008, without telling you too much, so as not to ruin your viewing experience.

Happy-Go-Lucky – Mike Leigh crafts real characters hand-in-hand with his actors, and the drama (or comedy) is born out of them. This makes for truly satisfying cinematic experiences. And this one is by far my favorite. Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marson are brilliant. Makes you smile without insulting you for even one second! SO RARE!

Synecdoche, New York – One man’s crazy, unfiltered, noncommercial, epic vision brought to life with a $12.4 million budget. This DOES NOT happen. See it now on the big screen. Kaufman will never get final cut again, folks.

Let The Right One In – Those who call this a horror film are incorrect; there is no “fright” in it. It is disturbing in an interesting, stylistic way, not in a…well…“disturbing” way. It is, however, not only a fascinating vampire film with an abundance of superb filmmaking and perfectly subtle performances by children, but it stayed with me for some time after the credits rolled.

Also: Man on Wire, Rachel Getting Married, The Wrestler

Don’t Believe the hype: Slumdog Millionaire, Silent Light, Frost/Nixon, Gran Torino, Revolutionary Road

-Peter Rinaldi