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Heith's Pick: Hancock
Starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman
2008 may have been a bit of a sparse year for favorites, but when I sat down to write about my favorite film of the year, the winner came to me immediately: Hancock.
Never mind that it was the fourth-highest grossing movie of 2008; never mind the star power that attracted big crowds to the theaters to begin with. There isn't a single scene in Hancock that isn't fun. From the first frame, the picture is painted perfectly of who Hancock is -- the drunk, miserable anti-hero who would like nothing more than to be left alone. But his transition from down-and-out bum who saves peoples' lives to respectable superhero who saves peoples's lives couldn't have been drawn more perfectly.And that's one of the film's greatest credits: its ability to make you believe you're watching a real-life superhero who's kind of one of us. He has no secret identity, no vast wealth that makes his outrageous exploits possible, and the film mercifully lacks the obligatory supervillain who shows up to match Hancock's wits and vast powers. It's a completely human story about a guy with superhuman abilities, and it has a terrific sense of humor to boot. If you still haven't seen Hancock and have even the faintest interest, you must check it out soon. It is by far Will Smith's best film, and that's saying something.
Heith's Grade: B+
Heith's runner-up: The Dark Knight
Neil's Pick: WALL•E
Starring Benjamin Burtt and Elissa Knight
My favorite movie for 2008 is without question Pixar’s latest, WALL•E. After seeing only the teaser trailer over one year before it’s theatrical release, I knew I had to see this film.
This is a fantastic movie the likes of which has never been seen before. The character of WALL•E is unbelievably lifelike. The depth that was given to this little animated robot will take years to parallel in an animated film. The story is great, the animation is beyond amazing, the inventiveness and ingenuity of this film is one that we haven’t seen in a long time. And I love how there is almost no dialogue for the first 45 minutes of the movie. The fact that there is so little talking during a large portion of the movie is astonishing, given what a remarkable movie it turned out to be.
I saw this movie twice in the theater and now I own the Limited Edition three-disc DVD. It’s by far the best film of the year and one of my new favorite movies of all time. If you haven’t seen it yet, then get to it. Read my DVD review of the film here
Neil's Grade: A+
Neil's runner-up: Son of Rambow
Suener's Pick: Persepolis
Few movies in 2008 stand out as being unforgettable and phenomenal; few, that is, except my number one pick,
Persepolis.
This animated tale of a headstrong nine-year-old girl Marjane, growing up through the years in a war-torn Iran
during the Islamic Revolution, is refreshingly unexpected and original.
This is a dark story about a carefree young woman whose hope for the future turns to hopelessness and dispair
as her family is torn apart by the repressive government imprisoning, torturing, and executing loved ones for
actions that were acceptable just years before. And it is not every day -- or possibly ever before -- that a story
like this is animated and even told with unexpected laughs and humor. This isn't, however, a comedy by
any means; in fact, somehow I actually had an increased feeling of what this family and their fellow countrymen
went through. You could feel the dispair and hopelessness in a way that just cannot be matched with a live-action
film.
This movie follows Marjane through several years as she escapes Iran and tries to make a new life for
herself in Europe, only to find hardships as challenging as living in a tyrannical society. I loved this film
from start to finish (I felt as though I was going through the hard years alongside Marjane), and the visually
interesting animation keeps you entertained as well. I have to warn you that this is a very unique type of
movie -- it definitely deviates from your typical Saturday night flick -- but if you have an open mind and are in the
mood for something eye-opening and supremely different, do not miss this award-winning film.
Suener's Grade: A-
Suener's runner-up: WALL•E