D.C. MOVIE GUYS

What a year!  Just when you thought you’d be burried in superhero flicks and
Judd Apatow knock off comedies (hey, even KevinSmith made one-with
Apatow’ s main man, no less!), the last three months of the year
produce a treasure trove of quality films.  Here, in ascending order, are
my Top Ten:

10.  WALL.E-A delightfully eccentric animated comedy from Pixar/Disney
with an enviromental message worth hearing and  heart and brans in
equal messure.  Though some found it heavy handed in spots, I can’t
get the little guy or EVE out of my head-or that damn song from
“Hello, Dolly,” unfortunately.

9.   THE  DARK KNIGHT-The class of the superhero pack. A
film that’s true to its roots, while offering complex observations
on the real world at the same time.  Heath Ledger took the Joker to
a new and scarry great place (sorry, Jack.)

8. FROZEN RIVER-First time writer/director Courtney Hunt
hit a home run with this gripping crime drama/character study
about a single mother (Melissa Leo in her deservedly Oscar
nominated performance) who stumbles into the ugly business
of human trafficing.  Hunt’s script was Oscar nominated and Missy
Uppham’s great supporting turn should have been rewarded as well.

7.  SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE-Danny Boyle’s dazzling adaptation of
the novel “Q & A” sweeps you totally into the world of a young man
from India’s slums (the magnetic Dev Patel) who makes his way
onto ”Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”-and that’s jus the begining
of the story. A world class piece of filmmakng.

6. MILK-Sen Penn gives one of his most expansive and
acessable performance as the first openly gay man elected
to office inthe U.S., San Fransisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk.
Gus Van Sant’ bio pic brings the times and mood of the supposedly
“open” city to life with a superior ensamble cast led by Penn, James
Franco and fellow Oscar nominee Josh Brolin as the
dangerously deceptive Dan White.  An absorbing ook at the life
of a fighter for not just gay rights, but human rights as well.

5. RACHEL GETTIN MARRIED-JohnathanDemme delivered a comedy/drama
that resembled real life-full of chaos, messy emotions and love.
Anne Hathaway delivered a stand out perfrormance of depth
and complexity as the older sister of the title character, an
acid tounged drama queen of a former teen supermodel,
leaving rehab on the weekend of her little sister’s wedding.
Rosemary DeWitt, Bill Irwin and Debra Winger add spice to
spicy stew of a tale.

4.  THE VISITOR-Tom McCarthy, who wrote and directed  ”The Station
Agent,” delivered a real gem with this quietly passionate drama about
a widdowed college profssor (“Six Feet Under” ‘s Richard Jenkins, who’s
up for the Best Actor Oscar) who returns to his long shuttered
New York apartment to find it’s inhabited by an illegal immigrant
couple who were conned in a real estate scam.  Allowing the
duo to stay while while he attends a conference in the city leads
all three on a unexpected journey with unpredictablle results.
A truly human-and humane-story.

3. CHANGELING-Clint Eastwood does a masterful job
of re-creating Los Angeles in the late 1920′s in this
story of the real life disappearance of a young boy and his
mother’s (Angelina Jolie) search for the truth.  Jolie is
spot on a the singles mother striving to make a decent life
for herself and her son.  She fits her performance to the
period rather than he other way around, as most current
actors would.  Like its star, the movie looks into the heart of
darkness, but never succumbs to it, finding strength in the face
corruption and neglect.

2. FROST/NIXON-Ron Howard does one of his
finest directing jobs in this adaptation of the Tony
Award-winnimng play about the behind the scenes
struggles involving talk show host David Frost’s
1977 series of interviews with ex-President Richard
Nixon. Peter Morgan’s script does a eirst class job
of exploing each man’s demons and desires with gloy
and stature hanging in the balance.  Frank Langella
is fascinating and unforgettable as Nixon, Michael
Sheen terrific as Frost.  The supporting cast is excellent.
This is a portrait of two fascinating characters that
portays their humanity as well.

1. THE CURRIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON-David
Fincher surprised me with this gentle and deeply affecting
fable about a man (Braad Pitt) born “old” who grows younger
as he ages and the people he meets and loves through his
journey through life.  Based on-and expanded from-the
F. Scot Fitzgerald short story,  the movie does beautifully
what more films should do; utilize the remarkable
wizardry that filmmakers can employ in service of a
story that speaks to our shared human experience.
Far too many films use their camera tricks to frighten
or sicken us.  “Button” reminds us that it’s the fleeting moments
and the small decisions that make a life special.  Pitt, Cate
Blanchette, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton and the rest of
the cast, along with the rest of the movie’s craftspersons,
make you feel when the closing credits roll as if you’ve
just read a richly textured, utterly satisfying novel.

If I ha a second ten; it would be: Tropic Thunder, In Bruges,
The Reader, Standard Operating Procedure, Waltz With Bashir,
Iron Man, Hamlet 2, Defiance, Gran Torino and Kung Fu Panda.

As for the Worst of ther Year-hey, how long you got?
Seriously, among the “standouts”: First Sunday, Be Kind,
Rewind, Drillbit Taylor, Pineapple Express, Forgetting
Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers and the “Ed Wood Memorial
Prize Loser” (so to speak): Harrold and Kumar Escape
From Guantanamo Bay (except for Neal Patrik Harris, of
course.)  Oh well. . .maybe 2009 will be better.  Then again,
I’ve seen Bride Wars. . .and My Bloody Valentine in 3-D. . .and
Underworld 3. .

Joe Barber