A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there lived a girl named Melinda who loved to go to the movies. Her husband managed a movie theater and they would go watch something almost every week. There were times when they actually watched more than one movie on the same day. Those were the years BC (Before Children).
Now, in the years AD (After DaTwins) her cinematic life has changed drastically. She considers herself lucky if she sees just one movie each month. Of the multitude of movies released in 2008, she only saw 13! And of those 13, only 8 of them were in theaters. Nevertheless, here are her pics and pans from 2008.
The Best
Slumdog Millionaire - I loved this movie because it was smart, funny, and most importantly, ORIGINAL! It was very refreshing in a day and age when every idea is recycled and remade.
The Dark Knight – I’m not a huge fan of superhero movies, but this was great from beginning to end. Heath Ledger’s performance was brilliant. And I’m really glad that Katie Holmes passed on this movie because Maggie Gylenhall was sooo much better in the role. As with all action movies, however, they overdid the special effects a bit. Driving a motorcycle up a wall, doing a flip and landing it square on both tires? Pah-lease!
Sex and The City – I was skeptical that 6 years after the series ended it would be hard to make a good movie from the franchise. But I was pleasantly surprised at what wonderful job this movie did of portraying the intricacies and intimacies of different relationships in a realistic, yet entertaining manor.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – While a completely different movie than Slumdog Millionaire, I enjoyed Miss Pettigrew for the same reasons. It was smart, funny and ORIGINAL!
Marley and Me – You don’t have to be a pet owner to appreciate this movie.The Worst
- Tropic Thunder – The only redeeming factor to this terrible movie was a fat, balding Tom Cruise dancing to gangster rap.
- Made of Honor – I’m sorry Dr. McDreamy. I loved you back when you were just a baby-faced geek in Can’t Buy Me Love. But nothing could buy my love for this movie.
The Rest (In no particular order)
- Baby Mama – Funny and Smart. ‘Twas the year of Tina Fey.
- What Happens in Vegas – Predictable, but still funny and entertaining.
- Eagle Eye – This movie seemed like a mediocre version of Enemy of the State.
- Vantage Point - This movie had potential, but I got tired of seeing the same event over and over again.
- Four Christmases – Entertaining.
- 27 Dresses – A fun chick-flick.
I still really want to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Rachel Getting Married. If I had seen them, I suspect at least one of them would have made it into my top five. I guess I’ll just have to wait until they come to a Redbox near me!
