In Bruges

In Bruges is a great surprise. It's one of the best films of 2008 for sure. Some might be turned off or confused by the marketing on this one or not even know the film. And that's a shame because it is a great hitman movie which is not really about killing people. Many love the Guy Ritchie British gangster films, but I never have and that kind of put me off of this movie back when I saw the trailers, but it's more than fast talking gangsters from the UK. It's funny, there's heart to it and some action. It's quirky and bittersweet. I don't want to give too much away, but if you enjoy the personalities of so-called "hitmen" more than the killing, this might suit you. Think random conversations like in Pulp Fiction, but without the artifice. This is both more natural and more artificial at the same time. The film walks a fine line and walks it well. It's a surprise and another one of 2008's damn fine films.

The Wrestler

The credits are still rolling as I type this, but I had to say something. The Wrestler is one of the best films of 2008 and Mickey Rourke's performance is simply unbelievable. Every second of screen time with him is one where you can't look away. The movie looks and feels like a documentary. It plays like a small slice of one man's life. It's a quick look, but you could watch hours and hours of this performance. I had no idea 2008 was going to turn out to be such a great year, but it is so very tough to say what the single best film of the year was when so many of them deserve our time and attention. This one sure does. Please, just go watch it.

Battlestar Galactica Season 4.0

BSG season 2 was divided into two DVD sets, 2.0 and 2.5. This was seen by many fans as a double dip. Each set cost the same as a full season set like 1 and 3. Fans screamed and complained about the cost. How could Universal do this? Well, they did it because they divided the season into two portions, months apart from each other. Releasing the DVD set in half like this was a way to promote the new batch of shows and appease fans who would not want to wait any longer for the full season. Now, Universal is doing the same thing with season 4. And fans are still bitching. You know what? It's been nearly a YEAR since the last episode aired. Why the fuck would I want to wait one more year just to save a few bucks on a full season DVD set? They need to hype season 4.5. They need to remind us what happened in the first half of the season. And they need to make money. You know what fanboys? Go back in time ten, fifteen years to when we didn't even have DVD season sets. Imagine paying 20 bucks for 2 episodes of Star Trek. Sound like fun? It wasn't. We need to stop complaining when we get what we want. So what if they split it? You're still getting it and you don't even have to buy it if you don't want to. If price concerns you, wait for a sale. Until then, stop being dicks. And stop spamming Amazon with 1 star reviews. Asshats.

Slumdog Millionaire: Best Picture?

To answer that question, yes, it just might be the best picture of 2008. What a fucking amazing film. Danny Boyle continues to surprise and this is easily his masterpiece. It's a travelogue of India, a romance, a comedy and more. What it really is, is the story of one man showing that he is better than where he comes from. No other movie has used a pop culture entity as well. Who Wants to be A Millionaire may not be much these days, but the use of it in the film is amazing. We have the story of Jamal, a poor kid from the slums who somehow makes it one question from winning on the show. Of course they suspect cheating and we're taken through his life as he basically learns these answers. What we find is that it doesn't matter how or why he knows these answers. That's not what it's about. It's Jamal's quest to find Latika, the girl he is detined to be with. The game show is merely a means to an end. The film is richly textured, beautiful to look at and funny when it needs to be and serious when it needs to be. It's an amazing amazing film and I'm so very glad that I got the chance to see it. I may end of rewatching The Dark Knight more, but this film hits home in ways that never could. This film deserves your attention.