Best flicks seen, or revisisted, during 2008

[sulky_uk]

one of the best films ive ever seen is a german filmed epic (english subtitles)
 
downfall
 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/
 
 
 
 
quote from imdb
'Der Untergang' (Downfall) is probably the only WW2 movie I've ever seen, which only deals with facts and is utterly deprived of any form of commercialism whatsoever. Bruno Ganz is truly excellent in his role as Adolf Hitler, a tired man who sees his "Reich" fall, but cannot accept it. Overall (type)casting is very good; all the actors chosen to portray a famous/notorious character look a lot like the real deal, especially Goebbels. Although I'm not a fan of long war movies, these 2,5 hours passed very quickly due to excellent acting, great sets, FX and storyline. Somehow, every scene is dripping with underlying tension that never really explodes; a kind of unsettling unbelieved grips you when you see seemingly ordinary people commit astonishing atrocities and sins towards mankind, just for their faith and loyalty to one man, Hitler, who himself walks the edge of reason.

[delanvital]

Der Untergang ist fantastic! Some find it a too heavy and it is not an "action" flick, but for those that like a deep film it is awesome.

[Dr Sadako]

Der Untergang was good. Some tips on other good german movies are

Lola rennt (Run Lola Run, 1998) Lola has 20 minutes to gather 100.000DM to save her boyfriend. Run Lola. Run!
Das Experiment (The Experiment, 2001) based on a true psychological experiment.
Die Welle (The Wave, 2008) A teacher try to teach students about autocracy and things start to spin out of control.

[no peanuts]

Die Welle (The Wave, 2008) A teacher try to teach students about autocracy and things start to spin out of control.

I'll have to look into this one. I remember reading the Novel which was a good read. Hope the Movie is as good as the book.

[GhostMjr]

I enjoyed downfall and i think this captures the closure of the third reich accurately.

Other low profile world war 2 films that i have watched and would recommend have been:

• When Trumpets fade
• Saints and Soldiers

[Dr Sadako]

I watched The Escapist yesterday and it was very good. If you are going to watch it you must have surround sound. It is superb!

I can also recommend the Wallander series with Kenneth Branagh. Shot 40 km from where i live.

[delanvital]

I watched The Escapist yesterday and it was very good. If you are going to watch it you must have surround sound. It is superb!

I can also recommend the Wallander series with Kenneth Branagh. Shot 40 km from where i live.

Wallander has been running on TV here. They are very good

[ChimpBoy]

Just watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.  Fantastic film, absolutely beautiful (shot by Roger Deakins who creates the most beautiful and memorable screen images this side of Terence Malick).  Fantastic acting and a great script.  Bit of a slow pace for some on here I would warrant, but it really shouldn't put off any cinephile.

[delanvital]

Just watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.  Fantastic film, absolutely beautiful (shot by Roger Deakins who creates the most beautiful and memorable screen images this side of Terence Malick).  Fantastic acting and a great script.  Bit of a slow pace for some on here I would warrant, but it really shouldn't put off any cinephile.

I like that kind of movies. Added to the list!

[delanvital]

Here is my list for 2009, so far, of the best new or revisited movies.

A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) (IMDB: 7.2. Me: 9)
I was not sure about what to expect and was still surprised. Having Travolta and Scarlett Johansson in the cast I expected more mainstream, but it was not. Scarlett is snappy and angry and Travolta snaps back. The dialogue, the acting and the awesome cinematography of New Orleans kept me watching.

Upon hearing of her mother's death, jaded teenage loner Purslane Hominy Will returns to New Orleans for the first time in years, ready to reclaim her childhood home. Expecting to find her late mother's house abandoned, Pursy is shocked to discover that it is inhabited by two of her mother's friends: Bobby Long, a former literature professor, and his young protégé, Lawson Pines. These broken men, whose lives took a wrong turn years before, have been firmly rooted in the dilapidated house for years, encouraged only by Lawson's faltering ambitions to write a novel about Bobby Long's life. Having no intention of leaving, Pursy, Bobby Long and Lawson are all forced to live together. Yet as time passes, their tenuous, makeshift arrangement unearths a series of buried personal secrets that challenges their bonds, and reveals just how inextricably their lives are intertwined.

Starman (1984) (IMDB: 6.8. Me: 7)
I haven't seen this as a kid and was afraid of getting disappointed. I wasn't. I enjoyed the plot and Jeff Bridges is extraordinarily good. Predictable, but being a sucker for sci-fi I loved it.

An alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona. The government tries to stop them

Six String Samurai (1998) (IMDB: 6.5. Me:
I stumbled upon this one, on a movie channel (for those that cares, TV2 Film) and was to surprised. Low budget cult movie. The mix of action, swordsplay, guitar duels etc... well words can't really explain it. I reckon you either love it, or hate it.

In a post-apocalyptic world where the Russians have taken over a nuked USA and Elvis is king of Lost Vegas, "Six-String Samurai" chronicles the tale of Buddy, a hero who's a '50s rocker and wandering warrior rolled into one, too-cool package. Armed with his six-string in one hand and his sword in the other, Buddy is on his way to Vegas to succeed Elvis as King. Along the way, he saves an orphan who decides to play tag-along to his rescuer. What follows is the road trip from hell.  

Gran Torino (2008) (IMDB: 8.4, Top250 #76. Me: 9)
It aired here in 2009 and I saw it at a pre-screen Clint Eastwood-fan event. I generally enjoy his movies. He is getting better as an actor, but yet the unique story and the nice details is the force.

Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.

JCVD (2008) (IMDB: 7.5. Me:
The Van Damme semi-documentary. I was surprised. By far his best acting yet and he seems very happy to not fight his way out of this. The fighting tour-de-force in the intro really nails the idea of the film though.

Between his tax problems and his legal battle with his wife for the custody of his daughter, these are hard times for the action movie star who finds that even Steven Seagal has pinched a role from him! In JCVD, Jean-Claude Van Damme returns to the country of his birth to seek the peace and tranquility he can no longer enjoy in the United States.  

Taken (2008) (IMDB: 7.9. Me:
I had read the plot and the comments and knew this would be the opposite of JVCD. And so it was. The plot has some obvious flaws but for brutal, in your face, determined dad on the loose this rocks. It starts a wee tad slow, but then the pace picks up - and doesn't drop.

A former spy relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade

Don't Come Knocking (2005) (IMDB: 6.7. Me:
A semi-sequel to Paris, Texas. Not exactly mainstream, but the cinematography is great. Slow pace, mood-focused.

Howard Spence (Sam Shepard) has seen better days. Once a big Western movie star, he now drowns his disgust for his selfish and failed life with alcohol, drugs and young women. If he were to die now, nobody would shed a tear over him, that's the sad truth. Until one day Howard learns that he might have a child somewhere out there. The very idea seems like a ray of hope that his life wasn't all in vain. So he sets out to find that young man or woman. He discovers an entire life that he has missed ...

Eagle vs. Shark (2007) (IMDB: 6.8. Me: 9)
Not exactly mainstream either. Odd personalities. You sit there with a smile on your mug when it's over. Reminds me a bit of that lonely guy movie Steve Martin did some years back, but way better.

Eagle vs Shark is the tale of two socially awkward misfits and the strange ways they try to find love; through revenge on high-school bullies, burgers, and video games.

Il Postino (1994) (IMDB: 7.7. Me: 9)
The postman, Massimi Troisi, impressed me, the acting was just great. The context and the rest if well built, but the lead is what carries it. Whether a myth or not, it is an interesting trivia that he postponed heart surgery to complete the film, only to die 12 hours after the cameras stopped roling.

Pablo Neruda, the famous Chilean poet, is exiled to a small island for political reasons. On the island, the unemployed son of a poor fisherman is hired as an extra postman due to the huge increase in mail that this causes. Il Postino is to hand-deliver the celebrity's mail to him. Though poorly educated, the postman learns to love poetry and eventually befriends Neruda. Struggling to grow and express himself more fully, he suddenly falls in love and needs Neruda's help and guidance more than ever.

Trainwreck: My life as an Idoit (2007) (IMDB: 5.9. Me:
A different film, following a person which really can't keep any aspects of his life together. A funny, tragic and odd story which should in fact be based on a biography. It sounds more slap-stick funny than it actually is, but that only makes it better.

A dramatic comedy about a self-induced attention-deficit disordered, learning disabled, Tourette's syndrome suffering, balance impaired, ex-alcoholic young man from the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the gold-digging girl who inspires him to try to get it together

So, what is yours??