Random List: 10 Best Movies of 2008

Here's my Top 10 films, with a caveat: I have yet to see 'Slumdog Millionaire' which people are raving about (don't you love it when people say that?), and which won a bunch of Golden Globes last night.

1. The Dark Knight -- I'm a traditionalist, and I have to admit, I had a hard time putting this movie in the #1 spot because I don't think of a comic book movie that way. But it was the most fun I had at the movies this year, and there's certainly something to be said for that. Another thing: I loved each of the the movies which follow, but no film this year made me feel like "Best Picture", so why not go with the movie everyone loved? Especially when it had great acting by past Oscar winners and nominees alike (topped by Heath Ledger), was directed by one of the world's best directors (Christopher Nolan), and made some of the best commentary on modern existence, all within what was heretofore a limited, predictable genre. And to think, we thought Tim Burton's 'Batman' -- and Jack Nicholson's The Joker -- was cutting edge 20 years ago.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- The visual masterpiece of the year, David Fincher's dark fairy tale about life and death resonated more with me than any other film this year. The only thing that kept it from the top spot is the fact that it didn't raise the pulse, or have me on the edge of my seat, as much as it had me watching in respectful wonder. Great acting, great effects, well-crafted story. One of those Hall of Very Good rather than Hall of Fame types. (My review)

3. The Wrestler -- This was right up there my favorite recent movie-watching experiences. Mickey Rourke's performance (already Golden Globe-winning), was one of the very best in awhile -- a harmonic convergence of actor and character. Directed with remarkable restraint by Darren Aronofsky, the film is a ballad to a man past his prime who's too set in his way to change for the better now. It's funny, real, and heartbreaking. (My review)

4. In Bruges -- The best surprise of the year. A little film with not much fanfare, which delivered laughs, action, and a surprising amount of heart. Colin Farrell is great (he also took home a Golden Globe), as is Brendan Gleeson -- both capturing the humanity with the hitmen they play. The lyrical style employed here by Martin McDonagh, who wrote and directed, is irresistible, and draws you into this light-hearted world of murder-for-hire.

5. Synecdoche, NY -- Most people were too confused by this movie to like it. I wasn't surprised. It isn't for everybody. In fact, this film is only for a thin slice of filmgoers -- ones who like to think a lot, don't mind excessive symbolism and metaphors, or a meandering storyline. It is even more specifically for artists, and especially for writers -- about the creative process, how it affects your life, and how your life affects it. If that sounds boring to you, you're not alone, but for me it was one of the unique pleasures of the year. (My review)

6. The Visitor -- Richard Jenkins' performance as the lead is as good as anyone's this year -- much more subtle than Mickey Rourke's, and not quite as entertaining, but just as solid. A small story about big ideas -- freedom, immigrants, America, love, and the healing power of music. Jenkins allows his character to change greatly over the course of the movie without ever making major changes to his performance. Just the subtle way he allows his body to slowly un-tense as he becomes more comfortable with his new friends and musical instrument speaks volumes.

7. Tropic Thunder -- Not many comedies make this list -- I see it more for achievements, rather than entertainment. But the funniest movie of the year had a couple of the year's best performances -- Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Cruise -- and some of the best sequences -- when the cast is first released into the jungle, when Stiller is captured by Red Dragon, the Asian drug-running gang, when Jack Black's character runs out of heroin. It had a great concept, great cast, and great execution. When you have all that, you can make this list -- even if you're a studio comedy.

8. Milk -- A well-told story, a great performance, and superior supporting cast make this one of the best films of the year. The timeliness of the subject matter didn't hurt, nor did the straight-forward yet loving directorial job by Gus Van Sant, but most of this film's success can be attributed to Sean Penn's performance. It was vivid and colorful, but not over-the-top, or cliche. (My review)

9. Frost/Nixon -- Like 'Milk', this film told a fairly well-known political story in a period piece format, but spends less time examining what happened than why things happened. It introduces us to the personalities and peccadillos behind the great (or not-so-great) men, and allows us to understand the men who shaped the events of their time. I think some more chances could've been taken, but you don't see Ron Howard movies for cutting edge tricks and chance-taking, you see it for well-crafted, populist entertainment. That's exactly what this is. (My review)

10. The Promotion -- Quite possibly, the most underrated movie of the year. Great performances by Sean William Scott and especially John C. Reilly make this film's unpredictable storyline -- is he the hero, and he the villain, or the other way around? -- work, and keeps you rooting for both characters, even though they are usually at each other's throats. That's no small feet. Neither is keeping us guessing how the story will end, which is a rarity when you watch as many movies as I do. Nor making us laugh consistently all the way through, or filling the supporting cast with solid actors giving quirky, funny performances -- Jenna Fisher, Lily Taylor, Gil Bellows.

Near misses: Gran Torino, Defiance, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'.

Random List: Top 10 Shows On TV

This is not a year-end list, judging shows on only the most recent season. This is a list of the very best shows currently on TV. That means shows like ‘The Wire’, which could’ve (and should’ve) won an Emmy for their final season in 2008, it is not currently on the air so it’s ineligible. It also means shows get some credit for work done in the past -– if they’ve elicited enough interest in their narratives over previous seasons to make up for any weaknesses in their current episodes.

1. The Shield -- The whole reason behind this list. The show is almost over, and criminally underrated, so I wanted to have this last chance to sing its praises. The ballad of Vic Mackey may be reaching its conclusion, but it’s certainly not slowing down any. Instead, it’s doing just what it’s always has -– careening toward disaster, like a car with no brakes. Will Michael Chiklis’s Vic get arrested? Killed? If so, by who? (There are too many good candidates to name them all.) Whatever happens, it will be captivating, pulse-pounding, and unpredictable -– on ’The Shield’, it always is.

2. 30 Rock -- When it comes to lists, I normally rate dramas higher than comedies. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I get more into the stories dramas offer up. Comedies are so based on contrived situations, the characters never really changing or growing in any way. ‘30 Rock’ is really no different -– well, except for the fact that it’s really, really good. The fantastic Tina Fey makes the show (both writing and acting), but the stellar supporting cast (Alex Baldwin, Tracey Morgan, Jack McBrayer) often steals the show.

3. The Closer -- The best procedural on TV barely edges out the best serialized dramas based on both it’s great ensemble cast centered around Kyra Sedgwick’s Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson and her quirky genius, and its commendable consistency. Not only do they stage a mysterious crime filled with interesting characters each week, but they also manage to move along personal plotlines with aplomb –- and without the usual sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb transitions.

4. Breaking Bad -- The best new show on TV in 2008 made it all the way into the top 5 (and ahead of fellow AMC serial, ’Mad Men’) on its breathtaking premise –- a high school chemistry teacher who finds out he’s got cancer becomes a meth cooker to pay those extra bills. The show’s already been recognized with Emmy nominations -– including a win for lead actor Bryan Cranston –- and I think it’s got a strong future in store with creator Mike Gilligan (a former X-Files’ writer) at the helm.

5. Mad Men -- The best new show of 2007 started the ball rolling at AMC, which is beginning to look like HBO did almost a decade ago. With two of the best shows on TV on their slate, AMC may become the place to go for off-beat writers who tell idiosyncratic stories. That describes creator Matthew Weiner (a former ’Sopranos’ scribe) who HBO let slip away, as well as Gilligan -- many of Weiner’s storylines in ’Mad Men’ echo the anything-can-happen tone and feel of ’The Sopranos’. With characters this interesting, and an era so ripe for commentary, I have a feeling ’Mad Men’ is just getting started.

6. The Office -- Still going strong, ’The Office’, has fallen into a rhythm like many good sports teams do: They know they’re good, so they may coast for awhile, but they’re still better than everyone else, and they can turn it on whenever they need to.

7. Dexter -- This could easily be higher on the list based on its current season, when writers made the wise decision to give Dexter a partner in crime (played by Jimmy Smits). Seeing Dexter play his murderous feelings off of someone else’s is reinvigorating for the show, and reminds of the end of the first season, when he battled his brother.

8. House -- Like ’The Office’, this show has found it’s groove, and never produces a bad episode. They also manage to keep both the medical case and the personal lives of its characters fresh. House’s antics never get old, and Hugh Laurie’s performance is never anything short of note-perfect.

9. Lost -- I’ve lost a lot of interest in the show since the first couple of seasons, but as it nears the end, I’m still interested in finding out what answers the show can deliver. It’s currently not as good as a few shows on the “Honorable mention” list, maybe even all of them, but like a mystery novel I’m almost done with, I’ve put in too much time to give up now.

10. Curb Your Enthusiasm – This deserves to be higher, but I’m penalizing it for taking the better part of two years off. Still, I haven’t forgotten the show’s unique blend of both dry and broad humor, or the eminently watchable Larry David.

Honorable mention: Sons of Anarchy, Life, Damages, Friday Night Lights, CSI.

Random List: Top 10 Movies Still To Come In '08

It's the start of Oscar season, so what better time to rank the contenders coming out before the end of the year. I’m ranking these in order of how much I want to see them, not necessarily how good I think they’ll be. All I know of these movies is from a trailer and reading about them. This list is all about expectation, and personal taste.

1. 'Milk' -- Even if this wasn’t about a man whose murder was a local story I still remember from my youth, I’d be excited. I’m a sucker for anything with Sean Penn in it, and Gus Van Sant is one my favorites -– especially when he plays it straight (a la ’To Die For’), as he reportedly does here. And the supporting cast includes Emile Hirsch, James Franco, and Josh Brolin.

2. 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' -- I’m a huge David Fincher fan, and his two best movies starred Brad Pitt, who plays the title role here. It’s a great idea from a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, adapted by Eric Roth. And the trailer looks amazing. What’s not to like?

3. 'Frost/Nixon' -- Another true story from my youth, though I was a little young to comprehend. It was a hit play, and is adapted by playwright Peter Morgan. Ron Howard directs, and people are predicting an Oscar nomination for Frank Langella as Nixon.

4. 'The Wrestler' -- Darren Arnofsky. Mickey Rourke’s big comeback -– maybe an Oscar nod. I’m so there. And that’s before I knew personal favorite Marissa Tomei was in it.

5. 'Revolutionary Road' -- Sam Mendes directs an adaptation of a Richard Yates novel, reuniting Kate Winslet (his real-life wife) with her ’Titanic’ co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

6. 'Valkyrie' -- Director Bryan Singer and screenwriter – the team which brought us ’The Usual Suspects’ -- reunites to relay yet another real life story about the German soldier (played by Tom Cruise) who tried to kill Hitler.

7. 'Defiance' -- Ed Zwick co-writes and directs this tale of bad ass Jews kicking Nazi ass. It stars Live Schreiber and Daniel Craig (who’s already been in one Jews-kicking-Nazi-ass movie, ’Munich’).

8. 'Doubt' -- The underrated John Patrick Shanley adapts and directs his Pulitzer prize-winning play about a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who’s accused of molestation by a bitter old nun (Meryl Streep).

9. 'Australia' -- Baz Luhrmann can get a little fanciful for me, but he can create a spectacle with any filmmaker. Plus, I love Australia (I was there for my marriage/honeymoon). But if at any point Hugh Jackman breaks into song, all bets are off.

10. 'Seven Pounds' -- This Will Smith Oscar bait looks a little sappy/weepy for my tastes, but I needed to round out the 10.