The best of 2008 at the movies

While 2008 may be fondly, or derisively, remembered as the year of the vampire, plenty of beguiling, clever, incisive and penetrating films graced the big screen that may not have elicited deafening screams or fainting spells but moved audiences nonetheless. From a mesmerizing underdog tale set in Mumbai to a tempestuous European love triangle, these five films represent the best that 2008 had to offer at the movies.

Milk

The always-intense and often-scouring Sean Penn may have seemed a somewhat incongruous choice to portray Harvey Milk, the endlessly supportive, patient and passionate centre of Gus Van Sant’s masterful biopic of the first openly gay man elected to public office in the US. But ever the big-screen chameleon, Penn completely loses himself in this fearless and fascinating role and makes Milk a relatable character, one whose persistence is beyond dogged. Though it may be Van Sant’s most commercial film since 2000’s Finding Forrester, this takes away nothing from the inspiring and, at times, heartbreaking, story that follows Milk’s efforts to secure equal rights for his underrepresented brethren, reaching out to teenagers, minorities, seniors and any disenfranchised citizen whose own hopes and fears were reflected in his powerful words and progressive ideas. With a supporting cast that includes James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsh and Alison Pill as members of Harvey’s inner circle, Milk showcases some of the finest actors around in an eerily topical film that has the power to move anyone and everyone.

Pineapple Express

The other James Franco film that filled seats this year couldn’t have been more of a change of pace for the talented thesp. Franco hasn’t brought the funny like this since his “Freaks & Geeks” days and it was a welcome return to the comedy frontlines with none other than Seth Rogen as his partner in crime. The David Gordon Green-helmed action-stoner-comedy managed to sneak in major laughs, car chases, cartoonish violence and sweet, sweet bromance between puffs of pineapple express. While it may surprise some to include an admittedly low-brow, reefer-happy bro-comedy in a best-of-year list, there’s more to this film than meets the eye and repeated viewings reveal a tenderness between the two leads that is at once hilarious, adorable and pitch-perfect. (Also worthy of note: the ingenious use of M.I.A’s eclectic, instantly-memorable single “Paper Planes” in the movie trailers.)

Rachel Getting Married

Jonathan Demme, he of The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia fame, offers a film that explores the subtle ways family members can hurt each other without even trying. Sounds like a blast, right? But Rachel Getting Married is more balanced and delicate than you may think. Jenny Lumet (director Sidney Lumet’s daughter) has written a film that shows a fractured and aching family trying to pull itself together for the titular nuptials in an honest, combative and acidly funny manner as the return of recovering addict Kym puts everyone on high alert and unearths deep-rooted sorrows. Anne Hathaway’s revelatory performance as the family black sheep proves that she is much more than The Princess Diaries or The Devil Wears Prada, sporting a shattered haircut, perpetual scowl and a caustic demeanor that rightfully riles Rachel and, occasionally, her well-meaning dad (played with infectious warmth by Bill Irwin). From bringing up her sister’s former eating disorder to complaining about being overlooked for maid of honour status, Kym’s immature, perpetually self-centered objections threaten to derail Rachel’s big day. Along with stellar performances from the ensemble cast – including a small role for rock band TV On the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe and a cameo from singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock – inspired, effective use of music and camera work that toys with cinema verité techniques for added intimacy, Rachel Getting Married is unlike anything else you will see this year.

Slumdog Millionaire

How one film manages to go from cringe-worthy scenes of torture, images of staggering poverty and endless tragedy to such uplifting, inspiring crescendos is to be credited to Danny Boyle and his Indian co-director Loveleen Tandan. Slumdog Millionaire – winner of the Toronto International Film Festival’s audience award and on almost every critic’s picks list this year – follows Jamal Malik as he is about to win 20 million rupees on India’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”. Called out as a cheater by the powers that be who refuse to believe an uneducated call centre tea-runner could possibly know the answers without help, his incredible story is told in reverse as the audience comes to understand how every event in his life has lead him to this very moment. Boyle’s camera at once seamlessly floats in and out of the suffocating crowds on the harried streets of Mumbai and then pulls way back, revealing breathtaking aerial views of a city that seems to be endlessly building itself up. Leads Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, as well as the actors who play their age-appropriate counterparts in flashbacks, are fearless and refreshing, infusing their story of irrepressible love and intertwined fate with a genuine sense of urgency and reality that makes their alternately tragic and romantic story all the more touching.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Woody Allen’s 21st century love affair with Europe began with 2004’s superb thriller Match Point and found its romantic, idealistic counterpart in the luscious scenery and impeccable casting in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Two best friends, the impulsive, adventurous, single gal Cristina (Scarlett Johansson, as always, effortlessly alluring) and the buttoned-up, engaged Vicky (Rebecca Hall) are vacationing in, you guessed it, Barcelona, when they meet the handsomest of handsome strangers, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). The charismatic painter easily woos Cristina and though prickly Vicky is immediately skeptical of Juan Antonio’s easy grin and bedroom eyes, she too eventually falls for the dashing artist. Add in a fiery, urgently sexy Penelope Cruz as Juan Antonio’s beautifully mad ex-wife and you’ve got a tempestuous love triangle, or square as the case may be, that poses intriguing questions about love, lust and romance in a clever, arch way that only Woody Allen could. Besides the ace performances and involving storyline, Barcelona itself is captured in such beautiful, lush detail that falling in love there seems unavoidable. Allen’s next film, Whatever Works, brings him back to his beloved city – New York – making Vicky Cristina Barcelona the perfect end to his European sojourn.

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Agree or disagree with the films that made this list? What were some of YOUR faves of 2008? Share your picks below!