Best movies of 2008

Mike Ward, Movie Critic, Richmond.com

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: If “Forrest Gump” was a downer instead of an upper - and didn’t involve ping pong as a plot point - this would be it. Brad Pitt stars as Father Time’s bastard son, a backward aging oddity who meets a lot of famous people and breaks a few hearts along the way. I cried so hard I laughed at myself. Watch early review on Showtime Showdown

Forgetting Sarah Marshall: The best comedy of the year was this raw, hard-R flick about breaking up when you’re a guy with emotions. Sure, it has the most unecessary full-frontal nude scene of all time, but it also has a Dracula puppet musical that makes the soundtrack a must-have, too.

WALL-E: Probably the most deserving best picture nominee of all animated fare this year, our friendly custodial robot is more charismatic than any living, breathing actor. And he can turn your empty pop can into a quarter with a single robotic grunt.

Christy Sheppard, Designer, inRich.com

Man on Wire: It’s hard not to get teary-eyed at least once watching this man describe the greatest adventure of his life. There’s a passion in this one that’s palpable.

Hellboy II: I LOVE Guillermo del Toro. Fantastic animations, ‘nuff said. I spent as much time watching the bonus features as I did the actual movie.

Iron Man: I hate to be another one touting this one but it really was great.

Sort of disappointed by:

The Dark Knight:  I hate that stupid Batman voice. And it was about 30 minutes too long. Heath Ledger’s performance, however, lived up to insanely high expectations.

Honorable mentions:

The Visitor and Hancock

Andrew Cothern, Video Producer, inRich.com

Cloverfield: I didn’t get nauseous during this movie. It held me to the edge of my seat as I watched frightened New Yorkers trying to escape a monster attack. Although I did find it interesting that everything was in perfect lighting and the camera battery never died once.

Burn After Reading: The Coen Brothers do it again. The storyline is hysterical. Stellar performances from every member of the cast made this a crazy, neurotic romp through government agencies, blackmail, adultery and health clubs.

Iron Man: A comic book come to life. Special effects made it the coolest looking comic book movie ever. But it was Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as billionaire Tony Stark that made this movie.

Rachel Getting Married: A crazy heartwrenching performance from Anne Hathaway and an all too real storyline? Recipe for a great movie.

Worst movie of 2008:

Quantum of Solace: I fell asleep during this movie. No lie.

Colleen Curran, Entertainment Editor, inRich.com

Reprise: Erik and Philip are two good-looking twenty-somethings who dream big and get their first novels published.  And then what?  This dreamy, beautiful movie from Norway had me riveted from the start.  Captures what it’s like to be twenty and young more than any American movie this year.

Snow Angels: I was so-so on the book by Stewart O’Nan.  But the movie blew me away.  Sam Rockwell on his knees, banging his head into his truck, for the love of his wife and going crazy.  It stays with you.

Worst movie of 2008:

Sex & The City:
I defer to Daniel Neman, our critic at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, who basically called it an advertisement for expensive shoes.  I like shoes too, ladies, but there is more to life.  And unfortunately, there wasn’t more to these characters or their plot lines.  It will forever leave a bad aftertaste in my Cosmo when I think of S&TC.  Sad.

Paul Beyer, Designer, inRich.com

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: What would Neil Patrick Harris do?

Tropic Thunder: Man, I don’t drop character ‘till I done the DVD commentary.

The Strangers: Strangers are always welcome at my house

Worst movies of 2008:

Sex and The City (if I saw it) and Hancock