Top 10 Movies of 2008! — Part One!
In case you haven’t figured this out already, I LOVE movies. And in 2009, as usual, I saw a LOT of movies. Today and tomorrow I’d like to celebrate what I feel were the best of the best of the new films released between January 1st and December 31st, 2008. Before we dive
Man on Wire
Although it was released months ago (and is actually already on DVD!) it was only at the very end of December that I was finally able to see the documentary Man on Wire. I’d been interested in this film ever since I first heard about it many months ago. Luckily, the film w
Slumdog Millionaire
Believe it or not, Slumdog Millionaire is the first film by director Danny Boyle that I’ve ever seen. Although he’s gotten a lot of praise for the films he’s helmed over the last decade or so, either I haven’t been interested (A Life Less Ordinary, The Beach,
Josh Reviews Milk
I often find myself slightly dubious of “important” movies. You know the type — big, epic movies with SOMETHING TO SAY, that have a habit of coming out late in December in order to be best positioned for maximum Oscar hype. It is especially difficult to think abo
The Reader
Please note: While I have kept the following review of The Reader as spoiler-free as possible, it does contain some substantial discussion of the film’s story-line. Those of you who wish to know as little as possible about the movie before seeing it should proceed with cauti
Valkyrie
Bryan Singer’s film Valkyrie has been getting a bit hammered in the press lately. (Actually, I feel like I’ve been reading bad things about this movie for over a year, mostly in connection to the multiple shifts in its release date, which usually indicates a studio’
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
This is the film I’ve been waiting for. Steph and I took advantage of our vacation to see a LOT of the big Oscar-hopeful films that have been released in the past few weeks. As usual, there has been a crazy end-of-the-year rush of “serious” films, many of which won
Run Lola Run
I first saw this terrific German film a number of years ago, and for quite some time now I’d been eager to check it out again. The copious amount of snow that fell this past weekend was as good a reason as any! Released in 1999, the story of Run Lola Run is pretty simple: [&he
Once Upon a Time in America
I love trolling the discount bins at Newbury Comics and other stores that sell DVDs, because you never know what sort of fun treasures you’ll find for very little money. Case in point: I recently came across Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. I had heard of th
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
My father recommended this film to me, years ago, and from the first time I watched it I knew right away that he was right on the money in declaring it to be a masterful work. Made in 1974, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three stars Walter Matthau as New York City transit chief Lt. [&h