How about Nine Top Critic Top Tens? From Dargis to Reed…
Never hurts to continue surfing the year's best
Top tens are the "thing to do" as the final moments of 2008 begin to tick away. I will be offering up my personal top ten a little later this week in a Wednesday-Friday 2008 retrospective of sorts to satisfy your listing desires through the holiday weekend but for now how about taking a look at nine top tens from a list of the top movie critics from around the nation from Manohla Dargis at the "New York Times" to Rex Reed at the "New York Observer".
I would like to thank AwardsDaily for pointing out so many of these to me as I began stacking them up as "starred" items in my Google Reader. It's interesting to see what films made it on the majority of people's lists and what films missed out. I was surprised to learn of Silent Light, a film I had not heard of until it made two of the lists from the "New York Times" not to mention learning that David Edelstein (better known as the critic that got slammed for hating The Dark Knight) has Kit Kittredge: An American Girl on his 2008 top ten. Yikes, not winning over the faboys with this list David.
I finish it all off at the end with Roger Ebert's Top Ten Foreign Films and for all the bandwagoners, don't worry, Let the Right One In is on there. I kid, of course, I actually just started reading the book and have a screener copy in hand to watch the minute I finish since I feel that movie has more in store than what I originally gleaned from my first screening after which I gave the film a B- review. I do need to watch my screeners of Timecrimes and Tell No One though, those two films seem to be getting praise from a variety of corners.
Enjoy the lists!
Manohla Dargis (New York Times)
- Happy-Go-Lucky
- Synecdoche, New York
- Alexandra
- Flight of the Red Balloon
- Silent Light
- Paranoid Park
- The Dark Knight
- Encounters at the End of the World
- Still Life
- Wendy and Lucy
A.O. Scott (New York Times)
- WALL•E
- Silent Light
- The Secret of the Grain
- Man on Wire
- The Edge of Heaven
- Happy-Go-Lucky
- Wendy and Lucy
- Milk
- Rachel Getting Married
- Cadillac Records
Stephen Holden (New York Times)
- 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
- The Edge of Heaven
- WALL•E
- Milk
- The Last Mistress
- Happy-Go-Lucky
- A Christmas Tale
- Tell No One
- Frozen River
- The Visitor
Peter Travers (Rolling Stone)
- Milk
- Slumdog Millionaire
- The Dark Knight
- Frost/Nixon
- WALL•E
- Revolutionary Road
- The Visitor
- Doubt
- Rachel Getting Married
- Man on Wire
Kenneth Turan (Los Angeles Times)
- Slumdog Millionaire
- A Christmas Tale and The Class (tie)
- Frost/Nixon
- Frozen River and Ballast
- Gomorrah and Happy Go Lucky (tie)
- Rachel Getting Married
- Sundance documentaries
- Tell No One
- WALL•E
- Waltz With Bashir
David Edlestein (New York Magazine)
- Rachel Getting Married
- WALL•E
- Happy-Go-Lucky
- Cadillac Records
- The Class
- Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
- Waltz With Bashir
- Shotgun Stories
- Doubt
- Trouble the Water
Lou Lumenick (New York Post)
- Slumdog Millionaire
- WALL•E
- Milk
- A Christmas Tale
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Iron Man
- Revolutionary Road
- The Visitor
- Synecdoche, New York
- Waltz With Bashir
David Ansen (Newsweek)
- Let the Right One In
- Encounters at the End of the World
- Wendy and Lucy
- Frost/Nixon
- Man on Wire How
- Silent Light
- The Wrestler
- Tropic Thunder
- WALL•E and Waltz With Bashir (tie)
Rex Reed (New York Observer)
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Revolutionary Road
- Rachel Getting Married
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
- The Visitor
- Good
Roger Ebert's Top Ten Foreign Films (RogerEbert.com)
- A Christmas Tale
- The Duchess of Langeais
- The Edge of Heaven
- 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
- A Girl Cut in Two
- I’ve Loved You So Long
- The Last Mistress
- Let the Right One In
- Tell No One
- XXY
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I think Ebert's foreign film list is like his Top 20, in alphabetical order.
man, the non-Times NY papers don't surprise me of ommiting TDK from their top 10 because back when TDK came out, none of them gave it a good review out of some feeling of anger that Nolan didnt shoot in the big apple. Its surprising films like Kit Kitridge make anybody's top 10…but it doesn't surprise me of all the foreign films in the NY top 10s. Never saw that coming!
the dark knight should be on more it's not getting the recognition it deserves
they just haters I'M FROM NEW YORK AND I THINK THE DARK KNIGHT IS BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR. AND I'M SORRY TO SAY BUT I DID'T LIKE WALL E
@Justin Casey: @shirley: @joker47:
Once again, TDK finds it's way to dominate any article discussion….
Thanks for including me, Brad, after labeling me the "worst" critic earlier this year. For future reference there's a "C" in Lumenick.
Wall E has got to be one of the most overrated movies of all time. I fPIxar hadn't dmade it, I don't think it would be getting so many rave reviews. Critics just aren't ready to start the backlash against them just yet. They're still drinking the kool aid. It wasn't bad. Admittedly, the first 20 to 30 minutes are striking and original and beautiful but once Wall E leaves Earth, all momentum fades and it becomes repetitive. The Dark Knight is, in my estimation, much more gripping and interesting thematically. Iron Man is fun, but again not really about much. Personally, I think it's been kind of a weak year at the movies.
What's with the ties? Turan and to a lesser extent Ansen, I'm looking at you. Just pick one. Let's say you have to watch a movie right now and you only have the screeners for A Christmas Tale and The Class on you. Which movie do you watch?
Is it really a top ten when you've listed 13 films.
@Lou Lumenick: Apologies about the last name… All fixed up and while I may not agree with your opinions I can't deny your influence. :)
BTW, Double B, MovieFone came out with it's top 50 movies of the year.
http://www.moviefone.com/insidemovies/2008/12/19/best-movies-of-2008/
Here's their top 10:
1. Iron Man
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. The Dark Knight
4. The Wrestler
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Frost/Nixon
7. Wall-E
8. Man on Wire
9. Milk
10. Tropic Thunder
Wall-E was magnificent. For the relatively minority hating on it, well, it's your loss
If we're talking overrated, I'm sorry, but the discussion begins and ends with TDK
You TDK fans have completely lost it. not everything revolves around TDK just to let you people know. Yes, it's a fine film, but your antics whenever you see critics, film groups, and fellow posters, pick another film from this year as their favorite over TDK is a testament to your immaturity. You whine and complain as if TDK is entitled of every freaking thing. Grow up! The majority liked TDK, but accept the fact that many people may have liked a film or two a bit more.
The topic of TDK will probably pop up in a discussion of 18th Century English Lit, Finite Mathematics, and Vascular Surgery. Sheesh, like that on post says, not everything revolves around TDK people. There are many other excellent films from this year (including TDK) that are just as deserving (some even more deserving) of the spotlight.
@Ray: Agreed. They also need to accept the fact that TDK stands very little chance (I say 2%) in winning the Oscar for Best Picture, which looks like it's going to go to one of the big three (Slumdog Millionaire, Benjamin Button, and Milk).
It's ridiculous that either side is throwing stones. Both fans of The Dark Knight and WALL-E have blood on their hands. I say you ALL need to lighten up.
@Garrett: Na, Garrett, my hands are clean.
It's funny how TDK fans have now turned to denigrating other films. I've been to this and other sites, and they are all out ripping on Slumdog, Button, Wall-E, Milk, etc. These people who wear TDK glasses 24/7 fail to realize that those films are tremendous and exemplary accomplisments in film, and that the love and recognition they are getting are well deserved. Like what has been said on a couple of posts here, not everything revolves around TDK.
@Lucious: I hate to say it, but WALL-E fans have been doing the exact same thing. Both 'The Dark Knight' and 'WALL-E' are two of the best films of 2008. Let's stop arguing about it and just drop it. Besides, it looks like we only have a few weeks left until we know for sure.
it's true. people really need to calm down about the dark knight. how come no one talks about some of the true masterpieces of 2008: Frost/Nixon, Milk, Synecdoche,New York, Doubt. since July everyone only talks about tdk. let's admit it, if Heath ledger didn't die it wouldn't be getting all this buzz. here's my top 10:
Top 10
10. Burn After Reading
9. Changeling
8. The Dark Knight (I still think it's a great movie but it's ignorance devalues it)
7. Body of Lies
6. Synecdoche, New York
5. Milk
4. Doubt
3. In Bruges
2. Frost/Nixon
1. Miracle at St. Anna
btw, Slumdog Millionaire is unbeleivsble overrated.