Best Films of 2008: Honorable Mentions

Having only ("only!") seen 74 films from 2008, and having way too much time on my hands, I've decided to do a best of 2008 list in just two parts. The first part will be films 11-25 in chronological order with a sentence or two about each film. Again, spoiler alerts.

25. Ballast

Director: Lance Hammer

Starring: Michael J. Smith, Sr., Jim Myron Ross

A very depressing, very indie film that explores the depths of poverty and family values.

Best Moment: The opening sequence.

24. Seven Pounds

Director: Gabriele Muccino

Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson

This widely-panned film is not nearly as bad as the critics made it out to be. Seven Pounds is a flawed film with a very interesting message and a fairly emotional climax.

Best Moment: Probably the climax.

23. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Director: Peter Sollett

Starring: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings

A little too cutesy for its own good, Nick and Norah is still a very funny romantic comedy with lots of good music and enough maturity to entertain the adult crowd as well as teenagers.

Best Moment: When the drunk girl wakes up and thinks she is being kidnapped.

22. Cloverfield

Director: Matt Reeves

Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller

A very exciting and original take on the sci-fi genre, Cloverfield mixes the style of our Youtube generation with state-of-the-art CGI effects and a great script from one of the main writers of Lost.

Best Moment: The Brooklyn Bridge collapsing.

21. Shotgun Stories

Director: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs

An updated version of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, Shotgun Stories is a story of raw emotion, rash decisions, and unexpected consequences.

Best Moment: The scene near the end with Shannon held at gunpoint.

20. Man on Wire

Director: James Marsh

Starring: Philippe Petit, Jean-Louis Blondeau

A documentary about a tightrope walker may not sound very entertaining. However, this documentary about a man's illegal quest to reach the top of the World Trade Center and then tightrope from one tower to another a quarter-mile in the air is simultaneously exciting and haunting.

Best Moment: Every shot of Petit while he balances between the towers.

19. Role Models

Director: David Wain

Starring: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

In a very good year for true comedies, Role Models stood out with great chemistry between all of the lead characters and an abundance of hilarious scenarios.

Best Moment: The camping trip with the Sturdy Wings group.

18. Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Director: Kevin Smith

Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks

If the title of Zack and Miri sounds offensive or crude to you, do yourself a favor and skip it. To everyone else, though, Zack and Miri is a hilarious and, at times, disgusting film about love and sex.

17. Iron Man

Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges

Though it suffers from the same drawbacks as most superhero origin stories, Iron Man excels with quite a few great scenes, a more interesting superhero and a great cast, especially Robert Downey Jr. in a role where he basically just plays himself.

Best Moment: When Stark breaks out of the terrorist prisoner camp.

16. Gran Torino

Director: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her

Although hindered by a terrible cast of Asian actors, Gran Torino is still a very gripping, emotional send-off to Eastwood's stellar acting career.

Best Moment: The scenes of Eastwood alone after his wife's funeral reception.

15. JCVD

Director: Mabrouk El Mechri

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme

Foreign film number one. This fictionalized heist film revolves around a group of bank robbers attempting to exploit Van Damme's celebrity status (he plays himself in the film) as leverage during a police standoff. How could that not be awesome?

Best Moment: Van Damme's monologue to the viewer.

14. Pineapple Express

Director: David Gordon Green

Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride

Simultaneously intense and hilarious, Pineapple Express succeeds as both a pot-filled comedy and a mistaken identity action film.

Best Moment: When Rogen and Franco are freaking out in the woods.

13. Changeling

Director: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan

Featuring some of the best cinematography and costumes of the year and Jolie's best acting performance of her career (by a mile), Changeling is easily the better of Eastwood's two films as a director this year. 

Best Moment: When they finally get to the bottom of what happened to Jolie's son.

12. Slumdog Millionaire

Director: Danny Boyle

Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto

Danny Boyle has done better, but Slumdog Millionaire didn't steal the Best Picture Oscar either. As time passes, I believe Slumdog will be remembered more for its very unconventional storytelling and unique look at Indian culture instead of its somewhat cheesy love story and Bollywood songs.

Best Moment: When Patel's character ignores the host's advice on the answer to a question.

11. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Director: David Fincher

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson

Like Boyle, David Fincher has done better than Benjamin Button, but his talents transfer over well to this unconventional story about a man who ages backwards. Though a bit longer than it needs to be, Button succeeds with its beautiful and varied cinematography, understated CGI effects, and exceptional acting.

Best Moment: When Pitt and Blanchett's characters finally cross paths at the same biological age.