Year in Review 2008

2008 has come and gone and with it, another cinematic year is in the books. The Golden Globes were last night but I’ll get to that in a bit. We’ll start with a brief look back at the year that was.

Ultimately, my judge of a cinematic year is not only how many great movies were released, but also, the variety of the films released. Take, for example, 2007, a year that was jam packed with solid 10’s (or at least near 10’s). No Country, Zodiac, There Will Be Blood may lead the charge but not far behind you have This is England, Knocked Up, Control, Assassination of Jesse James, etc. Had it been released in 2008, Eastern Promises would be a solid contender for number 1. In 2007, its in a tight race for a solid second half of the top 10.

I don’t mean to say that 2008 was a bad year for movies, you certainly have your memorable pics, but in the wake of 2007, one of the best cinematic 365 day span of my lifetime, 2008 just doesn’t hold up. Still, there is a lot to be celebrated in 2008, as evidence by the video I posted a couple of posts back. Yet, when I watch that, I can’t help think that more of those work better at moments as opposed to whole works. Still, any cinephile who watches that and doesn’t feel their heart pumping needs to get their pulse checked and I think that really speaks to the power of cinema. In a 4 minute video, filled with 3 or 4 second clips, so many good memories are brought up, so many moments that will permanently be lodged into our brains. In many ways, we’ll forget some of these movies and the overall, final product. Yet, certain shots and sequences will forever be etched into our cultural fabric. This is the type of video that I would have watched as a kid, seen those scenes, identify the movie and want to see the entire film. Only now, I can identify every shot, every last second of the thing. Granted, I see more movies than most but I think it’s a powerful summary of what was. Fact is, I’m happy I saw everything in there, not because I want to be able to say I saw everything in there, but because I’m happy I was able to experience valuable (however minor) parts of the cultural output of 2008.

I think people forget that: that film is a major cultural output of our country, of our world in the present time. Those who decry film, its study or one’s love of film as inconsequential are short sighted and delusional. Those type of people would have been the same type who dismissed the popular fictions of the 19th century, the Mark Twain’s, the Edgar Allen Poe’s, the Jane Austen’s of the world, as inconsequential (read: idiots). In the current wave of cinema (which is woefully underrated), it’s easy to look at the cinematic garbage of the world and use it as an example of film’s unnecessary nature. However, if one sits down (really sits down) and closely watches the works of David Fincher, PT Anderson, Gus Van Sant, Clint Eastwood or Michael Mann, they’ll discover a grouping of artists making as intelligent of works as any other artist in the world today. These are the people who’ll influence what will come for the next 50 years. They’ll influence the music, the film, the art, the literature of our kid’s generation and of our kid’s kid’s generation in a way that Hitchcock, Ford and Godard has influenced the current generation. Cinema just represents the next step in art, the next logical progression from still paintings, from still images. One can look at Ford’s films such as The Searchers, Stagecoach or My Darling Clementine and not only see D.W. Griffith or but also the ideas of Frederick Jackson Turner or the themes of James Fenimore Cooper. Point is, to watch some big budget studio trash, be disappointed and then hold it against film as a whole is useless. You just have to have a sense of adventure, a sense of wanting to discover the culture of your generation to find the gems.

What’s 2008 have to offer for this? I’d say the epic and intelligent, yet accessible and entertaining moments of The Dark Knight, a perfect parable for a time when a major societal question is how should we combat evil? Perhaps Wall-E, with its strong warnings of environmental destruction and human health, all in an animated film about a robot, is more your cup of tea. Or is it Milk, the vibrant and inspirational look at one of the great social advocates of the near past with its themes of acceptance and human rights is for you. Maybe it’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fincher’s second film in thematic trilogy about live, passion and the passage of time; or Revolutionary Road and its reminders to live your life to the fullest and to follow your passions or risk lifelong unhappiness; or Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a delicacy of a film about the spirit of the good life, of love, of food, of good drink. There’s something for everyone, just go and find it.

Still, 2008 can’t beat 2007. Fincher’s Button is great, even tremendous, and will probably be more liked by audiences due to its undeniable emotional effect but it doesn’t match up with Zodiac, Fincher’s 2007 release. Zodiac will never be remembered as fondly by regular audiences because of its methodical pacing and its steadfast refusal to give out simple emotional thrills but at its core, it’s a better film, a more complex film, a more complete film. Nothing matches up with the deranged nature of There Will Be Blood and there certainly isn’t a performance this year that tops Daniel Day Lewis’ Daniel Plainview, a performance that has to be watched 5 or 10 times to pull every bit of nuance from it.

Regardless, 2008 was better than some, worse than others but it does stand up on its own. Its films form a snapshot of our time, a capsule of sorts to remember our fears and hopes for the year. What will 2009 bring? Will a new presidency change the tone of Hollywood? Only time will tell but I’ll be happy to take the ride, whatever it may be.