1. "The Dark Knight"(2008)
"Empire Strikes Back", Aliens", Terminator 2: Judgment Day". All sequels that unquestionably topped their predecessors, and Chris Nolan's phenomenal follow-up to "Batman Begins" joined that elite group almost immediately. What more needs to be said about the late Heath Ledger's towering portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime? It's one of those performances that becomes permanently engrained in the public consciousness, like Brando's Vito Corleone and Pacino's Tony Montana. The Best Supporting Actor Oscar seems insufficient. You almost feel sorry for the rest of the cast because they never had a chance of making a huge impression, but Maggie Gyllenhaal is a better actress than Katie Holmes and Aaron Eckhart gives us a proper rendition of Gotham's tragic DA Harvey 'Two Face' Dent. Christian Bale's Batman has no limits, and Nolan refused to stay within the limits of a comic book movie when he made an epic tale of crime and corruption with real world drama and an unexpected level of darkness. The result was a staggering $533 million domestic box office total, a mini uproar over it's absence from the Best Picture slate and a new benchmark for a burgeoning subgenre.
2. "The Wrestler"(2008)
The rise-and-fall-and rise-again of Mickey Rourke is a tale stranger than fiction. The brooding 1980s bad boy was granted leading man/heartthrob status, which he promptly rejected to try his hand at boxing(you read that right). His return to acting in the mid-'90s was met with snickers and lousy roles, and so began the long, improbable road back to respectability. His stunning transformation into Randy 'The Ram' Robinson was the ultimate vindication and the closest thing this cinematic era has to a "Raging Bull". Director Darren Aronofsky pulls back the curtain on the previously underexplored world of professional wrestling, a "fake sport" where the pain, personal sacrifice and shocking amount of drug-related casualties couldn't be more real. Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood both added to the all-around heartbreak. The Academy really needs to get called out WWE-style for such an offensive error in judgment("Slumdog Millionaire?! Really??). This grueling drama is one of the finest films of the decade.
3. "Milk"(2008)
Sean Penn picked up his second Best Actor Oscar in five years(the first was for "Mystic River") to earn his place among the indisputable greats of his profession in Gus Van Sant's superior biopic. Many will insist that the gold statue belonged to Rourke that year and they're not wrong, but Penn's commitment to quality gave him the awards season edge and that's not wrong either. He completely disappeared into the role of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. His theatrical campaigns in San Francisco throughout the 1970s and assassination at the hands of socially conservative political rival Dan White(Josh Brolin) were more than enough to make Milk a martyr and a trailblazing icon in the gay community.
5. "Frost/Nixon"(2008)
As you can see, 2008 was a banner year for male acting, as Frank Langella also turned in a career-best performance as our disgraced 37th President in this absorbing account of his famed 1977 televised interviews with English journalist David Frost(Michael Sheen). This decorated 70 year old stage veteran has quietly been confined to supporting roles as far as his film career is concerned, so his Best Actor nod was a gratifying acknowledgment of a largely unsung talent. Ron Howard has mostly(and disappointingly) been in the Dan Brown business since his '01 Oscar triumph, making "F/N" a most welcome return to the kind of meaty material that once made him one of the industry's most dependable directors.
6. "The Reader"(2008)
Alright, enough about the men. Is Kate Winslet the best actress of her generation? "Heavenly Creatures" was the start of a wonderful career, which culminated in this Best Actress win out of seven total nominations. An unconventional younger man/older woman love story in post-WWII Germany belies a tragic, hidden past in this classy adaptation of David Hare's 1995 novel. Hannah Schmitz was one of the 8,000 guards at Auschwitz, and David Kross is impressive as her teen lover who learns the truth during a 1966 trial for war crimes. Can Ralph Fiennes reconcile his feelings for his former flame in his anguished adulthood? This intimate period drama is partially presented in flashback by Broadway director Stephen Daldry, with as much sensitivity and skill as he brought to "The Hours".
7. "Doubt"(2008)
Is Meryl Streep the greatest actress OF ALL TIME? With all due respect to Katherine Hepburn, eighteen Academy Award nominations to date(starting with 1978's "The Deer Hunter") don't lie. According to my math, that's thirty years of overall excellence. However, Streep isn't the sole standout in this sobering indictment of the Catholic Church circa 1964. Amy Adams ascends the ranks and Voila Davis deepens the roster as well. Finally, Philip Seymour Hoffman may not have been missed in that Brooklyn parrish, but there's NO doubt his classy, idiosynchratic presence will be missed on movie screens going forward. R.I.P.
8. "WALL-E"(2008)
Where would the world of animation be without John Lasseter and Steve Jobs? Still in the hand-drawn dark ages, I suspect(sorry, Simba). Needless to say, the Disney/Pixar tandem was on a MAJOR roll, taking the medium to artistic heights year after year that few filmmakers(including their aggressive DreamWorks rivals) could match. Virtually no dialogue for the first half? No A-list voices?? Writer-director Andrew Stanton's critique on consumerism, corporatism, and environmental perils on planet Earth really does look and feel 800 years removed from "Pinocchio" and "Snow White". Many notable critics weren't satisfied with the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, declaring "WALL-E" THE best film of 2008. They weren't far off.
9. "Changeling"(2008)
Leave it to Clint Eastwood to toss aside nearly ten years of tabloid omnipresence and remind the masses why they fell in love with Angelina Jolie in the first place. Honestly, I wouldn't have been bothered by Brad Pitt's tattooed girlfriend triumphing in the '08 Best Actress race, but few would argue that Kate wasn't overdue. Angelina shines as Christine Collins, a Los Angeles mother abhorred by the handling of her nine year old son's abduction in 1928. The ensuing 'Wineville Chicken Coop Murders' received national attention, exposed an ineffectual police department and deserved a director of Clint's caliber during his sensational septuagenarian years(we were treated to "Gran Torino" a mere two months later). This is another polished piece of work from a tireless, truth-seeking screen titan.
10. "Vicki Christina Barcelona"(2008)
That workaholic wordsmith Woody Allen took Scarlett Johansson to Barcelona for their third and (to date) final collaboration(Marvel pays quite a bit better). Javier Bardem was right at home in Woody's world, as a smooth Spaniard that sets out to seduce two young vacationing American women. This talky love triangle doesn't sit well with his emotionally unstable ex-wife, played in scene-stealing form by Best Supporting Actress winner Penelope Cruz. We also have "VCB" to thank for Rebecca Hall- this leggy, loquacious brunette is my pick for the year's breakout star.
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