1. im honestly backlogged on movies but vantage is one i can comment on. it wasnt a bad movie. somewhat predictable but they restarted it about 2 times too many. at first it was fine but after a while it got annoying and u wanted to progress. there was no big surprise. They should have came up with a better twist

Posted at 12:21PM on Jul 7th 2008 by Riley Freeman

2. Thanks for the synopsis, Scott. I agree with a lot of what you said, but in order to stay true to the general commenting theme on here I have to rail about what I disagree with. I'm an enormous Romero (and zombie movies in general) fan but Diary was not at all a welcome departure. It felt more like an attempt to cash in on the first person faux docu fad which has been executed much more successfully by several others (including Cloverfield). The standard Romero message felt more forced and the protagonists seemed even more inept, than usual. It wasn't a good movie.

Neither was The Strangers. The only reason I can agree with what you said above is that the qualifier of "studio horror" was used. The Strangers, at least, did bring some moments of great tension, even if the third act was a pure mess, unlike most cookie-cutter studio horror flicks. It may have been a step forward, but it was a small step.

Posted at 1:02PM on Jul 7th 2008 by Moo

3. I thought Vantage Point was an extremely flawed film. As Riley said they replayed the same 11 minutes far too many times and you just wanted for them to get on with the plot. The ending was pretty terrible as well. I loved Cloverfield and Iron Man, but the biggest surprise of the year so far has to be how much I enjoyed the Hulk, a film that at the start of the year I was kind of dreading. The worst film of the year has to be The Happening, another sign that Shyamalan is going insane and has lost all respect for his audience with an awful performance by Mark Wahlberg. I doubt anything in the next 6 months will be as bad as that.

Posted at 1:09PM on Jul 7th 2008 by CastleKnight

4. when i started reading this i figured i could just note my dissagreements and just politely list them in this comment. by the end of it i realized there were far too many for my lazy to type out.

spiderwick: awful
vantage point: weak
speed racer: awesome
WALL*E: incredible
Hancock: meh
Wanted: terrible

but my top picks so far would be
1) iron man
2) WALL*E
3) Cloverfield

still, i've been very, VERY tight on cash these past few months so i've yet to see most of these.

Posted at 1:11PM on Jul 7th 2008 by hegster

5. Well, I'm a huge film buff! (I see at lest 2 films per Week in theater!)

So, instead of going month by month, I will just give my list.

THE WORST FILM'S (So Far) Of 2008:

Be Kind, Rewind
Meet the Spartans
The Eye
Zombie Strippers!
Never Back Down
Leatherheads
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
First Sunday
Jumper
88 Minutes
The Ruins (The Director Ruined the ending of the book!)
The Signal
Semi-Pro
The Happening
Under the Same Moon (La misma luna)
Funny Games

BEST FILMS of 2008 (Or Films I really Enjoyed!):

Speed Racer
THe Hulk
Young@Heart
Mongol (Finally came to the US in 2008!)
In Burges
21
Indy 4
Iron Man
The Other Boleyn Girl
WALL·E
The Bank Job
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Horton Hears a Who!
Flawless
Mad Money
27 Dresses
Teeth (Took So long to come to theaters!)
Cassandra's Dream (Took So long to come to theaters!)
The Air I Breathe


Films I found Just Disappointing (Not the Worse, Not the Best, Just Bland):
(This is a list of films that could have been soo much better, but failed somewhere along the line!)

Wanted
The Strangers
Deception
Untraceable
Fool's Gold
Diary of the Dead
Son of Rambo
Stop-Loss
The Visitor
Then She Found Me
The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Snow Angels
Vantage Point
Bonneville
Cloverfield
Get Smart
Kung Fu Panda

Posted at 3:05PM on Jul 7th 2008 by Christopher

6. Calling 'Flushed Away' a Dreamworks film is akin to calling 'Toy Story' a Disney movie. 'Flushed Away' is an Aardman film first, and only a Dreamworks film by way of partnership, much like 'Toy Story' was bankrolled by Disney but made by Pixar.

Associating the quality of one with the other is an insult to the creators of the film. Dreamworks CGI flicks are mostly crap, at least post-Shrek 2. Aardman's quality is consistently good.

Disney and Pixar share the same relationship. With the exception of Meet the Robinsons (which was just good), Disney has yet to create a quality computer animated feature film. Pixar has made nothing but top-tier films since their inception.

Posted at 4:43PM on Jul 7th 2008 by Mike

7. Well, this is an interesting idea. I'll do month-by-month as well, though I've obviously seen far less movies than you have, Scott:

January: Cloverfield was the only January release that I caught, but it was an excellent monster movie. It was immensely entertaining, and the unique concept helped to make it even more so. The audience I saw it with HATED it, though, letting out a very audible groan when it was over, and I've heard that many people had similar reactions. What a shame.

February: Who would've anticipated that Definitely, Maybe would turn out a better movie than Be Kind Rewind? Definitely, Maybe infuriated me because the sucker of a romantic in me actually enjoyed it despite its flaws, and Be Kind Rewind was such a disappointment. Michel Gondry, Jack Black, Mos Def, a totally wonky premise...it should've been awesome, but it was only occasionally amusing. (The Ghostbusters sequence, however, is fried gold.) Oh, and there was also The Other Boleyn Girl, which I initially saw only for Scarlett Johansson's radiant beauty, but which proved to be actually quite entertaining in a soap opera kind of way before it collapsed under the weight of its own melodrama at the end.

March: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day was an uneven misfire, featuring a strong performance from Frances McDormand buried underneath a cutesy, cloying script, and Amy Adams sure looked pretty, but wasn't much else.

April: Leatherheads and Smart People were two more disappointments, the former being a failed attempt at screwball despite the great talent in front of and behind the camera, the latter being an almost contemptible misuse of the great Ellen Page and Thomas Haden Church. However, April was home for two of the year's funniest movies: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which brought the laughs even if it doesn't come close to the Apatow banner's highwater marks; and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, which was just silly, outrageous fun.

May: May is where things really got cookin'. Iron Man was the best superhero movie since Batman Begins, interjecting a blast of fresh air into the genre with Robert Downey Jr.'s winningly quirky performance and a clever script. An excellent way to start the summer movie season. I thought that Speed Racer was more interesting than most gave it credit for, even if it was half-baked and ultimately overwrought, as was The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, though at least that improved upon the original. Luckily, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was an even more delectable summer treat than Iron Man, with all the fun, wit, invention, and spirit of the first three. Just because he's firmly into his AARP years doesn't mean that Harrison Ford can't still kick ass. There was also an HBO TV movie called Recount which was an entertaining look at the backstage politics going on during the 2000 presidental election; sadly, the day after its premire, Sydney Pollack, who had produced it, died.

June: Last month brought both the best movie as well as the worst movie of the year so far. The best, of course, is WALL-E, another shining Pixar masterpiece, which is glorious fun; I seriously can't imagine anyone not enjoying this, it's so full of joy and life. The worst was M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. I used to be a big fan of Shyamalan's, but ever since Signs, his masterpiece, his films have taken a big dive in quality, and The Happening is the worst yet. Though I must say it is the year's best comedy, and few moviegoing experiences in 2008 have been more enjoyable. And though it seems as though it's going to be forgotten in the midst of the densely-packed summer, The Incredible Hulk was a solid improvement upon Ang Lee's mediocre original, and was definitely a good bit of popcorn fun.

I can't wait to see what the second half of the year holds, even though so far it's already delivered Hancock, a movie which could make you wary of the future of superhero movies if you weren't already.

Posted at 5:37PM on Jul 7th 2008 by AJ Wiley

8. I'm not sure what my least favorite films from the first half of the year were (Indiana Jones was very disappointing even after lowering my expectations.), but here's my top five favorites:

http://slowclapchildren.blogspot.com/2008/06/category-five-my-5-favorite-films-of.html

Posted at 7:46PM on Jul 7th 2008 by Jonathan Kuhn

9. damn i was rushing so i only had time to comment on one movie and i didnt even have time to finish to article here we go

ironman - aawesome

cloverfield. - i didnt mind the camera but i think too many stupid parts. like them hiding under a bridge at the end when a big monster is stomping all over the place ... VERY DUMB.

them flying the helicopter over the monster in their attempt to get away - again very dumb (u fly the other way) i dont care where it takes u how long it takes u u dont go the same way as the monster

the girl left the party then the monster attacked how did she make it from one borough to the other in like 3 mins? they climb up a leaning tower for a girl that may or may not be dead? they just went over board with too many thing.


mad money wasnt as bad as i thought it would be( i just saw it yesterday) it wasnt good but wasnt as bad as i thought it would be. the ending with the tax lawyer stupid but clever at the same time. they would have never gotten off in real life.

meet the spartans started off funny but after the first 5 mins it just became crap. its like they started writing the movie and then they let their 5 year old kids finish. too much gay crap. why does straight men doing gay things need to make it in every movie? gay is not funny.

one missed call same boring usual crap

untraceable was the same except it adapted to the torture that SAW has brought to the table. Had that movie been made prior to the SAW series it wouldnt have had such gruesome stuff.

semi-pro was not nearly as funny as i expected. they didnt make will ferrell as dumb as he normally is in movies.

The eye i just didnt get the point of making that movie. what did it bring to the table?

Strange wilderness was really dumb. like beyond dumb. Jumper had a good concept but didnt go anywhere.

rambo i dont even know if a line was spoken for the last 20 mins. the violence was excessive.

the only other movies ive seen on that list is 10 000 bc and handcock.

10 000 bc i watched and i dont think it did anything to separate itself from other movies of the same type. so brought nothing to the table.

hancock piece of crap if i ever see will smith im asking him for my money back. and to stop being such a p*ssy and take a freakin risk on a movie

Posted at 8:01PM on Jul 7th 2008 by Riley Freeman

10. Your list isnt bad, I just dont totally agree with it.

January - Cloverfield was a nice reinvention of the monster movie genre. I thought Rambo was great, action packed, excessively violent but I have no problem with that.

February - Semi-Pro was funny, but you are right very forgettable. Jumper wasnt as enjoyable as I thought it would be. And does anyone know why Hayden Christensen still makes movies? Be kind rewind was alright, wasnt nearly as funny or enjoyable as I expected it to be. Sort of a Disappointing month.

March - 10,000 BC was a waste of time. 21 just wasnt interesting enough to keep me focused. Doomsday was pretty fun to watch, and I dont know if im alone or not but I always enjoy watching Bob Hoskins.

April - A month of Laughs. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is another Apatow Jewel. Harold and Kumar 2 wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be, actually it was quite funny. The Forbidden Kingdom was really nice to look at and the fight sequences were awesome. I have not seen 88 minutes yet but I plan to. Prom Night, I didnt see it but im pretty convinced that its bad.

May - Ironman was awesome. Indiana Jones was just too much ridiculous for me. Speed Racer was Bold and a little whacky, but I enjoyed it. The Strangers was ok.

June - The only thing I saw this month, as it was a busy month for me, was The Incredible Hulk and I enjoyed it just as much, if not more than Ironman.

As far as Hancock is concerned I give it about a C+, maybe a B-. I just think Charlize Theron was cast wrong and the only reason I would give it a B- is because I enjoyed Jason Bateman that much.

Posted at 12:41AM on Jul 8th 2008 by Arp

11. Indiana Jones is the worst movie by far. Kung Fu Panda was uneven. Best ones? Cloverfield, Wall - E, and The Happening (for the laughs).

Posted at 4:38AM on Jul 10th 2008 by David

12. You liked Diary of the Dead??? That's the worst film of 2008 and maybe Romero's entire career.

Posted at 11:11AM on Jul 10th 2008 by Jamie

13. I can't see how anyone would have liked Speed Racer. My children didn't even want to see it. Plus Cloverfield was completely Lame.

Posted at 12:32PM on Jul 10th 2008 by TJ

14. I actually thought Prom Night was pretty good - it made me scream hahaa but wasn't tooo scary - actually i found it kinda sad???
Hahaa and believe it or not Cloverfield made me sick! The camera moving around and shaking so much gave me a headache and I unfortunately had to go home! hahaa but i made it to the part when the girl exploded behind the curtain!
Oh and I def. didn't understand One Missed call!? I wasn't a fan!?

Posted at 12:34PM on Jul 10th 2008 by LaurenElizabeth

15. Favorites:
Cloverfield
Teeth
Chicago10
OSS 117: Nest of Spies
Paranoid Park
Shine a Light
The Band's Visit
Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell
Iron Man
Son of Rambo
WallE
Baghead
The Worst:
Who cares, stick with the above list and you won't be sorry.

Posted at 3:10PM on Jul 10th 2008 by Robin

16. Holy cow, you have no taste.

Posted at 3:19PM on Jul 10th 2008 by Jarrod

17. I avoided a lot of these movies, precisely because I figured they'd be disappointing ("Be Kind, Rewind", e.g.)

Big movies that have delivered: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Ironman, Incredible Hulk, Cloverfield, Wall-E, (though I think the message is meeting with greater approval in some cases than the movie). Kung Fu Panda may not hold up but it was way better than most of the Dreamworks output.

A little shout out to "The Ruins" which is pretty good for what it is. Actually, "The Strangers" succeeds under those terms. You could put Horton, Narnia and Forbidden Kingdom in those categories, too. Kids movies, not entirely unwatchable if you take them that way.

Indies: "Live and Become" worked for me, while "The Visitor", not so much (it was all right, I just thought it bogged down toward the end), "Young@Heart" was surprisingly effective. "The Fall" surprised me by hanging together so well. Just saw "Trumbo" and approve, while "Refuseniks" seemed unfocused.

Foreign: "In Bruge" might be my favorite of the year, "Flawless" was fun, "The Orphanage" was pretty good, "Mongol" was overlong but with good moments. "Son of Rambow" was fun. It's harder with foreign films because most of them have actually been out for a while--one movie I saw this year was from 2005 and just getting distributed. "The Bank Job" was a nice little heist film.

All in all, not a bad year.

Posted at 5:04PM on Jul 10th 2008 by blake

18. Why Am I here?
I mean Come on Dude!
If you're going to review the movies that come out this year,at least see every movie!
Talk about half asp!

Posted at 6:17PM on Jul 10th 2008 by Kelso Horror

19. Hancock was garbage.
Vantage Point was pitiful.
Rambo was a hell of allot more fun than Wanted.
Semi-Pro was not funny.
Wall•E was the best film of 2008 so far, and you haven't seen it.
Good job.

Posted at 9:31PM on Jul 10th 2008 by Mike

20. I have to say that Vantage Point has to be one of the worst movies (besides The Happening) that I have seen this year.
SPOILER ALERT

The supposed twist was horribly predictable. I actually turned to my wife after Matthew Fox ran off screen and said "He is involved." I had my first hint to his involvement when he said he had spoken to control when none of the other secret service members could get ahold of control, but it was his running off to track down the shooter that sealed the deal for me on his involvement.

But what really killed me was the very ending:

What self respecting terrorist mastermind would even think about attempting to stop a speeding truck to avoid hitting a girl in the middle of the street? I mean come on, after all that planning to abduct the president they wouldn't hesitate to plow through anyone in their way whether it be a little girl or some big guy. It just ruined the entire movie for me.

Posted at 9:38PM on Jul 10th 2008 by The Dude