2008

10- In Bruges

in-bur
Director: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 4/5
Justin’s Kudos: Hilarious, good acting, surprisingly good character development
Justin’s Criticism: Colin Farrell crying…..not so good

9- Ghost Town

ghost1
Director: David Koepp
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni, Greg Kinnear
Rated: PG-13
Justin’s Rating: 4/5
Justin’s Kudos: Ricky Gervais
Justin’s Criticism: Shouldn’t have reeled in Ricky Gervais so much

8-  Gran Torino

gran
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 4/5
Justin’s Kudos: Amazing acting and directing by Mr. Eastwood
Justin’s Criticism: Horrible acting by the supporting cast

7- Doubt

doubt
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams
Rated: PG-13
Justin’s Rating: 4/5
Justin’s Kudos: Brilliant acting by entire cast
Justin’s Criticism: None

6- Frost/Nixon

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Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell
Rated: R
Best Picture: Nominee
Justin’s Rating: 4/5
Justin’s Kudos: Great acting and surprisingly not one-sided
Justin’s Criticism: Distracting directing (not as good as they would have you believe)

5- Let The Right One In

let
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leanderssen
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 4.5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Absolutely everything
Justin’s Criticism: Absolutely nothing

4- Changeling

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Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Great acting, directing, and cinematography
Justin’s Criticism: None

3- The Dark Knight

dark
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman
Rated: PG-13
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Acting, directing, musical score, editing
Justin’s Criticism: All together now—Batman voice

2- The Wrestler

the-wrestler
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Brilliant acting, directing, story telling
Justin’s Criticism: Absolutely none
Justin’s Favorite Film of the Year

1- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

curious
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett
Rated: PG-13
Best Picture: Nominee
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Great acting, directing, cinematography, make up, and overall message
Justin’s Criticism: Could be a little shorter

*If these were my 10 favorites of the year 1 and 2 would be switched*