Just like it was for music, 2008 wasn’t really a great year for movies or television … the Writer’s Strike at the start of the year really decimated Hollywood and severely hurt television programming. That said, there were a few really amazing films (highlighted by really amazing acting performances) and a select few TV shows that really brought the entertainment this year. Here is my list of my Fave Movies of 2008 … I think the #1 pick might surprise you.

At #10 is The Incredible Hulk:

This movie may not have been the best superhero film of all time but it beat the hell out of Ang Lee’s Hulk and really did a service to both the comic book series and the TV series from the ’70s. This film really paid homage to the beloved TV series for the first half of the film and then represented the comic books very well in the second half of the film. All I know is that I had a really good time at the movies watching this film … and isn’t that what’s most important?

At #9 is W.:

Oliver Stone films are really hit or miss and this one was a pretty nice hit. Josh Brolin played a superb GWB and managed to put our soon-to-be ex-president in real context. I am no GWB fan by any stretch of the imagination but this film actually made him a sympathetic character. Props to Oliver Stone for actually doing the impossible.

In the #8 position is Doubt:

This film is all about the acting. And among the amazing acting performances, Meryl Streep far outshines everyone else in this film. She absolutely turned in the most powerful acting performance this year … she absolutely deserves all the Best Actress awards and, IMHO, the Best Actor awards as well — she is that good in this film. I feel bad for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, who both turned in exceptional performances, cuz Streep just steals the spotlight. She made this movie such a delight for me to watch.

At #7 is Milk:

At long last, the story of Harvey Milk’s life made it to the big screen … and Sean Penn did his memory a great service. Milk may not have been a blockbuster but it is a very important story that is told so expertly that I wish it had made more money at the box office. Penn’s cast of supporting actors were also pretty phenomenal … as a whole they told a tale that an entire generation of people were hearing for the first time — which was eerily similar to the events that were playing out on the streets of SoCal this past November.

At #6 is WALL•E:

OMG … what can I say about WALL•E that hasn’t been said a million times before? The movie is just cute as hell and actually caused kids and grown adults alike to fall in love with a sweet little animated trash compactor. I had my doubts about this film before I saw it for myself … but man, once I saw it — I was hooked. WALL•E is absolutely the Best Animated Film of 2008.

After the jump, check out my Top 5 Fave Films of 2008 as well as my list of my Fave TV Shows of the Year …

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Yesterday afternoon, David and I hung out in Studio City for dinner at Vitello’s and then coffee and magazine perusing at Bookstar on Ventura Blvd. We toyed with the idea of doing something more substantial but we decided to just keep things quiet. Last night we made our way out to the ArcLight in Hollywood, CA to see the new Oliver Stone film W.

People who are expecting to hear that W. is a hatchet job on George W. Bush may be surprised to learn that the film is nothing of the sort. In fact, much of the film is geared towards making GWB a more sympathetic character in that, according to the filmmaker, GWB bumbled his way from job to job to job in order to try and make his father George Bush, Sr. proud of him. Whether or not you agree with the contention, it’s easy to empathize with. That being said, GWB has done enough things in real life both in and out of office to color one’s opinion of the man. I am no GWB fan. But in light of this movie, I can see how he resonated with people to make it to the White House. The movie is really mostly about GWB’s relationship with his father and everything else is extraneous add on to fill out the story. Josh Brolin is SUPERB in this role. His portrayal of GWB is spot-on … right down to his facial expressions, mannerisms and his laugh — he does an amazing job. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up with an Academy Award nomination next year. The rest of the cast is just OK … save for Jeffrey Wright who plays Colin Powell, I wasn’t really taken with anyone else’s performance … the actors seemed more like caricatures than actual representations of the real people. Thandie Newton looks exactly like Condaleeza Rice but her attempt to mimic her voice kills her portrayal for me. It’s too cartoony, totally unbelievable. Over all, I enjoyed the film. It’s not really what I expected but it was wholly entertaining. Again, I don’t think that it’s a film that Republicans will generally go for but I think a few Democrats might find that the GWB in this film is a more sympathetic character than they might believe the real GWB to be.

Not sure what plans are for this evening … I think we’ll try to get out and enjoy the amazing (tho hot) weather this weekend. Or, you know, not. As I like to reiterate, David and I love doing absolutely nothing together :)

Director Oliver Stone premiered his controversial new movie W. at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City last night to a star-studded audience that included the film’s stars Josh Brolin, Ellen Burstyn, Elizabeth Banks, Thandie Newton and more. As you may know, W. is Oliver Stone’s take on the rise to political power of George W. Bush which, I understand, doesn’t really paint the sitting president in the best light. Here are a few pics from last night’s red carpet arrivals:

Try as he might, I don’t think that Oliver Stone is going to be able to explain away the fact that his portrayal of GWB isn’t tinged with just a touch of his political bias. That being said, I know that there are quite a few skeletons in GWB’s closet that are ripe for the exploiting. GWB has gone on the record about his past substance abuse and I understand that that part of his life features heavily in this new film. I think it’s safe to say that fans of GWB, the man and his administration, might want to take a pass on this film as I don’t really believe it is geared for their entertainment. When it comes to Oliver Stone films, it’s kind of hit or miss for me. Some of his films are amazing, others I didn’t really care for. But I am very intrigued by this one. I know I’ll be making my way out to the theater to see this movie once it opens on Friday. Josh Brolin was superb in the Academy Award winning No Country For Old Men so I’m confident he will deliver another amazing performance. Ellen Burstyn is, IMHO, one of those unsung actresses who deserves more credit than she receives (her performance in Requiem for a Dream is stunning). I’m not sure how many of y’all are looking forward to the release of this film but I deffo am. I’m curious to see what Stone will do with the story of GWB. The tagline for the film is “based on a true story”. I can’t wait to see this truth that Oliver Stone speaks of.

[Photo credit: Splash News]