There is only one honor this awards season that really means anything at all. It’s not the Golden Globes. It’s not the Oscars. No my friends, the one award that studios and publicists in Hollywood clamor for, campaign for… and yes… even beg for. The 2008 Movie Blog Awards honoring the best in movies for the past year.
Ok, maybe no one actually cares… but that doesn’t stop us from doing them anyway.
All things considered, I’d have to say this was a pretty damn good year for film. Yes, there was a lot of crap on the screen this year as well (as you can see from our “Worst 10 Movies of 2008” post we did a few days ago), but overall a solid year.
So as we get ready to dive head first into the major awards season and get ourselves pumped up for the new year in film, let’s take a few minutes to look back on 2008 as we now present to you the winners of the 2008 Movie Blog Awards!
This award is given to the best overall film of 2008
WALL-E
Easily, without question and hands down the best film of 2008. The movie is a brilliant mixture of humor, emotion and message. Never before have I seen a character so engaging, likable and emotionally investable without ever really saying a word (other than Eve a couple of times). It is the #1 critically rated film of the year for good reason, and this year’s recipient of the 2008 Movie Blog Best Movie Award.
Honorable Mention (In no particular order)
– Frost/Nixon
– Slumdog Millionare
– Milk
This award is given to the film achieving the best and most consistent laughs
STEP BROTHERS
Like many people, I had begun to grow a bit tired of the Will Ferrell schtick, especially with the horrible Semi-Pro only coming out months earlier. However, Step Brothers seemed to tap into that intangible quality that makes Will Ferrell the funniest man on the big screen when he’s on his game, and John C. Reilly is his perfect on screen partner. Hilarious from start to finish. For our money, the funniest movie of 2008.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
– Tropic Thunder
– Forgetting Sarah Marshall
– Sex Drive
This award is given to the best film in the Comic Book, Sci-Fi or Fantasy genres
THE DARK KNIGHT
We all thought Christopher Nolan accomplished the near impossible when he masterfully resurrected the Batman property into a new living breathing franchise. Then he faced an even greater challenge in trying to top Batman Begins. Well… he did it, delivering one of the greatest comic book films in history.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
– Iron Man
– Hellboy 2
– The Incredible Hulk
This award is given to the film which exceeded its initial low quality expectations by the greatest amount
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
My first thought of The Spiderwick Chronicles was… well… pathetic. Just another throw away film trying to capitalize on the modern trend of converting popular children’s books into mid grade movies. The trailers looked terrible too and so my expectations for the film were below basement level. But to my shock, I ended up truly enjoying just about every minute of it. Freddie Highmore does a fantastic job playing twin brothers. The movie is magical and I found myself getting caught up in the wonder of it and feeling like I was 8 years old again.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
– Bolt
– Step Brothers
– Kung Fu Panda
This award is given to the best film of the year that receives little to no attention or credit for its quality
DEFINITELY, MAYBE
A sweet and endearing story told from a very interesting perspective. The concept of the narrative of the movie being told by the father through a series of stories to his daughter as a game so she can figure out which woman in the stories is her mother worked surprisingly well. The movie also serves notice that when called upon, Ryan Reynolds can be one hell of an actor and in my opinion this was the best performance he’s ever given in his young career.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
– In Bruges
– Wanted
– The Forbidden Kingdom
SEAN PENN – MILK
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
– Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)
– Frank Langella (Frost / Nixon)
– Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
REBECCA HALL – VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
– Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
– Meryl Streep (Doubt)
– Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)
HEATH LEDGER – THE DARK KNIGHT
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
– Ralph Fiennes (In Bruges)
– Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
– James Franco (Milk)
MARISA TOMEI – THE WRESTLER
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
– Kate Winslet (The Reader)
– Viola Davis (Doubt)
– Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona)
So there you have it folks. I’m sure there are a million different opinions out there for each one of the categories, so now is your chance to jump in the comments section and let us know how your “awards” would break down.
Also, are there any other categories you can think of besides the old traditional ones that you’d like to see us do a follow up post in this coming week? Let me know.
