Top 10 grossing movies of the year

Today Yahoo posted the top 10 earning movies of 2008. I figured that it might be neat to go over these and see how I liked them.

Number ten Horton hears a who: total gross 154,529,439.

This retelling of the classic Dr. Seuss tale featuring Jim Carrey and Steve Carell looked very cute. I heard from the people who did see it that it was actually very funny and good. I had no interest, as Hordon hears a who is one of my favorite stories from childhood. After the last Dr. Seuss outing, the cat in the hat, I really did not want to see Hollywood butcher another one of my favorite stories.

Number nine Twilight: total gross 150,461,000.

This is based off of a sappy romantic novel written for teenagers. Up until a week before the movie came out I had never even heard of the book. Apparently it's quite popular among teenagers. Not being a teenager myself nor wishing to revisit that part of my life, I found little interest in the film. I probably will check it out on DVD, but I'm not expecting much. Apparently there are two sequels coming out and already scheduled to be filmed. When I check it out, I'll be sure to write a review.

Number eight quantum of solace: total gross 161,300,000.

My review of the quantum of solace is below. Like I said I enjoyed the film, but the action sequences were absolutely horrid. I think the film's success is based solely on its prequel, which relaunched the Bond franchise and was a very good film. Honestly, everything I had to say about this movie can be found below.

Number seven Madagascar: escape to Africa: total gross 172,332,000.

I didn't see the first movie, therefore, I did not intend to see the second movie. Just like the first film, the entire premise seems stupid, and therefore I have no interest.

Number six Kung Fu Panda: total gross 215,434,591.

This movie actually did see. I almost didn't though. You see the first five minutes is a dream sequence. However this is the first five minutes that Yahoo chose to show on their website. The dream sequence is corny, bad and just annoying. This gave me a horrible impression of the film, which made me not see it. However thanks to my best friend, who is extremely persistent with such matters, and who bugged me for a grand total of four months telling me I had to see this film. Well thanks to him, and the $15 bet he made that I would like the film, I got to experience one of the best films of 2008. The film had a good message, and Jack Black was playing the type of character which I really like him in. He wasn't the funniest part of the film, it was the other characters playing off of him that produced the best laughs. I did thoroughly enjoy this film, and found myself quoting it for days after. I thoroughly recommend it.

Number five Wall-E: total gross 223,749,872.

Another success by Pixar animation Studios, WALL-E asks the simple question, what if all the humans left Earth, but forgot to turn off the last robot. This movie is truly a feast for the eyes. Seeing it in the theaters and seeing it on Blu-Ray it is absolutely stunning. It really reminded me of the old Looney Tunes cartoons, which used more gesture and interpretation of body language to get laughs, rather than relying on slapstick comedy. Not that there wasn't slapstick comedy in WALL-E, but the former method was used more, which I prefer. I believe Andrew Stanton the director truly captured real human gestures and gave them to this robot. WALL-E's journey as he follows his robotic heart shows us what it really means to be human. It is a heartwarming tale and one that I believe will live on in video libraries for years to come. Though some did not like the fact that the first hour of the film there was almost no dialog, I found it refreshing, and was really amazed at how much story they could actually tell using only gestures and slight noises. It really is a credit to Pixar's storytelling ability that they were able to create such a film. This is my favorite animated movie of 2008, and I implore all of you watch it.

Number four Hancock: total gross 227,946,274.

Well it was another big Willie weekend this Fourth of July weekend. Will Smith continued his box office success with Hancock, the story of a subpar superhero and his redemption. Being a big fan of the superhero genre, I found myself really wanting to see Hancock. I'm also a fan of Will Smith, and think that he's one of the best actors of his generation. Therefore it was almost inevitable that I would see this film. I did not get to see opening weekend as it was two weeks before my wedding, and time was tight. I find that this movie has two sets of reviews, those who liked the twist in the middle of the film, and those who didn't. I for one enjoyed the twist, as did my wife. My best friend also enjoyed it. The "critics" said that after the twist. The film became formulaic and seemed to be a different film than what it had started out as. Some of them felt hoodwinked, or taken for a ride. This is just another superhero film with a happy ending. I go to every super hero film hoping for a happy ending. So I was actually happy when the film went there. I actually got this film on Blu-Ray for Christmas, and I'm very happy to own it. At the very least, it is definitely worth one watch.

Number three Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal skull: total gross 317,023,851.

This was one of my most anticipated films for 2008. I love the Indiana Jones films, they are in my top 10 films of all time. So as you can imagine, expectations were very high for this film. It was also a twinge of dread, because I have seen the Star Wars prequels, and those did not turn out as well as they could have. The Star Wars films, had George Lucas as director, so with Steven Spielberg heading this film, I had much greater hope. The great hope, however was dashed. This film turned out more to be Indiana Jones and the X-Files. While I do enjoy the film and I will own it at some point in my life, I'm sure, the cheesiness of the scripts and reality bending was just too hard to overlook. The sad thing is that this happened not only 20 minutes into the film. Where Indiana Jones survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a lead lined fridge. I mean, I know the guy's a hero, but come on. If the blast did not kill him, then the impact when the fridge landed would have. There's a certain level of suspension of disbelief that has to be maintained. Within the first 20 minutes of this film, they not only went beyond that level but totally and utterly undermined the entire rest of the film's action sequences. Obviously this man is indestructible, so why should we worry when he's put in peril. The best thing about Indiana Jones was that he was just an everyday guy, who managed to become a hero in extraordinary circumstances. Sure he was smart and had a really great skill set, but he was still human. He got beat up, he got bloody, he almost met defeat, but above all things he persevered. That's what made him such a great film icon. So in conclusion, this film was not what I expected, but just a fun romp with a familiar friend.

Number two Iron Man: total gross 318,313,199.

This was my most anticipated movie of 2008. I would like to say that the number one film was, but honestly, I watch this preview more times than I can count. Robert Downey Jr's performance of Tony Stark was pitch perfect in regards to the comic book. It was the best Marvel origin story yet. It even beat Spiderman, which had been the golden jewel of superhero movies by which all others were judged. The story had good action, great humor, and just fit the character so well. The villain was a little ho-hum, but seeing Tony grow as a character throughout the film and to see the evolution of the Iron Man suit was really a joy. Downey's performance was really just so amazing, because even though I know that there'll be a sequel, and that Tony Stark can't die in the first film. There was actually a moment in the film, where me and my wife both were scared for Tony's life. That's how strong the performance was. I think that's why the film had so much success at the box office. Because not only was it a great story, but the performance was worth going to see again. I owned this film as soon as he came out, and recommend you go out and pick up your own copy Blu-Ray if possible. As the visuals you can get on Blu-Ray cannot be matched by DVD.

And number one, The Dark Knight: total gross 530,750,228.

I saw this movie at midnight the night before I was married. And it was totally worth it. For what this film did to the superhero genre was absolutely amazing and unprecedented. I did not feel like I was watching a superhero movie. I was watching a really great drama that happened to have a superhero in it. I cannot say enough good things about this film. Heath Ledger's performance was mind blowing. Never before had anyone seen the Joker as he had truly been written, but somehow, this actor, who we have never seen this type of role managed to pull it off with flying colors. I really hope that he gets the best supporting actor Oscar, because I could not tell where the Joker began and Heath ended. I believe it was the performance of the year, and I hope that it is recognized for its brilliance. Of course, no film is one performance alone, but the rest of the cast do not disappoint. This is the best Batman ever put to film, the best villain, best story, best superhero film ever made. It elevated the genre, and I hope that the Academy will recognize it for what it did. I consider The Dark Knight the best film of 2008