The Dumb Are Mostly Intrigued By The Drum

So we've made it clear into September (OMG, Halloween is right around the corner) and this year has been one of the best as far as the quality of films released so far. And we haven't even started Oscar season which will undoubtedly bring us some more good stuff. So to preempt the barrage of films surging this way, here are my top 5 films released so far this year:

5. Wall-E

I was expecting that this film was gonna be good but I didn't expect what it ended up being: A silent film with so much heart that it leaves you with a good feeling when you leave the theater. You know that age old movie quote "A feel good movie"? Wall-E is the manifestation of that very quote. Pixar has had a track record that rivals any and this one has to rank up there as one of the very best films they've ever done.

4. Iron Man

3. The Dark Knight

Some of you might be shocked that this isn't #1 on my list and I'm right there with you. It's really hard to describe what a "perfect film" is but this one came so close to living up to that title. There were a few kinks in there that kind of bothered me over all but overall The Dark Knight rocked. We'll see what happens with this film come Oscar season as I'd be surprised if Heath Ledger doesn't get some kind of nomination here.

2. The Wackness

I doubt that this film will make it onto most people's top list (especially here in Fresno since the film never opened up here; according to this the film is going to open in Visalia on Oct. 15th) but I was fortunate to see this awesome film and it touched a brother's heart. From the script to the music, it was an awesome experience and know that nostalgia played a big factor in The Wackness' position on my list. 1994 was a tremendous year in music and life in general for me so this flick really took me back. Awesome stuff.

1. The Fall

Like I've said in the past, storytelling is king in my book. And to see this story come to life through a little girl's imagination just exploded my head. Tarsem's surreal visuals really did a wonderful job of projecting this world in the film. Sure the script might not have been perfect but the acting (especially from Catinca Untaru, who deserves at least a nomination for her role of the young girl Alexandria) packaged along with the sheer awesomeness of the music, visuals & the creativity really made this the most enjoyable film I've seen this year. The film was just released on DVD & Blu Ray so I suggest you pick it up and check it out. Or at least throw it on your Netflix Queue.

And that's the list so far. We still have some heavyweights coming between now & January so who knows how this list will look like when I do my Top 10 of the year then. So let me know what you guys think. Did I miss anything? Let me know what your Top 5 films of 2008 are so far.

No matter what you thought of last week's #2 film in the box office, Wanted is a success. Raking in over $50 million in the box office (and that's going up against the Pixar juggernaut named Wall-E), creator Mark Millar has gain even more Hollywood clout. In the past Millar had spoken about his dream project: writing a Superman film. With the commercial failure of 2006's Superman Returns, the future doesn't look very bright for Millar. Pile that on top of the fact the Millar has, in the past, said some very no so nice things about the people over at DC Comics. But with his new found "power" can that be changing? Well, Slash Film has a real good write up on the latest on Millar's quest to get the ball rolling on Superman in which the writer talks that the film is pretty much a go with a director already attached and an announcement to come before Christmas. Awesome. Even if it is more of Millar's hype machine, it's always good to dream. Maybe, we can finally get a Superman film that is on par with what Christopher Nolan has done with the Batman franchise. 

IGN has posted up the final Wall-E trailer and it has a totally different flavor than all the previous trailers. The "Cities" trailer shows off the action side of the film and I'm very glad that they decided to hold off and release this trailer so close to the actual release date. Man, that shit looks cool as hell. Still not hyped up to Anaforian proportions, but still looking forward to seeing it in the theater as I have not seen a Pixar film theatrically since The Incredibles. I'll still be checking out Wanted before this, but I might make it a double feature weekend come June 27. Check out the Quicktime version of the trailer over here and thanks to Trailer Addict for the embeddable version.

Yeah, I bit your headline Roq. Continuity for the win. Anyways, news first, trailers second, contrary to said chewed-upon headline. AICN reports that the next Superman movie may have an "angry god" vibe, according to Thomas Tull of Legendary pictures. There isn't much else about that flick, but a bit of speculation, and sourceage here.

Prince Caspian
Well they amped up the fighting in this trailer, didn't they? Looks like a bunch of very angry PG-ish action. Somehow the fact that Disney is making this film makes me feel like it's all going to be a bunch of G.I. Joe cartoon battles, where everyone is shooting but nobody gets hurt. This disappoints me, and taints my perception of some cool effects and such, but there you has it.

Wall-E
Since SOME people around this blog don't entirely share my epic vision of Wall-E as being the greatest film that will play in 2008 (although these folks are on the Wall-train) this little TV spot is being put up to change some minds. The first couple trailers were sparse, and showed Wall-E alone and interacting with his daily life, but this one takes him out of the element we've seen, and only adds to the excitement about this movie's approach. I love it so hard. So hard.