The Bank Job

The Bank Job is a cross between Snatch and Oceans Eleven. Roger Donaldson takes a Guy Ritchie-type approach with Guy Ritchie's right hand man, Jason Statham. Statham takes his traditional bad-ass bitch fuckin' approach in this year's most underrated movie.

Rating: 81

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is not a film easily forgotten as the loveless made for TV musician Peter Bretter (Segel) delivers memorable quote after memorable quote. Segel travels alone to Hawaii to escape his ex-girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Bell) only to encounter that she has made her way there with playboy rockstar Aldous Snow (Brand). It is one of those rare romantic comedies that actually keeps you laughing from start to end while not letting the romantic aspect of the storyline slip too far away. This movie is the premier R-rated comedy of 2008.
Plus Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell and pretty fucking hot.

Rating: 81

Ratatouille

Pixar Animation Studios has created another great with Ratatouille. Patton Oswalt voices a lovable little rat that turns into a spectacular character who makes his way into the heart of all viewers. Impaired by his lack of cooking ability, cooking apprentice Linguini must face turning to an unexpected hero for the source of his skills. Ratatouille is one of those films that can be admired by people of all ages.

Rating: 89

Knocked Up

Judd Apatow's Knocked Up pleasantly combines raunchy humor with a strong plot. The movie mixes moments of pure hilarity and strong emotions which produces a comedic great. Seth Rogen's crudeness counters Katherine Heigl's sweetness and creates a entertaining duo. 

Rating: 83 

Dumb and Dumber

The Farrely Brothers's 1994 hit Dumb and Dumber established Jim Carrey as one of the funniest actors of the 90's. This movie has the special ability to allow children and adults laugh throughout it's entirety. The idiotic duo of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels create a comedy that has yet to be surpassed and will maintain it's place in movie history.

Rating: 85

El Laberinto del fauno

I can't decide the most impressive part of the film: the CGI work, the captivating direction by Guillermo del Toro, the screenplay, or the impressive acting by 12 year old Ivana Baquero. Del Toro's fairy tale set in Spain of 1944 creates a balance between dreams and torture, peace and war, and the imaginary and real. This may be the greatest movie ever filmed in the Spanish language.

Rating: 84

Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark may be the coolest cat to hit the big screen since Jon Faverau's (director) counterpart in Swingers, Vince Vaughn. Downey Jr. takes an average plot and screenplay and turns it into something special. This is a must see for avid teenage comicbook readers and married couples alike.

Rating: 82

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

You saw the trailer, drove to the theater, and threw down $75 dollars by the end of the night to see a movie you believed was a true "film made for critics." You checked into the 7:05 show and got comfortable knowing you were not going to come close to making the 10 o' clock news. You hoped the film set you up perfectly to rail your companion by the time you pulled back into your driveway at 10:30, another wasted night appeasing to the society that forces us to make an attempt to watch the Oscar contenders. Your last hope at being entertained throughout the movie was the thought of Brad Pitt reemerging with an appearance that rivaled the characters Tyler Durder and Jeffrey Goines. However, Benjamin Button was in an entirely new category of movie combining the epic tale of Forest Gump with a magical touch rivaling that of Pan's Labyrinth. Pitt gives a captivating proformance as he transforms backwards through life while his counterpart Cate Blanchette matches his proformance. They continually play the part of foil to their counterpart while keeping the viewer enthralled. This film not only turned out to be enjoyable, it was borderline epic even for the casual moviegoer. It's only flaw was its hubris which is expressed through it's excessive length causing occasional lulls.

Rating: 85