Club 50 Wrap-Up: 2008

Years Completed:
1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 
1998 | 1999 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 
2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014

Finally, 2008. I'm not sure how it took so long to finish this one. The next most recent year I have left on my Club 50 list is 2000. I guess something has to be last (or 5th from the end).

Similar to 2009, 2008 is somewhere between "pretty recent" and "longer ago than I realized". Looking through the list, it doesn't seem like Twilight has been around for eight years in movie form. Kristen Stewart still feels like a recent big deal. Then there's the Disney Channel stars. High School Musical 3 is eight years old. That means we've been following around Zach Efron and Vanessa Hudgens since 2006. And I forget how young Miley Cyrus came to prominence. She was already breaking weekend box office records in 2008 with her Best of Both Worlds Concert movie. On the other end of things, The Dark Knight wasn't that long ago, was it? Iron Man too. In fact, there's been 12 movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Robert Downey Jr. first suited up. Hell, in 2008, Adam Sandler was still able to release two movies and make $100 million on name brand alone (Bedtime Stories and, somehow, You Don't Mess with the Zohan). It's been a long time and no time at all.

What struck me the most about 2008 is the depth of comedies that I love. I was 21 at the time, so maybe it's a case of being in the right head space for the comedies at the time. I accept that as a possibility. How can you argue with the lineup though? Writer/producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg released their follow up to Superbad, Pineapple Express. Nicholas Stoller got his directorial debut with the Jason Segel/Kristen Bell comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Role Models becomes David Wain's biggest hit. Tropic Thunder was Ben Stiller's first time directing since Zoolander, not to mention how it somehow got Robert Downey Jr. an Oscar nomination. Step Brothers ended up being the last really good comedy from Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. There were a lot of options, and I enjoyed so many of them. Even What Happens in Vegas, Mamma Mia!, and yes, You Don't Mess With the Zohan had their own charm.

The story that has had the most impact on the industry since then has to be the Oscars though. It was another down year for the Academy best picture nominees. Only Slumdog Millionaire (16) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (20) made the top 50. The Reader (82) and Milk (89) weren't even close. Frost/Nixon (120) was almost completely ignored by audiences. What made this significant was the snubbing of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight and to a lesser extent Wall-E. This was seen as a last straw. Both movies were beloved by critics and audiences but still couldn't break through the stuffy "prestige movies". The next year, what many call "The Dark Knight Rule" was put in place, widening the field to 10 best picture nominees. You can pretend that this wasn't a makeup call, but it's no coincidence that Christopher Nolan's next movie (Inception) and the next two Pixar releases (Up, Toy Story 3) got nominations. Regardless of your thoughts of the change, it's definitely made the nominees more interesting and showed that the Academy actually does care about its image.

To wind down each year as I complete them, I'm going to hand out a few superlatives or anecdotal awards to highlight some of the highs and lows of the year's top 50 box office earners.

First Seen: Cloverfield

This is perhaps JJ Abrams' ultimate act of secrecy. That teaser trailer before Transformers kicked off a viral campaign that worked perfectly on me. There was no way I was missing that opening weekend.

Last Seen: Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour

I put it off as long as I could.

Happiest Surprise: Cloverfield

It's funny. One of the things I originally loved about this movie was that I didn't recognize anyone in it except sort of Lizzy Caplan, but in a "Wait, which one was she in Mean Girls?" kind of way. Now, my favorite thing is going back and realizing that I recognize everyone. Oh, it's Erlich from Silicon Valley. There's the hot doctor from the last season of House. And this other girl was in Evil Dead. I love Lizzie Caplan in everything now. Ginsberg? The stalker neighbor from Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23? That guy from Under the Dome? Some of these are on me for not already knowing them. Many are just good casting in hindsight.

Biggest Disappointment: Quantum of Solace

I didn't really expect a 20-years-later Indiana Jones to live up to any kind of expectations, so its questionable merit was no surprise. Slumdog Millionaire and WALL-E were both critically adored films that left me completely cold. I'm sticking with Quantum of Solace though. Casino Royale was such a different kind of Bond movie, that when Quantum ended up following the formula so strictly, it was jarring. Also, extra point deduction for having the most pretentious title imaginable.

Looked Better Then: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This was a big time Oscar player and a snooze of a movie. It's a testament to Brad Pitt's star appeal that it did so well at the time.

Looks Better Now: Step Brothers

I've mentioned before how this is a tough category. Top 50 movies in the box office are popular movies. To say that they look better now when they were popular movies already is counter-intuituve. This is so much easier with completely overlooked movies. Tropic Thunder has a lot of resiliency thanks mostly to RDJ's inspired performance and amazingly written character. Wall-E and The Dark Knight continue to be higher regarded than the best picture nominees that year. I'm going to lazily select Step Brothers because I miss being excited to hear that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have another movie coming out.

Favorite: The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger. That says it all. He was one of my favorite actors already. Then he makes the Joker one of the all-time great villains in cinema history. This is one of the iconic performances of the 2000s. The rest of the movie is fantastic, but Ledger pushes it from good to great.

2nd Favorite: Cloverfield

For all the found footage movies out there, there aren't many monster movies of that ilk. I'm surprised how much I've enjoyed it in subsequent viewings. Nothing beats the first time though.

3rd Favorite: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Of course Jason Segel could be the lead in a comedy. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the movie is that it gets me to kinda sorta dislike Kristen Bell, which I didn't think was possible.

Honorable Mention:

Tropic Thunder

What the hell is this movie? It casts Ben Stiller as Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise in a fat suit, and Robert Downey Jr. in black face. And, it manages to be the rare Hollywood satire that is legitimately funny to outsiders and insiders.

Pineapple Express

I actually didn't care for this much the first time I saw it. Superbad is one of my all-time favorite movies. Any followup was doomed by comparison. Over time, I've softened to it and appreciate it for the crazy buddy stoner fun that it is.

Step Brothers

I get the sense that Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly really enjoy being around one another.

Role Models

I always like Paul Rudd. Whenever I see Sean William Scott in something, I feel like I'm supposed to be annoyed by him, but I never am.

Iron Man

Think about it. Robert Downey Jr. was liked, but not a box office draw in 2008. Iron Man was known, but not one of the best known Marvel properties. Zathura was the closest thing to an action movie that Jon Favreau had directed before that. If this wasn't a hit, there probably wouldn't be a Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it today. That's over $3 billion (domestic alone) that might've not happened. It's fair to call this a game-changer.

Least Favorite: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

I really wanted to put Slumdog Millionaire down here. I don't get why this movie won everything in sight. It's not that great. I don't dislike that movie though. I'm more indifferent. The Sex and the City Movie and Twilight aren't my taste, but they are good enough at what they are. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is one of the least needed sequels this side of Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. I'll go with The Day the Earth Stood Still because it's a lifeless movie. The original is very talky and high-minded. This one kind of aims for that, but also wants to justify an $80 million budget. It's not a great mix.