Here it is folks! A 100 list of must see films worthy of your time, energy, money and attention in 2008. This is a list obviously geared more towards those who find themselves in arthouse theaters and like offerings of American independent film (this includes all variations/definitions of the term 'indie') and enjoy films with subtitles in tow. There is a decent sprinkling of doc films on our list but worthy studio projects as well: Paramount Pictures leads the pack with 4 worthy films while Warner Bros. and Dreamworks have 3 reasons a piece to be excited about multiplexs.
This year its Focus Features who seem to offer a crazy amount of award contenders, critically praise-worthy projects with 6 pics (Rogue has 1) and the Weinsteins have 5 reasons to be excited about indie film versus the solid stuff that Miramax puts their name behind. MGM have adjusted themselves and will offer 5 film solutions.
Worth pointing out is Warner Independent Pictures look to be back on track with four titles, and Sony Pictures Classics are becoming serious about offering a varied amount of fair. IFC (with their First Take label) are making sure that foreign language films survive.
Not included on the list is a filmmaker that I adore in Wong Kar-Wai (his My Blueberry Nights really didn,t seduce me) and Fox Searchlight continues this "will we release it or will we not" dilemma with Kenneth Lonergan' Margaret. A little late in the game I noticed that I omitted Lukas Moodysson's Mammoth - he is a filmmaker worth keeping an out on. Finally, about 28 projects out of 100 still have yet to find a domestic distribution deal - most of these are waiting for the film festival platform and get the bidding started.
Now the fun part: we've had a couple of exclusive first looks: (Tilda Swinton in director Erick Zonca's Julia, So Yong Kim's Treeless Mountain, Stephen Belber's directorial debut Management starring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn, and Ramin Bahrani's untitled project) but we are especially pleased to offer images of our no.4 and no.1 picks! So scroll down until you get to the arrow and enjoy the remaining top 20 list.
100.:In the Electric Mist
99.:Leatherheads
98.:Tropic Thunder
97.:Two-Legged Horse
96.:Foot Fist Way
95.:À l'intérieur (Inside)
94.:Doomsday
93.:The Night Watchman
92.:Charlie Bartlett
91.:Ballast
90.:City of Men
89.:Poisoned by Polonium: The Litvinenko Files
88.:My Enemy's Enemy
87.:Crossing Over
86.:Rudo y Cursi
85.:The Box
84.:The Countess
83.:Valkyrie
82.:Be Kind Rewind
81.: The Order of Myths
80.:Defiance
79.:Lakeview Terrace
78.:Incendiary
77.:The Duchess of Langeais
76.:Transsiberian
75.:I Served the King of England
74.:Downloading Nancy
73.:Choke
72.:Cold Souls
71.:The Fall
70.:Stop Loss
69.:Married Life
68.:New York, I Love You
67.:Bi-Mong
66.:Ponyo on the Cliff
65.:Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin)
64.:Mr. Nobody
63.:Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?
62.:The Life Before Her Eyes
61.:Vicky Cristina Barcelona
60.:Tôkyô!
59.:Son of Rambow
58.:The Unknown (La Sconosciuta)
57.:Death Instinct (L'Instinct de Mort)
56.:Stanford Prison Experiment
55.:Australia
54.:Savage Grace
53.:The Pineapple Express
52.:Sugar
51.:Shotgun Stories
50.:In Bruges
49.:The City Of Your Final Destination
48.: Paranoid Park
47.:The Band's Visit
46.:Slumdog Millionaire
45.:The Brothers Bloom
44.:Julia
43.:Body of Lies
42.:Treeless Mountain
41.:The Lodger
40.:Snow Angels
39.:Chop Shop
38.:Management
37.:Sunshine Cleaning
36.:The Reader
35.:Redbelt
34.:Genova
33.:Oceans
32.:Untitled Ramin Bahrani project
31.:Towelhead
30.:Happy-Go-Lucky
29.:Adventureland
28.:Funny Games
27.:Miracle at St.Anna
26.:The Informers
25.:The Ruins
24.:The Dark Knight
23.:Frost/Nixon
22.:Ashecliffe (aka Shutter Island)
21.:Le Silence de Lorna
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