Notes From My Recliner 1.08.08: The Top 10 Other Movies to Look Forward to in 2008

Posted by Ben Moser on 01.08.2008

We've all got Iron Man and The Dark Knight on our lists, but here are 10 more movies that you should go out of your way to take a look at in the next year.

I want no more talk of 2007's top ten lists. We're in 2008, now. It's time to make resolutions about losing weight. It's time to get used to putting a new number at the end of the dates on your legal documents. It's time to say you'll get to work on that novel/screenplay you've been halfway done with since college. Most importantly, it's time to look ahead.

Sure, we all know that summer 2008 will bring us The Dark Knight and Iron Man. We know that everyone is frothing at the mouth to get into those guaranteed box office smashes. Unfortunately, that's all that most of us know about the year ahead of us. A year is a long time, though, and there's lots of other fun to be had. So let's take a peek at 2008 as Notes From My Recliner proudly presents:

The top 10 other movies to look forward to in 2008

Titles are linked to their IMDB pages for independent study...

10. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - May 16

I had my doubts as to whether or not The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe would be able to capture the big game feel that of some of the other sweeping epics available. Those doubts were unfounded. I was almost certain that the narrative in that film was going to be butchered in an attempt to not be as blatant as C.S. Lewis was with the Christ imagery in the source material. I was wrong.

Now I feel like I can walk in to Prince Caspian knowing that it's going to be as faithful to Lewis' book as possible while still holding onto the feeling that this belongs in the summer season with the big-budget, big-action, big-box office big boys.


9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - November 21

Order of the Phoenix director David Yates returns to bring us probably the least fantastic but most emotional installment of the saga of Harry Potter. Rowling's book involves a whole lot of talking and not much showing, so there's a chance that this one could be a step down from 2007's Order of the Phoenix.

More than ever, the young trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are going to have to turn in some seriously good performances to make this movie work. I think that at least two of them have proven up to the task at this point. Alan Rickman, in the meantime, has to have been chomping at the bit to get to what's going to be a guaranteed amazing climax to this film.


8. The Other Boleyn Girl - February 29

At first glance, this doesn't seem like the kind of movie that's going to be the cup o' tea of most of you. Unless, of course, you 're just watching to gawk at Natalie Potman and Scarlett Johansson in cleavage-producing period costumes.

But you have to consider that Johansson is a tremendous actress and Portman can, when she feels like it, also perform at an elite level. Add Eric Bana to the mix as Henry VIII to the story of two sisters competing over his affection and kingdom and the knowledge that to the winner goes the beheading? Don't sleep on this movie.


7. Wanted - June 27

Hey! There are other comic book movies hitting the screen this summer! The trailer for this one doesn't look much like its funnybook counterpart, but the guy who wrote the source material is assuring nerd nation that they'll still be into the movie. Most people haven't read the comics, and for them this will be nothing more than a wicked fun shoot 'em up. Nothing wrong with that.

If the movie can adapt the story of a complete loser who is told that his birthright is to be the world's greatest assassin/super villain...If we can see the progression from the guy getting dumped on to the guy doing the dumping...If that then combines well with Angelina Jolie's standard female badass character and director Timur Bekmambetov's visuals...this could even end up being the best comic book movie of 2008. There are a lot of if's to overcome, though.


6. Repo! The Genetic Opera - April 25

The brains behind Saw are set to bring us something that isn't at all like Saw (or Sweeney Todd, so those brains claim) with the movie that easily has the best title of any film coming out in 2008.

It's going to be a little nutty and a little gorey. It's also going to be more than a little good. Whether you liked Saw and its annual sequels or not, I anticipate this being just off enough and just different enough that you'll have to like it.


5. Get Smart - June 20

With the exception of the horrid casting of Anne Hathaway as 99, the casting for this adaptation might be what propels it into greatness. Steve Carell has made it no secret that this is a labor of love for him, so expect a comedy tour du force(if you will) when Maxwell Smart, everyone's favorite bumbling secret agent, comes to the big screen for his latest adventure.

I grew up watching Get Smart reruns on Nick at Nite, and wasn't thrilled about this one when it was announced. Carell's involvement was enough to sell me, and now the more I read about it, the more excited I get. Again, I do have a hard time getting over the Hathaway casting. Unless she pulls off a miracle, it could go down as being as bad as casting Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane in Superman Returns.


4. Chicago 10 - February 29

Really? A documentary is in your top 10? Yes. This one about the eight anti-war protesters who were put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention is going to have the usual docu touches. The music and the stock footage will be there. What sets this one apart, and what will make it more interesting than your average documentary, is that the trial footage that is unavailable will be replaced with animation stylistically similar to that used in A Scanner Darkly.

I'm interested in this for more than just the visual neat-o factor, though. With all that's gone on in this country right now, I'm secretly hoping that lots of people will watch what happened then and learn the value of protest...and then use the tool in a way that it desperately needs.


3. "Bond 22" - Novermber 7

It doesn't even have a name yet, and I'm more excited about the next installment in the James Bond franchise than I am about almost anything else coming out in 2008 and definitely more excited about this Bond flick than any since I was eagerly awaiting Goldeneye. If you remember a time before Daniel Craig was soaking in the praise for his work on Casino Royale, then you remember that some people doubted his ability as Bond and some outright called for his blood to be spilled at the alter on Sean Connery due to the color of his hair. What a difference a forceful and amazing rebooting of the franchise can make, eh?

What I'm mostly looking forward to is seeing Craig move from Casino Royale's "rough around the edges" Bond to the finished superspy product. My feelings won't be hurt if he doesn't make it all the way by the end of Bond 22, but I want to see the progression and I'm certain that it's going to be delivered in a way that will continue to delight audiences and bring Bond into the modern world.


2. Be Kind Rewind - February 22

I should be more wary of this movie. I mean, when Jack Black is involved you've really got a 50/50 shot at seeing something brilliant or something entirely devoid of value with very little falling in between. Then there's Mos Def, who has never impressed me with anything, as the second half of the film's duo. And yet I'm so drawn to the concept that I'm willing to let that go. Low-rent, self-made versions of Robocop and Back to the Future are just too good to pass up.

Even if I was practicing discretion based on the cold, hard facts about the movie as listed by IMDB; I don't think I could be any less excited for this flick than I am currently after having watched the trailer. It sells the film really well, and makes it look hilarious. There's always a chance that it could pull a Talladega Nights and give away the best bits for free...but I see so much potential for so much fun that I can't even consider the possibility that Be Kind Rewind will be anything less than fantastically entertaining.

1. The Incredible Hulk - June 13

If you've been paying attention, then you'll recall that I've made the assumption that Iron Man and The Dark Knight are numbers one and two on your list of movies to catch in '08. You can then make the assumption that my numbers one and two are also Iron Man and The Dark Knight. "But Ben," you say, "that would mean that if this were a 'top 12' list rather than a 'top 10 other' list, your top 3 would all be comic book movies." That's true. That also means that I've lost all credibility with the portion of the readership that's looking forward to extra high brow movie fare like French movies with tasteful threesomes scattered throughout(but those are for the sake of art, nothing more). I've also lost most credibility with the people who prefer their movies to be heavy on fart jokes and, ironically, threesomes(these of a less "tasteful" variety than those found in your average foreign arthouse flick).

You're going to have to trust me when I tell you that it's just because these characters make for compelling movies and there seems to be a sweeping effort to make the movies more than just popcorn-sellers. Most of you can see that with The Dark Knight because Batman Begins was so good. Some of you can see that with Iron Man because the trailer is doing its job so incredibly well. The Incredible Hulk has you skeptical, though, because you went to watch Ang Lee's Hulk and spent the rest of that day trying to bend space and time so you could get your three hours and eight bucks back.

This year's Hulk flick, though, won't repeat any of the mistakes made by the previous attempt. This means no mutant dogs, no weird back story trying to justify the darker side that we all have, less talking, and much more smashing. This is not to say, however, that I expect The Incredible Hulk to be exclusively mindless fun. Ed Norton as Banner means that we're going to be treated to a great performance in a movie about a man trying to deal with the fact that he's also a monster. Expect more wrestling with the Jekyl and Hyde nature of the character and less daddy issues. Also expect a really good time at the movies.

So there you have it. The 10 other movies that are definitely going to make me get out of the recliner...as long as American Gladiators isn't on.