More Best Of 2008 – Fataculture’s Picks

Sometime Playlist contributor and pal Nick Plowman from the movies blog Fataculture has dropped his Top 10 list. We approve. Here’s the entire thing in it’s full glory. The truncated, Playlist version is below.
10. “Synecdoche, New York“ by Charlie Kaufman – “[It’s] part of a whole career of otherworldly, unconventional tales pushes the boundaries of cinematic exploration of life, death and the in-between, is brought to life by a pitch-perfect cast, featuring an unmatched female ensemble and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Kaufman’s personal vessel through which his nervous pontifications seem profound. At the very least, there is a heartbreaking sensitivity to “Synecdoche,” a cold, detached film that takes time to warm up to – but once one does, the rewards are rather surprising.
9. “Wendy and Lucy“ by Kelly Reichardt- “In 80 minutes, the director paints a personal portrait of a lost woman with nothing to her name and no one in her life to so much as call out her name to her, as well as a scathing indictment of the flaws of society’s governance”.
8. “Slumdog Millionaire“ by Danny Boyle – “Darting around the streets and slums of India with the most blistering, kaleidoscopic intensity imaginable, his latest ode to love, life and destiny is breathless and relentlessly hopeful despite being rooted in the company of some truly horrendous occurrences.”
7. “Happy-Go-Lucky“ by Mike Leigh – “Centered on an upbeat, sunny side up Poppy, played to nuanced perfection by Sally Hawkins, Leigh illuminates the volatility and unhappiness of society through the interaction and counteraction of Poppy against the rest of the world, or at least her world.” 6. “WALL-E“ by Andrew Stanton -“It is in a humanless, barren landscape that the single most effective take on the effects of human negligence on our Earth occurs. Without a word spoken, our entire existence as a thoughtless species is satirized by a robot. It’s otherworldly and if I may say so, something of a masterpiece.”
5. “Revolutionary Road“ by Sam Mendes – “[The picture] is about a failed marriage, a failed man, a wife who believes her husband’s failure is of her own doing – it has absolutely nothing to do with the suburbs at all, or any physical setting in fact, but rather the motivations and lack thereof that lie deep within.”
4. “Reprise“ by Joachim Trier – “Superficially, both “Reprise” and “Synecdoche” are directorial debuts that hinge on the idea of the tortured artist – both writers – and both deal with a certain level of mental instability. However, to me “Reprise” is more genuine in its explorations, almost gravely tender, whilst “Synecdoche” poses its surrealist neurotic contemplations on life in a more comic manner, placing the former in a more immediately affecting light.”
3. “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days“ by Cristian Mungiu – “The rich tapestry of interwoven conjurations of Communist oppression framed around an illegal abortion goes to brutal, ferocious places few films dare to, but what is more, the filmmaker manages to maintain a neutral stance throughout and never loses site of his vivid human characters that give the otherwise chillingly cold film dynamism, adding yet another layer of riveting potency.” 2. “The Wrestler“ by Darren Aronofsky – “Aronofsky’s hanging up of his surrealist gloves in favor of a small-scoped, emotional drama is his most ambitious move yet. It’s a character study in every sense of the word, and packs quite the emotional punch because of its compassionate, tender and taught focus, elevated by world-class performances.”
1. “Paranoid Park“ by Gus Van Sant – “The most moving, elliptical, resonantly haunting film of Van Sant’s entire, magnificent career – undoubtedly, his most deeply felt look into the male soul. Over and above the intimate, beautifully rendered characters and touching, evocative situations he lyrically lays out before us, Paranoid Park is a work of art and a true achievement of stunning filmmaking.”