6. Iron Man
Black Sabbath made the song, now Robert Downey Jr. has made the man. Who would have thought that lesser known superhero Iron Man would have been the topic of the second highest grossing movie of the year and relaunch Downey’s career?? Though “Iron Man” didn’t have the strength to root out “The Dark Knight,” it certainly was a solid, fun film, and its popularity has sparked what could be the most interesting superhero movie franchise yet: “The Avengers.”
7. W.
Oliver Stone made a gutsy move to release “W.,” a biographical film about the life and presidency of George W. Bush, before the president was even out of office. Josh Brolin and the rest of the cast sank unrecognizably into their roles, but Brolin was by far the best performer as Bush himself. Though criticized by many as being too sympathetic to Bush’s character, “W.” is a ballsy move that offers insight into someone who could end up being one of the most-hated presidents ever.
Some people called it stupid. I thought it was one of the smartest dumb comedies out there. In Ben Stiller’s second go at acting, directing, and writing a movie (the first being “Zoolander”), he made a film that, at its heart, was just a mockery of the Hollywood political system. Sure it’s a spoof of making a war movie, but “Tropic Thunder” has many deeper elements to it (like the “Simple Jack” retard lecture between Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller) that are a lot funnier when you realize they are entirely true. This movie was Tom Cruise’s unlikely comeback and got Downey a Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Golden Globe nomination. Who’d have thought?
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Though it was about an hour too long and used a bit too much CGI, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” turned out to be a good movie about a man who ages backwards. Though it lost itself a bit along the way, “Button” makes an interesting case about what it takes to really live a life, and what living is unto itself.
10. Frost/ Nixon
Chronicling the real-life story about how British television reporter Frost interviewed President Nixon after his resignation, “Frost/Nixon” is all the more chilling today in lieu of President Bush and how a president treats his power.
To quote my brother’s friend Little Joey, Wall-E is “the best anything, anywhere, ever!”