The best of 2008 according to The Dark Reverse

As I said two posts ago, I am not one of those who watches a film every week, and since the repertoire of films I see in a year is rather small, what better way to ask a cinephile like Berto, from El Reverso Tenebroso, what are your favorite films of the year so that you (and I too) can write them down in your agenda of pending films. Without further ado, I leave you with their recommendations. 10 movies that you should probably not miss.

Yes, I know, we are already in the middle of the end of January, and what is really cool about these compilations is to use them in the middle of Christmas, leave them programmed and be able to enjoy Christmas by making our millions of users think that in El Reverso we are so hardcore that not even in such important family holidays we do not rest, but not friends, due to hangovers, gifts, and the occasional night out within the limits of legality, I relegate my list of the best of this year to mid-January, although I can always say that it was done on purpose to, as they say, get away a little to be able to see the whole picture.

They are not all that are there, but they are all that are there, and although they are not in any specific order, the first one of the year, the name uan, is without a doubt this first one that I mention:

The Dark Knight

Or how to make a second part improving what was unbeatable. If it is usually said that second parts are never good and Terminator 2 or Aliens are always used to shut people’s mouths, now we have a film shot beyond the 90s and that fulfills what was said 100%. A shocking story, one of the best bad guys in the history of cinema and the resurgence of, for me, the best superhero in comics, means that the third part could close the Trilogy (yes, in capital letters) of superheroes adapted to the seventh art.

The Fog

We have known for a long time that the sum Frank Darabont+Stephen King= Peliculón. This year it was difficult, since adapting a short novel into a feature film can be quite complicated, but on the one hand they have managed to capture the entire essence of King’s novel and capture the viewer until they leave them breathless with a devastating ending that does not leave the viewer indifferent. On top of that, in its DVD edition, comes “as a gift” the version that Darabont really wanted to film, in black and white like an old horror movie. Im – pres – cin – di – ble.

Iron Man

Maybe it’s not that good, it may be average, but I was expecting such a big hit that when I saw it in the cinema and it surprised me so pleasantly, I can’t leave it aside in this ranking of the year. Paltrow and Jeff Bridges are wasted, but still Robert Downey Jr.’s charisma gives him +1 in the final rating. Of course, if this list had any order, this would be one of the last.

Sweeney Todd

It’s Tim Burton, it’s Johnny Depp, it’s a musical with extra blood and I repeat, it’s Tim Burton. With that everything is said.

Monstrous (Cloverfield)

I put its very funny name in Spanish so that readers recognize it, since for me it is Cloverfield, an interesting hand-held exercise in the Godzilla meets The Blair Witch style. A gigantic bug, interesting details in the story (the parasites and what is related to the bites, the “arrival?” that is seen at the end…) I know that I am one of the few who could have liked it, but it is my list, so I put what I want.

Wall E

Or how to make Pixar win me back again after the failed ones, for me, Cars and Ratatouille, which bored me to a great extent. A great protagonist, a very beautiful story above the language, and a little scream that stuck with us all: Wall eeeeeeeeee!!!!

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Another good first part that feeds into an even better second part. A wonderful prologue, Guillermo del Toro shooting at his own pace and showing us that together with Tim Burton he is the only thing with imagination in Hollywood and a story that gives rise to a tremendous third part that closes, for me, a good comic adaptation.

The 3:10 train

Or how to make a Whoa! to the Hollywood industry, showing them that no film genre is dead, only the neurons of the screenwriters. The tandem solid script + charismatic actors makes this film transport me to the afternoons of my childhood when I watched cowboy movies on Spanish television. A note for this coming year, does anyone dare to renew the Peplum?

The Fall: The Dream of Alexandria

This film is a clear example of how excellent photography and risky staging can elevate an entire film. The typical story told by a man to a girl in a hospital is filled with amazing visual details that will leave you speechless at least once. Breath of fresh air to end the year, although its distribution has been minority, it smells like a league of cult films. I have yet to finish the review that I will publish one day.

Somers Town

Thinking about the best of the year I always got 9, so to complete a top ten with 10, as it should be, this story finally came to mind, which although it cannot be considered a movie, it is quite an exercise in sobriety in front of the cameras that all debutants in directing should keep in mind. An everyday script, some everyday characters and a story that takes you back to your first loves.