I had the opportunity to contribute to DVD Talk’s Oscar picks and predictions piece, which got me started thinking about last year’s movies and how I hadn’t gotten around to making an end of the year list. Frankly, I wasn’t that worked up by this year’s movies. Looking over this year’s Best Picture nominees, I have to say, it’s kind of an underwhelming group of flicks. I’ve seen four of the five (I just can’t make myself see The Reader, and I don’t know of one filmgoer or critic who is enthusiastic about it; we appear to have the re-emergence of the bought-by-Weinstein nomination there) and they’re all very good films. But none of them are great films. Frankly, 2008 was populated by an abundance of very good films, pictures that were expertly executed and marvelously acted but which never gave this audience member that kick, that thrilling feeling of watching a truly great film unspool. In fact, I only saw two really great movies this year, but of course neither of them were nominated for Best Picture, because one of them was a cartoon (Wall-E) and one of them was a superhero movie (The Dark Knight). And of course, both of them were more than that, so much more than that, but there you have it.

(Oh, and of the films that were nominated, Frost/Nixon is my favorite. But Slumdog Millionaire will win.)

Anyway, here’s my end of the year list, a month late, if you care.

1.  The Dark Knight
2.  Wall-E
3.  Frost/Nixon
4.  The Wrestler
5.  Slumdog Millionaire
6.  Appaloosa
7.  Man On Wire
8.  Standard Operating Procedure
9.  Snow Angels
10.  Synecdoche, New York
11.  Ballast
12.  Changeling
13.  Doubt
14.  Rachel Getting Married
15.  In Bruges
16.  Smart People
17.  Stop-Loss
18.  Burn After Reading
19.  Forgetting Sarah Marshall
20.  Shine A Light

The End.