A look back at 2008 in film!

I thought it was about time to take a little look back at the world of film a whole decade ago, yes really we have had Heath Ledger’s Joker for that long now! I was seriously hoping for a re-release at the cinema in all honesty, felt it would have been perfect to celebrate the 10th anniversary.

I am going to take a look at some of the films that I enjoyed most from 2008, this might be looking back to having seen them for the first time at the cinema or just catching up with them later. It’s actually quite scary when you look back 10 years and not realise which films were actually released then and we can now call old. I would think most of them are standing the test of time pretty well in all honesty.

Cloverfield – The build up surrounding this film was probably a lot more impressive than the actual film ended up being, but the promotion was outstanding. The small videos online and the different trailers all trying to get everyone wondering what exactly was Cloverfield. Possibly one of the first with the use of smart phone cameras used?

Forgetting Sarah Marshall – You probably know that I am not the biggest comedy film fan in the world, but something about this one I still love to this day and I think it really kick started Jason Segel to be one of my guilty pleasures.

Iron Man – This is when it all began for the Marvel Universe we have all grown to love so much! I can still remember heading the cinema wondering what Iron Man even was, I know that sounds so ridiculous right now but I have never read any comic books and my superhero knowledge was pretty much Batman, Superman and X-Men. Considering Iron Man is now easily one of my favourites I guess it shows the impact this film had.

Sex and the City – Had its big screen debut which was a pretty big hit and while it did not replicate my love for the tv series I did find myself enjoying an extended episode on the big screen. But come on Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha were given another change, along with Mr Big. It certainly is not a pretty film in terms of the storyline but it does have a fantastic soundtrack for our favourite four.

WALL-E – Something a little bit different from Disney, very little dialogue but a truly outstanding story is what we end up with. It gave me a I hate Disney moment as well towards the end.

The Dark Knight –  Easily one of my all time favourite films ever, I saw it at the cinema three times. It is an outstanding film and I still find it better with each viewing new. I actually think I watch it a couple of times each year.

Mamma Mia! – Not the greatest musical ever made, but certainly one of the most popular. Adapted from the very popular stage show, it became the hit of the summer in the UK. Which was apparently linked to the recession which had hit, with the film being feel good people wanted to use it as escapism of the pretty sad reality we were all facing.

Twilight – Oh yes, that’s right it has been a whole 10 years since the saga to kick-start many more teen book franchises made into film franchises with so many different parts. It almost killed the careers of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart but luckily they have been given some much better roles recently.

The Wrestler – This has been one of my favourites released in the past 10 years and that can be said performance wise as well, Mickey Rourke was truly outstanding as the aged wrestler struggling a lot for money and with his health.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – I fell in love with this film on the cinema viewing and I know it wasn’t for everyone but I thought Pitt and Blanchett were fantastic as the crossed lovers trying to make it work as he aged backwards, meeting in the middle for a short time.

What did everyone flock to the cinema to see? Check out the highest grossing films, world-wide box office for those. Could only find the data in dollars and was too lazy to covert it into pounds!

Highest Grossing
1. The Dark Knight – $997,000,000
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – $786,636,033
3. Kung Fu Panda – $631,744,560
4. Hancock – $624,386,746
5. Mamma Mia! – $609,841,637
6. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa – $603,900,354
7. Quantum of Solace – $586,090,727
8. Iron Man – $585,174,222
9. WALL-E – $533,281,433
10. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – $419,665,568

Check out all of the films I have reviewed from 2008!  (This was pre-blog so I haven’t reviewed as many of the films I have actually seen from this year)

What are your favourites from 2008?