Exploitation Nation

This is the final installment of the experiment of the 2008 lists. We’ve let the lady of the group go last with her  round up for 2008. The brainy and beautiful Juliet Fromholt has decided to give us her thoughts on the movies of the last year. Juliet has her own blog where she talks about everything from radio to politics and back again called Mass Hipster-ia so go check it out for a healthy change of pace from the sleazy ride we provide around here. She also hosts a couple of great music programs on Yellow Springs, Ohio based indie radio WYSO 91.3 FM, On Wed 8:00 to 11:00 she has Kaleidoscope (formerly Excursions) which features all kinds of indie and obscure rock mixed in with pretty much what ever she feels the itch for, and every other Sunday she co-hosts Alpha Rythms which features a wide variety of music you can chill to, including a lot of ambient driven world music, Indian stuff and other mood altering tunes to get you through the night.  All of which you can listen to on-line at the newly updated WYSO website. So support independent media and give them and Juliet a listen. You’ll be glad you did.

So without further ado, lets give the lady a chance to speak her mind.
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Here’s my list!!! The logic is 7 good movies, two bad movies, and a list of things I haven’t seen somehow works out to be ten

The Best:

1. Persepolis – Okay, okay…so technically this one came out in 2007, but allow me to explain. I live in Dayton, OH, which is home to 2 art houses, neither of which gets movies right after they’re released. So long story short unless I wanted to drive to New York, late January of 2008 was my first opportunity to see this film. Now, onto the actual review: Persepolis is one of my favorite graphic novels, and the film really does the book justice. Granted, there are some things in the movie that they gloss over for time constraints, but go read the book to fill in those gaps. The animation is stunning and paints a beautiful portrait of a world we owe it to ourselves to become more educated about.

2. Slumdog Millionaire – very rarely do I disagree with NPR, but to the reviewer on Fresh Air that blasted this film, I must say nay. I really don’t know how it’s possible to come away from this movie and not be moved. What an intense story set against the backdrop of an India we don’t see in a lot of Bollywood films, the slums. Featuring music by one off my favorite Eastern composers and brilliant performances by all cast members, this is a must-see.

3. Cadillac Records – Before I saw this, someone warned me that it would just be another movie to glorify Beyonce Knowles, but Cadillac Records is nothing of the sort. A wonderful history of Chess Records, which focuses largely on Muddy Waters as opposed to Beyonce’s Etta James, this was fun and interesting. A must-see for music fans.

4. Iron Man – I didn’t know I that I had the hots for Robert Downey Jr until I saw this movie, but apparently I do. Although I’m a giant comic nerd, I wouldn’t count Iron Man as one of my favorite characters. This movie really has me thinking that I need to go read some back issues because the character was so interesting. Bonus points to this one for the whole “One man takes a stand against the problem he’s helped create and in doing so, looks out for the little guy” theme.

5. X-Files: I Want to Believe – Despite my bitching my loud exasperated outbursts in the theater (“Where the @#%* are the @#%*ing aliens?!”), it’s the first new X-files action I’ve had to feed my addiction since I graduated high school. Also, let’s all pause and reflect on how hot Gillian Anderson is in all the promotional pictures…

6. Wizard of Gore – This one really surprised me. The sheer fact that the word “gore” was in the title made me think that this would not be my cup of tea. However, a very twisted plot that was one part The Prestige, one part American Psycho, and one part From Hell kept me not just awake, but trying to unravel the mystery. Plus, who doesn’t like a movie about a steam-punker boy, Crispin Glover, and a bunch of Suicide Girls in a twisted magic show?

7. Mama Mia – say what you will about it being a chick flick or Pierce Brosnan’s sub par singing, but this movie is just so much fun. I don’t think I’d recommend this movie to everyone, but if you feel like a cheesy good time in which you sing, dance and get in touch with your feminine side (or if you want to practice for your own ABBA tribute band), rent it.

The Worst:

1. Cloverfield – The sheer fact that this movie’s supposedly edgy hand-held camera style made me so nauseous that I had to stare at my shoes for over half of it makes it a candidate for the Worst list. I couldn’t even enjoy myself rolling my eyes at the weak characters who could still remain witty during a disaster, the seeming miracle camcorder and it’s battery sent from the heavens that never runs out, or the sizing changing dumb-looking monster that can shake a city but the main character can’t hear when it’s right behind him. Why couldn’t I roll my eyes? Because I would have thrown up.

2. Smart People – Smart People…it sounds promising enough, doesn’t it? Or at least, it sounded like my kind of movie. It tried so hard to be my kind of movie that I ended up hating it with every fiber of my being. The characters were unsympathetic and dull. However, the worst parts were the long stretches between the dialogue during which various characters would do things: smoke cigarettes, read, walk, all very pensively to a wannabe indie rock soundtrack. Ick, ick, ick.

The Rest:
You’re probably wondering about the absence of many films from my list and why it’s so short. Well here’s just a taste of the movies from 08 that I still need to see: WallE, The Dark Knight, The Band’s Visit, The Wrestler, Milk, Hellboy 2, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas…