The best films of 2008 (so far)
4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
"Greeted with universal approval from the critics, an exceptional, masterful piece of film-making that combines social realism, political comment and nail-biting tension" - Wendy Ide
Babel
"A stunning piece of cinema that hinges on one reckless moment of childish stupidity. The most exhilarating Oscar contender by a long stretch" - James Christopher
Blade Runner: The Final Cut
"It has taken 25 years, three cinema edits and possibly a round trip to Mars for Ridley Scott to arrive with the definitive version of his sci-fi masterpiece" - James Christopher
The Seventh Seal
"Ingmar Bergman’s black and white masterpiece has matured like a great wine over 50 years [and had a welcome re-release a month before the director's death]" - James Christopher
2007
300
"A high-speed ride into the white heat of the battle of Thermopylae in 480BC. The result is something fantastic, voluptuous, bloody, ferocious and sublime" - Cosmo Landesman
3:10 to Yuma
"A thrill-filled ride across a flyblown dustbowl where the heroes are iconic, unwashed and deadly. They spit out killer lines like bullets" - Wendy Ide
12:08 East Of Bucharest
"Droll delight that questions the nature of historical record and the realities of postcommunist Romania with a slyly comic and disarmingly self-mocking tone" - Wendy Ide
Alpha Dog
"Cynics will doubtless fear the film for all the wrong reasons. They will fume about its credibility. They will wonder about the phenomenal number of tattoos on show" - James Christopher
American Gangster
"A gangster epic from Ridley Scott is no Goodfellas, but it has all the right ingredients for a fine crime flick" - Wendy Ide
And When Did You Last See Your Father?
"Blake Morrison’s delicate tear-jerking memoir stars Firth as the embittered son Blake, and Broadbent as the garrulous, insensitive father" - Kevin Maher
The Assassination of Jesse James
"It's 1881 and when Brad Pitt swaggers into view, dressed from head to toe in black, we know we are in the presence of a superior bastard" - James Christopher
Atonement
"Starry, sexy and unmistakably British, Atonement is the kind of film that comes along all too rarely" - Wendy Ide
Beowulf
"The dreary bête noire of English literature students, is given a surprisingly potent makeover by its co-writers Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman" - Kevin Maher
Black Book
"Paul Verhoeven’s Second World War thriller is a remarkable departure for a director best known for Robocop and Basic Instinct" - James Christopher
Blame It on Fidel
"Director Julie Gavras has created a very funny and moving look at the clash between the personal, the political and parental" - Cosmo Landesman
Bobby
"An eloquent requiem for what might have been, and a tragic reminder of how much that bullet cost" - James Christopher
The Bourne Ultimatum
"The latest Jason Bourne film leaves you truly shaken and stirred – but why is he reading The Guardian?" - Cosmo Landesman
Blue Blood
"This assured and highly entertaining film could hold its own against pretty much any sporting documentary you care to name" - Wendy Ide
The Brave One
"We haven’t seen Jodie Foster in a big dramatic role that really had some power to it since The Silence of the Lambs" - Cosmo Landesman
Bridge to Terabithia
"This is a remarkable film for children – and pretty powerful for adults. A sudden and unexpected twist should have all the family weeping together" - Cosmo Landesman
Climates
"It’s a handsomely photographed film. Minutely observed, painfully honest and acutely perceptive, this is a mournful masterpiece" - Wendy Ide
Control
"By fateful coincidence, the Cannes debut of Corbijn’s cinematic homage to Ian Curtis fell just one day short of the anniversary of his suicide" - Stephen Dalton
The Counterfeiters
"Germany seems to be producing a wealth of quality drama at the moment, the latest being a lean, urgent piece based on a real-life Second World War story" - Wendy Ide
Curse of the Golden Flower
"Zhang Yimou’s latest has spectacular, beautified action of the sort he delivered in Hero and House of Flying Daggers, combined with over-the-top melodrama" - Edward Porter
The Darjeeling Limited
"It may not have you weeping in the aisles, but it will be with you for days after you see it" - Kevin Maher
Days of Glory
"Bouchareb’s film carries its message with dignity and a restraint that never dominates the storytelling. The result is the most powerful war film of the year" - Wendy Ide
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
"All of Julian Schnabel’s films have been about the struggle to create art. This is a gorgeously atmospheric and deeply affecting piece of work" - Wendy Ide
Dracula
"Hammer’s 1958 account of the blood-sucking Transylvanian is back in cinemas, in a restored print, for Hallowe’en" - Edward Porter
Earth
"Wondrous footage from the BBC natural-history series Planet Earth has been remixed to create this documentary feature" - Edward Porter
Eastern Promises
"A film about the horror and kindness of strangers, and an industry that enslaves young lives. Cronenberg doesn’t paint theme-parks; this is the curb-crawling reality" - James Christopher
Enchanted
"I haven’t been as delighted and surprised by an old-fashioned Disney tale since I was a child" - James Christopher
Far North
"Throw another log on to the fire because the story I’m about to tell blows as cold as an Arctic wind. The tale begins with a curse" - James Christopher
Flanders
"The most potent antidote to a Bruce Willis myth that you could possibly inject. An extraordinary and raw piece of work" - James Christopher
For Your Consideration
"Christopher Guest’s timely comedy about the turmoil of winning an Oscar nomination is tinged with disgust and despair" - Wendy Ide
Funny Ha Ha
"The humour is never forced and the dialogue is completely persuasive. Bujalski is one of the most original film-makers of his generation" - Wendy Ide
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
"Perhaps the biggest surprise is that it is the male director of Secretary who has painted this almost feminist fairytale of Arbus" - James Christopher
The Golden Compass
"That rarest of blockbuster beasts: a film that stretches children’s imaginations and stimulates their intelligence with important ideas and issues" - Cosmo Landesman
The Golden Door
"Gorgeous to look at, unfashionably optimistic and quirkily seductive, certainly one of my favourite releases of the year so far" - Wendy Ide
Hairspray
"John Travolta has made plenty of mistakes as an actor, but he has rejected every film role that could tarnish his 1970s musical legacy" - James Christopher
Half Nelson
"Ryan Gosling gives one of the outstanding performances that only turn up every 10 years or so. A special film, rich with heart and laced with a bittersweet melancholy" - Cosmo Landesman
Hallam Foe
"It’s a testament to Jamie Bell’s growing talent that we can accept this half-crazed boy in a badger-skin headdress and warpaint as the lead" - Wendy Ide
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
"The formulaic structure notwithstanding, the Potter films continue to be one of the most visually inventive and meticulously detailed franchises" - Wendy Ide
The Hitcher
"So similar to the 1986 original you wonder why Meyers bothered. The answer is simple. The ingredients still scare us 20 years on" - James Christopher
The Hoax
"To describe Clifford Irving as a consummate liar would be an understatement. The man elevated bulls*** into an art form" - Wendy Ide
Hot Fuzz
"Pegg and Wright dispense lines crafted from purest comedy gold amongst the cast like sweets. Even the briefest cameo appearance gets a laugh" - Wendy Ide
I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
"Tsai Ming-Liang brings a dreamlike beauty to his native Malaysia: there’s a languid sensuality to the story" - Wendy Ide
I'm Not There
"Todd Haynes’s film about Bob Dylan is one of the greatest rock’n’roll swindles of all time. The real star is Cate Blanchett" - James Christopher
In The Shadow of the Moon
"For those who grew up with the Moon landings already a fait accompli, the film presses home the excitement, wonder and fear of an incredible journey" - Holden Frith
Infamous
"How many Truman Capotes does it take to nail the myth? Toby Jones defies the odds with an extraordinary impersonation of the author" - James Christopher
Into The Wild
"I’ve always loathed Penn’s films, and suspected that they were given special praise because people love his veneer of I-hate-Hollywood hipness"- Cosmo Landesman
Jindabyne
"The Australian director Ray Lawrence turns a murder chiller into a debate about right and wrong within a marriage" - Wendy Ide
Knocked Up
"The story is hardly revolutionary – boy meets girl, boy gets girl pregnant, and life as we know it is thrown into turmoil" - Kevin Maher