2008: World Premieres 2008: U.S. Releases 2008: Still Left to See 2008: Cannes Festival 2008: Chicago Festival Looking Back Moving Ahead Browse Films by Title / Year / Reviews Home / Blog / E-Mail The Movies of 2008: U.S. Releases  By Title // By Grade, with Top Ten Complete Reviews ★ = Full Review   /   ★ = Capsule Review   /   ★ = Special Feature or Blog Review (new window) ★  Ballast Dir. Lance Hammer. JimMyron Ross, Micheal J. Smith Sr., Tarra Riggs B+ ★  Changeling Dir. Clint Eastwood. Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly C– ★  The Duchess Dir. Saul Dibb. Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell C ★  In the City of Sylvia Dir. José Luis Guerín. Xavier Lafitte, Pilar López de Ayala C+ ★  I've Loved You So Long Dir. Philippe Claudel. Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein D+ ★  Mamma Mia! Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan D+ ★  Men in the Nude Dir. Károly Esztergályos. Cast: Lászlo Gálffi, Éva Kerekes D+ ★  Mister Foe Dir. David Mackenzie. Jamie Bell, Sophia Myles, Claire Forlani, Ciarán Hinds B ★  Paranoid Park Dir. Gus Van Sant. Gabe Nevins, Taylor Momsen, Lauren McKinney B– ★  Quantum of Solace Dir. Marc Forster. Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Judi Dench B ★  Smart People Dir. Noam Murro. Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page C+ ★  Stuck Dir. Stuart Gordon. Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Russell Hornsby, Rukiya Bernard C ★  Synecdoche, New York Dir. Charlie Kaufman. Philip Seymour Hoffman A ★  Tropic Thunder Dir. Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Nick Nolte D ★  Turn the River Dir. Chris Eigeman. Famke Janssen, Jaymie Dornan, Rip Torn, Matt Ross B– ★  Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dir. Woody Allen. Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson C ★  Waltz with Bashir Dir. Ari Folman. Animated. Voices of Ari Folman, Mickey Leon B ★  XXY Dir. Lucía Puenzo. Inés Efron, Ricardo Darín, Martín Piroyansky B– Full Listing of Films Screened Alexandra Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov. Galina Vishnevskaya, Vasily Shevtsov, Raisa Gichaeva B+ Appaloosa Dir. Ed Harris. Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons D+ Australia Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters C Ballast Dir. Lance Hammer. JimMyron Ross, Micheal J. Smith Sr., Tarra Riggs B+ The Band's Visit Dir. Eran Kolirin. Sasson Gabai, Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri B– The Bank Job Dir. Roger Donaldson. Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Daniel Mays B– Beaufort Dir. Joseph Cedar. Oshri Cohen, Eli Eltonyo, Ohad Knoller, Itay Kiran D+ Blindness Dir. Fernando Meirelles. Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga B– Boarding Gate Dir. Olivier Assayas. Asia Argento, Michael Madsen, Carl Ng, Kelly Lin B Brideshead Revisited Dir. Julian Jarrold. Matthew Goode, Hayley Atwell, Ben Whishaw D+ Burn After Reading Dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen. George Clooney, Frances McDormand B+ Cadillac Records Dir. Darnell Martin. Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Columbus Short C+ Changeling Dir. Clint Eastwood. Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly C– Che Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir, Catalina Sandino Moreno B Chicago 10 Dir. Brett Morgen. Documentary about 1968 Democratic Convention protest B+ A Christmas Tale Dir. Arnaud Desplechin. Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussilon B+ The Class Dir. Laurent Cantet. François Bégaudeau, Rachel Régulier, Esméralda Ouertani B+ Cloverfield Dir. Matt Reeves. Michael Stahl-David, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller C+ The Counterfeiters Dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky. Karl Markovics, August Diehl B The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Dir. David Fincher. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett D– The Dark Knight Dir. Christopher Nolan. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart B The Day the Earth Stood Still Dir. Scott Derrickson. Jennifer Connelly, Keanu Reeves F Diary of the Dead Dir. George A. Romero. Michelle Morgan, Josh Close, Shawn Roberts D Doubt Dir. John Patrick Shanley. Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams C+ The Duchess Dir. Saul Dibb. Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell C The Duchess of Langeais Dir. Jacques Rivette. Jeanne Balibar, Guillaume Depardieu B+ The Edge of Heaven Dir. Fatih Akin. Baki Davrak, Nurgül Yesilçay, Patrycia Ziolkowska B+ Elegy Dir. Isabel Coixet. Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz, Dennis Hopper, Peter Sarsgaard B Encounters at the End of the World Dir. Werner Herzog. Documentary C Expired Dir. Cecilia Miniucchi. Samantha Morton, Jason Patric, Teri Garr D+ The Fall Dir. Tarsem Singh. Catinca Untaru, Lee Pace, Justine Waddell, Leo Bill B+ Flight of the Red Balloon Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien. Juliette Binoche, Fang Song B+ Frost/Nixon Dir. Ron Howard. Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Sam Rockwell C Frozen River Dir. Courtney Hunt. Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott B– A Girl Cut in Two Dir. Claude Chabrol. Ludivine Sagnier, François Berléand D+ Gran Torino Dir. Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her C– Hamlet 2 Dir. Andrew Fleming. Steve Coogan, Skylar Astin, Phoebe Strole D– Happy-Go-Lucky Dir. Mike Leigh. Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman B House of the Sleeping Beauties Dir. Vadim Glowna. Vadim Glowna, Angela Winkler C– How She Move Dir. Ian Iqbal Rashid. Rutina Wesley, Dwain Murphy, Tre Armstrong C Hunger Dir. Steve McQueen. Michael Fassbender, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon A– In Bruges Dir. Martin McDonagh. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes C– In the City of Sylvia Dir. José Luis Guerín. Xavier Lafitte, Pilar López de Ayala C+ Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Dir. Steven Spielberg D– Irina Palm Dir. Sam Garbarski. Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlovic, Kevin Bishop D+ Iron Man Dir. Jon Favreau. Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges C+ I've Loved You So Long Dir. Philippe Claudel. Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein D+ Jellyfish Dirs. Etgar Keret, Shira Geffen. Sarah Adler, Nikol Leidman, Noa Knoller B– Kabluey Dir. Scott Prendergast. Scott Prendergast, Lisa Kudrow, Conchata Ferrell B– Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Dir. Patricia Rozema. Abigail Breslin, Julia Ormond C+ Last Chance Harvey Dir. Joel Hopkins. Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson B The Last Mistress Dir. Catherine Breillat. Asia Argento, Fu'ad Ait Aattou C– Let the Right One In Dir. Tomas Alfredson. Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson B Mamma Mia! Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan D+ Man on Wire Dir. James Marsh. Documentary about a notorious tightrope walker B+ Married Life Dir. Ira Sachs. Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson B Men in the Nude Dir. Károly Esztergályos. Lászlo Gálffi, Dávid Szabó, Éva Kerekes D+ Milk Dir. Gus Van Sant. Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Diego Luna B+ Miracle at St. Anna Dir. Spike Lee. Derek Luke, Laz Alonso, Michael Ealy C– Mister Foe Dir. David Mackenzie. Jamie Bell, Sophia Myles, Claire Forlani B Mongol Dir. Sergei Bodrov. Tadanobu Asano, Sun Hong Ley, Ba Sen, Amadu Mamadakov C My Blueberry Nights Dir. Wong Kar-wai. Norah Jones, Jude Law, David Strathairn C– My Brother Is an Only Child Dir. Daniele Luchetti. Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio B– Never Forever Dir. Gina Kim. Vera Farmiga, David Lee McInnis, Ha Jung-woo C+ Nights in Rodanthe Dir. George C. Wolfe. Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Mae Whitman D+ Nothing But the Truth Dir. Rod Lurie. Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda C OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Dir. Michel Hazanavicius. Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo C– Paranoid Park Dir. Gus Van Sant. Gabe Nevins, Taylor Momsen, Lauren McKinney B– The Poker House Dir. Lori Petty. Jennifer Lawrence, Sophi Bairley, Chloë Grace Moretz D+ Quantum of Solace Dir. Marc Forster. Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Judi Dench B Quid Pro Quo Dir. Carlos Brooks. Nick Stahl, Vera Farmiga, Jessica Hecht C– Rachel Getting Married Dir. Jonathan Demme. Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt B+ The Reader Dir. Stephen Daldry. David Kross, Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes B– Reprise Dir. Joachim Trier. Espen Klouman-Høiner, Anders Danielsen Lie, Viktoria Winge C+ Revolutionary Road Dir. Sam Mendes. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, David Harbour C– Rogue Dir. Greg McLean. Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell, Sam Worthington C– Savage Grace Dir. Tom Kalin. Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, Stephen Dillane B+ Save Me Dir. Robert Cary. Chad Allen, Robert Gant, Judith Light, Stephen Lang C– The Secret of the Grain Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche. Habib Boufares A– Sex and the City Dir. Michael Patrick King. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall C– The Signal Dirs. David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush. Anessa Ramsey C Slumdog Millionaire Dir. Danny Boyle. Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto D+ Smart People Dir. Noam Murro. Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page C+ Snow Angels Dir. David Gordon Green. Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell B Splinter Dir. Toby Wilkins. Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo B Standard Operating Procedure Dir. Errol Morris. Documentary about Abu Ghraib C– Still Life Dir. Jia Zhang-ke. Han Sanming, Zhao Tao, Li Zhubin, Wang Hongwei B+ Stop-Loss Dir. Kimberly Peirce. Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish B The Strangers Dir. Bryan Bertino. Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Glenn Howerton B– Stuck Dir. Stuart Gordon. Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Russell Hornsby, Rukiya Bernard C Summer Palace Dir. Lou Ye. Hao Lei, Guo Xiaodong, Bai Xueyen, Hu Ling C+ Surfwise Dir. Doug Pray. Documentary about a surfer, his wife, and their nine children B Synecdoche, New York Dir. Charlie Kaufman. Philip Seymour Hoffman A Take Dir. Charles Oliver. Minnie Driver, Jeremy Renner, Bobby Coleman, David Denman C Taxi to the Dark Side Dir. Alex Gibney. Documentary about post-9/11 torture practices B+ Teeth Dir. Mitchell Lichtenstein. Jess Weixler, Hale Appleman, John Hensley B– Tell No One Dir. Guillaume Canet. François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze C Then She Found Me Dir. Helen Hunt. Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick B– Transsiberian Dir. Brad Anderson. Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson, Eduardo Noriega C+ Tropic Thunder Dir. Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Nick Nolte D Trouble the Water Dirs. Tia Lessin, Carl Deal. Documentary about Katrina survivors A Turn the River Dir. Chris Eigeman. Famke Janssen, Jaymie Dornan, Rip Torn, Matt Ross B– Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys Dir. Tyler Perry. Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates B Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns Dir. Tyler Perry. Angela Bassett, Rick Fox C– Up the Yangtze Dir. Yung Chang. Documentary about Three Gorges Dam project A– Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dir. Woody Allen. Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson C The Visitor Dir. Tom McCarthy. Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Hiam Abbass B– W. Dir. Oliver Stone. Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks, Richard Dreyfuss B– WALL•E Dir. Andrew Stanton. Animated. Voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight B+ Waltz with Bashir Dir. Ari Folman. Animated. Voices of Ari Folman, Mickey Leon B Water Lilies Dir. Céline Sciamma. Pauline Acquart, Adèle Haenel, Louise Blachère C+ Wendy and Lucy Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Michelle Williams, Walter Dalton, Will Patton B The Witnesses Dir. André Téchiné. Johan Libéreau, Emmanuelle Béart, Sami Bouajila C+ The Wrestler Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood B+ XXY Dir. Lucía Puenzo. Inés Efron, Ricardo Darín, Martín Piroyansky B– Yella Dir. Christian Petzold. Nina Hoss, Devid Striesow, Hinnerk Schönemann B+ Young@Heart Dir. Stephen Walker. Documentary about a senior citizens' chorus B