WALL•E – Synecdoche, New York – Trouble the Water – Waltz with Bashir – The Dark Knight – Hunger – Milk

2008: World Premieres
2008: U.S. Releases
2008: Cannes Festival
2008: Chicago Festival
2008: Still Left to See

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The Movies of 2008: U.S. Releases
 By Title // By Grade // By VOR Rating  (what's this?) // Last update: November 4, 2025

Full Listing of Films Screened
= Full Review   /   = Capsule   /   = Feature or Blog Post   /   = Grain of Salt

⑤  Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed

A Christmas Tale Dir. Arnaud Desplechin. Catherine Deneuve B+
The Class Dir. Laurent Cantet. François Bégaudeau, Rachel Régulier B+
The Dark Knight Dir. Christopher Nolan. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger B
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+
 Hunger Dir. Steve McQueen. Michael Fassbender, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon A–
Let the Right One In Dir. Tomas Alfredson. Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson B
 Milk Dir. Gus Van Sant. Sean Penn, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin A–
Rachel Getting Married Dir. Jonathan Demme. Anne Hathaway B+
The Secret of the Grain Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche. Habib Boufares A–
Still Life Dir. JIa Zhangke. Han Sanming, Zhao Tao, Li Zhubin, Wang Hongwei B+
 Synecdoche, New York Dir. Charlie Kaufman. Philip Seymour Hoffman A
Trouble the Water Dir. Tia Lessin, Carl Deal. Documentary about Katrina A
Up the Yangtze Dir. Yung Chang. Documentary about Three Gorges Dam project A–
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

④  Good or bad, this is risky and original work

Alexandra Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov. Galina Vishnevskaya, Vasily Shevtsov B+
 Ballast Dir. Lance Hammer. JimMyron Ross, Micheal J. Smith Sr., Tarra Riggs B+
Che Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir B
Chicago 10 Dir. Brett Morgen. Documentary about 1968 DNC protesters B+
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Dir. David Fincher. Brad Pitt D–
The Duchess of Langeais Dir. Jacques Rivette. Jeanne Balibar B+
The Edge of Heaven Dir. Fatih Akin. Baki Davrak, Nurgül Yesilçay B+
Encounters at the End of the World Dir. Werner Herzog. Documentary C
Frozen River Dir. Courtney Hunt. Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott B–
Happy-Go-Lucky Dir. Mike Leigh. Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman B
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
 Paranoid Park Dir. Gus Van Sant. Gabe Nevins, Taylor Momsen B–
Reprise Dir. Joachim Trier. Espen Klouman-Høiner, Anders Danielsen Lie C+
Savage Grace Dir. Tom Kalin. Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, Stephen Dillane B+
Speed Racer Dir. Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Emile Hirsch, John Goodman C+
Stop-Loss Dir. Kimberly Peirce. Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish B
Summer Palace Dir. Lou Ye. Hao Lei, Guo Xiaodong, Bai Xueyun C+
Taxi to the Dark Side Dir. Alex Gibney. Documentary about post-9/11 torture B+
Water Lilies Dir. Céline Sciamma. Pauline Acquart, Adèle Haenel, Louise Blachère C+
Wendy and Lucy Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Michelle Williams, Walter Dalton B
The Wrestler Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei B+
 XXY Dir. Lucía Puenzo. Inés Efron, Ricardo Darín, Martín Piroyansky B–
Yella Dir. Christian Petzold. Nina Hoss, Devid Striesow, Hinnerk Schönemann B+
 Zidane: A 21st-Century Portrait Dir. Douglas Gordan, Philippe Parreno B

③  Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it

Australia Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters C
The Band's Visit Dir. Eran Kolirin. Sasson Gabai, Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri 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 B
Burn After Reading Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. George Clooney, John Malkovich B+
Cadillac Records Dir. Darnell Martin. Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody C+
 Changeling Dir. Clint Eastwood. Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly C–
Cloverfield Dir. Matt Reeves. Michael Stahl-David, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller C+
The Counterfeiters Dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky. Karl Markovics, August Diehl B
Doubt Dir. John Patrick Shanley. Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman C+
Elegy Dir. Isabel Coixet. Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz, Dennis Hopper B
Frost/Nixon Dir. Ron Howard. Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Sam Rockwell C
Gran Torino Dir. Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her C–
 Hallam Foe Dir. David Mackenzie. Jamie Bell, Sophia Myles, Claire Forlani B
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+
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 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 C+
Last Chance Harvey Dir. Joel Hopkins. Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson B
Love Songs Dir. Christophe Honoré. Louis Garrel, Ludivine Sagnier B–
Miracle at St. Anna Dir. Spike Lee. Derek Luke, Laz Alonso, Michael Ealy C–
Mongol Dir. Sergei Bodrov. Tadanobu Asano, Sun Hong Ley, Ba Sen C
Never Forever Dir. Gina Kim. Vera Farmiga, David Lee McInnis, Ha Jung-woo C+
Nothing But the Truth Dir. Rod Lurie. Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda C
 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–
The Reader Dir. Stephen Daldry. David Kross, Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes B–
Recount Dir. Jay Roach. TV Movie. Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban B
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 C–
The Strangers Dir. Bryan Bertino. Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Glenn Howerton B–
Surfwise Dir. Doug Pray. Documentary about a surfer and his large family 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 B–
Transsiberian Dir. Brad Anderson. Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson C+
 Tropic Thunder Dir. Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black D
 Turn the River Dir. Chris Eigeman. Famke Janssen, Jaymie Dornan, Rip Torn B–
 Twilight Dir. Catherine Hardwicke. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke C–
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys Dir. Tyler Perry. Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates B
 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 B–
The Witnesses Dir. André Téchiné. Johan Libéreau, Emmanuelle Béart C+
Young@Heart Dir. Stephen Walker. Documentary about a senior citizens' chorus B

②  Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking

The Bank Job Dir. Roger Donaldson. Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows B–
Diary of the Dead Dir. George A. Romero. Michelle Morgan, Josh Close D
 The Duchess Dir. Saul Dibb. Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell C
A Girl Cut in Two Dir. Claude Chabrol. Ludivine Sagnier, François Berléand D+
Hamlet 2 Dir. Andrew Fleming. Steve Coogan, Skylar Astin, Phoebe Strole D–
House of the Sleeping Beauties Dir. Vadim Glowna. Vadim Glowna C–
How She Move Dir. Ian Iqbal Rashid. Rutina Wesley, Dwain Murphy C
The Last Mistress Dir. Catherine Breillat. Asia Argento, Fu'ad Ait Aattou C–
 Mamma Mia! Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan D+
My Blueberry Nights Dir. Wong Kar-wai. Norah Jones, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz C–
My Brother Is an Only Child Dir. Daniele Luchetti. Elio Germano B–
Revolutionary Road Dir. Sam Mendes. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet C–
Save Me Dir. Robert Cary. Chad Allen, Robert Gant, Judith Light, Stephen Lang C–
Sex and the City Dir. Michael Patrick King. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall C–
The Signal Dir. David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush. Anessa Ramsey C
 Stuck Dir. Stuart Gordon. Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Russell Hornsby C
Take Dir. Charles Oliver. Minnie Driver, Jeremy Renner, Bobby Coleman C
Sunshine Cleaning Dir. Christine Jeffs. Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Jason Spevack C–
Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns Dir. Tyler Perry. Angela Bassett, Rick Fox C–

①  Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget

Appaloosa Dir. Ed Harris. Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger D+
Brideshead Revisited Dir. Julian Jarrold. Matthew Goode, Hayley Atwell D+
The Day the Earth Stood Still Dir. Scott Derrickson. Jennifer Connelly F
Expired Dir. Cecilia Miniucchi. Samantha Morton, Jason Patric, Teri Garr D+
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Dir. Steven Spielberg D–
Irina Palm Dir. Sam Garbarski. Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlović D+
 Men in the Nude Dir. Károly Esztergályos. Cast: Lászlo Gálffi, Éva Kerekes D+
Nights in Rodanthe Dir. George C. Wolfe. Diane Lane, Richard Gere D+
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Dir. Michel Hazanavicius. Jean Dujardin C–
Rogue Dir. Greg McLean. Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell, Sam Worthington C–