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: World Premieres  By Title // By Grade, with Top Ten Complete Reviews ★ = Full Review   /   ★ = Capsule Review   /   ★ = Special Feature or Blog Review (new window) ★  Adoration Dir. Atom Egoyan. With Devon Bostick, Scott Speedman, Arsinée Khanjian B– ★  Ballast Dir. Lance Hammer. JimMyron Ross, Micheal J. Smith Sr., Tarra Riggs B+ ★  Changeling Dir. Clint Eastwood. Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly C– ★  Delta Dir. Kornél Mundruczó. Félix Lajkó, Orsolya Tóth, Lili Monori, Sándor Gáspár C+ ★  The Duchess Dir. Saul Dibb. Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell C ★  Give Me Your Hand Dir. Pascal-Alex Vincent. With Alexandre Carril, Victor Carril C– ★  I've Loved You So Long Dir. Philippe Claudel. Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein D+ ★  Julia Dir. Erick Zonca. With Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo A– ★  Let It Rain Dir. Agnès Jaoui. With Jean-Pierre Bacri, Agnès Jaoui, Jamel Debbouze C+ ★  Lovely, Still Dir. Nicholas Fackler. With Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Adam Scott D ★  Make-Out with Violence Dirs. The Deagol Brothers. With Eric Lehning, Cody DeVos B ★  Mamma Mia! Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan D+ ★  The Possibility of an Island Dir. Michel Houellebecq. Benoît Magimel, Patrick Bauchau D ★  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+ ★  The Square Dir. Nash Edgerton. With David Roberts, Claire van der Boom, Anthony Hayes C ★  Summer in Genoa [Genova] Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Colin Firth, Willa Holland C ★  Synecdoche, New York Dir. Charlie Kaufman. Philip Seymour Hoffman A ★  Three Monkeys Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan. With Hatice Aslan, Ahmet Rifar Şungar C+ ★  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– ★  Two Lovers Dir. James Gray. With Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw C ★  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 Full Listing of Films Screened 35 Shots of Rum Dir. Claire Denis. With Mati Diop, Alex Descas, Nicole Dogue B+ Adoration Dir. Atom Egoyan. With Devon Bostick, Scott Speedman, Arsinée Khanjian B– American Violet Dir. Tim Disney. With Nicole Beharie, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard D+ Appaloosa Dir. Ed Harris. Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons D+ Ask Not Dir. Johnny Symons. Documentary about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy C+ 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 Bank Job Dir. Roger Donaldson. Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Daniel Mays B– Before Tomorrow Dirs. Marie-Hélène Cousineau & Madeline Ivalu. Cast: Madeline Ivalu B– Blind Date Dir. Stanley Tucci. With Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thijs Römer D Blindness Dir. Fernando Meirelles. Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga B– Brideshead Revisited Dir. Julian Jarrold. Matthew Goode, Hayley Atwell, Ben Whishaw D+ Bronson Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. With Tom Hardy, Matt King, Amanda Burton C+ The Brothers Bloom Dir. Rian Johnson. With Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz C Burn After Reading Dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen. George Clooney, Frances McDormand B+ The Burning Plain Dir. Guillermo Arriaga. With Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence D+ 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 A Christmas Tale Dir. Arnaud Desplechin. Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussilon B+ Chronic Town Dir. Tom Hines. JR Bourne, Emily Wagner, Dan Butler, Alice Drummond 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 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 Delta Dir. Kornél Mundruczó. Félix Lajkó, Orsolya Tóth, Lili Monori, Sándor Gáspár C+ Disgrace Dir. Steve Jacobs. With John Malkovich, Jessica Haines, Eriq Ebouaney D Il Divo Dir. Paolo Sorrentino. With Toni Servillo, Giulio Bosetti, Carlo Buccirossi B– 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 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 Everlasting Moments Dir. Jan Troell. With Maria Heiskanen, Mikael Persbrandt B Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Documentary about corporate U.S. food production 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– Give Me Your Hand Dir. Pascal-Alex Vincent. With Alexandre Carril, Victor Carril C– Gomorrah Dir. Matteo Garrone. With Gianfelice Imparato, Salvatore Abruzzese B+ Goodbye Solo Dir. Ramin Bahrani. With Souleymane Sy Savané, Red West B Gospel Hill Dir. Giancarlo Esposito. With Taylor Kitsch, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett C– 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 The Headless Woman Dir. Lucrecia Martel. With María Onetto, Claudia Cantero B Hunger Dir. Steve McQueen. Michael Fassbender, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon A– The Hurt Locker Dir. Kathryn Bigelow. With Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie A– In Bruges Dir. Martin McDonagh. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes C– Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Dir. Steven Spielberg 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+ Jerichow Dir. Christian Petzold. With Benno Fürmann, Hilmi Sözer, Nina Hoss C+ Johnny Mad Dog Dir. Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. With Christophe Minie A– Julia Dir. Erick Zonca. With Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo A– Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Dir. Patricia Rozema. Abigail Breslin, Julia Ormond C+ Lake Tahoe Dir. Fernando Eimbcke. With Diego Cataño, Juan Carlos Lara II B– Last Chance Harvey Dir. Joel Hopkins. Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson B Lemon Tree Dir. Eran Riklis. With Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Rona Lipaz-Michael B– Let It Rain Dir. Agnès Jaoui. With Jean-Pierre Bacri, Agnès Jaoui, Jamel Debbouze C+ Let the Right One In Dir. Tomas Alfredson. Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson B Lorna's Silence Dirs. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. With Arta Dobroshi A– Lovely, Still Dir. Nicholas Fackler. With Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Adam Scott D Make-Out with Violence Dirs. The Deagol Brothers. With Eric Lehning, Cody DeVos 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+ May the Best Man Win Dir. Adam Fleischhacker. With Adam Fleischhacker B– Me and Orson Welles Dir. Richard Linklater. With Zac Efron, Christian McKay D+ Medicine for Melancholy Dir. Barry Jenkins. With Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins B 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– A Necessary Death Dir. Daniel Stamm. G.J. Echternkamp, Matthew Tilley, Valerie Hurt 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 Of Time and the City Dir. Terence Davies. Personal essay film about Liverpool B– The Poker House Dir. Lori Petty. Jennifer Lawrence, Sophi Bairley, Chloë Grace Moretz D+ Ponyo Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Animated. Voices of Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus, Tina Fey C+ The Possibility of an Island Dir. Michel Houellebecq. Benoît Magimel, Patrick Bauchau D Poundcake Dir. Rafael Monserrate. Troy Hall, Jay O. Sanders, Kathleen Quinlan D+ Prodigal Sons Dir. Kimberly Reed. Documentary about trans woman and her brother A 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– A Quiet Little Marriage Dir. Mo Perkins. Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Cy Carter C– Rachel Getting Married Dir. Jonathan Demme. Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt B+ 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 Revanche Dir. Götz Spielmann. With Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Ursula Strauss B Revolutionary Road Dir. Sam Mendes. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, David Harbour C– Serbis Dir. Brillante Mendoza. With Jacklyn Jose, Julio Diaz, Mercedes Cabral B Sex and the City Dir. Michael Patrick King. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall C– Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's Intimacies Dir. Yulene Olaizola. Documentary B– Skin Dir. Anthony Fabian. With Sophie Okonedo, Alice Krige, Sam Neill, Tony Kgoroge C– Sleep Furiously Dir. Gideon Koppel. Documentary observing village life in rural Wales 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+ Splinter Dir. Toby Wilkins. Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo B The Square Dir. Nash Edgerton. With David Roberts, Claire van der Boom, Anthony Hayes C Standard Operating Procedure Dir. Errol Morris. Documentary about Abu Ghraib C– Stop-Loss Dir. Kimberly Peirce. Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish B The Strangers Dir. Bryan Bertino. Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Glenn Howerton B– Sugar Dirs. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck. With Algenis Pérez Soto, Rayniel Rufino B Summer Hours Dir. Olivier Assayas. With Charles Berling, Juliette Binoche B+ Summer in Genoa [Genova] Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Colin Firth, Willa Holland C Sunshine Cleaning Dir. Christine Jeffs. With Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Jason Spevack C– Synecdoche, New York Dir. Charlie Kaufman. Philip Seymour Hoffman A Three Monkeys Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan. With Hatice Aslan, Ahmet Rifar Şungar C+ Tokyo! Dirs. Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho. With Ayako Fujitani C– Transsiberian Dir. Brad Anderson. Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson, Eduardo Noriega C+ Treeless Mountain Dir. So Yong Kim. With Hee-yeon Kim, Song-hee Kim, Mi-hyang Kim B 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 Two Lovers Dir. James Gray. With Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw C 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– Tyson Dir. James Toback. Documentary about former heavyweight boxing champ C+ Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dir. Woody Allen. Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson C 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 Wendy and Lucy Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Michelle Williams, Walter Dalton, Will Patton B A Woman in Berlin Dir. Max Färberböck. With Nina Hoss, Yevgeni Sidikhin B– The Wrestler Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood B+