Movie Picks of 2008

Ensemble, c'est tout

Camille works evenings as an office cleaning woman, makes graceful drawings in her free time. Philibert is a young, aristocratic history buff. Timid, emotional and solitary, he occupies a spacious apartment owned by his family. Franck is a cook, both virile and tender, who has an undying love for his grandmother, a fragile and funny elderly lady named Paulette.
Together, they learn to ease their doubts and sorrows. Together, they move forward toward making their dreams...






The Royal Tenenbaums

Three grown prodigies, all with a unique genius of some kind, and their mother are staying at the family household. Their father, Royal had left them long ago, and comes back to make things right with his family.








Once

ONCE is the inspirational tale of two kindred spirits who find each other on the bustling streets of Dublin. One is a street musician who lacks the confidence to perform his own songs. The other is a young mother trying to find her way in a strange new town. As their lives intertwine, they discover each other's talents and push one another to realize what each had only dreamt about before. ONCE is their inspiring story.






The Bucket List

A long time ago, Carter Chambers' (Morgan Freeman) freshman year philosophy professor suggested that his students compose a "bucket list," a collection of all the things they wanted to do, see and experience in life before they kicked the bucket.
But while Carter was still trying to define his private dreams and plans, reality intruded. Marriage, children, myriad responsibilities and, ultimately, a 46-year job as an auto mechanic gradually turned his concept of a bucket list into little more than a bittersweet memory of lost opportunities and a mental exercise he occasionally thought about to pass the time while working under the hood of a car...






Stranger than Fiction

Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life. With the help of Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), Harold discovers he's the main character in a novel-in-progress and that the voice belongs to Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an eccentric author famous for killing her main characters in creative ways. Harold must quickly track down Eiffel and stop her before she conjures up a way to finish him off.






American Gangster

In the early '70s, police corruption was rampant in New York City. The Vietnam War was taking a devastating toll overseas and at home. Soldiers were brought back to the U.S. either in body bags or addicted to an imported opiate called heroin-which they shared with curious experimenters who became instantly hooked. With the assistance of law enforcement, the mafia operated with relative impunity in this noncompetitive market, selling thousands of kilos of smack to addicts hungry for their product. A privileged and untouchable class of white men paid hundreds of millions to New York's judges, lawyers and cops to keep quiet about this mutually beneficial relationship. La Cosa Nostra and their underlings were unbeatable. Until a black entrepreneur named Frank Lucas (Washington) took over the game.






Wall Street

In this riveting behind-the-scenes look at big business in the 1980's, an ambitious young broker (CHARLIE SHEEN) is lured into the illegal, lucrative world of corporate espionage when he is seduced by the power, status and financial wizardry of Wall Street legend Gordon Gekko (MICHAEL DOUGLAS in his Oscar - winning performance, Best Actor 1987). But he soon discoversthat the pursuit of overnight riches comes at a price that's too high to pay. DARYL HANNAH and MARTIN SHEEN co-star in Oliver Stone's gripping morality tale about the American dream gone wrong.






Gridiron Gang

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars in this gritty and inspirational movie based on a true story of group of teenage delinquents given a second chance to redeem themselves by playing football. Sean Porter (Johnson) is a frustrated juvenile probation officer. Most of the kids in his detention camp are either sent back to prison once they leave or meet a violet end when they return to the streets. Desperately looking for a way to make a difference, he and his co-worker Malcolm Moore (Xzibit, TV's Pimp My Ride) devise a plan to teach discipline and responsibility through the game of football. But with only four weeks before the start of the season, Porter must overcome insurmountable odds to put together a competitive team. It's a season that will test their minds, spirit, and bodies as Porter teaches his players the principles of good character, strength through resiliency, and genuine respect for one another.






Into the Wild

Based on a true story. After graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters who shape his life.






Wanted

25-year-old Wes was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. Until he met a woman named Fox. After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad's death by unlocking his dormant powers. With wickedly brilliant tutors - including the Fraternity's enigmatic leader, Sloan - Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny.






The Mexican

Jerry Welbach is given two ultimatums. His mob boss wants him to travel to Mexico to get a priceless antique pistol called "The Mexican" or he will suffer the consequences. The other ultimatum comes from his girlfriend Samantha, who wants him to end his association with the mob. Jerry figures that being alive, although in trouble with his girlfriend is the better alternative so he heads south of the border. Finding the pistol is easy but getting it home is a whole other matter. The pistol supposedly carries a curse - a curse Jerry is given every reason to believe, especially when Samantha is held hostage by the gay hit man Leroy to ensure the safe return of the pistol.







Honourable Mention

The Girl Next Door

I don't know what makes me watch this several times....
Maybe the fact that this is yet another narrative moive and Emile Hirsch reminds me of "The Wonder Years".







movie descriptions referenced from Starmetro.hk