Box Office Review: 2008

[Bob Schlapowitz]

Another day, another year.

1. The Dark Knight (533.3M)
2. Iron Man (318.4M)
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (317.1M)
4. Hancock (227.9M)
5. WALL-E (2223.8M)
6. Kung Fu Panda (215.4M)
7. Twilight (192.8M)
8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (180M)
9. Quantum of Solace (168.4M)
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (154.5M)
11. Sex and the City (152.6M)
12. Gran Torino (148.1M)
13. Mamma Mia! (144.1M)
14. Marley and Me (143.2M)
15. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (141.6M)
16. Slumdog Millionaire (141.3M)
17. The Incredible Hulk (134.8M)
18. Wanted (134.5M)
19. Get Smart (130.3M)
20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (127.5M)

[Red Impact]

1. The Dark Knight (533.3M) - Good for the most part, but hated the way they crammed Two-Face's entire story arc into the final act of the movie.

2. Iron Man (318.4M) - I actually thought this was better than The Dark Knight.

3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (317.1M) - Not the best, but I don't think it deserves a lot of the hate it gets. There were some awful moments, but I don't think aliens is that far out there for an Indy movie.

4. Hancock (227.9M) - It wasn't bad, but I generally forget this movie exists until someone brings it up.

5. WALL-E (2223.8M) - Fantastic, like Pixar usually is. This had the most enjoyable non-human characters that they've done.

6. Kung Fu Panda (215.4M) - Also enjoyable, albeit a bit formulaic. I did like the ending though, and the route they took with it.

8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (180M) - The characters for this franchise just don't interest me outside of the penguins and the monkeys, so I really can't say I enjoyed it much at all. Then again, I haven't seen the first one.

10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (154.5M) - I never got why children's books with under 20 pages continue to get full length feature films. Shorts, sure, but feature length? You know it's not going to resemble it's source at all at that point, you might as well give it up.

16. Slumdog Millionaire (141.3M) - It took me a little bit to get oriented with how they were telling the story, but once I did I thought it was pretty enjoyable.

17. The Incredible Hulk (134.8M) - Edward Norton was pretty good in this, but I don't think this hero really works for building a movie around.

19. Get Smart (130.3M) - I liked this quite a bit. It wasn't perfect, but I thought Carell got the vibe alright. It was funny and I had a good time watching it.

20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (127.5M) - ZZZZzzzzzz...

[Mr. Emoticon Man, TF Fan]

1. The Dark Knight (533.3M) - I've seen most of it and found it to be lacking; I much prefer Batman Begins.
2. Iron Man (318.4M) - Amazing movie; perhaps the best comic book movie we've had so far.
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (317.1M) - I liked it, and don't really get some of the complaints that it gets.
4. Hancock (227.9M) - Haven't seen it, but I'm sure I will sooner or later.
5. WALL-E (2223.8M) - Haven't seen it.
6. Kung Fu Panda (215.4M) - Saw it on TV; didn't care for it.
7. Twilight (192.8M) - Haven't seen it.
8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (180M) - Haven't seen it.
9. Quantum of Solace (168.4M) - Haven't seen it.
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (154.5M) - Haven't seen it.
11. Sex and the City (152.6M) - Haven't seen it.
12. Gran Torino (148.1M) - Haven't seen it.
13. Mamma Mia! (144.1M) - Haven't seen it.
14. Marley and Me (143.2M) - Haven't seen it.
15. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (141.6M) - I liked it well enough.
16. Slumdog Millionaire (141.3M) - I really enjoyed this one, though I was at times jolted by how much some of the actors look like my students.
17. The Incredible Hulk (134.8M) - Loved it. Whereas the first Hulk movie got the psychological aspect down perfectly, this one got the super hero aspect down perfectly.
18. Wanted (134.5M) - Haven't seen it.
19. Get Smart (130.3M) - Haven't seen it.
20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (127.5M) - Haven't seen it.

[Bob Schlapowitz]

1. The Dark Knight (533.3M) Good but not excellent. Enough plot for two movies shoehorned into one.
2. Iron Man (318.4M) The best Marvel movie ever made, and it's likely to stay that way for a long time.
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (317.1M) Wasn't as bad as many like to say it was. It's at least on the same level as Temple of Doom.
4. Hancock (227.9M) Had it's moments but not something I'd actively watch again.
5. WALL-E (2223.8M) I seriously consider this one of the best movies I've ever seen. It amazes me that a relationship between two robots with almost no dialogue can be more effective than most human relationship stories.
6. Kung Fu Panda (215.4M) Didn't see it.
7. Twilight (192.8M) Poorly written garbage. I'm honestly shocked I made it through it.
8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (180M) Haven't seen it, but didn't like the first one.
9. Quantum of Solace (168.4M) Great action flick. Loved it.
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (154.5M) Not bad, but not great.
11. Sex and the City (152.6M) Didn't like the show, so I haven't seen it.
12. Gran Torino (148.1M) It's a God-Damned crime that Clint didn't get an Oscar nod for this, and that it didn't get a Best Picture nod.
13. Mamma Mia! (144.1M) Haven't seen it.
14. Marley and Me (143.2M) Haven't seen it.
15. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (141.6M) Good, but they really padded the story.
16. Slumdog Millionaire (141.3M) I really liked it. Takes a little bit to get going, but I enjoyed it immensely.
17. The Incredible Hulk (134.8M) Edward Norton was great, but everything else about it was bland.
18. Wanted (134.5M) I hated this movie. Like really, really hated this movie. The camera following bullets is cool the first time, but stupid after about the 18th time they do it. Also, I really wish the tired cliche of an action scene where everything slows down and an object goes "WOOSH!" would just dies already. Damn you, Wachowski Bros.
19. Get Smart (130.3M) A fun comedy, nothing more, nothing less.
20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (127.5M) I really enjoyed it, even though the similarities to Forrest Gump are pretty glaring.

[Kev The Omniscient]

1. The Dark Knight (533.3M) - Loved it. My favorite Batman movie.
2. Iron Man (318.4M) - Liked it, thought I liked 2 better.
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (317.1M) - I liked it and agree with not getting all the hate that this movie generates. Melting faces, hearts out of chests and invisible leaps of faith are fine but "oh noez, aliens and atomic bombs"
4.-16. Didn't see
17. The Incredible Hulk (134.8M) - Better than previous Hulk movie, from what I can remember.
18.-20. Didn't see

Yeah, I don't watch many movies.

[BK From WV]

Again,of the ones I've seen:

1. The Dark Knight - I did not care for it.
2. Iron Man - It was pretty good.
3. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull - Not my favorite Indy movie but it was okay. Like everyone else said,I don't see what was so far-fetched in this compared to the other Indy movies.
4. Hancock - I liked the first half of it. Not so much the second half.
5. WALL-E - The only Pixar movie that I hate. I didn't like it the first time I saw it in theaters and watched it a second time on Starz thinking maybe I'd like it more but ended up hating it more.
6. Kung Fu Panda - I liked it a lot. Looking forward to part 2.
8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - I didn't like the first one that much but caught this on tv and didn't really care for it either.
9. Quantam Of Solace - I enjoyed it.
10. Dr. Suess' Horton Hears A Who! - I really liked this one as well.
12. Gran Torino - Thought it was okay. Clint did a good job but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Still,it was okay.
14. Marley And Me - It was decent even though I already knew the ending before I watched it. It still bummed me out though.
15. The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Probably my favorite film released that year but then again,I love the books.
16. Slumdog Millionaire - Like the others have stated here,it started kind of slow but once it picked up,I enjoyed it.
18. Wanted - I probably shouldn't include this as I've only seen the first 45 or 50 minutes but I didn't like what I saw and ended up changing the channel.
19. Get Smart - I liked it. I can handle Dwayne Johnson in movies. It's his wrestling persona I can't stand.
20. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - I really only watched it because I personally know one of the actors in it but ended up actually liking the movie. I wasn't sure what to expect before I actually watched it.

[bob]

1. The Dark Knight (533.3M) One of my all time favorites!
2. Iron Man (318.4M) - I really liked this, although I was disgusted by the very blatant product plug for Burger King
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (317.1M) This isn't nearly as bad as the reputation it has. I liked it
9. Quantum of Solace (168.4M) - I really hated this movie. The gigantic plot hole didn't help matters.
16. Slumdog Millionaire (141.3M) - This was a lot better then I thought it would be. Very highly recommended.

[DSR]

So...how far back you plan on going with this?

The Dark Knight - Amazing movie, I love it. Not as much as BATMAN BEGINS, but it's still great. Though I wish Two-Face got to have his own movie, rather than dying at the end.

Iron Man - I've been a fan of the character since I was 6. I enjoyed the movie, but for some reason it didn't really click with me. I prefer IRON MAN 2.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I didn't hate it. The part with Shia and the monkeys was kinda stupid, but overall I didn't think the movie was all that bad. I never saw the other 3 Indy movies growing up, but I saw them around the time this one came out. They were okay.

Kung Fu Panda - Caught it on DVD. Funny.

Quantum of Solace - Decent, but not as captivating as CASINO ROYALE.

The Incredible Hulk - I know Marvel does this all the time, but I'm not overly fond of inside jokes in my comic book movies. Like, I didn't need so many reminders of the Bixby/Ferigno tv series. At any rate, the film was otherwise okay, though I would've preferred if they kept it a sequel to HULK (2003). I actually prefer that movie, but if the two films were connected, I would be more solidly behind the franchise, as it were.

Get Smart - Funny. Steve Carell is great, Alan Arkin steals the show whenever he shows up, and Anne Hathaway is (as always) beautiful and charming. Dwayne Johnson was good too. Like others, I much prefer Dwayne Johnson over his wrestling persona.

[Jiren]

1. The Dark Knight (533.3M) - I prefer the Burton Movies, But Still a Great movie
2. Iron Man (318.4M) - The Best Marvel flick to date
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (317.1M) - I'd rather watch the Unmistied "Manos" than this again.
4. Hancock (227.9M) - Watchable but that's as far as I'll go
5. WALL-E (2223.8M) - My favourite Pixar movie, Excellent movie
6. Kung Fu Panda (215.4M) - Haven't seen it
7. Twilight (192.8M) - Not my movie
8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (180M) - Funny as hell, I loved it
9. Quantum of Solace (168.4M) - The 2nd Worst Bond movie (Die Another Day is the worst), Terrible
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (154.5M) - Not seen it
11. Sex and the City (152.6M) - Haven't seen it and don't want to
12. Gran Torino (148.1M) - Brilliant, All that's needs to be said
13. Mamma Mia! (144.1M) - Meh
14. Marley and Me (143.2M) - Tripe, Sentimental B.S
15. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (141.6M) - I liked it
16. Slumdog Millionaire (141.3M) - I Really need to watch this
17. The Incredible Hulk (134.8M) - Very Good, Much better than the 2003 version (Which I didn't mind)
18. Wanted (134.5M) - Not bad
19. Get Smart (130.3M) - I thought it was funny
20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (127.5M) - Forrest Gump with an IQ

[bob]

thought I'd bump this for people who didn't see this late last night/early this morning