movie of the Year rules: if it was out this year, it qualifies. look, i don't check release dates, and i have a tendancy to get to things late... so i don't worry about none o' that! if i geeked on it this year, it qualifies! so
any movie (including animated features, if they are FLY enough!) that was out in theatres, on teevee, or on dvd qualifies...anyways, here's the nominees:
i wrote
a fairly well-received review of
Kung-Fu Panda earlier this year, and upon re-reading it, i stand by what i wrote. this movie impressed me with its ability to entertain kids and adults simultaneously, and i enjoyed the comedic style more than previous Dreamworks animated films like
Shrek. i have surprisingly little interest in the 3D animation explosion, but can put the cap on my Haterade long enough to acknowledge such a well-conceived and executed story.
Chris Nolan's original onscreen version of the world's greatest detective did what other superhero films WISH they could:
Batman Begins actually added to the mystique of DC's line-walking vigilante! so when the Joker card was pulled at the end, the sequel buzz immediately began. The untimely death of Heathe Ledger only made it worse... his turn as the ultimate psycho clown prince of crime has fanboys and girls crying Oscar, so how could i pass by the record-smashing hero noir
The Dark Knight?
before Lyndsy Lohan or Paris Hilton ever got their hands around a cold gold can, Robert Downey Jr brought addiction back in a big way, risking the ruin of a brilliant acting career on both the big and small screens, so who better to play the alcoholic thrill-seeking genius Tony Stark, the invincible
Iron Man? Director John Favreau shocked the comics faniverse with the widescreen debut of everyone's favorite shell-head Avenger, not to mention more than a few easter-eggs that still have nerds buzzing!
unless you don't get out much, you've probably watched a movie where Chiwetel Ejiofor (
Inside Man, American Gangster, Serenity, Talk To Me, Four Brothers, Children of Men) gave a stellar performance. but you haven't really seen what he's capable of until you've seen
Redbelt. Ejiofor deserves to be the next important black movie star. he is always believable, as a villain or a sidekick, or here, as a wise martial arts Sensei who seeks to teach his students how to turn any situation to their advantage. if you haven't seen this... SEE IT!
Marvel Comics has got it right: go get a good script. attach top-notch actors, and get out of the way!
The Incredible Hulk, an apology to fans who really hated Ang Lee's psychological analysis of the gamma irradiated monster, served up more action and a decent love story, plus more of Hulk smashing people, places and things. Ed Norton and Tim Roth brought serious acting pedigree, and a quick cameo by Downey's Tony Stark helped continue the now-confirmed rumors that Marvel's building a full-blown Marvel Movie Universe (tee-hee!)...
don't let the box-office fool you:
Speed Racer is the BOMB! those silly Wachowski Brothers (
The Matrix trilogy) return to their director's chairs to bring us one of the best family movies that no families went and saw. a troublesome marketing program (or lack thereof...), confused fan and critical reaction, and the unexpected super-success of
Iron Man contributed to serious tanking of this film. but believe me when i tell you, it is a visionary film! the Wachowskis do justice to the precursor to the anime invasion, creating a film that celebrates the best aspects, not only of the
Speed Racer cartoon, but other 'toons like it.
any of these wold make great additions to your DVD collection, and you probably wanna see 'em all! that said, there can be only one winner...
The 2008 ghettoManga Awards will jump off next month, so stay tuned for more nominees!
-ghettoManga.com
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RASL Volume 1: The Drift
came out this week.
This was my favorite book of 2008. I love the boldness of it, and for the creator of BONE to be doing something this far out there is really inspiring to me. It really feels like a book by an artist/writer who's made his mark, and is now just having a blast. The art is of course clasic Jeff Smith ('nuff said). You can be sure that the same beautiful rendering that worked for Bone, works for this kind of book too.
. "thanks to everyone who's pre-ordered it already, i really appreciate it!!" says the author "volume 4 is where things start to get crazier for everyone, and things begin to take a dark turn..." IF you have still never read it (despite my constant recommendations!), cop 
