As always my caveat from previous years still apply: Film Fight is a knock-out tournament and, as such, will only select my favourite film. It makes no guarantees about any other place.
First up, notable non-finalists of the year:
- Dan in Real Life
- Sweeney Todd
- Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
- Cloverfield
- Juno
- Persepolis
- The Mist
- Wall-E
- Pineapple Express
- The Wave
- Burn After Reading
This year the twelve finalists are:
- January: No Country for Old Men
- February: There Will be Blood
- March: Semi-pro
- April: Funny Games
- May: Cashback
- June: The Escapist
- July: The Dark Knight
- August: Step Brothers
- September: Taken
- October: Redbelt
- November: The Changeling
- December: umm, nothing.
Last year it was difficult to pick the absolute winner, but all in all it’s been a pretty weak year for cinema. 3 of the finalists got in because it was simply a quiet month, though several others had some pretty decent competition. I liked No Country for Old Men; it deserves a special nod and certainly walks away with the silver medal. Javier Bourdem and Josh Brolin were both fantastic to watch.
However, the winner of Film Fight 2008 is… There Will Be Blood. It’s an incredible story, well told, and perfectly acted. Daniel Day Lewis deserved his Oscar win for the oil man who by sheer force of will makes his way to the top, and by his crippling insecurity makes it back to the bottom. A classic.