Stephen King Picks 'Dark Knight' as Best Film of 2008
Last time we checked in on Stephen King's ten favorite films of the year, it was 2006 and we found titles like Waist Deep (?) and Snakes on a Plane. Okay, so maybe the legendary author didn't watch many films that year -- but here we are two years later, King once again dished out a top ten for Entertainment Weekly, and so maybe he's managed to see a bit more. Check out King's list below, with brief quotes from him for each -- then read the rest over at EW.1. The Dark Knight -- "The best superhero movie ever. This is to cape-and-tights movies what Godfather II was to the gangster movie: a genre-defining event."
2. Slumdog Millionaire -- "It's been years since the movies have produced such an affecting story about the power of friendship."
3. WALL-E -- "I don't think it deserves a Best Picture Academy Award, but it certainly deserves to be nominated."
4. Tropic Thunder -- "The funniest, most daring comedy of the year."
5. Funny Games -- "It works as a savage parody of the snuff-porn genre even as it transcends it."
6. The Bank Job -- "High-tension cerebral thrills."
7. Lakeview Terrace -- "Jackson's performance deserves an Academy Award nod, but won't get one. Too bad."
8. The Ruins -- "It could have been ludicrous. Instead, it's unrelenting."
9. Redbelt -- "... this is not your father's Karate Kid."
10. Death Race -- "Death Race is filled with laconic violence and blasting muscle cars, but just beneath the surface is a biting satire of reality TV."
So, is King nuts for suggesting that Samuel L. Jackson receive an Oscar nod for Lakeview Terrace? Do you agree with the horror guru, or does the man still need to see more movies?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-12-2008 @ 5:52PM
Clark Parker said...
Lets see... About a year for Bad Robot to finish other projects, a year, no lets say two years to write, a year of pre-production and say, a year and a half of principal, another year and a half of post... That's what? Seven years? Six if they streamline it all and take plenty of notes from Peter Jackson?
King's best film of the year prediction for 2015.... The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
With the next 3 to 6 years after that all following suit.
What? I can dream.
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12-12-2008 @ 8:05PM
NvM said...
if directing The Gunslinger project is my biggest dream in life
so i hope it takes a few years so I can get my carear off the ground, in fact make it a decade
12-12-2008 @ 6:27PM
Eric D. Snider said...
I think to get on Stephen King's top 10 list, all a movie has to do is be seen by him.
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12-12-2008 @ 7:34PM
Jonathan Kuhn said...
Haha, brilliant.
12-12-2008 @ 6:37PM
Robin said...
Dark Knight but no Iron Man? Redbelt was good but nothing to write home about.
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12-12-2008 @ 9:45PM
FutureColumnist said...
This makes me think the route to go is journalist THEN author, not the other way around; King wrote first and now is a critic, and it obviously isn't working so well (shhh! don't tell EW).
His Best Of lists this year were all quite like this. There are plenty of omissions from all, including this one, but that's to be expected - no one can see/read/watch everything in a year. What isn't expected is a piece of crap like Death Race appearing on any list except WORST of the year.
I'm just glad they took him off the back page of the mag.
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12-12-2008 @ 10:40PM
Clark Parker said...
Actually, I think the route to go is: Learn and understand the meaning of opinion, become journalist, become novelist.
But then, everyone's a critc...
12-13-2008 @ 3:16AM
FutureColumnist said...
Yes, opinion is opinion. But honestly it's not like I could post some list of my favorites and feature all of the Razzies and not be called an idiot. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if someone is writing for a national magazine, there is at least some obligation to view and think about the films they see and rate.
12-12-2008 @ 11:06PM
DylanG said...
There needs to be more critics like Stephen King. People who aren't afraid to appear "unsophistocated" to the general public or afraid to pick unpopular movies for their Top 10's. The problem with critics nowadays is that they only seem to enjoy "sophistocated" films, WWII dramas and cookie-cutter Hollywood flicks (which explains Iron Man's 93% rottentomatoes rating). It's as if they think it's beneath them to give a good rating to a horror, comedy or action film. I don't get why it's like this. Half the major film critics wouldn't admit something like "Death Race" is a good film. They might say it's entertaining, but it's not a good film. How do you judge a film in any other way than entertainment?
The Bank Job was one of the best films of the year and I'm glad to see it acknowledged. Lakeview Terrace was immensly underrated and Death Race was an amazing action film. I don't agree with The Ruins, Wall-E, Tropic Thunder or Funny Games being on the list, but at least he is picking the movies he actually likes.
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12-13-2008 @ 8:45AM
C.A. said...
Well said!
12-12-2008 @ 11:27PM
Chase said...
i think that the dark knight, funny games, tropic thunder, and the bank job all deserve to be there. the others were okay choices in my opinion. I absolutely loved Funny Games, and it deserves some sort of award.
and while i loved samuel l jackson in lakeview terrace, i recognize that it is only because i can't help but love any role he does. regardless of how bad the movie is, samuel l jackson is one of my favorite actors of all time
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12-13-2008 @ 2:43AM
Scott Weinberg said...
With all due respect, the guy simply needs to see more movies each year.
Also, I can only assume Mr. King has not yet seen "Let the Right One In."
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12-13-2008 @ 3:30PM
GL said...
His opinion is his own, but this just further cements why I don't give a flying f*** what King's opinion is.
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12-14-2008 @ 8:32PM
Ben said...
Ms. Davis,
Remember that time that you wrote that Heath Ledger would be a horrible Joker?! I do...
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12-20-2008 @ 2:28PM
Enoch Allen said...
I recently wrote an article about why I will no longer watch the Oscars if THE DARK KNIGHT is not at least nominated for Best Picture. Copy and paste this link:
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977536600&nav=Namespace
Or, let’s see if I can make the above link clickable here.
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