The Best Movies of 2008

Every year, film critics publish their list of the ten best films that have been released in the past year. Here are the best offerings of 2008, according to this critic:

1. Bigger, Stronger, Faster
2. Redbelt
3. Rambo
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I know what you're thinking. For a top ten list, this one is lacking a few entries. There's an explanation for that: movies this year were terrible, and these are the only three that merit consideration in a list.

You also might be thinking, but what about all the movies released in December? It cannot be disputed that film studios hold onto their Oscar movies until the very end of the year. But in the eyes of this critic, film studios have taken it too far. The trend is getting worse. For instance, last year, three of the Best Picture nominees were released in December, one in November, and one in October. It's Hollywood's way of telling viewers, don't expect to see anything good for the next nine months. I have had enough.

There is an idea in American criminal law called suppression. The idea is that when the government procures evidence by violating an individual's constitutional rights, the appropriate remedy is that the government cannot use that evidence against someone in court. This year, the film industry has violated our rights as viewers by releasing nothing worth watching, at least through the end of November -- three movies aside, of course. To punish the industry, I will not consider any movie released in the month of December for my top ten list. I may watch them, I may like them, I may blog about them. But they will not be on my list, for they have been suppressed.