The 9.5 Best Films of 2008 (including The Best Films of 2007 that I watched in 2008)

1. How was Emile Hirsch’s Into the Wild performance so overlooked? In his wanderings, Christopher McCandless left a heartbreaking impression on the people he met. The tragedy at the end of the story only makes later viewings more meaningful.

2. WALL·E is a Pixar film. That’s all one needs to know anymore.

3. The claustrophobic 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days creates terror in ways you can’t imagine. Also, it has the most depressing dinner party ever filmed.

4. Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains—Well, I would vote for him.

5. Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (The asterisk is part of the title.)—Speaking in the language of pop culture, overachiever Chris Bell covers every base many times over in this personal documentary of American inadequacy. He should forget about his body issues and continue to make movies! p.s. With the knowledge that Chris's brother, "Mad Dog" Bell, passed away last week, one scene in the film will be incredibly painful to watch.

6. The Swedish Let the Right One In is that other vampire flick.

7. Man on Wire is a classy look at a terrifying, breathtaking stunt. Just don't try this at home.

8. A painful look at deluded, mendacious parents and a baffling culture of precociousness, My Kid Could Paint That is maddening and weird.

9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is an aggregate of many good things: Vampire Muppets, the charms of Hawaii, and truly R-rated humor (you know what I’m talking about).

I can't actually put this one on the list: Don’t watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull more than once. Especially not after you’ve recently watched “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Otherwise, it’s decent. Except for the monkeys. I’ll give you the monkeys.

With a little more brooding, this "Into the Wild" shot could be mistaken for one from "Twilight."