The 10 Best, No, the 100 Best Films of 2008

Kam’s Annual Accolades for the Cream of the Cinematic Crop

In a year when four of the best films were big screen versions of comic book adventures (including Wanted, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk), it should come as no surprise that one would emerge as this critic’s pick as the top picture of 2008. And not only did the late Heath Ledger turn in an Oscar-worthy performance in The Dark Knight as The Joker, but director Christopher Nolan (Memento) might have made the best superhero adaptation ever.

As usual, rather than limit my annual list to just 10 entries, I’ve expanded it to 100, and covered documentaries, independents and foreign flicks, along with the Hollywood blockbusters. So, don’t shy away from such lesser-known gems as Slumdog Millionaire, Sex Drive and Man on Wire, and the risk will be richly rewarded.

dark knight

10 Best List of 2008

1. The Dark Knight

2. Milk

3. Vicky Cristina Barcelona

4. The Secret Life of Bees

5. Burn after Reading

6. Cloverfield

7. Happy-Go-Lucky

8. Cadillac Records

9. Iron Man

10. Twilight

Honorable Mention

11. Pineapple Express

12. Wanted

13. The Family That Preys

14. The Incredible Hulk

15. Stop-Loss

16. The Express

17. Doubt

18. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

19. Miracle at St. Anna

20. Last Chance Harvey

21. Traitor

22. Run Fatboy Run

23. Smart People

24. Tropic Thunder

25. Frost/Nixon

Best Foreign Language Films

1. Slumdog Millionaire (India)

2. Water Lilies (France)

3. Jellyfish (Israel)

4. The Edge of Heaven (Turkey)

5. Woman on the Beach (Korea)

6. Pray the Devil Back to Hell (Liberia)

7. Let the Right One In (Sweden)

8. Rape in the Congo (Congo)

9. Days and Clouds (Italy)

10. Lost in Beijing (China)

Foreign Language Film Honorable Mention

11. Beauty in Trouble (Czech Republic)

12. The Betrayal (Laos)

13. We Are Together (South Africa)

14. Mister Foe (Scotland)

15. Stranded (Uruguay)

16. A Christmas Tale (France)

17. Without the King (Swaziland)

18. To the Limit (Germany)

19. Youssou N’Dour: Return to Goree (Senegal)

20. Priceless (France)

21. Maria Bethania (Brazil)

22. Reprise (Norway)

23. The Matador (Spain)

24. Che (Cuba)

25. Canary (Japan)

10 Best Independent Films

1. Sex Drive

2. Kabluey

3. I’m Through with White Girls

4. Gardens of the Night

5. The Visitor

6. The Tracey Fragments

7. Poultrygeist

8. In Search of a Midnight Kiss

9. Brick Lane

10. How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer

Independent Film Honorable Mention

11. Stuck

12. How She Move

13. I Can’t Think Straight

14. Sex & Death 101

15. Chop Shop

16. American Zombie

17. Wendy and Lucy

18. Nights and Weekends

19. Ping Pong Playa

20. Garden Party

21. What Just Happened

22. Disfigured

23. Ripple Effect

24. All about Us

25. Ballast

10 Best Documentaries

1. Man on Wire

2. Hollywood Chinese

3. A Man Named Pearl

4. Standing Operating Procedure

5. I.O.U.S.A.

6. The End of America

7. The Souls of Black Girls

8. Chicago 10

9. America the Beautiful

10. Passing Poston

Documentary Honorable Mention

11. Meeting David Wilson

12. The Order of Myths

13. All of Us

14. Glass

15. Trouble the Water

16. Boogie Man

17. One Bad Cat

18. Full Battle Rattle

19. The Dhamma Brothers

20. Moving Midway

21. Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind

22. Very Young Girls

23. Kicking It

24. Bigger, Stronger, Faster

25. Faubourg Treme

Kam Williams is a popular and top NewsBlaze reviewer, our chief critic. Kam gives his unvarnished opinion on movies, DVDs and books, plus many in-depth and revealing celebrity interviews.

Sadly, Lloyd Kam Williams passed away in 2019, leaving behind a huge body of work focused on America’s black entertainment community. We were as sad to hear of his passing as we were overjoyed to have him as part of our team.