GLOBAL EDITION - TOP 10 FILMS of 2008 and more
December 26, 2008
Happy Holidays, ya’ll! Click on headlines for full articles…
Joseph Fahim:
Without a doubt, 2008 has been the year of American films. The new wave of neo-westerns, allegorical epics and corporate thrillers that have miraculously arrived to our shores after taking the US by storm at the backend of last year, have ushered a new age for American film.
All American films included in this list reflect the growing moral uncertainty, not only in the US, but in the world in general. With the election of Barack Obama and the contagious new-found hope taking over the world in such troubled times, critics are wondering if the foreboding ambiance of “No Country for Old Men” and “The Dark Knight” will preside or whether these pictures, like their 70s counterparts, might soon be regarded as period pieces of the Bush era.
Elsewhere, the French continued to dazzle, although fewer productions than usual managed to make it to the capital, Italians reclaimed their neo-realism throne, the Spanish astonished with their eclectic mix of melodrama, comedy and horror, while the Arabs carefully used the blessings of co-funding to churn out their own unique stories.
As for Egyptian movies, none of the mainstream big-productions came close to match the sublimity of one small film that might eventually break the dominance of major autocratic film producers. So, without any further ado, I present Daily News Egypt’s pick of 2008’s 10 best films…
Foreign-language Oscar a magnet for controversy
Kumbaya in the Mid-East:
Hollywood, Bollywood and Arab stars open Dubai film fest
Saudi religious police says some movies possibly OK
Nuclear Mango:
Mumbai crowds flow back to their beloved Bollywood
King of Bollywood listed among the 50 Most Powerful People in the world by Newsweek 
Muslim cast and crew members working for King of Bollywood denied US visas
From the Far(Left) East:
WB shrouds ‘Dark Knight’ from Chinese Commie audiences
Welcome to Nollywood:
The low budget populist success of Nollywood
Kazakhstan and beyond:
Kremlin greenlights patriotic epic 
Like a bad movie: Beautiful films and ugly theaters in Romania
Unregulated capitalism:
Economic slump takes its toll on the entertainment industry
Despite these serious challenges, the global and local entertainment industry is not likely to be hit as hard as other industries, simply because people aren’t going to stop watching films, reading books or listening to music. Choices will be more limited though and numerous novelists and filmmakers might temporarily pull back their works until the crisis ends.
The people responsible for all sectors in the industry will survive the storm if they make the right decisions. Yet, and like the companies that have closed shop this year, the recession could signal the end of an era for some.
What Crisis? Fundraising during an economic meltdown
Hollywood gears up for more tough times in 2009
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The economic crisis and the threat of another labor strike are creating a “perfect storm” for Hollywood as major studios to brace for further layoffs early next year, according to studio executives and analysts.
Spin Magazine’s Top 20 Music Videos Of 2008
Who made the worst movie of the year?
Defamer:
‘It Doesn’t Matter What People Think’: Meet Your Oscar Publicists!
Fun for the whole family:
Worst of the Internet in 2008
Best, but treated worst:
IndieWire’s 2008 Best Undistributed List of 250 Films 
Aimee Mann’s ‘Christmas Carol’
Fake Thundercats Trailer
Jib-Jab Year In Review
SRK is one of the 50 most powerful people in the entertainment world today? That doesn’t surprise me. People in India and abroad practically worship him like a god. I just saw him in a new film– arggh I forgot the title– where he plays a humble Sikh husband who leads in a double personality role. It was a real entertaining film, very light, nothing too heavy, but it’s not a masterpiece.
Slumdog Millionaire, MILK, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, are some of the BEST movies I have seen in 2008 so far.. haven’t seen Revolutionary Road yet, though.