Pontypool (2008) – Bruce McDonald

Bruce McDonald directs this unique take on the zombie film which was written by Tony Burgess, which he adapted from his own novel. The film is set predominantly in one location, the sound booth of a radio station, and features strong performances from Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, and Georgina Reilly. McHattie, who is always a…

Punisher: War Zone (2008) – Lexi Alexander

Ray Stevenson didn’t get a fair shake at playing Frank Castle aka The Punisher, in the 2008 follow-up to The Punisher starring Thomas Jane. Jane declined to return as he felt the script didn’t go in the way that he wanted to portray the character. What was there to dislike? And what did Ray Stevenson…

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) – Yasuhiro Aoki, Futoshi Higashide, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroshi Morioka, Jong-Sik Nam, Shojiro Nishimi, and Yuichiro Hayashi

Kevin Conroy voices Batman (yay!) in this collection of interconnected animated tales set in the Nolan-verse of Batman. Featuring a variety of animation styles the feature explores more of Batman’s story in Gotham following the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Have I Got a Story For You features four skateboarding kids getting…

Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) – Dave Bullock

Darwyn Cooke’s now iconic graphic novel Justice League: The New Frontier gets the DC animation update and brings a cavalcade of stars to the animated incarnations of some of DC’s biggest hitters. Set in the 1950s the animation style perfectly reflects that of the original comic panel art, as it follows a collection of heroes…

Cloverfield (2008) – 15th Anniversary 4K

I remember seeing Cloverfield opening weekend in the theatre. I was very excited to dig into a monster movie that saw a kaiju trampling New York City, and I loved that it was being told from the viewpoints of a group of survivors who recorded everything with their videocamera. Unfortunately, I forgot my previous experience…

Tropic Thunder (2008) – Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller directed the ultimate Hollywood satire with Tropic Thunder. He developed the story with Justin Theroux, and the pair wrote a script with Ethan Cohen. It’s sharp, pointed, and under its endlessly quotable dialogue and performances is a skewering look at Tinsel Town. Everything seems to be a lie, from promotions to images to…

Transporter 3 (2008) – Olivier Megaton

Transporter 3 should work. Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is back in Europe, there’s a solid actor, Robert Knepper, as the film’s villain, there’s a solid supporting cast including Jeroen Krabbe and Francois Berleand returning as Tarconi, but this one just feels like it flounders. Part of that problem, sadly, rests on the casting of Natalya…

Rambo (2008) – Sylvester Stallone

Stallone not only returns in one of his most iconic roles, but he also settles into the director’s chair to bring the grittiest incarnation of Vietnam vet to the screen. Continuity is key, and Rambo (Stallone) is still in the Far East, attempting to live a quiet life as best as he can, when, like…