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2008 Movies

Take a nostalgic look back at the top movies of 2008, celebrating the films, directors and actors that defined the year and left a lasting legacy in the world of entertainment.

2008 Academy Awards

Iron Man
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
Country: United States of America
Outline: After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
Hancock
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Jae Head
Country: United States of America
Outline: Hancock is a superhero whose ill considered behavior regularly causes damage in the millions. He changes when the person he saves helps him improve his public image.
Gran Torino
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Christopher Carley, Ahney Her
Country: United States of America
Outline: Disgruntled Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a Hmong teenager who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: a 1972 Gran Torino.
The Wrestler
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis
Country: United States of America
Outline: A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.
Changeling
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan, Gattlin Griffith
Country: United States of America
Outline: A grief-stricken mother takes on the LAPD to her own detriment when it tries to pass off an obvious impostor as her missing child.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond
Country: United States of America
Outline: Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
3:10 to Yuma
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Logan Lerman
Country: United States of America
Outline: A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher.
The Great Debaters
Directed by: Denzel Washington
Starring: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise, Nate Parker
Country: United States of America
Outline: A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.
Funny Games
Directed by: Michael Haneke
Starring: Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering
Country: United States of America
Outline: Two violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
The Kite Runner
Directed by: Marc Forster
Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub
Country: United States of America
Outline: After spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.
Juno
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Country: United States of America
Outline: Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child.
RocknRolla
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Idris Elba, Thandie Newton
Country: United States of America
Outline: In London, a real-estate scam puts millions of pounds up for grabs, attracting some of the city's scrappiest tough guys and its more established underworld types, all of whom are looking to get rich quick. While the city's seasoned criminals vie for the cash, an unexpected player -- a drugged-out rock 'n' roller presumed to be dead but very much alive -- has a multi-million-dollar prize fall into...
Definitely, Maybe
Directed by: Adam Brooks
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Rachel Weisz, Abigail Breslin, An Nguyen
Country: United States of America
Outline: A political consultant tries to explain his impending divorce and past relationships to his 11-year-old daughter.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Mila Kunis
Country: United States of America
Outline: Devastated Peter takes a Hawaiian vacation in order to deal with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know, Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex - and she's bringing along her new boyfriend.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Christopher Evan Welch
Country: United States of America
Outline: Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.