2008 Best in Entertainment

Associated Press

In this image released by Warner Bros., Heath Ledger starring as The Joker, is shown in a scene from "The Dark Knight."

The best and worst movies of 2008

By COLIN COVERT, Star Tribune

Last update: December 31, 2008

Let me get this painful matter off my chest first: The Worst Films I Saw in 2008.

Like back-alley hair plugs, these films made hazardous inroads into my brain. I would rather eat a dozen eggs raw, swim in medical waste or juggle revving chainsaws than see these movies again. They weren't just flagrantly mediocre, they were aggressively, sadistically, spitefully BAD!

Back up the Dumpster, here we go: "Speed Racer" tested the limits of human stupidity. M. Night Shyamalan invented new levels of awful with his plants-amok fable "The Happening." I've seen canasta games with more vigor than the Al Pacino "thriller" "88 Minutes." Al -- at your age popping your neck veins can't be medically advisable. Mike Myers' "The Love Guru" -- if I had a nickel for every time I laughed, I'd have a dime. I'm sure we can sue somebody somewhere for Eddie Murphy's "Meet Dave." "Max Payne" proved that Mark Wahlberg learned nothing about picking film projects after "The Happening." And last and least, the shoe-throwingly dreadful "The Spirit." I think Gabriel Macht would have insisted on wearing a mask even if his character didn't.

Artist of the Year: James A. Williams

Actor James A. Williams found a powerful muse in playwright August Wilson, whose words guided him throughout a stellar year.

Photo right: James A. Williams

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2008 Best in Entertainment

The best and worst movies of 2008

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Artist of the Year: James A. Williams

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