My favorite movie this year is Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. I gave it a five, with five as the highest rating. I really like certain values portrayed, while at the same time I enjoyed the dramatic drama with marvelous actors.

I checked out the movies in the AARP magazine, “Movies for Grownups.” The movies suggested are from the Academy Awards; movies judged by the movie industry. I think a great many movies are made to please the critics and those responsible for making movies– and not the general public. For example, I counted nine of the movies AARP said they liked that have no more than two and one half stars out of five on Netflix. (I presume Netflix stars represent an aggregate ratings system of members who have viewed the movies.) Those Academy Award Movies listed with no more than two and one-half stars are Married Life, Burn After Reading, City of Ember, Then She Found Me, Rachel Getting Married, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Smart People, What Just happened, Be Kind Rewind.   Are these really the best movies out there?

Thanks for the advice. I may just have to go back to them. I took down as many monthly commitments as I could to save money, but I may be penny- wise an pound- foolish on this one. I find many great films at the library, though. They subscribe to the film-of-the-month club that features movies that don't get played in the mass market, but that often win awards at Sundance and Cannes.

Explorer21, if you want to watch some of the films recommended by this article, you can join Netflix who already has most of the films mentioned.

BTW, I enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire too - saw it twice ;-)

Cheers!

I agree with your pick of Annette Benning in The Women; she's the only good thing about that movie, and she seemed like she was having fun.

You have not picked my favourite grown-up film of 2008 - Cherry Blossoms (Hanami). It's a lovely German film by Doris Dorrie about an old couple, and how one of them deals with the loss (& memory) of the other when one past away suddenly. I won't give the full detail, since it would spoiled the plot. However, the message is that we should make the most out of our time here and together, and leave nothing to regrets. The film was shot partly in Germany and partly in Tokyo. I highly recommend it.

My favorite movie was Mama Mia by far. It didn't hurt that I was a young woman in Europe when Abba was getting their start. They played at the NCO club at SHAPE Belgium when I was there with my husband.

What about "Slumdog Millionaire"? That was a great movie! I loved it beginning to end and so did my 23 year old son who shares his mother's obsession with movies.

Many of the others you have mentioned, I haven't seen. They either didn't show or haven't shown yet, in my little town.

I went to a local avant garde' movie theater some distance from town to see "Slumdog Millionaire".

It sounds like I will have to see "Doubt" and my sone does want to see "Milk". My son is in school so it is the rare time I get to see him when I treat him to a movie.