Our panel of two sat down for an epic virtual discussion of our absolute favorite things of the year, in every category we could think of, and why each one made the list.

Admit it. Half the time when making a top ten list for the year, by the seventh or eighth slot you’re starting to get generous. That one wasn’t perfect but it was good enough; you didn’t enjoy this one all that much but you’re kind of expected to have it on any respectable list. We all know it happens.

So at Under Culture we nixed the top tens, top fives, top eights of ‘08 or what have you. Instead, we sat down for an epic virtual discussion of our absolute favorite things of the year, in every category we could think of, and set about explaining why each one made the list. This way you know everything that shows up here really deserves it, and if we missed your favorite it’s either that our panel of two hasn’t gotten to it yet, or you are just wrong.

And if one were tempted to give a cute shorthand name to these awards, that name might be The Undies — some puns are just too terrible to resist. So without further ado, here is all our favorite shit of 2008.

WATCHING

Best Movie

Brian: It’s kind of ridiculous for me to answer this question. Did you think I’d pick fucking Wall-E? (okay, it was a close second). But of course I have to go with The Dark Knight. Batman is the best hero of all time, The Joker is the super-est of all super-villains, and this movie had me from its incredible opening scene to its final moral dilemma. What other movie from this year will you watch over and over besides this one?
Spencer:  Definitely right on Dark Knight; I watched it for a second time the other night and enjoyed it more than when I saw it in the theaters.  For me, the best movie of this year was one that came out last year: There Will Be Blood, which I saw in January.  I’ve got to admit that I’ve been more neglectful than usual and haven’t taken advantage of living in L.A. and seeing everything I could, but for me so far, the best movie of 2008 was Milk.  Great cast, great performances, great tribute.

Best Worst Movie

Brian: Going to see an over-the-top, piece-of-crap movie can be risky, in that sometimes it’s not so bad it’s funny, it’s just disappointing (I’m looking at you, Wanted). Let me tell you, Rambo was not such a case. One scene was almost too violent for me to watch, involving a bit more civilian-killing than I was ready for, but it did set up an awesomely absurd final act of sweet, sweet Stallone nonsense.
Spencer:  Whoops, I thought Rambo was legitimately good.  For my Best Worst Movie that is actually somewhat decent, I’m going to have to go with Teeth.  For those who haven’t laughed their way through it yet, it’s a movie about a girl who is somewhat improbably being constantly sexually assaulted, and then discovers that her vagina has teeth and can rip off dudes’ equipment.  And however reading that premise makes you feel is exactly how you will feel about the final result.  Best Worst Movie without any redeeming qualities is Aliens vs. Predator 2: Requiem.

Best Netflix Rental

Brian: Out of the 42 discs that have passed through my hands this year (a decent take, but paltry compared to some *ahem*), very rarely was I full-on surprised and delighted. A few of the times I was have ended up in other slots on this list, but the one that stands out the most is Paprika, the only one I wanted to own after watching the first time. Satoshi Kon’s Alice in Wonderland meets Blade Runner visual rollercoaster of anime just blew me away.
Spencer:  I estimate I got about 640 discs from Netflix, if that’s what you’re referring to, Brian.  And I’m going to come out of left-field with the best one I rented.  It’s the 3-part Benjamin Franklin documentary that aired on PBS in 2002, directed by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer.  It basically turns you into Homer in the episode of The Simpsons where all he can talk about is Thomas Edison, except for Benjamin Franklin.

Best Documentary

Brian: Some people don’t do fiction because they say real life is way more interesting. You couldn’t ask for a better example on film than The King of Kong. It has highs, lows, heroes, villains, laughs and tears — don’t tell me you didn’t well up at the end too. I had no idea old-school arcade cabinets could provide the backdrop for such a great movie.
Spencer:  Brian, normally we’re on the same page, but while King of Kong was certainly awesome, there were so many amazing documentaries this year on weightier subjects than a 25 year old arcade game and the desperate geeks still competing on it.  I’m going to have to give this Undie to Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedure, which, for how amazing it is now, will probably serve even better as a historical document.  The most ironic part to me is the uproar in some circles over Morris paying people like Lynndie England for their interviews; these same circles tended to have no problem with the US military paying random foreign citizens bounties for turning over a lot of innocent people that ended up getting tortured in places like Abu Ghraib.

Best Animated/Anime Movie or Show I Saw This Year

Brian: Coming off the heels of my discovery of Satoshi Kon with Paprika, I started looking for more of his work and turned up his 13-part series Paranoia Agent. I’m comfortable with the term ‘masterpiece’ for Wall-E, but at the end of the day that’s a wholesome kids movie. This is a complex, adult story told from many points of view. It uses a mix of animation styles to convey different meanings. It’s sometimes funny, sad, violent or touching. It does for animation what Twin Peaks did for TV.
Spencer:  I can’t be ecstatic about Wall-E after how big a decline in quality it was from Ratatouille.  I love old school animation, and am going to give this one to the Chuck Jones Collection DVD I rented from Netflix.  It’s a compilation of his non-Looney Toons stuff, like Rudyard Kipling stories and other classic animation bits he did.
Brian: I think you might be the only person I know who’d pick the cooking rat over the adorable robot, but goddamn, I respect you anyway.

Funniest Show on TV This Year

Brian: This could be my crush talking (either on Tina Fey or Alec Baldwin, I’m not really sure anymore), but I think I laughed more at 30 Rock than any other sitcom. A lot of the time it’s silly, but here and there are brilliantly written throwaway lines that are like hidden treasures. I love a show that’s willing to hide bonus jokes, not just go for the big obvious ones (we miss you, Arrested Development).
Spencer:  No Curb Your Enthusiasm this year?  Then I think it defaults to 30 Rock, like you said.  An honorable mention to How I Met Your Mother, which I think is consistently underrated due to being designed for and funniest to people within a five-year range of ages that happens to be exactly where we are right now.

Best Series on TV This Year

Spencer: The Wire concluded its run, and I left the DVD’s sitting there until October because I didn’t want it to end.  But end it did, with creator David Simon releasing all his frustration towards the newspaper industry, specifically his old home, the Baltimore Sun.  Throw the other parade of sociological issues into the mix, and the results were spectacular.  TV’s been good the last few years, but The Wire stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Brian: Damn, that was this year? I’d already mourned its passing so fully that seemed like forever ago. And no, I can’t disagree with you. As far as ongoing series, one would hope HBO would have filled the gaps left by its Wires, Deadwoods and Sopranos and taken down this prize with something new, but no, the top slot for this year goes easily to Mad Men. Nothing else on TV is this sophisticated, subtle, and well-developed in plot and character. I almost cried when the final episode aired and I had to start waiting for next season. Honorable mention to Veronica Mars, the best show I missed the first time around and finally caught up on.
Spencer: Don’t feel guilty about Veronica Mars.  The thing about it was, how the hell was anybody going to find it?  It was on Channel 13, took place at a high school (the first two seasons), and superficially looked so indistinguishable from a million terrible TV shows that you’d never know how great it was unless someone told you personally about it and then possibly supervised you to ensure you watched it.  I predict it will be rediscovered at some point down the line and enjoy a critical revival a la Twin Peaks.

Keep reading for Best Video Game, Best Book, Best Album That Isn’t On Any Other Best Of Lists, and more…

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