More info...

Walking on a tightrope spanning the Twin Towers takes a lot of planning.

Example: Man On Wire

The year's best-reviewed documentary chronicles Philippe Petit's mad quest to walk on a tightrope that spanned the World Trade Center towers. Since he's interviewed in the film, you can assume Petit pulled it off -- but goodness, a lot of planning, intrigue, tension, and passion went into this fool's errand. Man On Wire was just one of a remarkable crop of enlightening and entertaining critic-approved docs. From Taxi to the Dark Side, we learned the devastating effects of torture. From Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, we got new perspectives on America's obsession with physical perfection. From Encounters at the End of the World and My Winnipeg, we learned that cold climates just make Werner Herzog and Guy Maddin weirder -- though their hunger for cinematic poetry burns as hot as ever. And from U2 3D and Shine a Light, we learned (once again) that U2 and the Rolling Stones, respectively, rock.

More info...

The truth is still out there.

Example: The X-Files: I Want to Believe

As was the case in recent years, 2008 saw its share of mediocre films based upon well-established properties. Critically-panned remakes (The Women, Prom Night, One Missed Call), tepidly-received adaptations from other media (Speed Racer, The Spirit), and at least one failed reboot (Punisher: War Zone) hit the big screen this year. However, it's still curious how quickly The X-Files: I Want to Believe faded from the public consciousness. In the 1990s, armies of fanboys and girls followed every twist and fork in the path of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they investigated conspiracies, cover-ups, and paranormal activity. When the show ended in 2002, countless questions were left unanswered - though few were addressed by I Want to Believe, which was largely dismissed by critics as dour and muddled -- and generally ignored by the X-Files cult. Though the possibility of yet another follow-up remains, it looks like the X-Files' reign as a pop culture phenomenon is over.