While I’m certainly thrilled to have friends and family to share this holiday with, I can’t help but think about movies - because really that’s what I think about most of the time. I’d like to take a few moments before the food coma sets in to offer my sincere gratitude to those that helped make the artform I love so much fun over the past twelve months.

The Coppola Restorations of The Godfather Trilogy:
My favorite DVD set of the year polishes up the first two landmark films in this series, and, no lie, they have never looked better at home. Thank you, Francis.

Being Alive at the same time Martin Scorsese is making movies:
Can you fathom being around when a new Picasso was unveiled? How about being in the audience at the debut performance of a new symphony by Beethoven? Well, you are around for the cinematic equivalent. Grazie, Marty, for Shine a Light, and can’t wait for the Dennis Lehane adaptation.

Paranoid Park and Milk:
A single great film from a great director in any given year is always something to take note of, but Gus Van Sant was great twice in 2008. Merci beaucoup, Gus.

Pixar:
Wall*E might be the best directed movie of the year, but that’s just the most obvious reason to appreciate the single most dependable studio brand in the world. By elevating the quality - and therefore the box office - of animated films, John Lasseter and company have forced competitors to make their own “family” films so much better. Gracias.

Richard Jenkins:
Not many many actors could have pulled off the best performance of the year (The Visitor), become one of the precious few performers tapped to work more than once with the Coen brothers acting (Burn After Reading), and held his comedic own against the brilliantly demented duo of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly (Step Brothers) - all in one year. Danke schon, Richard.