Most Popular Movies & TV Shows from 2008

Giacomo Puccini's immortal opera, in a high budget feature-film version directed by Academy Award nominee Robert Dornhelm, stars opera's 'Golden Couple', Rolando Villazon and Anna Netrebko as the protagonists, Rodolfo and Mimi. The chemistry between them is electric, unrivalled in the theatre today. Russian soprano Anna Netrebko is not only beautiful but has a marvelous voice and technique; Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon, has a wonderful voice and an incredible charisma. The director not only wanted to remain steadfastly faithful to Puccini's design but also document two of the leading singers of the modern age rather than embarking on a 'trendy' contemporary re-creation.

The capital of the empire of Euria is attacked by the empire of Titania, a much more powerful enemy that controls a large part of the galaxy. The story follows a soldier who flees the Titania empire and seeks refuge with the rebellion force, that rose up since the battle.

Comedy icon Joanna Lumley pursues a life-long dream to track down the elusive and beautiful Northern Lights. She travels North across the Arctic Circle, up through Norway and finally to Svalbard, the most northerly permanently inhabited place on Earth, where she has to cope with temperatures approaching minus 30° C. Joanna’s journey takes her from train to boat and huskysled to snowmobile as she is pulled ever northwards and finally, in a breathtaking climax to the film, Joanna gets to see with her own eyes the spectacular beauty of the Northern Lights. As seen on ABC1.

Highlights from the first ever Doctor Who Prom, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall in July 2008, featuring Murray Gold's celebrated music for the television series, performed by the BBC Philharmonic and London Philharmonic Choir under the baton of Ben Foster. Described as the 'hottest ticket in town', the concert is presented by Freema Agyeman (aka Martha Jones), with a surprise guest appearance by Catherine Tate (aka Donna Noble), and features a specially filmed scene written by Russell T Davies, starring David Tennant and a mischievous Graske. Throughout the concert the music, is accompanied by sequences from the series and Christmas specials, as well as a host of monsters and aliens, including the Doctor's oldest enemies, the Daleks and Cybermen.

2008 revival of Yatterman.

Restaurant critic Giles Coren and writer and comedian Sue Perkins experience the food culture of years gone by.

The plot of the series revolves around the lives of employees (caregivers, veterinarians, ...) in the Barcelona Zoo and the relationships between them and their families.

Trail of the Spider transposes Western genre motifs and the suppressed racial history of the American west (where one in three cowboys were black or Mexican) onto the transforming landscape of East London. Questioning and re-imagining the Western’s portrayal of the “Vanishing Frontier” , the film extends the metaphor to the material and psychological conditions of a present day city increasingly dominated by volatile financial speculations and private interests.

Scott and Ray are two old school video game geeks who spend the majority of their days playing Nintendo and reminiscing about the 80's. But when Scott is dumped by his girlfriend, the two devise a plan to take Scott's mind off of the drama. With the help of their friend Steve, the boys seek out the rare Atari porno game "Custer's Revenge" in an attempt to hold a contest to see who can get past 5000 points, all while Scott desperately tries to woo the attention of Sally, the beautiful game store employee.

World of Quest is a Canadian animated series based on the graphic novel story by Jason Kruse published by Komikwerks.

A star-studded version of the beloved and enduring game show, featuring four celebrity families matching wits each week to raise money for their respective charities.

The Dark Horse is a story of struggle and redemption. Dana, a ballet teacher, reluctantly returns to her childhood home to discover it is about to be sold. To save the farm, and the family, she must tame her mother's dangerous black horse, and ride him to victory in the year's biggest dressage competition.

In 2008, Natasha, a newly rich woman, decides to open an independent TV station in Russia and builds an open-minded team of outcasts. By 2020, Natasha has lost everything to Russia's war between Propaganda and Truth.

In the Footsteps of Marco Polo is a 2008 PBS documentary film detailing Denis Belliveau and Francis O'Donnell's 1993 retracing of Marco Polo's journey from Venice to Anatolia, Persia, India and China.

The Strip is an Australian television drama series that screened on the Nine Network. The series premiered on the Nine Network at 8:30pm on 4 September 2008 but was moved to a later 10:30pm timeslot from 13 November 2008. The show did not return for a second season, due to disappointing ratings. The Strip was released on DVD on 4 July 2009.

Love is a Bengali movie adapted from the works of Erich Segal, that stars Jisshu Sengupta and Koel Mallick in crucial roles. The movie is directed by Riingo Banerjee.

Iranian comedy film

Happy-go-lucky Gofrette the cat goes on wacky adventures with his two best friends, Fudge the dog, and Ellie, a bird with a propeller on her head, in the colorful town of Zanimo.

After his reign of terror in The Dark Knight, the criminal mastermind known as the Joker is now locked up in Arkham Asylum where he continues to wreak havoc as he slowly becomes a threat much greater than anyone expected.

Jetstream is a 2008 documentary television series produced by Paperny Films for the network Discovery Channel Canada. The series totals 8 episodes and premiered on January 8, 2008. The series was narrated by Canadian Actor Kavan Smith. Seven of the eight pilots are graduates of the Royal Military College of Canada: ⁕21810 Capt. Michael "Floater" M.R. Lewis ⁕21955 Capt. Riel "Guns" K. Erickson; ⁕22537 Capt. Yannick "Blow" Jobin; ⁕22542 Capt. Tristan "T-bag" Mckee; ⁕22715 Capt. Timothy "Nail'n" B. Coffin; ⁕22821 Lt. Dave "Tickler" McLeod; ⁕22848 Capt. Shamus "Carney" T. Allen The series was released on DVD in 2008.

A camping weekend, takes a left turn when college seniors encounter an evil from the past. The evil spirit of the explorer Marco Polo makes their next 24 hours hell on earth.

Wealthy daughter of a hotel chain mogul meets poor widowed father of three. Despite their vastly different values and beliefs, will their chanced encounter blossom into something more?

Seno Kyoko is a pianist who receives an inheritance from her uncle, and begins living happily with her husband. But one day, she receives a phone call from a woman claiming to be her husband's pregnant mistress, and she is soon driven to murder.

An epic journey revealing the secrets, patterns and hidden rhythms of our lives from a striking new perspective. Join host Andrew Marr as he discovers how each and every one of us is interconnecting making Britain what it is today. Britain looks very different from the skies. From a bird's eye view of the nation, its workings, cities, landscapes and peoples are revealed and re-discovered in new and extraordinary ways. Cutting edge technology allows you to see through cloud cover, navigate the landscape and witness familiar sights as never seen before.

Imagines prehistoric life in this entertainment series about dinosaur battles. Computer-generated dinosaurs engage in conflicts choreographed using paleontological evidence from 70-million-year-old crime scenes. Jurassic Fight Club was hosted by George Blasing, a self-taught paleontologist.

Ogata Satoko is a 39 years-old woman. She is happily enjoying the single life. However, things change after an alumni reunion wher she's the last single and a meet with Okamura Keitaro.

AKBINGO! is a long-running variety show featuring Japanese idol group AKB48. Its opening theme song was the AKB48 single "Aitakatta" until 2016, when it was changed to an instrumental jingle. In each episode, members from AKB48, and sometimes its sister groups, participate in a series of games and activities. The show was hosted by owarai comedy duo Bad Boys, Omizo Kiyoto and Sata Masaki, until they were replaced by Woman Rush Hour, Muramoto Daisuke & Nakagawa Paradise, in July 2016. The show aired on "late night" Wednesdays until it was moved to "late night" Tuesdays in April 2013.

Denise Richards: It's Complicated is an American reality-based television series that debuted on E! on May 26, 2008. This is the second series to be produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions, following Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The program details the daily lives of actress Denise Richards, her daughters Sam and Lola, and her family, as she deals with her career and the publicity she had received since her divorce from actor Charlie Sheen.

Black Gold is a reality-documentary television series that chronicles three oil drilling rigs in Andrews County, Texas, 30 miles northwest of Odessa. It is partly produced by Thom Beers, creator of Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers. The Black Gold theme song is sung by country music star Trace Adkins. The title "Black Gold" comes from a slang term for oil. Black Gold airs Wednesday nights on truTV at 10pm. It is also shown as a special presentation on TNT in high definition. The show also airs in the United Kingdom on Five, under the title Oil Riggers.

One part Anthony Burch, one part Ashly Burch, three parts Papa Burch, four parts video games and two parts surreal humor for one Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'? Let cool for ten minutes after baking. Makes three servings.

Lying on the coast of Cape Town - South Africa's most segregated city - there is one public space where everyone does seem to come together: the Sea Point Promenade and Municipal Pools. Set between city and ocean, this beautiful strip of "everymansland" offers a quirky and often entertaining mix of class, race, gender and religion: a place where South Africans of all backgrounds can experience happiness together... But is all as it appears? SEA POINT DAYS presents an unusual and impressionistic record of life at Cape Town's Sea Point Promenade and municipal pools, using largely cinematic vignettes to explore issues of belonging, integration, nostalgia, happiness and identity in an ex-white South African neighbourhood.

This action-comedy follows the adventures of four 10 year-olds protecting their town against alien invasion. Juggling school and top-secret monster busting can be tough, especially when your science teacher turns out to be an alien! Monster Buster Club, or 'MBC' as it is known, follows the exploits of Cathy and her friends on their mission to protect Singletown from troublesome aliens.

Ryokiteki na Kanojo is a Japanese television drama based on the South Korean movie My Sassy Girl. It narrates the story between Saburo Masaki, a marine biologist, and Riko Takami, an aspiring writer with a short temper. While the two are at odds with each other at first, they eventually become attracted to each other and develop a relationship. It received an average of 8.18% viewer rating throughout the series.

A group of teenagers performs a ritual to summon a ghost train, that is said to have boarded a train, to find their missing sister. On the train, they experience various terrible events.

Designed to be a secret weapon in the cold war disguised as a luxurious passenger liner, the SS United States was the pride of America during her flawless service career from 1952 to 1969. The brainchild of United States Lines president, John M. Franklin, and the 20th Century's preeminent naval architect, William Francis Gibbs, the completely fire-proof ship was the largest passenger vessel ever constructed in her namesake's country, and remains the record-holding speed champion of the North Atlantic to this day.

Focusing on football programs in the Southeastern, Southwest and Atlantic Coast Conferences, Breaking The Huddle: The Integration of College Football chronicles the heyday of football programs at historically black colleges and universities, and explores the profound effect of the Civil Rights movement of the '60s on the racial status quo of college athletics. The story culminates with the Sept. 1970 game played in Birmingham between the University of Southern California, and the University of Alabama.

Women in Boxes is the first film to uncover the story of the Unsung Hero behind the magician. The devoted, if not masochistic Magic Assistant who distorts her body into impossible positions while the magician cuts her in pieces, stabs her, sets her on fire, crushes her, makes her disappear, then restores her to life with a dramatic "Taa Daa!" and takes a bow to wild applause. Who is the woman who would subject herself to such torture, not to mention, the Magician's Ego? Are these women just bimbos parading around in skimpy clothes? Or are they the real magic behind the Illusionist? Heretofore sworn to secrecy, this tough yet feminine group opened their homes, hearts and lives for the filmmakers and gave an insider's view of love, life and magic family values.

Two parallel stories set in a village in Central Serbia about two families and the political context of the time.

DON GIOVANNI is one of the timeless classics of all opera. Mozart’s music, and the words of his great collaborator Da Ponte, are brought to life in Francesca Zambello’s engrossing production with its rich and colourful designs by Maria Bjornson. The music is memorable, dramatic and enjoyable: from the seductive solo voices of the famous ‘La ci darem la mano’ to the fabulous ensemble as Don Giovanni’s infatuated conquests, vengeful victims and their outraged relatives join forces for justice. And retribution does finally come to Don Giovanni, a serial womanizer and a murderer, with the searing flames of Hell ready to engulf him. Simon Keenlyside heads the outstanding cast at the Covent Garden Royal Opera House, conducted by renowned Mozart expert Charles Mackerras.