The year that began Too Shy to Stop is finally over. With a few notable exceptions, the world of film endured a respectable if not especially memorable year. We learned many things from this year’s crop of motion pictures.

1. What Works One Year Might Not Work the Next

Hollywood had it tough in the first quarter of 2008. Only one movie, Horton Hears a Who, managed to top the $100 million mark. The year before, three films achieved that feat: Ghost Rider, Wild Hogs, and 300. All three of these films were surprising in their success.

Ghost Rider was a third-tier comic book character; Wild Hogs was a geriatric road movie; and 300 catered to the Internet fanbase who didn’t tend to drive large box office grosses.

Hollywood is truly the master of the broken record, so it was no surprise that, one year later, we would see thinly-veiled attempts to recapture those audiences. Jumper was a sci-fi-ish effects-laden adaptation that performed well overseas, but not at home. Disney again plugged Martin Lawrence into a road trip formula with College Road Trip, this time adding a teenage girl to the mix (and a gosh-isn’t-he-so-white Donny Osmond to boot).

But the most notable pale imitation was 10,000 BC, a clear attempt to feed off the 300 mojo. And why not, as that film became a pop culture phenomenon despite its historical inaccuracy and homo-erotic shouting. But all Roland Emmerich’s film did was answer the rhetorical question no one wanted to ask: “could he possibly get any dumber than The Day After Tomorrow?”

2. We Love a Good Comeback

Did you know a new Indiana Jones movie came out this year? Even if you never went to the multiplex, how could you avoid the relentless onslaught of Harrison Ford’s aging mug donning everything from potato chip bags to ice cream containers and possibly even colostomy bags (I may have made that last one up, but don’t tell me you would have been shocked to see it). Yes, after several years in development, the first Indiana Jones adventure in two decades finally hit the silver screen.

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was one of the biggest hits of the year and provoked passionate reactions from viewers who both were glad to see Indy back and who wish he hadn’t bothered to show up. For every scene of satisfying action or dialogue, we were treated to such treats as surviving a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge or monkeys on a vine. Still, the character is an icon, and Crystal Skull was a treat for those who didn’t get to see him on the big screen.

On the acting side, no one enjoyed a better comeback year than Robert Downey Jr. For years, we couldn’t talk about him without shaking our heads. “Yeah, he’s great on Ally McBeal, but what a shame about that drug arrest.” Throughout the decade, Downey continued to clean up his act and appeared in low-profile movies such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Singing Detective.

But 2008 brought the actor some mainstream love. It started with Iron Man, the first blockbuster hit of the year. In this comic-book adaptation, Downey won audiences over as Tony Stark, combining his cutting wit with strong human emotion to create a hero audiences could identify with.

But his meatiest role of the year came a few months later in Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder. Here, Downey played a Russell Crowe-ish temperamental Aussie actor, who took method acting to the extreme by dying his skin black to play the part of an African-American soldier. The role was risky and daring, even for a comedy, but Downey brought the laughs in a big way. Even though his more dramatic effort The Soloist got bumped to the following year, 2008 was a huge success for the once-troubled actor.

3. On the Other Hand, We Also Love to Knock People When They’re Down

A mere week after Iron Man opened, the Wachowski brothers (of Matrix fame) unveiled their adaptation of cult cartoon favorite Speed Racer. Despite an engaging cast (including rising star Emile Hirsch) and a prime summer slot, audiences never warmed to the flick. Perhaps it was due to too much of a good thing, as the film featured an abundance of epileptic special effects and never aspired to entertain anyone whose age was in double-digits.

Another filmmaker, M. Night Shyamalan, has struggled to recapture his glory days. Films like Lady in the Water have dissuaded audiences from the style that once enchanted them in films such as The Sixth Sense. 20th Century Fox pushed his newest film, The Happening, as being more intense than his others because, for the first time in his career, he made an R-rated film. The desperate attempt to convince audiences of the edginess didn’t pay off, as filmgoers mocked the film’s stilted acting and silly script.

No actor took a worse beating this year than Mike Myers. The actor had certainly been biding his time, collecting hefty paychecks by voicing Shrek, but hadn’t starred in a live-action film since 2003’s The Cat in the Hat. But his first effort since, The Love Guru, made you wonder if it was that way for a reason. Riddled with immature sexual innuendo and painfully-obnoxious mugging from Myers, the film proved that merely acting like you’re hilarious doesn’t mean you are.

4. Did You Know That Women Buy Movie Tickets? It’s True!

Despite the fact that the highest-grossing film ever, Titanic, was driven by mostly-female audiences, Hollywood isn’t always wise to the fact that films can be profitable even if catering solely to the XX-chromosomers. But this year was different, with films that not only were successful, but were anticipated to be so.

First came Sex and the City, the continuation of the popular HBO series of the same name. Despite the fact that the film was R-rated, had a nearly two-and-a-half hour running time and that, being a direct continuation of the storyline from the show, it would potentially shut out the casual moviegoer, the film proved to be a huge financial success. (Meanwhile, the more male-friendly X-Files adaptation is now an afterthought.)

Next was Mamma Mia!, which proved two things. One: the musical has a legitimate chance to thrive as a genre, as this film followed last summer’s Hairspray as summer successes. Two: deep-seated inside every human soul, even if they don’t want to admit it, is a passionate love for ABBA. No film defined “feel good” as much as this movie did, powered by Swedish pop and boisterous energy.

And while these movies drew in the older audiences, the teens and tweens had their turn in the spotlight with the release of Twilight. Based on the book by Stephanie Meyer, the star-crossed romance between mopey teenager and hunky vampire packed the fans into theater seats when the film adaptation opened in November. After the shrieks and gasps died down, the film proved to be one of the most profitable ventures of the year.

5. Dead Celebrities Can Be Good For Business

Opening in July, The Dark Knight was expected to be one of the biggest films of the year. But before the year started, few could have predicted the film would challenge Titanic for box-office supremacy, becoming only the second film to rake in half-a-billion dollars domestically. The X-factor sounds morbid, but has its basis in truth: the death of Heath Ledger.

In January, having recently completed his role as iconic villain The Joker, Ledger died in his Manhattan apartment of a sleeping pill overdose. While fans grieved, the interest in the film only escalated, especially once footage of Ledger’s performance began to seep to the public. So convincingly disturbing were these clips that audiences wondered if there was a correlation between Ledger’s preparation for the role and his state of mind when he lost his life.

And so, curiosity reigned as moviegoers flooded theaters to see the full performance for themselves. Yes, The Dark Knight will stand as an influential film based on its content, having transcended its comic book roots to exist as an exploration of the darkness inside the human soul. And Heath Ledger’s performance will outlive Jack Nicholson’s and be destined for the top of “best villain” lists from here on out. But when we evaluate The Dark Knight’s immediate popularity, we must pinpoint to the bizarre circumstances of an actor’s final role and his sudden death that immediately followed.

6. The 3D Bombardment is Just Beginning

Whether it’s television, mere home video or (presently) fancy high-def home theater systems, 3D has acted as Hollywood’s crutch to attract filmgoers’ attention and yank them from their homes to the multiplex. 2009 will see an even wider, more desperate attempt to get you to go to the theater, but 2008 still featured many modern-day experiments.

In the early part of the year, concert films lured us into paying premium 3D prices. U2 3D sought to capture the dynamic concert experience of one of the world’s most popular bands. And while that film was remarkable in its capturing of the ambience, it existed solely on IMAX screens, a venue where 3D is less uncommon. But the “normal” screens weren’t left out, as Disney reeled in tween fans with a concert based on their Hannah Montana character. Originally intended to be a one-week affair, the response was enormous enough for studios to extend the screening for many months.

But for mainstream acceptance, the technology will need to work for fictional films. And while Disney continued their trend of 3D animation with Bolt, two other films made 3D history. Journey to the Center of the Earth was the first live-action film shot entirely in high-definition 3D, and Fly Me to the Moon was touted as the first animated movie created for the format. But both hit speed bumps on the way to release: Journey was originally intended to be 3D only but had to add 2D screenings to turn a profit; Moon played only on 3D screens, but never found a sizable audience.

Look for even more attempts to lure you into wearing silly glasses in 2009. Whether it’s a horror film (My Bloody Valentine), a Christmas classic (A Christmas Carol) or a glut of animated features (uh…have your pick of about half-a-dozen), the 3D pressure has only begun.

7. People Might Love the Awards Fare…Once They Get to See It

We know how many of the high-profile, award-seeking December films get released: start off in New York and Los Angeles and build momentum from there. And while that approach did not change in 2008, it seemed as though studios are making it tougher for audiences across the country to see the movies that critics are fawning over.

When Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind was released in 2001, it started in 500 theaters before making its way to over 2,000 by its fourth week of release. His 2008 effort, Frost/Nixon, started in three theaters and by its fifth week had only expanded to just over 200. This despite a fairly-intensive marketing campaign and that, quality-wise, the film is no worse than the earlier effort.

This trend is echoed among many of the Oscar front-runners. Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire opened on 10 screens and didn’t expand to 600 until its seventh week of release. Gus Van Sant’s Milk peaked at just over 350 screens back in mid-December despite finishing in the top 10.

It’s tough to say exactly why this change is occurring, but the depressing economy could be a factor. Prints cost money, and these aren’t the type of films designed to turn a hefty profit. As such, the moviegoer in Middle America gets shafted as a result. If this year’s Oscar telecast finishes with record-low ratings, and it’s likely they will, we can point to the lack of exposure for the front-runners as a key reason why.