Top Ten List: Things to Be Thankful For...

Well, it's Thanksgiving. I'm done stuffing myself with food. I'm a little bored waiting for The Birds to come on AMC (that movie scares the hell out of me), so the list lover in me decided to make a Top Ten List. This time around, it's the things to be thankful for this year. It's been a pretty good year for movies, I think. Sure, there have been some disasters (I'm talking to you Captivity and Evan Almighty) but this post is meant to focus on the positive, not the negative. So, here's my list:

10. Low Budget Horror Movies - You can take your Saw IV and your Halloween remake and shove them somewhere. I'll take a couple more low key film releases this year. First, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was a unique take on the tired horror genre. It was interesting, compelling, funny and just plain well done. Then there was David Arquette's funny, quirky The Tripper which wasn't so much a new look at a tired genre. But at least it felt more fresh than the exhausted Saw series.

09. The Return of Michelle Pfeiffer - Miss Michelle simply does NOT make enough movies. She's been absent from the screen for far too long. But this summer we were treated to not one, but two wonderful Michelle roles! First she was delightfully evil as a former beauty pageant winner in Hairspray. Next she was... delightfully evil as a former pretty witch in Stardust.

08. The Affleck Brothers - First, Casey Affleck was pretty much the best thing about Ocean's Thirteen (although, I guess, that's not saying much since that movie just plain was awful). Next, The Assassination of Jesse James came out in which he is rumored to be Oscar worthy. Then there was Gone Baby Gone. Directed by Ben Affleck, who is a better director than actor, Casey starred and gave a truly riveting, heartbreaking, ballsy performance.

07. Michael Cera - Little George Michael Bluth is all grown up and guess what? He's easily the funniest young man in show business. Not only did he have a hilarious internet who called Clark and Michael, but also he starred in the funniest movie of the year - Superbad. Plus, did I mention ever this little movie coming out next month called Juno?

06. The Cast of Hairspray - I already mentioned my love for Michelle. But let's not forget about one of the best ensemble casts in recent memories: Newcomer Nikki Blonsky might get a Golden Globe nomination, John Travolta dresses as a woman, Christopher Walken is just plain cool, James Marsden and Zac Efron steal hearts, Queen Latifah belts it out like few others can, Amanda Bynes is hilarious and adorable all at the same time, and then there's the unsung hero of the movie: Allison Janney. Homegirl has the least amount of screentime and yet steals the show. Whoever had the brilliant idea to put her in this movie deserves some sort of award.

05. Upcoming December Releases - While this year has been great, let's not forget that some of the possible best movies of the year still haven't come out yet. I probably won't get to see No Country For Old Men or I'm Not There until December. Other December releases include: Juno, Atonement, Grace is Gone, I Am Legend, Youth Without Youth, Sweeney Todd, Walk Hard, Charlie Wilson's War, There Will Be Blood, and Cassandra's Dream.

04. Ben Foster - No one else this year has portrayed crazy characters quite like Ben Foster. First, he played a Meth junkie who does karate and shits on floors in Alpha Dog. Next, he played a crazy bad ass cowboy in 3:10 to Yuma. Finally, he stole the show with his subtle yet over the top Stranger in 30 Days of Night. He's possibly the most exciting young actor working today.

03. Into the Wild - Easily my favorite film of the year so far; it's damn near perfect. Sean Penn directed a beautiful, epic, intimate, heartbreaking, inspiring piece of art. He compiled a damn near perfect cast (Emile Hirsch, Catherine Keener, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Stewart, Hal Holbrook, Jena Malone). I just simply love this movie.

02. Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon in Bug - I know they probably won't get any love once the awards start pouring out... but they should. Judd and Shannon give two of the gutsiest, ballsiest, fiercest performances of the year. They don't do anything safe in this movie. They shed inhabitions and just simply go for it. They take huge chances. This movie surely isn't for everyone, but the people who like it, will really love it. And most of the reason for loving this movie lies in the performances from Judd and Shannon.

01. The Women of 2007 - Last year was pretty unexciting as far as female performances go. The same five women (Cruz, Dench, Mirren, Streep, Winslet) pretty much ruled the awards circuit with Mirren cleaning up. This year... might not be quite as much of a lock. There are a lot of women giving some truly great performances. If you really wanted to, you could have a Best Actress list full of performances that came out BEFORE summer: Christina Ricci in Black Snake Moan, Ashley Judd in Bug, Keri Russell in Waitress, Julie Christie in Away From Her, Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose (more on that movie coming soon). If the Academy was feeling cheeky, they could fill up the Best Supporting category with women just from Grindhouse. Then there's the performances that I haven't even seen yet: Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There, Ellen Page in Juno, Kiera Knightley and Romola Garai in Atonement, Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Margot at the Wedding, Laura Linney in The Savages, Amy Adams in Enchanted. I'm sure I'm missing quite a few. My point is this: it's been a great year for actresses!