Best of 2007 - Ten (Fifteen) Best Films of 2007

Wow! 2007 was a great year for movies!! I tried my best to make this a top ten list. However, I just had to break down and extend it to fifteen (plus, there is a tie so I guess, technically, it's sixteen). I know there are a few strange choices on here but guess what? I love strange movies. So, here's my list...

15. Away From Her
What a lovely, beautiful, pleasure of a movie! Actress turned director Sarah Polley shows wonderful restraint and promise as a director. There are great supporting performances from Olympia Dukakis and Gordon Pinsent. Of course, it's the beautiful Julie Christie who steals the entire show. She's just breathless to watch. This film is a little bit tragic, a lot heartbreaking, but ultimately beautiful.

14. I'm Not There
This film is downright amazing. It's a vision in black and white and color and drenched with Bob Dylan music. The movie is like a dream, lots of random images and scenes that all are somehow cohesive in a way that is impossible to explain. The movie surely isn't for everyone but there wasn't a movie all year that was more unique, more stylish, more ballsy than I'm Not There. Cate Blanchett is perfection times ten.

13. TIE: Waitress and Juno
Two of the sweetest movies of the year - without being corny or cheesy in the least. Waitress is a little more romantic and old school. Juno is a little more hilarious and hipster cool. Both feature fantastic performances from young women - Keri Russell knocks it out of the park as a small town Southern waitress at a pie shop who gets pregnant and isn't so happy about it. Ellen Page is the titular Juno, a smart ass fast talking hilarious sixteen year old who finds herself with child. Both come to the perfect conclusions - neither of which are cheesy in the least. These movies don't settle. In the end, you can't resist their unique charm.

12. Superbad
Superbad is, for sure, the funniest movie of the year. The cast is perfect - Michael Cera (who had a GREAT year), Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (no one will forget McLovin for a long time), Bill Hader and Seth Rogen. It's not the best directed film. It's not particularly ground-breaking or thought provoking or whatever. But, it is a cult classic. It's hilarious and enjoyable. It's bonafide bad ass.

11. Black Snake Moan
Craig Brewer was responsible for my absolute favorite movie of 2005 (Hustle and Flow - HOLLA!) but this year he just missed the top 10. Still, Black Snake Moan is terribly original and terribly interesting. Where else can you see Christina Ricci chained to a radiator for most of the movie wearing little more than a half shirt and a pair of undies? If that doesn't strike your interest, I'm not sure what else will. Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson are fearless in their roles. In an industry where everything is predictable, this movie is a breath of fresh air.

10. Zodiac
When this David Fincher helmed film is at its best, it's reminscent of The Silence of the Lambs and other classic thrillers. When it's at it's worst, it's still interesting, well acted, well directed and better than half the stuff that came out this year. Sure it's long but it's worth the journey. There's really not much that could have been cut from the story. So the long running time is justified (plus, I just love a good three hour + film). Zodiac is really the kind of movie that sticks with you. It has the perfect combination of police procedural and nerve-racking suspense.

09. Gone Baby Gone
Attention Ben Affleck - All is forgiven! I forgive you for all the brainless action films you've done. I forgive you for the whole JLo debacle. He's created a really solid, well done film with performances that are simply great. Ben's little brother Casey (who is a better actor - I've always liked him more anyway) stars and we more or less watch him grow up in front of our eyes. At the beginning, he's all baby faced and pure. By the end, he seems harder. Amy Ryan is, of course, getting all the praise and awards. I loved her performance - but really not THAT much. Still, this movie is emotional, heart wrenching, haunting and intense.

08. Grindhouse
Seeing Grindhouse in theaters was like attending an event. It wasn't just a movie. There was so much more to the experience. I hated that they released them seperately on DVD but whatever. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have created the perfect double feature. Rodriguez' Planet Terror is typical Rodriguez: Explosions and sex, tons of humor and men (and women) jumping over things while shooting multiple guns at bad guys. Rose McGowan has a machine gun for a leg!!! (Brilliant). But it's Marley Shelton and, especially, Freddy Rodriguez who steal the show with their ultra bad ass coolness! Planet Terror was my personal favorite of the two. However, Death Proof was great as well! Sure, the first half hour or so is completely indulgent. (And Tarantino is an IDIOT for deleting the lap dance scene with Vanessa Ferlito and Kurt Russell from the theatrical version). But once Tracie Thoms, Zoe Bell and Rosario Dawson take the screen, the movie becomes downright awesome. Even if you didn't see it in theaters, netflix both and watch it as a double feature!

07. Alpha Dog
There's a mood and energy that director Nick Cassavettes easily captures and portrays that makes this movie so far removed from any cliched studio product geared toward the teenybopper set. The film is honest and genuine and has a lot of unexpected heart and soul. To say these kids (a great young cast including Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin, Justin Timberlake, Shawn Hatosy, Christopher Marquette etc) are stupid is a huge understatement. But that's the point. This is a story about a bunch of people who make one bad decision after another until it spirals so far out of control that these kids have no idea how to get out of the mess they created. It's really the kind of movie that sucks you in, entrances you and then hits you over the head with a baseball bat.

06. Bug
Bug is a slow-burning, calculating, deliberate movie that sets a steady pace and includes wonderful dialogue and performances from Ashley Judd and, especially, Michael Shannon. The final act is intense and creepy and really makes you think. This movie definitely isn't for everyone and it's hard to talk about without giving something away (which I refuse to do), but Bug is totally worth the crazy, tripped out journey.

05. Once
This film is honest and beautiful, spectacular and full of great, great music! It's really just a simply and lovely little film that is impossible, yes, IMPOSSIBLE to not love! It doesn't disappoint in any way, shape or form. Glen Hansard and Marketa Iraglova are ADORABLE, talented, lovely people. The movie is filmed beautifully and it's just a feel-good movie that is not mushy in any way. The comedic moments are realistic and relatable. It's not too sentimental but it is simply a great story about unconsummated love and a beautiful friendship.

04. Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg's work always makes you feel uncomfortable. It's that thin line between what is the necessary amount of violence and what is just a bit too much that he walks perfectly. Eastern Promises is subtle, almost subliminal, so you find yourself thinking about it months later without even realizing it. Cronenberg's storytelling technique is clinical, almost. Nothing in a Cronenberg film appears on-screen without a reason. He's the film equivalent to Hemingway - his stories are deceptively simple with an unflinching eye. They have a calm surface that hints at the labyrinth that rests beneath the surface. And Viggo Mortensen! My Lord. What a fantastic performance. He's a bad ass if there ever was one. That naked knife fight just seals the deal.

03. Atonement
Atonement is really a film that begins only after it ends. So, after you finish watching it, you sort of have to relive it all over again and replay everything to understand exactly what just happened. I'm not sure the storytelling is completely coherent (I had some minor problems with the ending) but it almost doesn't even matter. It's an epic, beautiful, well told love story. The music is fantastic (pianos and typewriters). The plot is so perfectly mapped out. The story is based on a perfect, masterpiece of a book and the script doesn't stray too far from that basic outline. The direction is great. The performances are all top notch - Knightley, the three Briony's, and, especially, James McAvoy. But, really, what makes this film, for me, is that 5 minute shot. That perfect, beautiful, mesmerizing, jaw dropping shot that roams and searches the Dunkirk beach. In those 5 minutes this film goes from being solid and great to becoming a masterpiece.

02. No Country For Old Men
Joel and Ethan Coen have crafted a masterpiece. It's almost more than a movie. It's more like art work. It's a beautiful and violent western drama. It's slow-moving and character driven. It's violent and bloody and absolutely beautiful. There's humor aplenty but it's tough and gritty, for sure. This is a thriller that doesn't skimp on the thrills. The three leads are all perfect - Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. Bardem steals every single second of the movie. He has created one of the best villains ever put on the screen and he gives the best performance of his career and of the year. His portrayal is one of unrelenting evil. There are moments in this film that are so perfect. The film as a whole, as well, is close to perfection. One of the two films I gave an A+ to this year.

01. Into the Wild
This was the other. It was difficult deciding between the two. Like No Country, Into the Wild is a beatuifully shot film with stunning performances (Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener). Like No Country, I call it a masterpiece. Unlike No Country, Into the Wild INSPIRES ME! This is the absolute rarest of films - it burrows into your soul. This is the kind of film that you just know will live with you forever. There is no forgetting this story, this film. The film is almost beyond words for me. There is almost too much beauty, too much tragedy, too much unexplainable perfection to try to capture in a paragraph or two of clumsy words. Hirsch's performance is so powerful and astonishing and all encompassing that I will be PISSED OFF if he isn't at least nominated for an Oscar. To look at him in his final few moments on screen is painful. This story is inspirational and the movie is perfection. Thank you, Sean Penn.

Saw IV, Gone Baby Gone, November film preview

Saw IV - I've seen all the Saw films although I guess I'm not as obsessive about them as some people apparently are. I'm sort of almost indifferent to the original Saw, in retrospect. Saw II was quite possibly one of the worst horror sequels in recent memory. However, I thought Saw III was actually quite enjoyable and easily my favorite of the franchise. Guess what? It remains that way. Saw IV is a solid film as far as fourth installments go, however, if it wasn't part of a highly successful film franchise, it doesn't hold it's own. The story is more or less over. However, the cash is still flowing in so they will continue to churn them out. Saw IV isn't quite the monstrosity of the fourth installments of, say, Friday the 13th or (especially) A Nightmare on Elm Street (and I won't even put Halloween 4 on this list since I absolutely love that movie!). Plus, it's just a little too confusing. Or, well, a lot confusing actually. That's because, like I said, I'm not an obsessive Saw person. I've seen all the Saw's but, I'm sorry, I don't remember every single detail about them. So, when characters pop up from previous films, I'm a little flustered. Anyway, Jigsaw is dead but the game is far from over. And guess what? Even though Jigsaw really is dead, Tobin Bell is still featured heavily and that's a huge plus for the movie as far as I'm concerned. He's a creepy, creepy man. The film opens with the autopsy of his body. It's gross and not for the squeamish. I loved the opening. Saw IV tries to re-capture the essence of the first and third films - gore and shocking twists at the end (although this ending... not so shocking... I figured it out in the first 30 minutes). However, it doesn't work here so well because it's too confusing and it doesn't satisfy as easily. It leaves more holes (that will undoubtedly be filled by more sequels) than it leaves answers. Saw IV is gory. It has, quite possibly, the best death scene captured on film this year (Eric Matthews and two ice blocks... that's all I'll say). I'll give credit where it's due: the film is consistant with the others. There's a lot of backstory about Jigsaw which I found utterly interesting (probably my favorite part of the movie, actually). Luke Danes - I mean, Scott Patterson - shows up as a tough talking cop but he'll always be a tough-talking diner owner in Stars Hollow, Connecticut to me. It's almost a shame because of Saw that we have come to expect the gore. It's not shocking anymore. The movie isn't a total waste of time and the diehard Saw fans might really enjoy it.

Grade: C+

Gone Baby Gone - I learned two things while watching this movie. 1) Ben Affleck is a better director than he is actor. 2) Casey Affleck is, quite possibly, the most underrated actor working right now. This movie will undoubtedly be compared to Mystic River - both are based on books by Dennis Lehane, both are set in Boston, both are directed by actors. And, guess what? Both are great, great movies. If you are a parent, I'm sure your biggest nightmare is the thought of someone kidnapping your child. Well, that's the story here. But the mother in this movie isn't a very good one. Played by the Oscar worthy Amy Ryan, she's a drug addicted, alcoholic who takes her daughter along on drug runs and leaves her home alone at night while she hits the bar downtown. Casey plays a private detective brought in on the case by the aunt of the child. He and his private detective partner/lover (Michelle Monaghan) take on the case and get wrapped up in finding out who took the little girl. They work alongside cops played by Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman. There's a lot of twists and turns here and I don't want to go into plot too much because, really, the movie is just too good and you really just need to see it. The ending is quite possibly my favorite film ending all year. It's simple and it's sad and it's heartbreaking and it's absolutely honest. The movie is heart wrenching, emotional, haunting, intense. This is surely a second chance for Ben Affleck. His acting career seems to have stalled out thanks to a lot of personal escapades but he's back and better than ever as a solid director. There's depth and balance and restraint. The film is beautifully shot at times and very gritty at others. The cast is fantastic. Casey is just stunning and flawless here. I've heard he's better in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (best. movie. title. ever.) but I really can't imagine how he could be any better than he is here. Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman are fantastic but, really, how could they not be? They are always fantastic. Amy Ryan is absolutely mesmerizing to watch. Her character is hardly likeable but you just want to see more of her on screen. Best Supporting Actress come Oscar time? I'd place my money on her. Gone Baby Gone is one of my very favorite movies of this year so far. If I had one criticism, it would be that it almost feels like three movies in one. Still, the Affleck brothers are multi-talented. This movie is deeply disturbing and thoroughly engaging. Just try getting it out of your head.

Grade: A-

November Movie Preview

November 2 - (I know, I'm late but I was on vacation!). Run and see American Gangster. This year's The Departed? Probably not. But I'm up for the showdown between Denzel and Russell. Martian Child looks a little cheesy for my liking but I'll take anything with John Cusack (and I guess this will hold me over until Grace is Gone gets here). Then there's Bee Movie. It makes me very, very sad.

November 9 - After Dark Horrorfest 2007... probably a skipper if I'm judging soley on last year's crop of eight films (one of which was good). Fred Claus opens. It has Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey and Paul Giamatti playing second fiddle to Vince Vaughn. WHAT!?! Lions for Lambs stars Tom Cruise which is a huge turn off. BUT, it also stars La Meryl which is a huge turn on! No Country For Old Men is a movie I'm very, very excited about. Javier Bardem looks deliciously evil. My kind of man. I know it's only limited but I'll count the days til it opens somewhere in Pennsylvania.

November 16 - Beowulf, Beowulf, Beowulf. Let me tell you a quick story. When I was 10 or so, I was a really weird kid. My favorite book, you ask? Well, it was Beowulf. I've read the goddamn thing approximately 50 times. I love it. But it's torturous to read. Unless this movie is 3 DAYS long, then I don't want to see it. It can't quite possibly cover everything unless it's 3 DAYS long. It's probably not. So I don't want to see it. Margot at the Wedding opens in limited release. I love me some Noah Baumbach and some Jennifer Jason Leigh so I can't wait until it comes somewhere in my vacinity! Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. Even the name is sugary sweet. But, the cast is amazing - Natalie Portman, Dustin Hoffman and, one of my movie star boyfriends, Jason Bateman.

November 21 - August Rush looks cheesy but Jonathan Rhys Meyers is one of my movie star boyfriends. Those eyes! Those cheek bones! Those lips! Yeah, I'll see this movie. Enchanted actually looks really, really cute for a kid movie. Amy Adams is almost too adorable for words. Hitman stars Timothy Olyphant. I'm not sure about it. I'm Not There opens in limited release and, man, I can't wait to see Cate Blanchett take a stab at Bob Dylan! Stephen King's The Mist looks like most Stephen King movies. And that's not a good thing.

November 28 - The Savages stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney. I think every movie should star Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.

November 30 - A really solid film month ends with the release of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I've heard good things so I'm excited to see it.