Top 10 Movies of 2007

Well here we are again. 2007 is drawing to a close, and as usual the foremost thing on my mind is discussing my favorite movies of the year. This particular year featured an unusually strong art-house, disappointing blockbusters, and any comedy worth seeing had Judd Apatow’s name on it. I saw just shy of 50 movies this year, and the following was the cream of the crop. (All entries subject to change a week after I write this, yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill)

10 Eastern Promises
The first film on my list is the second collaboration between director David Cronenberg and star Viggo Mortensen. I enjoyed their first, History of Violence, but wasn’t really knocked out by it. Eastern Promises on the other hand did a much better job of sucking me in. As you watch it, you just want to know more about Mortensen’s mysterious Russian mobster, and when you do start to learn more, it’s not at all what you were thinking. And I certainly can’t go on without mentioning the steam-room fight, which might be the most badass moment on a list filled with them. I’m sure most of us could do without seeing Viggo naked, but when he’s kicking asses (and taking names) in that state, it’s kind of hard to cry foul.

9 300
The big criticism that people level at this one is that it’s style over substance. Do I plan to argue that one? Not at all. Does it still get a spot on my top ten? Hells yeah. 300 builds on many of the filmmaking advancements brought about by Sin City in 2005, and for good or ill, this is a style that will only continue to grow, especially considering the return on investment for this one. The acting is dialed up to 11 at all times, but I can forgive that when you have some of the best action of the decade. I mean, how much did overacting hurt Predator?

8 American Gangster
Although this movie didn’t inspire me to go record an album about it, I still had a lot of fun watching it. The film effectively blends the glamour and action of Scarface (grossly overrated) with the realism of The Wire (grossly underrated), with a standout performance by Denzel Washington. The film tries to place equal focus on the 2 leads, but Denzel’s arc is considerably more compelling than Russell Crowe’s, which is probably my only real complaint. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the third lead: 1970’s era New York. Equal parts glitz and grime, the setting plays a huge part in the film’s success, and though I never got to experience it for myself, after leaving the theater, I felt like I had.

7 Zodiac
Director David Fincher has been responsible for 2 of the best films of the past few years, so my expectations for Zodiac were sky-high. After leaving the theater I couldn’t help feeling somewhat underwhelmed. My mind wasn’t blown the way it was following Se7en, and in an odd sort of way, Fincher had me exactly where he wanted me. The film isn’t about some grand revelation. It’s about being taken aback by some shocking events and then being slowly frustrated as you feel yourself getting closer to answers only to have things fall apart as leads go cold. In the end there are no answers, and you never quite get a handle on what really happened, which puts you in the same boat as the people investigating the case. The other truly remarkable aspect to Zodiac is Fincher’s ability to put CGI to use in ways that no one else seems to even consider. Rather than using the technology for showy effects, Fincher uses it to intricately recreate 1970’s San Francisco down to the smallest detail without the audience even having the slightest clue they’re looking at non-existent sets. Fincher seems to be getting into a rhythm lately after taking some time off. I hope he stays this productive, because I really see him turning into one of the greats.

6 Juno
Every year features a quirky indie-breakout and well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a sucker for them. That honor belongs to Juno in 2007, the second film from director Jason Reitman (yes, the son of the guy who made Ghostbusters) and the debut from next-big-screenwriter, Diablo Cody. The film features a stellar cast that includes 2 former Arrested Development cast-members, but it lives and dies on the performance of former X-Man Ellen Page, who shows that she’s more than up to the task of being a leading lady. If I had a complaint, it would be that the hipster dialogue can be a little overly clever at times (though some have suggested that Cody purposely botched some of Juno’s pop culture references to bring her down to earth), but the hit-to-miss ratio is definitely in its favor, and it has enough heart in it to forgive any minor quibbles.

5 Michael Clayton
I’ve often stated that the 1970’s are in my opinion the greatest decade in the history of cinema, and the films of 2007 featured plenty of nods to said decade. Michael Clayton, while being set in present day, felt closer to a 70’s style thriller than any film I’ve seen in a long time. It’s shocking in how plausible it feels and how quickly it all gets out of control. Tilda Swinton in particular gives an amazing and scary performance as the villain of the piece. The thriller is becoming dangerously cookie-cutter these days, so it’s refreshing to see one that feels so unique by taking its cues from the classics.

4 Ratatouille
We all know by now that Pixar, not unlike Wolverine, is the best there is at what they do. It’s gotten to the point where no one bats an eye when they release an amazing movie. What’s truly remarkable however is when Pixar releases a film that makes you go “Oh man, this might be the best thing they’ve ever done”. Few movies this year (animated or otherwise) were as touching, funny, and inspiring as Ratatouille which makes director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) 2 for 2 on blowing me away. I’d love to see the guy tackle live action sometime, but if he keeps making animated films at this caliber I won’t complain.

3 No Country for Old Men
Of all the films on this list, this modern-day western has gotten the most hype and awards buzz, but it’s well-deserved. I spent the months preceding No Country’s release devouring the works of the Coen brothers, and as much as I loved most of their films, I’d have to rate this one near the top. The cat-and-mouse game between Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin was easily the most exciting thing in the theater this year, and didn’t use a single shot of CGI, which is saying something in this day and age. The ending is anticlimactic to say the least, but anyone who lets that ruin their opinion of the rest of the movie probably dismissed 7 years of The Sopranos after 10 seconds of black screen.

2 Superbad
Between this and Knocked Up, Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen ruled the box office this summer, and any time 2 movies that have so much in common find so much success, it’s practically required that everyone pick a side and argue about which one is better. While I love Knocked Up, I have to go with Superbad in that match-up. This may shock a lot of my female readers, but the dialogue between the teenage boys in Superbad is so dead-on, it’s scary. It’s vulgar, disgusting and yes, hilarious, but what’s so amazing is that it sounds exactly like my friends and I do whenever we get a chance to turn off the censors (in a friend’s living room, on a crowded train, at Friendly’s, etc). The movie is also filled with memorable performances from Michael Cera’s star making role, to Seth Rogen’s ever-expanding resume of awesomeness, to possibly the most memorable character of the year. Yes, I am referring to McLovin. 2 years after Apatow and Rogen’s first film, I still laugh myself silly every time I watch The 40 Year Old Virgin, and I fully expect to say the same thing about Superbad in 2009.

1 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
I honestly don’t know what happened here. One day, I’m watching the red carpet of the premiere out of my New York hotel window and trying to spot Brad Pitt (yes, I caught the back of his head), the next day I’m waiting for it to get a wide release. And waiting. And waiting. Finally I got a chance to see it at a run down theater in Ocean City (which is a complete ghost town after Labor Day), and was knocked on my ass. This film was one of the most stunning westerns I’ve ever seen, and stars, Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck both knocked it out of the park. If you read the title, you know how the story ends, but every second of the movie is filled with tension as you get closer and closer to the inevitable conclusion. That tension is amplified any time a character is holding a gun. In a time when shootouts are as disposable as kisses on the big screen, Jesse James achieves some of the most shocking gunshots I’ve seen in a film, by knowing how to make the audience wait. It depresses me that a film this great managed to slip through the cracks, but I intend to sing the praises of this one for years to come to anyone who’ll listen.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2008

You may notice that this list tends to skew a little more toward blockbusters than my top ten for 2007. What can I say? I never learn.

10 Pineapple Express
2008 promises lots of movies featuring Judd Apatow in the producer’s chair, but this is the only one that was written by Superbad scribes Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. This one is a stoner comedy, which doesn’t exactly speak to me personally, but I have no doubt there will be tons of laughs.

9 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Watching Order of the Phoenix tonight, I was amazed at how much improvement the series has displayed from its humble beginnings. Book 5 was my least favorite book, and so far represents my second favorite of the movies. Book 6 is one of the best books (7 tops that list), so I can’t wait to see what Phoenix director David Yates does with that one.

8 Valkyrie
This is the first film Bryan Singer has made without superheroes since 1998, and while I love the man’s work on the X-Men and Superman films, I love his debut, The Usual Suspects just as much. Valkyrie concerns a German plot to kill Hitler during WWII, which sounds like a good change of pace, so Bryan can come back refreshed and knock our socks off with a second Superman.

7 Synecdoche, New York
Synecdoche, New York marks the directorial debut of my favorite screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman. The man wrote one of my favorite movies ever in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so I can’t wait to see how he does behind the camera. I have a hunch it will be incredibly bizarre and hilarious.

6 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
This is the first re-teaming of David Fincher and Brad Pitt since Fight Club. For those with short memories, that’s the director of my #7 favorite movie of 2007 and the star of my #1. And it also stars one of my favorite actresses, Cate Blanchett. Yeah, I’d say I’m looking forward to this one.

5 Wall-E
So I’m sure you’re all wondering when I became such a Pixar fanboy. Do a quick search and watch the trailer for Wall-E and you’ll understand. This one has the earmarkings of potentially being this generation’s E.T., which is ludicrously high speculation for me, but there it is. I defy you to tell me that this little robot isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, and if the wizards at Pixar can do for Sci-Fi what they did for superheroes, this will be one phenomenal experience.

4 Bond 22
No, that’s not the name of the next James Bond movie. They’re pulling a JJ Abrams and not telling us (which I guess would imply that it was the name), but that’s what we’re all calling it right now. Casino Royale was one of the best Bond movies ever, and far and away the best one that didn’t star Sean Connery, so the sequel can’t get here fast enough for me. Hollywood is very franchise-oriented these days, and the Bond franchise is the granddaddy of them all. I’d like to see it leading the pack in terms of quality too, and so far it’s off to a great start.

3 Iron Man
With both the Spider-man and X-Men series showing signs of fading enthusiasm, it’s tremendously exciting to see a new Marvel hero taking the stage. They’ve had mixed results with their characters in the past aside from the 2 mentioned above, but the casting choice of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is absolutely perfect in this fan’s opinion, so I’m with them so far. They’ve also done a great job courting the fans thus far (reminiscent of 300 and Batman Begins), so signs are pointing toward success, but I want to remain cautiously optimistic for the time being. Oh, who am I kidding? It’s freakin Iron Man!!!

2 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Now this one I’m not so sure about. Steven Spielberg is my favorite director ever (and in my opinion he’s on a pretty good streak), and the Indiana Jones series is one of my favorites, but I just don’t know if they can recapture the magic of the originals. Come next summer it will be a full 20 years since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (which is 4 years more than the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace). So yeah, this could certainly go either way, but once I get in that theater and hear that music I’ll probably be about ready to jump through the roof.

1 The Dark Knight
With Spidey and the mutants winding down, Batman seems poised to take over as the superhero film series, and since Batman Begins was just about perfect in every way, I’d say it stands a good chance of doing just that. And then there’s the bad guy. Ra’s al Ghul and Scarecrow are pretty sweet villains, but they have nothing on the one Dark Knight boasts. I am speaking of course of the best comic book supervillain ever written. The one, the only Joker. Anyone who’s seen the trailer can sense the insanity Heath Ledger has brought to the character, which may even rival Jack Nicholson’s classic performance that changed the Hollywood blockbuster forever. But then, after watching Spider-man 3, we all know there’s no such thing as a sure thing.