Ah, the cinema!
My Five Favourite Films of 2007
Black Book - Paul Verhoeven is capable of making quality films. Hopefully you didn't hear that here first.
Charlie Wilson's War - I can't believe I'm saying this, but... thank you, Aaron Sorkin.
Juno - Too-quirky dialogue aside, this movie surprised me. And made me laugh. And almost made me cry, but I have pretty good self-control, so I didn't.
No Country for Old Men - GUH. JUST SEE IT. AND TAKE ME WITH YOU.
Ratatouille - I hate this genre, but I love this movie. It's not a kids' movie, it's not "gross" that a rat cooks, and it certainly isn't a pop culture-referencing, overblown CGI extravaganza. It's one of the most well-crafted films, and beautiful stories, I've experienced in a long time. Brad Bird is one of the most gifted filmmakers of his generation. Don't scoff - just see the fucking film.
Unappreciated Gems
Black Snake Moan - It's pulpy, grimy, and only slightly unnerving.
Breach - A solid spy thriller, made excellent by Chris Cooper's performance. Shame it was buried in a February release.
Enchanted - All the girls already know this movie is great.
Fido - High concept, but very funny. Twisted, yet sweet.
Grindhouse - I can only hope this movie will be resurrected in its full glory by midnight art-house theatre showings
The Hoax - The first two acts are some of the most fun I had in the theatre this year.
Hot Rod - Moves past funny to stupid, and then back around to funny. Cool beans.
The Hunting Party - I've been following Richard Sheperd's career lately, and his latest does not disappoint. Funny and rollicking account of war journalism.
Lust, Caution - Emotionally draining, but beautiful. Ang Lee is able to craft scenes that say so much more than dialogue can.
Shoot 'Em Up - In all the Hot Fuzz praise, this ridiculous little action movie homage was pushed undeservedly aside.
Sunshine - Though I was not a fan of the direction the story took, I admire Danny Boyle's ability to cross, reinvent, and perfect genres. An intelligent sci-fi movie.
Waitress - It's not what the trailer suggests. Keri Russell's character is a grump, Nathan Fillion isn't her true love, but everything turns out wonderful in the end.
Duds (Big hype, big disappointment)
Across the Universe - Not that I expected it to be any good, but I can't resist beating a dead horse.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Remember how excited the trailer made us? Sigh.
Knocked Up - OK, here goes: the more I think about Knocked Up, the more I find it to be a depressing and odious movie. The situation Kathrine Heigl's character finds herself in (smart, successful, pregnant, having a relationship with a slacker one-night stand) is absolutely terrifying to most women. Yet it's Seth Rogan's loser character who gets the sympathy, and is crowned the hero. Their false declarations of love made my skin crawl; I could see Heigl's character's future slipping away in favour of that terror-word: SETTLING. This movie is a celebration of settling. As Waitress illustrates, it's not the child that's going to ruin a woman's life - it's the man-child.
Romance & Cigarettes - An embarrassment. This is what happens when a bunch of artsy friends try to make a vanity project.
The Simpsons Movie - Maybe too much time has passed, maybe too many cooks spoil the broth, but regardless it wasn't funny or epic enough to be worth the big screen.
Spider-Man 3 - There are many things I would do if I had the power to travel back in time, and one would be shaking sense into Sam Raimi as he plotted this script. It bears repeating: too many characters! (P.S. Please make a fourth movie with the Lizard. KTHNXBAI)
Sweeney Todd - So Ed Wood was just a fluke, then.
Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story - Let the Apatow backlash begin!
Youth Without Youth - I feel that the critical beating this is receiving is a reward for my patience. I was apparently the only one what hated Dracula, but if you guys want to jump on the Coppola-disparaging wagon a decade later, be my guest.
Guilty Pleasures
28 Days Later
The Ex
Hairspray
I Am Legend
Mon Meilleur Ami
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Resident Evil: Extinction
Just shut up.
Notwithstanding (films I haven't seen, but should)
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
Eastern Promises
Into the Wild
Lars and the Real Girl
La Vie en Rose
Michael Clayton
Once
Rocket Science
Son of Rambow
Zodiac
And the Town & Country Memorial "When the fuck is this coming out??" Award goes to:
(tie)
Penelope
Trick 'r Treat