Best of ‘07: The Movies

It’s that time of year. 

Christmas has come and gone.  New Year’s has arrived and 2008 has made itself known. 

And with it comes the “Best of” Lists.  So here, for your reading pleasure are my top 10 films of 2007.  It truly was a great year for movies .. let’s hope 2008 holds more of the same.

1.  ONCE

This “chick-flick for men”, as I’ve heard it called, showed up at your local cineplex (or not, in many cases) with little fanfare but left an indelible impression on me once the credits started rolling. 
It’s a winsome tale of unrequitable love told in song through the most organic form of movie-musical ever.  Make sense?  Didn’t think so.  It’s hard to articulate what makes this film so endearing except for how raw and poetic it is, without really trying. 
It’s not a technically perfect film but it’s my favorite of the year.

2. SICKO

I’m not a Michael Moore defender or detractor.  I think as much as he’s made great work (Bowling for Columbine), he’s also made suspect work (Fahrenheit 9/11).  So it’s no small feat that Sicko has made the Number 2 spot on this list.  Educational, insightful and enraging all at the same time; Sicko does what every good documentary should do: educate and provoke action. 
With its testimonials and stories, Sicko paints a picture of a failing American healthcare system by comparing it to other countries … and the results are indicting. 
Be careful if you watch though, you might want to move out of the country.

3. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

A technical masterpiece that fires on all cylinders and stays with you long after the theater lights come up. 
As an on-again, off-again fan of the Coens (Intolerable Cruelty was just that), I didn’t know what to expect going into No Country.  Not knowing what to expect is a great place to be for this slow-burn of a thriller. 
Restraint is indeed the key to this film’s success as what we are not shown or, in some cases, what we are almost shown, is just as frightening as what we are shown.  In my opinion, the magic of this movie is how many levels it operates on; from philosophical treatise on good and evil to simple cat and mouse thrill-ride.
Whether it’s Javier Bardem’s unrelenting brutality, Josh Brolin’s clever elusiveness or Tommy Lee Jones’s pensive pursuit, this film earns every ounce of its awards buzz.

4. 3:10 TO YUMA

What’s not to like?  Family man Christian Bale has to play escort to savage philosopher-outlaw Russell Crowe in this western remake.  I’ve seen detractors say it sacrifices the characters’ integrity from the original 50’s version, but I just don’t see it. 
This film is surprising in just how much fun it is and Bale and Crowe are pitch-perfect opponents as two sides of the same coin.  At the halfway point of the film I was ready to give it 4 Netflix stars (equating to “Really Liked It”), but dadgummit it just kept getting better up until the bitter end, so much so that a 5th star was called on to express the sheer enjoyment to be found here.

5. SUNSHINE

An arthouse Sci-fi/apocalyptic/horror mash-up that aims for the sun and, though not perfect, finds a rhythm that made for one hell of a theatrical experience.  The pace … the visuals … the sparse score … the desperate characters with little hope.  It all adds up to one of my favorite flicks of the year.  I grow more and more intrigued and appreciative of director Danny Boyle’s output as each has some deep-seeded element of hope, grace and redemption amidst the hell his characters are put through. 
An underrated gem, this one.

6. THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

The Bourne trilogy represents, in this reviewer’s humble opinion, the best modern American action films in a long time.  Genre-bending, Bourne defines the “smart” action film, relying less on pretty girls and prettier villains than on its jarring camera-work and grim and gritty action sequences. 
Heck, it arguably redefined the Bond franchise as the success of last year’s Casino Royale owed more to Jason Bourne than to Connery, Dalton, Brosnan, et al. 
For all that and more, Jason Bourne, we salute you.

7. KNOCKED UP

Raunchy and raucous, but with a big ol’ beating heart, Knocked Up is the best of the offerings from the Apatow school of comedy this year. 
With heartfelt, earnest messages on the nature of love, romance, marriage and family wrapped up in a profanity laced package with a weed rolling-paper bow, Knocked Up represents a new generation of chick flick… one that can be appreciated, and enjoyed, by both sexes.

8. ZODIAC

Featuring some of the finest actors working today, including personal favorite Mark Ruffalo, Zodiac is a sprawling, haunting and downright frightening real-life story of a serial killer in California.  It’s an interesting parallel to No Country for Old Men as Tommy Lee Jones’s character is able to table his pursuit of his serial killer.  In Zodiac, we see what happens when those in pursuit just can’t let go.  Their lives begin fraying at the seams until they come completely unspooled in their unrelenting pursuit of the unreachable. 
Zodiac also features one of the most suspenseful scenes of the year as Jake Gyllenhaal finds himself in a creepy suspect’s basement with little way out. 

9. JUNO

I really wrestled with where to put this on the list, or if to put it at all.  I feel that Juno’s parts are slightly greater than its sum which is something of a criticism.  But its parts, from Ellen Page’s caustic yet inevitably endearing Juno to Michael Cera’s most ‘grown-up’ performance (yet no less charming in its goofy way) to a remarkable supporting cast to a pitch-perfect script that mines comedy gold at almost every turn while rarely to never sacrificing character for a joke … all work together to create an incredible little-film-that-could that’s shaping up to be this year’s Little Miss Sunshine. 
My biggest, and maybe only, complaint is the treatment of Jason Bateman’s character.  Maybe moreover is what I see as a persistent broad artistic brush that paints characters who have artistic pursuits and ambitions as homewrecking deadbeats. 
Outside of that, I found Juno immensely enjoyable.

10. I AM LEGEND

Is Will Smith in a lab coat as a genius, cutting-edge geneticist somewhat implausible?  Sure.  Are the “monsters” in the film anything but monstrous?  Definitely.  Is it still a heck of a lot of fun?  Certainly. 
Pulling his own version of CastAway, Will Smith proves his acting chops against dogs, mannequins and CGI monsters with such grace and skill that he seems to be redefining his own niche.  From action hero to character actor?  Why not?  The man’s pretty unstoppable at the box office so more power to the guy for actually being worthy of the attention. 
From the heartwrenching, tear-jerking “dog scene” (you know the one if you’ve seen it) to the nailbiting, edge-of-your-seat “hanging upside down booby trap” scene, I Am Legend makes up for its holes by doing incredibly well what it does best: letting Will Smith do his thing.
Bravo, Fresh Prince, bravo.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Dan in Real Life – better than expected, almost top-10  
                                   material
Eastern Promises – ambitious, visceral and brutal, down to
                                 Viggo’s Mortenson
Sweeney Todd – stylish and macabre, Burton at his best but
                                dangitall for all that singing!
Charlie Wilson’s War – Sorkin’s script, Hoffman’s
                               performance, Tom Hanks … but still a little 
                               lacking

Stay tuned this week for more Best of ’07’s!

~ by nathanrouse on January 2, 2008.