As much as some of these writers would like to boast that they have chosen the best of the year, it is pretty unlikely that they truly have done so. Besides the fact that everyone has different, and valid, tastes, it is pretty unlikely that they have seen every possible film to be able to make that "best of" judgment. This applies to myself as well. Despite having a title boasting "Best of the Year," this is more of what I felt were the ten best based on my viewing sample, as well as being limited to theatrically screened films.
But you already know this. You are here to read about my experiences and choices for the year. You are in luck, as I have some thoughts on the year in movies that you will hopefully enjoy reading. As a side note, this is part one, be on the lookout for further recap lists covering the worst of the year, on-screen performances, and behind the scenes performances.
2007 was a very good year for movies. There were a lot of good to very good offerings, and even a few excellent films, that will be remembered for years to come. That said, putting together this list of top films was not an easy task.
First, unlike recent years, 2007 did not have that one killer flick that shot to the top. The past few years have each delivered films that I knew almost immediately were going right to the top, films like Children of Men (with competition from Pan's Labyrinth), Sin City, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Kill Bill Vol. 1. At this point I can see many of you shaking your heads in one of two ways, disgust or agreement. This year became a three-way race to the finish, and on any given day those three could change their placements, but at this very moment the order below is the correct one.
As for the rest of the top ten list, it was a juggling act trying to find places for all of the films I wanted to get in there. Just like the top three spots, these could all change on a moment's notice, but are all accurate as of this writing. Just for good measure, and to give some attention to those that missed the cut, there will be another list below the top ten containing alternates. That should about cover the excellent films I had the chance to see.
There are a couple of more discussion points to hit before getting to the lists. They center around the strength of genre films. There are a few genres that had above average an above average year in 2007.
Horror. This was a surprisingly good year for horror movies. In recent years, this genre has been plagued with numerous sub-par remakes and riddled with sanitized PG-13 fare. Now, I am not looking for extreme, over-the-top flicks; what I want are quality horror films that deliver creepy tales, bloody ballets, or essentially anything that felt fresh. This year delivered a host of horror films worth your time. Without getting into too much detail, here are a sample of movies, big and small, to spend a dark night with: The Abandoned, Dead Silence, Grindhouse (Planet Terror), Vacancy, 28 Weeks Later, Bug, Hostel Part II, Captivity, Halloween, P2, Mulberry Street, Tooth and Nail, and The Mist. Yes, I liked all of these films and felt they had something to add to the genre. I even found a couple of fun ones on DVD in Hatchet and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. What are you waiting for? Go check some of them out (after you finish here, of course)!
Comedy. Yes, the year did start with such lowlights as Epic Movie and Norbit, but they were definitely not a sign of things to come. There is definitely something to be said about what would come later in the year. Judd Apatow proved his success in recent years was no fluke, delivering the fantastic Knocked Up, producing the equally excellent Superbad, and writing the (at the moment) underrated Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. While this may have been the year of the Apatow, he was not the only person on the block delivering genuine laughs. The minds behind Reno 911! brought the troop to the big screen in very funny fashion, as well as the table tennis spoof Balls of Fury (not great, but still quite funny). Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg proved that Shawn of the Dead was not a fluke, delivering the brilliant ode to action Hot Fuzz. The late Adrienne Shelly brought the fun and smile-inducing Waitress, while The Simpsons made their long-awaited big screen debut. The last title I am going to mention is the probably the biggest surprise in the fact that I really liked it, the Andy Samberg vehicle, Hot Rod. Yes, you read that right.
Those two genres really stepped up and delivered plenty of good films this year. At the lower end of the scale, action and science fiction had some strong entries, but we were not overloaded with great entries. There are a few titles to note before moving on include Shooter, Grindhouse (Death Proof), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Live Free or Die Hard, even Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer delivered the goods. Overall, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of science fiction in the big picture, although the excellence of Sunshine helps dampen the pangs of loss.
I think we have had enough cursory discussion; you probably want me to get on with the list. Well, the time has come. Be warned that this will likely change as I catch up on the January stragglers.
Top Ten Movies for 2007: Version I
Still with me? Good. I told you this was a good year and good years always provide a lot of discussion material.
This list of alternates will be a bit quicker than the above. They are not listed in any particular order and they all had a shot at the above list.
The Alternates
- Zodiac. David Fincher crafted a superb thriller that stays away from genre conventions and completely engrosses the viewer.
- Hot Fuzz. A brilliant parody/homage of/to the action genre. This slice of excellence comes from the same team as Shawn of the Dead.
- Bridge to Terabithia. Here is a film that caught me completely offguard. It is a wonderful coming of age story that packs an emotional punch.
- Reign Over Me. Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler put me through an emotional wringer in this post-9/11 drama. Easily one of, if not the, best performances of Sandler's career.
- The Lookout. Joseph Gordon Levitt continues to impress with this noirish thriller. He was in the top ten last year with Brick.
- Waitress. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Kerri Russell stars as a pregnant waitress who loves making pies. Sounds simple enough, but there is much more to it.
- Bug. Surprisingly intense character study led by a pair of brave performances from Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon.
- The Bourne Ultimatum. Fitting close to the electrifying trilogy. Intelligent action films are few and far between, here is one of the best.
- Stardust. Magical fantasy adventure that is firing on all cylinders. I went in with no expectations and promptly fell in love.
- 3:10 to Yuma. An action and drama filled western that captivates from start to finish. Superb performances from Christian Bale and Russell Crowe don't hurt.
- The Mist. An impactful horror film that has fascinating characters and genuine chills. Frank Darabont and Stephen King strike again!
- Gone Baby Gone. Ben Affleck shows he may be better suited to be behind the camera. A strong and focused thriller that delivers.
- Lars and the Real Girl. How do you follow up playing opposite Anthony Hopkins? Play opposite a love doll, and make it work.
- Superbad. Very funny coming of age story from producer Judd Apatow and co-written by Knocked Up star Seth Rogen.
- Enchanted. Complete surprise this one was. A wonderful fairy tale send up of genre conventions featuring a star-making turn from Amy Adams.
- 28 Weeks Later. Genuinely chilling, truly horrifying, and completely captivating. It equals the original while standing on its own as an excellent film.
- Rescue Dawn. Werner Herzog creates a great film documenting the will to survive. It also has another great performance from Christian Bale.
- Eastern Promises. David Cronenberg takes us inside the Russian Mafia in London. It is a dark and chilling world. Plus there is an incredible, no-holds-barred fight with Viggo Mortensen in a bath house.
- August Rush. I am one of the few to love this film. It is a fairy tale that transcends realism and shows how something as nebulous as music can bring people together.
- Once. I never actually saw this on the big screen, but having recently experienced it on DVD, I had to include it. It is a wonderfully romantic, intimate tale with great music.
Phew. It's over. Are you still awake? I promise that my next recap entries won't be quite as long as this one was. Well, I haven't started them yet so I may fail in that regard, but I will see what I can do.
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