Monday, December 22, 2008
It's that time of year -- time for film critics across America to come up with their Top Ten lists for the year. Since I watch the vast majority of movies on DVD and have a lengthy Netflix queue it's about time for me to come out with my Top Ten of 2007 list.
First I must say that 2007 was a bit of a disappointing year. I felt like any of my top 4 pictures from 2006 would rank #1 in 2007. But that being said, there are some good ones out there. So let's get to the list!
10. Blades of Glory
Thought I'd start out with a comedy here. I went in thinking this would be pretty stupid but it just plain has a lot of laughs. Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are hilarious, and a surprising turn from Jenna Fischer (The Office) boosts the film as well. Not as quotable as Anchorman but still very enjoyable.
9. The Lives of Others
This is a film most people probably don't know about -- it won the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2007 and currently ranks 52 in IMDB's Top 250. It's a German movie about a man who is listening in on a couple in an apartment. It's certainly not an uplifting film. The last 20 minutes or so make the movie.
8. Michael Clayton
Up for Best Picture, this was a very solid effort from George Clooney and a great cast. You spend the first half of the movie having no clue what's going on, but things eventually straighten out. And like The Lives of Others, the ending really makes the movie.
7. No Country for Old Men
Considering the competition, this was a worthy winner for Best Picture. Some of the scenes are among the most tense scenes I've ever seen (in particular one in a motel). And it has one of the great screen villains. The main reason I didn't rank this higher is because I felt the climax was about halfway through the film, and the second half didn't match the first half.
6. Ocean's Thirteen
An improvement from Ocean's Twelve, this really benefits from a great turn from Al Pacino as the bad guy (a much better bad guy than Andy Garcia). And like all the Ocean's movies, you just get the feel that the actors are really having a good time. Plenty of plot twists, laughs and suspenseful moments.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
It's hard to go wrong with a Harry Potter movie, and while to me this isn't quite as good as the fourth movie, it is still very strong. Imelda Staunton is just terrific as Professor Umbridge, and the climactic sequences at the end are very well done. You definitely feel the emotions of the characters. I can't wait for the next movie to come out.
4. Zodiac
I was really impressed with this movie. It has a great story, with very strong acting. I'm not a big Jake Gyllenhaal fan but he was good in this, as was Robert Downey Jr. The cat and mouse game throughout is very well done.
3. The Lookout
A movie probably not many people know about, but definitely worth checking out. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is really good as a former high school sports star who gets into a car accident and is left with major brain damage. The way the movie unfolds with the bank robbery is very well done and strong performances (especially Jeff Daniels) make this a standout.
2. Juno
I don't know if you can consider this a cult favorite (like Napoleon Dynamite) for all the attention it got but it definitely is a gem. Definitely a breakout role for Ellen Page, the interaction between her and Michael Cera makes the movie. It is consistently funny throughout, and I loved the ending.
It was a really tough choice to pick a number 1, but I went with:
1. Once
I picked Once because it stuck with me more than any other movie I watched from 2007. An indie, Once centers around a struggling street performer who meets a woman who changes his life. The scene in which Glen and Marketa go into the music store and play Falling Slowly is so inspirational. As is the scene in which they record When Your Mind's Made Up. I have both of those songs on my iPod. It's the movie from 2007 that I've recommended the most that people see, because many haven't.
And there's the list. I still have a lot of movies from 2008 to watch, so I'm going to go get started!
First I must say that 2007 was a bit of a disappointing year. I felt like any of my top 4 pictures from 2006 would rank #1 in 2007. But that being said, there are some good ones out there. So let's get to the list!
10. Blades of Glory
Thought I'd start out with a comedy here. I went in thinking this would be pretty stupid but it just plain has a lot of laughs. Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are hilarious, and a surprising turn from Jenna Fischer (The Office) boosts the film as well. Not as quotable as Anchorman but still very enjoyable.
9. The Lives of Others
This is a film most people probably don't know about -- it won the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2007 and currently ranks 52 in IMDB's Top 250. It's a German movie about a man who is listening in on a couple in an apartment. It's certainly not an uplifting film. The last 20 minutes or so make the movie.
8. Michael Clayton
Up for Best Picture, this was a very solid effort from George Clooney and a great cast. You spend the first half of the movie having no clue what's going on, but things eventually straighten out. And like The Lives of Others, the ending really makes the movie.
7. No Country for Old Men
Considering the competition, this was a worthy winner for Best Picture. Some of the scenes are among the most tense scenes I've ever seen (in particular one in a motel). And it has one of the great screen villains. The main reason I didn't rank this higher is because I felt the climax was about halfway through the film, and the second half didn't match the first half.
6. Ocean's Thirteen
An improvement from Ocean's Twelve, this really benefits from a great turn from Al Pacino as the bad guy (a much better bad guy than Andy Garcia). And like all the Ocean's movies, you just get the feel that the actors are really having a good time. Plenty of plot twists, laughs and suspenseful moments.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
It's hard to go wrong with a Harry Potter movie, and while to me this isn't quite as good as the fourth movie, it is still very strong. Imelda Staunton is just terrific as Professor Umbridge, and the climactic sequences at the end are very well done. You definitely feel the emotions of the characters. I can't wait for the next movie to come out.
4. Zodiac
I was really impressed with this movie. It has a great story, with very strong acting. I'm not a big Jake Gyllenhaal fan but he was good in this, as was Robert Downey Jr. The cat and mouse game throughout is very well done.
3. The Lookout
A movie probably not many people know about, but definitely worth checking out. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is really good as a former high school sports star who gets into a car accident and is left with major brain damage. The way the movie unfolds with the bank robbery is very well done and strong performances (especially Jeff Daniels) make this a standout.
2. Juno
I don't know if you can consider this a cult favorite (like Napoleon Dynamite) for all the attention it got but it definitely is a gem. Definitely a breakout role for Ellen Page, the interaction between her and Michael Cera makes the movie. It is consistently funny throughout, and I loved the ending.
It was a really tough choice to pick a number 1, but I went with:
1. Once
I picked Once because it stuck with me more than any other movie I watched from 2007. An indie, Once centers around a struggling street performer who meets a woman who changes his life. The scene in which Glen and Marketa go into the music store and play Falling Slowly is so inspirational. As is the scene in which they record When Your Mind's Made Up. I have both of those songs on my iPod. It's the movie from 2007 that I've recommended the most that people see, because many haven't.
And there's the list. I still have a lot of movies from 2008 to watch, so I'm going to go get started!
