Movie Review: Best and Worst for 2007

Top 10 Movies of 2007


			#1- No Country for Old Men Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Beth Grant, Garret Dillahunt Directed by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Hands down the best movie of 2007 and very likely the best movie made by the Coen Brothers. Not since Fargo have they made such an enthralling tale of cat and mouse, of excitement and thrills. This movie draws you in and doesn't let you go, you aren't captured by all the perfomances and can't help but be glued to your seat as you wait to see what will happen next. No Country for Old Men isn't your traditional tale of good vs evil, it's the ultimate tale of cat and mouse where neither the cat nor the mouse are truly good or even truly evil for that matter and it was the one movie that absolutly blew me away in 2007.

			#2- Eastern Promises Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sinead Cusack Directed by: David Cronenberg I Have to admit I am always a little partial to gangster and mafia type of movies. It's a world of danger and intrigue that very few of us will ever know and that is what makes it so compelling. David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen also seem to be the perfect director/actor team as their previous film A History of Violence was my favorite film of 2005. It makes me wonder why more directors don't do movies about the Russian mafia, there is so much that could be told there and so few stories about them so far.

			#3- Into the Wild Starring: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener Directed by: Sean Penn This was a film that after seeing it I wanted to pack up my things and hit the road and become a traveling vagabond. It was that compelling, the story of the road, and the adventure of seeing parts of our country that so few people see. I understand there is also a little bit of madness in doing what Christopher did but there is also a lot of bravery and heart. Months after seeing this movie the story still stays with me and makes me want to see the movie again and agian.

			#4- Superbad/Knocked Up Starring: Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Katherine Heigl, Jason Segel, Michael Cera Directed by: Judd Apatow ok I had to make this a tie, while Superbad was my favorite of the two both these comedies deserved to be on the list. 2007 was easily the year of Judd Apatow as he brought the funny back to Hollywood. while not as much of a fan of his last entry Dewey Cox he proved that you can still be funny, you can be crude and also be heart warming all at the same time. His comedies are on the crude side but they also always tell a tale of friendship or responsibilty as well. Here is to the king of comedy.

			#5- Grindhouse Starring: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Kurt Russell, Bruce Willis Directed by: Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez This was my favorite movie of the year for a good portion of the year. Grindhouse was an ambitious project that failed commercially which is a shame because it was so much fun to watch and well worth the price of admission. From two movie lovers who have has much or more admiration of cinema than many of us they brought a true double feature unlike any that we had probably seen in thirty years. For action lovers whith great car chases, to horror fans with tales of rampaging zombies the film had it all.

			#6- Gone Baby Gone Starring: Casey Affleck, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, John Ashton, Robert Wahlberg Directed by: Ben Affleck This was the year of the Affleck's as Casey gives an incredible performance in the movie (as well as from what I have heard the Assisnation of Jesse James) and Ben probably finds the perfect place for himself, behind the camera instead of in front of it. The film is a griping tale of what is good and what is bad wrapped around a crime mystery and with one of the most morally and thought provoking endings of the year.

			#7- Rescue Dawn Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Zach Grenier, François Chau Directed by: Werner Herzog Christian Bale is simply one of the best actors in all of Hollywood, and any movie he ends up being is that much better for him being in it. This movie is a heroic tale of men put to extraordinary situations. Captured in Vietnam and facing a potential death sentence Bale never gives up and in the end proves that courage can be contageous. The ending was a little soft for me but the rest of the movie is fantastic and Steve Zahn gives as good as a performance as Bale and even more heart breaking.

			#8- Disturbia Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Morse, Sarah Roemer, Aaron Yoo Directed by: D.J. Caruso This was a tough spot for me, as there was several movies (3:10 to Yuma and Juno) that got movie to honorable mention to make room for this good film. The odd thing about this film was that it was a film I was ready to hate and despise before seeing it because of it being a loose remake of one of my all time Hitchcock films Rear Window. But the movie pulls off the modern tale in a great form, mixing in and updating all the humor as well as still keeping all the suspense of the original. This was also Shia LaBeouf's year as this was his first breakout film and showed he has all the talent in the world.

			#9- American Gangster Starring: Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Josh Brolin, Common , Ted Levine Directed by: Ridley Scott 2007 was the year for the lesser told mafia movies, gone are the traditional Italians (as Tony Soprano said farewell this year as well) and in our the new gansgters and mafia bosses. We got the Russian mafia and in American Gangster we get the black crime lord played to perfection by Denzel Washington. It is true he plays the better villain than he does hero and this character was tailor made for him. As powerful as Training Day but with a calmer quite before the storm kind of feel. Capable of murder but with the smarts to start an entire new way to import drugs. Mixed in with a little cat and mouse chase led by another great actor Russell Crowe.

			#10- Shoot 'Em Up Starring: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci, Greg Bryk, Jane McLean Directed by: Michael Davis This a film that may not make many top 10's for the year but it was one of my favorite films of the year. It is like a live action bugs bunny cartoon with all the violence and action that you would expect from a realistic Bugs Bunny gun wielding good guy. Clive Owen is one of my favore actors as well, and he pulls off the tongue in cheek humor to perfection. The movie is silly, it is downright ridiculous and it is absolutly hillarious and action packed.

			Honorable Mention- Juno Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman Directed by: Jason Reitman This movie reaffirmed my beliefs in Hollywood as well as the general movie going public. I love the fresh voice and writing style of Diablo Cody who brings an ireverence to the table and some of the best dialogue on screen since Kevin Smith first grabbed a pen. Juno is a witty and smart gem that proves that smaller indpendent titles can also go mainstream. All the characters are likable and fun and Ellen Page plays the irreverent and smart mouthed teenager to the tee. Life doesn't always happen how we want it to, so sometimes we just have to laugh at it.

			Honorable Mention- 3:10 to Yuma Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster Directed by: James Mangold The western has kind of disappeared in the last couple decades but 3:10 to Yuma proves that it could still be a viable part of Hollywood if they would only let it. With the western you get a good mixture of drama and action all rolled into one. And with 3:10 to Yuma again you get two of Hollywood's best duking it out on the big screen in Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. A remake but still none less it may make people want to see the original and who can fault them for wanting too after seeing this fun action movie.

			Worst Movies of the Year #1- I Know Who Killed Me Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough, Brian Geraghty, Garcelle Beauvais Directed by: Chris Siverston Who ever marketed this movie should be shot, drawn and quartered and then killed. They marketed it as a murder mystery and then when you get there you find our you have been tricked into watching so of the worst torture porn of the last couple of years. Lindsay Lohan once a bright and upcoming star as turned into a miserable train wreck and this movie has to be the worst movie she has ever made. The movie had an ok premise that got dragged through the mud with the crapppy torture porn horror trend which I am praying is finally over.

			#2- Epic Movie Starring: Kal Penn, Adam Campbell, Jennifer Coolidge, Jayma Mays, Faune Chambers Directed by: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer Ok lets take some really good movies, then make fun of them in a really bad way in a movie that is just a terrible joke of a movie. Hot Fuzz and Dewey Cox proved that you can still make parodies and spoofs if you do it right. It is ok to make fun of a genre of films but what Epic Movie did was to take moments from very good movies make them unfunny then stitch them together in a nonsensical string of scenes. No plot, not story, no acting, just a bunch of stupid one liners and scenes patched together and not really making any sense. From the guy who directed Date movie, please someone kill or fire him so he will stop making movies.

			#3- I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Steve Buscemi, Dan Aykroyd Directed by: Dennis Dugan What gets me is that people actually found this movie funny. If you could drag up every over used and tired cliche about gay people, then try and wrap it up in a fuzzy message that its ok to be gay, while the entire time you act completly and totally homophocic and scared shitless of your own message you would get I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry. The movie is terrible and people should be ashamed for liking it.

			Biggest Dissapointment of 2007 Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem Starring: Reiko Aylesworth, Steven Pasquale, Gina Holden, David Hornsby (II), Johnny Lewis (II) Directed by: Greg Strause and Colin Strause After finally realizing that its really bad to dumb down a string of R rated films into a PG-13 sequel, I thought that this film had a chance at being something special. I mean we were back to the R Rated goodness of all 4 Alien films and the 2 Predator films, mix into iconic characters and let them do battle. Oops we just forgot to include a story, a plot or anything that would make the movie the slightest bit enjoyable and fun to watch.

			Best Blockuster and threequel of 2007 Bourne Ultimatim Starring: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine Directed by: Paul Greengrass and Peter MacDonald It was the year of threequel, when six franchises all reached that magical third installment and for the most part were let downs. But one stood out above the rest and was not only the best threequel, it was also the best summer blockbuster of the year. The Bourne formula is pretty simple, take a man who doesn't know who he on a quest to find out who he is and throw as many roadblocks and villains in his way as you can and let it all unfold. It is simple brilliance and the funnest movies to watch. High paced action, a little drama and Matt Damon kicking butt.