Personal Picks for 2007

I know this is a few weeks late, but sue me. As this new year has begun, and with the Oscars rapidly approaching I feel its only right for me to indulge in a fun game that we all like to play; Name your Best of 2007.

I have to admit, this year was quite a hard selection. Most of my picks did not appear til the fall season. This means that I was yearning for some good movie action for most of the year. However, all in all, 2007 ended with a dearth of excellent cinema. Here’s my rundown for the year. Don’t really pay attention to the order as it really doesn’t matter after one and two.


1. There Will Be Blood
What else can I say about this movie that hasn’t already been said. I flip between this and No Country on which one I like more. It changes everyday. Honestly they are both awesome films but I think I have to, in the end, go with Blood. After all it gave me my favorite new catch phrase. It was so good that I downloaded the screenplay and read the whole thing in one day, just to experience it again. PT Anderson is one of my personal faves. It’s been a long time since Punch Drunk Love, and well, it was worth the wait. Everything from Daniel Day Lewis to the evocation of Days of Heaven is magnificent. I can’t wait to see it again. Hopefully we don’t have to wait as long for the next one.




2. No Country for Old Men
The Coen Brothers have outdone themselves with this one. They have created one of the greatest movie monsters in recent history in Javier Bardem’s Aton Chigurah. This guy would rip Hannibal Lector a new asshole. But its not only Bardem, but also Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin (who is having an incredible year with Grindhouse and American Gangster). The whole piece comes together with grace that both infuses it with the greatest Hitchcock thrillers and lifts it above the genre into a higher contemplation of violence and the modern world. I’ve read the book, and where Cormac McCarthy sometimes lays a heavy hand, the Coens know when to let the material speak. It’s in what’s not said, those deadly silences on the prairie that the film is its most powerful. Was there even a soundtrack? I can’t remember. All I remember is the wind, and the sound of a cattle gun. It truly is the year of the Western. This is one of the best and most fluid adaptations I have ever seen. One harrowing, gripping ride. The film is better than the book. There. I said it. Call it, Friendo.


3. Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
It took three years for Andrew Dominik’s epic western to hit the screen. This was one of those films that I waited for. And boy was this ever worth the wait. The film is not for everyone. It’s one of those, as some friends would call it, “staring at the wheat films.” And as much as I loathe to use that phrase, this is the pick to use it on if there ever was one this year. Jesse James is a Malick infused contemplation of celebrity and the price of it. Yes it has a long title equal to its long running time. But it is also permeated with a sense of dread. Brad Pitt defines Jesse, and with very little doing makes him a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the whole film I always felt that Jesse was going to kill somebody. Even in scenes he did not appear in, the dread was still there. As if he would still show up at any moment and kill somebody. Casey Affleck (who also rocked it this year in Gone Baby Gone) is truly freakish yet sympathetic as Robert Ford. He deserves his Oscar nom. Also to be noted is the always-excellent Sam Rockwell. His role is a thankless one as the elder Ford brother. Rockwell has to play the stupid guy that gets to hang with the cool kid and he does so with grace and humility. You can see his smile give way to fear. Excellent performances all around. And the ending? The ending is truly transcendent. My heart broke. Catch this one on dvd.


4. I’m Not There
By now everyone’s heard of Cate Blanchett’s excellent turn as electric British phase Dylan analog Jude Quinn. And everyone probably knows the gimmick: different actors playing not quite Dylans. But what all the previews and hyperbole can’t give you is what a densely satisfying film it is. I can’t really talk about the narrative; it’s more of a cinematic experience of everything that is Dylan. This is like film cubism, folding and shifting, moving back on itself and referencing touchstones in Dylan’s life. It’s black and white; it’s lush color; it’s a regular narrative, it’s a documentary. I’m Not There morphs with its various actors and ends creating a product of wonder. Any Fellini fan will flip their shit at Blanchett’s segment. Everyone is marvelous in it including the late Heath Ledger who, ironically enough plays an actor who is depressed and detached separated from his wife and kids. I have to admit I wasn’t the biggest Dylan fan, but between this and Scorsese’s amazing No Direction Home I am officially a convert. Anyone who reads a Wikipedia bio before hand should see the ridiculous splendor of detail. I need to see it again just fully appreciate this monumental work of postmodern filmmaking. You haven’t seen anything like it this before.


5. Michael Clayton
Best John Grisham movie that wasn’t written by him. Many props to all involved, including writer/first time director Tony Gilroy. With fantastic performances by all main players, Michael Clayton comes out on top as a solid, intelligent thriller. A truly overlooked gem (see On the Cutting Room Floor) Catch it in theatres now while it’s re-released.




6. Zodiac
Notice that this is one of the only films that came out prior to the summer. David Fincher’s masterpiece of a crime thriller came out way back in March and has been sorely forgotten in the accolade spewing yearend summation. And that’s a shame. This over two and a half hour film held me in its vice like grip for the duration. Besides the fact that all the actors give great performances and that Fincher pushed new ground with the Viper camera, Zodiac is a well told tale. It’s the most satisfy non-ending to behold, and is a worthy addition to the Fincher oeuvre. Call this the anti-Se7en. Just the facts ma’am, and the facts have never been more compelling. If crime procedurals were always this good, I’d be watching a hell of a lot more Law and Order.


7. Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg does it again, combining his power with star Viggo Mortensen to create a beautiful companion piece to the equally awesome A History of Violence. The story is solid and the twist took me by surprise. All the players make their Russian believable (apparently it was given the thumbs up from the real Russian Mafia) and Viggo is absolutely fascinating. Naomi Watts is given a thankless role as our gateway into this seedy underworld but her and Viggo definitely have sparks. Plays more to the genre than Violence did, but I find myself enjoying it more. Best knife fight in cinema history. Beware of Turkish baths.


8. Once
Raise your hand if you heard of, let alone seen, this film. Good all three of you who did move on to number nine. The rest of you need to see what you’ve been missing. Once is the greatest, most genuine film I have seen all year long. Heart goes along way in my book and this film is literally brimming over with emotion. The plot is simple, boy street musician meets flower girl street seller who also happens to play a wicked piano and sing. Boy likes girl, girls sings with boy and somewhere in between the sweetest romance blossoms with some kickass music. Once is a musical for those that don’t like musicals. It shows the true power and emotion of what music and cinema are capable of. It is, in a single moment both heartbreaking and uplifting. Any film that does that deserves to be seen. If this doesn’t win best song at the Oscars, I will flip my shit. And if you don’t trust me, listen to Mr. Spielberg :
“A little movie called Once gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year,” said Steven Spielberg to USA Today.
Nuff said. Netflix it now. Then buy the soundtrack, collectors edition with the DVD. You’ll be glad you did.


9. Hot Fuzz
Is anyone doing better satire today than Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg? These two British chaps have come along to pick up the torch from Mel Brooks and make films that both mock and embrace their genres and in the process come with up with something that is completely refreshing. I don’t think there’s enough room to fit every action film they are riffing off of here, to go through the Michael Bay movies alone would take enough time. Needless to say that while the last half hour is a balls to the wall tour de force, it’s the loving if not homoerotic exaggerated for laughs relationship between Nick Frost’s Danny Butterman and Simon Pegg’s Nick Angel that make the film stick. These two are the definition of buddy cop. If you don’t already own it, I recommend you get the stellar three disc set. Totally worth it. Can’t wait to see what these two guys do next. I’ll be the first in line when they do.


10. The Darjeeling Limited
Wes Anderson serves up yet another dysfunctional family, but this time its with three brothers who are literally trying to unload their baggage. Many critics have cried foul on this one, stating that Anderson is going in circles. I say, the flashback sequence is worth the movie alone. Anderson hits all the write notes, even if they may sound familiar. Keep an eye out for the cameos. Watch it with its companion short Hotel Chevalier and enjoy the experience. Now where’s that Mastercard movie, Wes?





Guilty Pleasure: Grindhouse


Things I Missed That Could Have Been on This List:
Control, Margot at the Wedding, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly


So that’s it for my favorites of the year. I feel I’m bound to have missed some. What are yours? Leave me some feedback.