In an effort to feel like a Real Professional Film Critic I’ve waded into the deep waters of my memory to dredge out and create a monolithic assemblage of movies lucky enough to be deemed...
ED’S FAVORITE FILMS OF 2007!!!
(Trumpets blasting!! Crowds cheering in orgasmic glee!!)
I’ve reviewed a few of the films on this site previously, and you can follow the link to that specific review if you wish to enlighten yourself further. The movies I didn’t review beforehand have a succinct blurb stating my infallible opinion following their title.
All kidding aside, this was a fantastic year for movies and I’ve enjoyed being able to watch as many of them as I could squeeze into my schedule and report back my opinions on a few of them on this meager blog. And thank you for caring enough about my feelings to actually read it! So please, enjoy the list (as much as one can possibly enjoy a list), and if I’ve left off your favorite film of the year, let me know in the comments!
PREPARE TO BE AWED:
ED’S FAVORITE FILMS OF 2007!!!
(Trumpets blasting!! Crowds cheering in orgasmic glee!!)
I’ve reviewed a few of the films on this site previously, and you can follow the link to that specific review if you wish to enlighten yourself further. The movies I didn’t review beforehand have a succinct blurb stating my infallible opinion following their title.
All kidding aside, this was a fantastic year for movies and I’ve enjoyed being able to watch as many of them as I could squeeze into my schedule and report back my opinions on a few of them on this meager blog. And thank you for caring enough about my feelings to actually read it! So please, enjoy the list (as much as one can possibly enjoy a list), and if I’ve left off your favorite film of the year, let me know in the comments!
PREPARE TO BE AWED:
ED’S FAVORITE FILMS OF 2007
1. There Will Be Blood – Read Review
2. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly – Read Review
3. No Country for Old Men – Read Review
4. This is England -Thomas Turgoose is remarkable as Shaun, a friendless 13-year-old growing up in England circa 1983. He meets some skinheads (the non-racist kind) who take him in and show him how to have fun. That is until a rival skinhead named Combo (Stephen Graham) who is fresh out of jail, takes the impressionable young lad under his wing and introduces him to violent British nationalism. Director Shane Meadows’ film is a potent and heartfelt coming of age story and a memorable slice of what it must have been like to grow up in Thatcher’s England in the downtrodden 1980s.
5. Persepolis – Apparently I’m a sucker for a good coming of age story, since Persepolis, This is England and Juno are all films where the main character grows up and learns about who they are. This animated gem, based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi (who, along with Vincent Paronnaud, directed the film) is about an outspoken young girl growing up and struggling with her identity in post-revolution Iran. The visually stunning black and white artwork is so beautiful I gave myself a headache trying to read the subtitles (it’s in French) and watch the images fly by on the screen. Intensely personal even though major political themes are discussed, the energetic story is captivating from start to finish.
6. Control – Read Review
7. The Lives of Others – This was released very early in 2007, but it still stands out in my mind. Ulrich Mühe plays an officer in the East German secret police who is assigned to spy on suspected “traitor” Sebastian Koch and his lover. Mühe becomes increasingly absorbed in the lives of his subjects and is faced with an impossible decision when it is time to turn his new “friend” over to the authorities. The film portrays the climate of paranoia, suffocation and loneliness of Communist era Germany with amazing detail and all of the performances are top notch.
8. Juno – See Review
9. Michael Clayton – The fact that I work in a Manhattan law firm might have contributed to how much I liked this movie about law firms and the shady corporations they protect. For days afterward I was lurking around my office trying to predict who my firm’s “Fixer” was. The firm’s fixer in this movie is George Clooney who strongly plays a down-on-his-luck attorney suddenly realizing he has a conscience when he is told to clean up a legal mess made by a colleague who has a nervous breakdown. Tilda Swinton is also fantastic as an ambitious in-house counsel for a bio-corporation who’s product may be poisoning the public.
10. The Bourne Ultimatum – This film is just one long fucking chase scene (and I mean that in a good way). Energetic, loud, and full of running, fighting, shooting and one hell of a car chase at the end, this third installment in the Bourne franchise is an action flick on amphetamines. Yes, it’s an action movie, and you know it has to be good because I hate to praise action movies because for every awesome Borne flick there are mountains of miserable, overly violent schlock, pleasing only to mouth-breathers who like to watch Jason Statham blow things up. So trust me, The Bourne Ultimatum is a perfect capper to the heart pumping trilogy and a whole lot of fun.
1. There Will Be Blood – Read Review
2. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly – Read Review
3. No Country for Old Men – Read Review
4. This is England -Thomas Turgoose is remarkable as Shaun, a friendless 13-year-old growing up in England circa 1983. He meets some skinheads (the non-racist kind) who take him in and show him how to have fun. That is until a rival skinhead named Combo (Stephen Graham) who is fresh out of jail, takes the impressionable young lad under his wing and introduces him to violent British nationalism. Director Shane Meadows’ film is a potent and heartfelt coming of age story and a memorable slice of what it must have been like to grow up in Thatcher’s England in the downtrodden 1980s.
5. Persepolis – Apparently I’m a sucker for a good coming of age story, since Persepolis, This is England and Juno are all films where the main character grows up and learns about who they are. This animated gem, based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi (who, along with Vincent Paronnaud, directed the film) is about an outspoken young girl growing up and struggling with her identity in post-revolution Iran. The visually stunning black and white artwork is so beautiful I gave myself a headache trying to read the subtitles (it’s in French) and watch the images fly by on the screen. Intensely personal even though major political themes are discussed, the energetic story is captivating from start to finish.
6. Control – Read Review
7. The Lives of Others – This was released very early in 2007, but it still stands out in my mind. Ulrich Mühe plays an officer in the East German secret police who is assigned to spy on suspected “traitor” Sebastian Koch and his lover. Mühe becomes increasingly absorbed in the lives of his subjects and is faced with an impossible decision when it is time to turn his new “friend” over to the authorities. The film portrays the climate of paranoia, suffocation and loneliness of Communist era Germany with amazing detail and all of the performances are top notch.
8. Juno – See Review
9. Michael Clayton – The fact that I work in a Manhattan law firm might have contributed to how much I liked this movie about law firms and the shady corporations they protect. For days afterward I was lurking around my office trying to predict who my firm’s “Fixer” was. The firm’s fixer in this movie is George Clooney who strongly plays a down-on-his-luck attorney suddenly realizing he has a conscience when he is told to clean up a legal mess made by a colleague who has a nervous breakdown. Tilda Swinton is also fantastic as an ambitious in-house counsel for a bio-corporation who’s product may be poisoning the public.
10. The Bourne Ultimatum – This film is just one long fucking chase scene (and I mean that in a good way). Energetic, loud, and full of running, fighting, shooting and one hell of a car chase at the end, this third installment in the Bourne franchise is an action flick on amphetamines. Yes, it’s an action movie, and you know it has to be good because I hate to praise action movies because for every awesome Borne flick there are mountains of miserable, overly violent schlock, pleasing only to mouth-breathers who like to watch Jason Statham blow things up. So trust me, The Bourne Ultimatum is a perfect capper to the heart pumping trilogy and a whole lot of fun.
ALSO!!!
The following are movies I didn’t see this year that might have made my list if I was an actual paid film critic and not doing this in my spare time.
In no particular order:
The Savages – A depressing low budget flick about two dejected academics (starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney) struggling with their father’s march to death. This will probably be satisfying to my masochistic miserable side.
Gone Baby Gone – I hate Ben Affleck, but thankfully he’s not on screen at all in his directorial debut about a kidnapping of a little girl in Boston. Word is it’s pretty good. And depressing. Nice.
Charlie Wilson’s War – Feels like it could have a Confessions of a Dangerous Mind vibe, (Cold-War cavorting) which is fine by me. Plus Tom Hanks playing against character as a lecherous congressman who tries to take down Soviet Russia is a welcomed change from his squeaky clean image.
I’m Not There – Most people I know who have seen this have had mixed to negative things to say about it. But I refuse to write it off. Critics raved enough about this that I need to check it out. And even if I ended up hating this Bob Dylan biopic (notable for splitting Dylan’s life into six parts, each played by different actors) I might’ve still included it on my top ten list just because I’m a pretentious prick.
Eastern Promises – Ever since Michael Ironside made that dude’s head explode with his telekinetic powers in Scanners, David Cronenberg has been a favorite director of mine. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen this film about a woman (Naomi Watts) who encounters the Russian mob in London. It’s already on DVD for fuck sake! It’s also on the top of my Netflix queue.
Once – Another one of those movies which ended up at the top of many critic’s “best of” lists but everyone I know who has seen it hasn’t really liked it. Plus it’s a musical about two Dublin street musicians who fall in love. Sounds a little mushy for my manly style. I’ll probably check it out, but just for curiosity’s sake.
The following are movies I didn’t see this year that might have made my list if I was an actual paid film critic and not doing this in my spare time.
In no particular order:
The Savages – A depressing low budget flick about two dejected academics (starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney) struggling with their father’s march to death. This will probably be satisfying to my masochistic miserable side.
Gone Baby Gone – I hate Ben Affleck, but thankfully he’s not on screen at all in his directorial debut about a kidnapping of a little girl in Boston. Word is it’s pretty good. And depressing. Nice.
Charlie Wilson’s War – Feels like it could have a Confessions of a Dangerous Mind vibe, (Cold-War cavorting) which is fine by me. Plus Tom Hanks playing against character as a lecherous congressman who tries to take down Soviet Russia is a welcomed change from his squeaky clean image.
I’m Not There – Most people I know who have seen this have had mixed to negative things to say about it. But I refuse to write it off. Critics raved enough about this that I need to check it out. And even if I ended up hating this Bob Dylan biopic (notable for splitting Dylan’s life into six parts, each played by different actors) I might’ve still included it on my top ten list just because I’m a pretentious prick.
Eastern Promises – Ever since Michael Ironside made that dude’s head explode with his telekinetic powers in Scanners, David Cronenberg has been a favorite director of mine. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen this film about a woman (Naomi Watts) who encounters the Russian mob in London. It’s already on DVD for fuck sake! It’s also on the top of my Netflix queue.
Once – Another one of those movies which ended up at the top of many critic’s “best of” lists but everyone I know who has seen it hasn’t really liked it. Plus it’s a musical about two Dublin street musicians who fall in love. Sounds a little mushy for my manly style. I’ll probably check it out, but just for curiosity’s sake.
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