Despite less than impressive box office tallies, 2007 was a great year for film. It might be the best year for film so far this millennium. Audiences had numerous opportunities to be both entertained and provoked for only a whopping $7 a ticket. Narrowing down the list was initially difficult, but these are my 10 favorite films of 2007.
1. “Juno” – The note-perfect story of a pregnant teenager (Ellen Page, “Hard Candy,” “X-Men 3”), the adoptive parents (Jason Bateman, “Arrested Development,” and Jennifer Garner, “13 Going On 30,” “Elektra”) and a best friend turned boyfriend (Michael Cera, “Superbad”) is alternately touching and hilarious. The screenplay by newcomer Diablo Cody is the best script to grace the screen in some time and is absolutely deserving of the Oscar. The music by Kimya Dawson is wonderful. The dialogue is genuine, witty and sharp. The characters are just plain cool. “Juno” is startlingly real and, above all, funny.
2. “There Will Be Blood” – From the opening music to the unforgettable final line, “There Will Be Blood” is a film that will stay with any viewer for weeks. Daniel Day Lewis gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Daniel Plainview, an oil man who ruthlessly exploits whoever and whatever he can to make a living. His character is contrasted with Eli Sunday (Paul Dano, “Little Miss Sunshine”), a preacher who sees through Plainview’s gentlemanly exterior. Dano is a perfect complement to Daniel Day Lewis, and the atmosphere is electric when the two characters interact. Director Paul Thomas Anderson crafts an exquisite character study examining men consumed by greed and narcissism.
3. “Hot Fuzz” – For the team behind zombie comedy “Shaun of the Dead,” lightning struck a second time with “Hot Fuzz.” Infinitely more marketable than “Shaun,” “Hot Fuzz” follows a police officer (Simon Pegg, “Shaun of the Dead,” “Mission Impossible 3”) who, when deemed too good for the London force, is transferred to a small village where the crime rate is low and the accident rate is sky high. The film is less of a parody of action films and more of a love letter to the genre. Characters and situations lovingly reference and send up films like “Point Break” and “Bad Boys.” Director Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead”) imparts his distinct sense of style and humor to the film, making it one of the best comedies in years.
4. “The Darjeeling Limited” – Director Wes Anderson returned to form in this film about three brothers trekking across India as they meditate on relationships and family life. Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody and Jason Schwartzman all deserve praise for their work in “Darjeeling,” particularly Brody as the brother who seems normal but is just as dysfunctional as his siblings. Gaining back the credit he lost for hit-or-miss “The Life Aquatic,” Anderson’s visual style lends itself perfectly to the Indian setting, making this film a lush pleasure to behold.
5. “Ratatouille” – Pixar again established itself as the gold standard in computer animation with “Ratatouille.” On the surface, the movie is a kid’s film about a rat that likes to cook. But the reality is “Ratatouille” appeals to adults as well, complete with beautiful animation, an exquisite Parisian backdrop, and themes of the joys of food and cooking and having a passion for what you do. Director Brad Bird (“The Simpsons,” “The Incredibles”) cements himself as an animation auteur, able to deftly combine lessons for children and humor for adults into a wildly entertaining film.
6. “No Country For Old Men” – The new Coen brothers’ film far and away outshines their previous masterpieces, which include “Fargo” and “O Brother Where Art Thou?” The protagonist (Josh Brolin, “Planet Terror”) steals $2 million in drug money, the terrifying antagonist (Javier Bardem, “Goya’s Ghosts”) tries to get it back, and an aging sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones, “U.S. Marshals,” “In the Valley of Elah”) tries to make sense of it all. Bardem steals the show as a nightmare-inducing killer who clearly derives great pleasure from what he does. Though the ending of the film is somewhat unsatisfying, everything leading up to that point is well worth the ride.
7. “Grindhouse” – Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez didn’t make a simple double feature with “Grindhouse.” They made a full-on movie experience. From the exploitation genres the directors played with to the B-movie trailers (made by other directors like Eli Roth or Edgar Wright) peppered throughout the features, “Grindhouse” was truly a spectacle – one that transported you into the grimy exploitation cinema of the 1970s. Both “Planet Terror” (Rodriguez) and “Death Proof” (Tarantino) were shot, edited and aged beautifully. Neither film really stands alone. They work best in the double feature (complete with trailers) format, so wait to buy the DVD until the films are released together.
8. “Hairspray” – The best movie of the summer didn’t star a web-slinging superhero, a sub-par animated ogre or even a foppish pirate with too much eyeliner. The best summer popcorn flick was “Hairspray,” proving that the movie musical isn’t dead. It just needs a director and cast committed to getting it right. Director and choreographer Adam Shankman does the best work of his career here, providing audiences with a movie (and soundtrack) that is both chipper and hilarious. The cast (Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Zac Efron, James Marsden, Elijah Kelley, Amanda Bynes, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer and Queen Latifah) deftly performs the adaptation of the Broadway smash about segregation in 1960s Baltimore with a toe-tapping energy that rivals any live performance.
9. “American Gangster” – Director Ridley Scott presents audiences with the remarkably true story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington, “Training Day”), the ambitious head of a heroin empire in New York City, and the detective (Russell Crowe, “A Beautiful Mind”) who works to bring him down. Scott adeptly captures 1970s New York without succumbing to the “pimptastic” cheese so many directors and cinematographers imagine for the era. The soundtrack is wonderful and the script is even better, capturing two strong characters and their intertwining plots. Washington’s work in particular is remarkable as he bounces between the charming and intimidating aspects of his character.
10. “Eastern Promises” – Viggo Mortensen (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy) and director David Cronenberg first teamed up in 2005 with “A History of Violence.” The duo outdoes its previous effort with “Eastern Promises,” a harrowing look at the dealings of an Eastern European crime family, the Vory V Zakone. The script is so tight that the movie seems to fly by. “Eastern Promises” often plays like a London-based “Goodfellas” but is so imaginatively crafted that the film seems to switch protagonists halfway through without being overtly obvious about it. The violence in the film can make it difficult to watch at times, but the plot is so engrossing that you won’t want to look away.
I am only one critic and can see only so many movies. I’m sure if I had seen “Once,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Zodiac” or “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” they might have made my list. As it is, I wrestled with myself over not including films I liked but didn’t really love, like “Michael Clayton” or “Knocked Up.” But of the films I saw and liked, these were my 10 favorite movie experiences of 2007.
