Ryan McNeilI’m fighting off some post-Vegas jet lag this morning. Thus, I am calling in my last post-dated blog entry. Yes gang, starting tomorrow, I’m back to posting live.
It doesn’t hurt that today was on tap to be the next entry in my Decade Series…and it also doesn’t hurt that today’s entry is the first one where I get to build off an entry I made during the year in question. It’s odd, because what I’m writing about here are films that were released a mere two years ago…but thinking back about them all, it feels like it was a lifetime. Strange, ain’t it?
2007 found me distracted by another Red Sox World Series Championship. It was also the summer the literary world finally closed the book on Harry Potter (again – seems like forever ago, doesn’t it?).
Eight down, two to go – for me, these were tops in The Year of The Boar
#5. THERE WILL BE BLOOD… You’ll hear me say this again later down the list, but I really wonder how this one will age. Then, as now, it felt very dark and gritty for moviegoers like me. I have to wonder if in another five years we’ll all look back at it as an amazing performance in a flawed film. But that’s in the future…for now, I still see it as one of the best of the year. Truly unsettling, sprawling, and sharp, it was a welcome return for Daniel day-Lewis, and director P.T. Anderson.
#4. JUNO… I put this movie on the list just for introducing me to the work of Ellen Page and Diablo Cody. The thing is, the backlash vultures circled around those two women quickly…and nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find two more disliked talents. These days, I still count myself a fan. Really, I’m a sucker for this sort of film…the one that starts off amusing and cute, but slowly unfolds into something far more thoughtful. Easily the funniest film I saw in ’07, and the one with the most heart.
#3. ONCE… When this film ended I immediately texted one of my best friends, complaining that I couldn’t believe she let me wait so long to see it. Very simple, but oh-so-gorgeous in its simplicity, with an equally gorgeous soundtrack. The caring this couple has for one another is the sort of love you don’t often see in movies, since it’s so hard to nail down and define. It’s the sort of timid “I would, but I can’t, but I still want to” that happens all the time in the world, but rarely gets written about.
#2. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY… Few films are truly unforgettable – this is one of the few. It sails right past gimmicky, and sits smack in the middle of innovation. By telling the entire story from the trapped position that Jean-Dominique Bauby finds himself in, it shakes the viewer out of their seat and gives them a clear understanding of his frustration. Visually stunning, and flawlessly directed, this is the sort of film that should win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in a perfect world. If you’ve never seen it, go out and rent it right away.
#1. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN… I’m sure you’re shocked that I picked a dark and violent film to top my list. In case you’re keeping score – and let’s be honest, who isn’t? – this is only the second time in the series that a Best Picture Winner has landed on top of my five for the year. What can I say, it’s just that good. At the time I didn’t think Oscar would tap a violent film to be Best Picture right after THE DEPARTED, but I’m happy to see I was wrong. This perfect adaptation is equally witty, tense, and horrifying. Every actor involved gives a perfect performance, especially Javier Bardem. His performance is so good in fact that it chills your soul, while still making you want to cheer for the bad guy. It could easily be The Coen Brothers’ masterpiece, and for my $12 ticket – it was the best movie of the year.
Others on my shortlist for 2007 include LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, KNOCKED UP, THE DARJEELING LIMITED, RATATOUILLE, THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFULL OF QUARTERS, INTO THE WILD, SWEENEY TODD, ATONEMENT, CONTROL, AWAY FROM HER, LA VIE EN ROSE, MICHAEL CLAYTON, PERSEPOLIS, GONE BABY GONE, WAITRESS, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, and SHINE A LIGHT.
Check in on November 24th for the next installment, my top five films of 2008.
Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments with your own favorite movies from 2007, along with suggestions for the next top five.
Hmmm, not exactly how my top 5 would look, mostly because it'd be more of a reshuffle. I haven't seen Diving Bell so I'd have to knock that on my list, maybe I should throw that into my viewing list. If I had to say, as of today, I'd probably go: #5 Juno, #4 Once, #3 Letters from Iwo Jima, #2 No Country for Old Men, #1 There Will Be Blood…
Though I'm sure I'm forgetting one film (I always am).
Wow, that is a pretty awesome list, and one that makes me realize I have to get around to seeing No Country for Old Men. Love seeing Once, that made my top list for 2007 as well along with After the Wedding, King of Kong and Brand Upon the Brain.
Isn't it awesome to have archives for building posts? 🙂
Great year for movies. I'd put Diving Bell at number 1, but No Country was still the bomb. Good list, man. And good call on Letters from Iwo Jima, Univarn.
@ Univarn… First of all, put DIVING BELL high on your to-see list. You won't regret it. Second, I count myself as a huge fan of IWO JIMA. So much so that I actually ranked it as my number two flick…of 2006. It's one of those titles that comes out at the very very end of the year, and thus causes confusion as to when it was actually released. For me, I've always thought that if Oscar counts it, I should follow.
Regardless – awesome film!
@ Shannon… Given that this post was done up in the haze of post-wedding/pre-honeymoon craziness: yes, yes it is ABSOLUTELY wonderful to have an archive to build from! I must get around to seeing BRAND UPON THE BRAIN.
@ Aiden… DIVING BELL was this close to making the top of my list, but NO COUNTRY has become one of my all-time faves in very short order. Thus, I must recognize.
@Mad AGH! I thought that felt wrong (that's what I get for going right off the top of the head), then a quick swap is in order. #5 Atonement, #4 Juno, #3 Once, #2 No Country, #1 There Will Be Blood 🙂
Possibly a Diving Bell addition when I get home this afternoon and add to my netflix list. Though I may need a little reminder 🙂
I'm amazed that you've been able to keep posting so close (before and after) the wedding – that is so impressive! And congratulations, of course! 🙂
My top two were from TIFF that year and still haven't been released on these shores.
1. "You, The Living" (by Roy Andersson) – Similar in style as 2000's "Songs From The Second Floor", this is beautifully composed, starkly funny and hands down my fave of that year. I just bought a region free DVD player simply so that I could buy the R2 version of this. There's a section of the film that almost made me burst into tears at the theatre – on rewatch, it almost did it again.
2. "A Gentle Breeze in the Village" (by Nobuhiro Yamashita) – A simple, lovely tale of a single schoolhouse village in the mountains of Japan and the children who go there. In particular is the eldest girl who will be leaving the school for a larger school at the end of the year and who has just met a boy from the city (who just moved to their village). With lots of long takes so you can really feel like you've spent some quality time with these kids, the film just completely wins you over (very much like the director's previous film "Linda Linda Linda").
Some others:
Chacun Son Cinema
[rec]
Silent Light
Murder Party
Alone
Hot Fuzz
Audience Of One
Heima
MirageMan
Superbad
My Kid Could Paint That
4 Months 3 Weeks And 2 Days
Manda Bala
Cloverfield
The Mist
@ Univarn… Quite liked ATONEMENT. That one made the short list, mostly for the turn it takes in the second half.
Now your mission is to write about DB&TB as soon as possible!
@ Shannon… On one hand it was thanks to the the fact that I usually have 80% of a post hashed out in my head by the time I sit down to type (Though fighting with html on the Top 5 posts makes life hell). On the other hand, scheduled posts came in wickedly handy 🙂
@ Bob… As usual, you have mentioned one that I forgot off my long list. Can't believe HOT FUZZ got past me. Well done sensei, young grasshopper still has much to learn.
Awesome list. I still need to see Once and Diving Bell – have heard nothing but good things!
I think my list would've gone
5) No Country for Old Men
4) Michael Clayton
3) The Mist
2) Grindhouse (yes, both parts)
1) Gone Baby Gone
okay. this is the third time ive tried to comment on this. like an idiot i keep forgetting your pesky word verification dooda Hatter. but this is such a great post i feel the need to comment again. so here, without all the waffle i had in my previous failed comments, is my two cents:
best movies 2007
1. Zodiac
2. Gone Baby Gone
3. Diving Bell
4. Eastern Promises
5. The Bourne Ultimatum
honourable mentions: The Mist, The Orphanage, Blades Of Glory
When I first saw There will be Blood I felt it had great acting performances rather than being a great film. I haven’t seen it again since seeing at the cinema. Time for a second look I think.
I watched Juno again a couple of weeks ago and still love it after four or five viewings.
Once is a beautiful little film that really deserves a bigger audience.
I missed The Diving Bell and The Butterfly at the cinema and didn’t rush to see it on DVD as I thought it looked depressing, how wrong I was!
No Country For Old Men was immense. I found it less amusing and more serious than other Coen Brothers films but it still had their panache. An amazing film. This had to be your number one. When I took its Oscar away and gave it to Juno you stuck with this one.
I think most of the other suggestions I have already been made by others but here goes anyway:
The Mist
The Bourne Ultimatum
Gone Baby Gone
Eastern Promises
The Orphanage
In the Valley of Elah
Into the Wild
I'm Not There.
The Counterfeiters
Mongol
@ Tom… GRINDHOUSE!! I'd almost forgotten!!! Y'know, I've been waiting for two years now for Qt to release both parts of that in one super-cool dvd package. Maybe if he had by now that'd be higher up in my eyes. Thanks for the comment!
@ fandango… Ah yes, THE ORPHANAGE. The only movie that creeped me out so much I asked the lesbian sitting to my left to hold me.
@ Ross… GONE BABY GONE is indeed a good'n – thanks for reminding me! Of course, my viewing experience of it was mired by a dvd that had scratch issues.
No lie – every time a character pulled a gun on another character setting up a tense scene, the dvd I watched skipped.
Talk about ruining a viewing experience!
haha
I think the only ones I've seen were Juno (with you, if I am not mistaken) and Waitress.
Good grief.
– Bruisie Von Whippit
This is a nice list, though it's nothing like mine would be. I'm actually doing 2007 next so you'll see what I thought but I can say only one of your five is in my five. And it's NOT Juno.
@ Andrew… Can't wait to see your list so the argument…er…discussion can ensue.
@ Bruisie… I have three of the other four. I'm always happy to lend if yer interested.
Oh it'll be an argument all right.
In no particular order, my list looks something like this:
There Will Be Blood
Persepolis
Michael Clayton
Hot Fuzz
Paris, je t'aime
Granted, the last one was technically released in 2006, but not in the States until '07, so I'm listing it there. Sadly, three of the movies I assumed would make my top 5 list I have still yet to see (Diving Bell, Into the Wild, and King of Kong).
Funny to look back on what I had listed as my top five at the end of '07 compared to what's there now.
The only I can't really go with you on is "There Will Be Blood" … The acting is certainly first-rate, Dano as much as Lewis, but I think I was just expecting more … I understood the epic story that Anderson was going for, but for me at least, he never really got there .. Now, mind you, I'd never go so far as to call it a bad movie, but in this case it at least didn't live up to all the hype for me
@ Reel… BLOOD is a toughie, because it's the sort of movie that seems to want to exist all on its own.
The story isn't something that will stick in my memory for years and years. But the way the movie left me so unsettled as a viewer is something I won't soon forget.
I say you give it another watch, now that we're well outside the hype. See if it speaks to you now that things have calmed down.