Best of 2007 -- Movies
I saw only 30 movies in theatres this year. That might be six times the national average, but it's low for me. I mean, that's barely more than once a fortnight. Pathetic. Anyway, like the Academy Awards, I had to wait until the end of the year to see the best films. The two best movies I saw this year I saw on December 30th.
Best movie of the year: No Country for Old Men. Wow. Grim, but with touches of real humor. At times silent, at times filled with loud gunfire. Great dialogue. Great acting. Regular people caught up in things that spiral out of control. And a psychopath taking charge in a way that scared the crap out of me. Not for the squeamish, but highly recommended for the rest of us. I didn't really like the ending (I wish it had ended about four minutes sooner), but that's exactly the way the book ends.
Runner-up/Best comedy of the year: Juno. The best unintended pregnancy comedy of the year. Smartly (very much so) written, beautifully acted. Great music. Unpretentious. Wonderful.
Runner-up: American Gangster. For a long time, the best film I'd seen this year. Great story, made more poignant by the fact that it's "true." Everything about this film was well done; it just wasn't quite on a par with No Country.
Other good films of 2007: 300 -- gory, bloody, bombastic, but true to its source and very entertaining. Knocked Up -- gotta love something from the Apatow crowd, but not as true-to-life or touching as Juno by a long shot. Hairspray -- from someone who doesn't generally care for musicals, this movie was really a lot of fun. The Simpsons Movie -- one of only two movies I saw twice; still singing the "Spider-Pig" song. Stardust -- an adaptation of the Gaiman novel, starring Claire Danes, what's not to like? Well, except for the whole Robert DeNiro bit.
Best movie of the year: No Country for Old Men. Wow. Grim, but with touches of real humor. At times silent, at times filled with loud gunfire. Great dialogue. Great acting. Regular people caught up in things that spiral out of control. And a psychopath taking charge in a way that scared the crap out of me. Not for the squeamish, but highly recommended for the rest of us. I didn't really like the ending (I wish it had ended about four minutes sooner), but that's exactly the way the book ends.
Runner-up/Best comedy of the year: Juno. The best unintended pregnancy comedy of the year. Smartly (very much so) written, beautifully acted. Great music. Unpretentious. Wonderful.
Runner-up: American Gangster. For a long time, the best film I'd seen this year. Great story, made more poignant by the fact that it's "true." Everything about this film was well done; it just wasn't quite on a par with No Country.
Other good films of 2007: 300 -- gory, bloody, bombastic, but true to its source and very entertaining. Knocked Up -- gotta love something from the Apatow crowd, but not as true-to-life or touching as Juno by a long shot. Hairspray -- from someone who doesn't generally care for musicals, this movie was really a lot of fun. The Simpsons Movie -- one of only two movies I saw twice; still singing the "Spider-Pig" song. Stardust -- an adaptation of the Gaiman novel, starring Claire Danes, what's not to like? Well, except for the whole Robert DeNiro bit.
posted by Kootch | 9:02 PM
1 Comments:
I've been meaning to note that I'm totally with you on Juno and want to see everything else.
K
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