Top five movies of 2007:

5. 300
Groundbreaking filmaking techniques alone make this film worth its place on the list. But I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the aesthetic, the actors too. I've been intrigued with Greek and Roman history and mythology since my days on the quiz bowl team in middle school. And Gerard Butler pulls off an amazing transformation into the inspiring and awe-inspiring Spartan king, Leonidas. The trend of turning graphic novels into films continues to be a successful one.

4. 30 Days of Night
This movie does for vampires what 28 Days Later did for zombies. It makes them scary again. Not sexy. Not charming. Darn scary. Josh Harnett is surprisingly good as the hero. And this indie movie's old-style ways of implying supernatural action, rather than trying to show everything via CGI, shows up the year's other big vampire flick, I Am Legend (see biggest disappointments section).

3. Grindhouse
Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror beats the pants off Quentin Tarrantino's Death Proof in my book. But it was all fun to watch, and these two deserve huge amounts of credit for bankrolling their own visions and thumbing their noses at the establishment.

2. Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg has a unique view of the world. Some of his movies work for me, some don't, but all of them make you think. This one works to a fabulous degree, and Viggo Mortensen is awesome. You think you know mafia movies? Think again.

1. No Country for Old Men
This is, in my opinion, the Cohen brothers' best film to date. It's dark, existential, powerful and sad. And it reminds you that there are brutal, unstoppable forces in this world that you just have to pray never cross your path. "You can't stop what's coming," the main character (played suprisingly poignantly by Tommy Lee Jones) is told. To think you can, his brother says, is "vanity." So you have to find your own path based not on a misguided sense of duty but on what's the right path for you and those you love. And every time you make a decision, you have a chance to change that path.


Five also worth noting:

Zodiac (An interesting look at investigative journalism, newsrooms in the 1970s, and one of the great American unsolved mysteries.)

Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton + Johnny Depp = worth watching nearly every time.)

Amazing Grace (A story you probably don't know but should.)

The Namesake (From the director of Monsoon Wedding and Vanity Fair, Mira Nair. A great study of family, culture and personal identitiy.)

Broken English (Directed by Zoe Cassavetes, starring Parker Posey and Drea de Matteo. Another great study of finding one's own personal identity.)


Five biggest disappointments:

Ghostrider (I like comic book movies, and I had high hopes for this one. Nicholas Cage, Eva Mendez and bad CGI crushed those hopes.)

Beowulf (It's one of the ultimate classic stories. It's the very definition of epic. So why did the movie fall so flat? And why didn't they better utilize the 3-D technology?)

Vacancy (When the movie ended, I couldn't believe that was all there was. Ugh.)

I am Legend (Overall, I enjoyed watching this movie. But afterward, when I got to thinking about all the things that didn't work, my disappointment just kept growing. Note to filmakers Artfully implied action is better than cheesy CGI. But implied story lines that never amount to anything are confusing at best. I do have to say, though, that the Fresh Prince has come along way.)

28 Weeks Later (I loved 28 Days Later. Had this sequel not had that to live up to, I might have enjoyed it more. But it did, and I didn't. Maybe we should have left well enough alone.)


Top five I wanted to watch, but didn't ... yet:

Ratatouille (It's about a cute rat that cooks. And it stars Patton Oswalt as the voice of that rat. What's not to like?)

3:10 to Yuma (I love Christian Bale. Not so much Russell Crowe. But this movie intrigues me.)

Hot Fuzz (I'm a sucker for British comedy.)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (I'm a sucker for history.)

Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten (A look at the life of the former frontman of The Clash, one of the most influential punk bands, who died just as he was restarting a career as a singer with something to say, unlike too many of them.)


Five most anticpated in 2008:

Dark Night (I loved Batman Begins. I love Christian Bale. And Heath Ledger's Joker looks creepy and awesome!)

There Will Be Blood (Supposed to come out this year in limited release. Daniel Day Lewis in another twisted anti-father-figure role, from the looks of it.)

Vantage Point (The trailer twists my stomach in knots. I hope the movie can live up to it.)

Be Kind Rewind (Michel Gondry. Jack Black. Let the wacky fun begin!)

Burn After Reading (Next up from the Cohen brothers -- woo-hoo!)