2007 Year End Wrap Up
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Index
Top 10 Films of the Year
Honorable Mentions
Good Buzz List
Bottom 10 Films of the Year
Great Performances
Trends of 2007
Top 10
Films of the Year
What follows are Nathan's picks
of the best films of 2007.
1. Into
the Wild
Directed by: Sean Penn
Premise: The true story
of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a college graduate who
gave away his possessions to travel across North America,
eventually ending up in Alaska.
Why It Made the List:
Some films are able to expose observations about our culture by
taking us on a journey through the landscape the way Forest
Gump did, using an episodic structure in which the
protagonist learns lessons from fellow travelers. The result is
usually a story that paints with broad strokes in order to cover
its entire canvas. Other films make commentary through a close
focus on a single character like There
Will Be Blood and use a limited scope to pick apart its
subject. Sean Penn's Into the Wild combines these
approaches and the result is a picture that is able to be
penetrate deeply into the life of Christopher McCandless, played
wonderfully by Emile Hirsch, while also sketching the culture he
grew up in and eventually rejected and portraying the link between
them. This is an intelligent film, capturing the reason behind
McCandless' journey and treating his rejection of social
expectations with equal parts respect and criticism. The picture
does not ridicule him but its does show how erratic and sometimes
dangerous his choices became due to McCandless' naiveté and
misanthropic tendencies, and how those flaws contributed to his
journey as much as his enthusiasm and education. This film also
captures the sheer adventure of the journey and even an
agoraphobic would be awed by McCandless' travels through the
gorgeous landscape. While the protagonist meets many different
characters in his travels, Into the Wild has the
distinction of filling its story with many fully realized
characters with real histories and personalities. In the process,
the film allows the supporting characters lives of their own and
conveys ideas that further McCandless' own convictions and builds
toward the isolated and heartbreaking finale. Into the Wild
is a learned film, one that uses the literary sources who
influenced McCandless, such as Jack London, Mark Twain, and Henry
David Thoreau, to give his unconventional life some credibility
and embed the story within an American tradition of explorers and
independent thinkers. Into the Wild translates this into
the cinematic form successfully, using sound, cinematography, and
editing to embed the theory into the practice. The result is a
picture that presents us with a portrait of someone who found love
for his fellow man by leaving society. What Penn's film does so
incredibly well, and the primary reason why his film tops this
list, is how it is able to use the life of Christopher McCandless
to present us with the most sobering, intelligent, critical, and
insightful view of our own culture on film this year.
2. There
Will Be Blood
Directed by: Paul Thomas
Anderson
Premise: Adapted from
Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! Speculator Daniel Plainview
(Daniel Day Lewis) builds an oil empire throughout Texas in the
early 1900s. As his success grows, Plainview becomes increasingly
more competitive and his greed and his ambition to drive all
competition into the ground turns him into a psychotic egomaniac.
Why It Made the List: It
sounds hyperbolic to call a performance one of the greatest ever
committed to film, but that is exactly what Daniel Day Lewis
accomplishes in There Will Be Blood. Daniel Plainview is
simply the greatest antihero since Tony Montana in Scarface.
Lewis' performance is finely tuned, and he nails everything from
the posture, to the voice, to the facial expressions and Lewis and
the screenplay are able to make this despicable character a
fascinating and even sympathetic figure by interspersing
Plainview's intensity and occasional violence with tender moments
between Plainview and his son (Dillon Freasier), revelations of
his loathing and loneliness, and--most surprising--instants of
humor that deliver big laughs. Although Daniel Day Lewis is the
heavyweight in the film, he has a great on-screen relationship
with Paul Dano as Pastor Eli Sunday. As Eli's mission and
Plainview's aspirations come into conflict, the film ratchets up
the tension and Dano is able to hold his own against Lewis's
presence. There Will Be Blood is conceived in the style,
tone, and scope of the pictures of Stanley Kubrick, John Ford, and
Orson Wells and it stands up against virtually anything in their
filmographies while applying contemporary storytelling techniques.
Despite its extended running time, There Will Be Blood has
a smartly and slickly assembled narrative, it uses sound and music
in unconventional and sometimes avant-garde ways, and its
cinematography is composed of gorgeous shots that combine
classical compositions with current technological tools and
editing techniques. The result is a contemporary masterpiece,
merging the classic and the contemporary.
3. Zodiac
Directed by: David Fincher
Premise: Based on the books by Robert
Graysmith. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Graysmith, a cartoonist for a
California newspaper, who follows the story of the Zodiac killer
and attempts to solve the mystery after the detectives assigned to
the case (Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards) have given up.
Why It Made the List: Zodiac
is one of the best serial killer films since The
Silence of the Lambs. In a time when mass media is
saturated with sensational murder news coverage and police
procedurals are a dominant form of entertainment, Zodiac
stands as one of the definitive films of its kind. Rather than
airbrush over the actual procedures and difficulties of police
investigation, Zodiac
embraces these elements, such as corroborating witnesses and
collecting evidence, and uses them to drive the drama and conflict
of the story. The narrative is very impressive, introducing
several characters and weaving between them very well while also
balancing the information about the case and maintaining a sense
of tension despite covering several decades from start to finish.
The film is one of David Fincher's best works to date and he
abandons some of his fancier camera and editing tricks for a more
subtle approach that serves the story and lets the audience bask
in the complexities of the case and its consequences on the
community. Aside from addressing the obvious loss of life, Zodiac
gives each of its lead characters a satisfactory character arc in
relation to the Zodiac murders. Gyllenhaal is very good as
Graysmith, who journeys from a sharply introverted cartoonist to
an aggressive detective in his search for the truth. Robert Downey
Jr. adds his characteristic humor as reporter Paul Avery whose
ego, battle with alcoholism, and fear of the Zodiac killer destroy
his career. Ruffalo and Edwards also give solid performances as
the detectives assigned to the case, and the impact of the
unsolved murders on their personal and professional lives extends
the impact of the Zodiac killer's reach beyond the obvious lose of
life.
Zodiac's narrative complexity and its balance of
information and drama is extremely impressive and the film proves
that the horror genre can be both intelligent and dramatically
engaging.
4. The
Hoax
Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom
Premise: The true story of Clifford
Irving (Richard Gere) and Dick Susskind (Alfred Molina), two
writers who created a false autobiography of Howard Hughes and
sold it to the McGraw Hill publishing company in the mid-1970s.
Why It Made the List: In
the age of reality television, the newfound popularity of
nonfiction literature and especially biographical texts, and
contemporary obsessions with historical accuracy, The
Hoax is an extremely relevant film about the snowballing
effect of lying and the slippery nature of truth. The movie is
able to explore ethical dilemmas and create an atmosphere of
paranoia while at the same time be very entertaining and
surprisingly funny. Richard Gere gives his best performance in
years as Irving, a man who quickly finds himself drowning in the
lies he has created, and Alfred Molina matches Gere’s
performance. The two are quite a pair, as Irving depends on
Susskind for a sense of conscience, but at the same time Irving
works to undermine Susskind’s ethical orientation in order to
give himself the freedom to sink deeper into fraud. The arc of the
characters is both funny and touching as their personal and
professional relationships are poisoned by the lie of the book and
by their need to keep on lying to maintain the illusion. And
what's even more compelling is how Susskind and Irving's
colleagues accept their deception and the world around them begins
to change in ways that make lie at least partly true. The Hoax
is a very complex but entirely engaging film that takes stabs at
deep ethical and philosophical questions of how we know what we do
about the world and what it means for a piece of writing to be
true, and all the while the filmmakers stay hip and get laughs out
of the absurdity of situation.
5. Black
Snake Moan
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Premise: Just outside of a small
Tennessee town, Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson), a black blues
musician who has recently separated from his wife, takes in Rae
(Christina Ricci), a young white woman who suffers from
nymphomania as a result of an abusive childhood. Lazarus takes it
upon himself to cure Rae of her condition by chaining her inside
of his cabin and reconditioning her.
Why It Made the List: Proving that
films cannot be judged by their trailers, Black Snake Moan
turns what initially looked like an exploitation film into a story
about redemption through music and love. Like he did in Hustle
and Flow, director and screenwriter Craig Brewer shows
aptitude for creating sympathetic characters for those at the
bottom of society by getting into their heads and situations. This
is greatly aided by Jackson and Ricci, who give some of the best
performances of their careers. Jackson is entirely convincing as a
Blues musician who finds his way out of isolation and hate, and
Ricci’s performance is incredibly brave, as she turns a
role that, in the hands of a lesser actress, might have been just
another Jerry
Springer Show cliché, into a very complex portrait of a
tortured woman. Rae's fight to combat her mental illness and
Jackson's return from isolation and nihilism are beautiful
character work and the film's use of rhythm and blues music fills
in the scenes with melancholy, hope, and a sense of spiritual
cleansing and awakening. Black Snake Moan treads into
dangerous territory and manages to come out with some sober and
compassionate observations about love, music, and sexuality that
will enlighten viewers rather than just titillate them.
6. In
the Valley of Elah
Directed by: Paul Haggis
Premise: The true story of a retired
military police officer (Tommy Lee Jones) who investigates the
disappearance of his son, a soldier who has recently returned from
Iraq.
Why It Made the List: There were many
films about the Iraq war released this year, some overt and some
subtle, but In the Valley of Elah is easily the best,
primarily because it is so focused on the story it is attempting
to tell. In the Valley of Elah is masterfully structured.
There is no extraneous material and each scene drives the story
forward on multiple levels. Like Crash
and Flags
of Our Fathers, the film deals with what it means to be an
American and how our beliefs and perceptions about ourselves and
our country contrast with reality. This film explores these
conflicts and uses the twists and turns in the case to unveil how
everyday vices compromise our heroes. Tommy Lee Jones gives one of
the best performances of his career in this film. It’s not
flashy but it is highly controlled and carefully staged, and as a
retired military man Jones’ character embodies the conflicts of
a patriotic citizen struggling to reconcile his love for his
country with growing evidence that the men in his son’s unit had
something to do with his disappearance. And this is why In the
Valley of Elah is the best of this year's Iraq films and one
of the best all around; it uses the personal, the visceral, and
the immediate to create an entryway into broad and underlying
cultural issues and intelligently question some of our most basic
beliefs about ourselves and our country.
7. The
Kite Runner
Directed by: Marc
Forster
Premise: Amir (Khalid
Abdalla), an author living in America, recalls his childhood
growing up in Afghanistan and his relationship to childhood friend
Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada). As an adult, Amir returns to
Taliban controlled Afghanistan to aid Hassan's son (Ali Dinesh).
Why It Made the List: The
Kite Runner is a great example of cinematic storytelling. The
structure of the story is complex but it manages to maneuver
around the timeline with complete coherence and use the
juxtaposition of the past and the present to make the connections
between plot points even stronger than if the story was told in a
linear fashion. The film provides insight into the saga of Afghani
people and it includes the vital component that Charlie
Wilson’s War missed, the contrast in the country's
culture before and after the Soviet invasion. The Kite Runner
has the distinction of being a film about the Afghani people, as
it gives the culture a chance to speak for itself rather than be
sifted through a Western lens, but it is also distinctly an
American story, as an immigrant comes to terms with his new dual
identity. There is a tradition for this kind of narrative in
American storytelling and The Kite Runner, like its main
characters, is a hybrid that retains the traditions and dignity of
the Afghan culture while embracing Western sensibilities. The
result is a film that represents a cultural dialogue between the
West and the Middle East and the story provides a chance for
redemption, reconciliation, and new beginnings.
8. Waitress
Directed by: Adrienne Shelly
Premise: Jenna (Keri Russell), a
waitress working at a small town diner specializing in pies,
contemplates leaving her abusive husband when she becomes
pregnant. She meets a new local doctor (Nathan Fillion) and begins
having an affair with him.
Why It Made the List: Most of the
mainstream press has dubbed Juno
this year’s Little
Miss Sunshine, a film without flash that used wit and the
chaos of family to make quiet but powerful observations about
contemporary life. Not to take anything away from Juno, but
Waitress is the true heiress to the yellow van throne.
Adrienne Shelly's film has the wit but it also has the wisdom, and
that is where it outmaneuvers Juno as well as Knocked
Up. Keri Russell's voice-overs in which she pontificates
on pie making as a metaphor for her life has more depth and more
truth to it than toilet humor or sarcastic one liners. The
supporting cast of the film have similar truth to them such as
Andy Griffith as a crotchety regular customer and Jeremy Sisto as
Jenna’s abusive husband. Waitress allows the actors to
delve inside of their characters, small as they may be, and
portray people living in rural society with compassion, and the
film never treats them condescendingly like Fargo
did. Waitress is one of the most humane films of the year
and one that is a great pleasure to watch.
9. 28
Weeks Later
Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Premise: A sequel to 28
Days Later. In the original film, the Rage virus, a
disease transferred by bodily fluids that turns people in rabid,
cannibalistic zombies, spread throughout the United Kingdom. In
this film, American-led NATO forces have quarantined a green zone
and English survivors have started to return home, but the threat
of the virus rises again.
Why It Made the List: The original 28
Days Later has achieved something like cult status and
expectations for this sequel were very high. 28 Weeks Later
has the distinction of not only matching the intelligence and
intensity of the original film but actually surpassing it while
blowing all of the other horror films of 2007 out of the water.
The filmmakers smartly treat this as a family drama first, and a
horror film second, knowing that once the human relationship have
been set up, the terrors of the horror story will be even greater.
Despite some extremely violent content, 28 Weeks Later has
some very beautiful sequences such as a napalm attack on urban
areas. The urban warfare element of the film was unappreciated by
many other critics, but make no mistake: 28 Weeks Later is
clearly referencing anxieties about terrorism and the conflict in
Iraq. Like the zombie films of George A. Romero, this film
is able to do what horror does best: take contemporary issues and
present them to audiences in a way that will make us face our
fears in a palatable fashion.
The result is one of the best horror films of the year and a
picture that delivers on both emotional and intellectual levels.
10. The
War
Directed by: Ken Burns and Lynn
Novick
Premise: A seven-part documentary
series about American involvement World War II. The series follows
journeys of four soldiers through the various theaters and fronts
of the war while also delving into the experiences of other men in
the field and the lives of American families on the home front.
The film also tracks the progression of the war on a macro level,
detailing the campaigns in Europe and the Pacific step by step.
Why It Made the List: The War
is perhaps one of the greatest documents on World War II ever
produced. The film is able to capture the struggle at nearly all
levels, setting up each major conflict by summarizing the broad
military goals and then telling the intimate stories of the
soldiers going through hell. The narration of The War,
written by Geoffrey C. Ward and read by Keith David, is perfect,
combining expository information with a knack for dramatic oratory
storytelling. The War also separates itself from other
World War II documentaries by defying two assumptions of other
works like it: The War does not assume that the triumph of
Allied forces was inherent, nor does it assume that the Allied
forces were without fault. On the contrary, the film addresses how
close the Allies came to losing the war by allowing the footage
and statistics of the casualties to pile up battle by battle. The
film is also able to address the act of killing and what being in
a war does to the soldiers and to the culture as a whole. In this
way Ken Burns and Lynn Novick have made a film about World War II
that returns the stakes and sacrifice back to the conflict and
makes us understand how this war came to shape the United States
as a political power and as culture.
Index
Honorable
Mentions
What follows are films that
were either runners up to the Top 10 list or other pictures that
came out in 2007 that are worth mentioning.
3:10
to Yuma - A very good Western that elaborates upon the
themes of The
Proposition, Unforgiven,
and The
Searchers but with a more hopeful perspective.
300
- An amazing show of aesthetics, technical skill, and pure
showmanship. Although a great piece of spectacle, its lack of
substance kept it out of the Top 10.
Alpha
Dog - Both funny and tragic, Alpha Dog has
characters unlike those normally seen in a teen crime picture and
includes a terrific performance by Justin Timberlake.
American
Gangster - Although not the instant gangster classic that
some critics hailed it as, American Gangster puts some new
twists on the gangster film and Denzel Washington provides one of
the most compelling gangsters in the genre.
The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - A
little too slow to make it into the Top 10, but this is
nonetheless a compelling portrait of an American outlaw.
Behind
the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - An interesting
combination of Scream
and The
Blair Witch Project, this part-spoof, part-satire,
part-pseudo-documentary, and part-straight up horror film is one
of the most best horror films released this year.
The
Bourne Ultimatum - An excellent action picture that capped
off a fantastic series of spy films that has raised the bar for
the action and espionage genres.
Breach
- An enjoyable thriller that features a great performance by Chris
Cooper.
Bug
- William Friedkin’s best work since The
Exorcist was highly disturbing but in exactly the way that
a horror film ought to be.
Charlie
Wilson’s War - One of the best post-September 11th
films yet made and it has a few great performances, but the story
stops just a few yards short of the goal line.
Dan
in Real Life - This is one of Steve Carell’s best
projects and the film ends up as one of the best romantic comedies
of the year.
Eastern
Promises - An exceptional film about redemption and
choices that creates authentic characters and puts those
characters in heartbreaking situations.
Enchanted
- A smart, funny, and exciting film that harkens back to the live
action family films Disney used to make.
The
Great Debaters - A tribute to the power of reason and the
oratorical skill.
Grindhouse
- A great film experiment, recreating the Grindhouse cinema
experience of 1970s complete with two films, trailers, and defects
on the print. Grindhouse might have been a shoo-in for the
Top 10, but for the fact that the films are, intentionally, bad.
Hairspray
- Seemingly destined to become a future classic of gay
cinema, Hairspray is a fun musical.
Hitler:
The Rise of Evil
- Although it originally premiered on network television in 2003,
the film finally saw DVD release in 2007.
Hostel:
Part II - The rare sequel that surpasses the original
film, Part II is much smarter than its predecessor and
features both a grotesque sense of humor and thoughtful commentary
on the torture subgenre that was so popular in recent years.
Hot
Fuzz - A great deal of fun for action-adventure
aficionados, Hot Fuzz balances satirizing genre and playing
into its conventions.
Juno
- Another great film from director Jason Reitman (Thank
You For Smoking) that shows a mastery of both comedic and
dramatic material while also giving a sensitive and intelligent
portrayal of teen sexuality and parenthood.
Knocked
Up - An alternate choice for the Top 10, Judd Apatow's
film about a pregnancy following a one night stand featured some
great character writing.
Michael
Clayton - A good film for the effective character work
done by its actors and the screenplay.
A
Mighty Heart - This film is able to invoke much more
serious discussion of the relationship between the West and the
Middle East than many other films released this year and gave a
look into the plight of journalists working in the Middle East.
No
Country for Old Men - Another film that would have been a
strong contender for the Top 10 if not for an ending that
sabotages the entire enterprise.
Perfume
- The Story of a Murderer - Technically a 2006 release,
this film did not get wide distribution until early 2007. It is a
beautiful piece of gothic cinema that was far superior to the
overrated Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Reign
Over Me - Although there have been many films about 9/11
recently, Reign Over Me deals with the trauma in the
aftermath of the event and watching Adam Sandler's character work
his way through his grief is a therapeutic experience.
Sicko
- Michael Moore's latest documentary ranks among his best work.
Talk
to Me - A biopic that is a tribute to both "Petey"
Greene and to the power of mass media, Talk to Me that
reminds participants in media and consumers of media just how
powerful this form can be.
Things
We Lost in the Fire - A smart film about loss and recovery
with great performances by Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro. A
little too melodramatic, especially in the end, to crack the Top
10 but impressive nonetheless.
Vacancy
- A mix of exploitation cinema and the work of Alfred Hitchcock, Vacancy
shows just how effective art direction and effective editing can
be.
La
Vie En Rose - A biopic of Edith Piaf featuring a great
performance by Marion Cotillard.
Index
Good
Buzz List
These are films that were
released in 2007 and have strong word of mouth, and in some cases
award nominations, but Nathan was unable to see them in time for
the year end summary usually because they did not open here.
Away
from Her - Julie Christie has been getting a lot of praise
for her performance as a woman with Alzheimer's disease.
Before
the Devil Knows You're Dead - Sidney Lumet's latest film
is a heist picture that is getting great praise for its acting
performances.
The
Diving Bell and the Butterfly - This film tells the true
story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who was paralyzed
after a stroke.
Grace
is Gone - This story of a widower dealing with breaking
the news of his wife's death to his daughters has been receiving
great praise for John Cusack's performance.
I'm
Not There - A film about Bob Dylan featuring different
actors playing the performer at various periods in his life.
Jimmy
Carter: Man From Plains - Jonathan Demme's documentary
chronicles Jimmy Carter's book tour for Palestine: Peace Not
Apartheid.
Lady
Chatterley - This new interpretation of D.H. Lawrence's
literary work attempts to save the character from her previous
soft-core porn adaptations.
Lust,
Caution - Ang Lee's World War II espionage thriller
received an NC-17 rating, so its distribution was highly limited.
Persepolis
- An animated adaptation of an Iranian girl coming of age amid the
Islamic Revolution.
The
Savages - Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman star as
siblings who take care of their ailing father.
Youth
without Youth - Francis Ford Coppola's return to
filmmaking was released very quietly and has been seen by very
limited audiences.
Index
Bottom
10 Films of the Year
What follows are the very
bottom of the cinematic heap for 2007.
1. Perfect
Stranger
Directed by: James Foley
Premise: An investigative reporter (Halle
Berry) researches the disappearance of a friend who had been
having an affair with the CEO (Bruce Willis) of a high profile
advertising agency.
Why It Made the List: It's hard to
believe that actors who have access to the best scripts and in
some cases have won Academy Awards could not see a project like
this for what it is. Perfect Stranger has one of the most
incomprehensible and inept stories of the year. What is so
maddening about this film more than any other is that it
alternates between setting up the mystery and the clues in one
scene and then dumping that in the next scene by taking the story
in the opposite direction. The result is a sloppy mess of a murder
mystery with clues that don’t mean anything, characters who
enter and exit the story with no purpose, and a climax that makes
no sense whatsoever. I hope Halle Berry and Bruce Willis got paid
well, but I wish I had gotten paid to see this movie.
2. D-War:
Dragon War
Directed by: Hyung-rae Shim
Premise: A 500 year old prophecy
comes to fruition when the newest incarnation of a pair of Korean
warriors combat a magical army of darkness that is populated by
dragons and reptilian creatures.
Why It Made the List: No film of 2007
had special effects with as wide range in quality as D-War,
which features a computer generated dragon killing an elephant
that is obviously an inflatable (While fleeing the dragon, one of
the characters comes into contact with the elephant’s dead
“body” and it moves.). The action sequences are staged and
edited with utter incompetence and the acting of the film is
embarrassing to watch, although no actor could do much with the
material given to him or her in this film. The story is incredibly
stupid, even for the kind of light fantasy adventure that this
aims to be, and the myth is so convoluted that even ambitious
viewers will find themselves giving up halfway through. The film
could have been a guilty pleasure like Plan
9 from Outer Space or Jaws
3 but its just
too sloppy and too much work to try and enjoy it.
3. Next
Directed by: Lee Tamahori
Premise: A magician (Nicolas Cage)
with the ability to see two minutes into the future is pursued by
federal authorities intending to use him to find terrorists with a
nuclear bomb. At the same time, the terrorists attempt to kill
Cage's character.
Why It Made the List: Nicolas Cage
continues his quest to become the next John Agar with Next,
a film drowning in its own stupidity. The film sets up what could
be an interesting premise, but Next quickly destroys this
by playing fast and loose with its own rules. The terrorists are ambiguous
Eurotrash who magically appear in various scenes for no particular
reason, and apparently want to destroy America for the same
nonexistent motivation. Next then switches into love story
mode with Cage’s magician falling and a teacher (Jessica Biel)
and abandoning the terrorist plot. In the end this incredulous
film caps itself by finishing on an ending that smacks the
audience in the face, and not in a good way.
4. The
Hills Have Eyes II
Directed by: Martin Weisz
Premise: A sequel to the
2006 remake of Wes
Craven’s 1977 film. A group of National Guard trainees are
sent on an impromptu rescue mission when scientists disappear in a
remote desert army base. The trainees find themselves in a
struggle to survive when they are attacked by mutants.
Why It Made the List: The 2006 remake
of The Hills Have Eyes had copious amounts of gore, but it
was strained to create an ongoing sense of tension or terror. This
film is even more wanton for scares, even in its jump moments.
Hills II lacks characterization of the soldiers, and they
come off mostly as stock war clichés and few have any traits that
make them stand out. Hills II effortlessly repeats the
themes and scenarios of the previous film but does not do it
nearly as well.
5. The
Hitcher (2007)
Directed by: Dave Meyers
Premise: A remake of the
1986 film. Two college students (Zachary Knighton and Sophia
Bush) pick up a hitchhiker (Sean Bean) with disastrous results.
Why It Made the List: The remake
trend continued in 2007 with a stupid retelling of a film that
while not a classic, did have at least a good reputation. The
remake of The Hitcher is a collection of random scenes that
just showcase violence and ridiculous stunts for no purpose other
than showmanship. As the hitchhiker stalks the couple he
mysteriously disappears and reappears in ways that defy logic or
reason. In an attempt to be hip, the film consciously denies its
characters any motivation. The voguish nihilism that The
Hitcher’s aims for (as though that were not a perfect
contradiction) is as forced and insincere as the film’s attempts
to be scary.
6. Halloween
Directed by: Rob Zombie
Premise: A remake of John
Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic. In this re-imagining,
Michael Myers grows up in a dysfunctional suburban household and
is committed to an asylum after murdering members of his own
family. Fifteen years later, the adult Myers escapes and returns
to his hometown to hunt down his surviving sister (Scout
Taylor-Compton).
Why It Made the List: It is
heartbreaking to have to put this film on this list, especially
when Rob Zombie's sophomore effort The
Devil’s Rejects made the Top
10 of 2005 list, but this remake of Halloween is so
inept that it feels like a betrayal. The attempt to retell Michael
Myers' background was earnest, but after his escape the film
presents the viewer with a faster, watered down, and far less
suspenseful recapitulation of the original. Zombie still hasn’t
mastered the ability to create dread or tension, which this Halloween
severely lacks, and scenes of violence are poorly staged and
edited so that it is difficult to tell what is happening. The
three female leads are obnoxious, overly hormonal, one-dimensional
characters whose life or death is ultimately inconsequential and
that finally kills the movie.
7. The
Reaping
Directed by: Stephen Hopkins
Premise: Katherine, a former
Christian missionary turned miracle debunker (Hillary Swank), is
at a loss to explain why a river in a rural Louisiana town has
turned to blood. Strange occurrences continue, resembling the
plagues of the Biblical story of Exodus, forcing Katherine to
reevaluate her faith.
Why It Made the List: The most
consistent feature of The
Reaping is its ability to take elements that start out fairly
strong and ruin them through stupid storytelling decisions.
The film could have been an intelligent inquiry into the line
between faith and rationality in the vein of Carl Sagan or Red
Serling, but The Reaping
continues shooting itself in the foot until arriving at a a cheep
gimmick of a conclusion that opens up all sorts of plot holes cops
out on the entire premise of the movie.
8. The
Invasion
Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Premise: A remake of Invasion
of the Body Snatchers. In this version, an alien virus
transmitted through bodily fluids takes a hold of people’s
consciousness when they fall to sleep. A psychiatrist (Nicole
Kidman) tries to get herself and her son (Jackson Bond) out of the
city when the virus becomes an epidemic.
Why It Made the List: The Invasion
is one of those films that probably sounded great in a pitch but
no one committed to working out the nuts and bolts of the story.
The picture has no sense of pacing and spends a great deal of its
first act with the characters sitting around talking about things
that don't really relate to the story. But what is weirdest about The
Invasion is how it characterizes the alien takeover an
improvement on human existence. Whoever thought that was a good
idea clearly did not think it through.
9. Ghost
Rider
Directed by: Mark Steven Johnson
Premise: An adaptation of the Marvel
comic book character. Motorcycle daredevil Johnny Blaze (Nicholas
Cage) makes a pact with Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) to act as a
messenger for the devil in exchange for invincible riding skills.
When another demon (Wes Bentley) attempts to unleash a secret den
of souls, Blaze must protect this secret or some unspecified
catastrophe will result.
Why It Made the List: Ghost
Rider is about a man who turns into a flaming skeleton. That
ought to tell you something about the nature of the film. The
filmmakers apparently knew this was stupid and try to cover that
stupidity with humor. Despite their efforts, it is difficult, if
not impossible, to defend a film so blatantly stupid as this one.
The demons of the film are laughable and when Blaze turns into the
Ghost Rider, a flaming skeleton who rides a motorcycle that looks
like it was pimped out by Leatherface, the special effects are
very sloppy. The actors sleepwalk through the movie, especially
Eva Mendez who plays’ Blaze’s long lost love.
10. Pirates
of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Premise: The third chapter in the Pirates
of the Caribbean franchise. Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth
(Keira Knightley) pair with the recently resurrected Barbossa
(Geoffrey Rush) to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from
Davy Jones’ Locker while British Lord Becket (Tom Hollander)
begins a campaign to rid the seas of all pirates.
Why It Made the List: Pirates of
the Caribbean makes the list out of sheer exasperation. The
film takes everything good about the previous installments and
sucks it out of them, leaving a film so incompetent its
feels like it was made Uwe Boll. All of the actors drag their
feet, including Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. At World’s End
tries to overcome third chapter fatigue by having the characters
erratically make and break alliances, double and triple crossing
each other, but it's just confusing and eventually irritating. By
the time the climax arrives, the film is a bloated collection of
muddled character relationships compensated by stunts and special
effects that don't mean anything. It is hard to believe that so
much money, time, and talent was thrown into this production but
apparently the screenplay was written on the back of a cocktail
napkin.
Index
Great
Performances of 2007
This is a list of some of the
great performances in 2007, although not all of them were in great
movies.
30
Days of Night - Danny Huston was the single saving grace
of this otherwise mundane vampire film.
300
- Gerard Bulter's performance matched the operatic, over-the-top
style of the film.
Alpha
Dog - Justin Timberlake proved he can act in this film, in
which he carries the conscience of the story.
The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford -
Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck do a wonderful job playing the title
characters.
Becoming
Jane - Anne Hathaway nails the British accent in this film
and her performance is very strong even if the screenplay was not.
Breach
- Chris Cooper, one of those widely seen but largely unappreciated
actors, gives a creepy but sympathetic performance as a double
agent in the FBI.
Black
Snake Moan - Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and
Justin Timberlake all give great turns in a brave film.
Bug
- Ashley Judd's descent into madness is a creepy and sad show.
Elizabeth:
The Golden Age - Cate Blanchette reprises the role that
made her famous. Although the film was not as successful
creatively or financially, Blanchette is still terrific as the
virgin queen.
Enchanted
- Amy Adams gives one of the best performances of the year in a
role that requires her to sing, dance, and call upon a wide range
of emotions.
Hairspray
- Nikki Blonsky makes her feature debut and John Travolta wears a
dress.
I
am Legend - As the last man on earth, Will Smith
acts alone for the duration of the film and gets to showcase his
considerable acting talent.
Juno
- Ellen Page sarcastic but sensitive portrayal of a pregnant teen
makes the movie.
The
Lookout - Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives a great performance
in a pretty good film.
Michael
Clayton - Tom Wilkinson, George Clooney, and Tilda
Swinton all perform magnificently in this film, even if the story
ended up a little underwhelming.
A
Mighty Heart - Angelina Jolie plays Mariane Pearl during
the search for her husband.
No
Country for Old Men - Javier Bardem is one of the most
threatening villains since Arnold Schwarzenegger in The
Terminator. If only the final act of the story had been so
good.
Perfume
- The Story of a Murderer - Ben Whishaw is terrific as a
mute whose is tortured by his obsessions with olfactory sensation.
Reign
Over Me - Adam Sandler gives the best performance of
his career as a man who lost his family in the 9/11 attack.
Resurrecting
the Champ - Samuel L. Jackson gives his other great
performance of the year in a film that was not quite up the same
level.
Shoot
'Em Up - Paul Giamatti and Clive Owen are a lot of
surly, snarling fun as tough guys surging with testosterone.
Sweeny
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Johnny Depp and
Helena Bonham Carter do a nice job singing, barbing, and making
meat pies and capturing the humor in a story about a pair who
kills people and feeds them to the public.
Talk
to Me - Don Cheadle is magnetic as "Petey"
Greene a man and he finds the human being behind the hustler.
Things
We Lost in the Fire - Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro are
terrific here.
La
Vie En Rose - Marion Cotillard is great as French
performer Edith Piaf, playing her at a variety of ages.
Index
Trends of
2007
Shoot 'Em Up Movies
Big, loud action films in the style of 1980 and early 90s films by
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, and Jean Claude Van Damme
were prevalent in 2007 and this new generation of shoot 'em ups
are even more over the top than ever before. These new films were
marked with big guns, fast editing, dynamic cinematography and
lots of slow motion. Whether these films have staying power is
uncertain and they certainly ranged in quality but for fans of
hard action, these brought testosterone-fueled delight.
300
The
Brave One
Death
Sentence
Hot
Fuzz
The
Kingdom
Live
Free or Die Hard
Rush
Hour 3
Shoot
'Em Up
Smokin'
Aces
War
Ultra-Violent, Neo-Grindhouse
Cinema
2007 featured a big influx of extremely violent horror cinema,
influenced by the exploitation and slasher films of the 1970s and
80s. Not all were strictly horror, but all appealed to the classic
Grindhouse cinema. Some critics have taken to using the term
"torture porn" to describe some of these films. While
many were not very good, the term is rather misleading and
soporific.
30
Days of Night
Behind
the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
The
Brave One
Captivity
Death
Sentence
Grindhouse
Halloween
Hatchet
Hills
Have Eyes II
Hostel
Part II
P2
Resident
Evil: Extinction
Saw
IV
Vacancy
Fantasy Films
The ripple effect of The
Lord of the Rings seems as strong as ever, with plenty of
fantasy films released in 2007 and more to come in 2008. The genre
is starting to show wear and tear with a lot of films
recapitulating the same ideas over and over again and not doing
them very well. But as long as the public shows up to see them,
the future of the genre seems bright.
300
Aliens
Vs. Predator: Requiem
Beowulf
Bridge
to Terabithia
D-War-
Dragon War
Enchanted
Evan
Almighty
The
Golden Compass
Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I
am Legend
Pirates
of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Resident Evil: Extinction
The
Seeker: The Dark is Rising
Shrek
the Third
Stardust
Iraq/Post-September 11th Cinema
Film takes a few years to catch up to current events, but in 2007
Hollywood had a glut of films about Iraq and post-9/11 subjects.
Some dealt with the subject through historical analogy and others
provided microcosms for contemporary fears but many took on the
subject directly. Most were unsuccessful at the box office and
very few were exceptional, which may discourage Hollywood from
taking on the subject in the near future.
28
Weeks Later
300
Across
the Universe
The
Brave One
Charlie
Wilson’s War
Elizabeth:
The Golden Age
Home
of the Brave
In
the Valley of Elah
The
Kingdom
The
Kite Runner
Lions
for Lambs
Live
Free or Die Hard
A
Mighty Heart
Redacted
Reign
Over Me
Rendition
Disappointments
There were a number of high profile films released in 2007 that
were disappointments. A few were underwhelming based on the hype
that surrounded their arrival and others were new installments in
otherwise successful franchises that didn't live up to their
predecessors.
Atonement
Beowulf
Evan
Almighty
The
Golden Compass
Lions
for Lambs
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Rendition
Shrek
the Third
Spiderman
3
Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Index
