My Top 20 or 21 Films of 2007. No elaborate thoughts, just my list...enjoy! Give your opinion, any changes, or your own list if you like.

20. Savages and Michael Clayton (Tie)
19. Talk To Me
18. The Lookout
17. 300
16. Rescue Dawn
15. The Orphanage
14. This Is England
13. Knocked Up
12. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
11. Before The Devil Knows Your Dead
10. Gone Baby Gone
9. Juno
8. Superbad
7. Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford
6. Eastern Promises
5. Grindhouse (Theatrical Version)
4. King of Kongs
3. Zodiac
2. There Will Be Blood
1. No Country For Old Men

>My Top 20 or 21 Films of 2007. No elaborate thoughts, just
>my list...enjoy! Give your opinion, any changes, or your own
>list if you like.
>
>20. Savages and Michael Clayton (Tie)
>19. Talk To Me
>18. The Lookout
>17. 300
>16. Rescue Dawn
>15. The Orphanage
>14. This Is England
>13. Knocked Up
>12. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
>11. Before The Devil Knows Your Dead
>10. Gone Baby Gone
>9. Juno
>8. Superbad
>7. Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford
>6. Eastern Promises
>5. Grindhouse (Theatrical Version)
>4. King of Kongs
>3. Zodiac
>2. There Will Be Blood
>1. No Country For Old Men
>
>

300 better than the Savages and Michael Clayton....? Knocked Up too?? Superbad ahead of Before the Devil and GBG??! man... i disagree

aite.

<------------ There's only one way to find out...

http://www.liligi.com
http://lilcreepysmiley.blogspot.com/ (LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 9, 2009)

*****
<3 u Mom: Sep. 3, 1960 -May 1, 2006

I knew I would catch something for that...but to me, it was a very fun popcorn flick and nothing more. It was one of the funnest times I had this year in the theater. There is nothing deep, no great acting,...just balls out crazy action and great visuals!

I respect your opinion though.

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

American Gangster gets no love from anyone? I thought that was a really good movie.

Another thing I didnt like is that Crow And Denzel really didnt have that much interaction together.

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

>20. Savages and Michael Clayton (Tie)
>19. Talk To Me
>18. The Lookout
>16. Rescue Dawn
>15. The Orphanage
>14. This Is England
>12. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
>9. Juno
>8. Superbad
>7. Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford
>11. Before The Devil Knows Your Dead
>5. Grindhouse (Theatrical Version)
>4. King of Kongs
>2. There Will Be Blood

^^^^Haven't seen


>3. Zodiac
^^^2006 No?

>17. 300
>13. Knocked Up
>10. Gone Baby Gone
>6. Eastern Promises
>1. No Country For Old Men

Got #1 right as far as I'm concerned.

Have I seen 20 movies this year?

BTW, Zodiac heads, the 2-disc Director's Cut is out
________________________________________________________________________
Magnificent Trident

I was dead bored the whole time I watched it, didn't even finish watching it either. I think the accents & how it was jumping from scene to scene, really threw me off.

Should I finish watching it? The first hour did not interest me at all.
-------

I'm focused maaaaaaann

>I was dead bored the whole time I watched it, didn't even
>finish watching it either. I think the accents & how it was
>jumping from scene to scene, really threw me off.
>
>Should I finish watching it? The first hour did not interest
>me at all.

Well if you dont care what happened to the little girl then probably not. I thought the ending was pretty interesting though.

>17. 300

sucked

>13. Knocked Up

too long and not funny enough

>5. Grindhouse (Theatrical Version)

Planet Terror was cool but Death Proof alone makes this feature suck

>3. Zodiac

good, but I'd put lower

--------

To respond to some of your thoughts...

Watching "Zodiac (Director's Cut)" on HD-DVD...I may consider putting it in the #2 slot and moving "There Will Be Blood" to #3. But I just keep second-guessing about how powerful Day-Lewis' performance was. Move "Zodiac" lower? Really? What films do you think were better?

Also, haha...I'm still catching the "300" flack. I already explained why I put it up there, but I understand the love/hate feelings for it...The same love/hate feeling could be said for "Grindhouse". I think the Weinsteins dropped the ball on "Grindhouse" with the release date, the promotion plan (people had no clue), and the dvd releases sucked. Yet, sitting in a crowded theater and experiencing it all with the trimmed versions with those awesome fake trailers was both a risky and rewarding move. I loved it, but I refuse to get those two dvds...I will wait for the eventual 2+ dvd set.

Funny, how alot of cats was on the boards (not just okayplayer) saying that "Knocked Up" was an instant comedy classic...yaddayadda. Then the funnier "Superbad" came out after and people now wanna knock "Knocked Up". Long? Yes. Funny? Yes. Gutbusting hilarious? No. Heartwarming? Yeah. It is still one of the best comedies of recent years and of the decade imo.

Also, yeah...I forgot about "American Gangster"...I have the same feelings as those that already spoke about it. It was solid entertainment and that is all. Nothing complex, good acting...not great...it could have been grittier and it seemed to be in a rush to tell its story. I almost prefer the "Mr. Untouchable" documentary about Nicky Barnes to the "American Gangster" film.

And yes! Gone Baby Gone is worth watching the whole way thru. The ending is powerful and though-provoking. Solid direction (Who know Benny had it like that?) and great acting by young Afflek, Ed Harris, and the child's mother (forgot her name).

The only disappointment this year to me is the lack of quality foreign films. There were some out there, but to me the South Korean market is looking like the Japan of the early 2000s and the HK of the early 90s. The French is coming up though.

>Funny, how alot of cats was on the boards (not just
>okayplayer) saying that "Knocked Up" was an instant comedy
>classic...yaddayadda. Then the funnier "Superbad" came out
>after and people now wanna knock "Knocked Up". Long? Yes.
>Funny? Yes. Gutbusting hilarious? No. Heartwarming? Yeah. It
>is still one of the best comedies of recent years and of the
>decade imo.


I'ma ease up and just say that

Knocked Up is more in the vein of the darker, cringe-worthy comedy that we've seen for most of the decade

Superbad's more of a broad comedy with joke upon joke upon joke

They both are funny, but in different ways, imo
________________________________________________________________________
Magnificent Trident

The only thing I heard about them is that they were great so I wasnt bias either way. My initial reactions were.....Knocked Up was long BUT I did laugh. I thought on a 2nd viewing I would like it more sorta how I feel about The Break-UP now (which I HATED on 1st viewing and now I cant stop laffing when its on). Superbad I felt was a lil long too but I definitly laffed more and I feel I wouldnt get sick of seein that movie again and again.

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

...is that I feel it's the first truly great film representation of a certain generation, the generation that grew up with the Internet, the one who's seen all readily available porn, grew up in the Britney Spears era, and is more well-versed in sexual terminology than their generational predecessors, despite remaining as relatively inexperienced as any high school aged losers throughout time.

Despite Superbad's broadness, I really felt like this was a film full of characters I knew. Yes, Knocked Up can be seen as a certain generation's film too, the generation on the cusp of adulthood trying to dodge it as nimbly as possible. But this film hit very close to home with many people who I went to school with. I'm not quite sure how it reflects on me... but it certainly reflects very well on the writing of Superbad.

But that's just me. And I really liked Knocked Up too. But I felt despite the broadness of Superbad's jokes that it still felt realer to me than Knocked Up, if that makes sense.

Not the machinations of the plot, per se (for all of those, "no way a girl that hot hooks up with a lard ass like that in real life" cats out there)

But the concept of being thrust, kicking and screaming, into adulthood by the impending arrival of a child, and all of the uncomfortable comedy that ensues

Not that I'm expecting kids, mind you, but it is something that's been on my mind for the past few years, and it's something I talk about with friends and family... incessantly ("So, when you going to get off your ass and bring us some grandkids?")

Yeah.

But that's not to say that it doesn't happen to younger cats, nor am I dismissing Superbad in any way, shape, or form (it's one of the scripts I voted for for the WGA Awards)... it's just that they felt like two different kinds of comedy, and -- for my old ass at least -- Knocked Up, or at least the *uncomfortable idea* of Knocked Up, hit home a bit more
________________________________________________________________________
Magnificent Trident

*sends Zoo some Metamucil*

American Pie, I guess. Bring It On? John Tucker Must Die? I was a fan of Saved! but that was hardly a crossover hit. The internet age really hasn't had a classic.

That being said, I'd say Superbad might be the Better Off Dead of this generation. It's not touching Say Anything, The Breakfast Club, or even Heathers.

----
NBA MOCK DRAFT #1 - https://thecourierclass.com/whole-shebang/2017/5/18/2017-nba-mock-draft-1-just-lotto-and-lotta-trades

I walked out of the theater back in May.

>Funny, how alot of cats was on the boards (not just
>okayplayer) saying that "Knocked Up" was an instant comedy
>classic...yaddayadda. Then the funnier "Superbad" came out
>after and people now wanna knock "Knocked Up". Long? Yes.
>Funny? Yes. Gutbusting hilarious? No. Heartwarming? Yeah. It
>is still one of the best comedies of recent years and of the
>decade imo.

I *really* disagreed with Knocked Up being a classic after that sentiment you mentioned popped up on the boards (and elsewhere). Apatow cannot edit his movies worth a shit...40 Year Old Virgin I excused because it was better, but at least 20 minutes of Knocked Up should have been chopped off.

I thought the whole premise to Knocked Up was somewhat weak, with the ending being terribly annoying.

--------

Before the Devil Knows... is the one that confuses me the most. I saw an advance screening of that for the NYFF and thought it was at about the quality level of a made for TV USA Saturday afternoon special and a total waste of a high quality cast and a great script concept. I wrote a review ripping it to shreds (which got a lot of heat in feedback) and then I see every critic loves that thing. I really, really don't get it. They give away the entire movie in the first 15 minutes and just gets worse from there... The only thing that made that thing worth watching was Marisa Tomei and her eternally ripe body.

BTW

1 Superbad
2 No Country For Old Men
3 300
4 Knocked Up
5 3:10 To Yuma
6 Grindhouse (both movies as one in the theater)

http://twitter.com/phenompyrus

Get Out the Room
http://getouttheroom.podomatic.com
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-out-the-room/id525657893

Movies I LOVED:

Once
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
King of Kong
Zodiac
Hot Fuzz

Movie that wasn't perfect, but rivalled only by No Country for Old Men for the indeliable images it has left in my brain:

Sunshine

Movies I liked quite a bit, even if everything wasn't working for me:

Juno
Michael Clayton
The Host
Waitress
The Bourne Ultimatum
Breach (Kind of slept-on, actually.)

Movies that probably would have made the list if they had come out here in 07:

There Will Be Blood
Persepolis

Movies I just flat out missed, but I wanted to see:

My Kid Could Paint That
The Lives of Others

----
I check for: Serengeti, Zeroh, Open Mike Eagle, Jeremiah Jae, Moka Only.

>Zodiac

I need to see this again. I thought it was ok the 1st time I saw it but a little too long. Everyone else seems to love it tho.

>Hot Fuzz

Expected more after Shaun of the Dead. Kind of a letdown for me.

>Movie that wasn't perfect, but rivalled only by No Country for
>Old Men for the indeliable images it has left in my brain:
>
>Sunshine

Just found out this is also out on DVD now. Renting it tonight. Pissed I missed getting a chance to see it on the big screen.

>Movies I liked quite a bit, even if everything wasn't working
>for me:

>Michael Clayton

Ditto

>The Bourne Ultimatum

I enjoy these when I'm watching them but afterwards I dont remember hardly anything about em. They really dont do much for me & end up being very forgetful.

>Breach (Kind of slept-on, actually.)

I fell asleep trying to watch this last wknd but I'm going to try & give it another shot.

>Movies that probably would have made the list if they had come
>out here in 07:
>
>There Will Be Blood

I didnt see it till the day before yesterday but as its officially an 07 release its now tops on my list.

>Movies I just flat out missed, but I wanted to see:
>
>My Kid Could Paint That
>The Lives of Others

The Lives of Others is out on DVD now. I just watched it the other day & it's certainly worth checking out. There's some pretty interesting info on the extras on the DVD as well

Great stuff. You, Buckshot Defunct, and others might like it. It's available for Instant Watching on NF.

----
I check for: Serengeti, Zeroh, Open Mike Eagle, Jeremiah Jae, Moka Only.

Damn, I missed that post back then. Entertaining read.

shame you all didn't get to see it






(nah i don't know for sure because i haven't seen all those other films, but Atonement was outrageously good)

--------------------
Why do you choose to mimic these wack MCs?
Why do you choose to listen to R&B?

"There are obviously many things which we do not understand, and may never be able to." Leela

*puts emceeing in a box*

I missed a LOT of movies this year so this is a very flawed list. Because I missed most critical darlings, this is based solely on entertainment value and not on whether I thought a film was actually "a great film" (meaning, a film doesn't lose points if I had to turn my brain off to enjoy it).

The Elite: No Country for Old Men
- Far and away the best picture I saw this year.

The Next Echelon: Gone Baby Gone
- I really liked it but didn't love it.

The Entertaining: Zodiac, Ocean's 13, Live Free or Die Hard, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Kingdom, Hot Fuzz
- I'm a fan of the Ocean's films so I was more entertained by that than most people. Live Free or Die Hard was the best superhero movie of the year (and it helped that that's what I was expecting, and not anything remotely plausible). I was actually a bit underwhelmed by Bourne but still enjoyed it. I thought The Kingdom was effective and Hot Fuzz (although very slow to start) had one of the best third acts of the year, which is impressive because that is where most comedies often fall apart.

The Eh-tertaining: 3:10 to Yuma, 300, Michael Clayton.
3:10 to Yuma was good but forgettable, 300 was stylized but lacked any standout moments, Michael Clayton was the epitome of been there, done that but it was done well so I'll let it sneak in at eleven.

The Head Scratcher: The Assassination of Jesse James
I liked the movie, thought the performance and cinematography were outstanding, but, in the end, I thought it was just a bland retelling of a very interesting story. They should have gotten a lot more out of it.
----
Of course, the list of movies I haven't seen: There Will Be Blood, Eastern Promises, Waitress, Once, Into the Wild, Atonement, etc. is likely better than 70% of this list.

----
NBA MOCK DRAFT #1 - https://thecourierclass.com/whole-shebang/2017/5/18/2017-nba-mock-draft-1-just-lotto-and-lotta-trades

The Kingdom
Mr. Brooks
The Bourne Ultimatum
Eastern Promises

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

Followed by Bourne Ultimatum. Followed by anything but The Kingdom.

Kingdom that bad huh?? I didnt say Kingdom Come.....

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

It's going to be somewhat unrealistic and a bit preachy but it's entertaining. If you like Peter Berg's films, you should like this one as well.

----
NBA MOCK DRAFT #1 - https://thecourierclass.com/whole-shebang/2017/5/18/2017-nba-mock-draft-1-just-lotto-and-lotta-trades

Unrealstic.....SUV rolls 15 times,everyone is okay...check

Preachy......Both sides think what they are doing is the right thing....check

I saw it, it was ehhh now I see why the Rock whooped their ass @ the box office....lol....didnt hate it tho

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

>Followed by Bourne Ultimatum. Followed by anything but The
>Kingdom.

I thought Eastern Promises wasn't very good. I was expecting much more.

you need to ask somebody about me. you some Newbie with a few posts. fool you coming at me with some turkey and Bread and you ain't no Miracle Whip to make a sandwich and you ain't no conversation to hang. (c) mistermaxxx

I can't even begin to emphasize how OVER-rated certain films (that critics have demonstrated their lack of good judgement) from '07 were.
-"No Country For Old Men": by far the most uninteresting, bland, needlessly violent and hyped-up movie ever talked about last year.
I'm still trying to understand WHAT exactly people liked about it so much. Somebody here mentioned the ending has balls. Are they serious? You mean, as opposed to the balls they lack?!
-"Zodiac": Could have worked for me, but no. Sorry.
-"Superbad": Try super-degenerate. Super-digressive. The only reason this one gets off the hook a little more is because the characters in it ARE actually high schoolers (and therefore, are SUPPOSED to be immature. I guess). I sure hope Apatow doesn't become the new voice of comedy, with all its male-irresponsibility and ethically-oblivious grandeur.

And that goes for a whole slew of action/slaughter movies, like "300" and "Saw 4". Blood and mindless CGI does nothing except excite 13 yr old boys who live behind their XBox 360s and PS3s.

I, generally, don't like top 10 lists. So, I'll just state some films I felt are worthy of mention.
-"Why Did I Get Married?": A great film in '07 with honest dialogue involving married Black Americans. The situations can fit any ethnic group, but its refreshing to see it being done with Black actors.
-"Across The Universe": Not the best film, by far. However, its aesthetics and musical adaptations serve up the most hopeful vision of creativity I've seen in '07. Its wonderful to see somebody have good old-fashioned fun with cinema again, and it corrects the sarcasm & cynicism plaguing our popular culture.
-"I Am Legend": Okay, fine, so you don't like the ending. You didn't like the CG "dark-seekers", and you probably barked at the plot-holes. But, not many people can deny the breathe-takingly chilling scenery showing an empty New York City. More scary than anything I've seen in '07. One of the best "end of the world" films I ever saw.
-"DeathProof": Yeah, I'm admitting it. What other film in '07 had as much aggressive feminism, and still managed to keep its sense of humor?
-"1408": A perfect example that you can make an effectively creepy horror film, while its PG-13 and not with any slaughter-house slasher-flick gross schtick. And, for the record, if I EVER hear The Carpenters play on a clock radio, I'm gone like Mims.
-"Sicko": Moore redeemed himself after the nauseating "9-11". Health is as real as it gets.
-may you be in Heaven half an hour "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead": this film teaches you everything that you shouldn't do (in case you forgot). A well-acted film-noir. Too depressing to watch again, however.
-"Talk To Me": Don Cheadle is a genius actor. Nuff said.

last but not least... "Killer of Sheep": made in 1977, but restored and given distrubution last February. Charles Burnett's black&white low-budget film, made with non-SAG actors while he was in film school, over the course of several weekends. No narrative. Just a visual poem of a struggling family with as many smiles as frowns, scored with classic blues. The opening scene, alone, is worth the price of admission.

the first 1/3 was great...the rest was ugh. of course, endings were never King's strong suit.

--------

Explain, please.

>-"No Country For Old Men": by far the most uninteresting,
>bland, needlessly violent and hyped-up movie ever talked about
>last year.
>I'm still trying to understand WHAT exactly people liked about
>it so much. Somebody here mentioned the ending has balls.
> Are they serious? You mean, as opposed to the balls they
>lack?!

The main gist of my point is- it doesn't take balls to prove what we as Americans already know, that we love violence, and in the end, we root for the bad guy.
There was absolutely nothing daring/ shocking/ or refreshing about killing people off for the purpose of..... ?
I had a hard time finding any purpose in NCFOM.

please go here:

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=6&topic_id=310460&mesg_id=310460

also known as, "One of PTP's finest hours"
________________________________________________________________________________________
Magnificent Trident

The moral isn't "Americans love violence," or "we love to root for the bad guy."

The moral is that America assumes that they are the good guy, and that they will always prevail over violence and villainy. And unfortunately, it doesn't work like that in the least bit.

If you think the film roots for the bad guy, or that violence is somehow condoned or appreciated, you should see it again, because you evidently missed a lot.

(c)Max Smart

No Country for Old Men still made my list but I just didn't get quite as much out of it as I expected to after reading the reviews for it. This made me go into There Will be Blood with similar skepticism but it managed to live up to the high expectations.

I willing to give Zodiac a 2nd viewing but I got bored by the 3rd act.

And I think that Knocked Up>>>>>>>>>>>>Superbad. I didnt even think Superbad looked all that great from the trailer but had to see it once the rave reviews came in. It was about what I expected.

Ha!
-------

I'm focused maaaaaaann

And here we are, almost at mid-January (Got-DAMN!) and I haven't figured it out yet.

Longo is correct, '07 was a great year for movies, perhaps the best since '99.
________________________________________________________________________
Magnificent Trident

lol

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

>lol
LOL

________________________________________________________________________
Magnificent Trident

1.) There Will Be Blood
2.) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3.) Into the Wild
4.) No Country for Old Men
5.) Gone Baby Gone, Michael Clayton, & American Gangster are currently in a battle for this 5th spot but I hope I'll see som'n else soon that'll trump em

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead & Lars & the Real Girl are next up on the list.

Then, my list will be up here.

i thought this movie would definitely be in the top 10 if not top 5, IMO.

.

hold up, this movie should be top 3, without a doubt. am i missing somethin? were yall just plain not feelin it?

.

If anyone has a screener link, inbox me, I'd love to see it. But for now, I'm stuck.

I'm willing to give it another look

Eventually

But for now, no
________________________________________________________________________
Magnificent Trident

But then I still have another month of waiting for some DVD releases to come around . . .

Here are some notable dates to save:

The Hunting Party: 01/22
The Assassination of Jesse James: 02/05
Gone Baby Gone: 02/12
American Gangster: 02/19
Michael Clayton: 02/19

I've been looking desperately for some type of high-quality screener, just so I can get this list out of the way. Same with I'm Not There.

It's not the same experience... but all the same.

I need to rent The Lookout and Zodiac right now.

I would be shocked if that came anywhere near your Top 10. One of the worst movies I saw this year and a total waste of time.

>But then I still have another month of waiting for some DVD
>releases to come around . . .
>
>Here are some notable dates to save:
>
>The Hunting Party: 01/22

I cant stand Richard Gere but this does sound interesting

>The Assassination of Jesse James: 02/05

This will be copped

>Gone Baby Gone: 02/12

Into the Wild comes on on this same date as well

>>The Hunting Party: 01/22
>
>I cant stand Richard Gere but this does sound interesting

Me neither. But this isn't sensitive Buddhist Julia Roberts-loving Richard Gere. It's breaking international law, vengeful, broken Richard Gere. If you've seen The Matador (Greg Kinnear, Pierce Brosnan), just imagine that kind of bizarre male-bonding set in post-war Bosnia. But it's not completely a "this is war" moralizing tale, nor a straight-on satire. It's more a buddy low-budget action flick, with enough dark humor and political commentary to piss off critics who wanted it to be just one thing and one thing throughout.

>>Gone Baby Gone: 02/12
>
>Into the Wild comes on on this same date as well

Nice. It, along with the aforementioned Hunting Party and American Gangster I need to rewatch. Into the Wild has stayed stronger in my mind after seeing it than American Gangster has, even though I initially would have declared the latter the more complete film.

>>>The Hunting Party: 01/22
>>
>>I cant stand Richard Gere but this does sound interesting
>
>Me neither. But this isn't sensitive Buddhist Julia
>Roberts-loving Richard Gere. It's breaking international law,
>vengeful, broken Richard Gere. If you've seen The Matador
>(Greg Kinnear, Pierce Brosnan), just imagine that kind of
>bizarre male-bonding set in post-war Bosnia. But it's not
>completely a "this is war" moralizing tale, nor a straight-on
>satire. It's more a buddy low-budget action flick, with
>enough dark humor and political commentary to piss off critics
>who wanted it to be just one thing and one thing throughout.

Yeah that sounds like its right up my alley. The supporting cast is solid enough as well to where I can put my Gere bias aside for a couple hours

>>>Gone Baby Gone: 02/12
>>
>>Into the Wild comes on on this same date as well
>
>Nice. It, along with the aforementioned Hunting Party and
>American Gangster I need to rewatch. Into the Wild has stayed
>stronger in my mind after seeing it than American Gangster
>has, even though I initially would have declared the latter
>the more complete film.

Yeah I'm gonna rewatch those as well. BTW. Where did you get the release dates from? I had been looking for the Jesse James date for awhile.

>BTW. Where did you get
>the release dates from? I had been looking for the Jesse James
>date for awhile.

Stuff that has been talked about to varying degrees:

(BTW, genius.switch, if you haven't heard yet, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and 2 other Paradjanov remasters/special editions on DVD Feb. 5)

Syndromes and a Century 1/15
Quiet City 1/29
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters 1/29
Across the Universe 2/5
Feast of Love 2/5
2 Days in Paris 2/5
Great World of Sound 2/5
Romance and Cigarettes 2/12
We Own The Night 2/12
In the Valley of Elah 2/19
Lust, Caution 2/19
Redacted 2/19
The Darjeeling Limited 2/26
Lake of Fire 3/11

Last week:
Golden Door 1/8

Easily top 10 of 2007. The pacing was just incredible, and just an ill, grimy plot. LMAO @ dude spoiling the next flick a mod ordered on Netflix, you can't be not markin spoilers like that!

-------------------------------
If life is stupendous one cannot also demand that it should be easy. - Robert Musil

I feel like I saw way more movies in the theater this year than any other, and with a lot less disappointment too.

Two-dinosaur-sticker tier of depression:

- No Country for Old Men
- There Will be Blood
- L'Armée des Ombres (I think the limited theatrical re-release was '06, but I didn't see it until the Criterion.)
- The Lives of Others


Awesome job!:

- Eastern Promises
- Ratatouille

A for effort!:

- Superbad
- Sunshine


I saw a lot more (the usual suspects like Knocked Up, as well as smaller ish like Vitus), but the above were the ones I can actually recall talking about afterwards. And there were plenty more I wanted to see (Before the Devil Knows Your Dead for one).

But due to production schedules, does this mean that without a great influx of new talent/resurrected shelved-material, 2008 is gonna be horrible?

________________________________________________________________________
Magnificent Trident

It took me (a long) while, but here's my top 15. And as I've mentioned elsewhere, I've still yet to see everything I want to see from last year, but I've come close enough to have confidence in this list.

The honorable mentions:
15.The King of Kong
14.3:10 To Yuma
13.Golden Door
12.Michael Clayton
11.Atonement

The top ten:
10.The Wind That Shakes the Barley
09.Lars and the Real Girl
08.Once
07.The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
06.This Is England
05.There Will Be Blood
04.Knocked Up
03.No End In Sight
02.No Country for Old Men
01.Zodiac

Cashing in my late pass for In the Valley of Elah, which aside from a bad closing song, hit all the right notes. (I think the Crash-backlash sabotaged it.)

Top 10:

01.Zodiac
02.No Country for Old Men
03.No End In Sight
04.There Will Be Blood
05.The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
06.Knocked Up
07.This Is England
08.Once
09.In the Valley of Elah
10.The King of Kong

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

real talk

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“Be uncomfortable; be sand, not oil, to the machinery of the world.”
- Gunter Eich

FAVORITE MOVIES
1. There Will Be Blood
2. The Assassination of Jesse James
3. Zodiac
4. Still Life
5. Persepolis
6. No Country For Old Men
7. Hana
8. Knocked Up
9. Golden Door
10. Old Joy
11. In Between Days
12. Once
13. This Is England
14. The Wind That Shakes the Barley
15. Syndromes and a Century
Honorable Mention (among many): Los Muertos; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly


FAVORITE LEAD PERFORMANCE (ACTOR)
1. Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
2. Thomas Turgoose (This Is England)
3. Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)
4. Stephen Graham (This Is England)
5. Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James)
6. Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)
7. Gordon Pinsent (Away From Her)
8. Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac)
9. Brad Pitt (The Assassination of Jesse James)
10. Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
11. Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men)
12. Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men)
13. George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
14. Glen Hansard (Once)
15. Michael Cera (Superbad)
Honorable Mention: Adam Goldberg (2 Days in Paris); Tony Leung (Lust, Caution)


FAVORITE LEAD PERFORMANCE (ACTRESS)
1. Wei Tang (Lust, Caution)
2. Kate Dickie (Red Road)
3. Jiseon Kim (In Between Days)
4. Carice van Houten (Black Book)
5. Sabine Azema (Private Fears in Public Places)
6. Laura Linney (The Savages)
7. Marion Cotillard (La vie en rose)
8. Julie Christie (Away From Her)
9. Isabelle Huppert (Private Property)
10. Marketa Irglova (Once)
11. Molly Shannon (Year of the Dog)
12. Parker Posey (Fay Grim)
13. Luisa Williams (Day Night Day Night)
14. Laura Linney (Jindabyne)
15. Keri Russell (Waitress)
Honorable Mention: Julie Delpy (2 Days in Paris)


FAVORITE SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE (ACTOR)
1. Sam Rockwell (The Assassination of Jesse James)
2. Max von Sydow (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
3. Kevin J. O'Connor (There Will Be Blood)
4. Kene Holliday (Great World of Sound)
5. Garret Dillahunt (The Assassination of Jesse James)
6. Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood)
7. Philip Bosco (The Savages)
8. Robert Longstreet (Great World of Sound)
9. Ciaran Hinds (There Will Be Blood)
10. Sam Shepard (The Assassination of Jesse James)
11. John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac)
12. Robert Downey Jr. (Zodiac)
13. Hans Howes (There Will Be Blood)
14. Taegu Andy Kang (In Between Days)
15. Liam Cunningham (The Wind That Shakes the Barley)
Honorable Mention: Barry Corbin and Gene Jones (NCFOM); Albert Delpy (2 Days in Paris); Nicholas D'Agosto (Rocket Science); David Pasquesi (I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With); Bill Hodnett (Once); Joe Gilgun and Andrew Shim (This Is England)


FAVORITE SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE (ACTRESS)
1. Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
2. Jennifer Jason Leigh (Margot at the Wedding)
3. Kelly Macdonald (No Country For Old Men)
4. Elaine Stritch (Romance & Cigarettes)
5. Kristen Thomson (Away From Her)
6. Marie-Josee Croze (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
7. Mary Louise Parker (The Assassination of Jesse James)
8. Sima Mobarak Shahi (Offside)
9. Aurora Quattrocchi (Golden Door)
10. Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
11. Judy Greer (The TV Set)
12. Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
13. Marie Pillet (2 Days in Paris)
14. Olatz Lopez Garmendia (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
15. Joan Chen (Lust, Caution)
Honorable Mention: Emmanuelle Seigner (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly); Laura Morante (Private Fears in Public Places); Vicky McClure, Jo Hartley, and Rosamund Hanson (This Is England); Anna Kendrick (Rocket Science)
*No Acting Needed, Just Be On-Camera 'Cause I Love You Even Though You Look A Little Weird, But You're Still Hot To Me Award* - Aleksia Landeau


FAVORITE CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. Roger Deakins (TAOJJ)
2. Robert Elswit (TWBB)
3. Harris Savides (Zodiac)
4. Roger Deakins (NCFOM)
5. Agnes Godard (Golden Door)
6. Edward Lachman (I'm Not There)
7. Robert Elswit (Michael Clayton)
8. Rodrigo Prieto (Lust, Caution)
9. Roger Deakins (In the Valley of Elah)
10. Janusz Kaminski (The Diving Bell...)
11. Alwin H. Kuchler (Sunshine)
12. Seamus McGarvey (Atonement)
13. Mark Lee Ping-bin (After This Our Exile)
14. Cheng Siu Keung (Triad Election)
15. Peter Sillen (Old Joy)
Honorable Mention (HD-DV or DV cinematography) - Nelson Yu Lik-wai (Still Life); Sarah Cawley (Fay Grim); Andrew Reed (Quiet City); Sarah Levy (In Between Days)

>FAVORITE LEAD PERFORMANCE (ACTOR)
>1. Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
>2. Thomas Turgoose (This Is England)
>3. Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)
>4. Stephen Graham (This Is England)
>5. Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James)
>6. Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)
>7. Gordon Pinsent (Away From Her)
>8. Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac)
>9. Brad Pitt (The Assassination of Jesse James)
10. Vincenzo Amato (Golden Door)
11. Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
12. Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men)
13. Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men)
14. George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
15. Glen Hansard (Once)
Honorable Mention: Michael Cera (Superbad); Adam Goldberg (2 Days in Paris); Tony Leung (Lust, Caution)