Top 10 Films of 2007

Another year, another “best of” list. I’ll be first to give into the cliché. Oh well, you can argue with me afterwards.

 
10. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Since Pulp Fiction, we’ve seen plenty of crime films with a non-linear narrative. Few (if any) though, have dared to be as bleak and devastating as this one. Focusing on two brothers whose jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the film offered a disturbing examination on how flawed humanity can be sometimes. Sidney Lumet, the director, is currently one of the oldest guys still in the business, but Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead shows he is one of the most experienced as well.
 
9. 3:10 to Yuma
The small screen may have had Deadwood, but it feels like we haven’t had a great American Western film in an incredibly long time. That thirst was finally quenched this fall, with this fast-paced remake. While lacking a contemporary setting, the action was plentiful and brisk enough to keep the teens happy, and the more intellectual people in the audience could easily find much to like in the excellent character development and directing. I felt it easily trumped Russell Crowe’s other vehicle this year (American Gangster) and it was one of the most satisfying films of the year.
 
8. Gone Baby Gone
I don’t think anyone would have thought that Ben Affleck would make a helluva director, but he does an exemplary job here with his debut. This taut neo-noir is one of the few movies that will have you questioning if what the characters did was moral or not by the time the credits roll. Ben’s brother, Casey, stars and certainly sparks both of their careers. I never though I’d say this, but Ben Affleck has finally redeemed himself for Daredevil.
 
7. Hot Fuzz
If you were thinking that Edgar Wright wasn’t going to pull off a follow-up film that matched 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, than you, my friend, were incredibly wrong. Like the “zom-rom-com,” Hot Fuzz fittingly makes fun of its genre (buddy cop movies) as well as revering it. It may only be the year’s second best gory goofball actioner (that honor goes to Grindhouse’s Planet Terror), but that doesn’t mean it should be forgotten. Edgar Wright could be the new Sam Raimi if he plays his cards right.
 
6. Superbad
It seems as if “Apatow Productions” has become the Wu-Tang Clan of comedy movies. Like that Staten Island rap posse, Judd Apatow and his buddies are some of the best artists in the business and have spread out with different projects in order to keep the genre in a choke-hold. Written by Seth Rogen and his friend Evan Goldberg when they were still in high school (although revised throughout the years), everything about the film feels authentic. The dialogue, acting, directing, script and soundtrack are so much better than the typical teen sex romp, that you may find yourself questioning what American Pie and The Breakfast Club were thinking. Anything else? Oh yeah, McLovin’!
 
5. Knocked Up
It’s a hard decision over which of Apatow’s two mega-hits this year (this and Superbad) was the better one. In the end, Knocked Up won me over by just a smidgen. While its premise may seem groan-inducing, Knocked Up was just as sweet and witty as the writer/director’s other work. While it certainly didn’t hurt that the movie was funny as hell, it was also surprisingly even more relevant on the subject of childbirth than the year’s other pregnancy comedy, Juno. Lastly, Seth Rogen finally gets the leading role that he’s deserved since Freaks and Geeks in 2000. Look out Will Ferrell, you might have some competition now.
 
4. Grindhouse
If this list was entitled "The top ten most fun films of 2007" than Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s exploitation double-feature would definitely be number one! Intended to bring the style of sleazy ‘70s indie films to mainstream theaters, Grindhouse easily justified itself as a movie experience where you would consider framing your ticket stub. While Tarantino’s Death Proof is a worthy addition to his filmography, the main attraction here is Rodriguez’s ingenious Planet Terror. Mixing B-movie aesthetics with superb filmmaking, Planet Terror managed to be a fun, hilarious and riotous zombie movie that was ironically more original than anything the director had done before. Plus, who can deny that the fake trailers didn’t have you hooting and hollering. It’s easy to see why this film was a box office disaster (you’d be hard-pressed to find a non-film-buff that “got” the trailer), but it’s destined to live on as a cult classic. Now when’s the double-disk edition coming out?
 
3. Eastern Promises
While maybe not as precise as Cronenberg and Mortensen’s last venture, A History of Violence, their newest collaboration is yet another testament to the mastery that both men have over their respected fields. Most people are going to be talking about the brutal sauna fight in it, but what really makes the film stand out is its ability to combine a provocative and endearing story with a hard-boiled gangster film and not lose any of the impact. You can call Cronenberg the new Kubrick, Scorsese or whatever, but the director ultimately stands in a league of his own.
 
 
2. No Country For Old Men
Although the film is being called the Coen brothers’ return to form, No Country for Old Men is by far their most different work. Lacking a soundtrack or much of their trademark humor, this adaptation of Cormack McCarthy’s acclaimed novel transcends your standard pulp fiction, and is instead an acerbic meditation on the randomness of fate and death. Although the three leads all give memorable performances, the real star of No Country for Old Men is the cinematography which provides some truly striking images. We may have had to get The Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty before we got another Fargo from the Coens, but it was well worth the wait.
 
1. There Will Be Blood
I was so going to give this spot to No Country for Old Men. I was dead-set on saying that that film was the best of 2007. Then I realized that I’d be remiss to not give this sprawling epic the position it deserved. About half-way through viewing the film, I was convinced that Kubrick had risen from the grave to embody the soul of Paul Thomas Anderson. The direction here is simply unparalled against most of today’s cinema. All the other contributors deliver in spades as well, from Johnny Greenwood’s brilliant soundtrack, to Daniel Day Lewis uproarious acting. It’s not just Anderson’s best film to date, but it is the most complete American period piece in years.