1. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
Beginning in a silver mine and concluding in a lavish basement, THERE WILL BE BLOOD tracks the thirty-year descent of a man pursuing wealth at all costs. Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as Daniel Plainview is one for the ages. Without a doubt, the ferocity he applies to this hateful man is responsible for much of his acting's power. Electrifying as his monstrous moments are, he isn't all bluster and scenery-chewing. His quiet moments as an observer of people and rare times of vulnerability have some of the greatest impact.
Biblical in scope, THERE WILL BE BLOOD can be viewed as an origin tale of contemporary corporate greed and the danger to organized religion when intermingling with capitalism, but the film is more compelling in how it connects to the past. It’s a story of costly sacrifice as promised in the title.
On a formal level THERE WILL BE BLOOD is an astounding accomplishment. The cinematography and production design’s caliber is second to none. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood's dissonant score scrapes and swells like Daniel's distaste for mankind. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson brings it all together with his superb direction and a screenplay he adapted from Upton Sinclair's OIL! A spectacular achievement, THERE WILL BE BLOOD seems, at this early date, worthy to be mentioned alongside cinema's avowed masterpieces.
2. RATATOUILLE (Brad Bird, 2007)
RATATOUILLE is yet another triumph for Pixar, the computer animation studio that can seemingly do no wrong. The gorgeous animation and story's maturity give the film a richness worthy of the finest gourmet meal, let alone a summer movie presumed to be aimed at kids. Artistic creation is often attributed to divine inspiration or some other mystical source, but RATATOUILLE acknowledges and revels in the hard work necessary to make things. It finds joy in the process, something that Brad Bird and the Pixar crew apparently know quite a bit about if this film is any indication.
3. ONCE (John Carney, 2007)
ONCE is a film of modest means, yet this musical love story between an Irish busker and Czech immigrant takes on a grand emotional scale. Sweet in tone and simple in filmmaking technique, ONCE draws us in with a relationship that develops as naturally as unpredictably as any plucked from real life. The characters played by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová connect in songs seamlessly integrated into the film and thus in the hearts of moviegoers.
4. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 2007)
The Coen brothers bring their unique sense for bloodshed and humor to their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Intense, thoughtful, and darkly funny, the film looks at a violent landscape where morality and mercy are absent. In a standout cast, Javier Bardem leaps to the fore as a ruthless man ushering in the wave of senseless killing.
5. ATONEMENT (Joe Wright, 2007)
A child's overactive imagination, busybody's curiosity, and an observational misunderstanding lead to life-altering consequences in the devastating ATONEMENT. Director Joe Wright demonstrates a remarkable ability to tell stories with the entire cinematic language. From the precise sound design to the sprawling tracking shot of the evacuation to Dunkirk, Wright attends to the small and the large with a masterful touch. ATONEMENT is an exquisitely crafted film bursting with the possibilities movies offer.
6. HOT FUZZ (Edgar Wright, 2007)
With HOT FUZZ writer-director Edgar Wright and co-writer and star Simon Pegg send up action films in the same vein that SHAUN OF THE DEAD goofed on the horror genre. Rather than engaging in outright parody, they construct an original story that lovingly lampoons cop movie conventions. Blessed with an airtight script, a sterling cast of comedic actors, and a director in peak form, HOT FUZZ is an arresting farce sure to keep audiences locked up with laughter.
7. MUSIC AND LYRICS (Marc Lawrence, 2007)
Like a catchy pop song you can't stop humming, the sublime romantic melody of MUSIC AND LYRICS puts a smile on your face and love in your heart. Romantic comedies, potentially the easiest genre for depicting familiar people and scenarios, regularly get mucked up with plot contrivances that make them alien to viewer experiences. Perhaps that's why MUSIC AND LYRICS is so refreshing. Marc Lawrence's film succeeds because it develops lovable, realistic characters and focuses on the budding relationship between the delightful Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore rather than tearing them apart so they can get together in the end.
8. I'M NOT THERE (Todd Haynes, 2007)
Todd Haynes' masterful portrait of Bob Dylan scrutinizes the musician-poet-actor-artist-husband-father-outlaw and leaves him at once as mysterious as ever and yet somehow knowable. Haynes' challenging film sets out to see how the disparate pieces of Dylan's persona fit together, if they're even part of the same puzzle. Edited like a puzzle worker's trial-and-error method of searching for what goes where, I'M NOT THERE juxtaposes eras in a structure that suggests chronology but avoids hewing to it.
9. SUNSHINE (Danny Boyle, 2007)
A mission to reignite our dying sun becomes an exploration of existential questions in SUNSHINE. Packed with spectacular visuals, tense moments, and philosophical musings on humanity's place in the universe, Danny Boyle's film is more than just an echo of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and SOLARIS.
10. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON) (Julian Schnabel, 2007)
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY transcends the uplifting movie-of-the-week story through Julian Schnabel's artful direction and deep empathy. Often shot from an incapacitated Jean-Dominique Bauby's subjective view, the film excels at expressing the unsettling feeling of his fixed perspective and the constricting sensation of immobility. Schnabel and actor Mathieu Amalric approach the situation with the single-minded purpose of providing a virtual experience that reveals the power of the mind to animate.
Showing posts with label best films of 2007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best films of 2007. Show all posts
Friday, February 08, 2008
2007 in Film: The Honorable Mentions
2 DAYS IN PARIS (Julie Delpy, 2007)
Among her many credits on the film, Julie Delpy writes, directs, and stars in this charming romantic comedy that brings the verbal wit and intelligence of BEFORE SUNSET to a MEET THE PARENTS scenario. Playful and philosophical, 2 DAYS IN PARIS is a nice antidote to its dunderheaded cinematic brethren.
28 WEEKS LATER (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007)
A tense and terrifying trip through a chaotic urban environment, 28 WEEKS LATER is Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's respectable follow-up to Danny's Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER (which made my 2003 honorable mentions). The rage virus that ravaged London is believed to have been eradicated, so the city begins to be repopulated. The characters and audience are forced into reactive mode when faced with sensory bombardment, creating palpable fear in one of 2007's scariest movies.
AFTER THE WEDDING (EFTER BRYLLUPPET) (Susanne Bier, 2006)
AFTER THE WEDDING'S anguished portrait of family, charity, and mortality peels back layers in the characters that defy their easy categorization. Director Susanne Bier takes a soap opera plot and wrings every last ounce of human emotion out of it. What good is charity to others if none exists for those who are closest? The film's invitation to look closer doesn't challenge what's on the surface so much as it searches for core truths.
AIR GUITAR NATION (Alexandra Lipsitz, 2006)
Bringing pretend rocking out of the bedroom and onto the world stage, AIR GUITAR NATION follows the search for the United States' initial ambassador of air. This very funny documentary should get audiences strumming along on their own air guitars and flashing devil horns in support of these masters of mock rock.
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andew Dominik, 2007)
Andrew Dominik's deconstruction of celebrity creation and worship features a stunning performance by Casey Affleck as the unlikely killer of the famous outlaw.
CONTROL (Anton Corbijn, 2007)
Electrifying musical performance scenes and Sam Riley's riveting star turn sear the screen in the biopic of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. CONTROL'S uniqueness comes through in its moody and ordinary portrait of a rock legend.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON (David Sington, 2007)
NASA's Apollo missions are remembered in a breathtaking documentary that reminds us how amazing manned space travel is.
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (Craig Gillespie, 2007)
This comedy about a man and his life-size sex doll isn't as outrageous as it sounds in concept. LARS AND THE REAL GIRL could have felt overly precious, like a cheap stunt or joke, but the emotional depth and warmth make this quirky regional character study anything but plastic.
THE LIVES OF OTHERS (DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN) (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)
As a Cold War thriller about the East German secret police, THE LIVES OF OTHERS is gripping stuff replete with the nuts and bolts of all-encompassing surveillance. It's greater impact, though, is as a character study of the spy and those spied upon.
MY KID COULD PAINT THAT (Amir Bar-Lev, 2007)
A four-year-old girl's abstract paintings make her the darling of the art world in the intriguing documentary MY KID COULD PAINT THAT. Although the film is about this particular case and whether or not it is a hoax, it wrestles with the larger question of what makes something art and how important extra-textual considerations factor into the evaluation.
NO END IN SIGHT (Charles Ferguson, 2007)
About the last thing I wanted to see in 2007 was yet another documentary about the war in Iraq, but Charles Ferguson's film features the kind of objective journalism sorely missing in the national debate.
PARIS, JE T'AIME (22 directors, 2006)
Gus Van Sant and Joel and Ethan Coen contribute some of the best shorts in this omnibus film about the neighborhoods of Paris. With twenty segments, there will inevitably be a few less successful pieces, but the good easily outnumber the mediocre. Alexander Payne's "14th arrondissement" may be the best work he's ever done.
RESCUE DAWN (Werner Herzog, 2006)
In RESCUE DAWN Christian Bale gives himself over completely to his performance as Dieter Dengler, a U.S. fighter pilot held as a prisoner of war by the Laotians during the Vietnam War. Director Werner Herzog is drawn to obsessives--in fact, he told this story before in the documentary LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY--and he tells this tale of escape with the verve and visual flair expected of him.
THE SAVAGES (Tamara Jenkins, 2007)
Finding the proper care for a parent with declining health is never easy. It's especially difficult when the father in question has been estranged from the siblings now tasked to make arrangements for him. Tamara Jenkins' THE SAVAGES locates the humor and heart in a situation where those qualities are badly needed but hard to see. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney excel as the brother and sister who want to do right by their dad but also wish to have the circumstances not interfere with their lives.
SUPERBAD (Greg Mottola, 2007)
Relentlessly crude teen comedies aren't usually the stuff of best films lists, but the raunchy SUPERBAD distinguishes itself with clever wordplay and a keen understanding of high school male friendships. With SUPERBAD and JUNO, Michael Cera builds upon the comedic chops he first showed on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. Jonah Hill is hilarious as his vulgar pal. But it's newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse who runs away with the movie as McLovin, a geeky, would-be Casanova.
WAITRESS (Adrienne Shelly, 2007)
Keri Russell shines in this sweet and funny tale about a woman seeking a fresh start. One of the film's happy surprises is Andy Griffith stealing his scenes as the curmudgeonly diner owner. Russell's character has to make the best of a bad situation, something those involved with WAITRESS had to do in light of the murder of Adrienne Shelly, who wrote and directed the film and played a supporting character in it.
ZODIAC (David Fincher, 2007)
Based on the unsolved case, the decades-spanning ZODIAC documents the intensive search for a killer who haunted Bay Area citizens and taunted authorities with promises of unpreventable future murders. In a year littered with the corpses of films that tackled the war in Iraq, this was the movie that best expressed life in a post-9/11 environment.
Festival prizes
Some other crumbs from the moviegoing year...
-THE BOTHERSOME MAN (DEN BRYSOMME MANNEN) (Jens Lien, 2006)
-COLD PREY (FRITT VILT) (Roar Uthaug, 2006)
-REPRISE (Joachim Trier, 2006)
-SONS (SØNNER) (Erik Richter Strand, 2006)
This four-pack of Norwegian films at the Cleveland International Film Festival probably didn't come anywhere near you, but collectively they were among the best entries I saw at the fest.
-A MAP FOR SATURDAY (Brook Silva-Braga, 2007)
This documentary about solo backpacking around the world could be seen as a counterpoint to INTO THE WILD. Brook Silva-Braga, the film's director and subject, discovers the joy and loneliness that come in going on a worldwide adventure on your own.
Among her many credits on the film, Julie Delpy writes, directs, and stars in this charming romantic comedy that brings the verbal wit and intelligence of BEFORE SUNSET to a MEET THE PARENTS scenario. Playful and philosophical, 2 DAYS IN PARIS is a nice antidote to its dunderheaded cinematic brethren.
28 WEEKS LATER (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007)
A tense and terrifying trip through a chaotic urban environment, 28 WEEKS LATER is Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's respectable follow-up to Danny's Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER (which made my 2003 honorable mentions). The rage virus that ravaged London is believed to have been eradicated, so the city begins to be repopulated. The characters and audience are forced into reactive mode when faced with sensory bombardment, creating palpable fear in one of 2007's scariest movies.
AFTER THE WEDDING (EFTER BRYLLUPPET) (Susanne Bier, 2006)
AFTER THE WEDDING'S anguished portrait of family, charity, and mortality peels back layers in the characters that defy their easy categorization. Director Susanne Bier takes a soap opera plot and wrings every last ounce of human emotion out of it. What good is charity to others if none exists for those who are closest? The film's invitation to look closer doesn't challenge what's on the surface so much as it searches for core truths.
AIR GUITAR NATION (Alexandra Lipsitz, 2006)
Bringing pretend rocking out of the bedroom and onto the world stage, AIR GUITAR NATION follows the search for the United States' initial ambassador of air. This very funny documentary should get audiences strumming along on their own air guitars and flashing devil horns in support of these masters of mock rock.
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andew Dominik, 2007)
Andrew Dominik's deconstruction of celebrity creation and worship features a stunning performance by Casey Affleck as the unlikely killer of the famous outlaw.
CONTROL (Anton Corbijn, 2007)
Electrifying musical performance scenes and Sam Riley's riveting star turn sear the screen in the biopic of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. CONTROL'S uniqueness comes through in its moody and ordinary portrait of a rock legend.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON (David Sington, 2007)
NASA's Apollo missions are remembered in a breathtaking documentary that reminds us how amazing manned space travel is.
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (Craig Gillespie, 2007)
This comedy about a man and his life-size sex doll isn't as outrageous as it sounds in concept. LARS AND THE REAL GIRL could have felt overly precious, like a cheap stunt or joke, but the emotional depth and warmth make this quirky regional character study anything but plastic.
THE LIVES OF OTHERS (DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN) (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)
As a Cold War thriller about the East German secret police, THE LIVES OF OTHERS is gripping stuff replete with the nuts and bolts of all-encompassing surveillance. It's greater impact, though, is as a character study of the spy and those spied upon.
MY KID COULD PAINT THAT (Amir Bar-Lev, 2007)
A four-year-old girl's abstract paintings make her the darling of the art world in the intriguing documentary MY KID COULD PAINT THAT. Although the film is about this particular case and whether or not it is a hoax, it wrestles with the larger question of what makes something art and how important extra-textual considerations factor into the evaluation.
NO END IN SIGHT (Charles Ferguson, 2007)
About the last thing I wanted to see in 2007 was yet another documentary about the war in Iraq, but Charles Ferguson's film features the kind of objective journalism sorely missing in the national debate.
PARIS, JE T'AIME (22 directors, 2006)
Gus Van Sant and Joel and Ethan Coen contribute some of the best shorts in this omnibus film about the neighborhoods of Paris. With twenty segments, there will inevitably be a few less successful pieces, but the good easily outnumber the mediocre. Alexander Payne's "14th arrondissement" may be the best work he's ever done.
RESCUE DAWN (Werner Herzog, 2006)
In RESCUE DAWN Christian Bale gives himself over completely to his performance as Dieter Dengler, a U.S. fighter pilot held as a prisoner of war by the Laotians during the Vietnam War. Director Werner Herzog is drawn to obsessives--in fact, he told this story before in the documentary LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY--and he tells this tale of escape with the verve and visual flair expected of him.
THE SAVAGES (Tamara Jenkins, 2007)
Finding the proper care for a parent with declining health is never easy. It's especially difficult when the father in question has been estranged from the siblings now tasked to make arrangements for him. Tamara Jenkins' THE SAVAGES locates the humor and heart in a situation where those qualities are badly needed but hard to see. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney excel as the brother and sister who want to do right by their dad but also wish to have the circumstances not interfere with their lives.
SUPERBAD (Greg Mottola, 2007)
Relentlessly crude teen comedies aren't usually the stuff of best films lists, but the raunchy SUPERBAD distinguishes itself with clever wordplay and a keen understanding of high school male friendships. With SUPERBAD and JUNO, Michael Cera builds upon the comedic chops he first showed on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. Jonah Hill is hilarious as his vulgar pal. But it's newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse who runs away with the movie as McLovin, a geeky, would-be Casanova.
WAITRESS (Adrienne Shelly, 2007)
Keri Russell shines in this sweet and funny tale about a woman seeking a fresh start. One of the film's happy surprises is Andy Griffith stealing his scenes as the curmudgeonly diner owner. Russell's character has to make the best of a bad situation, something those involved with WAITRESS had to do in light of the murder of Adrienne Shelly, who wrote and directed the film and played a supporting character in it.
ZODIAC (David Fincher, 2007)
Based on the unsolved case, the decades-spanning ZODIAC documents the intensive search for a killer who haunted Bay Area citizens and taunted authorities with promises of unpreventable future murders. In a year littered with the corpses of films that tackled the war in Iraq, this was the movie that best expressed life in a post-9/11 environment.
Festival prizes
Some other crumbs from the moviegoing year...
-THE BOTHERSOME MAN (DEN BRYSOMME MANNEN) (Jens Lien, 2006)
-COLD PREY (FRITT VILT) (Roar Uthaug, 2006)
-REPRISE (Joachim Trier, 2006)
-SONS (SØNNER) (Erik Richter Strand, 2006)
This four-pack of Norwegian films at the Cleveland International Film Festival probably didn't come anywhere near you, but collectively they were among the best entries I saw at the fest.
-A MAP FOR SATURDAY (Brook Silva-Braga, 2007)
This documentary about solo backpacking around the world could be seen as a counterpoint to INTO THE WILD. Brook Silva-Braga, the film's director and subject, discovers the joy and loneliness that come in going on a worldwide adventure on your own.
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