Best of 2007

Written by Dan Hudak |

Some of the things we learned in 2007: No one wants to see political movies like “Rendition” and “Lions for Lambs”; the lower the budget, the better Steve Carell is (see “Evan Almighty” vs. “Dan in Real Life”); and John Travolta is better in drag (“Hairspray”) than he usually is in men’s clothes. And while we certainly learned other things as well, the truth is 2007 had a normal share of disappointing blockbuster hits (“Spider-Man 3”) mixed with unexpected delights (“Knocked Up”), making it a strong yet unremarkable year at the multiplex.

From the chaos of the hundreds of movies released this year, these ten were the best of all.

10. Transformers
Awesome. Just plain “Awesome!” Awesome visual effects, action scenes and energy. It’s about as perfect a Michael Bay (“Armageddon”) movie as we can expect, and was easily the best action movie of the year. Available on DVD.

9. Waitress
The late Adrienne Shelly’s film had a down-home southern charm mixed with a suffocating reality, and star Keri Russell (“Felicity”) made it all feel poignant and true. Not bad for a movie with no likeable male characters. Available on DVD.

8. The Brave One
Is personal action against criminals justified when the legal system fails? Director Neil Jordan’s riveting film didn’t offer the answer, but Jodie Foster’s powerful performance as a woman who carries a gun and uses it to protect herself gave us a lot to think about. No DVD release date has been set.

7. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Director Sidney Lumet’s (“12 Angry Men,” “Network”) latest classic tells the story of two brothers who rob their parents’ jewelry store only to have everything go horribly wrong. Note the way Lumet slowly built tension as the movie progressed toward to the chaotic finale — it’s pure filmmaking at its best. Available on DVD April 2008.

6. The Namesake
A touching portrait of tradition and new beginnings, Mira Nair’s (“Monsoon Wedding”) film was honest and heartfelt but never melodramatic. Kal Penn (“Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle”) stars as a young man born in New York City of traditional Indian parents who asserts his individuality in spite of his family’s antiquated desires. Love and loyalty are painful burdens to bear in this beautiful film. Currently available on DVD.

5. The Mist
Director Frank Darabont’s take on Stephen King’s short story (he previously adapted King’s “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile”) was a brilliant social commentary on how people act when pushed to extremes, and it had one of the cruelest endings you’ll ever see. This movie was haunting and, we fear, painfully true. No DVD release date has been set.

4. Juno
The indie comedy of the year. Newcomer Ellen Page is Juno MacGuff, a high school junior who unwittingly becomes pregnant and plans to give the child to a wealthy but infertile couple played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. Page’s inspired, quirky performance is the type that earns Oscar nominations, and writer Diablo Cody’s sharp, cutting script was one of the year’s best. In theaters now.

3. Gone Baby Gone
For a while “Gone Baby Gone” trotted along as an intriguing kidnapping mystery, but then it ended with a moral dilemma you don’t see coming but certainly had people talking. Hollywood punching bag Ben Affleck wonderfully directed the film, and he gets great performances out of his brother Casey and Amy Ryan. No DVD release date has been set.

2. Stardust
Nothing made me feel better, more alive or happier to love movies this year than “Stardust,” a delightful action-adventure picture that included a falling star, high-flying pirates, an evil Michelle Pfeiffer and a love story for the ages. This is bound to become a timeless classic to be enjoyed time and again. Currently available on DVD.

1. There Will Be Blood
Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” is the type of masterpiece that film schools will analyze for years to come. Even if you don’t like the story – Daniel Day-Lewis plays an oil man who becomes more cantankerous and greedy with age – it’s hard not to appreciate the technical virtues of the cinematography, acting, musical score and pacing. “There Will Be Blood” is an absolute work of art, and it opens throughout the country in January.

Honorable mention: “Knocked Up” was one of the funniest movies of the year; “Things We Lost in the Fire” was a powerful film about dealing with loss and moving on; Christian Bale was fantastic in Werner Herzog’s “Rescue Dawn”; Don Cheadle gave two standout performances in “Reign Over Me” and “Talk to Me”; “Beowulf” impressively used 3-D animation to great effect; “The Condemned” was a brilliant action picture/satire on America’s obsession with reality programming; and Marion Cotillard’s performance in “La Vie En Rose” should win her an Oscar.