Wesley's 2007 Movie Roundup

With Jason's list up and posted, I'd like to add my own list of what I believe is the best and worst films of 2007. When the year first started, I was really disappointed with most of the movies that I saw. However, as time has gone by, I have come to realize that I've really seen a lot of really good movies this year. Although I didn't get to see certain movies that would probably end up on this list such as There Will Be Blood and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I feel like I saw enough to justify this list. I'm going to follow some of the format that Jason did with his post, but I will vary it up from time to time with some new catorgies here and there.

Best Of 2007:

10. Juno

9. The Darjeeling Limited

8. Eastern Promises

7. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

6. Hot Fuzz

5. Grindhouse

4. Knocked Up

3. The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford

2. Zodiac

1. No Country for Old Men

Worst of 2007:

I usually can tell which movies I'm going to like so usually I don't see something awful unless it's on purpose or my mistake. So this list is pretty short.

5. Spider-man 3

4. Hatchet

3. Smokin' Aces

2. AVP-R

1. Transformers

Movies that Left Me Indifferent:

After watching these, I didn't really feel like I hated them or really liked them. They filled up the hour and half and that's what they were there for. I'll never see them again and I couldn't care less.

4. 28 Weeks Later

3. Blades of Glory

2. Reno 911: Miami

1. TMNT

Honorable Mentions:

These movies weren't bad, but unfortunately I can only fit ten movies in a top ten.

11. Shoot ‘Em Up

10. The Simpsons Movie

9. Live Free or Die Hard

8. The Host

7. Black Snake Moan

6. American Gangster

5. 300

4. Halloween (2007)

3. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

2. Superbad

1. The Bourne Ultimatium

Most Overrated Movie of the Year:

Transformers
- The fact that so many people love this movie confuses me in ways that you may not understand. Which part of this gem made you people think this was a good movie? Was it the part when Shia LaBeouf's mom discusses masturbation with him? Was it the pointless Kill Bill nod with Bubblebee? Or how about when the Transformer urinated on the FBI agent? Did you guys eat that up? Or was it the awful characterizations? How about those unengaging, shaky, and poorly constructed action sequences? Wasn't it cool when Jazz called people bitches? Hey, Bernie Mac's in this movie. Isn’t he funny? Why is John Turturro in this movie and why is he so terrible in it? Who wrote this? I've never liked a Michael Bay movie and this is another reason why. No, this movie is not escapism entertainment. Transformers is pure mindless crap. If you gave me a DVD of this I would break it in two.

Runner-Up: 300
- 300 is not by any means a bad movie. In fact, it's fairly well done. However, despite its good points, it's not the best movie ever made. Talk to any mainstream moviegoer and mention this film. They'll go crazy. 300? The 300? That's the best movie ever made! It's awesome! I wanna be a Spartan! Never has the mindless popularity of a movie made me start to dislike it more than the case of 300. I know this shouldn't be the case, but when you hear this opinion over and over again without any substance backing it up, you really just start to get sick of the film itself. It slowly started to go from a movie I enjoyed pretty thoroughly the first time I viewed it to something I started to secretly dislike. No, it’s not the best movie ever made. It’s a good movie, but it’s not perfect. I don’t know. I’m just sick of hearing of it.

Most Underrated Movie:

Halloween (2007)
- Halloween is a movie that should have never been remade. It’s my favorite horror movie and holds a very special place in my heart for nearly traumatizing me as a child. So, when I heard the remake was coming out, I was not very happy. However, Rob Zombie’s attachment interested me. Although I hated Zombie’s first film, House of a 1000 Corpses, I thought his second effort, The Devil’s Rejects, was a pretty solid film. Halloween is definitely a step down, but it’s not a huge one. Although the film is extremely flawed, what Zombie attempts to do with the character of Michael Myers and the mythos of Halloween is admirable. Unlike most pointless horror remakes, he actually adds a new element to story, making Michael Myers more of a tragic figure than the epitome of the boogieman. The film is by no means perfect, but it’s definitely not the piece of a trash that most people make it out to be. I like to view it as a decent love letter to the original film.

Fanboy Movie of the Year:

Grindhouse
-This movie made me feel like I was twelve years old. I say that in a good way. It was the most fun I’ve had in a movie theater in a long time. I loved everything about this movie. I loved the missing reels, the fake trailers, the scratches in the film, the hilarious moments, the awesome directing, and Kurt Russell’s amazing performance as Stuntman Mike. It’s really sad that it didn’t do very well. Never has a weekend box office depressed me more. Yeah, I didn’t expect it to be a box office smash but I still wish it did better. It’s even sadder that the Weinsteins have been milking it for everything it’s worth by splitting it in two for a DVD release.

Runner-Ups: Hot Fuzz and Shoot ‘Em Up

Biggest Surprise of the Year:

Knocked Up
-I knew that it was probably going to be a good movie since it was coming from Judd Apatow, who directed the well done comedy The 40 Year Old Virgin and produced one of my favorite TV shows in Freaks and Geeks. However, I never expected to be drawn into this movie as much as I was the first time I saw it. Not only was it hilarious, but it was really touching as well. Out of all the films I saw this year, Knocked Up was the one that I truly enjoyed watching the most.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year:

Spider-man 3
- Upon rewatching this a few weeks back, I found it to not be as bad as I originally thought. However, this was one of the most disappointing and embarrassing theater experiences of my entire life. Things started off well. The first hour or so was fairly entertaining. Sandman's introduction was amazing and some of the early fight scenes really were great (Harry vs. Peter, the Crane scene, the first Sandman fight). However, once the black suit came into play and Peter started dancing everywhere, I was just too mortified to watch. Venom was completely wasted and the black suit was very misinterpreted. Also, there was a lot of forced acting all around. It just didn't feel like the other films. I had no emotional attachment to it by the end, which sucks. Also, the final battle was completely lifeless and ridiculous. It could have easily taken place in Batman and Robin. Overall, the movie wasn’t horrible. However, looking back at the perfection of Spider-man and Spider-man 2, this film should have been incredible.

Best Use of Music of the Year:

Donovan- “Hurdy Gurdy Man” in Zodiac
-Donovan songs have been used effectively in movies before such as Atlantis in Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece Goodfellas. However, David Fincher uses the song Hurdy Gurdy Man in the opening murder of Zodiac to make a tension filled scene even more haunting and surreal. Its reprise at the end of the film only serves as an echo of not only what survivor Michael Mageau has been through but everyone involved in the Zodiac case. After seeing this movie, it is impossible to listen to this song and not have the images of the film enter your brain.

Most Effective Movie of the Year:

No Country for Old Men
- It should be no surprise that the movie I choose for this would be my number 1 movie of the year. It has been years since a movie has had an effect on me like No Country for Old Men did. Never have I been so tense, uncomfortable, and, by the end, upset by a movie. The acting, directing, and lack of a musical score all added to this effect. Plus, it probably has a little to do with Javier Bardem and his rendition of Chigur. Never have I seen a bad guy in a movie that is so menacing, interesting, and horrifying. The scene between him and Woody Harrelson in that hotel room was one of the most intense things I’ve ever seen in a movie. So here’s to No Country for Old Men for completely draining me and making me think for hours and hours later.

Runner-Up: Zodiac
-The first time I saw this movie, it was really late at night. By the time the end credits popped up around 2 am, I was completely engrossed and frustrated. Yes, I knew the Zodiac killer was never caught. Still, due to David Fincher’s incredibly detailed and obsessive direction, I was completely drawn in. As the film hit dead end after dead end, I felt like I was dying inside more and more. I just wanted things to work out. Never has a film made me feel the frustrations and anger of obsession and a criminal case like Zodiac did. David Fincher truly created an epic crime drama with this film and it’s a shame that it doesn’t get as much recognition as it does.

Movies I Haven’t Seen That Are Supposed to Be Somewhat Good or Interesting:

King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters

Ratatouille



The Mist
3:10 to Yuma
Across the Universe
There Will Be Blood
Southland Tales
Lars and the Real Girl
Gone Baby Gone
Michael Clayton
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I'm Not There
Gracie is Gone
Youth Without Youth
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
Color Me Kubric
Into the Wild
The Poughkeepsie Tapes
Rocket Science
The Kingdom
The Devil Came on Horseback
Once