Top Ten Films of 2007

by Brett Parker
While 2007 was a great year for films, it was also a rather gloomy one. As I look over the films that have made my top ten list, I realize that they are skilled and wonderful films that showcase rather dark and bleak aspects of humanity and society. Even Hot Fuzz, probably the cheeriest film on my list, is a blood-soaked comedy that shows a hilariously frightening side of a controlling society. I realize that since the dawn of the medium, great films have always had heartbreak, death, and despair as its staples. Yet this year, I strongly felt those traits above all others as I marched through the cinema. It seemed mostly cloudy with very little sunshine.

Perhaps this gloomy film season is a reflection of the gloominess of 2007 itself. I’ve heard very few people talk about what a positive year this has been. There was a lot to frown about. The economy was rather chaotic, celebrity culture became suffocating, and the horrors of the Iraq Rolling Stone even published a very witty essay on why this year specifically sucked. If the content of films is indeed a reflection of the society they were produced in, then it only makes sense that these darker times produced darker films. Nonetheless, there were still cinematic wonders to behold and unforgettable performances that will stand the test of time. So let’s celebrate the best of the year and hope that 2008 is a bit sunnier: war continue on.

1) I’m Not There

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more inventive, defiant, or original film that was released this year. Todd Haynes has made a surreal Bob Dylan biopic that challenges not only the ever-changing images of Dylan himself but also the very idea of the musical biopic. Haynes used six different actors (Marcus Carl Franklin, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, and Ben Whinshaw) to portray Dylan at various stages in his life and each actor nails their challenging mission to convey Dylan’s unique essence. Blanchett, giving the year’s best female performance, is especially impressive with her dead-on portrayal of the public Dylan we remember the strongest. I myself was not that much of a Dylan fan walking into the theatre, but I found myself in utter fascination with this film from start to finish. It breaks all the rules of the biopic while reinventing them at the same time. Not since The Doors has a musical biopic been so refreshingly trippy and not since Donnie Darko has a cinematic enigma been so much fun to analyze.

2) American Gangster

Ridley Scott brings his distinct eye for grand canvases to the age-old conventions of the gangster picture and creates one of the rawest and most dramatic examples of the genre ever to emerge out of Hollywood. Denzel Washington is absolute dynamite as Frank Lucas, the Harlem crime lord who took the New York drug trade by storm with his Vietnamese Heroin, Blue Magic. Russell Crowe, wonderful as always, is Richie Roberts, the unbending cop who relentlessly tries to take down Lucas’ inner-city empire. Certain aspects of this film may feel familiar to students of Scarface, New Jack City, and King of New York, but make no mistake about it: American Gangster is the smartest and best-looking crime-lord film to ever grace the screen. Scott brilliantly depicts the rise and fall of a modern gangster while pounding home hard-hitting ideas on capitalism, character, and crime.

3) 3:10 to Yuma

Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are two of the most exciting actors working in film today. Having these two read the phone book on-screen would be entertaining. Having them face-off with each other in an action-packed and thoughtful western is fascinating beyond belief. Crowe is a viscous outlaw captured by the law and Bale is an honest rancher hired to escort the villainous cowboy to a prison train at gunpoint. What ensues is a battle of wills and a growing connection between the two that makes for the most dramatic screen team of the year. It says something that their scenes of dialogue are just as exciting as the shootout sequences, which are crafted to perfection. The best westerns have always been layered with underlying meanings and 3:10 to Yuma is rich with compelling ideas scratching beneath the surface. The Freudian homoeroticism is interesting, not only between Crowe and Bale but also Crowe and Ben Foster, who plays the overly-devoted sidekick to Crowe’s outlaw. And the ending says more about Bush America than most people realize.

4) No Country For Old Men

At first glance, No Country for Old Men is so defiant of conventions that it throws you. It veers down a specific path until it casts off on its own and creates its own new direction. On repeat viewings, you realize the brilliance of it all and how this film cuts deeper than most thrillers dare. What starts off as a compelling chase thriller transcends into a deep meditation on the cruel randomness of death and the blind justice of fate. As Anton Chigurh, the sadistic bounty hunter trailing a suitcase of stolen drug money through the Texas landscape, Javier Bardhem creates not only one of the best performances of the year, but one of the great monsters of modern cinema. It’s one of the very best films ever made by the Coen Brothers.

5) There Will Be Blood

We all know Paul Thomas Anderson can be the most inventive of directors and that Daniel Day-Lewis the most forceful of actors, so it almost goes without saying that putting these two together for There Will Be Blood is a cinematic force to reckon with. In telling the story of Daniel Plainview, a cold-hearted oil tycoon drilling for California oil at the dawn of the 20^th century, the film says so much about greed, faith, and corruption of the soul that film analysts can write whole books about it for years to come. While the film evokes memories of Citizen Kane, Giant, and McCabe & Mrs. Miller, There Will be Blood has a sublime quality to it that makes it feel unique. Indeed, Anderson is a filmmaker who seems effortless in making projects feel refreshingly original. And what a performance by Day-Lewis! He isn’t just a great actor here, he is a force of nature that will rock you to your very core! We should just give him the Oscar right now!

6) Beowulf

Using the motion-capture animation effects that was popularized in The Polar Express, Robert Zemeckis unleashes Beowulf, the eye-popping visual effects popcorn ride of the year. Yet the real treat is the care and attention given to the drama and emotions of the story. In telling the ancient tale of the brave warrior who slayed three mystical monsters, the film goes the extra mile to express the psychology, the weaknesses, and the egotistical flaws of its main hero. Much credit is due to the wonderful Ray Winstone, cast as the heroic Beowulf. CGI effects may have been used to give the heavyset Winstone a chiseled exterior, but it’s his hellfire voice and spirit that breathes thrills and chills into his character and the film itself. His Beowulf not only joins Achilles and Maximus among the great movie warriors, but also Marty McFly and Forrest Gump among the great Zemeckis protagonists.

7) We Own the Night

Does We Own the Night play on age-old cop movie formulas? Sure. Is it over-the-top and a tad melodramatic for its own good? Probably. Is it ridiculously exciting in its acting and staging? You bet! We Own the Night is like watching an old school drama filled with a gritty-indie sensibility. The action scenes are fresh and inventive while the performances are focused and intense. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg are electrifying as two brothers on opposite sides of the law in 1980s New York. It may not be groundbreaking cinema, but this film is like an adrenaline shot of excitement that reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place.

8) Talk to Me

In telling the story of Petey Greene, the groundbreaking radio talk show host who was a major voice of Black change in the late 60s, Talk to Me covers several different layers of Petey’s life and hits on countless emotional bases with an effortless, heartwarming charm. The film doesn’t just tell Petey’s story, it explores the responsibilities of social change, the nature of selling out in show business, and how a black man should conduct himself in an ever-changing society. It’s funny, cool, heartbreaking, feel-good, sad, and touching all at once. Great credit is due to Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who create an on-screen friendship that is both thoughtful and touching. Their final scene together in a pool hall will unexpectedly tug at your heartstrings.

9) The Darjeeling Limited

Wes Anderson has created his most puzzling yet most meditative work to date with The Darjeeling Limited, the story of three estranged brothers on a spiritual journey in India What makes the film so special is how Anderson has big things to say about family and spirituality yet allows the audience to find those messages on its own. This is not an easy film that spells-things-out, but it compels its audience to dig in and unearth its deep thoughts. If nothing else, the film further builds Anderson’s already solid reputation as a brilliant auteur. following the death of their father.

10) Hot Fuzz

The Judd Apatow gang scored big laughs this year with Knocked Up and Superbad, but the honor of funniest comedy of the year goes to Hot Fuzz, the hilarious cop spoof from the crew that brought you Shaun of the Dead. Not only does the film brilliantly send up cop-film clichés, but it also pokes fun at the quick-cutting grandeur of the Michael Bay The laughs just don’t stop coming in this comic thrill ride, especially if you’re an action movie junkie. And this isn’t just a talking heads comedy that sacrifices technical skills for laughs. Director Edgar Wright crafts the film with great cinematic precision and helps create characters and a plot we actually care about outside of the laughs. Simon Pegg is solid as tough super cop Nick Angel, but the real laugh riot here is Nick Frost as the bumbling Danny Butterman. Forget Seth Rogen, the real comedic treasure of the year is Frost, a goofy and sincere oaf who’ll have you in stitches almost every time he’s on camera. Whether he’s plowing through fences, chasing swans, or giving himself massive ice cream headaches, Frost effortlessly creates the best comedic performance of the year. action style.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

-Atonement

-Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

-Eastern Promises

-Michael Clayton

-Once

-Superbad

OTHER THINGS I REALLY LOVED AT THE MOVIES THIS YEAR

-Johnny Depp channeling David Bowie in Sweeney Todd.

-The Beatles sequence in Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story.

-“Pop Goes My Heart” from Music and Lyrics (Oscar, take notice for Best Song).

-The fact that Justin Timberlake is a talented actor and isn’t just filler in Alpha Dog.

-Jay-Z reinventing the power of the “inspired” soundtrack with his American Gangster album.

-The relaxed final moments of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.

-I…drink…your…MILKSHAKE!!!!