Well, it’s that time of year. And while most critics seem to be bemoaning to one degree or another the expectation that they compile year-end top ten lists, I still relish list-making, even though any list I might make is going to woefully incomplete. This year I saw 182 movies, which is roughly double my normal average. Not having a job is a big help. ;) And enough of them were released this year for me to be comfortable making a Top Ten of 2007 list. It’s still incomplete, but hey. It’s a fair working list, I think. After the released-in-2007 list are a bunch of more subjective I-watched-in-2007 lists of both films and books.<\/p>\n
(A few of the top 2007 films I actually saw early in January before I posted this. I thought it prudent to include them here, but they don’t appear in my favorites-that-I-watched-in-2007 list because, well, I didn’t watch them in 2007).<\/p>\n
Links lead to my original review or reaction post; I tried to get anchors to work in the reaction posts so that the link would take you straight to the relevant part of the post, but I was unsuccessful. Sorry.<\/p>\n
No Country for Old Men<\/a><\/i><\/b> – The Coen brothers are back, and as good as ever, blending creepy atmosphere and dark humor perfectly. Honorable Mentions<\/b><\/p>\n Atonement<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Extremely faithful adaptation; well-done, but also more literary than cinematic except for a few virtuosic steadicam shots. Haven’t Seen<\/b><\/p>\n Films which have been on lots of critics lists or are otherwise notable, and thus might be on my lists somewhere, but I haven’t seen yet.<\/p>\n The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Persepolis, I’m Not There, There Will Be Blood, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, This is England, Rescue Dawn, Lars and the Real Girl, Margot at the Wedding, Sunshine<\/i><\/p>\n edit 5\/5\/08<\/b> – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly<\/i> has moved up to second place, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days<\/i> is in 4th, but constantly threatens to move up to second or third, The Assassination of Jesse James<\/i> is now 6th, and Lars and the Real Girl<\/i> and Sunshine<\/i> are in the low twenties. I hated There Will Be Blood<\/i>, so it’s down at #32. Sorry.<\/p>\n After the jump, my favorite films I watched all year, regardless of release date, as well as favorite books I read.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These lists are NOT ranking of the “best” films I saw, merely of the ones I liked the best. Hence, there are some in the Loved category that are not as objectively good as some in the Liked category, and so on. So don’t whine at me because I put a Bergman film down in the Recommended category, while stuff like District B-13<\/i> is in Liked…I enjoyed District B-13<\/i> more than Winter Light<\/i>, even though it obviously isn’t as great a film. The top films in lower lists are likely “better” than the bottom films in higher lists. Such is the nature of subjectivity. That also means that these lists aren’t going to necessarily bear a lot of relation to the ratings I gave the films in my initial reaction posts, because I try to be more objective in those. I didn’t even try for objectivity in these lists. You’ll also notice that my attempts to limit the number of films in each section failed miserably. With as many good films as I saw this year, trying to say that only ten or fifteen or twenty could be in a list seemed even more arbitrary than the separations between Loved, Really Liked, and Recommend.<\/p>\n Films I LOVED<\/b><\/p>\n Heh, the first thing I notice about this list is that the top eight are foreign. Apparently I’m still in that elitist phase.<\/p>\n Pan’s Labyrinth<\/i><\/a> Films I Really Liked<\/b><\/p>\n Children of Men<\/i><\/a> Films I Recommend<\/b><\/p>\n Winter Light<\/i><\/a>
\nOnce<\/a><\/i><\/b> – I almost put this on top, simply because I love it so much, but NCFOM<\/i> deserves to be number one.
\nJuno<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Clever, snarky, human, and Ellen Page being brilliant.
\nThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly<\/a><\/i><\/b> – A film of great beauty and sensitivity that I never wanted to end.
\nEastern Promises<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Not as edgy as Cronenberg often is, but an extremely solid crime film nonetheless.
\nHot Fuzz<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Probably the most enjoyable film of the year; part action, part comedy, all pop-culture-referential, and pretty much all perfect.
\nAway from Her<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Simple and perfectly acted and directed drama; Julie Christie is quietly sensational as a woman diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
\n3:10 to Yuma<\/a><\/i><\/b> – One of the first westerns I’ve seen recently to successfully use and update the genre conventions.
\nRatatouille<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Not Pixar’s best, but that’s hardly an insult; the added bonus of a Parisian setting had me at go.
\nWaitress<\/i><\/b> – The sweetest film of the year has enough sarcastic bite in the script to keep it from going completely off the rails into sentimentality. My major faux pas of the year, apparently, was forgetting to include Waitress<\/i> in my monthly recaps.<\/p>\n
\nParis, je t’aime<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Not all the short films in this compendium are good, but many of them are excellent, and how could I not love 18 films about Paris?
\nEnchanted<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Amy Adams (and James Marsden) elevate this from what could have been pure cheese to a delightful fantasy\/comedy.
\nZodiac<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Hits a sweet spot between serial killer thriller and ambiguous character study.
\nThe Darjeeling Limited<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of The Royal Tenenbaums<\/i>, but still an evocative, entertaining Wes Anderson-esque road film.
\nSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street<\/a><\/i><\/b> – A bit on the gory side, but beautifully shot, acted, and yes, even sung. Macabre is the word.
\nHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix<\/a><\/i><\/b> – The Harry Potter series keeps getting better; great supporting work gives this one an extra edge.
\nThe Lookout<\/a><\/i><\/b> – This little crime film must have gone under a lot of radars, because it deserved more attention than it got.
\nThe Bourne Ultimatum<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Another solid entry in the already solid Bourne series, proving that action franchises can be both exciting and smart.
\nPaprika<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Dreams and reality start to mix with potentially world-ending results in this visually inventive anime film. I *heart* reality-blurring stories.
\nAvenue Montaigne<\/a><\/i><\/b> – Unassuming and enjoyable little French film of interlocking relationships in the vicinity of the Parisian concert hall.
\nAcross the Universe<\/a><\/i><\/b> – The melding of Beatles music with a 1960s love story\/political scene doesn’t completely work, but much of it is lovely.<\/p>\nMy Film-Watching Year in Review<\/h2>\n
\nBand of Outsiders<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Double Life of Veronique<\/i><\/a>
\nRed<\/i><\/a>
\nAll About My Mother<\/i><\/a>
\nVivre sa vie<\/i><\/a>
\nOnce<\/i><\/a>
\nL’Avventura<\/i><\/a>
\nINLAND EMPIRE<\/i><\/a>
\nNo Country for Old Men<\/i><\/a>
\nPierrot le fou<\/i><\/a>
\nThe New World<\/i><\/a>
\nTaxi Driver<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Squid and the Whale<\/i><\/a>
\nMarie Antoinette<\/i><\/a>
\nHot Fuzz<\/i><\/a>
\nA Woman is a Woman<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Lives of Others<\/i><\/a>
\nHannah and Her Sisters<\/i><\/a>
\nWaitress<\/i> (somehow I managed to miss this one in my recaps!)
\nWritten on the Wind<\/i><\/a>
\nEastern Promises<\/i><\/a>
\nParis, je t’aime<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Fountain<\/i><\/a>
\n3:10 to Yuma<\/i><\/a> (2007)
\nTwo for the Road<\/i><\/a>
\nRushmore<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Great Escape<\/i><\/a>
\nEnchanted<\/i><\/a>
\nHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n
\nUnforgiven<\/i><\/a>
\nCeline and Julie Go Boating<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Naked Kiss<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Darjeeling Limited<\/i><\/a>
\nDogville<\/i><\/a>
\nRatatouille<\/i><\/a>
\nAway from Her<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada<\/i><\/a>
\nInteriors<\/i><\/a>
\nRide the High Country<\/i><\/a>
\nTristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story<\/i><\/a>
\nMildred Pierce<\/i><\/a>
\nA Mighty Wind<\/i><\/a>
\nThey Were Expendable<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Cranes are Flying<\/i><\/a>
\nCrimes and Misdemeanors<\/i><\/a>
\nRain Man<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Great Dictator<\/i><\/a>
\nBlue<\/i><\/a>
\nZodiac<\/i><\/a>
\nNotes on a Scandal<\/i><\/a>
\nThrough a Glass Darkly<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Lookout<\/i><\/a>
\nDetective Story<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Killers<\/i><\/a> (1946)
\nAlphaville<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Shining<\/i><\/a>
\nAcross the Universe<\/i><\/a>
\nZoolander<\/i><\/a>
\nSafety Last<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Bourne Ultimatum<\/i><\/a>
\nBreakfast on Pluto<\/i><\/a>
\nSlacker<\/i><\/a>
\nAvenue Montaigne<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Devil Wears Prada<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Illusionist<\/i><\/a>
\nOne, Two, Three<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Prestige<\/i><\/a>
\nCars<\/i><\/a>
\nTroll 2<\/i><\/a>
\nBroken English<\/i><\/a>
\nLittle Children<\/i><\/a>
\nThis Film is Not Yet Rated<\/i><\/a>
\nDreamgirls<\/i><\/a>
\nRenaissance<\/i><\/a>
\nOcean’s Thirteen<\/i><\/a>
\nThree Kings<\/i><\/a>
\nDistrict B-13<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n
\nUmberto D<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Fallen Idol<\/i><\/a>
\nBob le flambeur<\/i><\/a>
\nOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest<\/i><\/a>
\nWhile the City Sleeps<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Bourne Supremacy<\/i><\/a>
\nBlack Book<\/i><\/a>
\nA Fistful of Dollars<\/i><\/a>
\nRussian Ark<\/i><\/a>
\nFlags of Our Fathers<\/i><\/a>
\nThe Freshman<\/i><\/a> (1925)
\nDancer in the Dark<\/i><\/a>
\nDay of Wrath<\/i><\/a>
\n