List: Julian’s Top 10 Films of 2007

1. Death Proof (Grindhouse version)-4.5

I’ll make things inflammatory right off the bat and call this my favorite film of 2007. While it may not be the best film of the year, it is the one that came closest to being perfect for the kind of film it was. Tarentino’s dialogue is reliably brilliant, and the fact that he borrows many of his ideas/concepts from extant work frankly doesn’t matter. You can call his films mosaics, collages, bricolages, whatever—art is often comprised of pre-existing materials. The uncut version may be more effective in mirroring the kind of films that inspired it, but the shorter version released in the original double feature (with Robert Rodriguez’s vastly inferior Planet Terror) contains fewer slow spots. Ultimately, no other piece of cinema released in 2007 reflected a greater love of filmmaking.

2. No Country for Old Men-4.5

The Coens won all those awards for a reason. No Country is bleak, witty, and full of surprises. The acting’s great, the dialogue keeps things moving, and the narrative manages to incorporate those trademark bits of pseudo-philosophical rumination that leave audiences scratching their heads and counting down the days until Burn After Reading.

3. There Will Be Blood-4.5

http://cinemafive.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/review-there-will-be-blood/

4. Zodiac-4.0

Largely forgotten, this epic thriller breaks down every imaginable facet of the case surrounding an infamous serial killer. Audiences expecting another Seven from director David Fincher were probably surprised to find that the film was more concerned with copious detail than the production of suspense. The first of my “out of left field” selections for the list, I chalk up my enjoyment of the film to a fascination with the subject. For others, mileage may vary.

5. Hot Fuzz-4.0

And here’s another. I wasn’t a huge fan of Shaun of the Dead, but Edgar Wright’s follow-up is the work of a director who has a clear vision and clearly doesn’t care if you share it with him or not. The narrative zigzags in all kinds of strange directions, and the film is much less of a comedy than one is likely to expect, but the end result consistently entertains.

6. Juno-4.0

http://cinemafive.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/review-juno/

7. Reign Over Me-3.5

This may be an aftershock of my adoration for Punch Drunk Love. Adam Sandler again stretches ever so slightly to take his normally comedic out-of-control craziness in a dramatic direction, this time as a widower whose renewed friendship with an old colleague tests the boundaries of both men’s current lives. It can definitely be called melodramatic, but I like a good melodrama every now and then.

8. Knocked Up-3.5

As a long-time Apatow fan, I’ve enjoyed following the career of Seth Rogen from Freaks and Geeks to Undeclared to this, a major film. While the amiable Canadian doesn’t exactly ooze star quality, he does a more than capable job of holding up his end of this pointed and poignant comedy. I’d like to say that Apatow has a perfect record, but an oozing sore of a movie called Walk Hard will always be around to prove me wrong. 2008 will offer several shots at redemption, but I have a feeling I’ll be better off skipping Drillbit Taylor and just forgetting it ever existed.

9. The Mist-3.5

This snuck in here somehow. I haven’t thought too much of Darabont’s work in the past, but his adaptation of Stephen King’s novella is dark, critical of modern society, and full of evil creatures that look kind of like pterodactyls. Really, how can you argue with that?

10. No End In Sight-3.5

http://cinemafive.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/dvd-review-no-end-in-sight/

Honorable Mentions go out to In the Valley of Elah, Rescue Dawn, The Lives of Others, Superbad, and Bug.

I have yet to see American Gangster, Michael Clayton, Atonement, The Darjeeling Limited, or Gone Baby Gone.

 

 (Quick edit from Sean: thanks to the maybe-a-real-site-site toptencity.com, which linked to us! Amongst many other top tens!)