12.27.07
Ten Films in 2007 I enjoyed
Top ten lists are at best big fat giant lies. To make a top ten list of the best films of the year is to assume you’ve managed to watch EVERY film released in theaters, otherwise how could you possibly know which film was truly the best? Even most critics who see most films can’t possibly watch them all. So if you truly wanted to be honest a top ten list of movies is really just the best films you’ve seen and you must apologize if you haven’t seen everything.
With that in mind I also wish to spit on the pretentiousness of most top ten lists to exclude films that were damn fine entertainment. Why can’t an action movie or comedy make it onto a top ten list? So to avoid being barraged by insults by the film snobs I will just say that these are not the ten best films of 2007. I will not include every smart film I’ve seen and I will not include every big dumb fun film I’ve seen. What you will get is a healthy mix of the two. So please, realize this now so that you don’t have a heart attack when you see a film that isn’t exactly 5 star material. The point is not that these are ten perfect films, I simply want to share ten movies that I felt were worth the price of admission and then some.
10. Southland Tales
You could almost say that the above list of preemptive apologies is all meant to somehow explain how its possible this film could make it onto anyone’s top ten film list. Granted I expect to find many jaded individuals throw it onto their top ten worst films of the year and to them I say, enjoy it while you can because Richard Kelly didn’t make a film for the now he made a film that is going to be watched for many years. It’s a film that dares you to watch it and then goes on to dare you to hate it. I am firmly in the camp that beliefs certain films simply defy criticism. Southland Tales laughs at your critiques because it never tries to be a conventional film at any given point and time. It simply defies clichés and genres as you know them.
What Richard Kelly has done is create a very dense artistic vision that will stick around for many years to come. I believe the audience’s view of the film will change with time just as many other films have experienced this very same phenomenon. Call me crazy but I think that putting this film on my list may seem like a mistake right now but in the years to come I’ll be one of the few who was able to see past his own two feet on this one. All it takes is for the right audience to find it and run with it.
9. The Simpson’s Movie
I know it’s really hip and cool to dismiss anything Simpson’s after season nine. You can cry about how every new episode is not as funny as the show used to be and that someone should put the show out of its misery. Swallow your pride and just enjoy a good thing while it’s still there. The long awaited film is as good as it ever could have been and Groening and co. hit this one out of the park. All you have to ask yourself is one question; did you laugh your ass off? If the answer is yes then the film has succeeded in every way possible. On top of the non-stop jokes the film manages to remind us how The Simpson’s differs from their bizarro doppelganger Family Guy; we actually care about them. If you don’t feel a lump in your throat when Marge leaves Homer a video tapes message of her disappointment in him, then you may want to double check if you still have a soul.
8. Grindhouse
In the last few months you may have rented or purchased two films on DVD that may not have seemed as great as the reviews have led you to believe. One titled Death Proof and the other Planet Terror. Two B movies mascarading as A movies pretending to be B movies. Grindhouse was welcomed by fans and critics but audiences, unfortunately, spent that weekend with their families. After it was a financial disaster for the Weinstein Company they decided to split up this marriage made in heaven and dilute the experience at home.
These two films, on video do not work by themselves. Without the double bill gimmick neither one is worth much on their own. Quentin even has the balls to extend his already self indulgent movie into an even longer more painful two hour brain melter. What you may not realize is that in theaters, with the fake trailers, played one after the other, this was one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve had in a long time. The audience cheered for the heroes, laughed at the fake trailers, and enjoyed every minute of this film event. It was like nothing else out there at the time. Robert Rodriguez filled his zombie fest with impressive gore effects and a killer line up of objects that you never realized could be weapons. Even Tarantino’s seriously flawed Death Proof becomes highly watchable when it follows the high octane Planet Terror providing a slower pace and longer build up to the impressive car chase scenes. The two danced so well together it really pains me to see them broken up. Watching them seperately is proof in and of itself that these two films need one another. Maybe one day they can be together again.
7. Shoot ‘em Up
If theirs one genre that has a very difficult time impressing me its action. Far too many of them follow the same formula and take themselves so seriously that they forget to just be fun and entertaining. Recent flicks such as Hitman are a fine example of how their is little imagination left in this over-done genre. Why can’t we just get a cool hero who isn’t bogged down by an annoying side kick. The film is almost a spiritual successor to last years best action film, Crank. Clive Owen chews up the scenary and It doesn’t hurt that they give him a real knock out of a leading lady to ooze her sexiness all over the screen and believe it or not a villian who doesn’t come off as lame compared to the over all invincibility of the hero.
Shoot ‘em Up even dares to elude to being a live action Warner Brothers cartoon. Clive Owen is eating carrots. Paul Giamatti is Elmer Fudd come to life. The deaths are outlandish. The hero is a charming bad ass who is smart but vulnerable. While he may seem unstoppable at first the film smartly finds inventive ways to take him down and than make you wonder how he is going to one-up the villians. Monica Belluci, as always, steals every scene with her uncontested beauty. The film is unashamed of its fetish for sex, action, and breast milk. What’s not to love? If you don’t like this film I must ask…what is wrong with you?
6) 300
Film snobs be damned no film quite delivered on its trailer as much as Zack Snyder’s epic adaptation of Frank Millers beloved graphic novel. Gerard Butler finds himself in the same position as Hugh Jackman after the first X-Men film, shot head first into super stardom by pleasing both the huge geek fan base of comic book fans and general audiences everywhere with his excellent portrayal of King Leonidas. He mixed honor, strength, and smart ass all in one to convince us that this man could inspire an army to follow him to their bloody deaths.
Let’s not over look the direction of Zack who easily proves that his stellar work in the Dawn of the Dead remake was no fluke. He knows how to entertain you with just the right amount of visual flair, strong characters, and relevance. Knowing when to take things seriously and knowing when to let the blood fly saved 300 from being just another boring as balls sandal showcase. Everyone involved gave this one their all and its wonderful to see this much passion still being put on the screen.
5)Paprika
The only popular anime director in America is Miyazaki, the great mind behind Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving castle, but in the great words of Yoda, “There is another”. If Miyazaki is Steven Spielberg then Satoshi Kon is the Stanley Kubrick of the anime world. With a string of hits that include, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfather he returns once more with his classic realistic take on the anime art form. What makes Satoshi’s films so special is that he focuses on making his characters as human as possible with none of the exaggerated drawing styles you’ll find in other popular anime films and franchises. He grounds them and then sends you and them through a story that never steers too far from our heart strings.
Paprika is a journey into our dreams as a group of scientists have created the D.C. Mini, a device that allows the doctors to see your dreams in order to help with a patient’s Psychological problem. A terrorist steals one and starts to run rampant in the dream world leaving a trail of dead bodies along the way. Meanwhile a mysterious dream parade is making its way past the world of sleep and into reality. This is just the tip of the iceberg in this uniquely imagined film that feels like an alternate take on Michelle Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine. Well worth seeking out for the many that missed it in theaters this year.
4) Darjeeling Limited
I was ready to give up on director Wes Anderson. His font and style felt like a one trick pony after the well made, but slightly disappointing Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Going into Darjeeling Limited I felt ready for another schlock infested Oscar wannabe loaded with self aware dialogue and quirky sub plots leading to an obvious ending and me rolling my eyes as I left the theater. Funny thing was it did indeed fall into all of its own traps but something about the varied performances, classic mother son motifs, and colorful palette of India had me hooked the entire time.
Three white boys are looking for enlightenment in India. The plot alone feels contrived but thankfully Anderson plays around with your expectations and finds a happy medium for both the cynics (such as myself) and those who prefer their endings on the positive side of things. Adrian Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson are a big part of why this film works so well. Their chemistry as brothers goes uncontested through out the film with each taking on their own unique world perspective as they struggle to deal with each other and their estranged mother. What shouldn’t work, does, and that’s why Darjeeling Limited deserves such a high spot on the list. Any film that can make me shake off my pessimism for but a moment is a miracle in and of itself.
3)Sicko
Set aside your politics about the man and Michael Moore remains one thing: a damn fine filmmaker. What he accomplishes in his films is something many documentaries fail to provide entertainment. So many documentaries are caught up in their subject matters they forget the audience isn’t just there to get a text book lesson on life, we want to laugh, cry, and get involved in the people and places we are being shown. Moores voice, humor, and down to earth personality are what separate his films from all the others. He does make the mistake of taking a few unnecessary jabs at Bush (beating a dead horse much?) and thus already upsetting the Republican party in just the first five minutes but if you can get past your politics this is a very simple story that almost no one can possibly be against.
People with insurance getting screwed over by their insurance companies. Its just that simple. You pay so much money into the system and get so little back. The system needs help and Moore brings this to light with his most fair and balanced look at one of America’s most corrupt industries. Moore smartly leaves himself out of the picture for a long time letting the images do all of the work but when he finally does step into the frame your almost begging him to go out there and do something about this problem. When all is said and done Sicko is a heart breaking two hours of damn great filmmaking. That’s all that really matters in the end. The rest is up to you.
2)Black Snake Moan
I never thought this film would ever be toppled from the number one spot. Since I viewed this deliciously pulpy and yet incredibly well told morality tale I knew I had found my best film of the year. Well here it sits at number 2 but that doesn’t make it any less magnificent. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Lazarus, a recently divorced crop farmer who happens upon a very beaten up girl named Rae (Christina Ricci) on an empty road. She’s a nymphomaniac who parties too hard one night after her boyfriend leaves for the war. Lazarus takes it upon himself to help cure her of her wicked ways, which involves chaining her up to a radiator, with only but the best of intentions of course. This outlandish plot allows us to deal with some interesting reverse race issues and director Craig Brewer injects his pure love for the South in every frame.
As these two lost souls seek to find themselves the story is wrapped in the world of the blues. Every character finds their own way to kill the demons that haunt their lives and the music is so electric it sent chills up my spine on several occasions. Brewer also directed Hustle & Flow another film that exceeded expectations and used music to inspire a cathartic release for it’s characters. Critics are going to ignore this picture but this film will not be forgotten long after award season like so many other “best of year” films. It will demand to be seen again and again and its rightfully earned by being a film like no other you’ll ever see.
1)Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tim Burton has been holding out on us, that is the only way I can come to terms with how amazing of an experience Sweeney Todd was to behold. Every ounce of blood is still freshly spilled in my mind. The uniquely bizarre musical stylings of Steve Sodheim, and the instant classic performances of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. You see Tim wowed us with Ed Wood and then saw his lowest point with Planet of the Apes, redeemed himself with Big Fish, and then ended up somewhere in the middle with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Then all of a sudden he comes out of nowhere with his adaptation of the classic musical.
The film opens with a blast of the organs and an almost nauseating tour through the bakery as we see how much “love” is baked into every pie. The film then takes another unexpected turn, the music isn’t sing songy or littered with rhymes, its kind of warped and all over the map. Sodheim toys with convention at every corner always careful not to repeat the overly done Broadway show tunes many have conjured up over the years. And if that wasn’t enough you’ll never see a musical about a barber who kills his patrons and bakes their entrails into home made pies. You won’t be sitting they’re waiting for the blood to fly, as even the musical moments are compelling and deeply revealing. The shocking finale will you leave your mouth gaped open, and your mind obliterated. If you are tired of the same old Oscar fodder this is your ticket to something completely different.
