framingdevice » Top 10 (and then some) of 2007

Wed 6 Feb 2008

Top 10 (and then some) of 2007

Posted by J Robert under Reviews

The cool folk at the Onion A.V. Club ran a feature several few weeks ago on the greatest year for movies. Ask that question of a bunch of critics, and 1939 will come up more often than others. But giving the consensus answer isn’t much fun in that kind of parlor game, so Keith, Nathan, Noel, Scott, and Tasha sought out other vintage years.

I don’t feel like I’m an authority enough on film history to make such a proclamation, but I can say that 2007 was a fantastic year for movies. There weren’t as many masterpieces as one would hope for (though I’ll mention a couple in a few days when I do my wrap-up on classic and festival films), but the breadth of quality filmmaking was more impressive last year than almost any year I can remember. Narrowing down a top 10 proved exceedingly difficult, so much so that I’ve added a second and then a third ten, and even there I had to leave out a few movies I truly enjoyed. But without further ado, since this piece is late as it is, the Top 10 of 2007.

1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
The less you know about this film, the better. I walked into it knowing only that it was about abortion and had received glowing reviews at Cannes, and I was blown away. The suspense that Romanian director Cristian Mungiu creates as the movie follows two women is nothing short of astonishing. Anamaria Marinca gives a knockout performance (she deservedly won the L.A. critics Best Actress award) as a college student trying to help her roommate, and the movie uses static long takes and riveting dialogue to build its layered narrative. The themes of gender and control are timely, but Mungiu also portrays the last days of Ceausescu with unflinching candor. Indeed, ‘unflinching’ is a perfect word to describe 4 Months, but its rich humanist vein is another reminder of the growing power of Romanian cinema.

2. Once
The feel-good movie of the year that’s smart enough so that even the most jaded film critic can enjoy. It stars Glen Hansard (of the band The Frames) as a man who helps his dad in a vacuum repair shop and plays his guitar on Irish street corners. A young woman from the Czech Republic (the wonderfully vulnerable Marketa Irglova) approaches him about fixing her vacuum cleaner, but she’s more interested in his music. Their burgeoning romance provides the heart of the film, but it’s their musical collaborations (she plays piano) that set the movie apart from every other romantic drama released last year. A rare film that ends at just the right spot but could’ve gone on another hour or two I love these characters so much. Rent it and enjoy. — full review

3. No End in Sight
I’ve grown tired of the documentary explosion. Cheap digital recording and editing equipment have made it so that almost anyone can make a documentary, but just because everyone can doesn’t mean everyone should. I’ve grown particularly tired of docs about obscure music groups (isn’t that what VH1 is for?) and the Iraq war. There are so many of the latter that telling them apart is difficult, and most feel like they’re merely treading the same water that every other movie was swimming in. That’s not true of Charles Ferguson’s brilliant and infuriating film. He marshals an impressive collection of talking heads who describe how the U.S. went to war and how we screwed it up so badly. Almost every major figure offers their perspective–save Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Bush, though Ferguson uses their own words to damning effect. Best of all, he knows how to craft an impressive argument in just 100 minutes. As someone who’s read a lot on Iraq, I didn’t necessarily learn anything new, but seeing it all in one concise, powerfully edited film brought it into much clearer focus. Required viewing for anyone planning on voting this fall.

4. No Country for Old Men
I’ve said all I need to say in the long podcast Rob Davis and I recorded, as well as a few written comments at the site. It’s a tough, brutal, exceedingly thoughtful film and one I’ll be happy to salute come Oscar night.

5. I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
A return to form for Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang, as he continues to explore the characters of Hsiao-kang and Chyi, but this time in Malaysia. The familiar themes of urban alienation, ennui, and weather (yes, weather!) are back, and Tsai’s eye for exotic images has never been better. The final shot of three people lying on a floating mattress is the coolest slow-motion scene of 2007.

6. Sicko
Michael Moore’s persona has reached the point where he probably hurts his own cause, but this caustic exploration of the American health care system is both urgently welcome and surprisingly funny. Moore has mastered the role of the dumb American who suddenly realizes the media and government might be lying to him, and his impassioned plea for single-payer national health care is grounded in a larger call to unabashed liberalism. As I wrote in an earlier review, a glorious piece of agitprop. — full review

7. Darkon
A documentary about people who create and play live-action role playing games might sound almost as dorky as its subjects, but this smart, insightful film is well worth your time. It explores a half dozen people in the Baltimore area who helped create Darkon and have been playing it for years. Their explanations for why they play are intimately self-aware, and directors Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel seamlessly interweave footage from actual game sessions. Unlike too many docs I saw in 2007, this one is always in the right place and able to capture the most important footage.

8. My Kid Could Paint That
The story of four-year-old painter Marla Olmstead has all the elements of a great yarn, but I’m sure director Amir Bar-lev had little idea what he was getting into when he started filming her for a documentary. Thinking that he was going to explore how a prodigy functions, his story was turned upside down when “60 Minutes” ran a piece debunking Marla’s talent and implying that Marla’s father was the true artist. The movie thoughtfully ponders the nature of art and specifically abstract art (the NY Times art critic Michael Kimmelman offers several brilliant comments), why people like what they like, how stories and rumors take on lives of their own, and how those stories impact our understanding of art and culture. Bar-lev also doesn’t shy away from examining the role of a documentarian and the ethics involved in filming real people and situations, and he interrogates his own role in this increasingly complicated narrative. It all adds up to a riveting story that you’ll chew on for days.

9. In the Shadow of the Moon
I know, I know. I make a point of how I’m getting tired of documentaries, and then I put five of them in my top 10. But how can you not love a movie that interviews most of the men who’ve walked on the moon (all of whom are funny and charismatic) and intercuts that with remastered footage of rockets lifting off, spacemen jumping in moon dust, and the awesome sight of Earth from 240,000 miles away? It won’t be as awesome on your tv, but it’s still well worth renting.

10. Hot Fuzz
The best comedy of last year. From the guys who brought you the zombie spoof Shaun of the Dead, this one good-naturedly mocks buddy-cop movies like Lethal Weapon. The satire is sharp, the sight gags are classic, and it all builds up to a gloriously inane shootout that had me falling off my seat.

Another Ten (films that in a different year could’ve been top 10 material, in alphabetical order)
12:08 East of Bucharest — more evidence of the Romanian renaissance, this one featuring lots of caustic sight gags.
Assassination of Jesse James … — a great Western anchored by a strong Brad Pitt performance.
Away from Her — the actress Sarah Polley shows herself a marvelous handler of actors in her directorial debut. Julie Christie is getting all the Oscar buzz (and deservedly so), but Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent is even better. — full review
Brand upon the Brain — Guy Maddin just keeps getting crazier and more inventive.
Manufactured Landscapes — revealing (and strangely picturesque) documentary about how human beings are destroying our planet. — full review
Michael Clayton — Hollywood star power at its finest. Gripping and taut. — full review
Persepolis — gorgeous, funny, and melancholy animated film, based on the graphic novel memoir of a child growing up in post-revolution Iran.
Summercamp! — fun, fun, fun documentary about kids in the great outdoors. — festival blurb
Starting out in the Evening — Frank Langella gives a marvelous performance as an older writer approached by a young and interested woman. The plot hits a few false notes, but the same cannot be said of Langella.
The Violin — a black-and-white Mexican film about war, torture, and music. But since neither Weinstein nor Sony Classics picked this up, you know there’s nothing sentimental about it. — festival blurb

Worthy Honorable Mentions
A Mighty Heart, Black Book, Blame It on Fidel, Boss of It All, Charlie Wilson’s War, Honeydripper, The Host, Juno, Live-In Maid, and Ten Canoes

And finally three movies I like but that lots of other people love, which means I might need to see them again: Syndromes and a Century, There Will Be Blood, and Zodiac.

So, what were your favorite movies of 2007? Feel free to link to your own top 10, but please don’t say Transformers. And here’s to 2008, which hopefully will be just as good as 2007.

8 Responses to “Top 10 (and then some) of 2007”

Bob Turnbull Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Great list and write-up J. Robert. I’ve only seen about a third of your list of 30, so I’ll be catching up on 2007 in 2008 (that’s my usual strategy).

So where’s “You, The Living”? It’s still my favourite of the year, but I do wonder if it will hold up after a second viewing. I’m hopeful.

I also need to see “Syndromes And A Century” again. It just didn’t click with me on the initial viewing. Even though I should have been prepared for the non-narrative format (having seen “Blissfully Yours” shortly before), I expected more of a through line regarding his parents’ relationship. It’s undeniably beautiful in spots though, so I think I just need to let it wash over me.
J Robert Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Thanks, Bob. As for You, The Living, that’ll show up in my Best of Old and Festival Movies post. Which I’d hoped to get to today, but preparing for a family visit took up too much time. Hopefully by the middle of next week.

Btw, I really enjoyed your year-end wrap-up, even if it was dominated by older movies. It was particularly fun to re-live “Linda Linda Linda.” I was curious, though, how you get such great screen captures, like in your Deeply Superficial post. Those are awesome!
Bob Turnbull Says:
February 11th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Ah I see. Since “You The Living” hasn’t actually got a real release in North America yet…Gotcha.

As for the screencaps, I just use my laptop’s DVD drive and the software DVD player on it. It’s called “InterVideo WinDVD”. When I find a good screenshot, I pause the player and simply press a little camera icon. This saves the image as a .bmp file and I convert that to a .jpg in order to save space on the blog. I expect many of the free software DVD players available out there should have a similar feature.

Yeah, good images were easily found in the films I randomly chose. Any frame from the entirety “The Conformist” and “Tales Of Hoffmann”.
Doug Says:
February 14th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
A fine list, indeed, J. Robert. I’m especially intrigued by your inclusion of “Darkon” and “In the Shadow of the Moon,” two documentaries I’d really like to see. My brother and I played fantasy role-playing games as teenagers and we still throw a D&D game together for friends every Christmas, though of course never to the degree that these folks apparently do; still, I understand the appeal (and benefits/hazards) of role-playing games in a way that makes me feel they are often catagorized or dismissed in shallow terms, so I’m looking forward to the film.

And my day job is graphic design at Caltech/JPL, so I’m very interested in a good articulation of the space program!

I’m bummed that I missed “Starting Out in the Evening,” but it’s coming to DVD soon.
J Robert Says:
February 15th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Thanks, Doug. I think you’d like both of those documentaries. And I probably shouldn’t have used the word ‘dorks’ in describing Darkon. The movie is wonderfully objective in allowing the players to describe their own motivations. Some are stereotypically dorky but many are really thoughtful. I played a lot of role-playing games when I was a teenager and young adult (though not D&D–that was evil!), and I have fond memories of those games. As for Starting Out in the Evening, you won’t miss anything seeing that on dvd.

And thanks, Bob, for the info on the screencaps. I’ll have to look into what my computer can do.
Ted Says:
May 28th, 2008 at 3:23 am
I’m actually kind of surprised that you didn’t include Sweeney Todd (though, admittedly, it’s not like any other best-of-2007 lists *forgot* it). I spent 2007 in a moratorium of film watching (it helped that I was broke), and I’m just now getting caught up on the Junos and Onces of the world, but I had to see the adaptation of Todd. This also prompted many conversations among my friends about the [supposedly going to be jumped upon] movie adaptation of Wicked.

I have to say, though, you are my go-to reference for film (thanks to your recommendation of Children of Men a few years back, I was horribly depressed at the “Oscar controversy” of Crash vs Brokeback Mountain), so Darkon is now officially added to my must-see list.
J Robert Says:
May 28th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Hi, Ted.

Thanks for the comment. I hadn’t seen Sweeney Todd by the time I wrote this up, but I wouldn’t have included it anyway. I liked the film, but not that much. I bet you’ll like Darkon. Let me know when you see it. Btw, are you still at Columbia?
Ted Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Fair enough - I think I like Tim Burton, musicals, and Sweeney Todd more than most. I’ve been searching for Darkon to rent, and I’m probably going to have to resort to the art film rental places downtown or maybe even sign up for Netflix (Milwaukee, I love… but I curse, sometimes).

Unfortunately, not still at Columbia. I’d love to, but commuting was killing me in the first place. Now I’m just waiting on turning 24 so I don’t have to muck around with my parents’ income and saving up some money. My writing’s also been going in more of a direction of graphic novels, which is great IMO, but I think it might be a little difficult to sustain at Columbia. I hope to come back for grad school, though.

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Top 10 (and then some) of 2007

8 Responses to “Top 10 (and then some) of 2007”

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