Favorite Films of 2007
As the year 2007 quickly comes to a close (and since everybody else is doing this), I figured I’d give my list of favorites from this past year. This list is thoroughly unscientific and completely biased in every way imaginable. Today’s list will be my favorite 5 films that I saw this year counting down from #5 to #1.
- #5) In the Shadow of the Moon (David Sington)
Way back in June, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) held an event called Late Night at LACMA. The museum opened its doors free of charge and had several special exhibits including art exhibits, two live bands, and several film screenings. Several friends of mine and I went to this event, which was a great deal of fun! As part of the night, they had two film screenings, one of which was Hairspray (which I couldn’t have been less interested in) and this film, which presented in documentary form a recollection of the manned missions to the moon in the late 60s and early 70s given entirely from the perspective of the men who flew those missions.
- #4) Ratatouille (Brad Bird)
Honestly, I was extremely surprised by this one. Nowadays, I’m not much of a fan of films marketed towards the younger crowd, and after the fiasco that was Cars, I have become pretty skeptical of the ability of Pixar to still be relevant and creative. Yet, with this release, I found myself absolutely captivated by the animation, the story, and the characters.
- #3) No Country For Old Men (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)
Early this fall, I read a book called The Road, which was a Pulitzer-Prize winner for author Cormac McCarthy. Coincidentally, No Country For Old Men was originally a book by the same author and only this year was released as a Coen brothers film. The word “dark” is not quite sufficient to give the feeling created by this film. “Bleak” is more like it.
- #2) Juno (Jason Reitman)
Darkly funny, sarcastically biting, and all with an undercurrent of hope, Juno surprised me this year (actual, several weeks ago) as a great film that kept me laughing the whole time.
- #1) The Savages (Tamara Jenkins)
In one of the most realistic and gripping scripts I’ve seen in years, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney play siblings who must care for an elderly parent. As I watched this film, I became immediately engrossed almost forgetting that I was sitting in a movie theater. This film reminds us of certain aspects of life that many of us would rather not deal with, all the while conveying a sense of importance and meaning in even the most mundane of daily decisions that we face. Great film! Should win some awards but probably won’t.
Themocracy
I certainly agree on No Country and Juno. I have those on my list as well.