1st ASPEYA 2007 – Volume 4: KRISTINA’S TOP 25 OF THE YEAR!
The 1st Annual Stale Popcorn End Of Year Awards 2007
(or 1st ASPEYA 2007)
… But published in 2008!
Volume 4: KRISTINA’S TOP 25 OF THE YEAR!
Hey there everyone! We’re back with our multi-volumed “review” of 2007 and we’re going to jump ahead to looking at Kristina’s Top 25 of the year and catch back up with Wyv and his pick of the best and worst of the year, and his own Top 25, in… well… you know… when he decides to send them to me so I can incorporate them in to proceedings! So, get a wriggle on mate!
I dig Kristina’s list quite a bit! There’s a whole host of titles I’m including in mine and there’s inclusions for titles I’m desperate to see but haven’t checked out yet. And, well, her number one choice? I knew she dug it quite a bit but, man alive, it’s a revelation!
Without further ado. Here’s my darlin’ Kris:
25. Transformers- While I enjoyed the sheer spectacle of this film, too many unnecessary characters and a main villain that doesn’t show up until the last twenty minutes prevent me from placing this any higher on the list. Hopefully for the sequel, Bay will learn how to hold a camera on an action sequence, rather than induce seizures with his shaky-cam directing style. Negatives aside, Shia was great, and the Autobot arrival to Earth was my most-watched scene of the year.
24. Bee Movie- I am no fan of Jerry Seinfeld or his inane TV show, but this movie made me laugh my head off. The animation isn’t nearly on Pixar’s level and the story loses its way a bit in the third act, but the jokes are smart AND funny. Go figure.
23. The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford- I wasn’t expecting much from this, but this drama(yes, it’s more drama than western) will be remembered more for Casey Affleck’s creepy performance as Robert Ford than anything else. Too long for my taste, but still an enjoyable film.
22. American Gangster- Bums me out that I can’t put this sucker higher. It’s an entertaining gangster flick, but it’s nothing that I haven’t seen before. The performances are great and the story is compelling enough, but it doesn’t have that extra something to push it higher up my list.
21. Gone Baby Gone- Boy, was this one a surprise. A great flick with one of the toughest moral dilemmas I’ve ever seen a character face on film. Not bad for Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, not bad at all.
20. The Kingdom- I saw plenty of war movies in 2007, but this one was certainly the most enjoyable. Never gets overly preachy or moralistic, and the last thirty minutes were more jacked than an episode of 24.
19. Sweeney Todd- Oh dear God, it REALLY hurts that I can’t put this one higher. Of all the films on this list, this one was certainly my most anticipated. A Depp/Burton combo, and it was a musical? How could it not make my top ten? Well, after a second viewing, it’s painfully clear that the subplots with the minor characters that I couldn’t care less for slaughtered this film’s pace, but the film is still entertaining, Depp is Depp, and the final shot had my jaw on the floor.
18. The Mist- Unless my memory is shot, this is the only horror film that I even bothered to watch this year, and thank goodness that I did. It’s less a horror film than it is a character study, and it’s a fantastic one to boot. Tense, terrifying, and had the BEST ending of any film I saw in 2007, hands down.
17. 300- Do I really have to explain why I love this movie so much? Half-naked men beating the ever-loving crap outta the bad guys? A female lead who, for ONCE, was just as strong as the male lead? Not to mention the fact that it’s one of the most visually stunning films I’ve ever seen. All killer, no filler.
16. Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead-This thing is a doozy. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke excel as brothers whose robbery scheme ultimately destroys their family forever. I really enjoyed watching Hoffman own the screen in this, but he is nearly outshined by Albert Finney as Hoffman’s vengeful father. This is one mean, mean movie with horrific consequences for all involved. Loved it.
15. The Kite Runner- The best foreign film of the year, no doubt about it. It’s a tough film to watch, especially when some very adult problems befall young children, but you owe it to yourself to watch one of the best performances I’ve seen all year, Homayoun Ershadi as a noble, heroic Afghan father.
14. Grindhouse- Yeah, Death Proof was the lesser of the two films, but in total, Grindhouse was a great moviegoing experience. The fake trailers were hilarious(Don’t!), and I had such a fun time watching this thing. I refuse to buy any DVDs until the entire thing is released together, though. I shall not be double-dipped! It’s a shame that this project failed so miserably, as it ensures that studios will remain afraid to take cinematic risks. Here comes Norbit 2…
13. Juno- The most overrated film of the year misses my top 10, but make no mistake, Juno is certainly worth seeing. While I believe that Ellen Page gave one of the best performances of the year, I also believe that the film tries too hard to be hip and cute in terms of the dialogue. The dialogue is very funny at times, and very unbelievable at other times. Had screenwriter Diablo Cody scaled back the banter, this would have cracked my top ten, easily.
12. The Bourne Ultimatum- Man, I remember when I was so excited about “the summer of threes”. Shrek, Pirates, Spidey…all sucked the big one. Thank heavens that Matt Damon swooped in to save the day and bust some heads as Jason Bourne. Like I said for 300, this is an all killer, no filler action flick with a brain behind it. Now that I think about it, the body count isn’t particularly high, yet I could feel my heart about to come out of my chest during that roof chase. The shaky cam in one hand-to-hand fight was AWFUL, but other than that, I’ve got no beef with this flick.
11. Away From Her- Julie Christie must win the Best Actress Oscar for her haunting portrayal of an Alzheimer’s patient in this heartbreaking drama. I don’t usually go for movies like this, but you need to seek this film out on DVD if you want to know what actual good acting looks like. What a great movie.
10. Superbad- While everyone else was drooling over the overhyped Knocked Up, I was hanging with Mclovin. For once, a teen comedy that doesn’t turn characters into stereotypes and actually gives the female characters a bit more to do than flash their chests! As great as gross-out comedy is, it helps when you actually like and care for the characters involved, and Superbad pulled this off in spades. And I might get crap for this, but the moment I’ll remember the most from this film is Seth’s backward glance at the very end. Perfect cap to a perfect comedy.
9. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix- This tops Azkaban as the best of the series to me. The kids are maturing very well into their roles, and for the first time, I actually felt the fear and wonder of the wizarding world. That wizard battle at the end in IMAX 3D was mind-blowing beyond words, and Radcliffe managed to get a few tears out of me during the Exorcist-style climax.
8. Sicko- Personal feelings about Michael Moore aside(I actually don’t mind the guy), everyone can agree that America’s healthcare system is a complete disgrace, and Moore shines a harsh light on the system in this funny, compelling documentary. It may be a bit manipulative(taking 9/11 workers to Guantanamo Bay was way over the top), but it is damn effective.
7. Enchanted- Aww! Every year brings a slew of crappy kiddie movies, but this is the one that will still be watched ten years from now. Unless you have a heart of ice or completely despise all things Disney, I can’t imagine how anyone could hate this film. Amy Adams does more than headline this movie: she IS this movie, and I cannot imagine anyone improving her star-making turn as Princess Giselle. What a happy movie!
6. Rescue Dawn- Man, Christian Bale had one heck of a year in 2007. He carries this gritty prisoner-of-war story with frightening ease. It’s almost disgusting how good this guy and this film is.
5. No Country For Old Men- Of all of the hyped fall ”prestige” films, this is clearly the superior film. I’ve never really been into the Coens, but after this I am eagerly awaiting their follow-up. A thriller with a fairly straight-up plot is transformed into an epic piece of filmmaking thanks to some killer performances from Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and the man that gave me nightmares the likes of which I haven’t had since my first viewing of Jaws, Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh.
4. Eastern Promises- Viggo Mortensen fights naked. Viggo Mortensen slits throats. Viggo Mortensen is badass. End of story.
3. Stardust- The surprise of the year for me, hands down. This flick got screwed in a big way with a terrible marketing campaign, but this is such a magical, joyous film. It’s one of those movies that makes you remember why the heck you go to the theater in the first place: to be entertained and to lose yourself in a great story. This movie has it all: colorful characters, a layered plot, romance, action, gorgeous scenery, and the good sense not to take itself too seriously. This flick is the closest we’ve come to The Princess Bride in a long while, and I truly hope that this film gains the cult following that it deserves.
2. Hot Fuzz- This is the best comedy I have seen in years! I love the Pegg/Frost/Wright trifecta, and they managed to do the impossible and top Shaun of the Dead. Almost every line in this movie is a screamer, sight gags that appear inconsequential at first pay off in a big way later in the film(swan!), the cop/action movie parodies are dead-on, and the chemistry between Pegg and Frost is hilarious and oddly touching at once. If there was any justice, this would be getting the awards hype that Juno is receiving right now. I laughed much harder at Danny’s ketchup trick than at any of Juno’s witty banter.
And her top film of the year is:
1. 3:10 To Yuma- This is a complete no-brainer to me. While everyone else seems to have forgotten about this film, this is the movie that stuck with me WEEKS after I’d seen it. As a gal who despises Westerns, I am stunned that I loved this thing so much, but the combo of Bale/Crowe was too sweet for words. The tug-of-war between the two of them is great to watch, and everyone in this film brings their A+ game. Gorgeous cinematography, beautiful score, firm directing, a great screenplay, and some of the best actors alive add up to form an unbeatable monster of a movie. This is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best flick of 2007 to me.
Surprised? I know I was. Cheers Kris! Great list and stay tuned as my own Top 25 pick is not that far behind!
4 Responses to “1st ASPEYA 2007 – Volume 4: KRISTINA’S TOP 25 OF THE YEAR!”
You know I wouldn’t call The Kingdom a war film, it’s really a police procedural. I gotta say Peter Berg is becoming one of my favorite directors.
3:10 to Yuma…really? It’s alright, but faaar from being the best of 2007.
I friggin’ LOVED 3:10 to Yuma. Loved it, loved it, LOVED it. May not be the “best” of the year in the literal sense, but for my personal list, it’s my clear favorite, no doubt about it.
Trackbacks
What's Your Opinion?