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The Top 10 of 2007 … and more
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A violent, nerve-wracking Coen brothers drama, the pounding conclusion to the “Bourne” trilogy, and a cute, computer-animated rat stoke my list for the best movies of the year.
TOP 10 OF 2007
1. “No Country for Old Men” — A haunting, vibrant, violent drama in the best tradition of the Coen brothers. Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin are good. Javier Bardem is amazing. And the dog … you gotta see the dog.
2. “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” — A challenging, enthralling French film about a real-life magazine editor who, after a massive stroke, is paralyzed everywhere except in his left eye. I know, it sounds unwatchable. But it’s as mesmerizing as it is devastating.
3. “Atonement” — Director Joe Wright has followed one good English drama (“Pride & Prejudice”) with a great English drama. Based on Ian McEwan’s World War II era novel, “Atonement” throbs with the pangs of love found and lost. Plus, young supporting star Saoirse Ronan is the find of the year.
4. “There Will Be Blood” — Daniel Day-Lewis barrels through director Paul Thomas Anderson’s turn-of-the-20th century drama, eating up everyone in sight with an oil baron character so finely realized there’s no doubt he deserves Oscar’s top acting prize. (Expected to arrive in metro Atlanta on Jan. 11).
5. “The Bourne Ultimatum” — Director Paul Greengrass’ you-are-there approach elevates this third installment in the fine action spy trilogy to must-see status. And star Matt Damon does more with few words than just about anybody.
6. “Knocked Up” — There was nothing funnier in 2007, nothing more in tune with modern young-adult sensibilities, and nothing that gave as much hope in the midst of an unwanted pregnancy.
7. “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” — A prime example of an insensitive studio — namely Warner Bros. — gutting the chances of its own, remarkable drama because the movie’s artistry is a tough sell to mainstream audiences. The film may be long, but it earns every second. And Casey Affleck’s performance is genius.
8. “Lars and the Real Girl” — You may not think you want to see a movie about a grown man and his life-size female doll but it’s a near-perfect fable sold on light-hearted charm and the ever-amazing acting talent of Ryan Gosling.
9. “Gone Baby Gone” — Maybe Ben Affleck can’t act, but he can sure direct as he proves with this gripping tale of child abduction in the mean streets of Boston. Brother Casey Affleck makes a suitable lead, and supporting star Amy Ryan delivers the film’s performance payoff.
10. “Ratatouille” — It’s not just a happy, watchable computer-animated film with a rat from Pixar. It contains perhaps the supreme moment on film for 2007 —- the sense memory that erupts when uppity food critic Anton Ego (voiced by Peter O’Toole) tastes the title dish.
FILMS OF SUPERIOR MERIT:
“Killer of Sheep” — Charles Burnett’s neo-realistic masterpiece of African-American life in Los Angeles dates from the 1970s, but didn’t get a wide release until this year.
“The Lives of Others” — Though it was released in Los Angeles in 2006 and won this year’s Oscar for best foreign-language film, it didn’t play in New York or Atlanta until well into 2007.
Runners-up (in order): “Away From Her,” “The Orphanage” (expected in metro Atlanta on Jan. 11), “Michael Clayton,” “Juno,” “Margot at the Wedding,” “The Boss of it All,” “No End in Sight,” “28 Weeks Later,” “My Kid Could Paint That,” “Into the Wild,” “Starting Out in the Evening,” “Once,” “The Host,” “The Golden Door,” “Talk to Me,” “American Gangster,” “Eastern Promises,” “Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life,” “Sicko,” “Disturbia.”
Major disappointments (in order of travesty): “The Darjeeling Limited,” “The Ten,” “Youth After Youth,” “The Kite Runner,” “Sleuth,” “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium,” “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” “Rendition,” “The Invasion,” “El Cantante.”
BEST ACTOR
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood.”
2. Tommy Lee Jones, “In the Valley of Elah.”
3. Don Cheadle, “Talk to Me.”
4. Viggo Mortensen, “Eastern Promises.”
5. Ryan Gosling, “Lars and the Real Girl.”
6. George Clooney, “Michael Clayton.”
7. Emile Hirsch, “Into the Wild.”
8. Frank Langella, “Starting Out in the Evening.”
9. Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Savages.”
10. Denzel Washington, “American Gangster.”
BEST ACTRESS
1. Marion Cotillard, “La Vie En Rose.”
2. Julie Christie, “Away From Her.”
3. Ellen Page, “Juno.”
4. Laura Linney, “The Savages.”
5. Keira Knightley, “Atonement.”
6. Nicole Kidman, “Margot at the Wedding.”
7. Katharine Heigl, “Knocked Up.”
8. Angelina Jolie, “A Mighty Heart.”
9. Charlize Theron, “In the Valley of Elah.”
10. Amy Adams, “Enchanted.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”
2. Robert Downey Jr., “Zodiac.”
3. Tom Wilkinson, “Michael Clayton.”
4. Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men.”
5. Paul Dano, “There Will Be Blood.”
6. Ethan Hawke, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.”
7. Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War.”
8. Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Talk to Me.”
9. Tommy Lee Jones, “No Country for Old Men.”
10. Ed Harris, “Gone Baby Gone.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone.”
2. Imelda Staunton, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”
3. Taraji P. Henson, “Talk to Me.”
4. Jennifer Jason Leigh, “Margot at the Wedding.”
5. Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement.”
6. Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton.”
7. Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There.”
8. Susan Sarandon, “In the Valley of Elah.”
9. Olympia Dukakis, “Away From Her.”
10. Lilli Taylor, “Starting Out in the Evening.”
BEST DIRECTOR
1. Sarah Polley, “Away From Her.”
2. Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
3. Joel and Ethan Coen, “No Country for Old Men.”
4. Paul Thomas Anderson, “There Will Be Blood.”
5. Joe Wright, “Atonement.”
6. Ben Affleck, “Gone Baby Gone.”
7. Andrew Dominik, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”
8. Juan Antonio Bayona, “The Orphanage.”
9. Judd Apatow, “Knocked Up.”
10. Paul Greengrass, “The Bourne Ultimatum.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Bob Longino
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By Blanca
December 28, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this
Jennifer Jason Lee deserve a Oscar just for how she p**ped her panties in “Margo at the Weding”!!!