2007 End of the Year Wrap Up - Sounds of Cinema

10 Best Films of 2007

What follows are Nathan’s picks of the best films of 2007.

1. Into the Wild

Directed by: Sean Penn

Premise: The true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a college graduate who gave away his possessions to travel across North America, eventually ending up in Alaska.

Why It Made the List: Some films are able to expose observations about our culture by taking us on a journey through the landscape the way Forrest Gump did, using an episodic structure in which the protagonist learns lessons from fellow travelers. The result is usually a story that paints with broad strokes in order to cover its entire canvas. Other films make commentary through a close focus on a single character like There Will Be Blood and use a limited scope to pick apart its subject. Sean Penn’s Into the Wild combines these approaches and the result is a picture that is able to be penetrate deeply into the life of Christopher McCandless, played wonderfully by Emile Hirsch, while also sketching the culture he grew up in and eventually rejected and portraying the link between them. This is an intelligent film, capturing the reason behind McCandless’ journey and treating his rejection of social expectations with equal parts respect and criticism. The picture does not ridicule him but its does show how erratic and sometimes dangerous his choices became due to McCandless’ naiveté and misanthropic tendencies, and how those flaws contributed to his journey as much as his enthusiasm and education. This film also captures the sheer adventure of the journey and even an agoraphobic would be awed by McCandless’ travels through the gorgeous landscape. While the protagonist meets many different characters in his travels, Into the Wild has the distinction of filling its story with many fully realized characters with real histories and personalities. In the process, the film allows the supporting characters lives of their own and conveys ideas that further McCandless’ own convictions and builds toward the isolated and heartbreaking finale. Into the Wild is a learned film, one that uses the literary sources who influenced McCandless, such as Jack London, Mark Twain, and Henry David Thoreau, to give his unconventional life some credibility and embed the story within an American tradition of explorers and independent thinkers. Into the Wild translates this into the cinematic form successfully, using sound, cinematography, and editing to embed the theory into the practice. The result is a picture that presents us with a portrait of someone who found love for his fellow man by leaving society. What Penn’s film does so incredibly well, and the primary reason why his film tops this list, is how it is able to use the life of Christopher McCandless to present us with the most sobering, intelligent, critical, and insightful view of our own culture on film this year.

2. There Will Be Blood

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Premise: Adapted from Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil! Speculator Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) builds an oil empire throughout Texas in the early 1900s. As his success grows, Plainview becomes increasingly more competitive and his greed and his ambition to drive all competition into the ground turns him into a psychotic egomaniac.

Why It Made the List: It sounds hyperbolic to call a performance one of the greatest ever committed to film, but that is exactly what Daniel Day Lewis accomplishes in There Will Be Blood. Daniel Plainview is simply the greatest antihero since Tony Montana in Scarface. Lewis’ performance is finely tuned, and he nails everything from the posture, to the voice, to the facial expressions and Lewis and the screenplay are able to make this despicable character a fascinating and even sympathetic figure by interspersing Plainview’s intensity and occasional violence with tender moments between Plainview and his son (Dillon Freasier), revelations of his loathing and loneliness, and–most surprising–instants of humor that deliver big laughs. Although Daniel Day Lewis is the heavyweight in the film, he has a great on-screen relationship with Paul Dano as Pastor Eli Sunday. As Eli’s mission and Plainview’s aspirations come into conflict, the film ratchets up the tension and Dano is able to hold his own against Lewis’s presence. There Will Be Blood is conceived in the style, tone, and scope of the pictures of Stanley Kubrick, John Ford, and Orson Welles and it stands up against virtually anything in their filmographies while applying contemporary storytelling techniques. Despite its extended running time, There Will Be Blood has a smartly and slickly assembled narrative, it uses sound and music in unconventional and sometimes avant-garde ways, and its cinematography is composed of gorgeous shots that combine classical compositions with current technological tools and editing techniques. The result is a contemporary masterpiece, merging the classic and the contemporary.

3. Zodiac

Directed by: David Fincher

Premise: Based on the books by Robert Graysmith. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Graysmith, a cartoonist for a California newspaper, who follows the story of the Zodiac killer and attempts to solve the mystery after the detectives assigned to the case (Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards) have given up.

Why It Made the List: Zodiac is one of the best serial killer films since The Silence of the Lambs. In a time when mass media is saturated with sensational murder news coverage and police procedurals are a dominant form of entertainment, Zodiac stands as one of the definitive films of its kind. Rather than airbrush over the actual procedures and difficulties of police investigation, Zodiac embraces these elements, such as corroborating witnesses and collecting evidence, and uses them to drive the drama and conflict of the story. The narrative is very impressive, introducing several characters and weaving between them very well while also balancing the information about the case and maintaining a sense of tension despite covering several decades from start to finish. The film is one of David Fincher’s best works to date and he abandons some of his fancier camera and editing tricks for a more subtle approach that serves the story and lets the audience bask in the complexities of the case and its consequences on the community. Aside from addressing the obvious loss of life, Zodiac gives each of its lead characters a satisfactory character arc in relation to the Zodiac murders. Gyllenhaal is very good as Graysmith, who journeys from a sharply introverted cartoonist to an aggressive detective in his search for the truth. Robert Downey Jr. adds his characteristic humor as reporter Paul Avery whose ego, battle with alcoholism, and fear of the Zodiac killer destroy his career. Ruffalo and Edwards also give solid performances as the detectives assigned to the case, and the impact of the unsolved murders on their personal and professional lives extends the impact of the Zodiac killer’s reach beyond the obvious lose of life. Zodiac‘s narrative complexity and its balance of information and drama is extremely impressive and the film proves that the horror genre can be both intelligent and dramatically engaging.

4. The Hoax

Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom

Premise: The true story of Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) and Dick Susskind (Alfred Molina), two writers who created a false autobiography of Howard Hughes and sold it to the McGraw Hill publishing company in the mid-1970s.

Why It Made the List: In the age of reality television, the newfound popularity of nonfiction literature and especially biographical texts, and contemporary obsessions with historical accuracy, The Hoax is an extremely relevant film about the snowballing effect of lying and the slippery nature of truth. The movie is able to explore ethical dilemmas and create an atmosphere of paranoia while at the same time be very entertaining and surprisingly funny. Richard Gere gives his best performance in years as Irving, a man who quickly finds himself drowning in the lies he has created, and Alfred Molina matches Gere’s performance. The two are quite a pair, as Irving depends on Susskind for a sense of conscience, but at the same time Irving works to undermine Susskind’s ethical orientation in order to give himself the freedom to sink deeper into fraud. The arc of the characters is both funny and touching as their personal and professional relationships are poisoned by the lie of the book and by their need to keep on lying to maintain the illusion. And what’s even more compelling is how Susskind and Irving’s colleagues accept their deception and the world around them begins to change in ways that make lie at least partly true. The Hoax is a very complex but entirely engaging film that takes stabs at deep ethical and philosophical questions of how we know what we do about the world and what it means for a piece of writing to be true, and all the while the filmmakers stay hip and get laughs out of the absurdity of situation.

5. Black Snake Moan

Directed by: Craig Brewer

Premise: Just outside of a small Tennessee town, Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson), a black blues musician who has recently separated from his wife, takes in Rae (Christina Ricci), a young white woman who suffers from nymphomania as a result of an abusive childhood. Lazarus takes it upon himself to cure Rae of her condition by chaining her inside of his cabin and reconditioning her.

Why It Made the List: Proving that films cannot be judged by their trailers, Black Snake Moan turns what initially looked like an exploitation film into a story about redemption through music and love. Like he did in Hustle and Flow, director and screenwriter Craig Brewer shows aptitude for creating sympathetic characters for those at the bottom of society by getting into their heads and situations. This is greatly aided by Jackson and Ricci, who give some of the best performances of their careers. Jackson is entirely convincing as a Blues musician who finds his way out of isolation and hate, and Ricci’s performance is incredibly brave, as she turns a role that, in the hands of a lesser actress, might have been just another Jerry Springer Show cliché, into a very complex portrait of a tortured woman. Rae’s fight to combat her mental illness and Jackson’s return from isolation and nihilism are beautiful character work and the film’s use of rhythm and blues music fills in the scenes with melancholy, hope, and a sense of spiritual cleansing and awakening. Black Snake Moan treads into dangerous territory and manages to come out with some sober and compassionate observations about love, music, and sexuality that will enlighten viewers rather than just titillate them.

6. In the Valley of Elah

Directed by: Paul Haggis

Premise: The true story of a retired military police officer (Tommy Lee Jones) who investigates the disappearance of his son, a soldier who has recently returned from Iraq.

Why It Made the List: There were many films about the Iraq war released this year, some overt and some subtle, but In the Valley of Elah is easily the best, primarily because it is so focused on the story it is attempting to tell. In the Valley of Elah is masterfully structured. There is no extraneous material and each scene drives the story forward on multiple levels. Like Crash and Flags of Our Fathers, the film deals with what it means to be an American and how our beliefs and perceptions about ourselves and our country contrast with reality. This film explores these conflicts and uses the twists and turns in the case to unveil how everyday vices compromise our heroes. Tommy Lee Jones gives one of the best performances of his career in this film. It’s not flashy but it is highly controlled and carefully staged, and as a retired military man Jones’ character embodies the conflicts of a patriotic citizen struggling to reconcile his love for his country with growing evidence that the men in his son’s unit had something to do with his disappearance. And this is why In the Valley of Elah is the best of this year’s Iraq films and one of the best all around; it uses the personal, the visceral, and the immediate to create an entryway into broad and underlying cultural issues and intelligently question some of our most basic beliefs about ourselves and our country.

7. The Kite Runner

Directed by: Marc Forster

Premise: Amir (Khalid Abdalla), an author living in America, recalls his childhood growing up in Afghanistan and his relationship to childhood friend Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada). As an adult, Amir returns to Taliban controlled Afghanistan to aid Hassan’s son (Ali Dinesh).

Why It Made the List: The Kite Runner is a great example of cinematic storytelling. The structure of the story is complex but it manages to maneuver around the timeline with complete coherence and use the juxtaposition of the past and the present to make the connections between plot points even stronger than if the story was told in a linear fashion. The film provides insight into the saga of Afghani people and it includes the vital component that Charlie Wilson’s War missed, the contrast in the country’s culture before and after the Soviet invasion. The Kite Runner has the distinction of being a film about the Afghani people, as it gives the culture a chance to speak for itself rather than be sifted through a Western lens, but it is also distinctly an American story, as an immigrant comes to terms with his new dual identity. There is a tradition for this kind of narrative in American storytelling and The Kite Runner, like its main characters, is a hybrid that retains the traditions and dignity of the Afghan culture while embracing Western sensibilities. The result is a film that represents a cultural dialogue between the West and the Middle East and the story provides a chance for redemption, reconciliation, and new beginnings.

8. Waitress

Directed by: Adrienne Shelly

Premise: Jenna (Keri Russell), a waitress working at a small town diner specializing in pies, contemplates leaving her abusive husband when she becomes pregnant. She meets a new local doctor (Nathan Fillion) and begins having an affair with him.

Why It Made the List: Most of the mainstream press has dubbed Juno this year’s Little Miss Sunshine, a film without flash that used wit and the chaos of family to make quiet but powerful observations about contemporary life. Not to take anything away from Juno, but Waitress is the true heiress to the yellow van throne. Adrienne Shelly’s film has the wit but it also has the wisdom, and that is where it outmaneuvers Juno as well as Knocked Up. Keri Russell’s voice-overs in which she pontificates on pie making as a metaphor for her life has more depth and more truth to it than toilet humor or sarcastic one liners. The supporting cast of the film have similar truth to them such as Andy Griffith as a crotchety regular customer and Jeremy Sisto as Jenna’s abusive husband. Waitress allows the actors to delve inside of their characters, small as they may be, and portray people living in rural society with compassion, and the film never treats them condescendingly like Fargo did. Waitress is one of the most humane films of the year and one that is a great pleasure to watch.

9. 28 Weeks Later

Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Premise: A sequel to 28 Days Later. In the original film, the Rage virus, a disease transferred by bodily fluids that turns people in rabid, cannibalistic zombies, spread throughout the United Kingdom. In this film, American-led NATO forces have quarantined a green zone and English survivors have started to return home, but the threat of the virus rises again.

Why It Made the List: The original 28 Days Later has achieved something like cult status and expectations for this sequel were very high. 28 Weeks Later has the distinction of not only matching the intelligence and intensity of the original film but actually surpassing it while blowing all of the other horror films of 2007 out of the water. The filmmakers smartly treat this as a family drama first, and a horror film second, knowing that once the human relationship have been set up, the terrors of the horror story will be even greater. Despite some extremely violent content, 28 Weeks Later has some very beautiful sequences such as a napalm attack on urban areas. The urban warfare element of the film was unappreciated by many other critics, but make no mistake: 28 Weeks Later is clearly referencing anxieties about terrorism and the conflict in Iraq. Like the zombie films of George A. Romero, this film is able to do what horror does best: take contemporary issues and present them to audiences in a way that will make us face our fears in a palatable fashion. The result is one of the best horror films of the year and a picture that delivers on both emotional and intellectual levels.

10. The War

Directed by: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick

Premise: A seven-part documentary series about American involvement World War II. The series follows journeys of four soldiers through the various theaters and fronts of the war while also delving into the experiences of other men in the field and the lives of American families on the home front. The film also tracks the progression of the war on a macro level, detailing the campaigns in Europe and the Pacific step by step.

Why It Made the List: The War is perhaps one of the greatest documents on World War II ever produced. The film is able to capture the struggle at nearly all levels, setting up each major conflict by summarizing the broad military goals and then telling the intimate stories of the soldiers going through hell. The narration of The War, written by Geoffrey C. Ward and read by Keith David, is perfect, combining expository information with a knack for dramatic oratory storytelling. The War also separates itself from other World War II documentaries by defying two assumptions of other works like it: The War does not assume that the triumph of Allied forces was inherent, nor does it assume that the Allied forces were without fault. On the contrary, the film addresses how close the Allies came to losing the war by allowing the footage and statistics of the casualties to pile up battle by battle. The film is also able to address the act of killing and what being in a war does to the soldiers and to the culture as a whole. In this way Ken Burns and Lynn Novick have made a film about World War II that returns the stakes and sacrifice back to the conflict and makes us understand how this war came to shape the United States as a political power and as culture.

Honorable Mentions

What follows are films that were either runners up to the Top 10 list or other pictures that came out in 2007 that are worth mentioning.

3:10 to Yuma – A very good Western that elaborates upon the themes of The Proposition, Unforgiven, and The Searchers but with a more hopeful perspective.

300 – An amazing show of aesthetics, technical skill, and pure showmanship. Although a great piece of spectacle, its lack of substance kept it out of the Top 10.

Alpha Dog – Both funny and tragic, Alpha Dog has characters unlike those normally seen in a teen crime picture and includes a terrific performance by Justin Timberlake.

American Gangster – Although not the instant gangster classic that some critics hailed it as, American Gangster puts some new twists on the gangster film and Denzel Washington provides one of the most compelling gangsters in the genre.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – A little too slow to make it into the Top 10, but this is nonetheless a compelling portrait of an American outlaw.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon – An interesting combination of Scream and The Blair Witch Project, this part-spoof, part-satire, part-pseudo-documentary, and part-straight up horror film is one of the most best horror films released this year.

The Bourne Ultimatum – An excellent action picture that capped off a fantastic series of spy films that has raised the bar for the action and espionage genres.

Breach – An enjoyable thriller that features a great performance by Chris Cooper.

Bug – William Friedkin’s best work since The Exorcist was highly disturbing but in exactly the way that a horror film ought to be.

Charlie Wilson’s War – One of the best post-September 11^th films yet made and it has a few great performances, but the story stops just a few yards short of the goal line.

Dan in Real Life – This is one of Steve Carell’s best projects and the film ends up as one of the best romantic comedies of the year.

Eastern Promises – An exceptional film about redemption and choices that creates authentic characters and puts those characters in heartbreaking situations.

Enchanted – A smart, funny, and exciting film that harkens back to the live action family films Disney used to make.

The Great Debaters – A tribute to the power of reason and the oratorical skill.

Grindhouse – A great film experiment, recreating the Grindhouse cinema experience of 1970s complete with two films, trailers, and defects on the print. Grindhouse might have been a shoo-in for the Top 10, but for the fact that the films are, intentionally, bad.

Hairspray – Seemingly destined to become a future classic of gay cinema, Hairspray is a fun musical.

Hitler: The Rise of Evil – Although it originally premiered on network television in 2003, the film finally saw DVD release in 2007.

Hostel: Part II – The rare sequel that surpasses the original film, Part II is much smarter than its predecessor and features both a grotesque sense of humor and thoughtful commentary on the torture subgenre that was so popular in recent years.

Hot Fuzz – A great deal of fun for action-adventure aficionados, Hot Fuzz balances satirizing genre and playing into its conventions.

Juno – Another great film from director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) that shows a mastery of both comedic and dramatic material while also giving a sensitive and intelligent portrayal of teen sexuality and parenthood.

Knocked Up – An alternate choice for the Top 10, Judd Apatow’s film about a pregnancy following a one night stand featured some great character writing.

Michael Clayton – A good film for the effective character work done by its actors and the screenplay.

A Mighty Heart – This film is able to invoke much more serious discussion of the relationship between the West and the Middle East than many other films released this year and gave a look into the plight of journalists working in the Middle East.

No Country for Old Men – Another film that would have been a strong contender for the Top 10 if not for an ending that sabotages the entire enterprise.

Perfume – The Story of a Murderer – Technically a 2006 release, this film did not get wide distribution until early 2007. It is a beautiful piece of gothic cinema that was far superior to the overrated Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Reign Over Me – Although there have been many films about 9/11 recently, Reign Over Me deals with the trauma in the aftermath of the event and watching Adam Sandler’s character work his way through his grief is a therapeutic experience.

Sicko – Michael Moore’s latest documentary ranks among his best work.

Talk to Me – A biopic that is a tribute to both “Petey” Greene and to the power of mass media, Talk to Me that reminds participants in media and consumers of media just how powerful this form can be.

Things We Lost in the Fire – A smart film about loss and recovery with great performances by Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro. A little too melodramatic, especially in the end, to crack the Top 10 but impressive nonetheless.

Vacancy – A mix of exploitation cinema and the work of Alfred Hitchcock, Vacancy shows just how effective art direction and effective editing can be.

La Vie En Rose – A biopic of Edith Piaf featuring a great performance by Marion Cotillard.

Good Buzz List

These are films that were released in 2007 and have strong word of mouth, and in some cases award nominations, but Nathan was unable to see them in time for the year end summary usually because they did not open here.

Away from Her – Julie Christie has been getting a lot of praise for her performance as a woman with Alzheimer’s disease.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead – Sidney Lumet’s latest film is a heist picture that is getting great praise for its acting performances.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – This film tells the true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who was paralyzed after a stroke.

Grace is Gone – This story of a widower dealing with breaking the news of his wife’s death to his daughters has been receiving great praise for John Cusack’s performance.

I’m Not There – A film about Bob Dylan featuring different actors playing the performer at various periods in his life.

Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains – Jonathan Demme’s documentary chronicles Jimmy Carter’s book tour for Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.

Lady Chatterley – This new interpretation of D.H. Lawrence’s literary work attempts to save the character from her previous soft-core porn adaptations.

Lust, Caution – Ang Lee’s World War II espionage thriller received an NC-17 rating, so its distribution was highly limited.

Persepolis – An animated adaptation of an Iranian girl coming of age amid the Islamic Revolution.

The Savages – Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman star as siblings who take care of their ailing father.

Youth without Youth – Francis Ford Coppola’s return to filmmaking was released very quietly and has been seen by very limited audiences.

Great Performances

This is a list of some of the great performances in 2007, although not all of them were in great movies.

30 Days of Night – Danny Huston was the single saving grace of this otherwise mundane vampire film.

300 – Gerard Bulter’s performance matched the operatic, over-the-top style of the film.

Alpha Dog – Justin Timberlake proved he can act in this film, in which he carries the conscience of the story.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford– Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck do a wonderful job playing the title characters.

Becoming Jane – Anne Hathaway nails the British accent in this film and her performance is very strong even if the screenplay was not.

Breach – Chris Cooper, one of those widely seen but largely unappreciated actors, gives a creepy but sympathetic performance as a double agent in the FBI.

Black Snake Moan – Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake all give great turns in a brave film.

Bug – Ashley Judd’s descent into madness is a creepy and sad show.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Cate Blanchett reprises the role that made her famous. Although the film was not as successful creatively or financially, Blanchett is still terrific as the virgin queen.

Enchanted – Amy Adams gives one of the best performances of the year in a role that requires her to sing, dance, and call upon a wide range of emotions.

Hairspray – Nikki Blonsky makes her feature debut and John Travolta wears a dress.

I am Legend – As the last man on earth, Will Smith acts alone for the duration of the film and gets to showcase his considerable acting talent.

Juno – Ellen Page sarcastic but sensitive portrayal of a pregnant teen makes the movie.

The Lookout – Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives a great performance in a pretty good film.

Michael Clayton – Tom Wilkinson, George Clooney, and Tilda Swinton all perform magnificently in this film, even if the story ended up a little underwhelming.

A Mighty Heart – Angelina Jolie plays Mariane Pearl during the search for her husband.

No Country for Old Men – Javier Bardem is one of the most threatening villains since Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator. If only the final act of the story had been so good.

Perfume – The Story of a Murderer – Ben Whishaw is terrific as a mute whose is tortured by his obsessions with olfactory sensation.

Reign Over Me – Adam Sandler gives the best performance of his career as a man who lost his family in the 9/11 attack.

Resurrecting the Champ – Samuel L. Jackson gives his other great performance of the year in a film that was not quite up the same level.

Shoot ‘Em Up – Paul Giamatti and Clive Owen are a lot of surly, snarling fun as tough guys surging with testosterone.

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter do a nice job singing, barbing, and making meat pies and capturing the humor in a story about a pair who kills people and feeds them to the public.

Talk to Me – Don Cheadle is magnetic as “Petey” Greene a man and he finds the human being behind the hustler.

Things We Lost in the Fire – Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro are terrific here.

La Vie En Rose – Marion Cotillard is great as French performer Edith Piaf, playing her at a variety of ages.

Bottom 10 Films of 2007

What follows are the very bottom of the cinematic heap for 2007.

1. Perfect Stranger

Directed by: James Foley

Premise: An investigative reporter (Halle Berry) researches the disappearance of a friend who had been having an affair with the CEO (Bruce Willis) of a high profile advertising agency.

Why It Made the List: It’s hard to believe that actors who have access to the best scripts and in some cases have won Academy Awards could not see a project like this for what it is. Perfect Stranger has one of the most incomprehensible and inept stories of the year. What is so maddening about this film more than any other is that it alternates between setting up the mystery and the clues in one scene and then dumping that in the next scene by taking the story in the opposite direction. The result is a sloppy mess of a murder mystery with clues that don’t mean anything, characters who enter and exit the story with no purpose, and a climax that makes no sense whatsoever. I hope Halle Berry and Bruce Willis got paid well, but I wish I had gotten paid to see this movie.

2. D-War: Dragon War

Directed by: Hyung-rae Shim

Premise: A 500 year old prophecy comes to fruition when the newest incarnation of a pair of Korean warriors combat a magical army of darkness that is populated by dragons and reptilian creatures.

Why It Made the List: No film of 2007 had special effects with as wide range in quality as D-War, which features a computer generated dragon killing an elephant that is obviously an inflatable (While fleeing the dragon, one of the characters comes into contact with the elephant’s dead “body” and it moves.). The action sequences are staged and edited with utter incompetence and the acting of the film is embarrassing to watch, although no actor could do much with the material given to him or her in this film. The story is incredibly stupid, even for the kind of light fantasy adventure that this aims to be, and the myth is so convoluted that even ambitious viewers will find themselves giving up halfway through. The film could have been a guilty pleasure like Plan 9 from Outer Space or Jaws 3 but its just too sloppy and too much work to try and enjoy it.

3. Next

Directed by: Lee Tamahori

Premise: A magician (Nicolas Cage) with the ability to see two minutes into the future is pursued by federal authorities intending to use him to find terrorists with a nuclear bomb. At the same time, the terrorists attempt to kill Cage’s character.

Why It Made the List: Nicolas Cage continues his quest to become the next John Agar with Next, a film drowning in its own stupidity. The film sets up what could be an interesting premise, but Next quickly destroys this by playing fast and loose with its own rules. The terrorists are ambiguous Eurotrash who magically appear in various scenes for no particular reason, and apparently want to destroy America for the same nonexistent motivation. Next then switches into love story mode with Cage’s magician falling and a teacher (Jessica Biel) and abandoning the terrorist plot. In the end this incredulous film caps itself by finishing on an ending that smacks the audience in the face, and not in a good way.

4. The Hills Have Eyes II

Directed by: Martin Weisz

Premise: A sequel to the 2006 remake of Wes Craven’s 1977 film. A group of National Guard trainees are sent on an impromptu rescue mission when scientists disappear in a remote desert army base. The trainees find themselves in a struggle to survive when they are attacked by mutants.

Why It Made the List: The 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes had copious amounts of gore, but it was strained to create an ongoing sense of tension or terror. This film is even more wanton for scares, even in its jump moments. Hills II lacks characterization of the soldiers, and they come off mostly as stock war clichés and few have any traits that make them stand out. Hills II effortlessly repeats the themes and scenarios of the previous film but does not do it nearly as well.

5. The Hitcher (2007)

Directed by: Dave Meyers

Premise: A remake of the 1986 film. Two college students (Zachary Knighton and Sophia Bush) pick up a hitchhiker (Sean Bean) with disastrous results.

Why It Made the List: The remake trend continued in 2007 with a stupid retelling of a film that while not a classic, did have at least a good reputation. The remake of The Hitcher is a collection of random scenes that just showcase violence and ridiculous stunts for no purpose other than showmanship. As the hitchhiker stalks the couple he mysteriously disappears and reappears in ways that defy logic or reason. In an attempt to be hip, the film consciously denies its characters any motivation. The voguish nihilism that The Hitcher’s aims for (as though that were not a perfect contradiction) is as forced and insincere as the film’s attempts to be scary.

6. Halloween

Directed by: Rob Zombie

Premise: A remake of John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic. In this re-imagining, Michael Myers grows up in a dysfunctional suburban household and is committed to an asylum after murdering members of his own family. Fifteen years later, the adult Myers escapes and returns to his hometown to hunt down his surviving sister (Scout Taylor-Compton).

Why It Made the List: It is heartbreaking to have to put this film on this list, especially when Rob Zombie’s sophomore effort The Devil’s Rejects made the Top 10 of 2005 list, but this remake of Halloween is so inept that it feels like a betrayal. The attempt to retell Michael Myers’ background was earnest, but after his escape the film presents the viewer with a faster, watered down, and far less suspenseful recapitulation of the original. Zombie still hasn’t mastered the ability to create dread or tension, which this Halloween severely lacks, and scenes of violence are poorly staged and edited so that it is difficult to tell what is happening. The three female leads are obnoxious, overly hormonal, one-dimensional characters whose life or death is ultimately inconsequential and that finally kills the movie.

Update: I have since had a change of heart on Rob Zombie’s Halloween. You can find an updated explanation of my opinion and analysis of the film in my review of the film.

7. The Reaping

Directed by: Stephen Hopkins

Premise: Katherine, a former Christian missionary turned miracle debunker (Hillary Swank), is at a loss to explain why a river in a rural Louisiana town has turned to blood. Strange occurrences continue, resembling the plagues of the Biblical story of Exodus, forcing Katherine to reevaluate her faith.

Why It Made the List: The most consistent feature of The Reaping is its ability to take elements that start out fairly strong and ruin them through stupid storytelling decisions. The film could have been an intelligent inquiry into the line between faith and rationality in the vein of Carl Sagan or Red Serling, but The Reaping continues shooting itself in the foot until arriving at a a cheap gimmick of a conclusion that opens up all sorts of plot holes cops out on the entire premise of the movie.

8. The Invasion

Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel

Premise: A remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In this version, an alien virus transmitted through bodily fluids takes a hold of people’s consciousness when they fall to sleep. A psychiatrist (Nicole Kidman) tries to get herself and her son (Jackson Bond) out of the city when the virus becomes an epidemic.

Why It Made the List: The Invasion is one of those films that probably sounded great in a pitch but no one committed to working out the nuts and bolts of the story. The picture has no sense of pacing and spends a great deal of its first act with the characters sitting around talking about things that don’t really relate to the story. But what is weirdest about The Invasion is how it characterizes the alien takeover an improvement on human existence. Whoever thought that was a good idea clearly did not think it through.

9. Ghost Rider

Directed by: Mark Steven Johnson

Premise: An adaptation of the Marvel comic book character. Motorcycle daredevil Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) makes a pact with Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) to act as a messenger for the devil in exchange for invincible riding skills. When another demon (Wes Bentley) attempts to unleash a secret den of souls, Blaze must protect this secret or some unspecified catastrophe will result.

Why It Made the List: Ghost Rider is about a man who turns into a flaming skeleton. That ought to tell you something about the nature of the film. The filmmakers apparently knew this was stupid and try to cover that stupidity with humor. Despite their efforts, it is difficult, if not impossible, to defend a film so blatantly stupid as this one. The demons of the film are laughable and when Blaze turns into the Ghost Rider, a flaming skeleton who rides a motorcycle that looks like it was pimped out by Leatherface, the special effects are very sloppy. The actors sleepwalk through the movie, especially Eva Mendez who plays’ Blaze’s long lost love.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Directed by: Gore Verbinski

Premise: The third chapter in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) pair with the recently resurrected Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones’ Locker while British Lord Becket (Tom Hollander) begins a campaign to rid the seas of all pirates.

Why It Made the List: Pirates of the Caribbean makes the list out of sheer exasperation. The film takes everything good about the previous installments and sucks it out of them, leaving a film so incompetent its feels like it was made Uwe Boll. All of the actors drag their feet, including Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. At World’s End tries to overcome third chapter fatigue by having the characters erratically make and break alliances, double and triple crossing each other, but it’s just confusing and eventually irritating. By the time the climax arrives, the film is a bloated collection of muddled character relationships compensated by stunts and special effects that don’t mean anything. It is hard to believe that so much money, time, and talent was thrown into this production but apparently the screenplay was written on the back of a cocktail napkin.

Trends of the Year

Shoot ‘Em Up Movies
Big, loud action films in the style of 1980 and early 90s films by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, and Jean Claude Van Damme were prevalent in 2007 and this new generation of shoot ’em ups are even more over the top than ever before. These new films were marked with big guns, fast editing, dynamic cinematography and lots of slow motion. Whether these films have staying power is uncertain and they certainly ranged in quality but for fans of hard action, these brought testosterone-fueled delight.

Ultra-Violent, Neo-Grindhouse Cinema
2007 featured a big influx of extremely violent horror cinema, influenced by the exploitation and slasher films of the 1970s and 80s. Not all were strictly horror, but all appealed to the classic Grindhouse cinema. Some critics have taken to using the term “torture porn” to describe some of these films. While many were not very good, the term is rather misleading and soporific.

Fantasy Films
The ripple effect of The Lord of the Rings seems as strong as ever, with plenty of fantasy films released in 2007 and more to come in 2008. The genre is starting to show wear and tear with a lot of films recapitulating the same ideas over and over again and not doing them very well. But as long as the public shows up to see them, the future of the genre seems bright.

Iraq/Post-September 11th Cinema
Film takes a few years to catch up to current events, but in 2007 Hollywood had a glut of films about Iraq and post-9/11 subjects. Some dealt with the subject through historical analogy and others provided microcosms for contemporary fears but many took on the subject directly. Most were unsuccessful at the box office and very few were exceptional, which may discourage Hollywood from taking on the subject in the near future.

Disappointments
There were a number of high profile films released in 2007 that were disappointments. A few were underwhelming based on the hype that surrounded their arrival and others were new installments in otherwise successful franchises that didn’t live up to their predecessors.

Back to Year Index