Dre Rivas,
Dec 17, 2007
As 2007 winds down you'll be in for a surplus of "Top Ten" lists. They'll be coming out of your ears, I'm sure, so here's another early one! This has been a pretty solid year for movies, though many of my favorites kinda fell under the radar. And that's where your Uncle Dre comes in. Below are my favorite picks of 2007 that you may have missed.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
I pretty much summed up my feelings about this film in my "Nominate Them" article when I wrote:
This movie is the full package. It's not a terribly emotional film, though I was strangely moved by its final twenty or so minutes. With top-notch acting, dialogue and cinematography, there’s a poetry to this movie unmatched by any film I've seen this year (so far).
I stand by those words, except I wish I wrote, "This movie is the whole kit and caboodle" instead of "package." You should never waste an opportunity to use "kit and caboodle." Such are the lessons life teaches us.
Black Snake Moan
This was one of my more anticipated movies of 2007, which naturally means I never caught it in the theater. That didn't matter; it blew me away nonetheless. The trailers did a pretty good job selling this movie to me, but what they never really hinted at was that Craig Brewer's sophomore effort (after Hustle & Flow) is again a film about music (this time the blues) and how it can cure souls. Great performances by Christina Ricci and Sam "The Man."
Gone Baby Gone
Folks, Ben Affleck is actually a very good director and Gone Baby Gone is one of 2007's best surprises. It's a very strong mystery-thriller that is elevated by its moral conundrum of an ending. Remember when Amy Ryan was a dark horse candidate for Best Supporting Actress? Seems like ages ago now. Like last week before the NBR, LAFC, NYFC and all the other critic's circles, starting spouting out their end-of-the-year honors.
Grindhouse
I don't get what's not to love here. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino presented a completely original experience any self-respecting movie buff should have jumped all over. Rodriguez made the near-perfect so-cheesy-it's-clever homage to bad movies in the form of Planet Terror. Meanwhile, Tarantino surprised us yet again with his refreshing kick-ass bad-girl/car film, Death Proof. The fact that the movie is being broken up and sold separate like junk parts on DVD is Lame with a capital "L."
Hot Fuzz
People talk about Knocked Up and Superbad when discussing the best comedy of the year, but not nearly enough bring up Hot Fuzz. This film reunites Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) and the result is one of the most original and funniest buddy cop movies, um, ever.
Mr. Brooks
People, Waterworld was a very long time ago. How long must Costner pay for his past sins? Mr. Brooks was one of the better pieces of summer entertainment. While everyone was out partying with pirates, transformers and spider-men, Costner was busy killing people (with aid from William Hurt)... and he was good at it. It's not too late to catch this one on DVD.
Once
Music is a huge passion (see my recommendation for Black Snake Moan above) for me and this movie spoke to my inner sap. It's a romantic musical that pulls off both the reality and magic of being in love. I just caught this film on a screener, so I'm just as accountable as the next guy. But seek this one out.
Reign Over Me
I won't shut up about this movie. I will annoy anyone I meet into seeing it. It may not be a masterpiece, but it is insanely likable and legitimately (in a completely non-syrupy way) touching. Who would have thought Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler had such good chemistry?
Eastern Promises
I originally gave this spot to Stardust but since it banked close to $40 mil and only 17 million dollars worth of Americans bothered to check out Viggo Mortensen and director David Cronenberg (History of Violence) reunite, I had a change of heart. You can read my original review right here but the short version is that it's a textured and original crime film with some great performances.
Zodiac
I'm an indecisive one when it comes to my favorite film of the year but this is one shark that is certainly circling the waters. David Fincher's film is some parts Seven with a whole lot of All The President's Men sprinkled in. The resulting concoction is one of the great films of 2007. This should not be confused with The Zodiac, which has been making rounds on cable these days and is a pretty large, steaming turd.
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Dre writes three times a week for Film.com. Email him!
