What are the best films of 2007 and why?

This is the thread where we discuss matters pertaining to the detrius that accompanies the "End of the Year in Cinema" -- 2007

Haven't seen much of it. 12:08 East of Bucharest was good, didn't blow me away.

i liked 12:08. not blown away either but it was... something.

(in no particular order... also some are a bit on the line 2006/2007)

Zodiac
My Winnipeg
Knocked Up
Control
No Country for Old Men
Election (Johnnie To)
Black Book
Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle
Paprika
Offside
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
El Aura
You, the Living
Gone Baby Gone
Superbad
The Bourne Ultimatum
12:08 East of Bucharest
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Honourable mention: Killer of Sheep

Syndromes, if it counts

why?

because they rule.

Posted this on the other thread but not sure why since it's lame so I am shifting my allegiance to this thread:

I don't know why I'm posting on this thread exactly but here are the best movies I remember seeing this year:

Assassination of Jesse James etc.
Inland Empire
Knocked Up
Ratatouille
Zodiac

-- n/a, Thursday, November 15, 2007 2:47 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

that's alphabetically, but shift Knocked Up to the bottom and the list is conveniently in order of preference.

-- n/a, Thursday, November 15, 2007 2:48 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Transformers why because it annoyed you and i didn't see any others

literally no others?!

there are too many i need to see b4 answering, which sucks, coz i have to by tomorrow.

this can be the thread that isn't the other thread.

the one for Generation Apatow

as opposed to Generation Hammurabi

I think my favourites from this year were Fur and The Science of Sleep. Liked the former because it's so weird it really takes you by surprise, and the latter because it is funny and clever and cuet.

hmmm i saw Pan's Labyrinth but that's from 06. does Helvetica count?

science of sleep is awful, creepy, and sexist.

helvetica counts. i thought pan's labyrinth was this year in the uk?

I think Science of Sleep is from 06 but we aren't all uptight about that shit in THIS thread.

facts are stupid things.

I'll go with The Magnificent Ambersons.

i initially had pan but then realized it was up for oscars this year which i guess disqualifies it for me.

SUNSHINE

for the NOISE and LIGHT

uk release date was 16 february 2007 so sit on it

xp

this thread is already way better btw. good work all around folks.

The Science Of Sleep was just too gimmicky even for me and not enough happening story-wise but apart from that I did enjoy it.

sunshine was cool, and 2 weeks

28 weeks

I enjoyed SoS quite a bit, mainly because of the gradual shift from quirky and twee to creepy and sad, plus I like looking at Charlotte Gainsbourg.

anyone else see zidane?

Nobody nominating Electroma huh.

I will see Inland Empire before the year is out but will wait for Eastern Promises DVD. Black Book is on my Lovefilm list but am in no rush.

i would not nominate electroma.

still need to see inland (!!!!) and eastern Ps.

i just got mi: 3 thru lovefilm. not 2007, just sayin.

my blockbuster may/may not get inland back tonight. if they do, i'm in + maybe will put it in to look clever.

man POTC3AWE doesn't feel like this year but it was. ditto Spiderman 3.

both very disappointing tho, just sayin'

What are the best films of 2007 and why?

Superbad, cos of the cocks.

everything I've seen that hit limited release in the US from mid Dec '06 to now, in some semblance of order of preference.

The Ten
The Host
Knocked Up
Planet Terror
Superbad
Spider-Man 3
Notes On A Scandal
Breach
Balls Of Fury
Venus
Reno 911: Miami!
Shoot ‘Em Up
Away From Her
Black Book
Hostel: Part II
Bourne Ultimatum
Children Of Men
Lookout
Shooter
Hot Fuzz
3:10 To Yuma
Hawk Is Dying
Gone Baby Gone
Transformers
Ocean’s Thirteen
I Think I Love My Wife
Zodiac
Alone With Her
Southland Tales
Blades Of Glory
Alpha Dog
Severance
Letters From Iwo Jima
Pan’s Labyrinth
Black Snake Moan
28 Weeks Later
Perfect Stranger
Mr. Brooks
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Movie
Death Proof
Rescue Dawn
Ghost Rider
Smokin Aces
Number 23
TV Set
Dead Silence
Hannibal Rising
Fracture

next year I won't be working in a video store so I doubt I'll see as many movies, though I'm thinking about trying to hit the theater once a week.

i only saw Children Of Men this year too. so much backlog. tonight i am going to watch Adapfuckingtation for the first time.

Children Of Men hit limited release in the US on xmas so Americans who refuse to include it on their 07 list are kinda playing themselves.

i liked mi3 a lot

im playing myself

forgot that i saw Hot Fuzz in cinema too. good apart from the zzz big gunfight.

currently my five is

zodiac
superbad
bourne
knocked up
[28 weeks]

need to see a token non-us film and maybe 'control' but am too bored of post-punk stuff to take it in this decade really.

Thanks for telling us how bored you are; we are edified by your boredom.

-_- ~~~ zzzzzzzzzzzz

-- elmo argonaut, Monday, 10 September 2007 17:29 (3 weeks ago)

Children Of Men hit limited release in the US on xmas so Americans who refuse to include it on their 07 list are kinda playing themselves.

Quit the video store and live in a city that shows more than mall movies. Kisses.

This Is England, for fuck's sake

I live in Philadelphia you dumb fuck

x-post

yea Children of Men kind of got fucked over -- too late in '06 to get a lot of attention, too early for consideration in '07

another vote for Paprika. you people see lots more movies than me tho.

This is England was okay.

I totally assumed it was a doc from the artwork and title.

I assumed the mission in MI3 really would be impossible.

are you protesting the detrius thread, nrq?

yeah.

i assumed the the detrius thread was more about published crit lists rather than our own take on things.

this is

the one for Generation Apatow

-- Dr Morbius, Thursday, November 15, 2007 2:55 PM (56 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

saw Killer of Sheep last night, but need to see My Brother's Wedding before I make a judgment.

Generation Apatow - I would buy that T-shirt.

oh, it's enrique. I vaguely remember him being like this.

I have seen a lot of fucking movies this year, and actually kept a list. Pretty much no idea what's '07 and what's not though.

go back to the non-apatow thread morbius.

ya go talk about pauline kael some more

I have nothing to add to this thread.

we know

I'm just gonna go hang in my closet.

ok now that they're gone, let's party down generation apatow!!!!

i should go to the non-apatow thread really. but they smell.

i'm not even supposed to be here today.

ilx film thread two-state solution

I got a pass to see Walk Hard on Monday but my gf will never forgive me if I go without her. :(

Films get that released around Christmastime are the reason I don't usually come up with a top 10 list until February or so. (This year I had to wait until Inland Empire showed up at the Music Box.)

(My rules for what counts are the same as the Academy's rules. If it opened in Los Angeles County before Dec. 31 of a given year, then that's the year it was released. Jonathan Rosenbaum, however, routinely puts movies from the year before on his list if they didn't yet open in Chicago.)

what a bitch

academy members don't see them in theatres anyway.

OK, seriously. I'm protesting both threads now.

start a new one!

I protest that one too.

you must be like... generation farrelly?

I'd protest them.

Science of Sleep is probably my favourite of the year. More relatable, touching and real than most else.
Inland Empire a massive, dreary letdown.

I'm not doing a very good job of protesting.

http://www.accountabilityutah.org/IssuesAlerts/LegAlerts/2006/tiananmen-square-tanks.jpg

if you have rules for allowing certain release dates on your top 10 list, you belong on the other thread

sorry john

anarchist.

the other one is mostly about crix/oscars and morbius, this one isn't.

Which thread does a Music and Lyrics nomination belong on?

But what do I know, I've only seen seven movies from this year anyway. I guess Zodiac is my favorite; the rest are The Namesake, Knocked Up, The Simpsons Movie, Eastern Promises, Helvetica, and America the Beautiful.

also, 30 Seconds Over Tokyo

I'd rather talk about the physics of fat girls hanging themselves in closets using belts as their noose.

me thinks he doth protest too much

classy! xp

I'd rather talk about the physics of fat girls hanging themselves in closets using belts as their noose.

-- Eric H., Thursday, 15 November 2007 16:22 (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

YSI?

if you have rules for allowing certain release dates on your top 10 list, you belong on the other thread

Whatever. It would just be weird to me to consider Children of Men a 2007 movie, even if I saw it in 2007, when it a) was released in most major cities, including Chicago, in 2006 and therefore b) was eligible for awards in 2006 and c) was the subject of year-end discussion in 2006. No one is going to be talking about Children of Men at the end of this year.

It is my DVD of the year (I don't mean for the extras).

wink wink

jaymc = clarity

they hopefully will be talking about the at-last release of Killer of Sheep, i hope.

I'm pissed. That detrius thread used to be fun and now it's ruined.

Superbad
The Host

There's no reason for someone to support the trickle-down economics of Oscar eligibility unless they're getting paid to.

john, i was just teasing. but i think people should be able to set their own rules for what they want to put on their list.

I just watched RAGING BULL for the first time, so put that on my list.

I agree w/that, Nick. I know I can be OCD about this kind of thing, but I don't expect other people to be.

Ha, I watched Raging Bull after having my wisdom teeth removed. It's still kind of hazy.

And shoot, I forgot I saw The Host this year, too. So what's that? Eight films? Kind of pathetic.

i saw The Host and enjoyed it but not really enough to consider it one of the year's best.

Movies suck. I think I only enjoyed Zodiac, Ratatouille, Michael Clayton, and possibly Control this year.

Ha, I watched Raging Bull after having my wisdom teeth removed. It's still kind of hazy.

-- jaymc, Thursday, November 15, 2007 4:41 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i did that with that "proof" movie

which proof?

some 2007 movies that i have enjoyed:

Eastern Promises
Breach
The Ten
The Lookout
Bourne Ultimatum
Grindhouse
Gone Baby Gone
Payback: Director's Cut ('07 on dvd)

OK, still remembering things I saw this year: Paris Je T'Aime.

Looking forward to December DVD releases of Superbad and Once.

which proof?

-- da croupier, Thursday, November 15, 2007 4:58 PM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

blind photographer dude

I was disappointed in the new cut of Payback, it didn't get gritty enough to really distance itself from the theatrical.

which sites have the best list of movies released this year? I saw a lot of crappy ones and they might be pushing out some other good ones in my memory.

I didn't remember the theatrical that well, but the new ending was pretty bleak. And the beginning. Also, no Mel Gibson voice-over narration.

Milo: http://the-numbers.com/movies/index2007.php

1. Darjeeling Limited
2. 2 Days in Paris
3. Knocked Up
4. Superbad
5. Hot Fuzz

1. Eastern Promises
2. Zodiac
3. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
4. Triad Election
5. The Bourne Supremacy

Also liked: Michael Clayton, Paranoid Park

*Meh*: 2 Days in Paris

Haven't seen but plan to: Ratatouille, Control, Knocked Up, Hot Fuzz, Superbad, Darjeeling Limited, No Country For Old Men, American Gangster, Assassination of Jesse James..., Once, 3:10 to Yuma, Grindhouse, Rescue Dawn, Four months..., The Other Side (? new faith akin film)

also meh: This is England

hot fuzz

Best film I saw this year was probably J.T. Petty's S&Man, screened as part of the FrightFest in Glasgow

Also rated/enjoyed:

Inland Empire
Eastern Promises
Zodiac
Planet Terror
Hatchet
Hostel 2
Control
Vacancy

Hot Fuzz was my turkey of the year

the wisdom teeth/movie phenomenon is mentinoed uphtread! it inspired this!

roxymuzak (12:52:08 PM): the thing about movies, is that there is not one that is not corny

same goes for bands, paintings, other shit like that

i think this is all i've seen. dipping back into '06 and uh '77.

(Children Of Men)
(Killer of Sheep)
Superbad
Inland Empire

(Pan's Labyrinth)
Zodiac
Sicko
The Science of Sleep
King of Kong
Grindhouse

Darjeeling Limited
Broken English
The Bourne Ultimatum
Knocked Up
Gone Baby Gone

Blades Of Glory
Reno 911: Miami!
Die Hard 4

Vacancy
1408

ooh I forgot I saw Vacancy and 1408, slip those in the bottom 15.

done.

d'oh

how about starting this thread in February from now on

people like to make lists

going with the Chicago Reader scale:

no redeeming facet
Death Sentence
Shoot 'Em Up
Bug

has redeeming facet
Alpha Dog
Smokin' Aces
1408
Planet Terror
American Gangster
Black Snake Moan
30 Days of Night
Transformers
The Lookout
Spiderman 3

worth seeing
Hot Fuzz
3:10 to Yuma
Harry Potter
Halloween
The Kingdom
Live Free or Die Hard
Ocean's 13
The Wind That Shakes The Barley
28 Weeks Later
Breach
Zodiac

a must see
Gone Baby Gone
No Country for Old Men
Michael Clayton
Eastern Promises
Bourne Ultimatum
Death Proof
Superbad
Knocked Up
Shooter (really sort of in-between worth seeing and must see)

masterpiece
Killer of Sheep

'redeeming facet' of the Lookout = Jeff Daniels and Isla Fischer

Maybe as you all overhaul yr lists when you see the remaining 30 big-studio-hype films in Nov/Dec, there can be more "why"

get outta here

the "Ace of spades" action sequence is one heck of a redeeming facet of Shoot 'em Up.

Justin Timberlake in Alpha Dog is looking more and more like possibly my favorite performance of the year, which makes it even sadder how much the movie sucks.

The only movies I've seen this year I'd consider "great" barring the Apatow two-fer were Gone Baby Gone and Into the Wild.

Also, I really liked Bug!

The first act of Gone Baby Gone was terrific but the speechifying and expository flashbacks in the last were insufferable. I think handling multiple twists AND a difficult-to-express motivation on the lead's part was just too much for Benny. Dude's got promise, though.

It seems I only saw Zodiac, Inland Empire, Hairspray, Breaking and Entering (awful) and bits of Our Daily Bread this year. Which is what happens when a city decides to locate all its cinemas in the outer suburbs.

how do you people see so many movies?

leaving the apt a fair amount, etc

Inland Empire the best hands down closely followed by Zodiac. Then the lighter stuff - Darjeeling Ltd, Superbad, Knocked Up.

I honestly didn't see much else that was new this year. I suspect Eastern Promises and Southland Tales would also be on this list if I manage to see them.

oh and Death Proof

leaving the apt a fair amount, etc

to sit in a dark room for two hours

ya go talk about pauline kael some more
'twas tony da croupier who brought up kael on the other thread.

For some reason I've just gone to launchingfilms.com, found the 70 new (UK release) films I've seen this year and ranked them.

Floored by:

1. Into The Wild (15)
2. INLAND EMPIRE (15)
3. The Science Of Sleep (15)
4. The Namesake (12A)
5. The Heartbreak Kid (15)

I can't really rank these properly. Perhaps I'm being nuts about Into The Wild, but it shook me up more than any film this year, perhaps ever. I didn't go into it with great expectations, and even an hour before the end I would never have guessed I would end up thinking of it this way. It's not a great film in the way any other favourite films of mine are. It's not a me film at all. It's got Eddie Vedder all through the soundtrack! And yet I came home and bought one of his songs from it off iTunes. And it wasn't even a disappointment.

INLAND EMPIRE I just surrendered to, letting it run through my veins for a week or two. I still find "A brutal fucking murder and unforgiving DV close-ups of Laura Dern's anguished face running through my mind. And that scene with her rehearsing and hearing the director's words and suddenly getting confused was probably my favourite of the year.

I didn't want to read the thread about The Science Of Sleep after I saw it, for fear of fuckers pissing all over its memory.

The Namesake, for its father-son relationship.

The Heartbreak Kid is ... a disturbing insight into how easily disconnected from reality a man's mind can get. The audience's mind too -- it acts as a study of the dramatic licence we afford romantic comedies, by letting us get carried away with his exploits before pulling us up short in a "WHAT AM I THINKING - THE MAN'S A MONSTER!" kind of way. Michelle Monaghan's perfection in the dream girl role helps. It's also a brilliantly cartoonish account of how romantic notions of others can be burst. I laughed. I cried. I left.

Almost in the top rank:

6. Infamous (15) - so unfair that Capote beat this in the release schedules. An amazing performance from Toby Jones.
7. Hairspray (PG) - had me gurgling with righteous delight. Great songs too (unlike Dreamgirls)
8. The Pursuit Of Happyness (12A) - Another of those films I end up despising the detractors of.
9. 28 Weeks Later (18) - for the Code Red duckshoot alone.

Still terrific:
10. A Prairie Home Companion (PG)
11. The Last King Of Scotland (15)
12. Atonement (15)
13. Blades Of Glory (12A)
14. Ratatouille (U)
15. Hallam Foe (18)
16. The Bourne Ultimatum (12A)
17. Control (15)
18. In The Hands Of The Gods (15)
19. Music And Lyrics (PG)
20. Zodiac (15)
21. Death Proof (18)

Good:

22. Hot Fuzz (15)
23. A Mighty Heart (15)
24. Blood Diamond (15)
25. Lady Chatterley (18)
26. Letters from Iwo Jima (15)
27. Notes On A Scandal (15)
28. The Lives Of Others (15)
29. The Hoax (15)
30. Black Snake Moan (15)
31. Eastern Promises (18)
32. After The Wedding (15)
33. The Counterfeiters (15)
34. The Lookout (15)

Not bad:

35. Superbad (15)
36. Tales From Earthsea (PG)
37. Knocked Up (15)
38. And When Did You Last See Your Father (12A)
39. Michael Clayton (15)
40. Tell No One (15)
41. Lions For Lambs (15)
42. The Painted Veil (12A)
43. Fracture (15)
44. The Serpent (15)
45. Once (15)
46. Breach (12A)

OK:

47. 30 Days Of Night (15)
48. Rendition (15)
49. Seachd - The Inaccessible Pinnacle (PG)
50. The Simpsons Movie (PG)
51. The Kingdom (15)
52. Ocean's Thirteen (PG)
53. Sherrybaby (15)
54. This Is England (18)
55. Die Hard 4.0 (15)
56. Year Of The Dog (PG)
57. Shutter (15)
58. Them (15)
59. Ghost Rider (12A)
60. Amazing Grace (PG)
61. 300 (15)
62. Rocky Balboa (12A)

No fun:
63. Dreamgirls (12A)
64. For Your Consideration (12A)
65. Planet Terror (18)
66. Wedding Daze (15)
67. The Fountain (12A)
68. Run, Fat Boy, Run (12A)
69. Sunshine (15)
70. Mr Brooks (18)

have you seen the original Heartbreak Kid, Alba? I'm kind of afraid to see the remake as the changes in story don't sound particularly good.

i am one of those fuckers.

i did like 'into the wild'. a bit flabby.

No, never seen the original Heartbreak Kid. Probably better that way.

You amaze me, Alba. I haven't been to the pictures since 2004. In fact, going to see Spellbound with you in Glasgow in 2003 was probably something like my fifth-last cinema trip.

You've got other things to do.

Actually, I thought it would be more than 70. I feel like I usually go about twice a week, but that only works out as one and a half trips.

I must dig out my List of Films I Saw in 1997 and rank them. I had so little to do then. I think that probably runs to 80 or so - thanks to Ritz Video, before it became a Blockbuster. And the telly. I didn't go to the Gaiety in Whitehaven much (with it's authentic 1.0 sound system).

You know, I think I've only rented about five videos/DVDs in my life. There are too many films on the telly!

damn son.

70 new films is a lot -- i doubt i've ever seen that many in a year, and i used to go quite a lot. like, there's no way i'm ever going to watch 'dreamgirls' or 'the hoax'.

there is a lot on tv, but even now it's mostly shit, with about two non-english-language films a week, so i still rent a load more than i got to the cinema for. buy too many also.

Pete B has probably seen over 100 new films this year.

I miss a fair bit of arthouse stuff, cause I have the Cineworld Unlimited card and so it seems a swizz to have to pay to see the ones they don't show. INLAND EMPIRE is the only one I've forked out for this year (twice!).

I love going to see films that I know little about, or have been slagged off in the press, 'cause I know that if I were paying per ticket I'd probably never have gone to see them. Sometimes, they are terrific. Sometimes, they are Mr Brooks.

i do see about 5 films a week, just not new ones.

Films are great!

my list:

1. i know who killed me
2. ghost rider
3. national treasure 2: book of secrets (havent seen it yet but know i will love it)

I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE I KNOW WHO KILLED ME

Was gonna see it in the theater but it was gone before I could. I'll get to watch it next weekend, though! Whoo!

I don't get to go home for T-Giving but I'll have preview copies of I Know Who Killed Me and Hot Rod to keep me company. Also Skin Walkers and WHO'S YOUR CADDY?

I think I'll take home the Namesake as well to stay classy. Not fucking with Waitress, though.

jiminy cricket, Nov. 27 is a BIG day for DVDs! Paprika comes out as well as the Criterion of Kurosawa's Drunken Angel and THIS

http://www.tlavideo.com/images/z/cg/2/8/229382.jpg
Jason Biggs stars in this offbeat military satire about a soldier mistakenly sent to a secret Arctic outpost headed by a bizarre colonel. He uncovers a secret hospital and one elderly patient who may hold the answers to the true role of the base.

I'm kind of amazed anybody at Esquire would have the balls to put BIGGS IS A COMIC GENIUS in a review. I doubt I would.

i know who killed me is the best movie made in years!!!!!!!

lol i saw guy x

dont do it

worst i've seen all year: The Invasion

top 5 so far:

zodiac
hot fuzz
superbad
inland empire
grindhouse (theatrical version)

runners up:

eastern promises
knocked up

that's about it. i'm not gonna dwell on the shit i didn't ike.

re: Gone Baby Gone

I thought it lost its way for a little while after the intensely fucked-up raid scene, and there were a few times where I was worried that it seemed like they were heading for a shitty ending. It pulled a rare trick for me by being saved rather than sunk by the last 20 minutes.

Also: nice to see Michelle Monaghan in a real movie again, even if she was way more attractive than all other women in the film to a cartoonish degree.

I've gone to the theatre probably...ten times this year? That's terrible...Anyway, from what i've seen:

1. INLAND EMPIRE
2. The Falling Man
3. Manda Bala (Send a Bullet)
4. Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa
5. Once (but I kinda like Damien Rice)
6. Super Amigos
7. Hairspray (John Travolta: YOU RUINED THIS)

Still sitting on desk: The Monastery (I've watched 45 minutes: AWESOME. probably will make #2 spot), King of Kong

Favorites because they were finely crafted, tightly edited, beautifully shot, strongly acted, and at least a little inquisitive:
No Country For Old Men
Eastern Promises
There Will Be Blood
The Lives Of Others

Favorite because I fell in love with the characters and pissed my pants laughing:
Superbad

Favorite because I fell in love with the characters and when was the last time a detective film had the balls to follow wrong leads to their maddening conclusions:
Zodiac

Favorite because it meshed horror/monster/drama/comedy genres together in a totally seamless and entertaining fashion:
The Host

Favorite because Gregg Araki made a film as hilarious as Mysterious Skin was moving. And because I pre-partied:
Smiley Face

Favorite because there was a classic 2 hour Lynch film trapped inside of it:
Inland Empire

And is Killer Of Sheep this year's Army Of Shadows? Not that I mind.

Supposedly Smiley Face finally got limited release today. And DVD comes out in January. Whatever, I just want to see it!

I heard last month that "limited release" in this case meant it was showing in one (!) theater in L.A. Not sure if they've expanded this, uh, platform or not. It's too bad. There's some pretty serious lols in the film, especially if you know the territory. This will definitely find an audience on DVD.

Ugh. I hate when limited release doesn't mean more than basically one town. I loved Mysterious Skin and think Anna Faris is totally underrated so I'm really excited for this.

anna faris is excellent.

i cant wait to see smileyface.

I don't really understand the acclaim for Zodiac; stylishly shot n'all, but it was like Fincher was trying to prove he could make a picture every bit as boring as a real grown up. It was like one long apology for having made Se7en.

And is Killer Of Sheep this year's Army Of Shadows?

No, it's actually deserving of the gushing praise.

I wonder how ILM wd react if ppl who heard ten albums all year weighed in on the 2007 best-of. Just sayin'.

'seven', which is my least favourite DF film, reaches a lot more for grown-upness, with all the literary quotations, and the cringey bit in the library.

i (obviously) didn't find it boring, and i'm the first person to say things are boring when they're really just foreign or don't involve knob gags or gunplay.

it had a fairly unconventional structure. and, i dunno, calling it stylishly shot is sort of dismissing what the film *is*. it's not just gloss applied to something already there.

are you protesting the detrius thread, nrq?

yeah.

piss off, asshole

It's just so yearning to be a grown up Sidney Lumet film! In some ways it's practically a cover of Se7en (even down to dowdy Chloe in a Gwyneth wig!), ostentatiously leaving out any of the fun stuff:

* rooftop chases
* charismatic evil mastermind
* severed Paltrow head in a box

Gyllenhall's blank performance sums up everything about it!

Stevie T has reminded me how I felt after seeing it. I still enjoyed it, but didn't really get all the fuss. I should probably have put it about 10 places lower on my list.

(I felt a similar way when I finally saw All The President's Men, though)

lumet is a really minor director, i don't get the comparison at all and it's definitely not what he's going for. it's more like 'the game' than any of his others in that it's A Film About Letting Go.

Maybe my mistake in watching it was in letting my attention principally focus on following the case, which ultimately wasn't that interesting. The film would have worked better if the case was left properly unsolved, but it seemed to have the need to poke the viewer in one direction right at the end, as if audiences wouldn't be able to cope if we didn't get to find out who the bad guy was.

my hunch is that "as if" is an assumption, maybe not all wrong, made by the studio that sank however many tens of millions of dollars into the film.

the titles were too much, but the characters are like filmgoers -- they also want it tied off.

I wonder how ILM wd react if ppl who heard ten albums all year weighed in on the 2007 best-of. Just sayin'.

Difference: ILM is a board specifically devoted to music, and it's highly unlikely that ILMers, being who they are, actually would have only heard ten albums all year. This is just a film thread on an all-purpose message board, and even people who've only seen ten films all year still like to talk about them.

the whole point of this thread, as opposed to the other one,* is it isn't full of boring rank-pulling from film thread regulars in ref 'how many films have you seen?' if you don't like it, fuck off.

*although not originally -- i started it without knowing about the other one but it caught on because it isn't full of people rehashing 40-year-old arguments about dead critics.

Also, there is more Apatow on this one.

I'm not a big Lumet fan, but to call the director of 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico and Network a minor director compared to the director of Alien3, Fight Club, Panic Room and "Janie's Got A Gun" is pretty blinkered.

And is Killer Of Sheep this year's Army Of Shadows? Not that I mind.

Yeah, either it or Mafioso, which got quite a bit of positive attention when it was re-released at the beginning of the year. On the other hand, the reception AoS recieved was so surprising it probably wouldn't get repeated by another old film any time soon.

If I had to pick a "top" rerelease of 2007, I'd go w/Pierrot Le Fou followed by WR:Mysteries of The Organism and Killer of Sheep.

it's the difference between an auteur (fincher) and a metteur-en-scene (lumet).

xpost

tbh i don't personally think much of those films *as films*. nice acting workouts in some of them.

I think you have to write your own scripts to be an auteur.

o come on ppl

I have heard 11 albums this year.

if this turns into an auteurism discussion, you might as well take it to the other thread

i dont give a shit if someone who's only seen 10 movies or listened to 10 albums or watched 10 tv shows makes a list. how does that harm me?

haha slocki otm, why am i debating "auteur" vs. "metteur-en-scene" and "films *as films*"

"vogue" was a great video though

says the guy who saw 10 videos this year.

but I know an MTV auteur when I see one.

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/76/pics/76pupdate3.jpg

There doesn't seem to be much talk of two American films not yet released in the UK: No Country For Old Men or The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, both of which I thought were getting huge buzz over there. Have people just not seen them yet.

no country just came out

it's on my list

Friends have dug No Country For Old Men but I don't know anybody whose gonna pay 10 bucks to see Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in a movie with that kind of title.

It's the the best film title I can remember.

I think Morbius saw Jesse James, but he's a snob and sees too many films and believes in outdated theories so I don't listen to him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mr._Magorium.jpg

O RLY?

x-post

haha there was a poster of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium that was supposed to go with that.

I saw it. Casey Affleck's quite good, but the movie's slow as shit and gets gauzy.

Actually, I'm partly basing my "huge buzz" on Sight & Sound's "we are in danger of overhyping this amazing film" aside a couple of months ago.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. God, I saw the trailer for that. It looked so awful and there was this huge "Is this Charlie & the Toy Factory?" elephant in the room.

I think Assassination of Jesse James is n/a's favorite film of 2007. Also in my Film Critic Friend's (remember him?!) top 5, probably. Sadly, it came and went in just a couple of weeks.

I wonder how ILM wd react if ppl who heard ten albums all year weighed in on the 2007 best-of. Just sayin'.

This probably happens more often than you might think.

Assassination of Jesse James is an interesting, overblown failure.

Morbs get off your high horse regarding the lack of esoteric, interational titles on my list. 10 films? Really? Or is it the foreign films I had access to this year just didn't hit me right. I did like Cache, but I guess that's sort of an obvious choice too.

it's not an obvious choice for 2007.

never said anythg about yr list, CV

Morbius, get off your high horse and stop giving me a hard time for not being able to get out and see more films.

Oh wait.

does anyone think of this when they hear about "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium":

http://thephoenix.com/secure/uploadedImages/The_Phoenix/Home_Entertainment/The_Ultimate/Hufnagel.jpg

I think of this guy:

http://espn.starwave.com/media/nfl/2004/0603/photo/a_testaverde2_hi.jpg

Natalie Portman did the Soulja Boy dance while promoting that movie on TRL. rofls

naked?

I have a rare opportunity (free babysitting) to go to the movies tonight, on a date with my wife. What should we see? I was thinking either "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" or "Michael Clayton" or "Into the Wild". I know, impossible question, but suggestions welcome.

before the devil

free babysitting
=in-laws?

thread is now ANY films of 2007

=in-laws?
yes, Mr. Shortz. *s*

I'll try to use that in next Friday's puzzle.

I'll look for it.

Last film I saw at the cinema was Lubitsch's "Trouble in Paradise", by the way.

http://www.f-troop.net/images/edward.jpg

Wow. No wonder he looked familiar!

What a superb movie too.

I'll try to use that in next Friday's puzzle.

Wait, this is a joke, right? (I've been looking to get into crossword puzzle constructing.) (By which I mean I've constructed one but haven't submitted it anywhere.)

EE Horton on F Troop?

btw, my favorite unseen film of '07 is Passio.

http://www.rouge.com.au/10/passio.html

He was a Hekawi medicine man! He was on a few times I think.

John, send me your puzzle and I'll have it vetted.

EE Horton on F Troop?

Yes. 14 letters. xpost

John, send me your puzzle and I'll have it vetted.

Wait a minute. I was joking. I had no idea...

I feel like somebody should develop software by which you can multiply movie ratings X some number representing the size of the screen at each theater.

14 letters anyone?

Roaring Chicken

Thank you!

So other than Monsieur Slocki, nobody has opinions as to which flick I should watch tonight? Clock is ticking...

(Today's NYT puzzle was kind of easy for a Friday, by the way, doncha think?).

Last time my "free babysitting" was here, I forgot to head for The Darjeeling Limited.

We're planning to eat Indian, at least.

"salmon nest"?