My Top Ten Films of 2007 list....and then some!

At the end of the year and the beginning of a new one I always start stressing out. It's not cuz I'm racking my brain trying to figure out what my New Year's resolution(s) will be and it's not due to any holiday anxiety. I don't let any of those bug me. No, the thing that really boggles my brain is the inevitable year-end Top Ten list. Yes, that subjective list that you'll see all over the place where critics complete and publish or blog or proclaim over the air (or podcast....but I guess that's still air. Is it?). I don't rack my brain over the Top Ten books of the year cuz although I enjoy reading books I often wait for a softcover or paperback release. I gave up on trying to compile a Top Ten list in the music category cuz, well....besides a handful of soundtracks, nothing really seems to move me lately.

So, you know where this is going, right? That's right, the year-end thorn in my side is usually the Top Ten Films of the year. I'm reading and hearing everywhere that 2007 was a great year for film. I guess I'll agree with that statement as long as don't look at the box-office grosses for the films of last year. That's something I never really do anyway. It's obvious sequels and giant robots are gonna bring in big revenue and while those movies are fun, rarely are they delivering anything new.

When I make my list I try and remember what I call the "Most Movies" of the year. What does that mean? these are films that I consider the most movies that have....moved me, surprised me, made me belly laugh so hard I wanted to pee, made me cry, shocked me, confused me, made me think, left me wanting more and showed me something unique or different. Hours, days and months may pass and I still can't get these movies outta my head. I still recommend them and I still wanna go back and see them.

Now this list has been very difficult for me. I hate putting films in order. I think they're all great in their own right. But when you make a list, you have to be a slave to it and lay it all down. There are many films that were left off and I'll list those underneath as "notable mentions". Now, those notable mentions don't necessarily mean that I think the films of my Top Ten are better but that just seem to fit my aforementioned criteria more adequately. So without further ado, here is my 2007 Top Ten Film list....

10. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

9. In the Valley of Elah

8. Zodiac

7. Rescue Dawn*

6. Ratatouille*

5. Into the Wild

4. I'm Not There*

3. There Will Be Blood

2. No Country for Old Men

1. Once

The picture above is of my co-worker Eve (on the left) myself (on the right-duh) with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the stars of "Once" taken November 27th, 2007.


Notable Mentions: The Bourne Ultimatum, Hot Fuzz, 300, Eastern Promises*, Rendition, 3:10 to Yuma, Away from Her*, The Host, Knocked Up, Sunshine, The Namesake, Breach*, Waitress, Stardust*, The Simpsons Movie, Disturbia*, 1408*, Talk to Me, A Mighty Heart and You Kill Me*



* these are films I've seen yet haven't reviewed yet

Okay, so you may look at both my Top Ten and notable mentions list and think I'm missing some movies. You're right! There are certainly plenty 2007 movies I want to see
(I know....you think I see enough as it is, right?) and have yet to see. Here's the long, all-over-the-place list in no particular order....

• Juno
• Michael Clayton
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Hairspray
• Enchanted
• Shoot Em Up
• Resident Evil 3
• 28 Weeks Later
• Persepolis
• The Kite Runner
• The Hunting Party
• Gone Baby Gone
• The Jane Austen Book Club
• Atonement
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
• No End in Sight
• Sicko
• In the Shadow of the Moon
• The Savages
• Charlie Wilson's War
• Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
• Starting Out in the Evening
• Ten Canoes
• Control
• The Wind that Shakes the Barley
• La Vie En Rose
• Death Proof
• The Orphanage
• Across the Universe
• Superbad
• the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Margot at the Wedding
• After the Wedding
• The Water Horse
• Killer Sheep
• The Lookout
• American Gangster
• The Lives of Others
• Interview
• Delirious
• Paprika
• Black Book
• The Great Debaters
• The Darjeeling Limited
• Dan in Real Life
• Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
• Lions for Lambs
• August Rush
• Lars and the Real Girl
• For the Bible Tells Me So
• Jesus Camp
• Bella
• Beowulf
• My Kid Could Paint That
• Youth Without Youth
• The Game Plan
• Stephen King's Mist
• The Golden Compass

So what about you....what would YOUR Top Ten be?