The 2007 Highlight Reel (Part A)

I love lists. Absolutely love them. Love making them. Love reading them. Love posting them. So it is that I wanted to post my top movies of 2007. In truth, I just wanted to see all these movie titles collected in one space at one time.

It's a beautiful thing...

It was an unusually productive year for me in the theatres in large part because it was an uncommonly great year for new movies. The best of the 21st Century for certain and I'm dubious that we'll see another year this great for a while (writer's strike, crappy '08 line-up and all.) I saw 125 first-run movies in 2007 and have taken the Top 13 (or about 10%) as the prime cut; however it's worth noting that I saw at least 30 movies this year that I would consider to be at the very least excellent or better.

These 13 are spectacular without exception.

The Cream of the Crop

Ranked by preference as of today and right now at this moment, but it changes like the weather. All are solid, instantly re-watchable and marked tremendously pleasureable movie-going experiences for me. Most would be in my top-5 in any other movie year:

13. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly ~ Frankly, I'm a little surprised to see this movie on my list. When I walked out of the theatre I wasn't sure that I liked it much at all. As it turns out, it simply didn't make any kind of immediate impact on me but in the days that have followed, it's growing on my mind the way the best movies do. Oh, I love it when movies percolate like this. What strikes me now and the thing I keep coming back to is the particular visual style of the film. To say that the scattershot imagery and memory-tinged photography reminded me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is to betray exactly how much I'm falling for it, because Eternal Sunshine is one of my most cherished favourites. What makes Diving Bell so remarkable is that like Eternal Sunshine, it follows a sort of emotional logic and structure and frequently spins outwards into great romantic segueways. At the centre of the picture is a man trapped in his body, which would be compelling in its own right. But at the margins is something far far richer and Julian Schnabel and Janusz Kaminski outdo themselves finding imaginative ways to bring the inner spirit of the man to life. This is what it looks like to see someone's dreams and memories on film. Further to that, I can't get the blasted Ultra Orange song that sits in the spine of the film (and trailer) out of my head.

12. In the Valley of Elah ~ Another great surprise. For someone who has yet to be knocked over by Paul Haggis, I wasn't expecting a lot from this movie and slotted it casually into a Sunday night trip out. Good thing too as this is the kind of movie I might have otherwise skipped. The final scenes and in particular the final haunting image (which I suppose I should have seen coming) hung over me for days. Annie Lennox's Lost sticks in my ear. This was a really great year for Tommy Lee Jones and he's as good in this movie as he is in No Country for Old Men, in many ways playing the same sort of thoughtful, deliberate and patient role. What's devastating here is the intolerable grief that he buries deep in his heart but which informs every step he takes through the movie. Brilliant, moving stuff and it's a shame that the film got lost in the fall shuffle.

11. Gone Baby Gone ~ Damn, Ben Affleck? This is probably the only movie on the list that I couldn't quickly and easily watch again dealing as it does with the abduction of a 4-year-old girl. The subject matter is raw, but the performances, direction and dialogue are all so amazing and unexpected that I've been recommending the movie to virtually everyone I see. Both Ben and Casey Affleck demonstrate awesome range as director and actor respectively, and the supporting cast (Harris in particular) is equally on-game. This was the one film of the year that I actually embarrassed myself with a large and inappropriately loud gasp during a critical point in the film: a sure sign that the movie had its hooks in me deep and good. I lost all track of where I was.

10. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters ~ The best documentary of 2007 is also the funniest and the most moving. The back-and-forth rivalry between Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell is the stuff of legend, and the background politics (and machinations) of the classic arcade tournaments go well beyond the rules of Q-bert and Donkey Kong. If it was just funny, I would be recommending this movie, but the movie finds some deeper chords in the second half and I'm surprised how much it upset me. Frankly, I'm astonished that somebody caught this story on film.

9. The Darjeeling Limited ~ Like a lot of people, I had written Wes Anderson off with the trailer for Darjeeling. If ever a man could appear to be parodying himself, this was it. And in just about every way, Darjeeling is exactly the movie that I was expecting but so much more. Key to this is the inclusion of the Hotel Chevalier short at the front of the film which cues the flavour and sets up some delicious pay-offs in the film proper. The transition to the main film (opening titles) was one of my favourite movie sequences of 2007. Still, what surprised me the most is how much I laughed during the film, rolling with every absurdity and snatched entirely into the Whitman's bizarre family dynamic. It's a gorgeous film to watch, capturing a vibrant and colourful India that can't possibly exist in the real world. If Wes Anderson wants to continue to do the Wes Anderson Thing, I'm game. I can't wait to see this movie again.

8. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead ~ A perfect mousetrap that turns on a startling emotional spring. Everyone in this film comes to work with their A-game and it's always a pleasure to see someone like Albert Finney inspired and knocking down scenery. This is one of those films that's a treasure to experience in a dark theatre as the stress builds until the tension for release becomes unbearable. I'm not sure how it will play on repeat viewings as so much hinges on not knowing where the movie is going to spin off next, however for first-time theatre experiences, this one was absolute aces.

7. Into the Wild ~ I was so primed for this movie that I made a special day of it, taking a pilgrimage to an old movie theatre in Kingston and giving it the extra time on either side that I felt it would need to sink in. All of this paid off in spades and created a really special movie day. Penn's film doesn't play like anything else I saw this year, following Chris McCandless' cross-country odyssey with an off-beat pace that suits the subject matter perfectly. But in hindsight, I'd love to see it again on a double-bill with Grizzly Man, another favourite that documents a similar lost spirit.

6. Away From Her ~ I started this film on DVD before bed one night with the intention of watching only 30-minutes but the damn thing hooked me deep and kept me up well past midnight. What snared me was the performances; but what puts the movie on the list now is Sarah Polley. Really, it is still unbelievable to me that a movie this mature and this well-crafted could come from a first-time feature director, particularly one under the age of 30. There is a wealth of experience here that masters in their final years struggle to realize. And that story...devastating. Julie Christie is reaping a lot of attention for her performance, but it's Gordon Pinsent who is the silent heart of the film, tacitly watching the love of his life disappear into the abyss.

The Top 5:

...is rock-solid and unlike the list above, the sequence here is pretty firm. All 5 are movies that I will be watching again and again and again in the years to come. Instant classics every one:

5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ~ This one started creeping up on my radar the minute I read that title. Then images started creeping on-line and that second, heart-stopping trailer which showed how beautiful a western could be. Without contest, it was the most anticipated film of the fall for me and it paid off in every respect (the fact that it's #5 only means that the next 4 months all drastically surpassed expectations...) I can't wait to see it again.

4. Sweeney Todd ~ This was supposed to be my last film of 2007 and awkwardly ended up being my first matinee of 2008. Still, even with only 24 hours between me and the Todd, I am already thinking more and more about it. Songs are stuck in my head and more importantly, those bloody bloody beautiful and horrendous images. The fact that it's a sort of Tim Burton's Greatest Hits is only one of many things that makes it special for me. I'm also an enormous fan of the Sondheim musical and couldn't be more thrilled that Burton adapted it right. Johnny Depp in particular plays such a hollow, dispirited Sweeney that I immediately have to see the movie again. I was also delighted that Burton didn't shy away from the gore, as much as it may alienate a lot of audiences. That final image is one of my favourites of 2007 (er, 2008?)

3. Juno ~ Sweet, sweet Juno , pure movie sugar and the cynic's favourite kicking bag for late 2007. This was a highlight for me at this year's Toronto Film Festival and came as the crown-jewel of a virtually perfect movie day. In fact, I haven't been in a theatre as enthralled and enthusiastic as this once since I saw an early screening of Amélie years ago (Sept 10th, 2001 to be exact.) The thing about Juno is that after you cut through the fast comedy and singular dialogue (which is excellent), there's a beating heart to the picture which is really, really tough to deny. The movie might start as some sort of spunky teen-pregnancy film but it ends on an authentic and richly realized chord which fills your heart. A lot of the credit for this goes to Jennifer Garner of all people who I think travels the most interesting path in the film. Unlike the other movies in this top 5, I can't say if I'll be able to watch Juno 5 or 10 or 20 more times without seeing it lose its charm; however, it's here because the initial screening and response was so unique and wonderful that I'm lucky if I get a theatre experience like that once in a decade.

2. No Country for Old Men ~ Three times I've watched this stunning movie and it's getting better every single time. What's funny to me now is how closely it mirrors Raising Arizona which until now had always been my favourite Coen Brothers film. In so many ways NCFOM is like the dark-side remake of that film and that just endears it to me all the more. Then there's that ending...sweet money, it couldn't be any better. In fact, it's the ending (and in particular the final pensive scene with Tommy Lee Jones at the kitchen table) which to my mind has cemented this film as a masterpiece. 10 years and 50 years from now. "And then I woke up."

1. Once ~ I've written so much about this film already on this blog. Like No Country, I've watched it 3 times already and it's quickly passed the point of a simple favourite to that uncanny level of comfort food. In fact, I struggled between this movie and No Country in the top spot; it seemed to me that this was the best heart movie of the year while No Country was the best head movie. And at the end of the day, I'm a sucker and a girly-man...

Honorable mention:

Hairspray ~ which has become the most-watched movie of my household in 2007, in large part because it is spun almost daily by my 4-year-old. I liked it the first time I saw it but with each consecutive viewing, I'm finding more to appreciate. The music is as dynamic and sends both my kids bouncing off the walls like hyper-caffeinated chocolate. It's a fun piece of business that should hold up well in the years to come.

Zodiac ~ my first impression back in March was sort of messo-messo, but then that's true of at least a few movies on my best of list above. The difference here is that I didn't go back and give Zodiac another chance. I think this is one that needs another viewing and I'm looking forward to revisiting the special Director's Cut DVD coming out in January.

It's also worth adding the handful of high-quality movies that fell just outside my list (and barely):

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days ~ Absurb how treacherous this movie is in the second half. All on a minimal scale where the dread and anxiety is left imagined in the heart and mind of the viewer.

The Bourne Ultimatum ~ It's a rarity that the final part of a trilogy is the best. Are you listening, Spider-Man 3??

The Orphanage ~ I swear to you that I got genuine palm-sweats not once, but twice during this film. A lot of similarities have been drawn to Devil's Backbone, The Others and even Rosemary's Baby (all are fair comparisons), but I was a little surprised at how much old-school Poltergeist was happening here, particular in the middle act. This is a superior, virtually flawless ghost-story movie. You'll know already if that does anything to stoke you.

Superbad ~ The best belly-laughs that I had in a movie theatre all year. The movie might be totally filthy, but there's heart to it that makes it worth watching and re-watching. Between this and Juno, I find myself hunting down 3 seasons of Arrested Develoment just to catch more Michael Cera.

Special Note:

There Will Be Blood ~ TWBB seems to be cut from the same material as most other movies that have made this year so great. I haven't seen it yet but it opens in Toronto on Friday. I'll be making a trip of it in the next week or two and based on the early word, it's very realistic that it will end somewhere on the list above. For now, it's the only noticeable omission in my 2007 playlist.