Headlined by two of the decade's best films, There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men, here are 35 great films I have seen from 2007: Zodiac, Grindhouse (Planet Terror + Death Proof), Hot Fuzz, Knocked Up, Ratatouille, Rescue Dawn, Sunshine, The Bourne Ultimatum, Superbad, Eastern Promises, Into the Wild, The Darjeeling Limited, Michael Clayton, Gone Baby Gone, American Gangster, The Mist, Juno, Atonement, Charlie Wilson's War, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Orphanage, Before the Devil Know's You're Dead, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Once, Control, Lars and the Real Girl, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, This is England, Persepolis, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Lust, Caution, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and La Vie En Rose.
What do you think of 2011 so far? How does 2007 weigh up for you? What, in your opinion, is the last great year of film?
I loved 2007. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS was my favourite of that year. I think the last really exceptional year for film was 1999. The new decade has brought some great films, but in general has been little more than trouble.
ReplyDelete4 MONTHS is an incredible film. It would make my Top 10 of that year, for sure. Yeah, I can't think of any other truly memorable years after 1999 and 2000 (the latter was quite strong too - though only because of what I have seen on DVD). I can't remember going to the cinema much. Yeah, when I created my 'Best Films By Year' lists it took me ages to choose just 10 from 2007. GONE BABY GONE even missed out a think - yes, it did. So did THE DARJEELING LIMITED. Love that film.
ReplyDeleteWell, I have a WIP list of the Best Films of the 2000s with about 181 films so far in the list for what could be a list of 250 best films of the 2000s. From the 2007 list, I have 18 films picked from that list. There's still about 70 films that I need to see from the last decade so all of that could change. It's a project that is still on-going as I'm hoping to make a definitive list.
ReplyDeleteMy 2007 favorite is Enchanted cant believe you missed that one in your round-up.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to great movie years I'd almost say that I would say some year in the 90's as I see it there was an overall quality difference then than it is now.
This is a quite mediocre year, so far my favorite is the Swedish WW2 action film Gränsen (Beyond the Border). Its more or less a Swedish light version of a First Blood scenario.
Well 2008 had Gomorrah, Hunger, In Bruges, The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, The Good the Bad and the Weird, Milk, Revolutionary Road, Wall-E, Waltz With Bashir, The Reader, The Visitor, Frozen River, The Class, Baader Meinhof Complex, Happy-Go-Lucky, Rachel Getting Married, Man on Wire .... that all are comparable to 2007's successes. But I am definitely noticing a downwards trend.
ReplyDelete2009 was boring. Even with 10 Best Film Oscar nominees, out of all of them .. I'd probably watch only one (Inglorious Basterds) again. (The Hurt Locker was OK, I mean it's not the best or even close to being on anyone's top 100 .. unless you've seen less than 100 films.) and 2010 was mediocre. The Social Network is clearly shining in that group of films. Even Inception has lost its shine for me in the third viewing. The concept is so much better than the film. The King's Speech was just any other BBC Tv film to me.
This year, so far, not impressed. I've only been amazed once, maybe twice. Maybe it's just me writing my blog and becoming more critical but...
I miss the year 2000.
@ Steven - Wow, that's a pretty intense project, man. So, 18 out of 181 (exactly 10% of the selections). Even choosing just 18 from that year would be tough for me. G/l with the list.
ReplyDelete@ Joel - I haven't seen ENCHANTED Joel, but when I was skimming through the releases (and saw it had a 92% rating) I figured it was a significant one. There are some great years from the 90's - a personal favourite is '95 (Se7en, The Usual Suspects, Heat, Dead Man etc) but i'm not sure how deep it is. I don't know if I would call 2011 mediocre. I saw a bunch of great films at the SFF earlier in the year - and even with plenty of anticipated releases still coming (The Descendents, Dragon Tattoo, The Artist etc.) I'm pretty impressed by what I have seen so far.
Thanks for the comments guys!
Andy! Awesome sauce! I contend 2007 is the greatest year for movies I have ever lived through! It seemed like every week I was going to the theater and improbably having my socks knocked off again.
ReplyDeleteAtonement, Once, Quiet City, King of California and No Country For Old Men are the 5 that meant the most to me (along with Amy Ryan's performance in Gone Baby Gone). After that I'd have trouble in a short time putting them into a list but you named a lot of them. Oh, to go back.
@ Anna - I haven't seen some of the films from 2008 you mentioned, but I agree it was a stronger year that 2009. Apart from THE DARK KNIGHT and WALL E -released about the middle of the year - it was a late rush. It was an awful year (from memory) and then some good stuff came out. I'm glad you mentioned RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. Underrated that one. 2009 was boring - and just skimming through the Best Pic. nominees from that year - what a joke! Still, there were some quality films not nominated (ANTICHRIST and THE WHITE RIBBON are two examples).
ReplyDeleteI also didn't think 2010 was mediocre, but I only gave out two 5 STAR reviews last year (well, originally three but dropped BLACK SWAN back to 4 1/2) - so apart from THE SOCIAL NETWORK and INCEPTION - it was full of solid flicks. This year has been far better, from my experience :-)
@ Nick - That is great to hear. A lot of these films were released at Xmas and early 2008 (the way it is here) and I was seeing 2/3 films a week throughout Dec/Jan/Feb. Throughout the year there were plenty of films I enjoyed too - ZODIAC, HOT FUZZ, EASTERN PROMISES etc. Amy Ryan is great isn't she? Casey Affleck too. Outstanding. I haven't seen KING OF CALIFORNIA or QUIET CITY. It seems I need to.
Gone Baby Gone was exceptional, it actually lived up to the hype surrounding it which is rare. Also have to agreed Eastern Promises was brilliant. Hopefully the best movies of this year are still to come.
ReplyDeleteI almost agree with Anna. 2008 was comparable but maybe not better. 2009 and 2010 no way better that 2007 and 08. 2011 I think will turn out to be better than 09 and 10 but no way comparable to 07 and 08.
ReplyDelete2008 was a really good year for films, except that all of the really good ones started coming out in October-December; 2009 was a pretty boring year to say the least; 2010 had its bright moments; and this year isn't actually doing so bad when it comes to making some good films, although I'm still waiting for a film to just downright knock me on my feet. 2007 was a great year but then again I guess it all gets better when you start to pay more and more attention to films. Good point.
ReplyDeleteWow, I kinda forgot what a great year 2007 was. Mind you, that was back in the day when I was just getting into movie watching. Hairspray was also my favourite film in 2007. I still like it.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, 2007 was a great year! I've seen so many great films from that year. Still the greatest year of cinema for me is 1939 (wow, I'm so old-fashioned...)
I've always disagreed with this sentiment. Yes, 2007 had a lot of really good films, but I think what makes it memorable is that there were a lot of films almost everyone agreed were really good.
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at years like 2006 or even last year, I find twice as many films I really liked than 2007, but some of those are contested, off the beaten track or just not the ones critical buzz ever built around.
So, for me, 2007 is the year of movie buzz. Yes, I really like a lot of the films from that year, but I hardly see it as the benchmark for cinema in the past decade.
Well, being one of the best movies in history, There Will Be Blood alone makes 2007 great! Although, I have learned if I watch enough movies from a single year, some I am going to like, and others not.
ReplyDeleteAs for this year, I have not seen some of the ones I really am anticipating (The Tree of Life, Warrior, The Artist, Beginners). However, I just went to see Hugo, and masterpiece is just about the only word that does it justice. Brilliant film.
Normally, I would tell someone who claims that the past few years have been disappointing in cinema that they need to watch more movies; you definitely don't have that problem. Personally, I think 2007 was a damn good year, certainly outshining the past few. That's not to say that there haven't been just as many good movies lately --- I just think they were in less appreciated genres. 2010 had some great horror (The Crazies), ridiculous action movies (Iron Man 2, The Expendables), and the first comic book adaptation that was as fun as reading a comic book (Scott Pilgrim vs the World). Are these movies going to stand up to The Fighter, Inception, The Social Network or Inception? Perhaps not as artistic works, but there is something to be said for being excellent genre examples.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorite stretch of theatrical releases is the Fall of 1999. The combination of American Beauty, Fight Club, and Being John Malkovich changed how my impressionable mind viewed movies forever after.
I was just going to say 1999. Unbeatable. Too many comic book/superhero movies ever since. Blockbusters are getting much more dull. Too many sequels/prequels/remakes. Still plenty of gems around though. Gone Baby Gone is fantastic. Better than Affleck's follow up 'The Town', though that was still very good.
ReplyDelete@ John - I thought GBG was pretty solid the first time I watched it, but I appreciated it even more when I watched it last night. I think a few of 2011's gems are still to come in the next few months - at least I have expectations for some, and I hope they deliver.
ReplyDelete@ SDG - If you overlook the disastrous Best Pic selections in 2008, there are a lot of great films that went under the radar. THE WRESTLER was such a powerful film, WALL E is one of Pixar's best ever and IN BRUGES was an unconventional mesh of genres. Everyone has different experiences - personally, I responded more to 2007, but there is no denying 2008 was a strong year too. I just love film!
@ Dan - Yeah, I can't say I have disliked any years - even earlier years from the 00's - but sometimes there is a string of weeks that blow you away, and feature as memorable in your experience with cinema. 2007, for me, had such an effect. A few films this year have blown me away - but I have seen way more films this year than I ever have before, so that likely has something to do with it.
@ Stevee - Hairspray huh? I never saw it. I'm not saying that 2007 is the best year in cinema history (I have a case for 1974) but as far as my serious filmgoing goes, it's the one I pick out as my favourite :-)
ReplyDelete@ James - I think you were chatting with Sam (and maybe me too) on Skype about this one day, so I thought you might disagree. I know what you mean, and I do agree - a lot of films from 2007 were well received, and popular amongst cinemagoers, and it is likely because it was one of my first years of serious cinema (regular trips to the cinema) that it is so memorable. There are great films every year (2006 included) but I personally find 2007 to have a really deep field. I guess my point is - since 2007, a top year for cinema, there have been a couple of weaker years (for many reasons), and I think this year has the potential to be as memorable as 2006/2007, and earlier years like 1999/2000.
@ Matt S - One of the best films in history. Hell yes! It's mostly the reason I loved 2007. I saw this - and about 10 others on the list - in the space of a couple of months. Been hearing great things about HUGO. I am surprised, but glad it is good!
@ Brian - Every year is rewarding for different reasons - one might be a stellar year for horror films, meaning that a horror buff will love that year. Overall, it might be disappointing for others. I was 11 (in Grade 6) in 1999, and unfort. I missed all of the awesome films then. Looking back at what came out that year, it is definitely one of the top years in my lifetime anyway.
ReplyDelete@ Pete - There are so many gems around - and when you take foreign and indie films into account, they can make a big difference in how you perceive a period of cinema. I enjoyed THE TOWN but it never reached the heights of GBG. I felt like it was an inferior version of HEAT.
Not sure that This is England can be seen as a 2007 release (unless you're going by the Aussie releases), as it came out in 2006.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Lust Caution get's a mention! The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is also great, too.
Bit disappointed by 3 Months, 4 Weeks and 2 Days, and La Vie En Rose, but they were pretty solid films, I guess.
Just this morning, I went to see The Muppets (loved it) and was thinking about all the great movies still left to be seen for the year. Personally, I think 2011 has been a good year at the movies. The summer blockbusters were disappointing but there has been many great surprises as well.
ReplyDelete@ Cherokee - I saw it in 2007, and I saw it listed on a couple of lists as being released in 2007 - but I know it was originally released in 2006. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was such an incredible film. Amazing.
ReplyDelete@ Castor - I can't wait for The Muppets. I keep hearing great things about it. I was disappointed by the blockbusters (and honestly I couldn't believe the rave reviews films like Thor and X-Men were getting) but a couple (Apes, Super 8, KFP 2, Captain America surprised me). Even still, there have been some great films - and a lot of big-name directors have films coming out this year. Just think, there is still The Artist, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Descendents, The Skin I Live In and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (amongst others - Carnage etc.) to be released. There has been some junk (as always) but I think this has been a great year.
First, I absolutely love the mentioning of King of California.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Blockbuster when most of the 2007 films were coming out on DVD. There is completely no way I'd be able to make a Top 10. The quality of the films to come out that year is just too grand. 4 Months, Gone Baby Gone, Assassination would make my top 5, but I'm pretty sure there would be a 20 movie tie at 10. Taking a gander at the "Life in Movies" project that we all did a while back, its quite evident that this year had the biggest impact on my love of cinema.
It also introduced me to my French Goddess as well....
ReplyDelete@ Red - I am delighted to hear that 2007 had an equally profound effect on you too. The Assassination of Jesse James was fantastic, as was 4 Months (it would make my Top 10). I was working at my first cinema that year, and studying. I usually only had time to see one film a week - that was until the end of the year when there was an insane stretch, and I went more often - but it was great flick after great flick.
ReplyDelete