I am an unabashed movie lover. Dan said the other day that there are people who like Films and there are people who like Movies. Film lovers, I believe love to sit through pretentious garbage, claim to not fall asleep, and compare notes on how performances were “nuanced” or “real.” I suspect some have never seen the film they have reviewed, but have raped someone else’s review, and try to use as many critical catch-phrases to praise their “films” as possible, in an effort to look intelligent. And all these idiots out there who claim to have loved popcorn movies in their childhood, have obviously “grown out” of such silly fare, opting to crusade for films that are just boring, trite, and pretentiously stupid. “Love in the Time of Diarrhea” is not on my list. Maybe it was a good movie. I doubt it.
I’m an American. I like a good story, and I want to be entertained. You can give me something I’ve seen before and put a different skin on it, that’s okay, as long as it’s not a shallow copy. That’s why we love sub-genres so much. I do agree, the golden era of fan-boy film is behind us. From 1977 to 1982 there was so much greatness on the silver screen that those of us growing up just thought that movies were going to stay like that all the time. We do get doses of that greatness from time to time, but not like it was. I feel for you people growing up today. It’s just not the same.
This list is for people who like genre films, but who like to be entertained. Not bored. A few movies like “30 Days of Night,” which I have only recently seen, did not make this list, but not because they were terrible. They were just kind of mediocre. I wanted to in fact put that film on the list, but it lacked a great cast. It looked fantastic. Some scary moments, but with Melissa George, you just can’t feel anything. You’ve gotta have great characters, or you just get kind of bored.
If you want to catch up on a few movies last year that you can put some popcorn on, turn down the lights, and get lost in, here ya go. This list isn’t to impress anybody. This list is for me.
20. Superbad
This movie was fun in an 80’s trash teen sex comedy kind of way. McLovin and the Cops were great. All their scenes were gold. The other two… they were just kind of above average. Their part of the movie swayed between “sweet” and “vulgar”, but I just never really bought them as much. The subplot indeed made the movie. Great use of funk in the score. A fun watch.
19. TMNT
Should’ve been terrible, was actually pretty good. Animation, story, voice acting were all top-notch. It did feel a bit short, and some of the music could have been better. But still a pleasant surprise. Looks INCREDIBLE on Blu-Ray. Better than Spiderman 3.
18. Knocked Up
This movie has both great ensemble acting, a good love story, and lots of heart and humor. It feels like this generations “When Harry Met Sally.” Ironically, there is a pro-life message in there somewhere (you can feel it), but it’s not preachy. Seth Rogen is great, as are the supporting characters.
17. Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Cate Blanchet goes a bit hammy in a couple of scenes, and for some reason Walter Raleigh is an action hero? It’s also not historically accurate, and will make you roll an eye in a couple of places. It’s still a fun, fast paced, beautifully shot movie, and though it gives the old Tudor queen a bit more worship than she deserves, you feel good after watching it. It’s a fun movie, and it’s got as much color as Flash Gordon. I enjoyed it, and I usually don’t like historical pieces set in this time period.
16. Blades of Glory
Will Ferrell. A very funny movie. Will is smart because he always surrounds himself with talented actors, giving his comedies that extra umph. This one is no exception, it’s his funniest (and most absurd) since “Anchorman.”
15. Meet the Robinsons
I actually discovered this on Blu-Ray, and it is indeed a treat. It has great animation, a lot of heart, and a lot of twists. It kind of has that 80’s movie era, B-movie sci-fi feel, but it adds up to a lot more than that, and is very, very emotional. (Or as Dan says, “Poignant”) Don’t miss this one, even if you are not typically an animation fan.
14. Enchanted
Amy Adams is excellent as a cartoon character come to life, the animation is the best since the golden age of Disney, and James Marsden is funny. The musical numbers are fun, expertly placed, and hummable. This one is great for the whole family, but isn’t just a family film. A great pop-corn movie that brings that 80’s date movie feel back. Just see it, you’ll get what I mean.
13. Vacancy
This is an intense and freaking scary little roller coaster ride of a movie. It uses suspense and mystery to great effect, and sets up its characters very well. Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson are the flies that fall into the sick trap, and man, what a joy it is to see adult actors doing a thriller again. They show the kiddies how it’s done. There will be moments when things will clench up on you, and your heart will race. Not exactly a horror movie, but very intense and well done. An excellent title sequence, great Hitchcockian feel, and great acting take this movie to the next level. If you like horror, you should be ashamed of yourself if you miss this one.
12. Disturbia
Shia is another actor you just can’t get enough of. I keep reading online how everybody hates this kid, but come on. He dominates the screen, and that is very hard to find anymore. This movie has some great ensemble acting as well, a cute girlfriend, some great suspense set pieces, and is a fun ode to Rear Window.
11. The GamePlan
The Rock follows in the footsteps of Vin Diesel and “Lilo and Stitch” by playing the big guy with a heart of gold who loves Elvis. We’ve seen this story about a gazillion times before, but this might just be the best version of it yet. The Rock is just very good in this, and it just is a lot of fun. I guess I’m enough of a kid at heart to not care what the other pretentious “film” lovers think, and gave it a whirl, watching it with my 6 year old daughter. It’s a good movie.
10. 3:10 to Yuma
Russell Crowe. Again, can’t get enough of him. He’s just incredible in this. Not sure what happened in American Gangster (Earth to Ridley: what happened?), but this is one of the best westerns ever. It’s much better even than the original adaptation, and that was a good movie.
9. Evan Allmighty
I guess I’m the only man alive who loved this movie. It has laughs, but it’s not a comedy. This one plays out a bit like “Oh, God!” with a heart. The music and fantastic set pieces, the acting by Carrell is heartfelt instead of over-the-top, and Morgan Freeman is great. I think people just hate God.
8. StarDust
This movie was just promoted horribly. It has a great score, great heart, great story, very funny scenes, and splendid comedic acting by Deniro. This is about as close to a Final Fantasy live action movie as you are going to see; you shouldn’t be disappointed. A great popcorn film
7. Live Free or Die Hard
Bruce Willis is just incredible in this movie. The lines are fantastic, and this is McClane at his best since the first installment. There are some “oh come-on” action moments, but the movie (and the bad guys) are so good, you don’t care. It also has a very good musical score, some great atmosphere, and an actor at his best in years. I loved this movie.
6. Juno
Ellen Page is just great. Like Willis in Die Hard, you can’t get enough of her in this movie. She just rules every second of screen time. I loved her in X-men 3 (underrated) and Hard Candy, but in this movie she’s just unreal. This movie is just as funny as Napoleon Dynamite. It’s a classic.
5. Ratatouille
Pixar returns to form after the disappointing Cars. This one is fast paced, funny, and well acted. The little mouse reminds me of Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters. Always a good thing!
4. I Am Legend
A great book made into a 75% faithful adaptation. I’m not sure why they didn’t go with the fantastic ending in the book, but man, up till that part, it actually topped the novel in rich, dark, atmosphere and the acting by Smith: excellent. A very good score, great suspense, and awesome dog just make this movie. Smith finally made a blockbuster without resorting to the Fresh Prince. Should look great in Blu.
3. 300
Zack Snyder did such a great job with the new Dawn of the Dead, I was already telling everyone to lookout for this guy. He’s a new Cameron. 300 put him on the map. The look, the feel—remaking the graphic novel in such a colorful, unique way, but also understanding how to work with his performers. The look of the movie is just gorgeous and other-worldly. Wow.
2. Sunshine
If you crave great sci-fi movies that make you think, can still be a lot of fun, and make you think of the 70’s, this movie is for you. It ranks for me as one of the best sci-fis of all time, and I’m pretty sure that hindsight will improve for many people who were a bit harsh on it in the future. Think Alien, 2010, Blade Runner, Solaris. It’s just that caliber.
1. Transformers
A fun, well acted, a little bit muddled when it comes to subplot (the military guys were just kind of meh), but bringing Peter Cullen into a realistic ILM forged Optimus Prime? Holy Crap. I get goose bumps on this one in several scenes, and it makes all other talking car movies look pretty weak. You Laugh, get misty-eyed, sit on the edge of your seat, and cheer. Awesome score, incredible effects, adept story, and Shia is fantastic (as usual). This is the best film of 2007. I might watch “There Will Be Blood” once and go “That was a good movie!”, but in 5 years, I’ll still love this film and remember this one as a movie that made me feel like a kid. I was too old to appreciate it when it was a cartoon, but as a 36 year old man, it succeeded at making me feel 12 again, anyway.