Year in Movies: 2007

I'm having a little fun here...since I've been doing reviews on a lot of the movies that I've seen over the past few months, I figured I'd go all out and do a "Best of 2007" edition. And, in my opinion, no good "Best" list is complete without a "Worst" list. So here are my picks for "The 10 Best Movies of 2007" and "The 5 Worst Movies of 2007".

Note: Obviously, these are only the movies that I've seen, and only the films that were released in 2007. And, since it's only 2007 films, I plan on updating this list throughout the next year if a 2007-released movie impresses me (or disgusts me).

Best of 2007

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne films have simply been the best action movies in the past decade. Ultimatum keeps the tradition going. Matt Damon is perfect in the role of Jason Bourne, and the supporting cast (Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Julie Stiles, etc.) is amazing. This is not a dumb action flick by any means either; it's smart, tense, and exciting. In my mind, it's truly the best movie of 2007.

Gone Baby Gone

This one surprised me...I had heard good things about it, and it sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did. Ben Affleck needs to direct more often; this is an intense drama that hits you hard. Casey Affleck and Ed Harris give great performances, and the movie never lets you go.

Juno

I expected this movie to be good, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. This is simply one of the sweetest, funniest, and endearing movies I have ever seen. I haven't smiled and laughed so much at a movie in a long time. Ellen Page is fantastic - her Oscar nomination is well-deserved - and all of the cast (including Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, and J.K. Simmons) give great performances.

Hot Fuzz

Anyone who saw Shaun of the Dead was looking forward to this movie, and it didn't disappoint. Paying homage and making fun of a certain genre at the same time isn't easy, but Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg pull it off. This is their take on action movies (like Bad Boys and Point Break) and it's a comedy you'll want to watch again and again.

Ratatouille

While it's easy to call this the best animated movie of 2007, it deserves so much more than that. Pixar films are always great, but this one belongs near the top of their list. I found it to be a bit more adult than their previous films, and that appealed to me. It's still perfect for the kids, but I don't think there is anyone who wouldn't love this movie.

Michael Clayton

For some reason, I assumed that this film was overrated; I anticipated a long, boring legal drama. What I found was an intense, intriguing legal thriller. George Clooney is superb and the rest of the cast is perfect. Don't underestimate this film like I did; go out and see it.

No Country for Old Men

This wouldn't be much of a list without the year's winner for Best Picture on it. No Country is a fantastic film: it's a deep character study, but the action and drama keep plugging at you enough so that you never get bored. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) will likely be considered one of cinema's greatest villains. Unlike some previous years, there won't be any debate over how this film won Best Picture; it's unlike anything you've seen before, and it's destined to become a classic.

Knocked Up

This gave Hot Fuzz a run for my favorite comedy; it blew me away with how sweet and funny it was. I liked The 40-Year Old Virgin but didn't love it - this movie is simply great. Plus, it's the perfect date movie - funny enough for the guys and sweet enough for the girls. Seth Rogan is fantastic in the lead, and Katherine Heigl paved her way as a romantic comedy leading lady with her performance.

Grindhouse

This was the most fun that I've had in a theater in a long time. It didn't resonate with a lot of people apparently (bad box office), but it was a blast. Planet Terror was a blast, the in-between-film trailers were awesome, and Deathproof was a great Tarantino flick. It's a shame they broke up the DVD release, as the whole package together was quite the experience.

Once

I'm not one to give a musical much of a chance, but this one got enough good reviews to have me take a look. It's a charming look at the lives of two people that are centered around music. The songs are great - if you like Coldplay at all, you'll love the music here - and they really add to the movie; it never feels like they're there for the sake of being there.

Worst of 2007

Blades of Glory

While I still find Will Ferrell occasionally funny, the same can't be said for Jon Heder. In my opinion, he's the film example of a one-hit wonder. Of course, this movie isn't his fault - he's awful, but so is everyone else. This was simply one of the least-funny "comedy" movies that I've ever seen. Most of the characters were more annoying than anything else, and the story premise was simply ridiculous, even for a brain-dead comedy. There may be worse movies, but this one should've been funnier than it was, and that's why it tops my list.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

I love comic-based films, but the first Fantastic Four film was hard to like. It was somewhat enjoyable, but not well-acted or well-directed. Silver Surfer takes all the bad things from the first one and multiplies them. The acting is worse, the plot is stupid, the special effects are terrible, and the direction is awful. The character of the Silver Surfer isn't bad, but I just wish he would've gotten introduced in a better movie.

License to Wed

This one actually enticed a few chuckles, but that's about it. It was mostly just dull and boring. Robin Williams gives it a try, but he ends up coming across as creepy rather than funny. It's just a bland movie - even my wife, who loves this type of romantic comedy, found this one rather dull. Granted, I wasn't expecting much, but it was still a waste of 90 minutes of my life.

Shrek the Third

I enjoyed the first two Shrek films; yes, I know they don't hold up very well over time due to their pop culture references, but they were still fun. The third one isn't fun at all. Everything just seems to be a retread of the previous films, and nearly all of the jokes fall flat. The story is stale, and the characters just aren't that much fun anymore - with the exception of Puss N Boots. He's not given a lot to do here, but he's by far the most vibrant character.

Spider-Man 3

This was hard to put on the list, due to the fact that it's not really a bad film...just a disappointing one. The first two Spider-Man movies are great; this one just doesn't click. Too many villains don't help, but the story itself just doesn't seem to be real coherent - there's just too much going on and not enough time to develop the characters, which is something the first two thrived at.