m / December 14, 2007 10:53 AM

i havent seen nearly enough movies this year. i think there are still some pretty great ones that i can catch (im looking forward to atonement, the kite runner, and grace is gone)...

but i did really like lars and the real girl. maybe not the BEST of the year, but it was one of the only movies to get me to the theater and leave me satisfied. other movies i really loved but arent necessarily the best: la vie en rose and waitress.

milena / December 14, 2007 11:04 AM

300-great effects
Once-refreashing piece with beautiful music
No Country for Old Men-Fantastic acting and story
Zodiac-compelling and I feel was directed well

sam b / December 14, 2007 11:27 AM

factotum was fairly disappointing.

i enjoyed "stranger than fiction." i normally don't like will farrell movies. and i'm not sure that was an '07 movie, but that's when i saw it.

mucifer / December 14, 2007 11:30 AM

so many...

no country for old men
before the devil knows your dead away from her
knocked up
the host
grindhouse
the mist
28 weeks later
sunshine
disturbia
year of the dog
black book
broken english

there's probably more.

Mac / December 14, 2007 11:39 AM

Internet Amateur Home Porn

JasonB / December 14, 2007 11:41 AM

I haven't seen many this year, but I thought "No country for Old Men" was excellent.

"28 Weeks Later" was probably the best sequel to a horror flick I've ever seen.

"Air Guitar Nation" made me giggle.

The relatively unknown Clive Owen flick: "Shoot 'Em Up" may be an instant cult classic, once it hits the video stores in the US.

"Mr. Brooks". Shades of "American Psycho".

I really want to see "The Golden Compass", "I am Legend" and "I want Someone to eat Cheese with"

I'm sorry -- I thought 300 sucked and I question the timing of it's release.

skafiend / December 14, 2007 11:49 AM

Without a doubt, American Gangster.

Or maybe No Country for Old Men. Or possibly....

Ok, I lied. i haven't see any movies in a theater this year. I stopped going to movies around the rise of the cellphone. Netflix saved my life!

But I do hear good things about those movies, so I guess those are the best...

Mac, I think I saw "Internet Amateur Home Porn". Who was in that?

milena / December 14, 2007 11:50 AM

to JasonB-notice i said i liked the effects--visually it was captivating and made me appreciate where CGI and special effects are going

JasonB / December 14, 2007 12:54 PM

milena:

That wasn't really directed at you.

shermann / December 14, 2007 1:00 PM

Sunshine
The Host
Eastern Promises
300

Carrie / December 14, 2007 1:22 PM

The Darjeeling Limited is tops for me.

I also liked Zodiac, American Gangster and The HP.

Cracken / December 14, 2007 2:19 PM

Out of the zillion I saw, Away From Her was probably tops. Amazing without qualifiers, and even more so as a debut. Brand Upon the Brain for sure, but probably not without the live accompaniment.

Also: No Country..., Eastern Promises, Ratatouille and the Simpsons, which gets props merely for withstanding expectations no movie should have to bear.

Brandy / December 14, 2007 5:26 PM

2006, that I saw in 2007:
The Lives of Others, Children of Men, After the Wedding

2007:
Away from Her, Hot Fuzz, Zodiac, The Namesake

And I was charmed by The Darjeeling Limited, though I can't call it the best.

But I stayed out if the cineplex all summer and haven't been back yet this season. I love DVDs more and more.

Leelah / December 14, 2007 5:47 PM

Hands down, "Control"

2nd - The Simpsons movie

was Pan's Labyrinth this year? I saw it this year in the theater, but that never means anything. Also good.

SR / December 14, 2007 6:24 PM

In the documentary category, "Helvetica" was quite good.

Mac / December 14, 2007 7:22 PM

@ Skafiend:
"Mac, I think I saw "Internet Amateur Home Porn". Who was in that?"

Your mom!
Just kidding!! :-)

Starring: usually un-good-looking Burb Moms.

jonk / December 15, 2007 1:28 AM

NO CONTEST

Tsai Ming-liang's

'I Don't Want to Sleep Alone'

Carlotta / December 15, 2007 3:13 AM

It took a lot of effort to winnow down this list....

Best Overall Film: "Away From Her" for all the aforementioned reasons.

Best Revisions, Restorations, etc.: -- "Blade Runner: The Final Cut"
-- Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil"
-- "What's Going On In The Beely Circus?" a German silent film that holds up remarkably well today. If only Michael Vick had engaged in the type of "dog fighting" displayed in this film!

Best Comedies:
-- "The Valet" a smart & well-paced French bedroom farce
-- "Ratatouille" an all-around winner in terms of story, animation and execution

Best Documentaries:
-- "The Camden 28" about a draft board break-in. What opposition to a crappy war looked like 35 years ago.
-- "Six Days" a comprehensive retelling of the 1967 Middle Eastern conflict that continues to have repercussions
-- "Crude Impact" Why cheap gasoline is not coming back
-- "Have You Heard From Johannesburg?" U.S. grassroots efforts to oppose apartheid and Reagan's aid to the South African regime. The storytelling sweeps you along.

Best Inventively Weird (or Weirdly Inventive) Films:
--"Brand Upon The Brain!" especially the live performance
-- "Inland Empire"

Best Films Starring Sebastian Koch (!):
--"The Lives of Others" and "Black Book"

Sharon / December 15, 2007 4:25 AM

THE LIVES OF OTHERS - technically 2006?

ONCE - when your mind's made up

AMERICAN GANGSTER - Denzel's getting all the hype, but Russell, as always, rocks

And though it's on the small screen, its presence is huge ... and perfect: MAD MEN.

KVG / December 15, 2007 5:29 PM

"No Country for Old Men," hands down. I've never been on the edge of my nerves through a whole movie like that, and the acting was tremendous.

"Lars and the Real Girl" was also excellent. The scene with him and the flower as the girl from the office approaches is priceless.

Stillman / December 16, 2007 10:48 AM

3:10 To Yuma - More action-packed than the original, with some interesting twists to the characters.

Into The Wild - Young idealist overcome by Oedipal struggles ventures into the Alaskan wilderness after ignoring the advice of colorful and more mature characters he meets along the way.

Hot Fuzz - Hilarious British spoof of action movies, funny even if you've never seen the films spoofed.

Emily / December 16, 2007 3:31 PM

I really enjoyed Lars and the Real Girl and No Country this year. Other than that, nothing has stood out for me.

peta / December 17, 2007 9:38 AM

I loved "Once"! Enchanting, with great music.