The Best and Worst of 2007

Another year over and everyone is compiling their lists of best of's. This year its been a strange one, last year I easily picked ten films that made me go 'wow' and my top three in particular was very strong. I had a hard time picking which one should be number one from the top three and went over and over it in my mind before I came up with my favorite. This year I have had a clear number one from about April and I kept thinking something would blow it out of the water come Autumn but it never happened. Whether this is a general reflection of the quality of the film or the fact that nothing very good was released I don't know. Anyway on with the lists….

First the worst films or most disappointing depending on your view……..

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2007:

 

1. Spider-Man 3

It takes real talent to screw up a franchise that has made this much money, Especially when you have almost unlimited resources to make it. Its a surprise that this is a disappointment considering Sam Raimi was behind all three including this one and that's why its the biggest let down on the year.The first two Spider-Man films earned their place in the great super-hero films of all time and it seems that after Blade and X-Men Marvel films are destined to fall at the third fence. Its not that its a bad film compared to the likes of X3 and Blade Trinity, its just that its overloaded with characters and plot threads and the film completely derails at about 1 hour and 40 minutes as it rushes to the finish line. Up to this point its been fairly decent with some great fight scenes between spidey and sandman/green goblin 2. The decision to introduce Venom was a bad one and it shows that Raimi was under studio pressure to bring him in as he only gets about twenty minutes before being seemingly dispatched forever. Its unclear where Spidey's cinematic future lies and if Raimi will be involved. This made a lot of money so Spider-Man will return in one form or another on the big screen.

2. Hannibal Rising

A lot of people have seen this film and book as a cynical cash in on the success of the previous films which were all based on the books of Thomas Harris. I went to this with an open mind, there is no reason why this couldn't have been a success and a chilling portrait of the birth of a psychopath. All the ingredients are there however it seems that the director decided that he didn't need to inject this film with any directorial flair or suspense and that the mere presence of Hannibal Lector would be enough. Not so. The result is a tedious film that you watch and do not care much about. It wont stay with you the way that Silence of the Lambs did and Ridley Scott's underrated Hannibal is much better.

3. Ghost Rider

Director Mark Steven Johnson made a good Marvel adaptation a few years back with Daredevil so hopes for this were fairly high. Then the release date kept getting pushed back. On the surface this isn't a difficult adaptation the way for example Captain America would be however they fluffed it by getting a big name. The fact that Nicolas Cage is in this means that instead of getting a bad ass Ghost Rider movie we get a movie where Cage rides a motorbike in leather and occasionally catches fire. There is one good scene where the cops chase him and he rides up a building and that's the only glimpse we get of the potential this film had. Wes Bentley and Eva Mendes should never work again as they are weak in this . Seriously Spawn was better.

4. Hostel Part Two

Its hard to remember a film that has attracted the kind of bile that this one has in online forums. People seem to be really angry about the fact that Eli Roth is allowed to make films. I enjoyed Cabin Fever and Hostel for what they were, fun and filthy horror films. It seems that with the second Hostel film he has tried even harder to say something about the nature of our society where people are always looking for the next thrill but somehow been a bit heavy handed with the message.The smutty juvenile sense of humor remains and doesn't gel with the weightier issues. The result is a film that doesn't quite work despite some good moments.The first film built up the tension with characters that were likeable and then the suspense was increased as we were shown the full horror of what was going on. In this film we already know what is going on and are left with two despicable business men and a bunch of airhead chicks as the characters we follow. The result is sucked of all tension as we lurch from one gory set piece to another. Eli Roth will one day make a classic horror film I'm sure of it but this sure wasn't it.

5. Outlaw

My brother tries and tries to convince me that director Nick Love has talent based on The Football Factory and The Business. Although I haven't seen those films, I won't be anytime soon based on this piece of dreck. The subject matter here is pretty controversial and could have resulted in a though provoking/thrilling film in the right hands. What we get however is a grimy film all about the violence rather than the reasons why people take up arms in the first place. For a better British film about social issues watch Shane Meadow's This is England.

6. Straightheads

A film that so wants to be Straw Dogs but doesn't have any talent to back up its ambitions. Possibly the most unpleasant 80 minutes of film this year. Badly directed and edited with awful performances. Gillian Anderson surely you deserve better than this?

7. Next

Nicolas Cage stars in another nail in his career coffin. On paper this sounds it should have been one of those Philip K Dick adaptations that turns the story into an entertaining action movie. Its not though however its basically Cage with a bad hair do wandering around looking bewildered and solving mysteries. Its as bad as any aborted pilot for the sci-fi channel. Nicolas Cage needs to urgently take two years off and come back with a breakout indie hit rather than keep taking these roles for the money. Even Imposter and Screamers were better than this.

8. Paradise Lost

A promising organ snatching premise is ruined by the casting of bland actors and actresses purely for their good looks. The occasionally nasty violence seems out of place amongst the hot bodies and gorgeous scenery. The results is a waste of time that its hard to recommend even on DVD.

9. The Hills Have Eyes 2

So annoyed was I after watching this rubbish that I came home and started writing my own horror screenplay which I finished three months later. Alexandra Aja's remake of the original from 2006 was a brutal tense piece of work that truly surprised me in a way that few horror movies do nowadays. This was just lame with the jumps telegraphed a mile away and the violence was just unpleasant. Pants

10. The whole Grindhouse debacle

In the UK we were denied the Grindhouse double bill experience and instead got the films separated but slightly extended. I have since seen both Planet Terror and Death Proof and both are good individually. Watched back to back with the trailers however they are dynamite. I prefer Death Proof to Planet Terror but I believe I am in a minority. I find Planet Terror veers to close to Scary Movie spoof to be truly great although it has some awesome Troma like gore. The decision to divide them turned out to be a bad one as both flopped theatrically despite some major pushing by Quentin Tarantino who appeared on everything in the UK during Death Proof's brief release. He was even on Ant and Dec for gods sake!! Hopefully we will get the full thing on DVD with trailers some point in 2008.

 

MY FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2007

 

Now the depressing stuff is out of the way on with the good stuff. Some of these I have seen more than once and others just once.My opinion often changes depending on how many times I have seen it. I didn't see everything I wanted to in 2007 and I missed some stuff that was supposed to be awesome ( Like The Assassination of Jesse James) but as it stands at the moment these are my ten favorite films of 2007. Please feel free to post your own lists at the bottom in the comments section.

10. Stardust

                           

I enjoyed the hell out of this film and I hope whoever was in charge of marketing it got fired. Seriously this could have been as big as the original Pirates of the Caribbean but they sold it based on a romance that was really only 30% of the film. The rest was 50% adventure film and 20% comedy. In the UK the whole ad campaign was based around the fact that Take That did the bloody song. Sigh. Anyway with any luck this film will find a massive audience on DVD and is destined to be a great Sunday afternoon TV film in years to come. Matthew Vaughan has done something very special here and adapted Neil Gaiman for the screen perfectly as well as made Claire Danes seem unbelievably cute. I cant wait until this comes out on DVD so I can watch it on a rainy Sunday.

9. Hot Fuzz

                                             

The team of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost came up trumps again with their take on the modern action movie. What is great about this film is the fact they have watched all the action movies that I grew up on and taken what was good about all of them and made a film that works as a spoof as well as an action thriller in its own right. Like Shaun of the Dead this is endlessly re-watchable and has loads of quotable lines. They put together a great DVD package as well.

8. Sunshine

                                          

Another film that failed at the box office this year was Sunshine. Its very puzzling considering that the trailer was among the best I saw this year and the fact that the very concept alone should have put bums on seats. It didn't even get a wide release in the states.The film is flawed but has really grown on me after repeat viewing's. It loses a lot of its strong visuals on DVD but brings into focus the fragile relationships and the great acting work by Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans. I would say this about the film though, the DVD has some deleted scenes and I truly believe that it would have been a better film with them left in. Especially a scene towards the end. These scenes would have made the film flow a lot better and enriched the sense of isolation and boredom the characters feel. People complain that this film falls apart at the end but to those people I would say how do you know what would happen in orbit of the sun? Has anyone ever been there? Hopefully this films reputation will grow in the future and Danny Boyle will make another science fiction movie. Great score by Underworld too.

7. The Signal

                                                        

During the Sundance film festival in January 2007 a small horror film by three directors called The Signal made a big splash and the film was bought by Magnolia Pictures for distribution. Since then despite some strong on line word of mouth and a great trailer that appeared on youtube featuring a cover of Lou Reed's perfect day, the films release date has been endlessly pushed back. It was due to open in the summer and then October and now it seems February 2008. I was lucky enough to see this at Frightfest 2007 in August and was blown away. The film deals with a strange signal that is emitted from televisions and electronic equipment. The signal sends people into a murderous frenzy and the film deals with the aftermath of this as the world falls apart. It follows three characters in three separate segments each by one of the three directors. My big hope for this film is that it gets a major push and becomes another Blair Witch or 28 days later style breakout hit. It certainly deserves its future cult success. The film clearly has a low budget but they make the most of it and its one of those classic horrors where you are laughing one minute and then squirming at some horrifically violent act the next. Great performances from an unknown cast too. if this film goes straight to DVD I will officially give up watching films.

6. Zodiac

                                                     

David Fincher's latest movie is officially one of the best movies about a serial killer ever made. Every frame is perfect, the casting, the historic details and the performances are all spot on. This was the most engrossing and absorbing movie of the year. It seemed to fly by despite its 158 minutes. Like a great book it leaves you feeling fully satisfied and eager to find out more about the author or subject matter. As this was released just after the Oscar's last year its doubtful it will be remembered come the nominations in February. Its a shame as in any other year this would be a front runner in just about every category and its about time Fincher had some recognition from the academy. Shame about the piss poor DVD but then there is a directors cut on the way!

5. Superbad

                                                  

Superbad is one of the funniest movies to come along in quite some time. On the surface its all about teenagers going to buy booze for a party where they may get laid. It is about that, but its also about friendship and making the most of the last year of high school. A time that as you grow older you know you will never have it that good again. Although I enjoyed it at the time,I could never really relate to the American Pie films as they didn't seem to be a reflection of my or anyone's experience of school. This is far closer to my experience of school as its from the perspective of the geek. It has the feel of one of those nights that just spiral out of control into insanity but that you look back on in years to come and fall about laughing. Oh I had so many Halloweens like that. Anyway I busted a gut laughing at this film and enjoyed it even more on DVD on Boxing Day. This will go down as a classic comedy trust me.

4. INLAND EMPIRE

                                                

David Lynch's latest is one of the most terrifying films I have seen for a long time. It starts out okay and everything seems very Mulholland Drive esque. Then the rug is well and truly pulled and its a tumble down the rabbit hole to hell as you watch and have no idea what's going to happen next. I loved watching this in the cinema, I was so scared and gripped my girlfriends hand very very tightly. I love the last thirty minutes too as things get truly nuts and we are lead to a tense stalk around a dark cinema which then leads to one of the most frightening scenes in cinematic history. If you have seen it then you know the scene I speak of. Then once that's over there is a beautiful scene of relief and happiness and then a sing song at the end. Now that David Lynch has embraced digital technology its truly freed him up to do what he wants. Inland Empire is a film that was made completely independently of any studio interference and is David Lynch completely unfiltered. I cant wait to see what he comes up with next.

3. Beowulf

                                                 

Beowulf was the best cinema experience I had in 2007. Seeing this in Imax 3D was truly awesome. Robert Zemeckis has finally mastered motion capture and made it seem like you are watching real people giving performances. Apart from the visuals and the holy cow factor of seeing a semi nude Angelina Jolie in Imax 3D there was a very human story underneath. For all his shouting and self promotion Beowulf was a man and as such he was vulnerable to all the things that make us human. Its the oldest tale in the book. Man is on a path, Man becomes warrior, Man meets Angelina Jolie in a cave and it all goes to pot. Beowulf will no doubt win all sorts of technical awards next March. Great final scene as well. I really hope that this stands up on DVD as I fear I may like it less on a small screen.

2. The Bourne Ultimatum

                                               

Its been a long long time since we had a great action film. Quietly and without much fuss the Jason Bourne series has become a bad ass trilogy of films. This is the best one with the most jaw dropping stunt work and a great end to the series. What is amazing is that nobody died performing these stunts. The leap from the roof top through the window in Tangiers, The car chase and crash in New York. Seriously no-one died during filming?? Paul Greengrass is one of the best directors working today after United 93 and this film. He and Matt Damon are teaming up again to make a film about the Iraq war next, hurrah!

1. The Fountain

                                                   

My favorite film of 2007 is The Fountain. I know it came out in the US in late 2006 but it came out over in the UK in January 2007 which means it qualifies. My only regret is that I didn't see this on the big screen.The reason is that it played on about two screens in London, I had to wait for DVD. The fact that my favorite film of 2007 was one I saw on DVD is testament to how good this is. It hasn't really gotten the recognition it deserves yet but hopefully soon it will. Very much a film with multiple interpretations of the meaning which delights some and infuriates others. Sometimes I watch this and it seems to me to be about the search for eternal life and other times it seems to be about being thrown out of the garden of Eden. Darren Aronofsky needs to make more films, he has only made 3 so far since his debut Pi from 1998. The man is a genuine cinematic talent and it would be amazing to see what he could do with a huge budget.

 

Also Worthy of mention:

Southland Tales – Far from the disaster everyone thought this was flawed but interesting and will no doubt improve on repeat viewing's.

The Nines – Great little head scratcher with a revelatory performance from Ryan Reynolds.

Half Nelson – Awesome indie pic with Ryan Gosling living up to the hype as a crack head teacher.

Behind The Mask:The rise of Leslie Vernon – I will tell anyone that will listen that this is the best straight to DVD movie ever. Its a crime that this didn't get a wide release.

1408 – Good spooky fun from the mind of Stephen King, much better than anyone thought it would be.

This is England – The best British film for a while with fantastic performances from the cast.

Black Snake Moan – Very underrated in my opinion and not the filth fest that was suggested by the adverts.

Transformers – took me back to being a 9 year old again, giant robots smashing each other up in a breath taking way.

Exiled - a great great Hong Kong heroic bloodshed film like the sort they used to make before John Woo sold out.

28 Weeks Later – its a shame nobody went to see this as it rocked! Is to 28 days later what Aliens was to Alien.

Shoot Em Up – Possibly the most fun film of the year.

 

So that's 2007 over folks, Happy New Year and all that and I'll be back with a preview of 2008 soon.