Best Films of 2007

Since everyone's been absolutely pestering for my highly influential opinions on the high-water mark of last year's cinematic offerings....

...here are the greatest, most entertaining, most elevating and most exciting films of 2007 according to the Grand Poobah:

300 - Frank Miller and Zak Snyder team-up create visually compelling and instantly influential film about the 300+ Spartan warriors.

Grindhouse - Tarantino and Rodriguez tag team unsuspecting
audiences and deliver double-featured dose of smoldering goo left over from their childhood film fantasies.

Ratatouille - Pixar's batting average remains staggeringly high with this whimsical Parisian tale of a kitchen infestation that- for some reason- doesn't make its audiences run screaming into the theater lobby.

Transformers - The best alien-robot-invasion movie I've seen in a while. Its greatest success was pulling off the balancing act between stupid and fantastic. Looking forward to the sequel. With recent memories like Spider-Man 2 and X-men 2 in our rear-view mirror, we have reason to hope that Optimus won't have to save the day by using his can opener function.

Hot Rod - Has come as close to repeating the insanity and intangible humor of Napoleon Dynamite as anything else I've seen. Off-the-wall and deliciously reminiscent for those of us who grew up in the 80's, Andy Samberg makes an under-the-radar hit that will make us smart ones continue to tune in.

3:10 to Yuma - Glenn Ford classic gets a post-Unforgiven makeover. Cowboys are allowed to be simultaneously emotional and filthy. Terrific performances by Crowe, Bale and Prince create a compelling and thrilling tale of a great underlying morality that packs six shooters.

The Kingdom - Political action/thriller throws FBI agents into the midst of the turmoil in Saudi Arabia to solve the murder of American citizens at the hands of terrorists. Simultaneously an informative treatise on the political and social chasms between us and a great suspenseful thriller.

American Gangster - Ridley Scott continues to show an incredible ability to distill a gripping story out of complex circumstances. Denzel Washington's Frank Lucas is endearing and exciting and yet violent and terrifying. Beyond the performances by Crowe and Washington that pulls you emotionally into the film, watching the timeline of America's drug use is saddening and incredible.


There are obviously a few films that were released in '07 (limited) such as Juno, There Will Be Blood and Michael Clayton that are receiving a lot of critical attention. I've not seen these yet, but aside from Juno, I believe these films will fall in line with the overly dark, dramatic stories that Hollywood pundits love to adore even despite certain aesthetic shortcomings.

But if you're looking for a good rental for the weekend....

T.