Since it is the last day of the year I thought I'd put in my 2 cents (quite literally) on my favorite films of 2007. When I asked Big C to give me his top 5 I promised that I wouldn't be doing a list of my own but I can't help but mention my top two. Those who know me are aware that I often suffer from the "can't help but..." syndrome, so this should come as no surprise.
This is in no way meant to slight the top 5 of Big C, since I think every movie on his list (except for Sweeny Todd, didn't see it) was completely worthy of the praise he heaps upon them.
It will probably be several months before I see the majority of the Oscar fodder for this year, but I did see a few that really blew me away.
2 - Zodiac
I don't think anyone familiar with Fincher's work would have imagined him telling this story the way he did which is one more reason I loved this film. The scope of Zodiac is as staggering as it's running time, but everything about it put me in awe. Mark Ruffalo knocked it out of the park as the real life cop who inspired Dirty Harry, and little Jake Gyllenhaal brings a performance to the screen revealing the sad truth that madness and obsession are not traits reserved for serial killers.
edit - How dare I forget to mention Mr. Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. playing quite the opposite of a super hero. His portrayal of a downward spiraling crime journalist follows the momentum of the investigation.
It was through the eyes of these characters that the viewer can grasp the far reaching effect of the Zodiac Killer. There are moments where the psychological effects of the zodiac killer seemed to be cutting a path of destruction through the bay area metaphorically comparable to Sherman's march toward Atlanta.
1 - No Country For Old Men
I can't express much about this film except that it has haunted me since I saw it. Javier Bardem's gravelly voice rang in my ears for days, I couldn't get that stark landscape out of my mind, and I flinched a few days later when I encountered a sweet old man with an oxygen tank in tow at the local grocery store.
I read the book. I read at a decent clip, but this time I really took my time. At first I thought it was just a good book, but I soon found myself hanging on every word and sentence. This is a really good book. Looking back at the film I have a greater appreciation for the overwhelming plight of the sheriff (played by Tommy Lee Jones) and the growing feeling of dread and helplessness he feels as the story unfolds. The final monologue that Jones delivers is easily one of his finest moments on celluloid.
No Country for Old Men captures the spirit and message of the book in a way that we see too little of at the movies today, simultaneously managing to unquestionably be a film by the Coen Brothers.
* * *
That's my top two for better or worse, I know that everyone and their dog, parakeet and gold fish are praising No County for Old Men as the best of the year, but having seen it for myself it's hard to deny it. Again, let me stress that this opinion comes from the agoraphobic film critic and I haven't seen a lot of the more recent releases this year, but when considered among all the movies I've ever seen this is among the best.
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