YABS Films of 2007!

[Alan Lynch]

Right, because I'm curious (and listening to the Stardust soundtrack) lets try and get together some kind of consensus on what we here think are the best films of the past 12 months. In my head, this will ideally work if everyone lists 5 in numerical order. But if not I'll just count them or something and there we'll have it. Maybes. Hopefully.

If not we can always just heap praise on movies we liked this year. I'll do mine when I have time. What say you?

[DungeonmasterJim]

#1 Transformers

#2 The Mist

Those are what I saw this year that I can remember off the top of my head.



DM Jim

[king mob]

1/ This Is England-Not Shane Meadows best film (that's still Dead Man's Shoes or Twenty Four Seven) but it was by far the best film in a year of disapointing & rubbish 'threequals' (Spidey 3, Pirates 3) and inane crap like Transformers being pumped out by Hollywood.
It just shone as a beacon of filmmaking & was a complete joy. It also confirms Meadows as one of our most important directors working in film.

2/ Grindhouse- Ok, It didn't always work & the fact it was split into two outside the US meant that one had to see the film in less than perfect conditions, (though my local cinema is showing Grindhouse as a one-off next month) but it was full of the sort of joy & love of film lacking in virtually all of your Hollywood blockbusters this year.

3/ Letters From Iwo Jima- Possibly Eastwood's best film after Unforgiven. This came very close to being my top film of the year as it's simply glorious on every level.

4/ Hot Fuzz- Overlong but that's easily ignored as it's just a great example of doing a British comedy that isn't overwhelmingly parochial or rubbish. (I'm still pissed off for having sat through the St. Trinians revamp, fucks sake it's awful, it isn't even a good film to letch over.) Plus anything shot in Wells that features massive gunfights is ok by me. I like Wells but it's just incredibly tedious, being there is like being dipped in superglue and asked to run everywhere.

5/ Control- It's about Ian Curtis and Joy Division & although it's not quite right in places, it's a great film.

Honourable mentions go to 28 Weeks Later, Sunshine, 300 & The Brave One. All bloody good films but didn't quite get into my top five.

[Infra-Man]

Didn't see much this year, but honestly, may favorite movie of the year was The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, a documentary about two people vying for the world record score on the original arcade game Donkey Kong. It is The Karate Kid of this decade.

Really excited to see There Will Be Blood tomorrow.

[Infra-Man]

4/ Hot Fuzz- Overlong but that's easily ignored as it's just a great example of doing a British comedy that isn't overwhelmingly parochial or rubbish. (I'm still pissed off for having sat through the St. Trinians revamp, fucks sake it's awful, it isn't even a good film to letch over.) Plus anything shot in Wells that features massive gunfights is ok by me. I like Wells but it's just incredibly tedious, being there is like being dipped in superglue and asked to run everywhere.

I forgot that Hot Fuzz came out in 2007. A damn awesome comedy built on action movie and thriller cliches.

[Tobias March]

Didn't see much this year, but honestly, may favorite movie of the year was The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, a documentary about two people vying for the world record score on the original arcade game Donkey Kong. It is The Karate Kid of this decade.

Really excited to see There Will Be Blood tomorrow.

Two films I can't wait to see. I already commented on the tv/film boards that I'm having real trouble remembering exactly what came out this year that I liked. In a better year Stardust wouldn't even rate for me, but considering the likes of Transformers and 300 - I would say it managed to be a well told story that entertained me. Especially the undead sword fight. Gotta love that.

The Science of Sleep and Colour Me Kubrick I saw back to back, and loved. Hot Fuzz I've seen three times, not out of some LOTR-style obsessive kick, but because I really enjoyed seeing it with people. Actually now that I think about it I saw it a fourth time on the plane to Oz.

I was expecting Superbad to be some old-school National Lampoon fun, but in the end I was more impressed by Knocked Up.

I was disappointed by 28 Weeks Later when it became formulaic after the first act. I hated 30 Days of Night. Once again the best horror film of the year may have come from the East, with the Host.

I didn't go see the Grindhouse pictures, because I wanted the full effect enjoyed by American audiences. Maybe some day. So in the end I guess it would be:

Hot Fuzz
Knocked Up
The Science of Sleep
Colour Me Kubrick
Stardust

With special mentions to the Host and A Crude Awakening. Man where are John Sayles or Jim Jarmusch when you need them? I just bought a 11 disc Powell & Pressburger boxset this afternoon...that'll keep me busy for a couple of weeks and away from the cinema.

[Dazzler]

#1: Murder Party
#2: Hot Fuzz
#3: Wristcutters: A Love Story
#4: Elizabeth: The Golden Age.


--Dazz

[cedardryad]

1. Hot Fuzz
2. AVP: Requiem, this one surprised me
3. Knocked Up

I know there are more but for some reason I can't think of any. That and I don't go out to the movies a lot.

[Bo Bo]

In no particular order

Transformers
Ratatouille
Enchanted
Superbad
300

[The Ray]

No one said " No Country for Old Men ".


So it's safe to assume that...die. Just die.

[bert]

top 5 from the bottom:

5) Enchanted
4) the Mist
3) Bourne Ultimatum
2) Stardust
1) Casino Royale

[ninjapeps]

Wasn't Casino Royale from 2006? Anyway, my list:

- Enchanted
- Stardust
- Ratatouille
- 300
- The Man from Earth

[bert]

Wasn't Casino Royale from 2006?

IMDB says Nov. 2006. . but we saw in in Jan 2007, so I'm gonna count it :)

[Infra-Man]

No one said " No Country for Old Men ".


So it's safe to assume that...die. Just die.

You know, I really dug No Country for Old Men a lot; easily the best Coen Brothers movie in years.

Totally need to catch up with movies from this year... and books published this year, for that matter. Oy vey.

[Tobias March]

Argh, forgot Beowulf. The pisstaking of Christianity scene made it for me...and that's literally.

[bodie_3_7_ci5]

Control
Sunshine
No Country For Old Men
Eastern Promises
Darjeeling Limited

[bodie_3_7_ci5]

double post

[Alan Lynch]

I actually forgot that Hot Fuzz came out this year. It's on the list. Off the top of my head:

1) Stardust: it's beautiful, in every way possible. I love it completely. Any film which runs as long as that without boring me for a second is truly special; a genuinely funny, moving, thrilling film. God, I can't wait to see it again.
2) Hot Fuzz: I was initially disappointed, but the more I think about it the more I get it. It's just one huge, witty, set-up for a glorious punchline. And Timothy Dalton is hilarious.
3) 30 Days of Night: most folk I know are fairly spilt on this. I think it's almost unbearably tense, and a lot smarter than I expected it to be. The violence is genuinely shocking without being gratuitous, and I surprisingly quite liked Josh Hartnett.
4) Superbad: the penis drawings alone makes this 5-star gold.
5) Sunshine: Just makes it in after being my absolute favourite of the year for so long. It's visually stunning, really thoughtful sci-fi. I'm one of the few who didn't mind the change in tone towards the end - I thought it fit where the film had been heading. But I've analysed this film to death since first seeing it.

[jesse_custer]

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Ratatouille
3. The Host
4. Grindhouse
5. Rescue Dawn
6. Zodiac
7. 3:10 to Yuma
8. The Bourne Ultimatum
9. Hot Fuzz
10. Superbad

Gotta admit that the bottom three, while entertaining, are a bit weak for this type of list. But I've got hope for a more complete year since I have yet to see the following: "When the Devil Knows You're Dead," "There Will Be Blood," "Atonement," "Juno," "In the Valley of Elah," "Paprika," "Eastern Promises," "Michael Clayton," "Persepolis," "Into the Wild," and "The Assassination of Jesse James." Surely three of those won't let me down.

Oh, and on a good day "Inland Empire" might make my list. Very interesting but three hours of pure weirdness might be too much.

[Alan Lynch]

Yeah, it's a shame we haven't had stuff like No Country For Old Men or There Will Be Blood over here yet. If they're half as good as I'm expecting they'll be remarkable movies.