It's here people, it's finally here, "The list to end all lists". Oh sure all those know it all critics released their ten best films at the end of 2007, and I somewhat agree with most of them, however I have researched, and researched and have found that my list is in fact the ultimate
undebatable list of them all. It is the perfect list each film selected so delicately after months of long hard study and testing by yours truly. That is why it has taken me so long, and after months and months of long deliberation, I'm happy to say that all the blood, sweat, and tears are worth it. Therefore without further adieu and hype I give you Jeremy's ten best list.........BUT FIRST......a few more honorable mentions.
HONORABLE MENTION NUMBER ONE:
THE KITE RUNNER : Marc Forster's inspiring and gripping adaption of the best selling book about two young boys who grow up in Afghanistan before the rise of the Taliban, and what happens years later when one of the boys now all grown up makes an emotional return for the love of his friend.
HONORABLE MENTION NUMBER TWO:
EASTERN PROMISES: So close to being in my top ten, this is David
Cronenberg's story behind the curtains of a Russian mafia.
Viggo Mortenson is perfect in the role of the chauffeur of a head crime boss who is always put into question about where his loyalties lie. The film is a bloody, character study with some great set pieces but none greater than the fight in the bath house which will probably be discussed in years to come.
AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU THE TOP TEN LIST THAT WILL BE TALKED ABOUT FOR AGES: JEREMY'S TOP TEN LIST:
10. 3:10 to Yuma
The first film I saw after the crazy summer months of movies, and after seeing it I was hoping that all movies would be as exciting as this film. Christian Bale plays a down on his luck farmer who feels he could redeem himself by delivering cold-blooded killer Russel
Crowe to the 3:10 train to Yuma where he'll be convicted. I didn't have high hopes for this film since it was a remake of an already classic western, however it's safe to say this version is actually better. Bale and
Crowe show why they are two of our best leading men, the action is swift, the bond between the two men become touching, and the ending from the original is cleaned up to make it better than before.
9. The Simpson's Movie
This was flat out the funniest film of the year. The pace was so fast, you had to see it twice to catch all the sight gags. The film contains a certain political cynical humour that was not found in other films this year. Along with some great gags, the film contains nice parodies of classic moments from Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons. "The Simpsons" has always been a bit of a cinematic show where it pushed the limits of tv animation, this is like getting a full on experience of what they have accomplished.
8. La Vie En Rose
A great musical bio that I think exceeds the usual Hollywood inspirational stories like "Ray" and "Walk the Line". Edith Piaf had a hard life but I was never depressed in the movie. This film contains one of my favorite moments in 2007 when Piaf imagines her lover in her room, but only moments later she is told of his death. But the person that brings this film to life is the great performance by Marion Cotillard as Piaf, who goes through so many transformations and had me believing her every step of the way. A tour de force in every sense of the word.
7. The Pregnancy Comedies (Knocked Up, Juno, Waitress)
It was a hard enough decision to come up with a top ten list I just couldn't part with these three films which I lazily put in a category together for the simple reason their main character are all carrying. But all three films are all highly different and original and funny, and sweet in their own way. "Knocked Up" is of course part of the Judd Apatow camp which makes it all that more hilarious with special mention going to Paul Rudd. But if you look at it closely, you'll find it's a film with many layers that honestly and openly examines what it takes to keep a relationship.
"Juno" of course is a critics darling that suffered a bit of a backlash. Is it too clever for its own good? Perhaps, but it works wonders because the balancing act of the performances makes it work. The film is less about giving birth and more about coming of age and finding out what kind of a person you are. I think Juno is a clever person but she sometimes uses it to compensate over how much of a really confused and frightened young girl she is.
"Waitress" is the final film by Adrienne Shelley and perhaps of all the three films listed here, it is the most underrated. While I suppose it does suffer seriously from "The Cutes" at times, I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters and the world Shelley creates. Keri Russell is all charm and charisma as a woman who finds out she's pregnant which she thinks will mean no escape from her mean spirited husband, but the movie becomes about finding ones own happiness with the little surprises along the way. It was perhaps the brightest film of last year that made you feel good.
6. The Bourne Ultimatum
Probably the best action series of the past decade, Jason
Bourne is like a wind-up doll much like Indiana Jones, and the fun is seeing him get into and out of sticky situations, the film was directed with fierce assurance by Paul
Greengrass, and unlike other films who attempt the hand held
techinique, this one is done well, and that's because
Greengrass knows composition and uses it to take the audience closer to the action. Nothing came closer to popcorn Hollywood entertainment than this film.
Stay Tuned for my TOP FIVE
Well another year has come and gone. In my opinion this Oscar telecast was much more low key than past years, which probably has something to do with the writer's strike. The only time it seemed out of place was when it tried to go big ie. those terribly awkward "Enchanted" musical numbers (I still love you Kristen Chenoweth).
