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Old 12-03-2007, 05:04 PM
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ChronoGrl ChronoGrl is offline
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Best/Worst of 2007

I was trying to come out with the BEST movies of the year, so far (that have come out and that I've seen), and I compiled...

CHRONOGRL'S TOP 10 LIST:
(in no particular order)

Paprika
This anime actually came out last year in Japan, but its US release is 2007, so I have to put it on this list... It's beautiful, whimsical, dark, and gothic... Explores the line between dreams and reality in a little different way than we've seen in a while. I was pleasantly surprised.

28 Weeks Later
One of the best horror movies that I've seen in a long, long time. It takes not only what 28 Days started, but also what the zombie mythos started oh, so long ago. I thought that the concept of post-apocalyptic quarantined London was fantastic and the scares were great.

Across the Universe
Not a perfect movie by any means, but it definitely showcases Julie Taymor's directorial expertise at putting together a true period piece of the 60s through a fancifal musical featuring Beatles songs... I was a HUGE fan.

Darjeeling Limited
I definitely have a soft spot for Wes Anderson, 'tis true, and this is not nearly as good as his Tenenbaum opus, but I thought that he was more focused in this film than he was in Life Aquatic and Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman were just... Incredible. Bill Murray makes an appearance, which was brilliant.

The Host
Originally released in South Korea in 2006, this film was released in the US in 2007. Definitely THE best giant monster movie in recent history. Great special effects, fantastic writing, and excellent acting. Wonderful balance between comedy, horror, and drama. I was impressed.

Grindhouse
There's no denying it: Two great directors brought together, combined with beautifully interwoven fake trailers is a mixture for success. Honestly, I enjoyed Planet Terror more than Death Proof, but I would say that the movie experience of the two of them together was simply... Incredible.

Hot Fuzz
What can I say? I love Simon Peg and Edgar Wright. This was a very well-constructed policemovie spoof with some genuinely good laughs. I was REALLY impressed.

Borderland
One of the 8 Films to Die For, I thought that this was an overall impressive movie... I've already ranted about it a few times on this forum, so I'll leave it be for now.

Crazy Eights
Another of the 8 Films to Die For, this was a very clean, very chilling horror movie. Definitely deserves more attention than just being swept under the After Dark rug.

Mulberry Street
Yet ANOTHER of the 8 Films... Great use of the zombie mythos to create a pretty well-done monster movie. I've already said it, but I definitely recommend.


...

Top-10 Best list contenders (but only omitted because I have conflicting reports of whether or not they were 06 or 07):
Bug
Fido


....

As for the WORST, I'm not sure yet...

Beowulf was pretty bad.

And the other 5 movies of the 8 Films to Die for were pretty abysmal as well:
Nightmare Man
Lake Dead
Tooth and Nail
Unearthed
Deaths of Ian Stone (brought to this list ONLY because of the terrible TERRIBLE ending)


What do you think? And while you're at it, what are YOUR best movies of 2007? Do you agree/disagree with the above?

Let's discuss.
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  #2  
Old 12-03-2007, 05:11 PM
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The Best (in no particular order)

Knocked Up
Superbad
Michael Moore's Sicko
Live Free or Die Hard
Grindhouse
Hot Fuzz
Bug

The Worst
Evan Almighty
License to Wed
Shrek the Third
Ratatouille (that's right, I said it)
Epic Movie

If I think of any more, I'll post them.
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Old 12-03-2007, 07:17 PM
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fortunato fortunato is offline
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IN PROGESS...

best of 2007

grindhouse
the most fun i've had in a theatre since i can remember.

bug
i'm really surprised more of you around here didn't like this. i thought it was so incredible.

the darjeeling limited
i agree with you here, chronogirl. not my favorite of his, but so so good.

no country for old men
this is my favorite film of the year so far, just blew my mind.

ratatouille
not sure, something about this just clicked to me.

hot fuzz
totally did not disappoint. it was everything i wanted it to be.

futurama: bender's big score
i'm a big fan of the show, but usually cartoon show movies fall way short. this one was everything a movie like that should be. it fit in perfectly with the series, the pacing was great (which is another common problem in cartoon show movies), and it just felt like watching a futurama episode. the simpsons, family guy, etc. could all learn a lesson from this one.

eastern promises
the best cronenberg film in quite a while. also one of the most bad-ass fighting sequences. but all around, a very solid film.

behind the mask: the rise of leslie vernon
i didn't think this was 2007, but if it is, then it's on my list as well.
just terribly clever, pretty spectacular acting, and overall a wonderful tribute to the genre.

honorable mention
across the universe
fido
american gangster

movies that i haven't seen yet but feel will make this list
there will be blood
before the devil knows you're dead
sweeny todd


worst of 2007

the hills have eyes 2
sorry, chronogirl. i have to agree with everyone else here, too.

the invisible
for the love of everything that is good and right in this world, i wish i hadn't seen this movie. i can't think of a list of negative adjectives long enough to appropriately describe this piss-job.

skinwalkers
boring trash.

transformers
one of the most poorly written movies i've ever seen, probably. as chronogirl said, this should have been an easy movie to make pleasing, but it just wasn't.

rob zombie's halloween
i had hoped rob zombie would have known better.
he didn't.

dead silence
eye rolls-a plenty.

i'll add more later as i think of them.
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Old 12-03-2007, 07:42 PM
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ChronoGrl ChronoGrl is offline
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Also, I sincerely HOPE that I Am Legend makes this list...

...
Quote:
futurama: bender's big score
i'm a big fan of the show, but usually cartoon show movies fall way short. this one was everything a movie like that should be. it fit in perfectly with the series, the pacing was great (which is another common problem in cartoon show movies), and it just felt like watching a futurama episode. the simpsons, family guy, etc. could all learn a lesson from this one.
I didn't even KNOW that they made a Futurama movie... I'll have to check that out...

Quote:
bug
i'm really surprised more of you around here didn't like this. i thought it was so incredible.
Yes, yes, yes... I think this film was INCREDIBLY underrated... Good to see someone else caught it (I partially blame the VERY poor advertising campaign... Then again, you wouldn't want to reveal TOO much while pitching it).

Ok, so if Bug DOES make the 2007 cut...

If that's the case, then I would substitute it in for Mulberry Street... Two excellent indie horror movies, but oh, so little room in a top 10 list.

...

Interesting to see Ratatouille Making both a Best and a Worst list so far... I saw it and thought it was mediocre... I was trying to think of more animated films that came out this year, but sadly there is a clear dearth.

I have yet to see...
No Country for Old Men, but I have heard very, VERY good things about it.

My honorable mentions:

The Hills Have Eyes 2
I thought that the movie stepped away from the exploitative scenes of the first movie and got more involved in a pure siege film. Also, like the second Alien film, the "victims" here are all army men and women, so I find it more frightening in a way that they are just as helpless as the civilians in the first movie (in the first movie, having civilians that are so clearly supposed to be weak and vulnerable is just like shooting fish - painful).

Disturbia
Not a perfect movie, but definitely a really good nod to Hitchcock. I thought it was a very well-done teen horror flick. And Shia LaBeouf was definitely convincing. I definitely enjoyed it and thought the direction was fantastic.

Stardust
I always enjoyed the fantasy films when I was younger: Time Bandits, Princess Bride, Never Ending Story... I always found it difficult to find any that compare in these modern times... I thought that Stardust was incredibly well done and acted. The costumes and make-up were great (and Ricky Gervais has a GREAT cameo) I am actually reading the novel right now (I am a HUGE Neil Gaiman fan), and so far the movie has been true to it...
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Old 12-03-2007, 07:49 PM
joshaube joshaube is offline
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The Hills Have Eyes 2 was certainly terrible.

Fido was 2007, if your considering theatrical releases. It came out Spring 2007 up here in Canada, and Fall 2007 in the US, no? It may have hit some festivals in Fall / Winter 2006... but with your notes on Paprika, I see no reason to not consider it.
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Old 12-03-2007, 07:53 PM
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ChronoGrl ChronoGrl is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joshaube View Post
The Hills Have Eyes 2 was certainly terrible.
hee hee... Oh, come ON... THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!

...

Quote:
Originally Posted by joshaube View Post
Fido was 2007, if your considering theatrical releases. It came out Spring 2007 up here in Canada, and Fall 2007 in the US, no? It may have hit some festivals in Fall / Winter 2006... but with your notes on Paprika, I see no reason to not consider it.
That's what I thought... The IMDB entry said 2006, though, so I thought that mayhaps my first source was wrong...

Fido gets an honorable mention (agreed with Fortunado).

How about you, Josh? Your picks?
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Old 12-03-2007, 09:10 PM
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Ahh...yes...I knew Chronogrl was gonna be a good contributor to this forum.

Although I will disagree on her pick for "The Hills Have Eyes 2"....was very dissapointed in this one. I hated pretty much all the characters and was wishing they would all die......not good in a horror movie.......ya need a sympathetic character to root for.

I will agree with fortunano on "Fido"......a very underated movie and a "must" see for zombie fans.
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Old 12-03-2007, 09:34 PM
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fortunato fortunato is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChronoGrl View Post
Yes, yes, yes... I think this film was INCREDIBLY underrated... Good to see someone else caught it (I partially blame the VERY poor advertising campaign... Then again, you wouldn't want to reveal TOO much while pitching it).
yeah, the advertising for that movie was pretty wretched. even the stuff on the box makes it seem like it's something completely different.
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Old 12-03-2007, 10:52 PM
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roshiq roshiq is offline
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Best:
3:10 to Yuma
28 weeks later
Eastern Promises
American Gangster
Rescue Dawn
Zodiac
P2

Worst:
30 days of night
War
Skinwalker
I know who killed me
Dragon wars

Haven't seen yet:
No country for Old man
SAW 4
Death sentence
Knocked up
The Mist
The Darjeeling limited
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Old 12-04-2007, 05:32 AM
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ChronoGrl ChronoGrl is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roshiq View Post
Best:
3:10 to Yuma
Eastern Promises
American Gangster
Rescue Dawn
Zodiac
P2

Worst:
30 days of night
War
Skinwalker
I know who killed me
Dragon wars
I haven't seen most of those...

I saw "Zodiac"... A lot of people LOVED it... Honestly, I found it... boring. It was advertised as a horror/thriller, when, really, it was more of a period/ensemble piece. I thought that the movie was incredibly uneven (the beginning being more of an ensemble piece while the latter half being more of a character exploration).

HOWEVER... The direction was clean (REALLY good) and the acting was fantastic (I love Robert Downy Jr.)... I wouldn't count it as the Best, but I wouldn't count it as the Worst, either...

Wow - 30 Days of Night... That bad? Honestly, I thought it was flawed, but had its merits... Fantastic direction, great makeup for the vamps... I liked how they were more like Monsters than the vamps that we've been seeing the past 20 years or so. Overall, I was disappointed with the movie, though.

...

I just thought of ANOTHER of the WORST...

SPIDERMAN 3.
Honestly, I like comic books. And I like good comic book movies (GOOD comic book movies)... But Spiderman 3 makes Peter Parker out to be the ultimate pussy, and by the end of the movie ALL MALE LEADS ARE CRYING. Seriously. I'm sorry, but I just can't take a villain seriously if they're sobbing. Oh, and the Peter Parker dance scene was just... silly.

If there was more Venom and/or more Bruce Campbell, perhaps I wouldn't be so reluctant about forfeiting those 2 hours in the IMAX theater.
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