It is once again that time of the year. The time the we… the official home of correct movie opinions… reveal unto the world what were indeed the very best films of the year. Globes Schmobes. Oscars Shmoscers. This is THE event and moment studios in Hollywood have been anxiously awaiting… the revelation of The Movie Blog’s Best Movies of 2007 post! (Choirs of angels sing to ancient roman horns accompanying them). Ok maybe not… but we look forward to it!
This year we’re going to do it just a little bit differently. We’ll give the categories and the various winners, and then at the end we’ll list our top 10 best films of the year. So let’s not waste any more time and just dive into it. Drum roll please!
BEST FILM OF THE YEAR
Winner: JUNO
Jason Reitman is now officially my favorite young director in the movie business. A BRILLIANT follow up to his “Thank You For Smoking” triumph, Juno is more than just a comedy. With one of the best performances by a young actress (borderline CHILD actress) I’ve ever seen, Ellen Page has officially arrived and given notice that she intends to be a serious player for many years to come. The movie makes you laugh, but it also makes you feel. A terrific supporting cast all turning in some of the best work they’ve ever done, a moving story, fantastic pace… and yes… HUGE laughs along the way. This movie surprised us on so many levels and (and I know this sounds silly) I came out of the theater a happier person than when I went in. CRAZY. So without hesitation at all, we name JUNO the Best Film of 2007.
Runners Up: 3:10 To Yuma, There Will Be Blood
BEST COMEDY FILM OF THE YEAR
Winner: SUPERBAD
This one is not necessarily for the best movie that also happens to be a comedy, but rather for the movie that delivered the best, and hardest laughs during the run time. And to us, the film that takes the cake in that regard is Superbad. Another comedy masterpiece that Judd Apatow is attached to (contrary to popular belief, Apatow did not direct Superbad, but produced), this movie made you laugh your head off at least 7 or 8 times. McLovin has become a cultural icon and hero to the masses and marked the arival of Michael Cera and Jonah Hill as legitimate leading comedy men. The film has it’s weaknesses for certain… but lack of hilarity is not one of them. So within this context, we’re happy to name Superbad as the best comedy of the year.
Runners Up: Walk Hard, Hot Fuzz
BEST HORROR FILM OF THE YEAR
Winner: SEVERANCE
Not the strongest of years for Horror films, but there are a couple of gems. Somewhere in a whacky world where Dilbert, The Office and Friday the 13th all collide, Severance is born. Severance is one of those “horror” films that is also hilarious and a bit of a saterical laugh at the genre itself… but make no mistake about it, it’s still a horror film. The movie lulls you into it with a bit of a slow start, and then BANG! They slap you across the face with the first couple of kills (SPOILER!!! Some people die in this movie!!!). Come on… how can you go wrong with an office team building trip that gets lost in the woods inhabited by former inmates of an abandoned war criminal insane asylum? That’s some good stuff right there. And for those of you who have seen it… the very best scene involving a bear trap I’ve ever seen.
Runners Up: Hatchet, 1408
BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY FILM OF THE YEAR
Winner: STARDUST
With one of absolute worst promotional campaigns of the year, Stardust limped into theaters, almost no one went to see it, and then it limped right back out. The movie is a total triumph for director Matthew Vaughn who managed to deliver one of the best fammily friendly fantasy movies since The Princess Bride. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of similarities between Stardust and The Princess Bride. The film is absolute magic with wonderful humor, terrific visual effects (when needed and never over used), wonderful characters and the performances turned in by Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Nero and Claire Danes has never been more charming on screen in her entire career. One can only hope that Stardust can find the type of home video popularity that The Princess Bride found too… because it’s a shame more people didn’t catch this treasure of a film.
Runners Up: Transformers, Enchanted
BEST ACTOR
Winner: Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Runners Up: Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), Russell Crowe (3:10 To Yuma)
BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Ellen Page (Juno)
Runners Up: Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray), Wei Tang (Lust Caution)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)
Runners Up: Ed Harris (Gone Baby Gone), Casey Affleck (The Assassination Of Jesse James)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)
Runners Up: Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Runners Up: Jason Reitman (Juno), Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone)
And now with that out of the way, let’s take a look at The Movie Blog’s Top 10 Films of 2007:
1) Juno
2) There Will Be Blood
3) 3:10 To Yuma
4) Ratatouille
5) Gone Baby Gone
6) No Country For Old Men
7) Bourne Ultimatum
8) Stardust
9) Eastern Promises
10) Atonement
Well, that wraps up the 2007 Movie Blog Awards for the best in film for the past year. Since all film is subjective, I’m sure lots of you have tons a varying opinions on the results. So hop into the comments section and start the discussion on what you agreed with, disagreed with and what your personal best films of the year list looks like.
