Bad Parenting, Dust, and Musical Numbers: The Best of 2007

Back in August, after seeing Suberbad in fact (a film I thoroughly enjoyed), I was having a discussion with friends about what a lousy film year it had been, full of disappointments (Exterminating Angels, Grindhouse) and outright garbage (Smokin' Aces). Sure, there were the films I had seen in 2006 that were finally getting released (The Host, Syndromes and a Century, Bamako, etc.), but there was nothing new that even came close to wowing me. That all changed in the past few months. In fact, I saw the top three films on my list in a span of only two days. (I've seen all three multiple times, just to be sure.) As has been noted elsewhere, it was quite a masculine year at the movies. The three films that can, in some regards, be classified as Westerns contain only traces of female characters. David Fincher's epic procedural Zodiac, which follows one man's hunt of another, finds women only on the periphery (or as victims). Even Romance and Cigarettes, which features an impressive female cast, is ultimately a study in castration anxiety. Sadly, only two titles on my list feature strong female performances, but what performances they are! Had Once made my top ten, and it nearly did (it sits at number eleven), I would have had a trio of musicals on my top ten. I never managed to catch Across the Universe, though from what I've read I doubt it was top ten material. Two lists follow – the top ten distributed films of 2007, followed by my undistributed list. In reverse order: Day Night Day Night (Julia Loktev, US) One of the few films I saw early in the year that simply stuck with me, owing mostly to newcomer Luisa Williams' haunting performance. Made my top ten more for what it doesn't reveal, which makes it all the more powerful. No Country For Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, US) Gotta hand it to the Coen's for taking Cormac McCarthy's weakest novel and turning it into a genre minor-masterpiece. Zodiac (David Fincher, US) Like discovering a lost gem from the 70s. One of the few films this year that I actually wish was longer. Killer Of Sheep (Charles Burnett, USA) After years of crappy bootlegs, what a treat it was to see this masterwork of American independent cinema receive a proper release. Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand) Though I saw this back in 2006, the film's final five minutes is reason enough for its inclusion here. Margot at the Wedding (Noah Baumbach, USA) Ninety-one minutes of family members being horrible to one another. What isn't there to love? I just can't decide if Margot or Daniel Plainview should walk away with parent of the year award. Romance and Cigarettes (John Turturro, USA) When I wrote about this film back in January, I never imagined it would receive a theatrical release. Bravo to Turturro for taking the chance on self-distribution and rescuing it from straight-to-video hell. Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton, US/UK) The greatest musical of all time becomes even darker in the hands of a director who does macabre so damn well. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, USA) This elegiac tone poem is essentially a love story masked in a bit of historic fiction. A film I honestly didn't even think I'd like – it was by far the year's biggest surprise. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, USA) "I hate most people. There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I've built up my hatreds over the years little by little. I see the worst in people. I don't need to look past seeing them to get all I need. I want to earn enough money so I can get away from everyone. I can't keep doing this on my own, with these... people." For my undistributed top-ten, I followed the rules of the IndieWire Critics Poll (in which I participated) which doesn't allow films that have found distribution. This means that I Served the King of England, one of my true favorites of 2007, is not present. Expect to be hearing a lot more about that film in 2008. In reverse order: Taxidermia (György Pálfi, Hungary) The Tracey Fragments (Bruce McDonald, Canada) Yella (Christian Petzold, Germany) Angel (François Ozon, UK) Bog of Beasts (Claudio Assis, Brazil) Ad Lib Night (Lee Yoon-ki, Korea) Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong, Korea) Madonnas (Maria Speth, Germany) The Old Garden (Im Sang-soo, Korea) In the City of Sylvia (José Luis Guerín, Spain)