Films from 2007

This year's list has something the other lists do not. They have films that were not seen in American theatres and went straight to DVD. One of which I saw at the Brisbane International Film Festival in August of 2007 during my time abroad and the other was a pick-up at Blockbuster after hearing a positive review on "At the Movies". The first four films on the list are my top four of the year and the rest follow in no particular order.

• There Will Be Blood
• Juno
• No Country for Old Men
• Ratatouille
• Eastern Promises
• Superbad
• Hot Fuzz
• Michael Clayton
• Enchanted
• Paris Je T'aime
• Waitress
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• The Bourne Ultimatum
• The City of Violence
• I Could Never Be Your Woman

"The City of Violence" is a slick South Korean martial arts/action film based around corruption, crime and cops. The action sequences are some of the best I've ever seen, with one in particular in which our hero battles, among other groups, BMX bandits and a baseball team. It's an amazing sequence The story twists and turns through the back alleys and the world underground crime as our hero seeks answers and revenge.

"I Could Never Be Your Woman" is a film that if I asked roughly 10 people I would bet that maybe 8 or 9 would say that they have never heard of the film. Even though it stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd and is directed by Amy Heckerling ("Fast Times at Ridgemont High", "Clueless"). It's about the relationship between an older TV show producer (Pfeiffer) and the up and coming new star (Rudd). The chemistry between Pfeiffer and Rudd is undeniable as they charmed the pants off me. Had one of them not been casted then this film would have failed (as evidence by Rudd being paired with lifeless/boring/unfunny/uninspiring Lake Bell in the truly atrocious "Over Her Dead Body"). Pfeiffer and Rudd work extremely well together and you cheer for their romance throughout the film.