I guess I should qualify: These are MY FAVORITES, not necessarily what some might consider the BEST films of the year. A second qualification: I don’t live at the movies, so there’s many good films I haven’t seen. Okay, here goes. . .
5.) 310 TO YUMA — Sure, it has star power with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, but it’s the story that pulls this one along. Simple, straightforward and compelling. Crowe plays a sympathetic, but vicious bad guy, and Bale his escort across a sandblasted 
dustbowl to the Yuma prison. Along the way there’s revelations about themselves, their psychological symmetry, and a whole lotta bullets. Maybe the best Western since Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven.
4.) 300 — Visually stunning! This is sure to be one of the most copied, and probably one of the most influential films, of the decade. It’s a comic book come to life — an elegant ballet of motion-capture CGI, thunderous armies and blood spattered swords, set to driving grunge music. But its cultural resonance is its call to arms, to protect what we have to the point of death. Huzzah!
3.) ZODIAC — A slow, methodical film whose creep is in its crawl. San Francisco detectives investigate the still unsolved Zodiac murders which terrorized the city in the 
60’s and 70’s. The film is a window into the red tape that strangles so many investigations, and the toll that takes upon the investigators. As much a story about a serial killer as a police procedural, as frustrating as it is gruesome. This one got under my skin in more ways than one.
2.) JUNO — Some of the best dialog of the year: snappy, snarky, and culturally hip, Juno will send you running for your Urban Dictionary. But at its heart, it’s a sweet story about a troubled teen, surrounded by troubled people, trying to find a home for her unborn child. Much more than a teen comedy, it’s a clever, heartfelt glimpse into broken families and our search for love. The film also includes some of the funnest, quirkiest tunes of the year. Call me an emotional sap, but Juno is without question one of the most upbeat, intelligent, and ultimately charming movies of 2007!
1.) NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN — Call this the anti-Juno. Dark. Bleak. Brooding. What begins as a traditional thriller becomes a disturbing reflection into the nature and randomness of evil. Driven by one of the most memorable bad guys ever filmed, the movie contains no music (did I say anti-Juno?), a device which only heightens the sense of mounting malevolence. We follow the killer as he leaves a murderous wake across the desert, virtually unstoppable by both good and bad man alike. Like a hammer on your psyche, No Country contains scenes that will burn themselves into your mental retina. But the movie is far more than a cinematic bloodletting. In fact, the final scene may be the boldest directorial decision of the Coens’ career. To me, this was hands down the most powerful film of the year.
* * *
Yeah, I’ve got lots of films still to see. On my list are: There Will Be Blood, Into the Wild, Eastern Promises, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Ratatouille, Lars and the Real Girl, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and I may even suck it up and see Atonement. Either way, I’m sure this list will be in flux.
So as we reach the end of 2007, what were some of your favorite films of the year?
I saw Little Miss Sunshine last night. Funny, moving, absolutely delightful.
Loved 3:10 to Yuma, At World’s End (I’ve got pirate in my blood), The Kingdom would have been good if they took out the moral equilavence at the end, and it was literally painful to sit through the language of Gone Baby Gone, but I actually think it was a good film.
My must see films: Sweeney Todd, Atonement, and August Rush
(Oh, sorry. I liked Zodiac, too.)
I can’t believe the Simpsons didn’t make your list.
So many I haven’t seen yet. My favorites were 3:10 to Yuma and The Bourne Ultimatum. I can’t decide which one I liked better, so I’ll go with both. I also enjoyed Ratatouille very much.
Mike, I felt the same way as you about No Country for Old Men. Yes the last scene is puzzling and I’d have to see it again to really understand what the point was. But the movie overall is powerful.
Dayle, I LOVED the Simpsons Movie. Seriously. It was hysterical. Dave and I went for our anniversary. Isn’t that romantic? But considering that our first date was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective…
I forgot The Bourne Ultimatum, too.
Yes, I’d like to see the Simpsons movie. And, in fact, I’ve seen that movie included on some Best of the Year lists. I haven’t seen The Bourne Ultimatum, but probably should. And yes, Nicole, I’ll get around to seeing Sweeney Todd, though I think Johnny Depp is a self-important snob.
I can understand how you might think that about Johnny Depp, Mike, but I’ve done quite a bit of research on the man, and, in spite of some of the media coverage of him, he’s actually quite humble, baffled by his own success, and often replies in deadpan with tongue-in-cheek answers to inquiries because he finds it amazing that people could possibly care what he thinks. (My second novel [The Famous One] is very loosely based on his life.)
The Simpsons AND Ace Ventura. Two of my favorites. Dave sounds like a great guy, Janet.
You’ve got a great blog here. Nice work.
I must disagree with your assessment on “3:10 to Yuma,” a film that is guilty of having characters make decisions to propel plot rather than reveal character.
My full review: http://tinyurl.com/3dw5dy
Complete agree on “Zodiac” — one of the underrated films of 2007.