5. GRINDHOUSE
Want to know the difference between a film critic and a film geek? Look at their Top 10 list and see if they mention GRINDHOUSE. I’m a geek, so I’ll repeat what my fellow ilk all said…GRINDHOUSE, for all its faults, was the most enjoyable movie going experience all year. This double shot of self-conscious cool exhibited a pure love of filmmaking and style, with inside jokes galore and many over the top thrills.
First up was Robert Rodriguez’s PLANET TERROR, which I thought was critic proof since it was homage to movies that were so bad you couldn’t look away. It wasn’t as artistic as Tarantino’s DEATH PROOF, but it was a hell of a lot more fun. PROOF, while overly talky, featured one of Kurt Russell’s best performances, an unforgettable car crash, and a dangerous chase featuring stunt woman Zoe Bell hanging on for life OUTSIDE the car.
Then there are the trailers. I own both DVD’s, but the wonderful, hilarious trailers are what really tied the whole experience up with a big bloody bow. It was a wonderful night at the movies. Too bad, it’ll never happen again in my lifetime.
4. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
The film was absolutely perfect for so long, and the Coen Brothers were making perfection look so easy. Then it makes a sudden left turn at the end, going mythic and leaving many a dissatisfied audience in its wake. I complained too. I get what they’re going for and I really like what the film has to say, but I can’t help wondering if there was a better way to get there.
Setting that aside, I reflect back on moments like the scuff marks of the struggling policeman, keys jingling in a truck ignition, an uncrimping wrapper (“Call it…Frend-o”), many great hotel confrontations, and that damn persistent dog. To think, this modern classic involves little more than two men and a bag of money. Yet within that framework much is said about the desperate and harsh world we live in. FARGO with a pitch-black heart.
3. THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Unlike most modern movies, the style isn’t a tribute to films of a bygone era. Writer/Director PT Anderson has crafted a bold, grand epic that’s right in line with similar classics. His partnership with Daniel Day-Lewis is a grand tango, with partners free to exhibit their full potential. The gonzo finale redefines swinging for the fences, but while it clashes with the rest of the film, it’s marvelous by itself. Like the classics of Stanley Kubrick, the film is slow, but mesmerizing and tense from the first frame to the final line.
2. RATATOUILLE
Having finished THE INCREDIBLES, Brad Bird was on his way out the Pixar door for a long overdue vacation. John Lasseter, however, was in trouble. Their film RATS was set to come out in only 18 months (computer animation takes 4-5 years), and they haven’t been able to solve numerous story problems. Lasseter convinced Bird to take over. He rewrote the script and crafted this wonderful, wonderful film that’s both popular entertainment and an artistic triumph.
Brad Bird is a creative genius, and one of the films greatest strengths is the looks given by the characters both rat and human. Like previous Pixar films, RATATOUILLE selects voices over stars, and artistry over jokes. There are some tough sells in the story, but it’s handled with grace and the proper care. Everything looks dreamy, from the food to the wide views of Paris at night, and while there’s an abundance of cartoon humor (“Stop that health inspector!”), this is a film adults will probably enjoy even more. I don’t know if there’s ever been a more sophisticated animated film made in this country (at the time). Special mention to that first bite of ratatouille, a great moment in cinema history.
1. HOT FUZZ
I was all ready to move HOT FUZZ out of my #1 slot. I thought there just had to be a more respectable selection. Then I watched it again and decided I had to go with what felt right. HOT FUZZ isn’t as well directed or acted or written as other films in my Top 10, but it is the most satisfying. Other films this year hit the bulls eye, but HOT FUZZ pulls a Robin Hood and splits the arrow.
As a film watcher, HOT FUZZ is both a very entertaining take on American action movies as well as a terrific action movie of its own with a solid plot and some great twists. The revelation of the killer took me completely by surprise (along with a slight giggle over what was going to happen next). As a film geek, I love the skill at work. The editing and sound are some of the best this year, and the film moves effortlessly between genres, incorporating humor both silly and sophisticated and horror, both scary and grandly grotesque.
Everything this film set out to do just worked, and the cast masterfully bounced with glee from jokey scenes to moments of real menace. They’re obviously having a ball making a kind of balls out American action film, while still maintaining their British reserve. So while other films this year are more important or more ambitious, HOT FUZZ is a cinematic multi-vitamin, delivering all the essentials. The Best Film of 2007.