2007 is probably the best film year of the past 3 decades, but any discussion of it is dominated by two films: There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men. I'd like to talk about the other films that came out that year, because I think it's easy to forget how incredibly packed with good films 2007 was. Take a look:
The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac
Once
Gone Baby Gone
Michael Clayton
4 Years, 3 Months, 2 Days
Ratatouille
Hot Fuzz
The Lives of Others (came out in the US in 2007)
In another year, I could see any of these in contention for best of the year. I mean, even if you step down a tier, there are some excellent movies:
Superbad
The Bourne Ultimatum
Knocked Up
The Host
Eastern Promises
3:10 To Yuma
Persepolis
The King of Kong
I'm probably still missing some. How the hell did one year get so packed with great movies? I mean, that top list is ridiculous, you could make a strong top ten list from it, and that's leaving off the two most celebrated movies of the year.
So, the question becomes, if No Country and There Will Be Blood didn't exist, what would be remembered as the best film of 2007? Personally, I'd argue for either Hot Fuzz or Zodiac. Hot Fuzz is, I think, Edgar Wright's best film to date, a great comedy, a wonderful send up and a love letter to action films all at once. Zodiac is Fincher's best film, it's the best interaction of his style with the material, and an excellent mediation on obsession.
Note: I should say this was inspired by this article. Not saying I agree with the rankings, just got me thinking about 2007.
The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac
Once
Gone Baby Gone
Michael Clayton
4 Years, 3 Months, 2 Days
Ratatouille
Hot Fuzz
The Lives of Others (came out in the US in 2007)
In another year, I could see any of these in contention for best of the year. I mean, even if you step down a tier, there are some excellent movies:
Superbad
The Bourne Ultimatum
Knocked Up
The Host
Eastern Promises
3:10 To Yuma
Persepolis
The King of Kong
I'm probably still missing some. How the hell did one year get so packed with great movies? I mean, that top list is ridiculous, you could make a strong top ten list from it, and that's leaving off the two most celebrated movies of the year.
So, the question becomes, if No Country and There Will Be Blood didn't exist, what would be remembered as the best film of 2007? Personally, I'd argue for either Hot Fuzz or Zodiac. Hot Fuzz is, I think, Edgar Wright's best film to date, a great comedy, a wonderful send up and a love letter to action films all at once. Zodiac is Fincher's best film, it's the best interaction of his style with the material, and an excellent mediation on obsession.
Note: I should say this was inspired by this article. Not saying I agree with the rankings, just got me thinking about 2007.