Bryan's Top 5 of 2007

These are my favorite films of 2007. There are a couple of films that probably have made the list had I seen them in 2007, but I still haven't seen them yet, so I can't, in good conscience, put them on my list.

In case you're wondering which two movies they are, it's Cassandra's Dream and There Will Be Blood.

It's also important to note that as soon as I post this list, I'll be sure to have forgotten something.

As far as honorable mentions that were good and I enjoyed, but didn't make the list: Blade Runner: The Final Cut (it would have been number one, but I didn't feel comfortable putting it on the list proper), Hot Fuzz, Sweeney Todd, Margot at the Wedding. I think that's about it. This is the category I'll be kicking myself for forgetting something from.

Anyways, let's start at the bottom and work our way up: (Note: Links head to the review I wrote when I saw the film.)

5. Sunshine - Danny Boyle's Sci-fi masterpiece about a dying sun is gleaming proof that science fiction can, indeed, still be done right. I had a couple of minor problems with it (that I outlined in my review), but by and large I thought this film was a 9 or a 10 and it made me want to watch it repeatedly. Danny Boyle improves his batting average every year he's been making movies. In fact, I can only think of one misfire.... (A Life Less Ordinary...)

4. Ratatouille - This film was pretty much great all around and it makes me want to see much, much more from Brad Bird. The moment I knew this was one of my favorite films of the year was the moment that Peter O'Tooles character took his first bite of Remy's Ratatouille. That seemingly innocuous moment was so well crafted that it almost made me cry.

3. Before the Devil Know's You're Dead - This movie is Sidney Lumet, Albert Finney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Marissa Tomei all in top form. Of all the reviews I read of this, Roger Ebert said the best thing about it, "It's wonderful when a director like Lumet wins a Lifetime Achievement Oscar at 80, and three years later makes one of his greatest achievements."

2. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. This film is Rocky for the stand-up arcade generation. It was just really fun, cool and compelling and I can't imagine a soul on Earth that couldn't like this movie. And if they get a feature off the ground and rumours of Johnny Depp playing Billy Mitchell are true, this story will be a staple of modern myth.