The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men topped three of Fast Forward’s film critics’ lists this year, and with good reason
Between the Calgary International Film Festival, the launch of the Calgary Cinematheque Society and the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers’ relaunch of their Sofa Cinema series, 2007 has offered our city’s cinephiles a plethora of pleasures. Between those special events, there was still an abundance of top-notch releases throughout the year. If you’re looking to catch up, here are some of Fast Forward’s picks for the year’s best.
BRYN EVANS
Top five movies
1. Zodiac (dir. David Fincher) — The only film I saw twice this year. David Fincher’s grand crime procedural is fascinating as both a historical document and creepy thriller. Performances by Jake Gyllenhall, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo are uniformly great, and Fincher’s stark, flat visuals — combined with some stunning camera sequences — flit between docudrama and horror.
2. Eastern Promises (dir. David Cronenberg)
3. Superbad (dir. Greg Mottola) — Despite how hilarious and ridiculous this flick is, it somehow remains one of the more honest teen movies in recent memory.
4. Hot Fuzz (dir. Edgar Wright) —Usually, my first instinct when hearing the words “British comedy” is to run like hell, but Hot Fuzz is awesome, full of jokes and explosions. Which, in a movie, is pretty much all you need.
5. The Darjeeling Limited
(dir. Wes Anderson)
Biggest letdown
What was with the genre flicks this year? Grindhouse was alternately awesome and interminable, 30 Days of Night was underwhelming and Rob Zombie confirmed fan-boy fears with his ugly Halloween remake. Although I will go out on a limb and say that Hostel II was pretty good, nastier and smarter than its predecessor.
KYLE FRANCIS
Top 10 movies
1. No Country for Old Men
(dir. Ethan and Joel Coen)
2. American Gangster
(dir. Ridley Scott) — For anyone who’s tired of seeing Denzel Washington play “charming but disadvantaged” protagonists, Ridley Scott’s latest has him playing Frank Lucas, a “charming yet murderous” protagonist. Baby steps.
3. Zodiac (dir. David Fincher) — It’s a crime (haw!) that Zodiac was undersold to most audiences due to the historical subject matter, as it’s easily David Fincher’s best film. Also, it features the most disturbing “bound and gagged victim being stabbed mercilessly in the back scene” of all time.
4. Hot Fuzz (dir. Edgar Wright) — The Ed Wood of action films.
5. Ratatouille (dir. Brad Bird) — The best animated movie since The Incredibles. Fancy that it was written and directed by the same guy. See this or lose.
6. Waitress (dir. Adrienne Shelly) — This is a movie made for viewers to memorize all the lines of either Nathan Fillion (playing a neurotic gynecologist) or Kerri Russel (a pregnant pie cook), then talk along with it so it’s like one of them is talking to you.... Is that weird that I memorized Kerri Russel’s?
7. Knocked Up (dir. Judd Apatow) — While Superbad was an equally hilarious gross-out comedy aimed at the 18 to 25 demographic, Judd Apatow’s latest wins out on sheer sap factor. I am such a sissy.
8. The Darjeeling Limited (dir. Wes Anderson) — Snakes, trains and Adrien Brody acting goofy. Wes Anderson proves there is nothing wrong with this combination.
9. Eastern Promises (dir. David Cronenberg) — Viggo. Fucking. Mortensen.
10. Charlie Wilson’s War (dir. Mike Nichols) — Two parts Wag the Dog and one part Syriana, Aaron Sorkin’s latest project is a glittering jewel of wit and charm amidst the sea of under-thought, juvenile, spiritless message films Hollywood saw fit to inflict upon us this year. And Philip Seymour Hoffman is just so gosh darn cool.
LISHA HASSANALI
Top 10 movies
1. Caramel (dir. Nadine Labaki) — The lives of five women in Lebanon. Touching and funny, it’s the surprise comedic drama of the year.
2. Persepolis (dir. Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi) — Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel depicting life in Iran comes to life. A must see.
3. The Lives of Others (dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck) — The 2007 foreign film Oscar winner turns us all into eavesdroppers.
4. Lars and the Real Girl (dir. Craig Gillespie) — Ryan Gosling falls in love with a plastic doll, and so do we.
5. The Namesake (dir. Mira Nair) — Director Mira Nair and writer Jhumpa Lahiri team up to bring us the story of a South Indian family in the U.S.
6. Eastern Promises (dir. David Cronenberg) — Naked knife fight — ‘nuff said.
7. Juno (dir. Jason Reitman) — Ellen Page shines brightly as a pregnant teenager with a quick wit and a real attitude.
8. Weirdsville (dir. Allan Moyle) — All Canadian movies should be this good. A trio of druggies meet devil-worshippers and the mob in this laugh-out-loud comedy.
9. Little Children (dir. Todd Field)
10. Hot Fuzz (dir. Edgar Wright)
Hands-down best performance: Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There.
PETER HEMMINGERTop 10 movies1. No Country for Old Men (dir. Ethan and Joel Coen) — The Coens’ latest is an absolute masterpiece, full of tension, (extremely) dark humour and a grim sense of the inevitable.2. Once (dir. John Carney) – Incredibly strong songs and a non-traditional love story make this surprisingly naturalistic love story a winner.3. Superbad (dir. Greg Mottola)4. Wrist-Cutters: A Love Story (dir. Goran Dukic) — Don’t be put off by the title — this flick is actually a wonderful, if somewhat morbid, flight of cinematic fancy. Plus, it features Tom Waits.5. Hot Fuzz (dir. Edgar Wright) — The team that brought you Shaun of the Dead does for the cop buddy comedy what they did for the zombie flick — make it good again.6. American Gangster (dir. Ridley Scott) — Denzel Washington is disturbingly charming in this mobster flick, which is also a reminder that Russell Crowe really an act.7. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (dir. Andrew Dominik) — Long, slow and methodical, the story of Jesse James plays out more like a suicide note than a murder. Brad Pitt may top the bill, but Casey Affleck’s Robert Ford is the real star.8. The Darjeeling Limited (dir. Wes Anderson)9. Persepolis (dir. Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapo) — Animation doesn’t have to be about sweeping 3D vistas, as this charming (and politically powerful) graphic novel adaptation proves.10. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (dir. Tim Burton) — Finally, Tim Burton is back in solid form. This musical about the barbarous barber is easily his best since 1999’s Sleepy Hollow.JESSE LOCKETop 10 films1. No Country for Old Men (dir. Ethan and Joel Coen)2. Lust, Caution (dir. Ang Lee) — The first NC-17 release in mainstream American cinemas since Showgirls, Ang Lee’s latest is a sexy, spine-tingling espionage thriller that races through its almost three-hour run time.3. Zodiac (dir. David Fincher)4. Heima (dir. Dean DeBlois) — Easily the most visually stunning and ear-pleasing film released this year, this documentary following Sigur Ros through their 2006 tour of Iceland is essential for fans, and will likely win the band new converts as well.5. Control (dir. Anton Corbijn) —Despite some sappy dialogue, first-time film director Anton Corbijn has crafted a stylish, moving and often funny depiction of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis’s far-too-brief life.6. Michael Clayton (dir. Tony Gilroy) — George Clooney can seemingly do no wrong these days. This tense, intelligent thriller leaves viewers with barely a chance to breathe throughout.7. The Darjeeling Limited (dir. Wes Anderson)8. The Golden Compass (dir. Chris Weitz) — The massive budget behind this film breathes magical new life into Phillip Pullman’s novel, making it a must-see for kids and adults alike.9. Eastern Promises (dir. David Cronenberg) — Viggo Mortensen is the man in this one, starring as the merciless Nikolai, a dirty-work caretaker for one of London’s most notorious crime families. Come for the naked fight scene, stay for the fantastic storyline!10. Knocked Up (dir. Judd Apatow) / Superbad (dir. Greg Mottola) — It’s hard to pick a favourite between Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow’s two comedies this year, both of which mixed gross-out humour with Freaks and Geeks heart. If the trailer on the Superbad DVD is any indication, their upcoming team-up The Pineapple Express should be a smoking success, too.JOHN TEBBUTT
Best films of 20071. Sicko (dir. Michael Moore)2. Superbad (dir. Greg Mottola)
3. Grindhouse (dir. Robert Rodriquez and Quentin Tarantino)
4. Pan’s Labyrinth (dir. Guillermo del Toro) — Yeah, I know everybody else put this on their 2006 list, but I saw it in a theatre in 2007 and wanted to include it here. So there.
5. The Lives of Others (dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck) — Umm… ditto.
6. Hot Fuzz (dir. Edgar Wright)
7. No Country for Old Men
(dir. Ethan and Joel Coen)
8. Weirdsville (dir. Alan Moyle)
9. The Host (dir. Joon-ho Bong)
10. The Simpsons Movie
(dir. David Silverman)
Strange Coincidence
This year saw the release of Death at a Funeral and Weirdsville, two dark comedies that attempt to wring humour from the burial of a loved one. Both contain drug use, and each film has a character played by a little person (Peter Dinklage and Jordan Prentice, respectively) who appears to die, only to suddenly come back to life, causing chaos in the hectic finale. However, Weirdsville is a terrific film, while Death at a Funeral is juvenile, unfunny crap.
best of the year
Don’t take the fact that there are only nine movies on this list as a sign that 2007 was a bad year for film. The fact is, there were just too many solid releases for our writers to agree on which should make the final cut. Ang Lee’s erotic spy thriller Lust, Caution would have fit in nicely, as would the low-key musical Once or even Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s B movie opus, Grindhouse. As it stands, you can’t go wrong with any of these films, all of which hit Calgary theatres in 2007.
1. No Country for Old Men (dir: Ethan and Joel Coen)
2. Zodiac (dir: David Fincher)
3. Superbad (dir: Greg Mottola)
4. Hot Fuzz (dir. Edgar Wright)
5. Eastern Promises (dir: David Cronenberg)
6. American Gangster (dir: Ridley Scott)
7. The Darjeeling Limited (dir: Wes Anderson)
8. The Lives of Others (dir: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
9. Persepolis (dir: Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapo)
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