Two of the biggest movie stars of monsterdom are back once again in this throw-back thriller that despite its best intentions, fizzles in comparison to the legacy it so desperately tries to connect to. To be fair, this rock ‘em sock ‘em match up is yards better than its sorry predecessor, yet there are still many things that are missing in the Brothers Strause’s tale of small town meets intergalactic men-in-suits, the first of which is a script. Shane Salerno must be a lucky guy - who else could ride a screenplay this lacking all the way through production and to the third highest grossing Christmas release of its time? Apparently Mr. I Wrote Armageddon knows exactly what the public wants out of these bad street brawlers - and that’s teen love. Not only that, but Salerno also has the gall to throw in a dime store Ripley and Newt relationship that couldn’t be more transparent if he tried (which he didn’t). Essentially, it’s the same problem that lies underneath the whole production - and that it’s all some sort of rehash. The same goes for many other pieces of the production’s pie - with music, sets and themes steeped in reverence, with little cohesion to create an organic product. Amazingly, none of this is what truly ankles the production — that esteemed privilege is held by none other than the dynamic duo at the helm of this sinking ship, the Brothers Strause.

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The patron saint for movies in 2007, the best year for films in a very long time, was Howard Beale, the maniacal but prescient newsman/prophet from Network. Not only were his memorable, psychotic rants echoed in the fantastic performance Tom Wilkinson gave in Michael Clayton, but his familiar exhortation, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” seemed to sum up so many of the movies that came out this year. For 2007 was the year movies started to deal in a big way with the war in Iraq and what life is like in George W. Bush’s America. The vast majority of these films, (Rendition, Redacted, In the Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs) failed to make much of a stir with audiences. But in a year that saw more truly great films than any other in this decade, the very best films certainly commented on current events while looking at the past. They also found ways to make points about life, well beyond simply being mad as hell. And for those who worried that the culture was turning too dark, too scary, or too unforgiving, 2007 also saw a share of warm-hearted movies with open souls that reminded us all about the best humans (or in one case, rats) can be.

My top 10:

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I’ll admit it – I’m not the most rounded movie editor on the AMG block. My trashy tastes don’t really gel with the Oscar-worthy canon usually singled out by mainstream critics. I’m also pretty big on the communal theater experience – so flicks that I had the chance to catch before the crowds were nixed because I would rather enjoy them with my friends or my number one gal rather than share it with strangers. Thus, my list will overlook lots of great stuff that I simply missed the boat on, while you’ll find that I’m more than happy to omit films that are speaking to a far different audience than this Goober-eating schlub. So dear readers, keep this in mind as you peruse this ol’ list of mine and remember, there are no rights and wrongs in the opinion game, unless you’re talking about Transformers – in that case, all of you Bay-lovers can follow the exit to your left. Thank you for participating.

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Having recently assembled my somewhat “serious” list of nominations for the Detroit Film Critics Association, I decided to stave off the boredom of repetition by having a bit more fun with my year-end pics for the All Movie blog. The result: A stream of consciousness-driven list that presents my favorite cinematic feats of 2007. Readers who prefer their lists served up with reverence, order, or staunch adherence to Academy standards are encouraged to click away as quickly as possible. For everyone else, I hope you had as much fun at the movies as I did in 2007, and here’s to another great year of wild and weird cinema in 2008!

Most Intimidating Hair in a Motion Picture: Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
(Mark my words: Film theory students will be studying Mortensen’s Eastern Promises coiffure for decades, I felt like I’d have a hit put out on me for just staring at it as long as I did)
 
 
 
 
 

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In a year filled with its share of predictable stinkers (Across the Universe, I Know Who Killed Me) and disappointments (Youth Without Youth, the awful Reign over Me), a handful of U.S. releases stand out like sparkling gems. I hereby present my top ten for the crème-de-la-crème of 2007; if you missed any of these, which are currently at varying levels of release – some still in theaters, some now on home video – do make a point of seeking them out over the holidays. I heartily recommend all of them.

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Best Bear Fight – The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass’s resident bears — unjustly banished prince Iorek Byrnison vs. super lame wannabe Iofur Raknison — battle it out for the throne in the most rousing bear fight since the legendary death match between Winnie the Pooh and Yogi. Compass loses a couple of Awesome Points for not adhering to the book (in which the winner of the fight ritually removes and eats the loser’s heart), but I’m willing to sacrifice a bit of cannibalism in the name of family friendliness.

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Ambition is good. Ambition spurs people on to achieve more and more, to find new ways of doing things – to refine and perfect practices that have been in effect for a long time, or to blaze a new trail that nobody before had the vision to see. Daniel Plainview, the main character in Paul Thomas Anderson’s astonishing There Will Be Blood, is a man with ambition. Played with a ferocious intensity by a towering Daniel Day-Lewis, Plainview embodies everything Americans like to think of as our best traits. He is hardworking, driven, and, because of his innovative thinking and salesmanship, a great success. Even with a baby to care for, his thought processes always return first and foremost to how he can get precious crude oil out of the ground. This is a man who loves a challenge, so when he is visited one day by Paul (Paul Dano), a soft-spoken young man who claims to know about a piece of land with a wealth of oil underneath it, Daniel can’t resist investigating the tip. Upon Daniel’s arrival, he meets the rest of Paul’s family, including Paul’s twin brother Eli (Dano again}) who does not easily roll over for Daniel’s seemingly generous cash offer for their land. This is the first of many confrontations between the cold-blooded capitalist and the floridly vocal faith healer, and these confrontations comprise the core of the plot. Spanning thirty years, the film observes the price paid by Plainview, and all the people around him, as his single-minded ambition mutates into misanthropy and fear, laying bare his soul as well as the soul of his chief antagonist.

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So many movies this past year aimed higher than most, achieved more and strove for true greatness — even if they didn’t quite hit that elusive mark. So instead of rehashing the movies that make everyone’s best lists, why not focus instead on the truly great parts of the lesser ones?…

Best Romance in a Forgettable Film
Stomp the Yard

Inner-city boy with a chip on his shoulder the size of South Central and a Big Dark Criminal Secret goes to an all-Black university and proves himself via a hallowed school tradition. No, it’s not Drumline, nor is it ATL, nor You Got Served — it’s Stomp the Yard, a serviceably enjoyable, utterly clichéd teen drama that nonetheless featured a disarmingly affecting love story between leads Meagan Good and Columbus Short. Someone needs to get these two in a Love and Basketball-style flick ASAP, or at least a better-than-average Tyler Perry production.

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