Best of 2007

To me, 2007 has been the most dismal year in all of filmmaking. There have been so few great memories in theater, so many of my dollars spent that I have come close to forsaking my passion for film. The only thing that keeps me going is the thought of my idol, James Cameron (Terminator 2, Aliens, Titanic) coming out with a new feature-length motion picture experience after ten to twelve years in dry dock. Until then, the few quality films we have are mediocre at best, forgettable at least but ultimately still worth a look.

The Simpsons Movie

I gave a more thorough review in a previous article. But The Simpsons Movie, starring the talented voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith and Nancy Cartwright is the most fun you'll have watching a cartoon family. The characters are fleshed out in less than 2 hours just as well as they have been over the course of 19 seasons. There's so many great laughs in this movie, you'll be rolling on the floor throughout the duration. It's brilliantly written, brilliantly performed and definitely worthy of the #1 spot this year.

3:10 to Yuma

Directed by the man who brought us Walk the Line, James Mangold, 3:10 to Yuma has a definite appeal. I'm not as big of a fan of this film as Unforgiven or Tombstone. But I do appreciate a well-told story with great acting and an authentic feel. 3:10 to Yuma walks a fine line (no pun intended) between good versus evil, juggling both concepts in a very different way. Finally by the end of the movie, every one of the principle characters have demonstrated how good they can be or bad. It's exciting, it's thought-provoking, it's simply compelling.

The Bourne Ultimatum

In spite of some shaky camera work from either the director, Doug Liman or his camera operator, The Bourne Ultimatum is a very worthy entry in the Bourne saga. It's got everything you could want in a spy movie. You've got all of the coolest gear. You've got the slickest hero. You've got a sly style. When the bad guys realize that they've just been had by Jason Bourne in this thrilling ride, it's just as fun as any action set piece. That brings me to one more great element of The Bourne Ultimatum. It's got one powerfully despicable villian in David Strathairn's Noah Vosen.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

What is this like the 5th installment in the Harry Potter films? It's just as good as the last film. It's better than the 3rd entry. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has something for everyone. Ralph Fiennes returns in the evil role of Lord Voldemort. He reeks havoc. He casts some powerful spells. He puts our hero's strength and gifts to the test. He takes on Dumbledorf in a short fight that makes anything in the previous Star Wars installments look like something a monkey could do. It's definitely one of the better films of the year.

Ratatouille

This a smart and cute animated feature, perfect for the whole family. Just when you thought it was safe to cook again. Just when you thought rats were nothing more than vermin. There's one rat who insists on eating well, the hallucinating Remy (the voice of Patton Oswalt). He gets a clumsy human, Linguini (the voice of Lou Romano) to help him in the kitchen. Then Remy gets the rest of his rat colony to join in. That's a terrifying though for chefs, but it's a movie. There's nothing a rat can't do in a movie.

Death Sentence

Critics and audiences alike may not have enjoyed this movie, but it's really not supposed to be enjoyable. It's very similar to Taxi Driver, but that's beside the point. It's about a man who loses his son to a gang of punks and then, goes on a murderous rampage to avenge him. Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) wants nothing more than to balance equations. If they hit him, he'll hit them. It gets out of hand and it appears as though Nick starts losing his mind. It's an awesome journey if you like violent action like I do. I saw the quality in Death Sentence, even though some people didn't.

Live Free or Die Hard

Despite the PG-13 rating, the newest John McClane (Bruce Willis) adventure is a thrill ride that shouldn't be missed. He's tackled some of the nastiest villains in film history. Now the great police detective has his hands full. He must stop a terrorist from taking down all of the United States' electronics, robbing the country of all its doe, and killing his daughter. Like all of the Die Hard films before it, Live Free is smart and sophistication for this kind of action film. But in order for viewers to see and appreciate John McClane the right way, you have to see him in the R-rated version.

Sweeney Todd

Johnny Depp sings and kills. That's what you have to take into consideration before you see Sweeney Todd. But then, you also have to think about its director, Tim Burton. Does the same man who gave us Beetlejuice and the latest remake of Planet of the Apes have what it takes to direct a good musical about a killer barber? The answer is: Yes. When I saw the preview of Todd, I immediately considered this subject matter to be perfect for Tim Burton and his ever unique style. The only way he could mess it up would be to glorify the killer like he glorified that disgusting version of Penguin in Batman Returns. He didn't. He did a marvelous job capturing the tone and the character of Todd. Johnny is absolutely terrifying in this role. Just when you thought you knew what Johnny is capable of, he proves himself to be one impressive singer.

Ocean's 13

It's a romp. It's better than its predecessor. It's smart and fun. It's a nice return to the style and coolness of Ocean's 11. For the most part, the Ocean's gang is back. Julia Roberts is out. Catherine Zeta Jones is out. Neither of them are ever really missed. No offense, ladies. This time Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his gang of brilliant thieves are out for revenge when one of them is screwed over by a vile casino owner, Willie Bank (Al Pacino). Once again I have to say, Ocean's 13 is fun and smart.

Atonement

Read my review. There are things I did not like about Atonement, but it's certainly the only movie nominated for Best Picture that I fully agree with. That's not saying much, but Atonement is a powerful drama with a less than perfect balance. If I were nominating films, I would prefer to see any five movies listed above on the ballet. I liked a lot of the performances, especially that of stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. I liked the authentic feel of the period in which the story is based. There are just a few too many things taken advantage of, including the love story.

The Abyss is James Cameron's most underrated movie

I grew up enjoying every James Cameron that I had seen.
Along with Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, I also watched The Terminator, Aliens and The Abyss on a regular basis. You might say that it's kind of strange that a child enjoys both the TTMT and an R-rated film like The Terminator. Heck, the news even made a big deal out of it after those teenagers massacred Columbine. If they were so easily influenced to commit mass murder by a movie, then I think their parents didn't do a very good job. I knew inherently that it wasn't real, that it was make-believe. I would pretend to be The Terminator, but I knew better than to actually go out and kill people. Anyway, that's beside the point of this blog. I'm sorry for rambling on about nothing.

Theatrically, The Abyss ended where Ed Harris's character finds the NTIs (Underwater Flying Objects), says "Howdy" and that was about it. It was a terrible ending to such a powerful, dramatic and intense film. Then me and my family stumbled onto this store, called "Sweets" (a video store). There was a large collection of laserdiscs offered at Sweets. We rummaged through them. They looked like records in a record store. Suddenly we started noticing some of our favorite movies, and among them were The Abyss and Aliens. Both of these movies were in "Special Edition" form. That means that they included 14 to 20 minutes more footage. It was like striking gold.

The director's cut of The Abyss offered so much more depth, so much more feel to the film, we couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the new scenes. They were perfectly spliced into the film. They were jaw-droppingly wonderful. Then came the new, big finale, opening up a whole can of worms, so to speak. I can't say much more, but you'll have to see the Special Edition of The Abyss to understand what I mean.

Why I love James Cameron's Titanic

First, let's get Titanic out of the way. First of all, it's the most successful film ever made... worldwide. Second of all, it's got 11 Oscars and has captured the hearts of millions across the world. I'm one of them.

I first saw Titanic when I was 15. It was December 19, 1997. My dad and his girlfriend/wife took me to a late afternoon showing. The theater was packed. There was a strong feeling of anticipation throughout the entire auditorium. I too was jumping in my seat in eager anticipation. See, I had been a fan of Titanic's director since he first made The Terminator back in 1984. Every one of his movies since were among my very favorite. In short, James Cameron could do no wrong. Then the movie started to play. The screen wasn't like an IMAX in size. It was relatively small. But every shot of the huge ship couldn't have appeared any bigger. Every scene with stars Kate Winslett and Leonardo DiCaprio couldn't be any more bittersweet. When the ship started to sink, I was sinking with it and these wonderful characters that we had gotten to know so well. They seemed like real people.

Everything from the acting to the directing to the score to the costume design of Titanic looked and felt absolutely perfect. I was sucked into this world of elegance, romance, action, suspense and cold water within the time frame of 3 hours and about 19 minutes.

Many people hate Titanic. They talk and they talk. They try everything to prove to die-hard fans how rotten Titanic is. Many people love Titanic. I'm surprised certain 13 year old girls didn't lynch Leonardo DiCaprio back in the day... just to get a piece of his clothing. I'm part of the latter group. Titanic is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. I'm just not in love with Leo.