The Year In Film

1. The Lookout - A tightly constructed thriller that really allows you to get into the minds of the characters. Matthew Goode and Joseph-Gordon Leavitt give great performances, but Jeff Daniels amazes in his supporting role. Engaging plot and excellent script.

2. No Country For Old Men - The Coen Brothers again show off their strongest talents: incredible storytelling, amazing editing and hilarious anecdotes weaved into a truly suspenseful film. Javier Bardem stuns as one of the most bone-chilling murderers I have ever seen. This movie has the feeling of an epic American masterpiece and would be my pick for Best Picture.

3. There Will Be Blood - Another sprawling epic in the vein of the film listed above. Daniel Day-Lewis puts on the year's best performance as an oilman with no conscience and Paul Dano (an incredibly talented young actor) holds his own against the strong lead performance. And of course I must mention that Jonny Greenwood's score is the best I've heard all year and really helps drive the mood of the film.

4. Juno - Funnier than the other hyped comedies of the year (Superbad; Knocked Up) and more emotionally resonant. It's not filmmaking on the level of the above mentioned films, but the characters were so enjoyable and the dialogue so fast and hilarious. Ellen Page is likely to have an Oscar nomination headed her way for Best Actress.

5. Children of Men - This film was released in late December of 2006, so I may have included it in my 2006 list; but either way, I've seen it included in many end of the year lists for 2007 and it's worth a mention here. Alfonso Cuaron's futuristic dystopian vision takes on complex themes involving religion and fascism and does so in a thought-provoking manner.

6. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters - The best documentary I saw all year was also easily one of the funniest films of the year. You simply cannot write characters that would be more villainous, heroic and just plain entertaining than these competitive video gamers are in real life.

7. Once - The film highlights what the Irish always seem to pull off: an extremely candid look at human emotion. Glen Hansard (lead singer of the popular Irish band The Frames) plays the male lead (who curiously has no name) opposite Czech musician Markéta Irglová (whose character also lacks a name) and the music, as expected, is terrific.

8. The Bourne Ultimatum - The best action movie of the year completes a terrific trilogy. Smart, fast and furious. One of the single most enjoyable movie moments of the year for me was watching Jason Bourne kick ass all around Europe.

9. Paris, Je T'aime - 17 different stories shot in 17 different Parisian neighborhoods by 17 different directors (and actors). While that type of format lends itself to being somewhat disjointed, there's enough great moments to carry the film. Stand out portions of the film come from the Coen Brothers (a segment featuring Steve Buscemi that probably steals the show), Tour Eiffel, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuaron and Quartier de la Madeleine.

10a. Zodiac - Terrific film making and solid performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. The movie deals with the Zodiac killer who terrorized San Francisco, but the focus of the movie is less about the murders themselves and more about how the lives of those investigating the incidences were impacted. There will always be a sense of emptiness regarding this film given the fact that the murders were never solved, but nonetheless, the story compels.

10b. Across the Universe - This is one of those love/hate movies, and there's not a lot of middle ground. Critics seem evenly split between thinking it was brilliant and thinking it was garbage. For me, the best way to approach this movie is to think of it as a medium for the music. While portions of it felt forced (like there were certain songs they had to include even if they didn't fit), there were some truly incredible scenes. The "Strawberry Fields" sequence was visually stunning, the "I Want You" scene was extremely creative (feeling somewhat like Pink Floyd's film for The Wall) and Salma Hayek's cameo in "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" was probably worth the price of admission alone.

Apologies to Into the Wild, Grindhouse (how can you not love a Tarantino and Rodriguez collaboration?), I'm Not There, Eastern Promises, American Gangster, Sweeney Tood (Tim Burton and Johnny Depp? It was bound to be brilliant.), 3:10 to Yuma, and The Kite Runner (from one of my very favorite directors, Marc Forster). All are films that could have figured into this list, but alas, I'm not the projectionist at the local cinema (though I may be when I graduate) and these things aren't exactly free!