A Good Year for American Movies

Will Lavender · Dec 11, 2007

It's been an excellent year for American film, I think, after two or three pretty dismal years. Not sure what to attribute this to -- or if anyone else but me holds this opinion -- but I've seen some excellent movies the last couple of months.

My 2007 top ten, then, if anyone cares:

1. Knocked Up
2. Ratatouille
3. Waitress
4. Gone Baby Gone
5. Michael Clayton
6. Hot Fuzz**
7. No Country for Old Men
8. Once**
9. Breach
10. The Lives of Others**

** Not American films, but tremendous nonetheless.

III · Dec 11, 2007

I haven't seen any of the movies on your list, but some good recent films I'd include are

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
American Gangster
No Country for Old Men
Transformers
Meet the Robinsons

I wouldn't say I've seen a "great" movie in the last year, though. The last movie I walked out of thinking it was truly great was The Prestige. Of this year's movies, I'd probably put Transformers at the top, although we've owned it for several weeks and I haven't bothered to watch it.

Don Allen · Dec 11, 2007

No country for old men might just be in the classic ilk of Pulp Fiction,, Really strong and i highly recommend it, but not for weak stomachs or timid movie goers.. It's weird Will, i think I agree with you that this has been a good year but revenue is way down... It dosen't really jive...

Will Lavender · Dec 11, 2007

III said:
I haven't seen any of the movies on your list, but some good recent films I'd include are

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
American Gangster
No Country for Old Men
Transformers
Meet the Robinsons

I wouldn't say I've seen a "great" movie in the last year, though. The last movie I walked out of thinking it was truly great was The Prestige. Of this year's movies, I'd probably put Transformers at the top, although we've owned it for several weeks and I haven't bothered to watch it.

I liked Transformers as well. Not sure it's top-10 worthy, but a surprisingly fun summer diversion.

I also really liked The Bourne Supremacy. If this one went to 11...

Bartholomew · Dec 11, 2007

I saw Casablanca the other day. I liked it.

III · Dec 11, 2007

Will Lavender said:
I liked Transformers as well. Not sure it's top-10 worthy, but a surprisingly fun summer diversion.

I also really liked The Bourne Supremacy. If this one went to 11...

Why don't you just make it go to 10, but make 10 one louder?

Mjollnir13 · Dec 11, 2007

Don Allen said:
It's weird Will, i think I agree with you that this has been a good year but revenue is way down...

Quick turn around to HDDVD and Blu-ray along with affordable HD tvs and digital sound will continue to hurt the movie industry. Home theaters are a big problem for the movie industry.

maestrowork · Dec 12, 2007

Will Lavender said:
10. The Lives of Others**

.

Didn't it come out last year (it won the Academy Award last year)? Great film.

I am not rating my top 10 until a bit later (still have to see Atonement). So far, in no particular order:

Ratatouille
Hot Fuzz
Enchanted
Across the Universe
Dan in Real Life
Meet The Robinsons
Resurrecting the Champ
Star Dust
Sunshine
American Gangster
La Vie En Rose
Zodiac
The Painted Veil

III · Dec 12, 2007

Oh, I forgot Idiocracy (I think it came out this past year). An overlooked film that will be a cult classic in years to come.

Will Lavender · Dec 12, 2007

III said:
Oh, I forgot Idiocracy (I think it came out this past year). An overlooked film that will be a cult classic in years to come.

Another very good one. I think it had a lot -- a whole lot -- of jokes that didn't work, but it had some that were absolutely right on. I actually preferred Superbad, which also had quite a few jokes that fell flat but, like pretty much everything Apatow does, was very good.

And Ray, it's initeresting that you put Zodiac on your list. I thought it was a flawed film, but beautifully made. Thought the sort of inner workings of police life and reporter life were more interesting than the murder scenes. And Mark Ruffallo's performance was spot-on perfect. Yet it was...lacking. Especially toward the middle, where Downey Jr.'s character sort of came in, chewed some scenario, and felt, at least for me, pretty much unnecessary.

Will Lavender · Dec 12, 2007

maestrowork said:
Didn't it come out last year (it won the Academy Award last year)? Great film.

It may have been released in Europe last year, but I know I saw it in '07 here in the States because I was working on revisions for my novel.

Re: Atonement:

Not too excited about this film. I'm one who just could not for the life of me get into the novel. I tried multiple times, but couldn't do it. (My editor just told me that she loved the book, and I was almost ashamed to tell her that I didn't like it at all.) I found the young narrator's vocabulary just so overwhelmingly impossible, her thoughts entirely too complex, and her behavior so unlike that of, you know, real children, that I've put it down halfway through the first chapter at least four times.

Stew21 · Dec 12, 2007

I obviously have not seen enough movies this year.

I've heard of some of them, seen a couple, and some - I have NO IDEA what you're talking about.

Trish, was a movie junky before she had kids.

maestrowork · Dec 12, 2007

Will Lavender said:
Re: Atonement:

Not too excited about this film. I'm one who just could not for the life of me get into the novel. I tried multiple times, but couldn't do it. (My editor just told me that she loved the book, and I was almost ashamed to tell her that I didn't like it at all.) I found the young narrator's vocabulary just so overwhelmingly impossible, her thoughts entirely too complex, and her behavior so unlike that of, you know, real children, that I've put it down halfway through the first chapter at least four times.

I've bought the book but it's sitting at the bottom of my TBR list now. I did glance at the first chapter hoping it's not some stuffy overwrought literary masturbation. It was actually quite easy to read. I am, however, looking forward to the movie -- it looks and sounds stunning, and Keira Knightley is breathtakingly beautiful. I really liked Pride & Prejudice so I have high hopes for this one. The advance buzz has been good.

Also, my WIP shares many similar elements: love, loss, betrayal, devastation, friendship, etc. set against WWII. So I'm really looking forward to getting some inspiration from either the film or the book or both.

kellysarah · Dec 13, 2007

Atonement was a fantastic film. Haven't read the book, so can't comment on the transition but some of the cinematography was just breathtaking and the story telling amazing. The acting superb. Yeah, I just loved it!

BarbaraKE · Dec 13, 2007

Geez, I need to get out more. The only one of these movies I've seen is Ratatouille and I hated it. I turned it off halfway through.

Susan Breen · Dec 13, 2007

I loved No Country for Old Men. I felt like I was watching something I'd never seen before, and I loved that title. I was so inspired that I went out and read the poem by Yeats, and was completely confused by it. I also loved Atonement (the novel, not the movie). I love the way he shifts around the time periods; whenever I read something by him I just enjoy feeling as though he knows what he's doing. Has anyone seen Charlie Wilson's war?

SuperSmashProse · Dec 14, 2007

Your list is missing

Superbad
300
Live Free or Die Hard
American Gangster

Huge movies that were just awesome. I can't even begin to rank them.

III · Dec 14, 2007

300 was this year? Man, it seems like so long ago. I'd put 300 at the top of my list then.

Will Lavender · Dec 22, 2007

SuperSmashProse said:
Your list is missing

Superbad
300
Live Free or Die Hard
American Gangster

Huge movies that were just awesome. I can't even begin to rank them.

Loved Superbad, liked Live Free..., but I thought 300 was utterly terrible. This move toward filmic video games is a bit scary.

Anyway, the list has been updated as I've been doing some heavy movie-watchin' the last week.

No Country for Old Men was an...interesting movie. Required viewing if only for its technical virtuosity. Not a masterpiece by any means, but it's a force of a movie, and Tommy Lee Jones gives another unbelievable performance.

Also saw Once. Not an American film, so again the thread title is misleading, but highly recommended.

Will Lavender · Dec 22, 2007

Still can't wait to see Juno. And Atonement. And Charlie Wilson's War. And even though it got mixed reviews, I definitely want to see Sunshine.

Oh, and I saw the trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood.

Looks amazing.

maestrowork · Dec 22, 2007

I would love to see There Will Be Blood. Not too interested in No Country for Old Men, to be honest. But if it gets nominated for Best Picture, I guess I will have to see it (I tend to make a point of seeing all Best Picture nominees every year).

Shady Lane · Dec 22, 2007

Still waiting to see Juno, and I'm 99% sure that will break into my top ten, but until then,in no order:

Sweeney Todd
Knocked Up
Into The Wild
Superbad
Once (good enough to be here even though it's not American, just like Will said.)
Across the Universe
Zodiac

...I don't think I've seen enough movies to make it all the way to 10...

childeroland · Dec 22, 2007

What did you hate about it?

BarbaraKE said:
Geez, I need to get out more. The only one of these movies I've seen is Ratatouille and I hated it. I turned it off halfway through.

kellysarah · Dec 22, 2007

Oh, Sunshine is superb! Great shots, the acting is spot on and the story is amazing!

Will Lavender · Dec 22, 2007

childeroland said:
What did you hate about it?

Curious about that myself.

I thought it was absolutely brilliant. Pixar's best movie, perhaps, and that's saying a whole lot.

Here's an interesting discussion on Ratatouille's chance at getting a Best Picture Oscar nomination. I think it deserves one; it might even deserve to win.

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