My TOP TEN Favorite Movies of 2007

My TOP TEN Favorite Movies of 2007


Below is a list of my favorite movies of 2007. Mind you, this is not a list of movies that I believe are the best. Such a list would only be subjective anyway. So without further ado, here are my favorite movies of 2007:



1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" - the last of a trilogy featuring the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Many critics and some fans had bashed it. My only complaint was that the movie was not particularly clear about the curse surrounding Davy Jones. But in the end, I adored it, just as much as I adore the other two movies.




2. "American Gangster" - This epic crime drama told the story of Harlem drug lord, Frank Lucas and the New Jersey cop that finally captured him, Ritchie Roberts. Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie starred Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Not only do I love this movie, I think that it is criminal that it was overlooked by the Academy of Motion Pictures for nominations. Screw the Oscars! I still think it was one of the best movies of 2007.




3. "Hot Fuzz" - This British import, which is basically a spoof of American action movies, is without a doubt . . . one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Even after viewing it several times on DVD, I still found myself in stitches. Edgar Wright directed it. He and Simon Pegg co-wrote it. And Pegg, along with Nick Frost, co-starred in this tale of a talented London cop who stumbles across a series of murders in a small community that he has been transferred to. Comedy classic.




4. "Atonement" - Based upon Ian McEwan's 2001 novel, this epic tale of a love story destroyed by the misunderstandings and lies of a thirteen year-old child has managed to grab seven Oscar nominations. And quite frankly, I think it deserved those nominations. I never thought I would be impressed by the film, but Joe Wright's direction did McEwan's novel justice. The movie starred James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan and Vanessa Redgrave.




5. "Live Free or Die Hard" - I never thought this third sequel in the "DIE HARD" franchise would become a favorite of mine. Do not get me wrong. I had loved the past three movies. But twelve years had passed between the third and this fourth film. I thought that Bruce Willis was grasping for some last straw of box office success. I did not even want to see it. But I did and fell in love with this tale of John McClane and a computer programmer trying to prevent an act of technological terrorism. Justin Long co-starred.




6. "His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass" - Based upon the first of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy, this movie was not very popular with American moviegoers and critics. Many have complained that it differed greatly from Pullman's novel. After reading the novel, I have come to the conclusion that I disagree. Although there were some minor changes (to be expected in any movie adaptation of a novel), I thought that the movie's style and quality equally matched the novel. And newcomer Dakota Richards Blue as the story's protagonist did a superb job of carrying this tale of a young girl's adventure to save a close friend in an alternate universe. Due to the poor box office in the U.S. (the movie was a big hit overseas), there is no guarantee that the next two movies will become adapted. Too bad, because I would love to see the completion of this tale onscreen. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green and Sam Elliot co-star.




7. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" - This fifth installment of the "HARRY POTTER" franchise focuses upon Harry dealing with the aftermath of a Hogswwarts student in the previous film, a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and the villainous Lord Voldemort's influence upon his mind. This is a pretty dark film and it suits Harry's continuing foray into maturity. There were some aspects of the saga main's plot that were unfortunately left out in this film, but I still enjoyed it very much. The movie, directed by David Yates, starred Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Sir Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes and Imelda Stauton as the unforgivably sadistic Dolores Umbridge.




8. "National Treasure 2: The Book of Secrets" - Three years after "National Treasure", director Jon Turteltaub and Oscar winner Nicholas Cage once again proved that American History can be fun. This sequel centers around the Gates family's efforts to clear the name of a Civil War ancestor accused of being a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination. And the only way to clear the family name was to find an ancient treasure of gold. The movie proved to be just as entertaining as the first, although I was not that thrilled that the conclusion shifted to South Dakota . . . or that the final treasure did not exactly seem that impressive as the one in the first film. Cage co-starred with Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, Ed Harris and Helen Mirren.




9. "Spider-Man 3" - This third installment of the "SPIDER-MAN" franchise focused upon Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man)'s foray into the darker recesses of his own psyche, while he battled two villains - Venom and the Sandman - along with his former friend, Harry Osborn aka the New Goblin. Directed by Sam Rami (of course), this movie proved to be very emotional as Peter, Mary Jane and others deal with their private demons, revenge and redemption. Like I had said . . . very emotional film.




10. "Stardust" - This was another movie I had no intention of seeing. And it is another that I eventually fell in love with. This exciting, romantic and very funny fantasy centered around a Victorian young man's efforts to find a fallen star in an alternate world, unaware that he is being hunted by an evil prince and an even more evil witch. Based upon Neil Gaiman's novella, the movie starred Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfieffer.