The Best Movies of 2007!

Last Year I introduced my award, cleverly named "The Tiddies" (Pronounced Tid - dee's), from my last name Tidmore. This year I've had a change in websites and a change in blog titles and have decided to change the name of my awards, so I'm proud to present to you The Golden Straight Jackets:




Best Romance of the Year: Enchanted
A fun, cute film thats appropriate for all ages is hard to come by these days with R rated comedies being so successful. But Disney brought one to us this year that had heart and was fun for kids and adults. It was also the second (of 3) movie I saw this year that made me actually like James Marsden. (I've never been a fan of his, he made Cyclops a whiny punk in the X-Men films, and my bias probably kept me from liking him in Superman Returns, but between Hairspray, this, and 27 Dresses (Out Jan 18) I've discovered he's actually a talented actor and really enjoyed him this year)
The movie really belongs to Amy Adams though as the fairy tale princess thrust into the real world, who slowly realizes her perfect love, Prince Edward is not quite so perfect for her, as she spends time with Patrick Dempsey's Robert, a divorce lawyer.
It was a really fun, movie I think anyone can enjoy.

Most Suspenseful Movie of the Year: Disturbia
Shia LaBeouf became a household name this year, mainly because you couldn't turn around without bumping into one of his movies. Transformers, Surf's Up, and Distrubia. Next year he appears in Indy 4 and he's being groomed by Spielberg to be the next Tom Hanks, and he's gearing up to star as Yorick in the comic adaptation 'Y the Last Man'.
LaBeouf is one of my favorite actors to come along in a long time, and Disturbia was the best movie he was in this year, a re-telling of Rear Window, it's a genuinely suspenseful film, and scares without resorting to the gory, violent "torture porn" that most suspenseful movies try to be these days.
Best Sequel of the Year: The Bourne Ultimatum

Best Animated Feature of the Year: The Simpsons
A hilarious move from TV to Film. One of the funniest movies I saw this year, it made me cry laughing so hard. I can't wait it again on DVD.

Most Overlooked Movie of the Year: Stardust
Every few years a movie comes along that doesn't do well at the box office but slowly becomes a cult film. I think in time this will prove to be one of those films. A fun, fantasy film that evokes 'The Princess Bride'.
The movie has a stellar cast, a wonderful storyline, and like Enchanted is great for the whole family, I can't recommend it enough.

Best Action Flick of the Year: Hot Fuzz
There were a lot of great action movies this year from Live Free or Die Hard to the Bourne Ultimatum, but hands down the best was Hot Fuzz. From the wonderful team of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg the minds behind Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz takes all the action movies we love and turn them on their heads.
Hot Fuzz manages to be a comedy, a who-done-it, an action movie (with a hint of horror), and a parody of action movies at the same time. All the elements come together to make an amazing film thats fun to watch over and over again.
This was one of the movies I was looking most forward to in 2007 and it didn't disappoint.

I had 4 movies I really loved this year, and I couldn't decide which one was the best so my favorite movie of the year is actually 4 movies. Two of them technically came out last year (in limited release) but I saw them in January. My favorite movies of 2007 I divided up into Best Drama and Best Comedy because they were so different.

Best Release of 2006 I saw in 2007 (tie): Children of Men & Pan’s Labyrinth
Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth were fantastic movies. They were the first two movies I saw in 2007 and it was a great way to start a wonderful year at the movies. You can read my original thoughts on them both here.
If you haven't seen them yet rush out and buy them and see how good they both are.

Best Drama of the Year: No Country for Old Men
It's on almost everyone's top ten list of the year and I'm no different No Country For Old Men was the Best drama I saw this year. It's simply amazing. The Coen Brothers have had a few misses in the last few years, but this film proved that they still had it. Based on a book, which I have but have yet to read, NCFOM is the tale of Llwelyn Moss, a vietnam vet who stumbles on to a slew of dead bodies, bullet riddled pick-up trucks full of heroin, and a brief case filled with $2 million dollars. Llwelyn must then go on the run as Anton Chigurh, a brutal assassin is after him to get back the $2 Million. The local sheriff is also on his trail as he's found the heroin deal gone wrong.
What follows is about 2 hours of commanding performances from Tommy Lee Jones (Sheriff Ed Tom Bell), Javier Bardem (Chigurh), and Josh Brolin (Moss). All three men put forth amazing performances which should all win awards as they are some of the most powerful I've seen in a long while. But it's Brolin, in a long awaited comeback, who steals the show. Between this and American Gangster it was the year of Brolin and I foe one am glad he's back.
One I can't wait to own and watch again, it's a great, bloody, nailbiting movie.


Best Comedy of the Year: Juno
In a year of strong comedies (and strong comedies about pregnancy at that) this small independent film stole the show. This was the funniest movie of the year and the only movie which made me cry with laughter and then turn on the drama and make me cry from the emotion.
Juno is the story of Juno(Ellen Page), a 16 year old girl who gets impregnated by her best friend, Paulie Bleaker (the wonderful Michael Cera). After deciding against abortion she decides to give her baby up for adoption and finds what seems to be the perfect family in Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman.
Everyone gives fine performances in this film and the blend of comedy and drama work together nicely. And the soundtrack is great in helping set the quirky mood of the film.
A wonderful couple of hours, guaranteed to make you laugh and quite possibly cry. What are you waiting for, go see it.

Labels: best of 2007