Good Movies of 2007

The good movies of 2007 are comprised of uplifting chick flicks, tense thrillers, Westerns, and even a comedy starring Will Farrell. If you’ve got a special craving for a film released two years ago (it‘s not any stranger than someone wanting a Cleveland Steamer), then this is the list for you. Enjoy, and be sure to share your thoughts on either our movie forum or comments section.

Breach – Based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, an agent for the FBI who acted as a spy for Russia for over 20 years. Chris Cooper puts on a superb show as Hanssen, creating a character who goes to insane lengths just to feel clever and appreciated. Ryan Phillippe plays Eric O’Neill, Hanssen’s real-life assistant who helps bring him down. Tension-filled with plenty of strong performances.
Waitress – Prior to her death, Adrienne Shelly directed this vibrant picture about a small-town waitress trying to escape her tedious life and abusive husband. Keri Russell lends plenty of spunk (and great hair) to the lead character of Jenna, and Andy Griffith is predictably wonderful as her crusty employer who urges her to start anew. Also starring Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, and Jeremy Sisto.
Juno – Ellen Page is Juno MacGuff, a smartass 16-year-old who goes and gets herself knocked up by geeky pal Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Not ready to be a parent herself, she decides to give the child up for adoption, eventually settling on a couple played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. But the couple has problems of their own, and these play out while Juno and Paulie define the nature of their relationship. The sharp-tongued screenplay won an Oscar for writer Diablo Cody. Too bad she followed it up with Jennifer’s Body.
No Country for Old Men – The Coen Brothers abandon their usual zany characters and focus on ruthless hitmen, determined Texans, and a county sheriff who sees the world passing him by. Winner of Best Picture at the Oscars, it’s the Coen’s take on the passing of the American West, as men of honor are replaced by the amorality embodied in hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones star, and no list of good movie of 2007 would be complete without it.
Grindhouse – Mimicking the trashy double features of the ‘60s and ‘70s, Grindhouse is split into two films with a series of hilarious faux trailers dividing the two. First up is Planet Terror, an over-the-top zombie film directed by Robert Rodriguez (which features Rose McGowan as a one-legged former stripper who has a machine gun attached to her stump). The second feature is Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, starring Kurt Russell as a deranged stuntman who likes to prey on young women. And don’t miss the trailers, as they were contributed by such luminaries as Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright.
3:10 to Yuma – Russell Crowe stars as Ben Wade, a dangerous Old West outlaw who’s being escorted to a prison in Yuma, Arizona. Escorting him is Dan Evans (Christian Bale), a Civil War vet who desperately needs the reward money to save his family’s ranch. As they get closer to their destination, the two men bond, but Wade’s gang of killers are close behind. A well-received remake of the 1957 film starring Van Heflin and Glenn Ford. Bale is stoic as usual, but Crowe gets to show off plenty of charisma.
Sunshine – Before doing Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle directed this film starring Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, and Michelle Yeoh. In 2057, the Sun is dying, so the crew of the Icarus II undertake a risky mission to reignite it. Seven years prior, the Icarus I tried the same thing, but it was lost without a trace. As the group circles Mercury, they’re surprised to receive a distress signal from the original Icarus. They go to investigate, of course, but this only opens them up to madness and death. If you like sci-fi, you’ll find Sunshine to be refreshingly original.
Stardust – Adapted from the novel by Neil Gaiman, Stardust tells the tale of Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox), a young man who vows to retrieve a fallen star for the girl he loves. When he finds the star, however, he’s surprised to see that it’s taken on the form of a beautiful woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes). As he seeks to protect her from power-mad princes and witches, Tristan slowly comes to realize that Yvaine is the true love of his life. Great fairy-tale romance with Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Peter O’Toole, Ricky Gervais, and Sienne Miller in supporting roles.
1408 – John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, an author who investigates places which are supposed to be haunted. As the film begins, his search for proof of an afterlife has left him more than a tad disillusioned. Then he receives a postcard warning him to stay away from Room 1408 at The Dolphin Hotel in New York City. Amused, he calls for a reservation only to find that the hotel refuses to book the room. After some legal maneuvering, Mike gets the room he’s seeking, but he’s warned against it by the hotel’s manager (Samuel L. Jackson) who details the unusual number of deaths which have taken place in the room. Enslin is undaunted, and he heads off to the room and closes the door behind him. That’s when all hell breaks loose. Based on a short story by Stephen King.
Blades of Glory – Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Farrell) and Jimmy McElroy (Jon Heder) are a couple of champion skaters who find themselves banned from single’s competition following a nasty brawl at the award podium. Three years later, each man has hit rock bottom, but then it’s learned that the ban only applies to single’s competition. This leads the former enemies to combine forces as a same-sex team, something which doesn’t sit well with reigning pairs champions Stranz (Will Arnett) and Fairchild (Amy Poehler) van Waldenberg. A ton of real-life skaters appear in this whacked-out comedy, including Peggy Fleming, Nancy Kerrigan, Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, and Sasha Cohen. Will Farrell fans won’t be disappointed.

Now that you’ve endured this good movies of 2007 list, why not reward yourself by perusing the following:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 7:00 am and is filed under Good Movies, Thoughts on Film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.