Some of the things we learned in 2007: No one wants to see political movies like Rendition and Lions for Lambs; the lower the budget, the better Steve Carell is (see Evan Almighty vs. Dan in Real Life); and John Travolta performs better in drag (Hairspray) than in men’s clothes. While we certainly learned other things too, the truth is, 2007 had a normal share of disappointing blockbuster hits (Spider-Man 3) mixed with unexpected delights (Knocked Up), making it a strong, yet unremarkable, year at the multiplex.

From the hundreds of movies released this year, these 10 were the best of all.

10. Transformers

Awesome — just plain awesome! Awesome visual effects, action scenes and energy. It’s about as perfect a Michael Bay (Armageddon) movie as we can expect, and was easily the best action movie of the year. Available on DVD.

9. Waitress

The late Adrienne Shelly’s film had a down-home southern charm mixed with a suffocating reality, and star Keri Russell (Felicity) made it all feel poignant and true. Not bad for a movie with no likable male characters. Available on DVD.

8. The Brave One

Is personal action against criminals justified when the legal system fails? Director Neil Jordan’s riveting film didn’t answer that question, but Jodie Foster’s powerful performance as a woman who carries a gun and uses it to protect herself gave us a lot to think about. No DVD release date has been set.

7. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Director Sidney Lumet’s (12 Angry Men, Network) latest classic tells the story of two brothers who rob their parents’ jewelry store only to have everything go horribly wrong. Note the way Lumet slowly built tension as the movie progressed toward the chaotic finale — it’s pure filmmaking at its best. Available on DVD in April.

6. The Namesake

A touching portrait of tradition and new beginnings, Mira Nair’s (Monsoon Wedding) film was honest and heartfelt, but never melodramatic. Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle) stars as a young man born in New York City with traditional Indian parents who asserts his individuality in spite of his family’s antiquated desires. Love and loyalty are painful burdens to bear in this beautiful film. Available on DVD.

5. The Mist

Director Frank Darabont’s take on Stephen King’s short story (he previously adapted King’s The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile) was a brilliant social commentary on how people act when pushed to extremes, and it had one of the cruelest endings you’ll ever see. This movie was haunting and, we fear, painfully true. No DVD release date has been set.

4. Juno

The indie comedy of the year. Newcomer Ellen Page plays Juno MacGuff, a high school junior who unwittingly becomes pregnant and plans to give the child to a wealthy, infertile couple played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. Page’s inspired, quirky performance is the type that earns Oscar nominations, and writer Diablo Cody’s sharp, cutting script was one of the year’s best. In theaters now.

3. Gone Baby Gone

For a while, Gone Baby Gone trotted along as an intriguing kidnapping mystery, but then ended with a moral dilemma that you don’t see coming, but certainly had people talking. Hollywood punching bag Ben Affleck directed the film wonderfully, and he gets great performances out of his brother Casey and Amy Ryan. No DVD release date has been set.

2. Stardust

No film this year made me feel better or more alive — or reinforced my love for movies — than Stardust, a delightful action-adventure picture that included a falling star, high-flying pirates, an evil Michelle Pfeiffer and a love story for the ages. This is bound to become a timeless classic to be enjoyed time and again. Available on DVD. 

1. There Will Be Blood

Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood is the type of masterpiece that film schools will analyze for years to come. Even if you don’t like the story — Daniel Day-Lewis plays an oil man who becomes more cantankerous and greedy with age — it’s hard not to appreciate the technical virtues of the cinematography, acting, musical score and pacing. There Will Be Blood is an absolute work of art. It opens in theaters nationwide in January.

Honorable Mentions

Knocked Up was one of the funniest movies of the year; Things We Lost in the Fire was a powerful film about dealing with loss and moving on; Christian Bale was fantastic in Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn; Don Cheadle gave two standout performances in Reign Over Me and Talk to Me; Beowulf impressively used 3-D animation to great effect; The Condemned was a brilliant action picture/satire on America’s obsession with reality programming; and Marion Cotillard’s performance in La Vie En Rose should win her an Oscar. 

The Worst Flicks of 2007 

By Dan Hudak

Wow, a lot of movies really sucked this year. Some were painful to watch, while others failed so miserably that you actually pitied everyone involved. Here’s a look at the worst of the worst in 2007, in no particular order, but with an escalating sense of resentment for wasting two hours of our lives.

Catch and Release

You knew this film — starring Jennifer Garner as a grieving almost-widow who moves in with her fiancé’s three best friends after he dies — was headed nowhere when Kevin Smith (yes, the writer/director of Clerks and Dogma, among others) — emerged as its lone acting highlight.

The Ex

Zach Braff tried to use his Scrubs charm for laughs, but neither he nor Jason Bateman gave us much to laugh at. In fact, Bateman’s character — who’s confined to a wheelchair — was downright insulting to handicapped people. Everyone involved in this movie should be ashamed of themselves.

I Think I Love My Wife

Chris Rock starred in I Think I Love My Wife. I think I hated the unfunny, tired and predictable story.

David & Layla

This was a romantic comedy without romance or comedy. David is Jewish, Layla is Muslim, and they’re so concerned about what their families think that they never get to know one another.

The Reaping

Hilary Swank appeared in this Biblically silly, unnecessary exercise in cheap scares that’s as loyal to the story of the Ten Plagues as Judas was to Jesus. There hasn’t been a great religious thriller/horror movie since The Exorcist (1973), and it’s looking doubtful there will ever be one again.

Year of the Dog

Mike White’s Year of the Dog was so poorly and lazily made that it almost makes you hate dogs — or at least Mike White.

Eagle vs. Shark

Eagle vs. Shark featured unfunny, unlikable and unattractive characters falling in and out of love. This was a New Zealand import that never should’ve been allowed in the country. 

Rush Hour 3

Rush Hour 3 bombed at the box office, and rightfully so. Chris Tucker reportedly earned $20 million and a percentage of the gross to appear in the film. With any luck it’ll be the loudmouth comedian’s last.

The Brothers Solomon

Saturday Night Live stars Will Arnett and Will Forte played socially inept brothers who believe having a child will keep their comatose father alive. It felt like — and let’s face it, it was — a bad SNL skit stretched over 90 minutes.

Mr. Woodcock

Billy Bob Thornton played his unfunniest jerk yet, starring as a bullying gym teacher opposite Susan Sarandon and Seann William Scott. Come on, Susan — you’re better than this.

Martian Child

John Cusack made the worst movie of his career, in which he played a widowed father who adopts a child who believes he’s from Mars. Kid, go to Mars already, and stop creeping us out.

The Perfect Holiday

This film, currently in theaters, is the perfect diversion for anyone wanting a terrible Christmas movie.

Atonement

The worst movie of the year, Atonement, is getting tremendous critical acclaim and recently earned seven Golden Globe nominations. Not only do the nominations demonstrate what an absolute joke the Globes are, they’re an indication of the pseudo-intellectual, period-piece garbage that often wins awards, even if it isn’t any good (remember The English Patient?). The movie lacks structure and focus, is slow-moving, uninteresting and deliberately misleading. Take my word for it and skip this Euro-trash.

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