Here are some of the well-remembered films of 2007: Mr. Bean's Holiday, Sweeney Todd, Atonement... well, yeah, that's pretty much it. There's a Bourne sequel in there somewhere. As always, ranked more or less in order from greatest to least, with a good balance of the good, bad, and mediocre. Enjoy.
Persepolis
Director: Marjane Satrapi
Starring: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve
Release Date: December 25, 2007
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rating: 4/5
I saw Persepolis around the same time I was watching Waltz with Bashir- and considering that both are indie art-house adult animated films from the Middle East, it's easy to see Persepolis as Waltz with Bashir's spiritual older sister. Except where Waltz with Bashir was dark, stunning, and revelatory, Persepolis just winds up being more... just interesting. Co-directed by Marjane Satrapi (author of the graphic novel the film is based on), the whole movie turns out as something not unlike an autobiographical drama. It's hard, when writing about one's own history in an environment as tumultuous as Iran, to walk the fine line between the personal and the political. And yet Persepolis manages to do this incredibly well, relating the events of the revolution through the anecdotes presented to the young Marjane by her relatives. Instead of seeing the atrocities of war first-hand, we see them through the innocent eyes of an eleven-year old, and we're allowed to triumph in the story of a family living in a constant state of resistance against cultural oppression. Marjane finds great opportunity for creativity within the film's art style, resulting in some oddly humorous moments which are both surprising and refreshing in a film about depression and paranoia. Up front, Persepolis may look like one of those films that tackles such poignant and relevant food for thought that you simply can't miss it. I don't think that's the case. But, if you happen to have an interest in it, by all means. It's a pleasant and enlightening window into Arabian society, and a film that can achieve that with this kind of familiar tone is a rare one indeed.
Director: Steve Bendelack
Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Max Baldry, Emma de Caunes
Release Date: March 30, 2007
Running Time: 85 minutes
Rating: 4/5
Mr. Bean's Holiday is one of those films which absolutely shocked me when I compared how bad its critical reviews were as compared to how good it actually was. It currently holds... I think a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes? And yet it's probably among the funniest comedies of the decade, in my opinion. Good slapstick is a declining art form, and even the good comedies of the present day seem to be more focused towards dry humor. Mr. Bean's Holiday takes us all the way to the other end of the comedic spectrum with virtually no spoken words at all, and a main character who is constantly avoiding having to actually speak. The film's Tati influences are evident all over the place, especially considering the film straight-up borrows its title from the film about Tati's character Hulot's famous holiday. But if I had to say why I think people might have been initially averse to the film, and, I suppose, why I'm not as averse to it- I'd probably say that it's because this film was my introduction to Rowan Atkinson's "Mr. Bean" character. Most older audiences were probably more familiar with the Bean of the television show- and believe me, they are two different characters. The Bean of the show is somewhat mean-spirited, unconcerned about the consequences of his actions, and very self-centered. The Bean of the movie is more... well, more like a clumsy good-natured guy, more like a Chaplin or a Tati. Looking back at both the film and the TV series, the mean-spirited near-sighted Bean is still present within the Holiday, with the difference becoming more and more apparent towards the film's end: this is a Mr. Bean that changes. And you know what? That's necessary if you're going to put this kind of character in a movie. Rather than deciding to be one long TV show, the film throws Mr. Bean into a situation where he is required to help a child reunite with his father. There's an emotional impetus, a level of heart and of sappiness that increases the film's potential appeal for audiences- and you know what? It works. I'm still finding fans of this film everywhere who feel like it's been done an injustice, as well. And as for the humor? Let's just say juvenile gross-out jokes have never felt so good.
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
Release Date: December 21, 2007
Running Time: 116 minutes
Rating: 3.5/5
Tim Burton is always a pleasure, and out of all the Burton films Sweeney Todd is most definitely one of the Burtoniest. Outlandish costumes, extensive makeup, a gothic color palette, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter- yep, all of the ingredients seem to be in order. And though certainly nowhere near one of his greatest masterpieces, Sweeney Todd remains a delight. For goodness sakes, it takes place in the most dismal-looking Victorian London you've ever seen, and it's a flippin' musical. Are the songs memorable? Who cares? Once you get wrapped up in the film, every song is a toe tapper- and with a story as darkly comic like this, the grimmest moments are the most sumptuous, as the urban legend of the barber who slashed the throats of his patrons is transformed into a full-fledged epic. Viewers shift and dart through the crooked scenery and the twisted histories of the characters alike: seeing customers munch down on pies made from those murdered by Mr. Todd is pretty funny, but don't let that fool you, this story is most definitely a tragedy. In fact, if this film did have one flaw (and it would be a major one) it would be the level of sadness that this film is saturated in that utterly tips the scales and destroy's this film's chance at achieving dark comedy. Perhaps if there is comedy, it is in Burton's self-parody, as the caricatured exaggerations of his usual aesthetic as we see here may just as well be a satire as an attempt at the real thing. Regardless, Sweeney Todd is a deliciously dark film filled with ghosts, monsters, and maniacs which will have people coming for laughs and scares and leaving in tears.
Director: Joe Wright
Starring: James McAvoy, Kiera Knightley, Saoirse Ronan
Release Date: September 7, 2007
Running Time: 123 minutes
Rating: 3.5/5
Atonement uses Joe Wright's lush visual style to capture a subject matter that is all too familiar to him: the period drama. Old dresses, English countryside houses, tragic battle scenes, beautiful natural scenery- yep, here we go again. Nowhere near as contrived as, say, Anna Karenina, it tries to adopt a more muted approach only to let itself go in the form of long takes, slow motion, flashbacks, etc. Its story is one of passion: passion of love, passion of loss, passion of jealousy, and passion of insatiable regret. Young lovers are torn apart by a young girl's mistake, and to be reunited, they must journey across land and sea, sacrificing everything while the one responsible for their pain must struggle to find atonement. If one thing strikes me particularly, it's that Atonement is one of the few romantic comedies that I've seen with a twist ending (and no, (500) Days of Summer doesn't count). But is it a good twist ending? Frankly, no. It's a frustrating twist ending. One that says "yes, you wasted your time watching this, because none of it mattered". Which is more disappointing than usual because so much of the film was frustrating up to that point: we're watching a stupid person make a stupid decision and suffer terrible terrible consequences for the rest of the whole entire movie. The story painted here is one of the greatest tearjerkers I've ever witnessed, but I mean that only in that it is great at evoking the tears, not that it is great apart from that. Aside from this, it's a beautiful and well-constructed film that is otherwise just lacking in a good ending- again, I'd hate to pick on a film for something so minor as that, but in a film like Atonement, something so minor as that could be the defining element of the film- and it is.
Director: Steve Anderson
Starring: Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Steve Anderson
Release Date: March 30, 2007
Running Time: 94 minutes
Rating: 3.5/5
Meet the Robinsons is one of those films that has so many good things going for it: imagination, great animation, great visual design, memorable characters, funny jokes, emotional moments... and yet it falls apart in some way and just winds up coming out as kind of an awkward experience. I mean, all in all, it's pretty decent. But that's just it: it's decent. Let's just start from the beginning- we've got this kid Lewis, who lives in an orphanage because, well, orphans make very good plot material. His future is sabotaged by a guy in a bowler hat out for some sort of vengeance, and so Wilbur Robinson must sweep in from the future to save the day. And hence Lewis is swept off into the future on a wild adventure to save the world, and this is how he meets... the Robinsons, a family with an insane amount of wacky relatives on either side of the tree. The film manages to be so engaging and interesting in the way that it unpacks the twists and turns of the plot, and yet between the crazy characters and the gorgeous future, something about it just doesn't seem to add up. And I don't mean that it's too complicated to understand- I mean it seems like a recipe that's a few ingredients short. It's got some good emotional material, a good message, and a constant feeling of wonder about it. There's even a lot of good jokes all through it. But nothing is really coherent- we kind of go from one thing to another in a tense state of mood whiplash, we never really know why we're looking at one scene or one character at a certain time, and while it will probably be entertaining for kids, a lot of adults will probably look back on it thinking about how many plot loopholes could have been avoided. It's got its ups and downs, I guess, but even in spite of being disorienting in the middle, Meet the Robinsons is sure to satisfy the need for an entertaining family-friendly animated adventure film, and there's a lot that's clever about it that will surely leave kids look back on it years later with fond memories.
Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Albert Finney, Joan Allen
Release Date: August 3, 2007
Running Time: 115 minutes
Rating: 3.5/5
I'm not as much a fan of the Bourne sequels as some people are- to be honest, I kind of thought the first film was enough- I mean, what with everything that happened in the second film and all. But The Bourne Ultimatum isn't actually that bad- in fact, it's actually kind of impressive, how it manages to atone for the actions of the second film and provide some solid chases and thrills to bring us back around to where it all started- and granted, it could have been a little more climactic, but hey, it's not like this is The Dark Knight trilogy or anything. We're not really building up to anything... we're not really waiting for Bourne's story to end, we're just waiting for it to be continued. And this is a pretty good continuation of it, tying Bourne together with his old love Nikki- and yes, I know Marie was better- but it's interesting seeing their relationship play out, especially with the tragic reminder that Nikki has had to watch the man that she was in love with completely forget who she is and his love for her. We're also shown why Bourne can't sleep at night, and his possible escape from the endless cycle of pursuit and vengeance. And on top of that, there's one of the best chase scenes you'll ever see in any movie ever- filmed with beautiful chaos on the rooftops of Morocco. If you've seen the second film in the trilogy and have called it quits, I'd recommend giving this final chapter a chance... well, if it is indeed the final chapter.
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren, Ed Harris
Release Date: December 21, 2007
Running Time: 124 minutes
Rating: 3/5
Now personally, I actually remember liking National Treasure: Book of Secrets better than the actual first National Treasure-- and this, of course, was way back before my undying love for Nicolas Cage as an actor. This was all the way back- sixth grade, maybe- when I actually was able to take the National Treasure films seriously. Well, I mean, about as seriously as you can take them. Looking back, I don't think I could watch any of them without thinking to myself how ridiculous every aspect of the premise is. But once you get past all of the stupidity of there being secrets and codes in everything and just suspend disbelief, they're pretty entertaining films- this one, I can remember very little about, and yet I can still hang on to the fact that I was on the edge of my seat. The discovery revealed at the end of this film is far greater than the discovery at the end of the first one, and unlike your good old Indiana Jones film, you actually get to keep the treasure once you find it. Here, they not only try to disprove rumors surrounding the main character's ancestor and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, but they also hack into traffic cams, go to England, jump off of things, slide down things- wow, geez, I really don't remember a lot about this film- well, the main gist is that they're actually looking for Eldorado. Yeah, the lost city of gold. And you'll never in your flipping life believe where they hid it. I suppose I enjoyed this one better because they weren't actually stealing the Declaration of Independence and so in a way there was less of a stress on my nerves while watching this one, but believe me, they certainly find a way to squeeze into a lot of tight spots here as well. In the end, it's really no better than the first film, but it's also not really any worse, which is really saying something for an action-adventure movie sequel. And Nick Cage, as always, is golden.
Director: Zach Helm
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, Zach Mills
Release Date: November 16, 2007
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rating: 3/5
Oh wow. Yeah, I'm going to have a hard time justifying giving Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium the three stars that designate it as a "decent" film, even if it is only a "barely decent" movie. This movie is sad- it straight-up throws death and old age in your face, bad things happen for no apparent reason at all and just start messing things up. There are magical rules that are thrown in that seem to have no justification at all. We don't know why or how the old man is connected to the toy store or what the heck is going on most of the time. And yet from pretty much every side, this is such a fascinating film to watch. The characters are lovable and easy to empathize with, and the story has a very genuine pathos about it. Maybe the reason that there's no explicit reasons for everything that's going on is because there's no explicit reasons for the bad stuff that happens to us in regular life- the only solution is to accept things passively like the sage-like Mr. Magorium. The message about finding the little joys in life may be soaked in a detestable whimsy, but there's something tangible there- and Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman in the center here just work more magic than any of the toys in the store itself. Final consensus? Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is messy. Did I like it when I first saw it? No, I don't think so. But will I see it again? Probably. It's not a really good one, but it doesn't really deserve to be put down either- it legitimately tries to do something good, there's a solid vision in it with a heart, and it shows in many places throughout the film- and hopefully, some members of the audience were reached.
Director: Todd Holland
Starring: Josh Hutcherson
Release Date: April 4, 2007
Running Time: 111 minutes
Rating: 1.5/5
Ugh- here's a film that makes me nauseous just thinking about it. I mean, look at it! There's a dog wearing sunglasses on the freaking cover! You know that it's just going to be so agonizing. But of course, it's a five-dollar grocery store family friendly comedy, so of course I wound up seeing it in one way or another- perhaps a pernicious relative placed this under the Christmas tree in a double package with Because of Winn Dixie (if this is actually how the film got to me, I apologize for remembering it with such coincidental accuracy and I apologize for calling you pernicious- but seriously, Firehouse Dog? Do you seriously think eleven year old me had such low standards?). Furthermore, I don't like movies about animals. And the second worst kind of movie about animals is the dog movie. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Firehouse Dog is the reason I don't like dog movies. I suppose that on the bright side, Josh Hutcherson is probably more embarrassed that he was in this movie that I was that I saw it. Oh, never mind, he got paid for it, that's right. I mean, this film has a plot- okay, and for that I'll give it something. Solid three-act structure, glad they learned that in Screenwriting 101. But the one lesson that they forgot to learn is DON'T MAKE YOUR MOVIE ABOUT A DOG CELEBRITY WHO FALLS OUT OF A PLANE AND INTO A TRUCK FULL OF TOMATOES AND MYSTERIOUSLY SURVIVES THAT AND WINDS UP BECOMING SOME KID'S PET. Seriously. Fortunately, it's not a movie about a dog celebrity being a dog celebrity. But even that five minutes of these people stooping to give this dog a spa treatment is painful. Not to mention every little thing in the middle of the movie- like, they've got this interesting subplot going on with a series of rigged arsons, and how in the end, they have to save the firehouse, but for goodness sakes, there's so much cheesiness and forced family marketing kitsch packed into so little space. This movie is a soulless grab for money, and it's hard to envision anything that's more of a soulless grab for money...
Director: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Steve Carrell, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman
Release Date: June 22, 2007
Running Time: 96 minutes
Rating: 0.5/5
...except OH GOOD LORD NOT THIS. No. No. No, no, and no. Bruce Almighty was... well, alright. Not the kind of movie that needed a sequel or a spin-off or really anything. It operated on a single, non-repeatable premise... until someone came up with the "genius" idea of instead of giving a character the powers of God, giving that character the responsibility of Noah and making animals come to his house and making there be a flood and... oh please, oh please, no. Someone mentioned to me recently how they enjoyed Evan Almighty more than they enjoyed Bruce Almighty because they thought it funny how the anticlimactic ending was... anticlimactic. It was funny because it was pointless. And yes, there are some movies where that can work, but this is not one of them. It's okay to be pointless except when a supposedly Almighty creator is telling the character to do the pointless action- when the orchestrator of all things going on in the universe interferes with normal life to derail it for no reason. Yeah, and it sounds even worse when you try to say that God in this movie was doing it to give humans an environmental message or to maybe help the main character learn some kind of lesson. This is incredibly shameful considering that the film was successfully marketed towards Christian audiences who passively accepted it and also that the entire project was mounted by a Christian director. It's bad enough that Tom Shadyac has some sketchy theology, but that the religious demographic is so easy to sell garbage to is kind of disappointing... of course, I mean disappointing because it's not surprising. This is a film that isn't badly written because it's mistaken per se, but more because it's lazy. This is more and more evident when you look at the remarkably unfunny comedy in the middle of the film- oh look, contrived and whimsical events are happening to this one guy. How funny. This is nothing more than a money-guzzling sequel, empty in mind and body- simply one of the worst and most infuriating films I've ever seen.
-Julian Rhodes
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