wow - i am SO behind. before i list my top movies for 2007 here are some capsule ratings of movies i've seen in the theater the last couple months.
Into The Wild (B) - i liked this a lot, more than i expected. i put off seeing it because it didn't sound like something i would be interested in but actually it was very involving. i don't think the movie really makes him out to be a hero, he's just an unfortunate guy who screws up. cinematography was beautiful. loved the music. great supporting performances.
Wristcutters: A Love Story (B) - very original and different from anything else i saw this year (which is good)! incidentally, i have a black hole under the front seat of my car too.
Lars And The Real Girl (B) - very different kind of movie than you'd think from the premise. very heartwarming and sweet. unbelievable toward the end but still worth seeing.
Martian Child (D+) - poor screenplay that jerks the audience around. tries to be funny/quirky and fails miserably (i'm the only one i know who didn't like it, however, and everybody else around me was crying at the end - go figure).
Dan In Real Life (C) - i know a lot of people liked this movie but i didn't much! the family was so strange with all their "activities" and i thought the slapstick parts were not funny. i liked the actors but not the writing.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (B-) - i know, it's not historically correct, but i just loved watching Cate Blanchett and all the extravagant sets and costumes, not to mention Clive Owen.
Ira And Abby (C+) - funny but ultimately somewhat forgettable.
The Darjeeling Limited (A) - i know this has gotten mixed reviews but i absolutely loved it. as soon as i saw Adrien Brody's long legs running in slow motion for the train i just knew that it was going to be a great movie. i like all of Wes Anderson's movies but this is now my favorite. my favorite scene: the three brothers are meditating with their mother when they conjure up a train-full of people, memories, and animals. not just quirky and funny but also moving and insightful.
Bella (B-) - this is somewhat of a food movie, which part i liked. i also liked the performances but the story was not very coherent and there were some stereotypes that detracted. i was the only one in the theater and what i remember most is that i had to go find the projectionist as the movie was out of frame and i couldn't read the subtitles.
August Rush (B-) - this movie was so weird, how could i not be sucked in. i did like the music and acting but the story was pure fairy tale or maybe science fiction, with alien-like people who communicated by music tones and read each other's thoughts with no need to speak. completely over-the-top corny and almost constantly improbable (including a black church that seemed to house homeless people and also had a gigantic cathedral pipe organ).
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (A) - this was so wonderful! i still think about it. it's not what i thought it would be at all from the previews. it was dream-like yet seemed so authentic. i felt almost like a time-traveler. i could see how people lived and things really looked back then, with scenes like pictures from a history book. it would have been the absolute perfect movie if there were completely unknown actors. everybody was so familiar - from other movies, TV shows, and just being famous i guess. anyway, i'm really looking forward to reading the book it was based on.
No Country For Old Men (B+) - this movie was a puzzle, to me anyway, and i don't think i'm the only one. maybe it's not supposed to be understood so easily. after reading comments about it from others i know i really need to see it again! great performances, especially Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones. i liked that it was such a quiet movie but that amplified every noise and whisper in the theater, mostly the people behind us who commented out loud about everything (they didn't like it). i'm notoriously squeamish but it wasn't that scary (to look at anyway)!
The Bible Tells Me So (A) - not perfect by any means but one of my favorite documentaries this or any other year. the stories of these families are completely engaging and by the end when everything comes together it is really moving. i wish more people could see it.
White Christmas (B) - it was fun seeing this on the big screen. i forgot how much fun Danny Kaye can be.
Enchanted (C+) - this was OK up until the end, when things got a little big and strange. i hope this leads to people who like Amy Adams watching Junebug (and that there's not a sequel).
Gone Baby Gone (B-) - everything about this was great except the story. the story was so improbable that it undermined the rest of the movie for me. and yes, Amy Ryan is fabulous.
Michael Clayton (A-) - i'm not much of a thriller person but i really enjoyed this. great character development and story. the music was somewhat intrusive but otherwise i loved it.
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (D) - i'm sure this is a masterpiece and one of the best movies of the year but it was so depressing and so soul-sucking that i couldn't wait for it to end!
Atonement (C) - this was such a huge disappointment. it's gotten awards and nominations, critics love it, and i was all ready to be caught up in the story and suffer along with these young lovers (just like The English Patient everybody said, which i love), but i felt - nothing! i kept waiting for something and then it was over. it was beautiful but all on "the surface," with no heart or whatever that special something is that makes you care. i haven't read the book but it must be better than this!
Starting Out In The Evening (A) - great underrated and understated movie that deserves more recognition. i really cared about these people. i loved seeing Lili Taylor portray someone other than a whacko and look actually beautiful doing it. Frank Langella was so great and the ending was just about the most perfect ending of any movie this year.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (C) - about what i expected, with uneven funniness (i did like the Beatles).
Margot At The Wedding (A-) - this has also gotten mixed reviews but i really liked it. Jennifer Jason Leigh is one of my favorite actors and i wish she worked more. the trailer (once again) makes it look more like a comedy than it is. very knowing about complicated family relationships and that family stuff you can't even put into words!