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BOT: The Revisiting! The Top 25 of 2007 -- It's done! Best Film of 2007 has been revealed!

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Arlborn Global Phenomenon

Arlborn

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Wait, is Hot Fuzz in the top10? I see it hasn't shown up yet. I sure hope it is, that would be awesome.

 

 

Surely Once is as well? I'll be slightly annoyed if neither are.

 

 

Edit: Not #10, okay... 9 to go.

 

Edited by Arlborn
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grim22 Global Phenomenon

grim22

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#9

 

Spoiler

9. Juno

 

 

starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner
written by Diablo Cody
directed by Jason Reitman

 

IMDB synopsis: Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child.

Screenwriter Diablo Cody had been approached by producer Mason Novick to write a script based on Cody’s stripper memoir. But before taking on that project, he encouraged her to write a screenwriting sample to show studios. This sample became JUNO. The story was drawn from a variety of real-world experiences by adoptees and birth and adoptive parents, incorporated into a lot of autobiographical detail from Cody’s own high-school experience.

 

The movie first premiered at Telluride and had a tremendous reception. It played at multiple prestigious festivals around the world before finally getting a public release in December. Fox Searchlight did a classic platform release and the film caught on with audiences, managing to gross over 100m domestically, a tremendous accomplishment for such a modest, independent movie.

It was equally successful on the awards circuit, receiving widespread acclaim and landing multiple major Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay (which it won).

 

Tomatometer: 94%

 

Random critic comment: “That smart, hip, human comedy you've been waiting for all year? The one with dialogue like a sugar rush and performances like grace notes? It's called Juno and it just arrived in theaters. Go forth and multiplex.” — Ty Burr, Boston Globe

 

Random RTM comment: “I love Juno. It's a low-budget, humble little movie with a largely unsentimental script. Ellen Page was brilliant.” — Heretic

 

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grim22 Global Phenomenon

grim22

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#8

 

Spoiler

8. Gone Baby Gone

 


starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris
written by Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard, based on the novel by Dennis Lahane
directed by Ben Affleck

 

IMDB synopsis: Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.

Ben Affleck’s career was on the rocks. He had risen to sudden acclaim and stardom with GOOD WILL HUNTING, but in the early 2000s he appeared in a string of critical and box-office misfires, culminating in the tabloid-gossip nightmare of GIGLI with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. His career turnaround began modestly, with a supporting role in HOLLYWOODLAND, and he turned to directing as a chance to redefine himself. 

Affleck’s first effort was adapting GONE BABY GONE from Dennis Lahane’s crime novel He co-wrote the script with his childhood friend Aaron Stockard and cast his younger brother Casey in the project. The result was a low-key, modest production which opened to enthusiastic reviews and even raves, and it managed to get an Academy Award nomination for Amy Ryan. Affleck was able to use the success of GONE BABY GONE to launch himself into a career revitalization, going on to box-office and critical acclaim (and multiple Oscars) for ARGO, and he’s now a highly sought-after director and star.

 

Tomatometer: 94%

 

Random critic comment: “The strength of the film's subject matter and the intelligence and perceptiveness with which it is approached make this not merely an October diversion but a genuine Oscar contender.” — James Berardinelli, ReelViews
 
Random RTM comment: “Incredibly thought provoking and morally complex thriller that is loaded with frightening ideas and genuine moral repercussions.” — Cmasterclay

 

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grim22 Global Phenomenon

grim22

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#7

 

Spoiler

7. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

 


starring Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Mary-Louise Parker, Sam Rockwell
written and directed by Andrew Dominik, from the novel by Ron Hansen

 

IMDB synopsis: Robert Ford, who's idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.

 

Let’s get this out of the way at the very top: this is one of the most beautiful and visually stunning movies of the 21st century (indeed, one of the best ever). Cinematographer Roger Deakins has widespread acclaim for creating movie after movie of beautiful imagery without imitating himself, and he really outdoes himself here.

 

The story of the production is a bit more complicated and a classic case of a struggle between artists and businessmen over content. Director Andrew Dominik wanted to approach the material with style similar to Terrence Malick, and the studio (perhaps understandably) wanted more action and less contemplation. Multiple versions of the movie were worked on and tested — legendary Michael Kahn was also brought in for a few weeks to work on a version. Eventually, the film’s original editor, Dylan Tichenor, had to leave the production to go work on THERE WILL BE BLOOD, and editor Curtis Clayton was brought in to finish it. 

 

None of these various versions tested well, although audiences uniformly thought Pitt and Affleck gave career-best performances. The film was finally released in the fall, and flopped at the box-office, grossing only a few million. Critical reception at the time was positive although mixed, with some critics raving about it and others dismissing it. Nonetheless, it picked up a string of awards from critics’ groups (mainly for Affleck’s performance and Deakins’ cinematography), and it managed to get two Oscar nominations for those categories as well.

 

Regardless of its reception at the time, the movie’s status has grown over time. Many now consider it one of the best westerns in recent years.

 

Random bit of trivia: the frequent narration in the movie is actually the temp scratch track recorded by the assistant editor, Hugh Ross. Although it was always the plan to re-record the narration with another actor, Dominik liked the dry, matter-of-fact style so much they kept it as the final version.

 

Tomatometer: 76%

 

Random critic comment: “...an epic film that's part literary treatise, part mournful ballad, and completely a portrait of our world, as seen in a distant mirror.” — Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

 

Random RTM comment: “Beautifully shot, great score, and potentially one of the strongest displays of an acting ensemble I've ever seen. Pitt, Affleck, and Rockwell were magnificent. This is one of those films that really creeps up on you with its greatness.” — mattmav45

 

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Fancyarcher Global Phenomenon

Fancyarcher

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17 minutes ago, Arlborn said:

Wait, is Hot Fuzz in the top10? I see it hasn't shown up yet. I sure hope it is, that would be awesome.

 

 

Surely Once is as well? I'll be slightly annoyed if neither are.

 

 

Edit: Not #10, okay... 9 to go.

 

 

I'm 99% positive that Hot Fuzz is showing up on this list. 

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grim22 Global Phenomenon

grim22

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And finally, before I hand it back to @TelemAAchos for the top 5

 

#6

 

Spoiler

6. Hot Fuzz

 


starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
written by Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg
directed by Edgar Wright

 

IMDB synopsis: Exceptional London cop Nicholas Angel is involuntarily transferred to a quaint English village and paired with a witless new partner. While on the beat, Nicholas suspects a sinister conspiracy is afoot with the residents.

 

The second of the loose “Cornetto Trilogy” team-up of Wright, Pegg, and Frost, HOT FUZZ is a send-up of 80s and 90s action films. Wright wanted to do a cop movie because he felt there wasn’t any tradition of cop movies in the UK. He and Pegg spent eighteen months writing the script, and they watched over 130 cop movies to mine for ideas, dialogue and what could be parodied. 

 

The movie was a critical hit worldwide, and a solid hit in the UK at the box-office. It had more modest success around the world but still did quite well overall.

 

Tomatometer: 91%

 

Random critic comment: “What you get from Hot Fuzz is what you rarely see from Hollywood: Something genuinely smart and silly at the same time, a film and filmmakers that respect their characters, their audience and the genre at which they lovingly poke fun.” — David Germain, Associated Press

 

Random RTM comment: “My favorite Wright film, it just hits the nail on the head, perfectly done.” — Jay Hollywood

 

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Fancyarcher Global Phenomenon

Fancyarcher

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4 minutes ago, grim22 said:

And finally, before I hand it back to @TelemAAchos for the top 5

 

#6

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Speak of the devil. 

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Arlborn Global Phenomenon

Arlborn

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14 minutes ago, grim22 said:

And finally, before I hand it back to @TelemAAchos for the top 5

 

#6

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

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MrPink Global Phenomenon

MrPink

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1 minute ago, John Marston said:

don't know about 5 but thinking top 4 will be Zodiac, Ratatouille, Bourne Ultimatum, and No Country for Old Men

 

There Will Be Blood.

 

And there's your list

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Jake Gittes Global Phenomenon

Jake Gittes

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Rewatched Juno a couple times in the years since it came out and it really holds up better than you'd ever think it would. Glad the aggressive internet backlash seems to have mostly died out.

 

Sucks that Black Book is gonna be the American Honey of this list after all. 

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