10.,”In a few years, people will look back on 2007 as one of the best years in film ever. It is no exaggeration to say there are literally dozens of great films to choose from that could be listed as among the year's best. The 10 listed below are just a few.
1. "There Will Be Blood": Believe the hype. "Blood" is a towering achievement for its star Daniel Day-Lewis, who gives one of the most intense, astonishing performances of the decade. Director Paul Thomas Anderson has crafted an uncompromising and challenging look at American capitalism and greed. Its ending will alienate some, but it is note-perfect in illustrating the deterioration of Day-Lewis as a human being.
2. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford": Criminally overlooked, "Jesse James" is an elegant, brooding, thoughtful work of art, characteristics not normally associated with a typical Western. Every element is exquisitely executed, from its entrancing score, to its gorgeous cinematography and accomplished acting (particularly from Casey Affleck).
3. "Atonement": It's easy to get seduced by the beauty of "Atonement"—its pretty, photogenic stars, its lush costumes and production values, its expert five-minute tracking shot, or its tragic, star-crossed love story. But the real beauty of the film lies in its challenging themes (that of burgeoning adolescence and atoning for life's mistakes through art).
4. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly": Telling the story of former Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who dictated his memoirs by blinking his left eye after suffering a massive stroke, "The Diving Bell" is that rare combination of a simple story told through the hands of a masterful director (Julian Schnabel). Schnabel transforms the difficult story into something personal, visually imaginative and ultimately uplifting, a remarkable feat given the subject matter.
5. "No Country for Old Men": The praise for the Coen Brothers' latest film borders on hyperbole, but they've earned it. What seems like a simplistic cat-and-mouse story turns into something more profound in its divisive ending. And outside of Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood," Javier Bardem's performance is the scariest thing to grace theaters this, or any year.
6. "Ratatouille": More so than any other Pixar film, "Ratatouille" is aimed more toward adults. Lucky us. Its story of the joy that comes from creating is affecting, inspiring and life-affirming, all the more remarkable considering it stars an animated rat.
7. "Into the Wild": Sean Penn expertly adapted and directed the bestselling book by Jon Krakauer. "Wild" is a somber meditation on emotional disconnect with society at its most extreme, told through the eyes of Emile Hirsch's tremendous performance as the film's passionate but naive protagonist.
8. "Michael Clayton": Succeeding purely on a well-told, well-executed, morally ambiguous story, "Michael Clayton" features some of the best acting of the year from its principal leads George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton.
9. "Zodiac": David Fincher's "Zodiac" is more than the story about the pursuit of the infamous 1960s and 70s serial killer – it's a story about obsession, about how the need for answers can ultimately destroy a person.
10. "Control": Music video director Anton Corbijn's black-and-white film on Joy Division's lead singer Ian Curtis transcends the confines of the typical musical biopic by perceptively focusing on Curtis' internal struggles.
Honorable Mentions: "In the Valley of Elah," "Sweeney Todd," "Juno," "Once"
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