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THIS IS THE REAL SHIT: THE BEST FILMS OF 2007

Best of the year. Saw a lot of good stuff, I realized. I could probably pretty up this post a bit, but I’m just happy to get it up. I’m not waiting for There Will Be Blood. It may be a day away, but I can’t stretch this out anymore. If I like it as much as I think, I’ll let you know. Alright, here we go.

20) The Mist & El Orfanato (aka. The Orphanage)

He’s off to a lousy start, picking two movies!!! Fuck off, it was a really close tie on both of these. Nobody saw either of them and it’s a shame. Frank Darabont turned in the best "real" horror movie of 2007, though perhaps not in the way that is expected. The scariest things in The Mist are the people trapped inside the grocery store when a mysterious fog blankets the town. Their interactivity and quick descent into madness effects everyone so that the mist itself becomes a sort of "McGuffin." Though it is seen, it’s some force which is vaguely explained but could be the result of many things, and those things are what separates the crowd stuck inside. The monsters themselves that lurk in the mist are just spectacle, and they do their job alright, though some CGI in the first half is shoddy at best. Tom Jane is wonderful in his second Stephen King adaptation (the first being guiltiest of guilty pleasures Dreamcatcher), managing to become a reluctant hero and leader of this odd group of people, and his power struggle with Marcia Gay Harden’s religious zelot is totally tense. Harden’s is one of a few effective villains of 2007, and walks a line between hammy and brilliant for the entire piece. It’s certainly got its flaws, and its full of pacing issues through the mid-section, but with the ending single handedly redeems itself in my eyes for all of its wrong doings. The ending is maddeningly rough, unflinchingly bleak, and will likely alienate possible fans. It’s why I loved it. As for The Orphanage, it’s probably the most fun I’ve had being frightened since The Descent. While it may not be a traditional horror flick, per say, it’s certainly an old fashioned ghost story with some genuinely good spooks. Make a nice double feather with The Others. What it lacks in atmosphere it makes up for with a wonderful performance from Belen Rueda and a super little ending, though nowhere near as "kick in the nuts" as The Mist.

19) Waitress

I toyed with not including Waitress for a while before settling on throwing it in. I simply couldn’t resist the charms of the late Adrienne Shelly and Keri Russell, not to mention the hunkiest piece of Canadian that is Nathan Fillion. It’s deceptively a chick flick with a lot more to offer anybody willing to watch it. The script and Russell draw up a complex character with many levels happening at once, and to be honest I had no idea that Felicity had it in her. It’s a shame Shelley’s life was cut short because she may have found her calling – she’s just as adorable in the film as she crafts it.

18) Eastern Promises

It took me a few hours after Eastern Promises to decide if I liked it or not. It wasn’t what I was expecting for the reteaming of Viggo and David Chronenberg, and coming off the heels of A History of Violence were some mighty large, shock filled boots to fill. I still don’t know how I feel about it, but I’m sure that I liked the movie and Viggo. Obviously the one scene that everyone mentions is the bathhouse brawl, which I’m going to mention as well. It’s unavoidable, really. I saw bits and pieces of Viggo that I don’t want to see on ANYBODY, yet the whole scene is as intense as any fight scene can be. With no clothes there’s no safety and no armor, which is symbolic for the character at that moment. It’s brilliant. It’s more than a fight scene, really, it’s a character moment, and it’s Chronenberg’s ode to violence. It’s exactly what I expect from him. It’s the one scene I’m absolutely sure about.

17) Transformers

I know, I'm putting this on a BEST OF THE YEAR list. It's blowing my mind, too, but I genuinely enjoyed the hell out of it. My review earlier in the year stands. I felt like a kid watching Transformers, and it’s one of the most gratifying feelings for a film to absolutely deliver on what you paid for.

16) Bug

There is an air of discomfort surrounding Bug. I felt it in the theater, and the ten or so people in the theater with me didn’t know what they had seen. None of them liked it, as they vocalized on their way out. Plain and simple, these people were suckered by Lion’s Gate’s horror marketing of the film. "From the director of The Exorcist," say those trailers and posters. It neglects to mention that Friedkin has never MADE a horror film. The Exorcist is commonly referred to as scary, but my definition is different. Friedkin, The Exorcist, and Bug are all disturbing. Disturbing can classify as horror to some, sure, but both films adhere to making you uncomfortable for most of the running time instead of trying to spook you. Those people who walked out of the theater weren’t there for what was given to them. They complained that it was stupid. They are also idiots. Bug is terrifying in a paranoid, delusional way. You don’t know what’s real and what’s imaginary and what is being imagined by the characters. Is ANY of this happening? Are they on drugs? Does the ending really happen? None of your questions are answered, and by the end your head will likely be spinning. It’s a talky movie, and both Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon manage to define their characters very quickly. Both performances are absolutely brilliant and effective. Friedkin’s made some bad movies along the way, but this is certainly not one to be lumped in. It ranks up as his finest modern moment. Hopefully he won’t make us wait another ten years or so for discomfort.

15) Gau Ngao Gau (aka. Dog Bite Dog)

Chinese films, as a general rule, tackle violence in a different way than other countries do. Where some would show, China shies away. Even in Asia, other country’s films go where the Chinese won’t. Perhaps Dog Bites Dog isn’t really a great movie, but for sheer shock value throughout consider my jaw detached and on the ground. This is easily the bleakest and darkest thing I’ve seen out of China...well, ever. I recall hearing about the controversy surrounding it in its native country, which put it on my radar in the first place, and it doesn’t shy away from brutality one bit. The line between good and evil is never drawn, and it’s hard to determine if you’re rooting for the silent assassin or the insane, corrupt cop to come out on top. What it lacks in originality in storytelling it more than makes up for in the closing moments, which cements it as the darkest ending all year. Yes, even darker than The Mist. It’s not a good ending, either. Who cares, though? For a movie whose goal is obviously first and foremost to spark controversy, mission accomplished.

14) The Bourne Ultimatum

For both of Greengrass’ Borne movies (the only two that REALLY matter, though I suppose it would be necessity to see the first), I had to watch them twice in order to really appreciate them. On video is a bit better for all the shakey, hand held camera action that occurs. It’s better to soak in how big these action scenes really are. Ultimatum sure did wow a lot of people in the theater, and I was a bit underwhelmed by it. Not sure what I was expecting to see in the (maybe) final chapter of this saga, but I didn’t feel like what happened in any way wrapped up the storyline. After watching it again the other day I realize that I was mostly wrong. Expectations be damned, this is an entertaining ride from start to finish, and it never overstays its welcome. Matt Damon has certainly eclipsed all expectations that I ever had for him. Frankly, I have no idea what he can do besides these that are nearly as entertaining. That might be a problem for him, but it’s a blessing for us – we get two awesome movies.

13) The Kingdom

Totally misunderstood as some sort of political message, and one could perhaps blame the ending for trying to make a message (and an unconvincing one) for what is really just an action movie. It’s totally thrilling from start to finish, and I really have no idea why audiences didn’t carry this through word of mouth. I got to see it a few months early and was shouting my praises. It’s all of Peter Berg’s sensibilities (and the guy has good ones) matched with his mentor Michael Mann’s style. Berg’s The Rundown a few years ago was a surprise and a treat, and that was despite starring Sean William Scott! Here we get some hybrid of Friday Night Lights and Miami Vice, which I love both of. I realize some people had their problems with Vice, but they’re wrong. They’re similarly wrong about this one, and this doesn’t even take a detour into "romance-ville" that Miami Vice does. Ashraf Barhom and Jamie Foxx have a wonderful chemistry together, much like he did in Vice with Colin Ferrel. With what character, you ask? True, the movie is lean on development and charac1ter in general, which is intentional because you seem to know these people. They’re stereotypes but they’re all handled so well by a great cast that I didn’t seem to notice until afterthought. It doesn’t hinder the movie, either; it’s a thrill ride, really, leading up to an awesome . Peter Berg’s well on his way to owning the action genre, and I’ll be following.

12) The Lives of Others

I sat on this for a long time, and I don’t know why. It’s a slow movie that I had started at the wrong time. I recognized it was good, but I had no desire to keep going. All I had to do was another ten minutes and I was hooked. Its intensity makes the pace feel brief, and voyeurism particularly intrigues me (I’m on a Hitchcock and De Palma kick, naturally). Though this isn’t as much about watching the couple as much as it is about the psyche of the watcher himself. Ulrich Muhe is absolutely fantastic, and it’s tragic that he died just as people were starting to notice how good he was. He gives the character a necessary human core that becomes tragic as the film progresses. The ending seals the deal completely, not just for him but for the film itself. I cannot think of a better way to cap the story.

11) Hot Fuzz

I swear, early on in the year when this arrived, there was no way this wouldn’t be in my top five. The fact remains that this year ended up being so good that it didn’t even crack the top ten, though I still think this is a wonderful film. Every joke in its right place, and things that may not get me one time end up grabbing me another time through. Never do you get as much from a comedy, and what more could you ask for? How about Timothy Dalton? I had no clue I was begging for him to play a comedic villain, but apparently I was. In many ways Fuzz is superior to Shaun of the Dead - though will never eclipse it - as a straight forward comedy, but it doesn’t quite work on as many levels as Shaun does, nor does it deftly and expertly navigate between them. It doesn’t have to, though. It’s British comedians poking at American action films, and I love it. I can see people not enjoying it, or feeling a let down for Shaun. Especially those who have no desire for the American action film. Though three discs and $30 is a bit of overkill for the ultimate edition, I gladly paid it for their hilarious (and full) Fuzzball Rally feature where the boys travel across America screening the film for sold out crowds and doing press. It’s truly worth the price of the set itself.

10) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Fleet Of Barber Street

Despite starring Johnny Depp (who I can take or leave) AND Helena Bonham Carter (who I can just leave), I liked it. With a helmer like Tim Burton (who ten years ago I loved) coming off the heels of Charlie and the Chocolate Facotry, this is actually quite a nice change of pace. I don't mean that in any literal sense...it's still Burton. It’s the best Burton-Depp collaboration since Ed Wood, certainly, though there’s not much stiff competition there. I suppose Edward Scissorhands got a second life for me a few months ago when I discovered it wasn’t as boring as I had remembered. What was this about again? OH! Sweeney Todd. None of the music is memorable, yet all of it is good, and for most of the running time I was completely entertained. A lot of the acting is sing-song kinda stuff, and it works with this kind of story, and especially with this cast. Depp and Carter both sound good and make the best of the fact that neither of them are singers, really. This is a grim little musical, though it never lacks a comedic undertone from Burton. The chair that drops the deceased into the "grinding pit" got a sick laugh from the crowd each time it got use, and the geysers of blood are plentiful enough to get a smirk. I wasn’t expecting too much from yet another Burton-Depp team up as the last one was as underwhelming as it gets, but this actually surprised me in quality. Emotional but not overpowering, and sick enough to remind me of Burton's classics. I don’t think it’s a resurgence for either of them, and both have gotten quite stale for me, but THIS one works, and that’s all that matters.

09) Juno

I don’t buy into the backlash as much as some people might. There’s this undercurrent of hatred that always follows a success, and Juno is indeed a success. It’ll make at least $100 million before it gets out of theaters. I think this is a cute little movie written by a very, very lucky girl, and it has a wonderful Ellen Page performance, as well as great support work. Award winner? Doubt it, though Page and Diablo Cody’s script are deserving winners (certainly more deserving that Coppola’s "script" for Lost in Translation, haters). I’ve yet to give it a second shot, but I got to see this about two months early at the St. Louis International Film Festival when the buzz was still an infant, and I quite enjoyed it. I still do in afterthought, I’m just trying to wrap my head around it as an award winner. I had the same trouble with Little Miss Sunshine, and this shares a lot more in common than the studio. Fox Searchlight knows exactly how to garner buzz and build a movie, huh? Other studios could take notice. My main defense is that if it weren’t entertaining people wouldn’t talk about it and spread the word of mouth. It’s a funny script and it’s just quirky enough so as not to alienate the general public. It works for young AND old people, which is what Sunshine did, which is why it got nominated, and why this will too. The same people will hate on both of them. Fuck ‘em; It’s still a good movie.

08) Knocked Up

Ramp up that Apatow backlash, too, cause it’s coming! Walk Hard may have "hardly walked" (guffaw!) to success in terms of money or funny, but nobody seemed to notice. It’s no Drillbit Taylor. With two mega-hits under his belt for 2007 the guy can afford to have a few duds. After all, this is a guy who was prone to failure on TV before reaching success in film. Knocked Up is certainly the better of than Superbad, maybe because Apatow directed it, or maybe because it’s got Leslie Mann. Her and Paul Rudd manage to swoop every scene away from everyone else when they’re on screen. The balance of comedy and "drama" are much better than they were in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and certainly this movie has a lot more heart and soul to it than Superbad could ever hope (though friend-man love is something I know much about). Knocked Up wins the Apatow war, though it’s had less time in my DVD player than Superbad has. That just means I’m savoring it more, right?

07) Black Book

My favorite pervert Paul Verhoven hasn’t made a movie since The Hollow Man. It’s fairly forgettable more than awful, but it’s really hard to believe how I’ve functioned in a Verhoven-less world. I, for some fucking reason, didn’t go see this for the month or so it was in a theater here, and I’m kicking myself still that I couldn’t see how pretty this was on the big screen. Also, so I could hear the audience reactions to "the bath." He treats Carice van Houten much as he did with Sharon Stone or (to some extent) Elizabeth Berkley, as some revelation of beauty and grace. We know that probably all three of them in real life aren’t nearly as well lit and sexy, but we believe it because it comes from Paul. His images of violence still bother me, too. He may be the only director who can simultaneously make me laugh and flinch at sudden and surprising violent moments. I’m pretty desensitized to the point where violence doesn’t "bother" me. Verhoven still makes it do that, which is no easy feat. There’s just a shot of a man’s bullet wound in the back of his head which is of little importance, but he lingers on it. You can see INTO the wound. Disturbing to me. He’s still one of my very favorite directors, and this got me interested in seeing his early work that I (sadly) haven’t.

06) Zodiac

David Fincher does his own take on All the Presidents’ Men with one of the most bizarre cases in history. Well known cases, that is. I’m sure Astronaut bitch with that diaper probably trumps this in sheer "WTF" factor, but the case of the zodiac killer is a famously unsolved mystery. Fincher, like the characters in the film, became completely obsessed with the story, and his obsession is our gain. He forgot most of his fancy tricks and decided to focus on character and story. It’s the best thing he’s pumped out since Se7en, by far, and it marks a hugh leap forward in maturity for a director who seemed to have shot his creative load all over his first few projects. Bravo for reminding everyone that there’s still some talent in there, too.

05) The Great World Of Sound

Surprise! It’s a movie nobody’s heard of. Well, I’m sure somebody has, but it’s the only reason to get excited about independent cinema in America this year, and that alone means nobody has heard of it. Two talent scouts are paired up and sent out to find artists to sign to this record label. Trick is, they ask for money. Trick is, the artists get run around, and shaken down. The whole movie is a character study and delves into the heads of these two men. One seems to be more hesitant to rip these people off and the other is absolutely cut throat – them or him. Human nature, music, produced by David Gordon Green, and mostly improvisational? You KNOW I love this thing. It marches between being a comedy and a drama with lots of class, and feels enough like a documentary that every emotion or laugh is genuine. Pat Healy and Kene Holiday are two people with very, very bright futures in acting ahead of them. It totally had me captivated in the first few minutes due to those two, and it really never let go. I’m sure many people would be bored by this, but I don’t understand those people. This is a marvelous achievement of film with tremendous performances. See it.

04) The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford

Andrew Dominik has directed two vastly different films, with Chopper being his first, and may have already managed to blow any shot of making a better one to follow them up. This is virtually unheard of for directors, and the only person I can recall in recent memory who has done the same is Chan Wook-Park. Not bad company. Obviously, this is better than anything Chan has done yet, and is better than most films this year to boot. Casey Affleck stepped out in a big way that I don’t believe anyone saw coming. His Robert Ford is an unpleasant man to watch in numerous ways, but Affleck manages to make him enthralling and unescapable. While just about every supporting performance is noteworthy, Paul Schneider’s being the most, it’s hard not to pay attention to Jesse James himself. Brad Pitt has drawn reactions from many people as being miscast, but it’s among his very strongest work to date. He plays Jesse as a marked man who knows his time is drawing near. He’s a man who has accepted and is still fighting with his defeat at the same time. While it may be above his ability, Pitt got across completely what he was attempting to do, and his abilities in no way hinder what is a beautiful movie. The landscapes that are shot by Roger Deakins so wonderfully and the perfect musical accompanyment by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis play off of each other in a way no other film did this year. Warner buried this in theaters, and is attempting to do so with video as well. The DVD is coming sans...anything...including Dominik’s 4+ hour cut of the movie. Hopefully, we’ll get to see that one day. As is, it’s incredible, and Warner certainly should be treating it better.

03) Once

Earlier in the year, this was my choice for film of the year. This had my top spot locked down completely. Somewhere along the lines, that changed. I have no idea why, because Once is a beautiful, wonderful film. If Wong Kar-Wai made a musical, it’d probably be in Chinese...but would be remarkably like this. Nothing manages to hit me more emotionally each time I’ve seen it, and the soundtrack has been in my permanent playlist for the rest of the year, not to mention prompted me to nab all of The Frames albums. It’s a musical, yes, but not in any sense that we’re familiar with. There’s no dancing, and the music is organic. People don’t break into song suddenly, everything occurs naturally, and tells the feelings of the characters without them having to say it to you. Ingenious. While the music is half of the movie itself, the very real budding relationship between leads Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova is bittersweet like so much in real life, and their chemistry is something incredibly special to watch. Very rarely do we get to see two people falling in love with each other (and I don’t think we count Mr. And Mrs. Smith, do we?), but here it is for all to see in quasi-voyeuristic pleasure. The ending isn’t exactly optimal, but it’s the correct one. Fuck it – it’s the perfect one, and it’s perfect for this film – a bittersweet, sentimental without the schmaltzy, tribute to love and music in equal doses.

02) No Country For Old Men

While the Coen brothers may have made some fine films after Fargo, none of them had me remembering and celebrating their names again quite like this did. Call it fate or karma or whatever, but the Coen’s, like Stela, got their groove back. About ten years later. This is the most intense they’ve been since, though the easiest comparison is to their more grim efforts like Miller’s Crossing or more appropriately Blood Simple, which will still grab you by the throat. This is a flawless movie that fires on every cylinder when necessary, from dark comedy to terror and back to a sobering drama in an instant. Beyond their direction lies three incredible performances and amazing support. Josh Brolin in another movie would be truly remarkable. That's not to say he isn't remarkable in this one, but he's a bit outshined. Still, the fact that Brolin's even being mentioned is a mystery. His character barely speaks, and his eyes do all the talking he needs. Before this I couldn’t tell you anything Brolin was in besides The Goonies and Mimic because he’s just so generic. This year? Three performances I can remember in movies that are actually good. In a movie without the scariest assassin in Anton Chigurh, Brolin would stand out more. Unfortunately, his moments are quiet and he delivers his feelings more than he delivers dialogue. Also unfortunately, he has to compete with Javier Bardem. What Javier does in indescribable. He went and created an icon up there with his silly haircut and crazy eyes. What’s on the page, novel or script, can’t prepare you for Bardem’s killer instincts. He makes him as sexy as he is dangerous, and as funny as he is scary. Let’s not forget Tommy Lee Jones, who is often overlooked simply because the film is so stacked. His aging lawman with deputy in tow (recreating some of that Fargo magic, Texas style) create a outsider’s side-story that wraps the bookends the film and represents the soul. Jones is the core of the movie, and I believe the lead in a production and a story of which there is none. The theater was abuzz after the credits began to roll that the ending was unsatisfying. I challenge any of these fucking idiots to come up with a more fitting and descriptive ending. It’s in the title, for crissakes. If you don’t get it, it’s simply No Country (or movie) For Old Men. The Coen’s have announced that after 2008's Burn After Reading, they plan to tackle a brutally violent Western that they’ve written. 2009 has a slot open at the top for you, untitled western.

01) Grindhouse

The one film this year whose theater experience was an absolute treat. Those twenty people in the theater with me and two of my friends at the early bird show on opening day were treated to three hours of delivery on every expected level...except for one old guy, who promptly left after Planet Terror. What were the expected standards? Rodriguez used cheap film making tricks, and Tarantino gave you a lot of fun dialogue. But Grindhouse was so much more than that. It promised so much more than that. Rodriguez may have turned in the best intentional schlock film of all time, and Tarantino delivered not just one of the best car crashes ever, but also one of the best chase scenes in film history -- up there with dated The French Connection, and Friedkin’s 80s update To Live and Die in L.A., and John Frankenheimer’s mess-of-a-movie Ronin – and they were both sandwiched with three mini-masterpieces (each in their own way) of trailers for non-existing films. While No Country For Old Men is the best film of the year for me hands down, this is the most fun I’ve had watching anything in the past year, if not further. I prepared for Grindhouse, as you may remember, with a month of exploitation viewing. It was the perfect prep class to put me in a mindset for shit. Grindhouse, if you look at it, was destined for a cult status to begin with, and part of me is glad that it didn’t get popular and make boatloads for the Weinstein Company. Only then could girindhouse and schlock films be properly exploited the way they had hoped they could be. You know the Weinsteins were hoping for it, too. These grindhouse features were never popular films to begin with, and no homage to them should be any more popular. To do so would be a disservice to their predecessors. This is our movie, folks. From the film geeks to the film geeks, as a gift. The two movies and the trailers compliment each other so well that they feel naked and less impressive separately. I fear that the experience will never be as sweet. Sadly they’ve been Sister-ed for video, and sans trailers (outside of Rodriguez’s divine Machette), but a deluxe set is promised for 2008, and will hopefully do better than the promised Kill Bill set which has yet to arrive. But like so many of the movies that I saw in preparation for Grindhouse, things are never perfect. Their prints are tattered and washed, their soundtracks skips and pops, and they’re never as good as you would like them to be. Perhaps it’s a clever marketing scheme onto itself. Only at the Grindhouse.

Honorable Mentions:
Superbad -
There simply wasn’t any room for the movie that made me laugh the most this year. The film itself isn’t remarkable, and this year was far too good to include TWO Apatow productions (and Walk Hard had no shot). Regardless, hilarious. The cast is wonderful, and it’s so quotable that I discover new lines each time I see it. Also, maybe McLovin and Nikki Blonski can star ins omething together, for they will forever be known as their characters. Not that Nikki Blonski's in this. Don't go hunting or anything.
Gone Baby Gone -
True, we could say that people only saw this to see how Ben Affleck did as a director. What we got was a shot to see his little brother Casey strut his stuff for a second time this year, and a great supporting spot from Amy Ryan. Ben didn’t do so bad, either, and I expect his feet to grow quite firm with whatever he directs next. Oh! And the return of the great John Ahston! May Beverly Hills Cop 4 get underway with his involvement, please.
Mr. Brooks -
Part one of a series? Count me in. Costner kills Dane Cook. Costner dukes it out with Demi Moore in a cat and mouse game. Does it get better than this? It’s one of those movies that crosses the line from awful-to-great, a guilty pleasure film from the very start. Of course it bombed and enough people loathed it to ensure that only a Costner-funded sequel will happen, but it shall forever remain in my memory as a camp classic. It’s a bad movie, but I found myself enjoying the hell out of it.
Charlie Wilson’s War -
Philip Seymore Hoffman alone sold it for me, but why does Aaron Sorkin always have to deal with coke? I know he was (is) a serious cokehead, but come on, guy. There are people who DON’T do the stuff. A sharply written dramedy that’s limply directed at times though is never without its impact.
Joshua -
What looked to be a remake of The Omen turned out to be a much creepier exercise into madness. It’s a cerebral, psychological movie to The Omen’s ookey spookey. I don’t care for The Omen, but I did like this. Also, Dave Matthews sings the closing track. I know, you’re there already. Just skip the credits. I did.
Hostel Part II -
Maybe I’m the only one who liked this, but I believed it to be a superior sequel, and I cannot explain why. Fuck my life.
Ratatouille -
In another year! I truly did love this movie, and I believe that Pixar finally made a movie that may have entertained adults more than kids. I can’t see any kid truly feeling pulled into Brad Bird’s world of cooking, so all they get is the cute characters. There are plenty of those. There’s also a lovely, mature movie.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters -
Painfully stupid, just as I wanted it. My favorite adult swim show hits the big screen, and at least the results are funnier than The Simpsons Movie. Not that it was a challenge.
American Gangster -

I’ve gone both ways on this flick, and like most Ridley Scott films, I don’t feel any emotional attachment to it. A well made movie, a slow burner that hits you later, but emotionally hollow. Josh Brolin rocks, though.
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead -
In another year, top twenty material. Simply too stacked this year. Sidney Lumet’s gritty, petty crime film is a fine addition to his legacy of great crime films, and it boasts yet another utterly bleak ending.
The Boys’ and Girls’ Guide To Getting Down -
This is a gem that was discovered as a straight to DVD feature. It’s a mock how-to video mixed with a narrative for 20-somethings, and it hits on every stereotype and more of young party life. Marvel at how many of these people you have met, and how many of these situations you’ve been stuck in. Also marvel at how funny it is.

Other Stuff I Enjoyed:
Live Free Or Die Hard, The Brothers Solomon, Hot Rod, The TV Set, Daywatch, Fido, The Dead Girl, Red Road, Black Sheep, Hairspray, No End In Sight

And that’s all! I’ll start my large mystery list in the next few days. No promises.
-M