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Films of 2007
Inspired by other people doing something similar, I thought I'd summarise the films I've seen this year. It took me a while to remember them all, which shows how memorable some of them are...
The best film I saw at the cinema was "The Lives of Others", with honourable mentions to "Tell No One", Hot Fuzz", "The Last King of Scotland" and "Stardust". I saw 30 films, none of which were terrible and most of which were at least reasonably good so I'd say it was an OK year for films even if there weren't many genuinely great films released.
The best film I saw at the cinema was "The Lives of Others", with honourable mentions to "Tell No One", Hot Fuzz", "The Last King of Scotland" and "Stardust". I saw 30 films, none of which were terrible and most of which were at least reasonably good so I'd say it was an OK year for films even if there weren't many genuinely great films released.
The Last King of Scotland 8.5/10
A compelling story of James McAvoy’s naïve doctor becoming entangled in the plots of an insane, brutal dictator. McAvoy’s acting is good, and Forest Whittaker is superb as Idi Amin.
The Lives of Others 10/10
This powerful tale of an East German spy who begins to realise how immoral his work is during his surveillance of a playwright suspected of subversive activities and his actress girlfriend was definitely the best film I saw during the year. The acting (particularly the late Ulrich Mohe in the lead role), directing and writing are all excellent.
The Fountain 8/10
The Fountain’s often surreal plotting made it probably the most confusing film of the year, but although sometimes baffling it also had some beautiful scenes in it and by the end it did start to make a strange kind of sense.
Sunshine 8/10
Most of the film is a classic Science Fiction tale (albeit one with a few plot-holes) of a desperate space mission to save the Sun; unfortunately it all goes a bit wrong towards the end with first some clichéd horror then some baffling final scenes. The space scenes do feature some stunning special effects.
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 7/10
The third Pirates film is an entertaining finale despite the frequently weak plotting and unconvincing characterisation. It’s probably for the best if this is the last instalment, though.
Transformers 7.5/10
Despite the frankly moronic plotting and some occasionally confusing action scenes this was an extremely fun, if also extremely silly, action movie.
Die Hard 4.0 7/10
It claimed to be a Die Hard movie, but felt more like 24 : The Movie with Bruce Willis trying to be Jack Bauer. It was reasonably entertaining but not up to the standards of the original film.
Stardust 8/10
Stardust was a consistently entertaining fantasy movie with some good comedy scenes and a fun plot.
The Golden Compass 6/10
This had a potentially intriguing plot but ended up being a disappointing attempt at a fantasy epic that tried to shoehorn in a huge amount of plot into a short film and ended up seeming a bit incoherent. Although there were some good scenes and the lead actress was good, there are too many flaws (plot holes, poor battle scenes and underdone characterisation) to make this a good movie.
Spiderman 3 6/10
The third film in the Spiderman series tried to use too many villains and failed to use any of them particularly well. The scenes where Peter Parker is ‘possessed’ by Venom were particularly cringeworthy.
The Bourne Ultimatum 8/10
This wasn’t quite as good as the second Bourne film, but was still an excellent action film with a solidly entertaining plot.
Tales From Earthsea 7/10
This was a well-made, entertaining anime film but let down by the muddled plot and poor character development.
Beowulf 7/10
I really don’t like the animation technique used to digitally portray the actors in this, which is a shame because it is otherwise quite a good film despite a couple of overly silly scenes. Inevitably meddles with the classic story, but still tells an entertaining story.
The Number 23 6.5/10
Jim Carrey gives a good performance as the increasingly insane main character; unfortunately the ambitious plot doesn’t really go anywhere interesting.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 7/10
The HP films have been getting steadily better since the weak first two instalments and this time Daniel Radcliffe even shows some signs of actually being able to act. This is another reasonably good fantasy movie, although nothing particularly special.
Fantastic 4 : Rise of the Silver Surfer 6/10
This is yet another run-of-the-mill superhero movie. It is watchable and has a couple of nice action scenes with the Silver Surfer but there’s no depth and the film is ultimately unmemorable.
300 8/10
300 is a more successful attempt than Beowulf at using computer graphics to do most of the film. Despite the simplistic plotting it is very entertaining with some good action scenes.
American Gangster 7.5/10
A well-made, well-acted (particularly by Denzel Washington) gangster movie that unfortunately fails to tell a particularly compelling story.
Ocean’s Thirteen 7/10
Far better than the poor Ocean’s Twelve, this is an entertaining heist movie.
Ghost Rider 5/10
Ghost Rider is a dumbed-down, poorly-written superhero movie that is vaguely entertaining but utterly mediocre.
Shooter 7/10
A competent conspiracy thriller/action movie that seems to be trying to copy the success of the Bourne movies, but falls a bit short despite being a reasonably entertaining film.
30 Days of Night 7/10
A vampire film about an attack on a darkness-shrouded Alaskan town that manages to be quite a good atmospheric horror/monster movie, but is let down by the poor scripting and gaping plot holes.
Michael Clayton 8/10
Some good acting and writing lifts the superficially unimaginative can’t-believe-it’s-not-John-Grisham plot into being a good, entertaining legal thriller.
Fracture 7.5/10
Like Michael Clayton, the best thing about this legal thriller is the acting. The initial premise is intriguing but some pointless subplots and a slightly anticlimactic ending do let the film down a bit.
Hot Fuzz 8.5/10
This isn’t quite as brilliant as Spaced or Shaun of the Dead, but it is still a highly amusing comedy film.
Curse of the Golden Flower 7/10
Like Hero before it, this is a visually stunning Chinese historical epic. Unfortunately the plot fails to be particularly compelling.
Tell No One 9/10
This is a compelling French mystery/thriller which rises above the clichéd premise with some tense action scenes, good direction and some great acting.
The Good Shepherd 6/10
This spy tale is a million miles from James Bond concentrating more on the bureaucrats who really run the CIA. It is intelligent, well-acted and frankly quite dull.
Breach 7.5/10
This is another spy tale, but a more entertaining one focusing on the attempts to uncover Chris Cooper’s double agent. Fortunately the characters are more interesting than in The Good Shepherd.
The Illusionist 7/10
Not as good as The Prestige, but this tale of a magician competing with a cruel royal is a reasonably entertaining film, despite the slightly dull lead character.
A compelling story of James McAvoy’s naïve doctor becoming entangled in the plots of an insane, brutal dictator. McAvoy’s acting is good, and Forest Whittaker is superb as Idi Amin.
The Lives of Others 10/10
This powerful tale of an East German spy who begins to realise how immoral his work is during his surveillance of a playwright suspected of subversive activities and his actress girlfriend was definitely the best film I saw during the year. The acting (particularly the late Ulrich Mohe in the lead role), directing and writing are all excellent.
The Fountain 8/10
The Fountain’s often surreal plotting made it probably the most confusing film of the year, but although sometimes baffling it also had some beautiful scenes in it and by the end it did start to make a strange kind of sense.
Sunshine 8/10
Most of the film is a classic Science Fiction tale (albeit one with a few plot-holes) of a desperate space mission to save the Sun; unfortunately it all goes a bit wrong towards the end with first some clichéd horror then some baffling final scenes. The space scenes do feature some stunning special effects.
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 7/10
The third Pirates film is an entertaining finale despite the frequently weak plotting and unconvincing characterisation. It’s probably for the best if this is the last instalment, though.
Transformers 7.5/10
Despite the frankly moronic plotting and some occasionally confusing action scenes this was an extremely fun, if also extremely silly, action movie.
Die Hard 4.0 7/10
It claimed to be a Die Hard movie, but felt more like 24 : The Movie with Bruce Willis trying to be Jack Bauer. It was reasonably entertaining but not up to the standards of the original film.
Stardust 8/10
Stardust was a consistently entertaining fantasy movie with some good comedy scenes and a fun plot.
The Golden Compass 6/10
This had a potentially intriguing plot but ended up being a disappointing attempt at a fantasy epic that tried to shoehorn in a huge amount of plot into a short film and ended up seeming a bit incoherent. Although there were some good scenes and the lead actress was good, there are too many flaws (plot holes, poor battle scenes and underdone characterisation) to make this a good movie.
Spiderman 3 6/10
The third film in the Spiderman series tried to use too many villains and failed to use any of them particularly well. The scenes where Peter Parker is ‘possessed’ by Venom were particularly cringeworthy.
The Bourne Ultimatum 8/10
This wasn’t quite as good as the second Bourne film, but was still an excellent action film with a solidly entertaining plot.
Tales From Earthsea 7/10
This was a well-made, entertaining anime film but let down by the muddled plot and poor character development.
Beowulf 7/10
I really don’t like the animation technique used to digitally portray the actors in this, which is a shame because it is otherwise quite a good film despite a couple of overly silly scenes. Inevitably meddles with the classic story, but still tells an entertaining story.
The Number 23 6.5/10
Jim Carrey gives a good performance as the increasingly insane main character; unfortunately the ambitious plot doesn’t really go anywhere interesting.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 7/10
The HP films have been getting steadily better since the weak first two instalments and this time Daniel Radcliffe even shows some signs of actually being able to act. This is another reasonably good fantasy movie, although nothing particularly special.
Fantastic 4 : Rise of the Silver Surfer 6/10
This is yet another run-of-the-mill superhero movie. It is watchable and has a couple of nice action scenes with the Silver Surfer but there’s no depth and the film is ultimately unmemorable.
300 8/10
300 is a more successful attempt than Beowulf at using computer graphics to do most of the film. Despite the simplistic plotting it is very entertaining with some good action scenes.
American Gangster 7.5/10
A well-made, well-acted (particularly by Denzel Washington) gangster movie that unfortunately fails to tell a particularly compelling story.
Ocean’s Thirteen 7/10
Far better than the poor Ocean’s Twelve, this is an entertaining heist movie.
Ghost Rider 5/10
Ghost Rider is a dumbed-down, poorly-written superhero movie that is vaguely entertaining but utterly mediocre.
Shooter 7/10
A competent conspiracy thriller/action movie that seems to be trying to copy the success of the Bourne movies, but falls a bit short despite being a reasonably entertaining film.
30 Days of Night 7/10
A vampire film about an attack on a darkness-shrouded Alaskan town that manages to be quite a good atmospheric horror/monster movie, but is let down by the poor scripting and gaping plot holes.
Michael Clayton 8/10
Some good acting and writing lifts the superficially unimaginative can’t-believe-it’s-not-John-Grisham plot into being a good, entertaining legal thriller.
Fracture 7.5/10
Like Michael Clayton, the best thing about this legal thriller is the acting. The initial premise is intriguing but some pointless subplots and a slightly anticlimactic ending do let the film down a bit.
Hot Fuzz 8.5/10
This isn’t quite as brilliant as Spaced or Shaun of the Dead, but it is still a highly amusing comedy film.
Curse of the Golden Flower 7/10
Like Hero before it, this is a visually stunning Chinese historical epic. Unfortunately the plot fails to be particularly compelling.
Tell No One 9/10
This is a compelling French mystery/thriller which rises above the clichéd premise with some tense action scenes, good direction and some great acting.
The Good Shepherd 6/10
This spy tale is a million miles from James Bond concentrating more on the bureaucrats who really run the CIA. It is intelligent, well-acted and frankly quite dull.
Breach 7.5/10
This is another spy tale, but a more entertaining one focusing on the attempts to uncover Chris Cooper’s double agent. Fortunately the characters are more interesting than in The Good Shepherd.
The Illusionist 7/10
Not as good as The Prestige, but this tale of a magician competing with a cruel royal is a reasonably entertaining film, despite the slightly dull lead character.