2007: MY FAVORITE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCES (RANKED)

By: matteo

Biggest Disappointments of the Year

1. The Invasion by Oliver Hirschbiegel and James McTeigue – no comment

2. The Caiman by Nanni Moretti – what a wasted opportunity

3. Our Country by Laura Comencini – saw it at The New Italian Cinema Festival – awful, the state of Italian cinema is dreadful

4. The Number 23 by Joel Schumacher – I mean, why?

5. Vacancy by Nimrod Antal – this is no Kontroll

6. 28 Weeks Later by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo – this is no Intacto

7. Fay Grim by Hal Hartley – but Hartley remains one of the greatest directors of all time

8. Hostel: Part II by Eli Roth – no redeeming factor whatsoever

9. Sunshine by Danny Boyle – the first half is magnificent,, then it implodes

10. Death Proof by Quentin Tarantino – Planet Terror uber alles

Random stuff

1. Paranoid Park by Gus Van Sant would definitely be in the top ten (five, even) but it has not been released in the US yet. I saw an advance screening a few weeks ago. Outstanding.

2. Children of Men was released in 2006. I saw The Lives of Others in 2006. Ditto for Pan’s Labyrinth and The Host.

3. Yeah, I loved Shoot’em Up. This is what Hitman should have looked like.

4. Eastern Promises? I want the old Cronenberg back.

5. Disclaimer: I have not seen Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Julian Schnabel, There Will Be Blood by Paul Thomas Anderson, and I’m Not There by Todd Haynes yet. You, The Living has not been released in the US yet. I listed The Bothersome Man in my 2006 favorite list.

6. I also loved: The Bourne Ultimatum and Waitress. Also, believe it or not, I honestly think Superbad was excellent.

7. Best opening title sequence: This is England. Amazing. It features Space Invaders and Missile Command, among other things.

8. Blade Runner: The Final Cut clearly gets the “Best Update of the Year” title. It just keeps getting better and better with each new release. More about this soon. Stephen Metcalf from Slate totally nails it.

9. Best remake of the year: Steve Buscemi’s Interview.