10 Best Films of 2007: #9 - Bug

Much needs to be said about Ashley Judd’s performance in Bug, and very little needs to be said about the story. Judd takes this movie over and creates a character whose paranoia feels like a freight train bearing down on the viewer. But why is she so paranoid? It is in the earlier scenes where we see a sad and desperate, once (probably) beautiful woman now turned white trash bar hopper and druggie grasp for anything resembling a decent man. Then the she meets that man and the story takes off. But it is because of Judd and her amazing performance that we care so much about what happens to her from the onset. It is a performance that is likely already forgotten by many, but a reminder that when Ashley Judd commits to making films that aren’t about woman getting revenge, she can be a pretty good actress.

It is an ingenious little plot that keeps the audience on the edge of its seat the entire film, waiting for the big payoff, waiting for the big bad gory moment. The pay off is something that disappointed many, but left me feeling like I had just seen one of the great horror films of this heavily stylized, MTV produced, post 9/11 era of horror films. It also shows that William Friedkin is still capable of making a good movie.

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10 Best Films of 2007: #10 - Knocked Up

Judd Apatow can now do whatever he wants in Hollywood after Knocked Up, a hilariously raunchy and surprisingly sweet comedy about a slob (not unlike Bill Murray from Stripes) who thanks to the aide of alcohol (and maybe some loneliness) hooks up with uberbabe Katherine Heigel (the last thing I remember her from was My Father the Hero) who finds out she is pregnant after that one night stand. Oh, but Ben (Seth Rogen) wasn’t wearing a condom, and thanks to the always confusing “just do it already” blurted by Heigel, he scraps the condom and goes to work. The amazing thing about the movie is that amidst all of the big laughs there are some genuine tender moments (like the earthquake scene).

But it’s Apatow’s trademark postmodern, pop culture laden wit that keeps things fresh throughout the two-plus hour run time. It’s what saves the film from being another She’s Having a Baby or Nine Months and the film is highlighted by the supporting cast (most members of Apatow’s troupe from his television shows Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks) who are allowed to go for the big laughs too. The beard contest, Eric Bana references, Back to the Future references, Paul Rudd, and one of the more hilarious things I have seen in a comedy where Apatow takes a very necessary shot to Fantasy Sport geeks. It’s a film, like Anchorman, that will set the standard for the next wave of comedies. Especially watch the “morning after” scene in which Ben describes his web site and the purpose it serves, the timing and the awkwardness is both hilarious and painful.

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10 best* films of 2007: Introduction

Thinking back on the year, there were many great films, some aesthetically classic (Atonement, Michael Clayton), others incredibly avante garde (I’m Not There, Inland Empire) but it was the grotesque (Eastern Promises, Bug) and the nihilistic (No Country For Old Men, Zodiac) that left the biggest impression on me. And then through it all was this cute little hipster beam of light called Juno, which seemed to be (for the first 15 minutes, anyway) an annoying little kitch-tastic piece of self aware “coolness” ala Napoleon Dynamite. But it permeated the dark films of the year to emerge as one of the more insightful, sweet, and hilarious films of 2007. There were other great comedies, all-timers, in the vein of Caddyshack and Stripes. I am speaking of Judd Apatow’s trilogy (Superbad, Knocked Up, and Walk Hard) of films of course, the best being Knocked Up, although somewhat of a pop culture fairy tale it is surprisingly sweet and hilariously grotesque in its own right. Superbad may have been a little more insightful, but it also seems more along the lines of Enchanted, because well, there’s a reason why fat pop culture nerds like myself like Apatow’s films: guys like us get the really hot girls. And not to be outdone (or forgotten) is Brad Bird’s Ratatouille, reminding me that animated films can still be held up against almost anything. The documentary was back this year with No End in Sight and Into Great Silence, being two of the best film experiences of the year (especially the latter).

It was also a disappointing year for Wes Anderson. It’s a bad sign when the short film you’ve made is better than the feature film you have made. I was really looking forward to The Darjeeling Limited, but I felt empty after leaving the theater. Also, hello Steven Soderbergh, can you please get back to making real movies. Last year’s Bubble was your best since Out of Sight; please stop with the Ocean movies. Thank you.

It was a great year for films though, so let’s get on with it.

*One caveat: I reserve the right to add in There Will Be Blood at a later time if I find it should have a place on this list. Living in Salem the film has not yet reached my tiny home city (it's not even playing in Portland), so I will have to retroactively place it within the top 10 if I think it deserves a spot (and based on my prior feelings towards PTA's films, I have big hopes for TWBB). There are also a slew of foreign films and other smaller films making the limited city run right now that I haven't gotten a chance to see. I am not a film critic, but merely a film buff...so I can only see what I have time for. You will note (perhaps) some obvious omissions to the list because I just haven't gotten out to see everything I would like to.

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