The MRFH 2007 Revue

Not long after determining that "writing" was what I was going to "do" as it was the only thing I do well, I developed a fresh new respect for Roger Ebert. Not only did he continue to pump out interesting and innovative film reviews after decades of film criticism, but he also managed to see "the big picture" and appropriately summarize each passing year with 'Best of' lists and introspective essays.

I'm nowhere near that talented (yet). And besides, as film is still more of a passion than a professional presence in my life, it's more difficult to use my outside perspective to form any kind of overreaching conclusions about creativity and culture. Especially since Ebert, even in his improving yet debilitated state, saw approximately 1000 more new movies this year than I did.

And yet: it is possible to look over the informal list of movies I saw that were released in 2007 (cut-and-pasted from a 2007 film release master list) and realize that, for the most part, 2007 sort of sucked. But, as so many friends and those quick-to-argue would counter, I did not get to see No Country for Old Men yet, as I made it into the theater to see it, found a seat, and then when a (hot) girl called during the previews to come "hang out" I chose the (hot) girl. Sorry, film purists.

Although, knowing little old optimistic and utterly sarcastic me, I'm pretty sure my top film of 2007 would have been Juno regardless of whatever else I missed out on. Juno is so fantastic that I would really have to use endless stereotypical '60s and '70s surfer lingo in order to describe how cool it is (to me). Saw it twice, ran home and downloaded the soundtrack after I saw it for the first time, and continually tell anyone who'll listen that their lives are being wasted if they haven't made it to a theater to see it. Phenomenal, phenomenal film. I love you, Ellen Page!

Juno would have stood out amongst films of staggering artistic merit; sadly, 2007 didn't provide much else to shine alongside it. Oh, and I have yet to see There Will Be Blood either, but again: Juno!

But stuff like Ocean's Thirteen, Saw 4, Shooter, War, I Am Legend, Next, and Balls of Fury were mostly empty entertainment; other than liking an actor here or there, nothing about them sparked any kind of excitement. I Am Legend initially felt more tolerable than most due to our midnight trek to the sneak preview on IMAX specifically for the seven minutes of The Dark Knight's Joker footage, but upon leaving the theater and really examining the film on merit, it was pretty much revealed as stupid. I didn't really leave any film feeling like I had been swindled, but there were few films where I walked out full of elation.

There were, however, plenty of distasteful elements to the year's cinematic output. Arrogant idiocy, such as that on the part of director Eli Roth regarding the opening weekend box office take of his Hostel: Part 2, was a turn-off. The presence of Hayden Christiansen in Awake, as well as being so blatant in its ultimate twist that I needed to not even see the film (and intend to never do so) in order to describe exactly what happens, was another example of Hollywood's 2007 missteps. Twists are getting fairly tiresome, as well: Dead Silence was a rental for me, as I had heard good things, but an early scene actually elicited an outburst from me about the film's final twist and upon consulting the internet to validate my theory, I gave up watching it. I guess that's the option you have at home? Thanks, wireless fidelity!

There were films that were at best mildly amusing yet became enjoyable excursions due to the pleasant company of friends and/or dates: Grindhouse, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider, and Smokin' Aces are all films I never care to see again, but I consider them "fun" for the companionship and pre- and post-viewing debate we had regarding them. 300, TMNT, Transformers, Live Free or Die Hard, and Knocked Up are similar examples, although these films are all amazingly fun in their own right and will someday all be in my permanent collection (I'm just waiting for big sales for the most part; Live Free or Die Hard was a first day release purchase).

2007 was actually one of the first years where I really had to seriously debate the merits of films I liked with a serious girlfriend. We agreed Spider-Man 3 was absolutely atrocious, but I had to get a little defensive about 1408 and a whole lot defensive about (and without a great deal of enthusiasm, either, as I was and remain torn regarding) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. She was able to enjoy the amusing trifles and charisma on display in Disturbia, but by the time we were getting bored with rentals like The Messengers, it was kind of over anyway. Very meaningful relationship, but with very bad luck in choosing date movies!

I felt a little bit better about my solo rentals. Vacancy and The Hitcher managed to trump a lot of the general critical consensus, while Hot Fuzz and Seraphim Falls were solid viewings. When I ventured out into the world on my own to treat myself to a movie, like Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, The Bourne Ultimatum, Fracture, Halloween, In the Land of Women, and even Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, as I said I really had no complaints. Nothing really approaches the artistic highs of Juno but they were fairly interesting and provoking on at least a few levels. And Sunshine was an Arclight experience for me, which is like going to your favorite theater but then being driven to another, better theater that is a million times better and where they throw out idiots who dare use their cell phones during the film. Amazing!

Oh, another bad date movie: The Golden Compass. Thanks to coupons and free passes we both got in for free, but the only enjoyment I had was whispering a couple mockeries of the film into her ear and receiving a hearty laugh in return. And The Kingdom and The Simpsons Movie were lame holiday rentals, where either holiday burn-out or general lameness on the films parts caused me to leave the room and not pay much attention when I was in the room. Bleh! And the chain of events leading me to go see Love in the Time of Cholera on a whim with a group of girls was infinitely more exciting than the poor adaptation we had to sit through. Ah, memories!

Seriously: memories! The circumstances regarding my film viewings in 2007 were greatly memorable. The films themselves generally were not. Too many sequels, perhaps? Or maybe just no real experimentation and too much stagnation? I'll leave such analysis to Ebert. I have some hopes for 2008, especially with The Dark Knight and Iron Man and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane up for release. Otherwise, maybe it's good to have a lame year every so often to get your expectations at a normal level so you can be blown away all over again. Here's hoping, yes?