Charlie Wilson's War

Rating: 9

I now have to grudgingly adore Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. My massive crush on Phillip Seymour Hoffman continues. Very satisfying.

Juno

Rating: 8

I'll try not to get to bugged by Hollywood's inability to acknowledge that abortion is still (for the moment) safe and legal in the U.S., and many people do use this option. For some reason, this is the Year of the Unwanted Pregnancy in cinema: Knocked Up, Waitress, and Juno. All of these films are terrific, so I can't complain. Juno has a rocky first 20 minutes but lets go of the initial pretension and gets very sweet as it moves along. The characters who initially seem square, played by accomplished actors such as J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, end up being smart, interesting and well-developed. And Ellen Page and Michael Cera are delightful as the two main characters.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Rating: 7

Funny. And, hey look! It's Jack White as Elvis! And Jack Black as Paul McCartney! And Paul Rudd as hilarious John Lennon!

I Am Legend

Rating: 7

It degenerates into a little sentimentality towards the end, but still, I was interested, frightened, and affected by the sadness of the movie. I saw it at the IMAX theater, which was incredibly fun and where half the audience was in attendance not for the movie itself but rather the 7-minute Batman trailer which preceded it. The trailer was kickass. I could get on a tangent about the new Batman movie which may or may not involve Heath Ledger, as the Joker, and Christian Bale making out (please god, Please????) but this isn't about that. I Am Legend is a fun flick.

Best of 2007

I'm gonna go out on a limb and bet that even though Alvin & the Chipmunks isn't out yet it's probably safe to go ahead and publish this. Feel free to weigh in with comments!

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men

Best Director: David Cronenberg for Eastern Promises

Best Screenplay: Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins for The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Art Direction: Aradhana Seth and Adam Stockhousen for Darjeeling Limited

Best Actor: Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose

Best Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck in The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swindon in Michael Clayton

Best Documentary: The King of Kong

Best Foreign Film: The Lives of Others

Best Animated: Ratatouille

Best Comedy: Knocked Up

Best Nude Scene: Viggo Mortenson in Eastern Promises (runner up: Marisa Tomei in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead)

Honorable Mentions: Jindabyne, Rescue Dawn, Zodiac, American Gangster, Breach, The Hoax, Waitress, Crazy Love, Sicko, Interview, Lake of Fire

Most Underappreciated Gem: Tie between The Life of Reilly and Year of the Dog

Most Overhyped Disappointment: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Worst Movie: Death at a Funeral

The Golden Compass

Rating: 7

Pretty entertaining, only I'm a little disappointed they chickened out and left out the stuff from the book about killing God. Apparently the most interesting scene in the book - the climax - had to be cut because of this. The fans of the book must surely feel cheated. Maybe the manager of the Cinerama was trying to compensate for this by playing the Sex and the City Movie trailer...before this children's film.

Coming Soon: before my judgment is clouded by too much buzz, my Best of 2007 List!