Favorite Movies of 2007 (Part 1, Honorable Mentions)...

Well, I suppose it's about that time. 2007 is firmly in the review mirror and I've got my list of favorites from the year all set to go. So I might as well get it public and allow you to tear it to pieces and shine the light on all the things I missed.

Let's kick it off with my favorite movies, shall we?

Dice's Favorite 25 Movies of 2007
(These are, in order, the 25 movies I enjoy, respect, desire, and love the most that I saw for the first time in the calender year 2007)

* possible objectionable content warning

Honorable Mentions:

Beowulf (3D) - The technological achievement of this film bears honoring and it was an incredible sight to see in 3D, but the film itself was simply mediocre. The sooner all films are in 3D the better.

Charlotte's Web - A faithful and touching retelling of the classic story. Dakota is amazing as always, but the rest of the movie just feels pretty basic. A good single view, but not one I'll likely watch again.

Children of Men* - One of the most beautiful movies I saw all year and certainly engaging. My only beef with Children of Men is that its pride in post modernism hinders any solid message from taking root. Still worth a look and a follow up discussion with those you see it with.

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Still can't understand why these movies haven't caught on more, except that they are possibly a bit too fun for the more in style "serious" superhero movie of today. This movie is by no means great, but I did enjoy it and I like these characters quite a bit.

Little Miss Sunshine* - I had so many people telling me I had to see this that I finally broke down and rented it. Is it a well made, cohesive, and compelling film? Absolutely yes. The problem I have (that relegates it to only honorable mention) is that the overall message of this movie is hideous. It is rebellion couched in a family first disguise. It's hard to explain how mixed my feelings are on this one, but it was worth watching if for no other reason then the scene (pictured above) where the son breaks down and is comforted by his younger sister. Incredible stuff.

Pride - You can read more of my thoughts on this one here, but this movie really surprised me. Not quite great enough to make the official list, but worth picking up none the less.

The Number 23 - This is one of those movies that almost works. It strains so hard to make all the plot points and logic fall into place and it feels really close. It's like that puzzle piece that has all the right shapes in the right places but somehow just doesn't quite fit. Having said that, I still liked this movie. Most likely this is because Jim Carey is always a marvel to watch and I like movies that try to do the brain puzzler thing, even if it just... doesn't... quite... fit.

Come back tomorrow for 25-21.