(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:
-----------------------------25-21
--------------------------20-16
----------------------------15-11
----------------------------10-6
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5. Stranger Than Fiction - You can read some more thoughts in this post, but this movie pushed all the right buttons for me. Well acted, well written, great symbolism, and very smart. All of this plus an overall theme on the beauty of self sacrifice. Stellar.
4. The Simpsons Movie - I have yet to talk to someone who has seen this movie that didn't enjoy it. Which is saying something for such a polarizing show. I saw this with a Simpsons fan like myself and a non Simpsons guy who has never really gotten the show and all three of us came out smiling. This feature length Simpson's episode has all the earmarks of what makes the Simpsons an American standard. Absurdest humor, piercing satire, and a underlying heart that is as warm and inviting as some of Flander's Hot Cocoa. An instant classic.
3. The Bourne Ultimatum - I tried to encapsulate why I think Bourne is so incredible in this post. But it's been since M. Night's early work that I remember a director owning an audience like this in a darkened theater. Paul Greengrass is one of the most talented directors working today and it's a shame he isn't more of a household name. It's also amazing to me that of all of the threequels that came out this year this one ended up being my favorite.
2. Apocalypto - My feelings are rightly summed up in a previous post, but I think it bears stopping for a moment and considering what Gibson has done in his last two movies. He's showed us that sacrifice and love are so powerful and compelling that you don't even need to know the spoken language to understand their depth. This movie is not for the faint hearted but if you can stomach it you will be moved.
1. Ratatouille - The last time Pixar hooked up with Director Brad Bird, "The Incredibles" was born and a pretty high bar was set. This time Bird and the Pixar crew cooked up an amazing tale of a chef rat and his quest to use his gift honestly in a world that's not exactly keen on rats and food even being mentioned together. So do they clear the incredible bar set before them? Well, I'll need a few more views before my true Pixar order of greatness can be set, but it's safe to say they made the best movie I saw all year. Forget the technical achievements, how beautiful it was, how amazing the performances were, and even how much fun it was. The thing that makes this movie so wonderful is that it dares to say something true in a fresh way. "Anyone Can Cook" seems at first to be more of the same "You can do anything you set your mind too" tripe that is shoved down our kids throats by this Stuart Smalley culture. But by the end Mr. Bird and company have made clear that Ratatouille isn't about being good enough, smart enough, and doggonit people liking you, its about finding purpose through gifts and passion. "Anyone Can Cook" doesn't mean that everyone can cook, it means that a great cook can come from anywhere. And as someone who doesn't always "look the part" it's a message that resonated deeply with me.Check out the full unbroken list at thediceisright.com and come back tomorrow to see the Honorable Mention for TV!
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