A few days ago, I asked my fellow LAMBs to give me their top five films (released) for 2007. Well, the results are in, and they might shock you. There were 16 total entries (including my own), and though I like all of the top five entries that I’ve seen, I’m a bit surprised at how commercial they are (though it should be noted that a few LAMBs specialize in DVD reviews, thereby taking a number of films out of consideration). Another possible big factor? A total of 51 different films were listed – with 16 entries, the total possible field is 80, which means there weren’t a lot of shared films. Therefore, a number of films that might have made one or two people’s top spot didn’t even sniff the top 5. Without further ado:
1. Hot Fuzz
The Simon Pegg/Nick Frost vehicle was the shocking winner, earning two 1st place votes, one 2nd, one 3rd, and one 4th. Total points earned: 19 (5 points awarded for 1st, 1 point for 5th)
2t. Knocked Up
Judd Apatow strikes again! Off the heels of The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up tied with the next entry for the runner-up spot, but get top billing by way of earning one first place vote, also taking one 2nd, two 4ths and a 5th place vote. Total points: 14
2t. Grindhouse
This wasn’t anyone’s best film of the year, but still to nab the runner-up spot, earning one 2nd, two 3rds and two 4ths. Total points: 14
4t. 3:10 to Yuma
One 1st, one 2nd and one 3rd were enough to vault the Western remake into the fourth spot. Meanwhile, American Gangster picked up one 2nd place vote and nothing else. Christian Bale > Denzel Washington? Hmm… Total points: 12
4t. Superbad
Judd Apatow might as well just stop making movies – it’ll be hard to top his 2007. Don’t forget – he’s also involved with Walk Hard, which is hitting theaters soon. Hit or miss? Wait and see. Same scoring here. Total points: 12
Just to make this post really, really long, I now give you every LAMBs Top 5, in order of the time I received them. Please pardon the lack of italics used here – it would take a day:
http://sirjorgemacabredvd.blogspot.com/
1. Superbad
2. We Own The Night
3. The Simpsons Movie
4. The Condemned
5. Saw IV
Note from Sir Jorge: “I saw only 5…so here are my top 5.”
http://sheaofthedead.blogspot.com/
1. Eastern Promises
2. The Mist
3. The Host
4. Sunshine
5. No Country For Old Men
http://insightintoentertainment.blogspot.com/
1. Hot Fuzz
2. Knocked Up
3. 3:10 to Yuma
4. Live Free or Die Hard
5. Waitress
http://afrazier.blogspot.com/
1. Into the Wild
2. Black Snake Moan
3. Eastern Promises
4. Grindhouse
5. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
http://boomstickreviews.blogspot.com/
1. 3:10 to Yuma
2. Hot Fuzz
3. Black Snake Moan
4. 28 Weeks Later…
5. I Am Legend
http://www.invasionofthebmovies.com/
1. Knocked Up
2. Grindhouse
3. Superbad
4. Hot Fuzz
5. The Darjeeling Limited.
http://joesmoviecorner.blogspot.com/
1. Ratatouille
2. The Lives of Others
3. Paprika
4. Across the Universe
5. No Country for Old Men
http://www.inthespoon.com/
1. In the Shadow of the Moon
2. 3:10 to Yuma
3. Grindhouse (primarily Planet Terror)
4. Knocked Up
5. 300
http://www.watchitmovies.blogspot.com/
1) The Darjeeling Limited
2) American Gangster
3) Fugitive Pieces
4) Into the Wild
5) The Bourne Ultimatum
http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/
Marilyn Ferdinand’s picks
1. Once
2. Black Book (Zwartboek)
3. Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days (4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile)
4. The Host (Gwoemul)
5. Comedy of Power (L’ivresse du pouvoir)
Rod Heath’s picks
1. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2. Zodiac
3. Michael Clayton
4. Amazing Grace
5. The Simpsons Movie
http://dcmoviegirl.blogspot.com/
1. Hot Fuzz
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Talk To Me
4. Once
5. Knocked Up
http://www.mikemachacon.blogspot.com/
1. 300
2. Stardust
3. Enchanted
4. Transformers
5. Seraphim Falls
http://mattehavoc.blogspot.com/
1. Michael Clayton
2. Across The Universe
3. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
4. Reign Over Me
5. Girl 27
http://reelwhore.blogspot.com/
1. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
2. Superbad
3. Hot Fuzz
4. Grindhouse
5. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
http://blogcabins.blogspot.com/
1. Paris, Je t’aime
2. In the Valley of Elah
3. Grindhouse
4. Knocked Up
5. Southland Tales
I think that just about does it. Email me or comment here if I’ve made any egregious errors or anything like that. Also, feel free to copy this post to paste on your own site. This was fun, and I look forward to doing it with many more LAMBs next year.
Black Snake Moan!! How could I have forgotten to list that movie? Crap. Now it’s too late for a do over.
This was a super tough list to make for me… though I must say that movies people put in their top 5 *did* make my top 10. Too bad this wasn’t a top 10 list. For instance, my top 10 also included Superbad and Grindhouse (Planet Terror, as Death Proof sucked (with the exception of the last 20 minutes)). But I also said Alpha Dog, which I’m surprised nobody included. I thought that was a pretty good movie (though I’ve only seen it once).
DJ: Yeah, I’m also surprised Black Snake Moan didn’t make the list. I knew it was always gonna be in my top 5. 3:10, Hot Fuzz, and Black Snake were my easy picks… it was numbers 4 and 5 that took a bit of thinking.
FYI, Nick – Alpha Dog came out in 2006. And how dare all you people who hated Death Proof. The people I went with preferred Planet Terror, too, but QT’s style is more for me than RR’s. I thought Death Proof was great, save for some serious aggravation I had during the climax (she could have gotten off his car in about 20 different places!).
I pondered a top 10, and perhaps should have. I had a reason not to at the time, but I can’t recall it right now. Though I’ll give you this much: from everyone’s top fives, here were 6th-10th:
6. Eastern Promises
7. Michael Clayton
8. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
9. Black Snake Moan
10t. Into the Wild
10t. Once
Fletch: About Alpha Dog…did it really? Huh… I was looking at a website that listed all the movies that were released in 2007, and Alpha Dog was on the list. Oh well. And I don’t trust imdb’s year listings anymore, because it has some years wrong that I *know* when they were released (for instance, it might say 2006 when I know it came out 2007).
As for Death Proof… I have nothing against Tarantino. Actually, I love Tarantino’s movies and his dialogues, etc. But Death Proof was just plain boring. Not to mention the VERY end of it was so slapsticky stupid and didn’t feel right with the rest of the movie (the part when they finally pull him out of his car and beat the crap out of him). I do give Tarantino props, however, for doing that super long continuous shot of dialogue (the one that rotated around the table).
My bad – you are indeed correct. When I first went to IMDb, I saw the “main year” listing of 2006; however, if you look at the release dates, it indeed shows (very early) 2007 – January 3rd, to be exact.
I’m pretty shocked that more people didn’t put Into The Wild = guess they didn’t see it 🙁
Good listings tho!
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Fletch: Great work! I’d also like to say that this was a very difficult decision for me. My 6-10 in no particular order were Eastern Promises, Black Snake Moan, No Country For Old Men, The Simpsons Movie and King of Kong. I am so amped to write my Best of ’07 review for next year! Also, I am totally envious that you saw Southland Tales, it still hasn’t come to my boondocks.
Fletch & Nick: I totally side with Fletch on Grindhouse. I loved the whole film start to finish and I still spit curses at the Weinsteins for splitting them up for the DVD (though I don’t think they work particularly well together). I loved PT most when I first left the theater but the more I let the two films marinate Tarantino’s DP had so much more substance and style than Rodriguez’s over-the-top film. But I am a sucker for gore and brutality so this was an easy Top 5 winner for me.
Adam: My wife wants to see Into the Wild but with so many super-long films this year I couldn’t bring my fat butt to sit for that one, but I’ll definitely catch it at some point.
Nick: I enjoyed Alpha Dog, but it was not even a glimmer on my Top 5 or 10 or even 20. Emile Hirsch is a great actor but AD had some stiff competition this year.
*Sorry I deleted this first post, but it suffered from very very poor grammar. I apologize*
i love the diversity of the films each of us listed. it just shows that we all have different tastes and takes on what a good film is. i will find time to watch the movies that made it to the LAMB top 5. =o)
For the record, the only one of the top 5 I haven’t seen is 3:10 to Yuma. Still surprised it’s that loved – will have to give in and check it out.
Adam – wanted to see Into the Wild, but there were a glut of pretty good films out at the time and never got around to it. The fact that it’s wildly depressing didn’t help, either, as a bunch of the other films out at the time were also wildly depressing (Valley of Elah, etc). We needed a dumb, happy movie every now and then…
For all you LAMBs interested, I just wrote up a pretty endearing (<.<) little article related to all of these lists (and the winners) in relation to Oscar-worthy picks and my thoughts. It's really the first real 'from the heart' (which I just decided to title part of it) that I've done about my feelings toward movies in general. If anybody is interested, you can give it a look: http://boomstickreviews.blogspot.com/
Mind you, I’m sorry if it offends anybody >.> . I didn’t mean it to.
I use The Numbers for release dates. It gives every movie, no matter how small, by month.
I’m suprised by to top 5 as well…all good movies just didnt expect those.
We should do this again for the oscar picks.
i always spell the mist wrong…the computer game ruined me.
I’m definitely up for an Oscar pool – after all, I think my family is going to boot me from the one we have every year (they’re sick of losing). 🙂
That “Myst” spelling caught my eye, but not enough to trigger anything in my head, really. Guess I’m in the same boat. I’ll fix it.
YEA!! HOT FUZZ!! 🙂
The only film I don’t think belongs there is 3:10 to Yuma.
I’d swap that out for No Country for Old Men.
But yea, for diverse film choices!
I probably would have included No Country for Old Men, but it hasn’t made it to my boondocks yet either. Can’t wait to see Superbad now. And I’m definitely in for the Oscar Picks – I make a real effort to see all the picks before the awards.
I’ve lost track of release dates since I rarely make it to the movies these days and watch almost everything on DVD. The only films I’ve seen that I KNOW came out in ’07 and that I watched and loved were INLAND EMPIRE and Zodiac.
I am looking forward to No Country…, The Lives of Others (which is waiting for me beside the TV), 4 Months…, and Black Book.
For me, Marilyn’s list was the most interesting, though, and probably closest to my own interests.
Good fun, and I’ll definitely join in on the Oscar fun!
@ Marilyn: Thanks for the new movie site to check out. I have always used IMDB or Box Office Prophets, but BOP are slow to update. I will definitely be citing Numbers in my Year in Review from now on!
Interesting. I have a very strange top 5 as well 😀
1. 300
2. Die Hard 4.0
3. Spider-Man 3
4. Transformers
5. Stardust
Soundtrackgeek: I enjoyed Stardust tons…a lot more than I had anticipated I would.
Happy to help, Waywardjam.
@ soundtrackgeek:
hey! three of the films in your top five are the same as mine! alright! haha. =o) i like that.
I’m realizing that the list of those who disagree with me about Knocked Up is a long one.
I still stand by my analysis that it was a huge disappointment that contained very little of this unique and edgy writing I’d heard so much about.
Come on, are we really praising masturbation and poop humour this much? I guess so.