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Robert's
Top 10 of 2007
The past year has been a mixed one
for film fans, as Hollywood continued its obsession with superheroes
and sequels (and superhero sequels) most of which
turned out to be disappointing, including Spider-man
3 and Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End.
There also seems to be a curious trend to resurrect
once-dead franchises from the 1980s such as Rocky,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Die Hard and
Transformers. However in the indies, as so often
happens, we found cause to hope with the release of a number of very
powerful films, in particular
Atonement and Control, which is one of the best music
biopics of recent years. With a number of very
highly anticipated films set for release in 2008, this coming
year promises to be a very interesting one for film
fans as well.
Honorable Mention: Ratatouille, Rescue
Dawn
10. 28 Weeks Later: As with most sequels, my
expectations weren't very high with this one, but I
was very pleasantly surprised. The film is exciting
and suspenseful, and is probably one of the best
horror movies to be released during the past year.
9. Black Book: Controversial director Paul
Verhoeven (of Robocop and Basic Instinct fame) comes up with a real winner in this
emotional, exciting and gripping tale of a Dutch spy
during World War II. This may rank as his most mature
and powerful work to date.
8. The Counterfeiters: Set in World War II era Germany, The Counterfeiters is a powerful and fascinating
film which recounts the true story of a group of Jewish counterfeiters in a
concentration camp who are forced to use their skills
to aid the German war effort.
7. The Darjeeling Limited: Wes Anderson (unsurprisingly) comes up
with another quirky, funny and moving film with his latest, The Darjeeling Limited. Anderson
is quickly becoming one of the most startling and
interesting film-makers around, and here he is ably
served by a great cast. The end result is fantastic.
6. Hallam Foe: Simultaneously strange, sick, sad and hilarious, Hallam Foe (released as Mr. Foe in the U.S.) is a striking film about a young man's romantic
obsession set in the gothic streets of Edinburgh, Scotland.
5. Transformers: As a child of the 1980s, I grew up
with the Transformers and the long awaited live-action
film from action-master Michael Bay was far better than even I expected.
Funny, exciting and with superb special effects, this
film was a real winner.
4. Eastern Promises: Despite
the lack of bizarre parasites and exploding heads, director
David Cronenberg is still producing quality work and this
well-performed account of the Russian mob in London is
probably his best work of recent years.
3. Hot Fuzz:
The creative team of
director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick
Frost (the same guys responsible for Shaun of the Dead) come up with
another winner in this hilarious and exciting comedy/action film about dark deeds
in a sleepy English village.
2. Conrol: This
is a
well-made account of the tragic life of Joy Divison front man Ian Curtis.
This film is haunting, bleak yet at times is also darkly funny. I think
it goes without saying that Control features some great music
too.
1. Atonement: Atonement is
a dark and gripping drama, based on
the best-selling novel by Ian McEwan, about
a single lie told by a young girl which has devestating and long-lasting
repurcussions for herself and her family. The film is both
well-acted and well-made. The British evacuation at Dunkirk is
a truly astonishing scene.
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