This is the thread where we discuss matters pertaining to the detrius that accompanies the "End of the Year in Cinema" -- 2007

Better, but even I'm surprised by Children Of Men at #2.

ugh, not better. Forget my disgust at Before Sunset & Y Tu Mama -- I like You Can Count on Me, but one of the decade's best???

Also, they screwed Munich in the scoring.

How so?

I guess I merely meant that Mulholland isn't a totally embarassing #1 like Once.

Dr Morbius, "chuffed" means "pleased", you know?

just the reverse of what I'd remembered in my morning coma; thx, Alba. Pissed, then (the US meaning).

jaymc did the math on the Stylus scoring, I should have put it in a LOL thread. (in brief, it was on 2 lists including a #1)

Jed has stolen my thoughts upthread re: Inland Empire and Distant Voices - by a mile my two cinematic highlights of 07.

Too many films I haven't seen and will likely catch on DVD – that's why I didn't vote in the Stylus thread. Away From Her and ....Barley are two faves, but hardly top five material.

From that Stylus thing:

take your crush to see Once. Just remember to thank me when you’re rounding third base.

Ew. What was that he was saying about cynicism?

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

"When you're rounding third base, think of me!"

THE David Holmes?

Death Proof but not Planet Terror = List Can Eat Its Own Ass

With Death Proof it’s different, because I just don’t think while it’s on.

evidently!

from the Variety article:

"2007 was an incredibly strong year for independent film," said Michelle Byrd, exec director of IFP. "Ranging from the small gems produced on micro-budgets to extraordinary films from specialty divisions, the nominees all share the type of creative vision and risk-taking that are a hallmark of independent film."

I prefer to round third base after Fight Club.

Giving my credit paydowns and Hollywood and indieland's piss-poor 21st-century track records, I am going to repertory and museum fare more than ever.

oh, those daredevil conglomerate specialty divisions

http://animatedtv.about.com/library/graphics/ralph.jpg

Yay! I'm a specialty division!

Thanks to speciality divisions, we'll NEVER miss a little sunshine.

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/MMPO/MyBigFatGreekWedding.jpg

no one wants to bet vs. Once securing that Little Sacchaine Pill That Could best picture nomination, right?

I wasn't mad about Once but I don't think it's fair to call it saccharine.

If we're talking Oscar predictions, Hal Holbrook in Into The Wild looks odds-on to win best supporting actor. He deserves it, too.

yeah, he should've won for Wild in the Streets.

i saw one of those wild on! specials, i didn't think the acting was that good in it.

Alba, looking forward to seeing "Into The Wild" - i wasn't sure if i was going to check it out but i definitely will now.

Stevie T - i'm so glad we agree!

I like You Can Count on Me, but one of the decade's best???

Yes.

I've seen practically nothing this year but am hoping to catch up soon. I think I'm gonna see Before the Devil Knows Your Dead on Friday. And Away From Her is sitting atop my DVD player, waiting for me.

[You're]

There is nothing that has even the whiff of innovative/adventurous cinematic tehnique in YCCoMe, which disqualifies it from that level of praise. It's the old "film-imitates-lit-fiction" template.

i saw before the devil... last night. god i hate ethan hawke.

I agree with everything in your post, Dr. Morbius, except "which disqualifies it from that level of praise." I found the acting marvelous.

I usu hate Hawke too, but less so when he plays rogues -- Hamlet, the guy in Tape. I'll be seeing that Lumet Monday it seems.

no one wants to bet vs. Once securing that Little Sacchaine Pill That Could best picture nomination, right?

I predicted that a couple months ago, stopped a month ago when I realized how completely, irreparably insignificant the movie is, and am now back to predicting it again.

Spielberg said he loves it.

LOL

Yeah, but ... there's crap-looking of the Little Miss Sunshine variety and crap-looking of the Once variety. The latter makes dogme movies look like Vincente Minnelli.

There is nothing that has even the whiff of innovative/adventurous cinematic tehnique in YCCoMe, which disqualifies it from that level of praise.

small-minded bullshit

WHITHER THE RACK FOCUS?!

Jed - I'm hestitant to recommend Into The Wild to anyone, because I can easily see how it might put many viewers' backs up.

sorry croupier, if something's one of the best ten FILMS of the last 8 years I expect it to be FILMIC, not a conventional narrative Rex Reed can follow while texting Lauren Bacall.

I can easily see how it might put many viewers' backs up.

These are the only films I feel like recommending.

Alba, i basically agree with Morbius. whether i like it or not i'm very interested in seeing it. i won't hold it against you if i loathe it.

it got the main review in Sight & Sound fwiw. i haven't read it yet though.

what's a detrius?

I expect it to be FILMIC, not a conventional narrative

Why are these two opposed?

Also, I thought your point was not that YCCOM is a conventional narrative as much as the fact that it doesn't take advantage of it being a film rather than a book or a play. (Books and plays can have unconventional narratives, too.)

I'm not bothered by the conventional narrative, nor by the failure to take advantage of the medium. If it were a play, I'd probably love it, too. But it's not. Am I to fault it just because Lonergan decided to put it on celluloid instead of on a stage?

I'm not BOTHERED by it either, John (and that IS what I meant by conventional). I think the Stylus list preferring it as a decade-definer to Wong kar-Wai, Tsai, Chereau, Panahi, Aoyama, Gondry, Maddin, George Washington, The Virgin Suicides, Inland Empire or Kung Fu Hustle is where the "filmic" criterion should enter the picture.

you must regurgitate the correct arthouse cliches in order to be filmic, you know.

reminds me of huston complaining about how time magazine used to have a "best shot in the movie" part of the review and it was always something like a shot of someone reflected in a door handle.

trolling begins 5 hours in.

5.5 hours too late

Main Entry:
film·ic Listen to the pronunciation of filmic
Pronunciation:
\ˈfil-mik\
Function:
adjective
Date:
circa 1930

: of, relating to, or resembling motion pictures

I guess when I think of what films can achieve that books or plays can't, it's less a matter of narrative and more of a matter of visual techniques: cinematography and editing. Although I suppose that editing may make unconventional narratives more fluid and immediate than they would be in another medium.

Senses of Cinema's World Poll:

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/

The International Cinephile Society?

http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=1363

Finally saw Gone Baby Gone. The first two-thirds are so gripping that it makes the last implausible 30 minutes more offensive. Amy Ryan pretty good (best line: "I feel like 9-11 now") but everyone except a muted Michelle Monaghan was terrific.

Casey Affleck does all kinds of tricks with that gurgled voice of his. What strange screen presence.

I actually felt kinda the opposite - the opening hour or so was fantastic, then it felt needlessly oppressive and dull for a little stretch in the middle, then pulled out a surprisingly effective ending. I didn't mind Monaghan except that she was a little too conspicuously more attractive than all the other women in the film.

Also the audience I saw it with roffled when Morgan Freeman's character made his first appearance on the TV press conference.

And yes Affleck was great to watch, as was Harris.

Gone Baby Gone was pretty great until the big quarry scene and from the following narration on things got gradually more and more off key. By the time Casey Affleck is ranting at Morgan Freeman it gets into serious stfu territory.

-- da croupier, Saturday, December 8, 2007 5:01 AM (2 months ago) Bookmark Link

SO OTM. this movie sucked and was endless after the first 40 minutes

my fav line was that the mother's alibi involved her going across the street to see Wife Swap, her fav show

also, SPOILER i guess
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there was a moment somewhere abt that 40 minutes in mark where i was like there better not be some gay the cops are in on it twist or im gonna wreck some shit

As far as movies that try to redeem hokey thriller material with that old Strained Seriousness, GBG is at least leagues preferable to Michael Clayton.

Also, wau this thread passed the 1K mark.

man i will take everything about michael clayton over gone baby gone

There's nothing in GBG as egregious as Tilda Swinton's sweaty 'pits.

Or the entire plot of Clayton.

johnny crunch, did you really think Ed Harris would be cast as a virtuous cop?

yeah i guess not. there was too much backstory coming out abt his character & the goatee just made him look dubious.

I hope you Film Comment reader got your poll ballots in.

(except nrq)

wow, glad I missed the Indie Spirits -- a Junofest. and the not-too-funny guy from The Office hosting.

i'm a contributor, dogg.

I'm glad I didn't know.

FC readers poll -- same top 3 as crix, Gone Baby Gone is highest non-critic entry, Barleyup 11 spots.

http://www.filmlinc.com/fcm/poll/07extendedma.html

Alpha Dog is great....realllly great.

EVERYONE SHOULD GO WATCH IT. IT'S STARTING IN, LIKE, 20 MINUTES ON SOME MOVIE CHANNEL. (is there really no thread about this movie?)

I'm Not a Puppy, Not Yet a Dog

I just watched it a second time. I kinda think they should have ended it w/ SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER fat SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER sharon stone

right before maybe. surely someone else loved this?

Michael Sicinski top 17:

http://academichack.net/2007topten.htm#2007

Yet one more prompt for Eric to view I'm Not There.

http://tedpigeon.blogspot.com/2008/08/year-that-was-year-that-is-cinema-2007.html

Is the point that his list isn't affected by end-of-year hype? Cause most of those movies he chose were pretty much the same ones being forced down everyone's throats during critics' awards season.

Most Lars and the Real Girl comments seem to lead here...Not what I thought it was going to be--I expected a comedy, not a somewhat morbid mood piece. I could never really accept the film's central conceit, the idea that the whole town would play along, but other than that, some nice moments. I remembered Paul Schneider from All the Real Girls--he's really good, not sure why he doesn't get bigger parts or more attention. Kelli Garner and Emily Mortimer very good too. Gosling, I don't know--kind of mannered.

The Muriels' 10-years-later poll ... Zodiac tops.

http://www.murielawards.org/07anniv.html

1. Zodiac (dir. David Fincher) [193 points / 30 votes]

2. There Will Be Blood (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) [193 points / 28 votes]
3. No Country For Old Men (dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen) [174 points / 27 votes]
4. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (dir. Andrew Dominik) [71 points / 11 votes]
5. Death Proof (dir. Quentin Tarantino) [62 points / 10 votes]
6. I’m Not There (Todd Haynes) [48/8]
7. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu) [34/6]
8. Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas) [33/5]
9. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel) [31/5]
10. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton) [30/6]

Kind of a shit year, actually.