The 2007 Movie Post

Well, here it is. It's that post where I discuss the movies that were released in 2007 that I saw. And I put them in some sort of order. This year, I actually ended up seeing more than 2006 (here's the link to 2005), so I had a larger pool from which to draw. Here is the disclaimer about how if you get offended if I have a different opinion than you, you may want to stop reading blah blah blah blah. Okay, so here they are!

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - It's Harry Potter and it's in movie form, so basically, I'm going to like it. I really liked the choice of Helena Bonham Carter for the part of Bellatrix Lestrange, even though she's not in it that much. Still, though, I enjoyed the movie. I realized as I was making this list that I'm not terribly infatuated by any of these movies. So, it was just an okay year, but I probably liked this movie the best and mostly because it's a Harry Potter movie.


2. Breach - One thing that I really liked about this movie is that it was based on a true story. I know that it's been Hollywoodized and everything, but I could tell that they were still basing it on situations that were closer to reality than, say, your average James Bond movie. Of course, James Bond movies have their time and place (as you can tell from my feelings about Casino Royale), but a movie that was a little more reality-based was refreshing. I liked that people didn't just walk around shooting each other and blowing up buildings and having car chases right and left. It followed reality more closely, which ended up being a redeeming quality for the movie.

3. Bridge to Terabithia - I really liked that this movie followed the book well. Of course the movie wasn't word-for-word from the book and there were a few things that were different, but the finished product definitely worked for the movie. The child actors fit the parts really well. I'm thinking that they needed to market the movie differently because I heard that people were disappointed that it wasn't a fantasy movie or whatever. Well, to that I say, read the book.


4. Stardust - This movie was so hokey. Somehow, it really worked, though. I can handle a bit of ridiculousness in movies, especially if the ridiculousness is intentional. As long as the movie isn't taking itself seriously and unintentionally being ridiculous, it usually works. Plus, I'll admit that the love story was great, even though you could see the entire plot from a mile away. I even enjoyed Claire Danes in it. Amazing. Maybe it's because she didn't do the Claire Danes crying that bothers me so.

5. Music & Lyrics - The 80s were a joyful time for me. I was a kid, so of course the 80s were great! I really liked how the movie juxtaposed the 80s music world with the music world of today. This is the part in my reviews where I start being able to say that there were some things that I didn't like in the movie. There were some things that I didn't like in the movie. However, I found it to be entertaining. I like it when Hugh Grant can be silly in his movies, but of course, you already know that. And, if you can believe it, I am beginning to tolerate Drew Barrymore in movies!

6. Ratatouille - Okay, so I wasn't totally wowed by Ratatouille. It was good, and there was nothing wrong with it per se, but I just didn't really care that I had seen the movie after it was done. Still, though, it keeps up that Pixar image of making good, clean, fun movies that are worth the money and effort that it takes to make them. And also, the movie caused me to want to eat a lot of food. I like food.


7. Enchanted - I think that this movie sort of won me over at the beginning as it started with your typical cartoon princess movie. I liked that it took perspectives and life situations to the extreme and played them out in a setting where people could relate it to their own lives a little better. But just a little. It was still a fantasy princess movie, and that's okay, too. I have decided that I am a fan of Idina Menzel since I liked her in both "Wicked" and this movie. And, of course, I enjoyed the eye candy that is James Marsden.

8. Hairspray - At the first song of the movie I actually wondered what I had gotten myself into. Fortunately, the movie got better, and I embraced its silliness. I thought that Christopher Walken was great, and I liked the character that Amanda Bynes played. And, AND, I'm not a huge fan of John Travolta, but he was pretty impressive in this movie! Amazing. I think that I ended up appreciating it a lot more after I saw it the second time because I realized that I was able to enjoy it at a second viewing.

9. The Simpsons Movie - This is the part where I had to pick movies from the 'meh' pile and stick them on my top 10 list. I chose this one because I generally like "The Simpsons," but really, I can see them every day on Fox. Or I can stick in one of my DVDs and watch them. I just feel like ... why do I need to see a movie if they have it on TV? And I can also answer that: $$$$$$$$

10. The Bourne Ultimatum - Well, I liked the first two Bourne movies better, but this one wasn't terrible. Actually, I can't really remember it, so by default it goes on this list. I remember thinking that this movie felt a lot more contrived (if that's possible) than the first two movies... like they were stretching to make a movie from a concept that just keeps getting beaten like a dead horse. And I also remember thinking that they needed to stop putting Julia Stiles in the movies. She must be the dead horse that they keep beating.


Honorable Mention: I saw Miss Potter, which technically came out in 2006, but really didn't come to most theaters until 2007. It was really good, and it even had Renee Zellweger in it, who I despise but enjoyed in this movie.

I also saw:

-Live Free or Die Hard - I always loved the original Die Hard movie. This one felt a lot more ... um ... vigilante-esque. Still, though, it was enjoyable. I loved how the movie made references to previous Die Hard movies. The agent Johnson part made me chuckle. Hee hee. Still, though, it wasn't the original Die Hard with Alan Rickman, so I just wasn't wooed by it.

-Spider-Man 3 - Clearly, this movie was the worst of the trilogy. Still, though, it was a good time. A lot of people really didn't like it, but I enjoyed it enough.

-Shrek the Third - I can't really remember this movie. I know that it made me laugh and that I liked it better than the second Shrek movie, but I just think that I was over Shrek after the first movie.

-Ocean's Thirteen - When I watched this movie I kept thinking, why did they make this movie? Why do I care what they're doing? What is the point of this movie? Who likes this movie? I was grateful that Julia Roberts wasn't in the movie, but I also felt nothing for the characters. They could have all died at the end, and I think I would have finished the movie with approximately the same reaction that I already had to it: so what?

-Transformers - The thing that I noticed most of all about this movie is that the dialogue in this movie was terrible. Absolutely terrible. In no way did they cause me to believe that any of the characters would ever, ever actually behave like they did or say the things that they did. Still, though, it wasn't a horrible movie. If I watch it again, I will probably enjoy it more than I did the first time because I will know with absolute certainty that I can not in any way take it seriously. At all. This movie could be more enjoyable if you put it on mute and make up lines for the characters yourself.

-The Astronaut Farmer - Yawn. Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something? Oh yes, we're discussing ... wait, which movie? Oh yeah, that one that wasn't bad, but it wasn't good, either. This is the sort of movie that seems like it would end up showing on Saturday afternoons with The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

-Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - I pretend that this one doesn't exist.

-Beowulf - Yeah, so I didn't really like this movie. It grossed me out. I actually missed a part of it because I had to run out of the theater to vomit (unrelated to being grossed out ..... probably). I don't think that missing that part negatively affected my opinion of the movie because I happened to miss the entirety of the Angelina Jolie cave scene. I can't imagine that I would have liked it. I did look pretty nerd-tastic in the 3D glasses, however. At least I got the 3D glasses out of the movie.

Other movies that I want to see from 2007:

Nancy Drew
1408
Rescue Dawn
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
I Am Legend
The Golden Compass (maybe)

Movies from 2006 that I still want to see: Dreamgirls, The Pursuit of Happyness, Rocky Balboa, We Are Marshall, Amazing Grace

I saw both Superman Returns and Lady in the Water and thought that both of them were okay. I also saw "The Holiday" from 2006 and enjoyed it well enough.

*Pictures used without permission from imdb.*