I figured I should get this out of the way soon before it comes ludicrously late and faintly ridiculous to be looking back to the past year and not forward to the one ahead. 2007 was a great year for me personally, the first full year of being married to my wonderful wife Marti saw us move from our first flat in August, see her continue on to her third year of University, go on several holidays with varying family members and grow closer to our great group of friends we have in the Southampton area who all make it feel so much like home here. It was a year as well of personal growth and as I approach my 23rd birthday and continue this blog I know that I have a long way to go on this yet, but that I’m on the right path. The title of Forward Motion reflects this and I pray that this year I will grow stronger in my faith and in myself to achieve what I want to, rather than being held back by doubts. Aspects of my future are still uncertain to me, but I have grown a lot in my writing and hope that this is the year when I kick it into gear and start to really go for what I want to happen, rather than sitting back.
Entertainment-wise this was a great year as well, many great films were released and on the console front with the big three consoles finally released it was a time for the talk to stop and the games to do the talking, something that will long continue into this year as the developers get to grips with the new hardware. So now to my top 5 films of the year, something I do every year on my website (though the previous years lists are lost to the depths of the internet now). Again these are not necessarily the best ‘made’ films, or even the best films that I rated highest, but the ones that now, looking back, I enjoyed the most, impressed me the most and that I will continue to watch and appreciate in the future. Also these are just the films I have seen, my viewing was spotty at best this year and so many great films I’m sure just passed me by!
5. Knocked Up
The so-called year of Judd Apatow started with Knocked Up, a surprisingly sweet and very funny comedy about a one night stand that takes an expected twist. Catherine Heigl and Seth Rogan shone in the main roles and the supporting cast were equally well developed. The film really impressed me with it’s more realistic approach to relationships and growing up, and as a result shines through with real heart.
4. Hot Fuzz
Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost can do no wrong at the moment and their hotly anticipated follow up to Shaun of the Dead did not disappoint. Hilariously aping 80s buddy cop movies whilst mixing in a midsummer murders style mystery the film managed to be an homage, a parody and it’s own beast entirely. Fantastic performances again all round and another wickedly subversive entry to the resurgence of British cinema.
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Despite an awkward opening the fifth entry into the Harry Potter series really impressed me this year becoming my favourite of the film adaptations so far. Darker and brooding, yet retaining much of the books trademark humour and heart this was a terrific adaptation of the biggest book of the series, perfectly showing how to trim the fat and keep the core values at heart. The three stars have really grown into their roles and it shows and the new characters slotted into the world perfectly, feeling as if they had always been there. The good news is that director David Yates is staying on for Half Blood Prince to be released this November, I can’t wait!
>Read my review.
2. Inland Empire
David Lynch’s follow up to Mullholland Drive was a revelation this year, abandoning his usual visual style for the freedom of home DV camera, lynch spent the past couple of years crafting and improvising this sprawling epic about a doomed actress who gets lost in her part in a cursed film. Strange, unsettling and unexpected this was a dense and difficult film but one filled with moments and images that stuck with you. Like a dream this was an experience, with Lynch its always about the feelings and the journey, not the destination and that he managed to pull out a moving and upbeat ending makes the trip all the more worthwhile. The film is a grower and since seeing it, it has burned its way into my subconscious, the mark of a truly great film if there ever was one and this will be a film I revisit many times over the coming years I’m sure.
2. Inland Empire
David Lynch’s follow up to Mullholland Drive was a revelation this year, abandoning his usual visual style for the freedom of home DV camera, lynch spent the past couple of years crafting and improvising this sprawling epic about a doomed actress who gets lost in her part in a cursed film. Strange, unsettling and unexpected this was a dense and difficult film but one filled with moments and images that stuck with you. Like a dream this was an experience, with Lynch its always about the feelings and the journey, not the destination and that he managed to pull out a moving and upbeat ending makes the trip all the more worthwhile. The film is a grower and since seeing it, it has burned its way into my subconscious, the mark of a truly great film if there ever was one and this will be a film I revisit many times over the coming years I’m sure.
1. Ratatouille
Whilst the rest of this list took a while to form there was a clear winner for the top spot this year. Pixar’s Ratatouille under the helm of the master Brad Bird was a stunning film, the animations was gorgeous, even for Pixar, the characters vivid and real and the story heartfelt, entertaining and filling – like a gourmet meal. Bridging the gap once again between kiddie animation and adult storytelling this found the sweet spot in the middle and didn’t put a foot wrong. Pure joy from start to end Ratatouille is a film that I think will only grow with people as time goes by and acts as a reminder of how valuable an asset Pixar are to the filmmaking world, and with another stunning looking film – Wall-E – out this year, there’s no evidence of them slowing down any time soon.
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