Top 5 2007 Films
By Austin Johnson
Holy shit! 2007! I recently visited www.bestrandoms.com to randomly select a year between 1970 and 2018 for a top 5 list and the first year that popped up was 2001, so I made the list and it was cool because I had no idea what 5 films I would be writing about before randomizing the years. 2001 was a dope year for films and I like the surprise element, so I wanted to try it again. 1970 to 2018 again and I got 2009. Now, I have a decent amount of Top 5 lists here on Filmgazm, including the years 1989, 1999, 2001, 2009, and 2019. So, when it landed on 2009, I had to regenerate and it just went two years down to 2007, which is undoubtedly one of my personal favorite years in film ever. I guess BestRandoms really likes the 2000’s, but I’m not complaining because four of these films appeared when Connor and I discussed our Top 10 films of the decade on our Bonus 23 episode. I’ve talked about all five of these films on a Filmgazm platform. I have been talking about how 2019 was the best year in film as a whole in this century but 2007 might have something to say about that. Let’s dig in.
5.) Superbad
“What? You're just gonna let me sit here and eat
dessert alone like I'm Steven fucking Glandsberg?” |
In my mind, Superbad is the best pure bred comedy of the past 20 years. Its sole purpose is to make you laugh and feel a little guilty while doing so. A couple months ago, I realized we didn’t have a review for this gem so I fixed that. There are two Greg Motolla films represented on a Top 5 list now with Superbad here and Adventureland at number 3 on my 2009 list. Superbad came near the end of that raunchy 2000’s era, capturing the best parts of the past and showing us some new tricks along the way. Michael Cera and Jonah Hill are a pristine comedic duo that I wish we could’ve seen more of but I definitely dig each of their individual careers. Bill Hader and Seth Rogen are somehow even better. Thirteen road beers to go! Rogen and Evan Goldberg are extremely important to the comedy community due to their numerous scripts that have made our bellies ache from laughter. Superbad is their best work and it totally deserves a spot right here on my list.
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4.) The Darjeeling Limited
“Cough syrup? That's a dumb way to get loaded, Jack.”
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I made a Top 5 Wes Anderson list about a year ago and Darjeeling came in at number 2 on that and then I had it at number seven on our Top 10 of the 2000’s episode. Darjeeling is Anderson’s fifth film and he wrote it along with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, who also stars in the film as Jack. Anderson’s good pal, Owen Wilson, also stars in the film as Francis and then Adrien Brody is Peter. Those three dudes as brothers is a recipe for madness and brilliance. I will always adore the scene when Francis tells this guy in a truck to get the fuck back in the truck because he threatened Jack. I have three brothers and we operate similarly, knowing that all of us together is much tougher to deal with than just one of us. Wes Anderson always conjures up incredible soundtracks for his films, and Darjeeling takes place in India mostly, so there are numerous tracks in the film from cinema in India. My favorite is the title music from Bombay Talkie. Wes is a student of film and I love that he implements all kinds of cinematic culture into his stuff. Needless to say, I’m very excited for The French Dispatch this summer.
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3.) No Country for Old Men
“I always figured when I got older, God would sorta come inta my life somehow. And he didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I would
have the same opinion of me that he does.” |
The first Top 5 I ever did for Filmgazm was my Top 5 Coen Brothers Films and I have No Country for Old Men at number 2 on it. That was about a year ago and then Connor and I talked about every Coen Bros film on episode 25 of our podcast last August. I also wrote a Top 5 Coen Bros. characters and had Anton Chigurh from No Country at number 2. I had it at number four on our Top 10 Films of the 2000’s podcast. This past February, I wrote a Top 5 Best Picture Winners list in honor of the Oscars and I had No Country at number 4 on that. Oh, and I wrote a Top 5 Best Supporting Actors list the week of the Oscars as well and had Javier Bardem’s performance as Chigurh at number four on that. Everything about this film is fucking perfect.
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2.) There Will Be Blood
“Did you think your song and dance and your superstition would help
you, Eli? I am the Third Revelation! I am who the Lord has chosen!” |
Last June, I wrote a Top 5 list for my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson films and I had There Will Be Blood at number two. In our Top 10 of the 2000’s episode, I had it at number three. Paul Thomas Anderson is my personal favorite director of all time and I still find it hard to believe that at age 37, he had already written and directed Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, and There Will Be Blood. I also find it hard to believe that Daniel Day-Lewis can even do what he does and his role as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood is monumental when it comes to individual performances. He always knocked it out of the park, but PTA wrote him the very best lines of his career. Jonny Greenwood is the lead guitarist for Radiohead and one of PTA’s main collaborators who has contributed to his filmography in such a valuable way. They made the documentary Junun together and the music for Phantom Thread, The Master, and There Will Be Blood is all written by Greenwood. The track "Future Markets" describes the organized chaos of There Will Blood so fucking well. PTA worked with the same cinematographer, Robert Elswit for five of his films, including this. That kind of continuity is admirable and totally contributes to the quality of his films.
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1.) Zodiac
“Hey Bullitt, it's been almost a year.
You gonna catch this fuckin' guy or not?” |
The second Top 5 I ever did was a list of my favorite David Fincher films and I had Zodiac at number one on that as well. I also wrote a Top 5 Jake Gyllenhaal performances of all time, and I had Robert Graysmith from Zodiac at 1. On our Top 10 of the 2000’s episode, I had Zodiac at number two on there. The week of my birthday, I chose Zodiac as our weekly episode because it’s just one of the coolest genre films I’ve ever seen. David Fincher is a master at his craft and I think you got to point to Zodiac when talking about his masterpiece. It’s an epic American story that involves the entire nation and one of the most evil serial killers to ever exist. Of course The Social Network is relevant as hell right now and is just a perfect film, but Zodiac is so fucking gutsy. 2 hours and 37 minutes of men chasing leads, trying to find one man. We’ve seen that formula a trillion times, but we still don’t totally know who the Zodiac is and Fincher’s style makes every second worth it. The film definitely leads you to believe that it was Arthur Leigh Allen, who is portrayed by John Carroll Lynch in one of the most unsettling and underrated performances I’ve ever seen. Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. have a chemistry that is extremely vital to the film. Their hilarious banter makes you laugh even though you’re in the middle of this extremely dark case. The secret weapon in Zodiac is Mark Ruffalo as Inspector, David Toschi. We see Toschi every now and again, but it’s all about the space between the notes. Toschi’s job was to find the Zodiac and Ruffalo does a fantastic job of making you feel the fatigue without seeing his full journey. 2007 was a fucking fantastic year and all 5 of these films are ones that I’ve seen like 20 times with no sign of that count slowing down.
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