2007 was a pretty amazing year for movies. Now the way I do my list videos is I try to see as many films as possible from that year before making it. I've covered 2008 through 2015 and as I'm going forward in time, I'm also trying to go backwards, alternating, kind of. Since these always take a while after the year regardless of which year I'm doing anyway, I've decided that I'm just gonna go by the IMDb release date. In previous lists, if something said 2007 on IMDB, and it didn't have a wide release until 2008, then I would consider it 2008. But to keep things simple from here on out, we're just gonna go by the year on IMDB and nothing else. So since I've already done my 2008 list, there's films like Funny Games that would be on this list, but are already on that list, so they're not gonna be on this list, so yeah, just don't worry about it, I'm gonna go through all these movies anyway. Starting things off, we've got our guilty pleasures of the year, and I'm debating calling them honorable mentions or something. Because it's not as though they were bad, and it's not as though they're runners-up-szzzz, they're just movies that I feel are worth recommending, even if I don't think they're good enough to be on the actual list. Anyway, these ones are in no particular order, so starting this off we have Yella. This film is directed by Christian Petzold, who also directed Barbara and Phoenix. So far I've enjoyed everything I've seen from him. The film also stars Nina Hoss, who is also in both of those other films I mentioned. Part of what holds this movie together is her performance. She does a really great job at bringing this character to life. The movie is also well shot and edited, but what keeps this on the honorable mentions list is that there are some really silly aspects to the story. This film tries to be kind of a drama and thriller at the same time. The dramatic aspects to this film are fantastic in their presentation and very well written, but the thriller scenes are really kinda dumb. Within those scenes, you see a lot of things that you'd only expect in bad movies, but the rest of the movie's great! So it's just very odd and out of place. So yeah, check it out either way, see how much those aspects bother you. Make sure to check out Barbara and Phoenix as well because those are much better films, particularly Phoenix I really enjoyed. Phoenix I really enjoyed. Anyway, obviously I enjoyed most of the movie enough to be recommending this. So check it out. Another honorable mention is Mister Lonely, directed by Harmony Korine. I'm pretty sure every year I've made a list video and he's made a film, it's wound up on the honorable mentions/guilty pleasures list. His films often feel flawed, but I can at least count on them for being weird and interesting. This is the same guy that directed Gummo, Trash Humpers, and Spring Breakers, and he also wrote the movie Kids. Out of all the films I've seen from him, this particular one seems to be the least offensive. It's the closest thing he's made to an accessible film, but it still has plenty of charm and personality. The plot revolves around a Michael Jackson impersonator who meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, and then they go hang out in a commune of a bunch of impersonators. As I said, weird and interesting. The movie also has a great cameo appearance by director Werner Herzog. There are some issues I have with the presentation and overall it's longer than it should be. I enjoyed it more on a second watch, better understanding the pacing and how things would turn out. There are some scenes in the movie that are pretty great, but it feels as though they don't really have anything to do with the actual story of the film. Anyway, check this one out if you want, it's strange and unique and I think it's worth recommending. MICHAEL JACKSON: Everyone, *unintelligible* There you go, come on! Now, I want you to sing with me, okay? Hoo-hoo! SENIOR CITIZIENS: Hoo-hoo! MICHAEL JACKSON: Hoo-hoo! SENIOR CITIZIENS: Hoo-hoo! MICHAEL JACKSON: Hoo-hoo! SENIOR CITIZIENS: Hoo-hoo! MICHAEL JACKSON: Hee-hee! SENIOR CITIZENS: Hee-hee! MICHAEL JACKSON: Hee-hoo-hoo! Hee-hee! Come on! Come on! Come on! There you go! Woo! You can live forever, you know that? Yeah, you know that! Can I kiss you? Can I kiss you? Music! Another honorable mention/guilty pleasure is Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. Basically, if you're a fan of the show you'll love this movie. The animation is bad and nothing makes any sense, but it certainly is self-aware. This definitely isn't for everyone, and a lot of it falls under funny because it's not funny sort of thing. Either way, I definitely enjoy it, and if this looks like your kind of thing, then maybe check out the show as well. There's a whole generation of Cartoon Network Adult Swim shows just like this, so if you like this then check those out. MASTER SHAKE: Now, this square is the: man. MEATWAD: Okay. MASTER SHAKE: This circle here? That's a uterus. MEATWAD: That's what it looks like? MASTER SHAKE: Up close, yes. This is a life like drawing of the uterus. See, the guy takes the car after his job to pick up the uterus at her house. MEATWAD: Mm-hmm. MASTER SHAKE: Because she doesn't work unless she sweeping up something. MEATWAD: Uh, and where do they go? MASTER SHAKE: All the way. To a hotel, which definitely has cable. And that's where this trapezoid becomes... mmm, shall we say...*laughs* entangled, with the exposed and aerated crotches. MEATWAD: And I did the expose process? MASTER SHAKE: I told you, that's the chair and the spatula. MEATWAD: I knew it. MASTER SHAKE: Congratulate yourself, my friend. You have just been laid. MEATWAD: Ooh, that feels good. MASTER SHAKE: Yeah! I never tire of it. MEATWAD: Do you think that women are attracted to me? Another runner-up/guilty pleasure movie is The Signal. Make sure you get the 2007 one and not the 2014 one. Those movies have nothing to do with each other, but they're two movies that share the same name, so just don't get confused. This is a horror movie where a mysterious signal emitting from electronic devices causes people to go crazy. It's a very low-budget, but also very crazy. About a third of this movie is directed by David Bruckner, who is a very underrated horror director. He's directed the best segments in V/H/S, Southbound, and this film. His first full feature was The Ritual from 2017, which didn't have great writing, but the directing was awesome. Anyway, I don't want to spoil too much about this movie, but you should expect something very, very strange. There's nothing else like it and I think it's a lot of fun. So if this looks cool to you, then check it out. ROD: One out of two people just started killing each other. They just decided to kill people! I mean, what am I-I've never killed anybody before, what do I do? I'm not gonna fuck around. You know, what do I do So anybody comes at me, I take them out. No questions asked. Got to. Anybody. Anybody else, I secure and I put in a safe place. No telling who's gonna go crazy next. I gotta put them up. I pulled a fire alarm. I don't know why. Maybe somebody'll come, maybe they won't. Maybe they're screwed up too. So I fight my way to the roof, I gotta see the big picture and one's gotta know, I have to know, right? Then I see it, in the streets. All the Terminus. It's happening everywhere. People are going crazy in their head all over. First it's just murder, the crazy. You kill anybody, everybody, each other, indiscriminate. It looks like chaos, but then I realize they're thinking. And then I really get scared, because it's rational. They know what they're doing. I mean they-they think it makes sense, but it doesn't make any sense. Another runner-up/guilty pleasure is an Australian miniseries called Summer Heights High, by Chris Lilley. This show is really funny and gets better as it goes along. The show creator Chris Lilley plays three different characters, and does a pretty great job performing them. The humor is very dry and awkward, and not everyone will find it funny, but there are definitely enough great lines and moments for me that it's impossible for me not to recommend. What keeps this from being on the actual list is that it's not really as strong on a second watch. There's nothing really special going on in terms of how it's shot, there are no details to pick up on that you wouldn't catch on your first viewing. Still, the first viewing was an enjoyable experience for me, so if this looks interesting to you then check it out. MR. G: Well, one of my big duties and I've been doing it for about last five years or so, is evacuation procedures. There's a fire in the school, everyone! There's a fire! There's a fire in the school! Get out, quick! I find that I use my acting skills to create the drama of the situation. This is happening! Oh! Oh, Christ! It adds a lot of realism, and it really freaks the kids out. Ms. Al in the library's got third degree burns! One big problem that a lot of schools are having to deal with at the moment is terrorism. It's a big issue, so I have a drill which caters for that too. There's a terrorist attack in the school! I'm serious, get down! Get under a table, everyone! And I also do what I call a random drill, which is-I just spring some kind of emergency onto the kids, and we see how they deal with it. There's a kid in the school with a gun! There's a kid with a gun! There's kids down! Go, I'm serious! There's a pedophile in the school! There's a pedophile, he's in the school, get out! He's on the school grounds! Yes, I think a school with with a good evacuation procedure is a school that survives. Another runner-up/guilty pleasure is La Vie en Rose. This is a biopic on legendary French singer Édith Piaf. Most of you would probably recognize her music being used in the film Inception. There are two aspects that really make this film work. One of them is obviously the music that I love very much, and the other is Marion Cotillard's performance. She won Best Actress for this movie at the Oscars, and it was totally deserved. She truly transformed into this character, and she brings a lot of subtlety and detail to the performance. The way her body language changes with age, the way she speaks, everything! Her performance is honestly a must-see. But what keeps this from being on the actual list is it's not a great story. It often feels indistinguishable from any other musician biopic in that sense. It's also distracting how often the time keeps jumping around for seemingly no reason. It's not a film where you'll get much more out of it seeing it on a second watch, but it is definitely worth at least one. This movie has an amazing performance and beautiful music, so if that sounds good to you, then check it out. And my last runner-up/guilty pleasure is one of my favorite shows, Xavier: Renegade Angel. Now as you can tell from the aesthetic style, this is a very strange show. This is an Adult Swim show from PFFR, who created Wonder Showzen, The Heart She Holler, and The Shivering Truth. Everything they make is wacky and hilarious. Upon first glance, this might seem like some "Lol, so random" mindless garbage, but there actually is some depth to the show, believe it or not. The majority of jokes in this show revolve around clever wordplay. Often times there's no distinct punchline and the jokes are moving by so fast that you can often miss them. I've watched through this series many times, and I keep discovering new jokes within it. The show has plenty of social and political commentary to offer as well. And again, the pacing is so fast that it's sometimes difficult to catch that it's there. This is the first time I've included a television show on one of these lists that isn't a miniseries. The show only lasted two seasons, so it's easy to make an exception here. It's not something like The Simpsons where it's gone on forever with varying degrees of quality, it is a consistent product from beginning to end and it's definitely worth checking out. The reason why this is not on the actual list is because it would be very difficult to place it. My rating for a television My rating for a television show is gonna be a bit different than what I give to a film, and the style is pretty out there so I don't expect it to connect with everybody. I actually explored this show a lot more thoroughly on my podcast called Sardonicast that I run with Ralphthemoviemaker and I Hate Everything. So whether you're a fan already or not completely sold, I'd suggest you check that out as well. Anyway, I absolutely love this show and would highly recommend it, so check it out. XAVIER: Know when you're defeated. Accept your defecation! No thanks, I'm full. Cuz I eat pussies like you for breakfast. Look at you. You look so superficial, you probably judge things by their physical appearance. Oh yeah? Your mom's so shallow, she probably thinks this quip is about her. You're about as deep as a bowl of soup, and your tongue is about as sharp as a soup spoon! Hey, say what you want about me, but lay off the soup. If you love soup so much, why don't you marry soup? Cuz I'm already married to justice. Yeah, only a blind girl would marry you. I know everything you're gonna-say. And I know everything you're gonna-don't. Oh yeah? Well, when God was passing out insight, you thought he said that when God was passing out holy prophets, you thought he said oily faucets. Cuz your soul has diarrhea. Of the mouth. Faucet. All right, time for the actual list now. At number thirty six We have a Brazilian film called Estómago: A Gastronomic Story. The film follows a strange man who learns to cook and improves his skills with the advice of another chef. The film cuts back and forth between his time working as a chef and his time spent in prison, where he uses his cooking skills to improve his social ranking with the other inmates. The acting's all really good, the score for the film is great. The tone of this film is both comedic and dramatic. It also serves as a really good food movie. This is obviously created by people with a passion for food. Throughout the film, you learn about different types of meats and cheeses. A lot of what they show being made looks really delicious. This movie's probably not for everyone, as there are some elements that could be potentially seen as problematic. The female lead is a food addict who winds up sleeping with the character to get more of his delicious pastries. However, the way it's presented is still pretty tongue-in-cheek. It definitely presents itself with the awareness that it's being somewhat ridiculous. Either way, this is a really fun watch and I would definitely recommend it, so check it out. At number thirty five, we have a made for TV Louis Theroux documentary called The Most Hated Family in America. In this documentary, he takes a trip to America to live alongside members of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. For those of you unaware, this is a group that mainly pickets the funerals of soldiers, claiming that they only died in combat because they were fighting for a country that supports homosexuals. If anyone dies ever, it's only because God made them die because they weren't doing their part in hating homosexuals as much. Lots of crazy to be found in this documentary for sure. This isn't just some freak show "Look at the crazies" special that you'd expect from. Dr. Phil. He actually provides a lot of thoughtful commentary that turns this into a really interesting character study. Watching this film, it's pretty fascinating how these characters justify their actions and beliefs. It is a made for TV documentary, so the actual filmmaking doesn't do anything all that exceptional cinematically. Still, the subject matter and the way it was handled makes for a really interesting watch. So if this looks interesting to you, then check it out. MOTHER: When you say gay pride, you obviously have given over any trace or any notion that you're gonna admit that you're sinning. You understand that, don't you? "It's okay to be gay. It's an innocent alternate lifestyle." LOUIS THEROUX: That's what I believe. MOTHER: Well, then you can't say that you believe that it's not a sin. LOUIS THEROUX: Yes. MOTHER: And so you condemn yourself. Because by your words are you justified and by your words are you condemned. LOUIS THEROUX: But am I right in thinking that Jesus, it actually wasn't a big thing for him yet, other priorities rather than homosexuality, and it's not one of the Ten Commandments, is it? MOTHER: Yes. LOUIS THEROUX: Which one? MOTHER: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." LOUIS THEROUX: That's not being gay, that's cheating on someone. MOTHER: The streets of this nation are full of married men having fag sex. That's adultery. So don't try to pretend that you don't come under the umbrella of adultery just because you're a fag. Hi, guys. KID: Hi. LOUIS THEROUX: Hi. MOTHER: This is Gabriel. LOUIS THEROUX: How do you do? At number thirty four, we have The Banishment by Andrey Zvyagintsev. This is one of my absolute favorite directors and I've seen everything but his first feature, The Return. I would highly recommend checking out his other films, Elena, Leviathan and Loveless. Apparently this film, The Banishment, is his worst one. Which is pretty crazy, because this is still a really expertly made movie. The cinematography in his films is always beautiful, there's plenty of wide shots and everything is presented with thoughtful patience, the performances in this movie are absolutely outstanding, the music in this film is fantastic. In terms of filmmaking presentation, this movie is pretty phenomenal. However, the reason why it's so low on this list is because the story isn't nearly as gripping as his other films. In general, his films are really slow-paced, but the hooks of his films really help keep your attention. With this film having less of a hook than his others, it does feel the slowest out of all of them. So I wouldn't really recommend this unless you're already a fan of his other works. If you're more familiar with what he's going for and have an idea of what to expect, then the experience of this film is much better. So yeah, check this one out. But if you haven't seen any of his other films, then probably check out Leviathan first. This is a beautiful and meticulously presented film, and although it does feel slow at times, I would still recommend it. So check it out. At number thirty three, we have the Alex Gibney documentary Taxi to the Dark Side. Alex Gibney has made quite a few documentaries, with subjects ranging from Enron to Scientology to Lance Armstrong. This film details the literal torture that went on in Guantanamo Bay, a facility used to detain and interrogate suspected terrorists during the war in Afghanistan. It is a disturbing watch and there's a lot in this film that's pretty eye-opening. The film shows plenty of documents and chilling interviews, and I wound up learning a lot of details that I wasn't aware of. This is a very dramatic and informative documentary, and I'd suggest checking it out. WILLIE BRAND: I had nothing to do with the military for two years and all of a sudden I'm getting a call saying I'm being court-martialed. I mean, that was a huge surprise for me. JOHN GALLIGAN: From the defense perspective, I immediately said this is a political show trial. Willie Brand is a good soldier, good soldiers tend to obey orders, good soldiers tend to be people who do what they're trained to do. INTERVIEWEE: The interrogators on the ground, for the most part, didn't know what the rules were. They'd never been interrogators before. DAMIEN CORSETTI: My interrogation training consisted of... Basically, they taught us some approaches, you know, how to get people to talk. And then, "Here, go." Go watch these guys interrogate, which were the people that we were replacing. For about five, six hours before I did my first interrogation. WILLIAM CASSARA: Damien was picked for this job because he's big, he's loud, and he's scary. That was his qualification. DAMIEN CORSETTI: Soldiers are dying, get the information. That's all you're told. Get the information. At number thirty two, we have Vermilion Souls. This is a very bizarre and out-there movie. It was a Japanese production that was actually filmed in France. The presentation of this film is very dreamlike, and often confusing. The aspect ratio, along with it being filmed in black and white makes it feel like a much older film. But it's also mixed with a lot of modern sounds and editing techniques. It winds up giving it a very unique personality that I find very watchable. After seeing the film twice, there's a lot about it that I don't completely understand, but it's not a film where I feel like I have to in order to appreciate it. This movie clearly comes from a place of passion and creativity. I would love to hear more interpretations of this film, but barely anyone has seen it. It is a really weird and fascinating watch, so I'd recommend you check it out. At number thirty one, we have a documentary called My Kid Could Paint That. I really love documentaries where the subject being discussed transforms throughout the film. The film follows a family of a 4 year old girl, who is making lots of money selling paintings. She is considered a child prodigy and even compared to Picasso. But as the film goes on, the director starts to present it from a more critical perspective. It also includes greater conversations like, the value of modern and abstract art, what sort of implications come from the value of a piece being more or less socially constructed. It's a really interesting character study on the parents of this little girl. It's a pretty great real life story, and it's very watchable. So if this looks interesting to you, then check it out. INTERVIEWEE: There is this large idea out there that abstract art and modern art in general has no standards, no truths or something, and that if a child can do it, that it sort of pulls the veil off this con game. And shows you that somebody who's four years old can do something that's every bit as good as what, you know, a famous artist who sells pictures for millions of dollars can do. That idea, that art is not really about some truth, but it's about some lie being foisted on a public. NEWS ANCHOR: You might say a three-year-old could paint that, but in fact, famous work of abstract art that's sold for more than ten million dollars. I think it's similar to this work, an abstract done by two new young artists. INTERVIEWEE: There's a debunking quality to it, but this seems genuine and honest. But that abstract art in general and modern art is one kind of racket, is a put-on. NEWS ANCHOR: He and many others love this work OBSERVER: It's a competent execution of abstract expressionism CRITIC: It was done by a four-year-old. OBSERVER: Okay, there you go. CRITIC: But there you go, what? I mean what makes it art then? At number thirty, we have another documentary called Up the Yangtze. This is a film about the struggles of the underprivileged Chinese. We see a poor and uneducated family living on the edge of the Yangtze River, and the daughter of this family goes to work on a cruise ship to bring money home for her parents. What I love about this documentary is how layered it is. I love the juxtaposition between these poor workers and these wealthy vacationers. Meanwhile, a dam is being built that will eventually flood the homes of everyone living by the river. The film has plenty to say about the growth of consumerism in modern China. This movie has a lot to say and it's all presented in a very professional and intelligent way. Rather than beat you over the head with every observation, it allows you to interpret much of it for yourself. This documentary is as emotional as it is interesting, and I would highly recommend it. So if this looks good to you, then check it out. At number twenty nine is a Swedish film called You, the Living. This film is a part of a series by Roy Andersson that I mentioned recently after I saw his newest film at TIFF. Basically, his four most recent films are all presented in a very similar style. They are more or less a compilation of short stories revolving around similar themes. There's lots of gray and light green in the color palette, the purposeful lighting creates scenes where there are virtually no shadows. It's a very distinct style and I really enjoy this film aesthetically. Each of these short stories have elements of drama and comedy, they communicate ideas of purpose and self-reflection. This is probably my favorite out of the four films in this series, and you don't have to watch them in order. So if you like this one, then check out the other ones as well. I love seeing movies where the director successfully accomplishes showing things in a very specific way. Anyway, I think it's great, so if this looks good to you then check it out. At number twenty eight is a British comedy called Death at a Funeral. This is a movie that was very funny and wound up getting an American remake only a few years later. I haven't seen the remake and I don't really feel like ever doing that. This is a very solid comedy with very awkward and outrageous situations. It's very funny to watch this situation keep getting worse and worse. This film features a lot of great comedic performances, and Alan Tudyk is very fun to watch. This movie is very chaotic and outrageous, and it's a lot of fun to watch with friends. This is probably one of the more mainstream accessible films on this list, so don't go into it expecting an arthouse film. This film succeeds at being a hilarious comedy, so if that sounds good to you, then check it out. HOWARD: This is ridiculous. JUSTIN: How about over there? HOWARD: Huh? JUSTIN: The guy's coming out out of there. Take it! Take it! HOWARD: All right! What're you doing? Are you mental? Sorry, 'scuse me. Hi, sorry. Oh, hi Martha. I was just about to park there actually. MARTHA: Yeah. Well, are you a relative, Howard? HOWARD: No, I'm not, but- JUSTIN: Hey, Martha. TROY: Who's that? UNCLE ALFIE: What's happening? JUSTIN: Did you see that? She barely even looked at me. UNCLE ALFIE: I said, what's happening? Are we there? HOWARD: Oh my God, we've got uncle Alfie in the car. I cannot believe I forgot to say we've got uncle Alfie in the car! All right! Keep your hair on! UNCLE ALFIE: What the hell's going on? HOWARD: Ow! JUSTIN: She barely even looked. At number twenty seven, we have a made for TV documentary called The Pixar Story. Now, I've been fairly critical of Pixar, especially with their more recent films. But there's no denying how much of a monumental impact they had on computer animation. This film tells the story of how they formed as a company the challenges they faced on each film, etc. It's not just some puff piece for fans of the company. This documentary covers the history of computer animation and provides a lot of useful context. It doesn't show away from featuring criticisms of Disney. Pretty much everything that should be in this documentary, is. Whether you're an animation lover, or just looking to watch an interesting story, I'd suggest checking this one out. NARRATOR: Ed's computer animated film of his own left hand was the first step in the development of creating curved surfaces, wrapping texture around those surfaces, and eliminating jagged edges. The footage debuted years later in the science fiction film Future World, which became the first use of 3D animation in a live action film. Ed graduated with a PhD in a new technology ahead of its time. There was only one institution in the country willing to put millions of dollars into its further development ALVY RAY SMITH: The word of any center of activity spread rapidly, and it quickly became known that the place was New York Tech. EDWIN CATMULL: There on the charter was, "Let's make computer graphics usable in filming." That's exactly what I wanted to do. Alex Schure, the president of New York Tech hired Ed to spearhead the new computer graphics department to develop paint programs and other tools to create art and animation using the computer At number twenty six, we have The Savages starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. This film is about a brother and sister who wind up having to face caring for their mentally deteriorating father. The subject matter is fairly depressing but it's not as dark of a movie as you'd expect. There are plenty of comedic moments and the tone doesn't really feel all that hopeless. Still, there are also plenty of dramatic moments where the performances are really able to shine. The performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman is amazing as usual, the cinematography and shot composition is solid, but what really stands out is the script. The writing for this film is actually pretty fantastic, and there's lots to appreciate about it. This is a really great movie that not enough people have seen, so if this looks interesting to you then check it out. JON: There's nothing wrong with dad's situation! Dad's situation is fine. But he's never gonna adjust to it if we keep yanking him out of there. All right and actually, this upward mobility fixation of yours, it's counterproductive and frankly pretty selfish. WENDY: Selfish? JON: Yeah, because it's not about dad, it's about you. You and your guilt. That's what these places prey upon. WENDY: I-I happen to think it's nicer here! JON: Of course you do. Because you're the consumer they want to target, you are the guilty demographic. The landscaping, the neighborhoods of care, they're not for the residents, they're for the relatives. People like you and me, who don't want to admit to what's really going on here. WENDY: Which is what, Jon? JON: People are dying, Wendy! Right inside that beautiful building right now, it's a fucking horror show! And all this wellness propaganda, and the landscaping, it's just there to obscure the miserable fact that people die! And death is gaseous, and gruesome, and it's filled with shit and piss and rotten stink! WOMAN: C'mon, Nana. At number twenty five is Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Now, there are a lot of silly, Judd Apatow style comedies around this time, many featuring John C. Reilly acting as a manchild. I'm, not really a fan of those kinds of movies, but this one really separates itself from the rest. Essentially, this is a parody of musician biopic movies like Walk the Line. If you're familiar with the general blueprint of these types of movies, then the parody aspect works even better. There's a lot of extra effort put into this movie that you don't often see in mainstream comedies. They actually wrote some pretty great songs for the character to perform in this film. Despite how undeniably silly this film is overall, you can tell that there was a lot of passion put into it. It's not a film that relies on cheap gags and people acting like man children, it's a very clever criticism of a genre that winds up being better than most of the films within it. Anyway, I think this movie is an absolute blast, so if this looks fun to you, then check it out. SAM: Get out of here, Dewey. DEWEY: What're y'all doing in here? SAM: We're smoking reefer. And you don't want no part of this shit. DEWEY: You're smoking reefers? SAM: Yeah, of course we are. Can't you smell it? DEWEY: No, Sam. I can't. GIRL: Come on, Dewey join the party. SAM: No, Dewey. You don't want this. Get out of here! DEWEY: You know what? I don't want no hangover, I can't get no hangover. SAM: It doesn't give you a hangover! DEWEY: I'll get addicted to it or something? SAM: It's not habit forming! DEWEY: Okay. Well... I don't know. I don't want to overdose on it. SAM: You can't OD on it! DEWEY: It's not gonna make me want to have sex, is it? SAM: It makes sex even better. DEWEY: Sounds kind of expensive. SAM: It's the cheapest drug there is. DEWEY: Hmm. SAM: You don't want it. DEWEY: I think I kind of want it. SAM: Okay, but just this once. Come on in. At number twenty four is an Austrian-German World War II movie called The Counterfeiters. This is a fictional retelling of operation Bernhard, a secret Nazi plan to destabilize the UK economy by forging a bunch of money. Now obviously, with this being a Holocaust movie it is pretty dramatic. In some ways this feels like a lot of other Holocaust movies, but it does offer a unique situation and perspective. The harmonica heavy soundtrack is great and helps set the tone very well, it's well shot and very well acted. There are a couple moments here and there that feel a bit cheesy, but overall it is a very effective film. This is another fairly accessible movie on this list, so check it out if it looks interesting to you. At number twenty three, we have The Man from Earth. Now this movie is going to be a bit of a tough sell, but just trust me on this one. In terms of production quality, this film is pretty not great. As you can probably tell by the footage I'm showing, this looks a lot more like a cheap, made for TV movie than an actual film. The performances are inconsistent, the soundtrack often feels cheesy. However, I still think it's a great movie. This is a movie that survives almost completely on its script, but it is such an interesting story that it's difficult not to enjoy. The film is written by one of the writers of the original Star Trek series, Jerome Bixby. It was actually completed on his deathbed in 1998, while he dictated the last of it to his son. This movie was made with a $200,000 budget, and it's pretty much just one location. The entire film is just people talking to each other, but the story that reveals itself is just so interesting. It is an incredibly thought-provoking and philosophical movie that is honestly pretty exciting to watch. Anyway, I know it looks cheesy, but just trust me, I think this movie's great, so check it out. HARRY: In science fiction terms, I would say- perfect regeneration of the body's cells, especially in the vital organs. Actually, the human body appears, in design, to live about 190 years, most of us just die of slow poisoning. JOHN OLDMAN: Maybe he did something right, something everybody else in history... done wrong. ART: What, like eat the food, drink the water and breathe the air? DAN: And prior to modern times, those were pristine. We've extended our lifespan in a world that's, umm... not affected. ART: You know what could happen. HARRY: Yeah, the pancreas turns over cells every 24 hours, the stomach lining in three days, the entire body in seven years, but the process falters, waste accumulates, eventually proves fatal, the function. Now if a quirk in his immune system led to perfect detox, perfect renewal, then yeah, he could... duck decay. EDITH: That's a secret we'd all love to have. JOHN OLDMAN: What do you really want to do, then? Live fourteen thousand years? At number twenty two, we have Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, by Tim Burton. Now this movie is actually adapted from a stage musical, which I have never seen. It is very clearly trying to offer a different experience, and I think it works pretty great. It goes without saying that the music is one of the best aspects of the film. There's lots of clever details about characters that are hidden within the songs that they sing. It is a very well-written musical, and I think this film does it justice. Now, some might call this a dramatic horror musical, but it's also pretty funny. The comedic performance from Sacha Baron Cohen never gets old to me. My biggest criticism with this film is that a lot of the computer animation is pretty outdated, but aside from that, this movie is pretty awesome. The songs are catchy and well-written, and I have one of them in my head right now just thinking about it the movie. Out of Tim Burton's catalog, this is definitely one of his better films. So yeah, check this one out if you haven't already, because I think it's great. ANTHONY: I'll steal you, Johanna I'll steal you Do they think that walls can hide you? Even now I'm at your window I am in the dark beside you Buried sweetly in your yellow hair I feel you, Johanna And one day, I'll steal you At number twenty one is the Darjeeling Limited, by Wes Anderson. Now this film personally feels a bit slower to me than a lot of the other films in Wes Anderson's catalog. However, this movie is aiming to be a lot more sentimental. There are lots of great comedic moments and plenty of drama, but this film also aims to be a bit of a religious or spiritual experience. It tackles ideas of connection, regret, and acceptance. These characters wind up going on a meaningful and emotional journey, and it's a film that really sticks with me in ways. This is not as well shot as Wes Anderson's later films, but you can definitely see him growing as a filmmaker with this one. The framing and cinematography are still great, the soundtrack choices were all enjoyable, the performances weren't anything mind-blowing, but they worked really well for the roles. Anyway, check this one out if you want, there's also a short film accompaniment called Hotel Chevalier on the Criterion Blu-ray. I really enjoyed this film, so if this looks interesting to you, then go see it. FRANCIS: Let's make an agreement. JACK: Okay. PETER: What? FRANCIS: A. I want to become brothers again, like we used to be, and for us to find ourselves and bond with each other. Can we agree to that? PETER: Okay. JACK: Yeah. FRANCIS: B. I want us to make this trip a spiritual journey, where each of us seek the unknown, and we learn about it. We agree to that? PETER: Sure. JACK: I guess so. FRANCIS: C. I want us to be completely open and say yes to everything, even if it's shocking and painful. Can we agree to that? I had Brendan make us an itinerary. PETER: Who's Brendan? FRANCIS: My new assistant. He's gonna place an updated schedule under our doors every morning of all the spiritual places and temples that we need to see, and expedite hotels and transportation and everything. PETER: How's he gonna do that? FRANCIS: I had him bring a printer and a laminating machine. JACK: Where is he? FRANCIS: Well actually, it doesn't matter. He's in a different compartment on another part of the train. We never see him. Ever. That's more or less it. Three, please. Does that sound okay to you? PETER: Sounds good, sure JACK: Yeah, that sounds good. FRANCIS: Do you have any questions? PETER: I do. FRANCIS: Okay, go ahead. PETER: What happened to your face? At number twenty is a low-budget musical called Once. Now with the budget for this film being only $150,000, the production value is not that high. Still, when comparing this to a film like The Man from Earth, which actually cost $50,000 dollars more, this one does a much better job. Basically, this is a musical where the characters in the film are songwriters, and the songs you hear are ones that they actually play. The two songwriters are also the ones playing the main characters, and they do a pretty great job. In terms of story, this is kind of a romantic drama, but the script is more or less a vehicle for the songs to appear in the film. Without the music, it wouldn't be a very special film and I wouldn't be recommending it, but the music in this film is just incredible. These are very well written and powerful songs, and they mean a lot to me emotionally. I actually wind up seeing Glen Hansard in concert because of this movie, and I'm glad I did, because he's an incredibly talented musician. I understand that different people like different genres, so if the music doesn't sound good to you, then probably don't check out the movie. I for one think that it's incredible, and I really love this film because of it. So if this sounds good to you, then check it out. GUY: And if you have something to say You better say it now 'Cause this is what you've waited for A chance to even up the score And as these shadows fall on me now I will somehow Yeah 'Cause I'm picking up the message, Lord And I'm closer than I've ever been before So if you have something to say Say it to me now Just say it to me now At number nineteen we have Sicko, a documentary by Michael Moore. Now I understand that by even mentioning that name, I'm gonna get a few people who are definitely not on board. I am aware of the criticisms against him, but I still think that this is a pretty great movie regardless. One thing that should be understood is that his documentary style is in no way attempting to be something like Alex Gibney's. He is less interested in presenting a series of argumentative facts, and more interested in dramatic storytelling, but that's part of the reason why I enjoy some of his films so much. The experience I get when watching this is much more cinematic than your average documentary. The presentation through the music and pacing and editing, it all makes for a pretty great dramatic experience. Whether or not you agree with his conclusions, I still think that this is an important and entertaining movie to watch. Healthcare is, for some reason, still a big issue in the states, so it couldn't hurt to have an extra perspective. Personally, I feel as though Michael Moore has gotten a bit obnoxious over the years, but still, this is one of his good movies. And the best way to find out if you take any issue with how he presented this film would be to just watch it. And if you do watch it and still have a big issue with this film, please feel free to leave a comment, because I'm genuinely interested in your perspective. Anyway, I think this movie is informative, funny, and successfully dramatic, so if this looks interesting to you, then check it out. MICHAEL MOORE: And thus, the healthcare industry went unchecked into the early 21st century. NEWS ANCHOR: Humana more than doubles its fourth quarter profit, lifts its earnings outlook for the year as well. NEWS ANCHOR 2: United Health has tripled its share price... MICHAEL MOORE: Making obscene profits... NEWS ANCHOR 3: ...better than expected earnings, one of them was Aetna. There's a lot of really wealthy shareholders out there right now, are they willing to actually share some of that wealth? MICHAEL MOORE: Turning their CEOs into billionaires, and skirting the law whenever they wanted. But their biggest accomplishment was buying our United States Congress. NEWS ANCHOR 4: This is Washington at work. Lobbying has become so brazen, the money is being collected... MICHAEL MOORE: With four times as many healthcare lobbyists than there are members of Congress, they even managed to buy off old foes. For her silence, Hillary was rewarded, and she became the second largest recipient in the senate. Of health care industry contributions. at number 18 is a movie from argentina called the ariel At number eighteen is a movie from Argentina called The Aerial. This film is about a city that has had their voices stolen from them, so characters communicate with each other by using words that show up in the universe. As you can probably tell this movie is a bit strange. It is presented in a very surreal and absurdist style, and much of it pays homage to early German expressionist films like Metropolis. Now I'm not an expert on older films and I've never claimed to be, but I'd imagine that someone who is would probably pick up on a lot more than I did. Either way even without picking up on every single reference, this film is still a blast to watch. It's very unique and stylized, it's also fast paced, a lot of the concepts and visuals in this movie are wacky and awe-inspiring, the music in this film is fantastic, this is unfortunately another movie that just not enough people have seen. It is a creative and rewatchable love letter to cinema, and I would suggest checking it out. At number seventeen is Frank Darabont's The Mist. Now I know a lot of people, including myself, had this film in their memory as being kinda bad. I've always legitimately enjoyed parts of it and other parts I've enjoyed ironically. But when I watched it again for this list, I found out that the version I had always watched was the wrong one. Frank Darabont's intention was to present the film in black and white, but the studio just decided they didn't want to do that. But on the second disc of the collector's edition Blu-ray, you can actually watch the black-and-white version, and it is a completely different experience. Watching it this way makes it so much more obvious what this film is going for. It's infinitely more atmospheric, the effects look better, the way it's written feels infinitely more appropriate. It's a shame that the black and white version wasn't released theatrically, because this is the way the film was meant to be watched. It is still not a perfect movie and there are some cheesy bits, but even those now feel like they're just part of the experience. It is clearly paying tribute to an era of 1960s pre-color films. Anyway, I really love this movie and I'm glad I finally got to watch it in the way that it was intended to be experienced. It's eerie, it's funny, it's dark, there are plenty of satisfying scenes. So yeah, check this one out if you want, and make sure it's in black and white. MAN 1: It's obvious that we're in some kind of natural disaster here. MAN 2: Ain't nothing obvious about this sonofabitch from where I sit. MAN 3: Ain't nothing natural about it either. MRS. CAMRODY: It's Judgment Day and it has come around at last. There is nothing more obvious or natural than that. MAN 2: Aw, fuck. MRS. CAMRODY: You've done that to yourself by a life of sin and dissolution At number sixteen is Zodiac, by David Fincher. This is yet another great film on this list from a great director, but it is one of their slower ones. This movie actually took a while to grow on me, and I loved it more the more I understood what it was going for. This film is about the Zodiac mystery from the 60s and 70s, where a serial killer left clues and puzzles for people to find. This is less about the killer or killings, and more about the manhunt to find him. Obviously, with this being a David Fincher film, the whole thing looks fantastic. The shots are very clean and precise, it's also very well edited. Now when I say this is one of his slower films, it really depends on what you're expecting to get out of the story. This is definitely not the standard formula for a serial killer manhunt movie. More than anything, this is a character study into the people trying to find him. Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job as usual, Robert Downey Jr. is an absolute blast to watch in this film, and it's probably my favorite role of his. The chemistry between these characters is thoroughly entertaining. All around, the presentation of this film is pretty excellent. It's very well-written and there are lots of clever choices. I think this movie is pretty great, so check it out. PAUL AVERY: This can no longer be ignored. What is that you're drinking? ROBERT GRAYSMITH: It's an Aqua Velva. You wouldn't make fun of it if you tried it. But who actually cracked the code? A married couple who like puzzles. So what's that tell us about the Zodiac? PAUL AVERY: He's no expert. ROBERT GRAYSMITH: Right, it's just a simple substitution code, like the one that we used to do as Boy Scouts. A is one, B is two. PAUL AVERY: We weren't all Boy Scouts, Robert. Well, it's not that hard. You just got to know where to start. ROBERT GRAYSMITH: In the first cipher- PAUL AVERY: You actually carry that around with you? ROBERT GRAYSMITH: Why? PAUL AVERY: No reason. ROBERT GRAYSMITH: What's the most common double consonant in the English language? PAUL AVERY: Consonant? ROBERT GRAYSMITH: The double L. PAUL AVERY: Double L. ROBERT GRAYSMITH: And what's the one word that we know that he'll use in here at least once? PAUL AVERY: Kill. ROBERT GRAYSMITH: Right, kill. So the Hardens start looking for double symbols, which they find here, here and here. At number fifteen is Sunshine, by Danny Boyle. Now this movie can be a bit polarizing depending on what you want to get out of it. I absolutely loved this film when I was younger, and although it's not as strong for me today, there are plenty of elements that really make it work for me. This is a film where talent is just oozing from every direction. The directing is stylized and very atypical for a space movie. All of the characters are well written and well performed, the effects in this movie are pretty great and don't really feel outdated. And the strongest element of this film for me would have to be the score John Murphy created a John Murphy created a magnificent score for this film. It was so great that many other movies started ripping it off. There are some aspects to this movie that seem a little silly. The script is probably the weakest element. although I would never call it poorly written. There are some choices in the second half of the film that kind of turn it into a different experience. However, even though I enjoy the first half of the film more, without the second half then this movie wouldn't be nearly as unique. Anyway, I really love this movie, and although not every choice is one that works well for me, the amount of talent and passion going into this film is undeniable. There are many great scenes in this film and plenty of emotion. I've seen this movie quite a few times and I thoroughly enjoy it, so check it out. KANEDA: Can you guys see this? MACE: We can see it. KANEDA: The hydraulics are burnt out. Let's get this closed. Okay boys, test it. Good. That's the first one closed. MACE: You can do it? KANEDA: It'll take a while, but, yeah. We can do it. At number fourteen is Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. This is the final film from legendary director Sidney Lumet. His previous films include works like 12 Angry Men and Dog Day Afternoon. This film is pretty exhilarating to say the least. There are incredibly high stakes from beginning to end. It's actually kind of stressful to watch, but not in a bad way. Every single performance in this film is fantastic, with Philip Seymour Hoffman once again being my favorite. You can really tell that everyone on set is giving it their all. This is a movie where it's clear that everyone respects the material and takes it seriously. The characters are very interesting, although not exactly meant to be likable. This is one of those films where you watch everything just slowly fall apart. It's a very thrilling experience, and it kept me engaged throughout. The score for this film by Carter Burwell is also fantastic. The one aspect of this film that bothers me at all would have to be the editing. There's a way that they transition certain scenes in this film that comes off as incredibly cheesy. Perhaps it wasn't as bad in 2007, but it is certainly pretty jarring now. Who knows, it might not bother you at all. For me, it took some time getting used to it. It's really a small criticism in an otherwise fantastic film. I would highly recommend this one, so check it out. HANK: They only wanna know about robbing a jewelry store. ANDY: You'll learn. On-the-job training, you know. HANK: Cut it out, man. This is serious. ANDY: Serious as a heart attack. Listen, number one, I can't... I can't go up to the mall. HANK: Why not? ANDY: Oh, God. Three months ago, I had to walk the whole goddamn Mary with the Home Depot representative, cuz everything kinda lined up, a lotta space. And we all want to land in the mall, and I'm getting a lot of big handshakes, Andy, baby, how are ya, haven't seen so long since you left, telling me all that bullshit because they figure I'm making a killing, because a big chain wants to buy them out. They're saying someone's gonna just recognize me too easy. HANK: So what, you postpone. ANDY: Yeah, we could. You know, wait a year. I mean, I don't know about you, but my problems are pressing. ANDY: Jesus, Andy. I... Andy, I... I wouldn't even know how to start. ANDY: Well, you can stop being a baby. HANK: I'm not being a- ANDY: Yeah, you're being a baby. At number thirteen is The Union: The Business Behind Getting High. This is a Canadian documentary on, you guessed it, marijuana. It is pretty strange recommending old documentaries, as the public landscape around weed has changed a lot since the film, But it's a pretty great documentary either way. It really puts into perspective just how ridiculous marijuana prohibition was. And when I say was, I mean from the perspective of a Canadian, because I know that there are quite a few places in the world that are still figuring this out for some reason. Now, I want to be clear that this is not just a preaching to the choir documentary about how great weed is. It's actually very informative, and teaches a lot about the history of marijuana legality. There are plenty of interviews, with some being hilarious. GUY: People say "Well, you can abuse marijuana." Well, shit. You can abuse cheeseburgers, too! You know? You don't go around closing Burger King because you can abuse something! I can take a fucking fork and jam it in my eyeball, does that mean forks should be illegal? You know, I could jump off a bridge. Should we outlaw bridges? Let's nerf the world! It's also pretty perfect that this film was made in Vancouver, Canada, a city that's been weed crazy since long before it was ever legalized. The film gives lots of information on the illegal market and grow-ops, it talks about what happened to Marc Emery, it's a very dense documentary on a subject that has a surprising amount to cover. It's not a movie where you should treat everything being said as gospel. This isn't a film that's trying to present itself as anything other than pro weed. Still, I think this is a great documentary, it's very entertaining and very informative. Whether you already agree with the premise of this documentary or not, I'd suggest checking it out. NARRATOR: Ronald Reagan announces the most reliable scientific sources say permanent brain damage is one of the inevitable results of the use of marijuana. Monkeys pumped full of marijuana, apparently 30 joints a day, had begun to atrophy and die after 90 days. Brain damage was determined after counting the dead brain cells of both monkeys who had been subjected to the marijuana, and ones who had not. This study became the foundation of the government and other special interest groups claim that marijuana kills brain cells. Here's what they didn't tell you. After six years of requests, how the study was conducted was finally revealed. Instead of administering 30 joints a day for one year, Dr Heath used a method of pumping 63 Colombian strength joints through a gas mask within five minutes over three months. TODD MCCORMICK: They suffocated the monkeys. What they did is they put these gas masks, basically, on their face and they pumped pot into it, but without additional oxygen, so after X amount of time, the brain shut down. Well, if you suffocate, the first thing that's gonna happen is your brain cells are gonna die with lack of oxygen. So what they did is they suffocated the monkeys, showed all these dead brain cells, and then went on to associate by saying that cannabis use causes your brain cells to die. At number twelve is Atonement, directed by Joe Wright. This is another film on this list that I would call fairly mainstream accessible. It is very professionally made with plenty of production value, James McAvoy, Keira Knightley and Saoirse Ronan are all great in this movie. The two standout aspects of this film would be the score and the cinematography. The music is very energetic and well composed. There are typewriter sounds that are incorporated into the music as part of the rhythm. It not only sounds great, but it's also purposeful towards the events in the film. The entire movie looks pretty great visually, but there's one sequence in this film that is absolutely incredible. It's visually breathtaking and incredibly well coordinated. The emotions that this film hits are ones that resonate successfully with me. In some ways, this feels like kind of an Oscar movie, but not in ways where it feels pandering. Anyway, I really love this one, so if you haven't seen it yet then check it out. ROBBIE: Briony? BRIONY! At number eleven is Encounters at the End of the World, by Werner Herzog. Herzog is an incredibly interesting and influential filmmaker. There's plenty from his catalogue that I still need to familiarize myself with, but everything I've seen from him is really fascinating. In this film he heads to Antarctica to understand the types of people that live and work there. This is definitely not your typical Antarctica documentary. He managed to turn this project into more of an artful character study type film. I loved how personal and uncompromising his movies are. Like his other films, this one is beaming with his own character and personality. He takes subjects and observations that could easily be taken at face value, and through his own strange lens turns it into something much more poetic. The music and pacing and editing of this film make it clear that he's trying to offer a very thoughtful experience. Anyway, I love this movie, it's engaging and often funny, so I'd suggest checking it out. WERNER HERZOG: The best connection is a military plane out of New Zealand, loaded with chained down parts of polar stations. Most of the passengers had tucked into their laptops, in their books, and many of them were sleeping. Who were the people I was going to meet in Antarctica at the end of the world? What were their dreams? We flew into the unknown, a seemingly endless void. I was surprised that I was even on this plane. The National Science Foundation had invited me to Antarctica, even though I left no doubt that I would not come up with another film about penguins. At number ten is Smiley Face, directed by Gregg Araki. This is probably one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The tone, the characters, the sequence of events, all of it melds together so well and I haven't seen anything else quite like it. This is not your average Seth Rogen style stoner movie. The hilarity and commitment that Anna Faris brings to this performance is just awesome. This is certainly not some expertly crafted masterpiece and it is somewhat flawed, but in terms of what it's going for, I think it accomplishes it perfectly. You don't have to have smoked weed in order to enjoy this film, but it certainly makes some scenes more relatable. This film may not have perfect execution throughout, but it makes up for it by how genuine it is. This is a movie that's able to get plenty of genuine laughs out of me. The humor in this movie might not be for everyone, but I find it absolutely hilarious, so check it out. JANE: I mean, isn't that what you're supposed to put in a frame? Things you love? I'm gonna do that. When I get home, I'm gonna frame a bunch of stuff I love. Like lasagna. I love lasagna. It's so good and cheesy. You know who else loves lasagna? Garfield. Man, that cat really loves lasagna. Maybe I should put a picture of Garfield in a frame, you know, as a kind of shorthand way of saying "I love lasagna." That would be so fucking inside! Or how about a photo of President Garfield? Oh shit, that'd be totally meta! People would be all like Jane People would be all like "Jane, why do you have a photo of President Garfield on your mantle?" And I'd be like "Because I like lasagna, of course." At number nine is Pixar's Ratatouille. This would have to be my absolute favorite Pixar movie. There are many aspects to this film that feel much more mature and adult compared to their other films. The premise itself is very cartoonish, but the film manages to be self aware and poke fun at itself. The animation is obviously fantastic, and even being from 2007 it doesn't feel incredibly dated. The score for the film is one of the more unique ones I've heard in a Pixar movie. I love that they use the French location to add to the character of the movie. It has a great sense of personality, and there's plenty of aspects within the film that add to this. It is also a great food movie, and the passion really shows. The characters are lovable and hilarious, the film offers interesting commentary on the value of criticism This film is loaded with great comedic setups. I don't think there's another Pixar movie that I find as genuinely funny as this one. Anyway, I think this movie is great, it's probably the most child-friendly one on this list, but regardless of age I would recommend you check this one out. LINGUINI: Votre santé. At number eight is Sigur Rós: Heima. This is actually a tour documentary of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, when they decided to perform a variety of free concerts for their home country. Now I've listened to their music here and there but never heard a full album, but the experience of watching this was pretty powerful. This is another one on this list where if you don't like the music, then you probably won't like the movie. I, however, was really into it, and I'm glad I watched it with a good sound system. Between the tracks, we hear the band talking about their process and working together. During the tracks, we see images of Icelandic scenery and people. It's a nice little window into their culture and it all flows together very well. Their music features a variety of interesting instruments, it's all very soulful and enigmatic. This is not a complicated film that demands your interpretation. It is a pleasant, relaxing experience that you can just turn on and get sucked into. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of this film both times I watched it, so if this looks interesting to you, then check it out. At number seven is Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, yet another film on this list that is pretty polarizing. Now this movie was originally released as part of a double feature with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror. They called the two film combo Grindhouse, and even had plenty of fake trailers in between. The Grindhouse experience as a whole is a blast to watch, but I'd consider Planet Terror more of a guilty pleasure. Death Proof is the film that really manages to faithfully recreate this brand of exploitation midnight movies. It feels very genuine in its execution, I love its atypical structure, I love the dialogue and the characters. There are certainly cheesy aspects to this film, but it really fits what it's going for. For whatever reason, there are a lot of people that consider this to be Quentin Tarantino's worst movie. To be perfectly honest with you, it's one of my favorites and I'm prepared to defend it to the death. If you want to hear me doing exactly that, then check out this episode of Sardonicast, where I argue with Alex and Ralph over the merits of this movie. It's well shot, the music is great, it's got a huge personality, I could watch this movie a million times and never get bored. This one might not be for everyone, so if this looks interesting to you, then check it out. PAM: Why is your passenger seat in a box? STUNTMAN MIKE: Well, this is a movie car. Sometimes when you're shooting the crash, director wants to put a camera in the car, you know, shoot the crash from the inside. That's where you put the camera, they call it a crash box. Here. PAM: You know, when you asked to drive me home, you didn't mention your car didn't have a passenger seat. STUNTMAN MIKE: Yeah, well actually, I didn't ask to drive you home, you asked me for a ride and I said yes. But look at the bright side, ma'm. I won't be getting fresh, putting my hand on your knee. PAM: That is a bright side. STUNTMAN MIKE: I thought so. At number six is Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz. This is the second film in his Cornetto trilogy, with Shaun of the Dead and The World's End. They are all separate stories told in a similar way, this one being a parody of action films that winds up being better than the films it's imitating. Out of all three films, I would say this one is probably the most complex. The setups and payoffs for each joke are clever and numerous. The cinematography is well thought out and coordinated. This isn't a film where the comedy relies on the dialogue and performances, much of the humor is found in the way that this is shot and edited. There are many clever and comedic scene transitions, the movie is filled with visual gags as well, it is an all around great comedy that puts effort into every aspect of its presentation. This is a must-see movie that is loved by pretty much everyone who's seen it. So this looks fun to you, then check it out. NICHOLAS ANGEL: 'Scuse me. KID #1: What? NICHOLAS ANGEL: When's your birthday? KID #1: Twenty-second of February. NICHOLAS ANGEL: What year? KID #1: Every year. NICHOLAS ANGEL: Get out. Hey! When's your birthday? KID #2: Uhh...eighth of May...nineteen...sixty-nine? NICHOLAS ANGEL: You're thirty seven? KID #2: Yeah? NICHOLAS ANGEL: Get out! When's your birthday? KID #3: Uhhhhh- NICHOLAS ANGEL: Out! ROY PORTER: Is there a problem, officer? NICHOLAS ANGEL: Yes there is, Mr. Porter. It would appear a number of your patrons are underage. ROY PORTER: Well, they may be a month or two south of proper, but if they're in here it stops them getting into trouble out there. Yeah, the way we see it's all for the greater good. MARY PORTER: The greater good. NICHOLAS ANGEL: Well, that's as may be, but the law's the law and they'll have to go ROY AND MARY PORTER: Oh. ROY PORTER: Another cranberry juice? NICHOLAS ANGEL: I'm fine, thank you. At number five is a Romanian film called 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. This film won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, and it's easy to see why. This movie is about a woman who helps her friend to get an illegal abortion in the 1980s. It is a sensitive subject matter that this film handles very respectfully. Many of the takes in this movie are very long and give the actors plenty of opportunity to build up their emotions. The performances in this film are amazing, this is a movie where a lot of the acting is very physical. The mannerisms and facial expressions of the characters wind up saying so much while still being subtle and realistic. It is a very professional and artfully presented film. It manages to be powerful and high-stress without any manipulative music. The presentation is just fantastic throughout, and this is a director I really love. If you like this movie then be sure to check out Graduation from 2016. Anyway, this is one of the best movies of the year, and I think everyone should see it. So check it out. At number four is Secret Sunshine by Lee Chang-dong. This is the same South Korean director as Burning from 2018. I really loved that film, but I personally think this one's even better. This is a very gripping and emotionally powerful movie. The way this film tackles grief and its connection with religion, this movie has a very powerful voice and the presentation is just perfect. Song Kang-ho as great as usual, but the performance from Jeon Do-yeon is phenomenal. This won her Best Actress at Cannes, and it is totally deserved. Her portrayal of grief and depression is so incredibly genuine and impactful. This is far from a light movie and the emotions are very high. It is an uncompromising vision that does not hold back, and I love movies that dare to be as strong as this one. I've seen it twice now and loved it even more on my second watch, the music is great, it looks fantastic, it's very patient but doesn't waste time, this is easily one of my favorite movies of the year and I cannot wait to see it again, so check it out. At number three is The Diving bell and the Butterfly. This is based off of the book of the same name that is actually a true story of a man suffering from locked-in syndrome, a condition that leaves the body completely paralyzed aside from eye movement. He is fully conscious and aware, but unable to communicate with the outside world. It is a pretty sad and terrifying situation to say the least. What I love about this movie is how purposefully it was shot. This is presented in a way that really puts you into the characters perspective. There are plenty of clever camera techniques involving zoom and focal length, there are clever practical effects, the performance from Mathieu Amalric is fantastic, the dialogue is thoughtful and well-written the music choices are lovely and often dreamlike and they never feel overbearing or manipulative. There is so much thought and care put into how this film was presented. It's a film that manages to be both professional and experimental. This is a truly great, must-see film, so if you haven't seen it already then check it out. At number two is No Country for Old Men. This is one of the darkest films the Coen Brothers have ever made, but it still works so well. The Coen brothers are very meticulous and creative directors. Every shot looks absolutely beautiful, there is not a single weak performance in this film and Javier Bardem does an amazing job. The set and costume design are fantastic and really helps sell the setting. Every single character in this film, no matter how minor feels very genuine and well cast. The tone of this film is magnificently delivered through the pacing and editing. There are many opportunities for tension in this film and it's all pulled off insanely well. This is a movie that has a lot to say in the way that it's shown. This is not trying to be like any other crime thriller, and for good reason. Because of the way that this is presented, it's able to communicate ideas that wouldn't be as powerful otherwise. This is an absolutely brilliant and intense film that I think everyone should see, so if you haven't seen this already, then check it out. ANTON CHIGURH: Call it. SHOPKEEPER: Call it? ANTON CHIGURH: Yes. SHOPKEEPER: For what? ANTON CHIGURH: Just call it. SHOPKEEPER: Well, we need to know what we're calling it for here. ANTON CHIGURH: You need to call it. I can't call it for you. It wouldn't be fair. SHOPKEEPER: I didn't put nothing up. ANTON CHIGURH: Yes, you did. You've been putting it up your whole life, you just didn't know it. You know what date is on this coin? SHOPKEEPER: No. ANTON CHIGURH: 1958. It's been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it. SHOPKEEPER: Look, I need to know what I stand to win. ANTON CHIGURH: Everything. SHOPKEEPER: How's that? ANTON CHIGURH: You stand to win everything. Call it. SHOPKEEPER: All right. Heads, then. ANTON CHIGURH: Well done. And my number one film of 2007 issssssssss... some of you have already probably guessed this one, it's, uh, There Will Be Blood by Paul Thomas Anderson. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the absolute best directors working today. He is able to get so much out of the actors that he works with, so having a legend like Daniel Day-Lewis as the lead is a perfect combination. Paul Dano also does an amazing job with his character, and it's probably his best performance. This film serves as a truly fascinating character study. There are endless details found not only within the performance, but how this character is written. I really enjoyed this movie when I was younger, but I truly fell in love with it as an adult. There is so much to pick up on and interpret from multiple viewings. The costumes and set design are flawless, the cinematography is mind-blowing, the score by Jonny Greenwood is the best it could possibly be. This is an absolute feast when it comes to cinematic storytelling. The tone of this film is incredibly eerie and memorable, every artistic element is brought together incredibly well through the editing. This is a film that is truly mesmerizing, and I've loved it more every time I've seen it. This is a film where you can truly see the value in having a singular vision from a writer-director. This is the film that he wanted to make, and there were no compromises. PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON: We just had something burning inside of us, and we had this little trailer, and we put it we put it on YouTube. INTERVIEWER: The trailer that had been made for- PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON: No, we made it, we made it. We made a little trailer and we didn't dare show it to the studio, because I knew that they would just scratch their heads like "What the fuck is this? this is not a trailer for a film!" You know. So we put it up on a Friday, and Saturday morning at 6:30 AM, my phone's ringing, what the fuck is going on "What the fuck is going on?!" It was great. I thought, "Wow, we've done something good if they're so pissed off," you know? Anyway, I obviously love this movie. It is excellently written with passion found in every aspect of its production. Whether you've seen this one already or not, I'd highly recommend you check it out. Thank you for watching my Top 10 (or more) films of 2007! Hopefully I've introduced you to some films that you enjoy. The next big project on this channel will be a full YMS review, followed by Synecdoche, New York part 6. Thank you for watching, buh bye. Hey, guess what? I'm really, really tired, but, the good news, is that, even though I'm very tired, this took a long time to make, there are people supporting me on Patreon. Look at those-look at those fuckin' names! Mweh, mweh! Mweh! Mweh! Mweh, mweh, mweh, mweh. Thank you very much. As you just heard, next project, next big project on this channel is a long YMS review. It might, I think-I think it'll probably be somewhat similar to the-the Oldboy one, but on a different film. Some of you already know what this is, and then after I'm done with that then I will finally finish Synecdoche, New York part 6. And even if-even if it's longer than one part, even if it seems like it might be a part 7 or 8 sorta deal, I'm just gonna release it as one video. Because that's kind of what I've beenk leaning towards more recently. Which is why the Oldboy YMS was like, an hour and forty minutes. Instead of splitting it into like seven different parts like-like I might have. Earlier years on this channel. So yeah, things are-things are getting longer. This year I released the the longest YMS review and, this is the longest list video. I believe-I think I think this is the longest one. It takes a lot of time to watch the movies for these lists. The next list I'll-I'll work on is probably 2016, but there's other projects coming first. Oh yeah, one other thing. So I've been working pretty hard trying to get this video out for this month, because I fuckin'- I thought that it would be out last month. At the latest, and then it wasn't, so I felt really bad about it. Now it's like-it's what is it right now, October? It is October. So I'm trying to get it out this month and, part of that means that I'll probably wind up publishing this even while I'm fighting copyright claims, and so with that in mind and also YouTube being unreliable for monetization, just-just keep that in mind, that-that I'm doing that for you guys. There's no like ad breaks in this video. There's no like sponsorship shoutouts or anything. So that's why these people are supporting. If you-if you appreciate that kind of thing, then do that too. And- if-if any of the claimants on this video of which they're going to be many, if any of them decide to not monetize it as it's going, if they're not trying to take the money, they're just trying to block it. That means that any of the views that I get while I'm fighting the claims on this video, I'm not gonna make any money off of it. Which is exactly what happened for the first million views of my Oldboy YMS, god damn it. Anyway So the the new YMS, might as well just say, it's the new Lion King. I haven't even seen it yet I'm confident that I'm gonna tear it to shreds. I hate everything about it. I haven't even seen it. I hate everything about it. That's coming up but I am not going to start working on it until December 1st at the latest. So the month of November as it is right now, I don't know if you guys remember. I think it's at the end of my Oldboy YMS I said something along the lines of "Hey, sometime this year I need to focus on "my music video and finishing up my album" Well, the album's right now coming to the end of the mixing stage. So I got to finish up that music video. I got edit the whole thing, there's like a billion hours of footage and I still got to get like ten-ten or so more shots for it, so I'm not saying I'm taking the whole month off because I don't think I am, but if it comes down to that if it turns out that I have literally a month's worth of shit to get done on this, this album project that I've already been working on for like three and a half years at this point, then I'll make sure everybody on Patreon knows about it, I'll send out a message, if anybody wants a refund then I'll refund them. Otherwise, who knows the amount of work? For-for, you know finishing up the music video and getting all the album art and production things figured out, and quotes for vinyl, and you know, yada yada yada, that's what I really want to focus on and finish up, otherwise, the album is not gonna be released until like, a billion years from now, and it's already been postponed a million times. So yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna I need the time to figure that out, and I'll still be publishing on this channel at the same time. I'll still be recording commentaries, there's another commentary that you'll be seeing as as well as an Adum and Pals thing coming up soon. Also Quickies, like I'll still be seeing stuff in theaters, but just the large project like the big one, you know, the huge things that I'm spending a lot of time on, I'm gonna need to figure out my album first. But yeah, I'll be working on-I'll be working on Lion King YMS, it's starting on December 1st at the very latest, but very most likely, most realistically, before that is just-I just need to be able to figure out that shit first. Anyway, yeah, thank you for your support. I hope you enjoyed this list video, I hope you found some good movies to watch that should tide you over a bit. Yeah, we still got to record the rest of the 13 Reasons Why commentary, we did like half of that already so it's just like 13 fucking hours of shit, you know, trying to coordinate with friends, so that we're all here at the same times when you know, they have lives and work. I mean I have work too, but I kind of count. This is my work. Anyway, I should probably go because I'm cutting into my Sunday Stream right now to finish this up for you guys, which is supposed to be my day off, yeah, this was all-this was all in one take this time, because I'm really fucking flustered and out of time, and I'm-I just want to get this shit out and yeah, holy crap, holy crap this one took a while, so anyway, thank you so much, love you guys, consider supporting on Patreon, should probably get merch figured out at some point. We have merch for Sardonicast, the podcast that I mentioned twice in this video. But yeah, I just keep-keep-keep procrastinating on things like that. I'm more focused on like the actual content. I should stop rambling. This video is over. Love you guys. Bye bye everybody. Bye Bye. Mweh, mweh. Bye.
We back Bois
It's been 17 years.
Nice, glad to see that my 2 favourite movies (Hot Fuzz and Ratatouille) were both in the top 10!
Surprised Into The Wild isn't on there since he gave it a 9 on imdb.
Great list as always, these are my favorite YMS videos.
2007 was an insanely good year for film.
Here are some of my favorite 2007 movies that weren't mentioned:
Into the Wild
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Eagle vs Shark
Shotgun Stories
Michael Clayton
Eastern Promises
Breach
Superbad
Charlie Wilson's War
American Gangster
REC
Elite Squad
Gone Baby Gone
You Kill Me
The Visitor
Lars and the Real Girl
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James wasn't even on the list. :(
Sad he didn't mention The Assassination of Jesse James. Probably my favorite movie from that year, but it's a difficult decision with so many great movies like There Will Be Blood.
I went to yms.org and finished watching it 10 minutes ago... I feel betrayed.
Secret sunshine is really great, recently watched that, poetry and oasis after loving burning so much and loved every one of them.... btw, /u/anUnkindness did you watch poetry for your 2010 list, i would figure you would like it?