Sukiyaki Western Django

Sukiyaki Western Django - Dir. Takashi Miike (2007)

Clash of the samurai and cowboy. Akira Kurosawa meets Sergio Corbucci.

Takashi Miike brings his own unique flourishes and twisted sense of humor to this homage of the Spaghetti Western.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - Dir. Sidney Lumet (2007)

Modern day Greek tragedy. A return to form for Lumet.

Tangled web of lies and deceit builds to a life-shattering crescendo of desperation and murder.

Naked Marisa Tomei? YAY! Naked Philip Seymour Hoffman? BOO!

Michael Clayton

Michael Clayton - Dir. Tony Gilroy (2007)

Riveting at every moment. Near-flawless effort from Tony Gilroy in his directorial debut.

Reminiscent of the socially relevant thrillers by Sidney Lumet, Alan J. Pakula & Sydney Pollack that marked the 70's

Babel

Babel - Dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (2006)

Everything I loved about Crash I detested in Babel.

Characters so mind-boggingly moronic they lack single, solitary sympathetic quality.

Rinko Kikuchi is the sole positive to this trite, preachy, and overrated Oscar bait.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Dir. Shekhar Kapur (2007)

Obnoxiously, overproduced costume drama.

Cate Blanchett is loud and bombastic which is perfect for this loud and bombastic picture.

Death Proof

Death Proof - Dir. Quentin Tarantino (2007)

Balls-to-the wall climactic car chase more than makes up for Tarantino's penchant for self-indulgent, pseudo-hipster dialogue and oh-so cool pop culture references.

Return to kickass form by Kurt Russell.

Snake Plissken, FTW! Jack Burton, FTW!

Once Upon a Time in America

Once Upon a Time in America - Dir. Sergio Leone (1984)

Dreary, overwrought and overly long gangster film. Held aloft solely by Sergio Leone's masterful direction.

Bit role from a young (and positively delicious) Jennifer Connelly is a plus.

There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood - Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (2007)

My pick for best film of 2007.

Masculinity, pure and undiluted, symbolized by not-so-subtle phallic oil wells crumbling and burning in their impotency.

Bleak otherworldly realm made all the more alien by unsettling Jonny Greenwood score.

The Kingdom

The Kingdom - Dir. Peter Berg (2007)

Typical big-budget Hollywood fare masquerading as something more profound than it really is.

Pessimistic, zero-sum view on Iraq is no startling revelation.

An action-packed 3rd act makes this a mild recommendation.

Red Road

Red Road - Dir. Andrea Arnold (2006)

Voyeurism on voyeurism.

Uncomfortable intimacy through handheld camera.

Somber, minimalistic successor to Dogme 95 movement would have been made better by more judicious editing.