Top 10: Movies of 2007

I really wanted to wait until I saw There Will Be Blood before I compiled this list, but it's only playing at midnight on Saturday here in SD and I am a grandma and will probably be fast asleep long before midnight. So here you are...the top 10 movies I saw this year (I should say, these are my favorite films. Some films not on this list were better from a cinematic standpoint (Sweeney Todd, for example), but these are the 10 I enjoyed the most):

10. Hot Fuzz - This is probably the only top 10 list where you'll find Hot Fuzz listed, but, for me, it was the funniest movie of the year. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes and this send up of cop/buddy movies did not disappoint. Hardest I laughed all year.

9. I'm Not There - A supremely original look at the life of Bob Dyan. I've never seen another movie like it. It's only this far down the list because there were so many other great movies this year.

8. Atonement - The most beautiful movie of the year with a likable Kiera Knightly. Will wonders never cease.

7. Waitress - Keri Russell was my least favorite Mouseketeer (really because I was jealous of her because she was so pretty and dating Tony, the hottest Mouseketeer. (This was obviously before Justin grew out of his awkward stage)), but I've loved her since Felicity (even if she was a bit maddening sometimes) and she is really wonderful in this sweet film. And anything with Nathan Fallon as the romantic lead is bound to be awesome, right?

6. Grindhouse - I am a huge Tarantino fan and will see anything he makes (even if no one else will). I actually saw Grindhouse twice in the theater. The first time, I preferred Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and liked Tarantino's Death Proof more the second time around. I understand you can only see the films separately on DVD and that's a shame. The double feature feel (with faux trailers) made Grindhouse a unique experience.

5. Darjeeling Limited - I don't think anyone enjoyed this film as much as I did, but it looked amazing, made me laugh and cry, and had something interesting to say. You can't really ask for more from the cinema.

4. The Bourne Ultimatum - The best action movie of the year. I was riveted (to use a cheesy clique) and loved every minute. All action movies should be this smart and exciting and all trilogies should be this consistently awesome.

3. Once - So lovely and pitch perfect (pun totally intended).

2. No Country For Old Men - I had a terrible time deciding my #1 pick (really, I think, 1 and 2 are tied). The Coen Brothers came back from a creative slump and delivered something truly remarkable with career performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin (and that's really saying something). I loved this movie. Stuff like this makes me happy to be living in 2007.

1. Into the Wild - I didn't expect to like this film as much as I did, but it kinda changed my life. The story of a young man named Chris McCandeless who gives up everything and travels across country and up into the Alaskan wilderness, Into the Wild made me re-examine what is important to me and what I want from life. I would never travel alone into the wilderness (well, not without a nice warm hotel nearby), but the values and world view Sean Penn presents in his film are important and truly moving. Combine that with incredible and dramatic scenery and an unbelievable true story and all the elements combine to make Into the Wild my favorite movie this year.

Honorable Mentions: Juno, 300, Zodiac, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Knocked Up.

I imagine Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Savages, Eastern Promises, maybe Gone, Baby, Gone and a few others would have made the list if I'd seen them, but a girl only has so much free time on her hands. All complaints can be posted in the comments section below.