Lars and the Real Girl Leads a Stellar Pack in 2007

The year 2007 was a very significant one for me in terms of pop culture, though not so much because of movies. It was in 2007 that I finally was able to start watching LOST in prime time, and even more notably, it was in 2007 that the final installment of the Harry Potter series - which I can honestly say was the most highly anticipated book of my life - hit bookshelves. Nonetheless, 2007 also marked the year-long return of my friend Dan, an aspiring screenwriter, and he saw to it that I would be more prepared for the Oscars in 2008 than I ever had been before. It was also the year my friend Beth send me a trial subscription to Netflix and got me hooked. Consequently, I have, to date, seen more than 40 movies that were released in 2007. It was a good year for movies. These were my ten favorites.

Music and Lyrics - This one came out on Valentine's Day, and my friend Libbie and I had planned to see it opening day, then head home in time for a joint viewing of LOST, which turned out to be one of the most romantic episodes in the show's history. But a blizzard kept us from doing either, so on the 15th we headed out to see whether this Hugh Grant / Drew Barrymore flick would be as endearing as the commercials suggested. We ended up liking it even better than we'd hoped. It was sweet, funny and romantic. It inspired the aspiring songwriter within me. And Libbie and I still randomly burst into Pop! Goes My Heart sometimes; that cheesy mock-'80s video that starts the film is worth the rental price all by itself.

Bridge to Terabithia - I'd been looking forward to this one for a while, as the book had been a favorite ever since I first read it at the age of ten or so. My cousin and I were so inspired by it that we spent several family get-togethers plotting a theatrical adaptation of it, a project that eventually fell apart when we realized we couldn't really do it justice with only two actors. Thankfully, Walden Media had plenty of actors at its disposal, and all performed admirably. I was a little worried about how faithful this would be to the book, since the previews made it look more like a fantasy epic, but ultimately I was very impressed with the results.

Spider-Man 3 - I saw three "part three" movies in the month of May, all on opening night, as I'd decided that it was my duty as a movie reviewer to see as many blockbusters as I could, as early as possible. Pirates of the Caribbean was fun but convoluted, while Shrek the Third was mostly disappointing, but I found I really liked Spider-Man 3. I think it helped that I was pretty much unfamiliar with the comics; I understand Sam Raimi played fast and loose with canon here. In any case, I got caught up in the humor and adrenaline of the movie, and the enthusiastic audience helped make it one of my most enjoyable opening-night experiences.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - The fifth movie was, of course, just an appetizer before the long-awaited meal of the seventh book. Nonetheless, I was excited about it, in part because it was the first film in the franchise I actually managed to see in the theater. While I wish the running time hadn't been quite so slim, I loved the creative use of montages and newspaper headlines to convey a lot of information at once, often in a humorous manner. And the introduction of Luna, possibly my favorite female character in the series, was fantastic.

Hot Fuzz - When I saw a preview for this one, I suspected it would be my kind of movie, at least mostly; I'm not big on violence, but it looked like this murder mystery would keep most of the mayhem off-screen. It was my brother, who'd never heard of the movie before, who wound up seeing it first; he liked it so much he bought it as soon as it came out on DVD, and I watched it with him and spent half the movie doubled over with laughter. Simon Pegg is hilarious as the uptight cop sent to Nowheresville, England because the rest of the London force is getting tired of him one-upping them. But it was Nick Frost who really won me over as his dim-witted, gold-hearted deputy. Definitely a winning team.

Enchanted - The return of the Disney movie musical! This felt like a throwback to the likes of Mary Poppins and Pete's Dragon, not to mention the fully animated princess tales it so joyfully spoofs. Amy Adams is radiant as the naive, sugary-sweet princess yanked from her animated world into the mean streets of New York. The movie really hinges on her performance, as well as the wonderful songs that simultaneously honor and parody Disney classics like Be Our Guest and Whistle While You Work.

Ratatouille - Somehow, I never managed to catch this one in theaters, which surprised me given my great love for Pixar. But my brother Nathan received it for Christmas, so I ended up ringing in the New Year with a rat named Remy. This is a more adult-oriented film than most Pixar flicks; with all the references to fine cuisine and French culture, I wouldn't be surprised if some kids tuned out before the movie was over. Nonetheless, the animation is beautiful, the story is inspiring, and the expertly written and delivered dialogue of Anton Ego is as delicious as the dish he so lovingly describes.

No Country for Old Men - If you'd given me a primer on this movie before it came out and asked me whether I thought I would like it, I'm sure my answer would have been no. I don't know how it is that I failed to have any idea what it was about before I saw it, but when my dad and brother whisked me off to watch it with them, I only knew it had gotten Oscar buzz. I soon discovered why. Yes, it's horribly violent. One of the most violent movies I've ever seen. Yet it's also extremely funny, and brimming with humanity, in large part due to the reflective sheriff so perfectly portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones. I was rooting for this one to get the Best Picture Oscar and was most gratified when it succeeded.

Juno - I didn't see this until my birthday, which is nearly halfway through February; it was one of the last notches on my Oscar readiness belt. Easily the most uplifting of the five Best Picture nominees, this tale of a plucky teen negotiating unexpected pregnancy resulting from a single fling with her endearingly awkward best friend won me over quickly. I loved the clever dialogue, the compassionate relationships, the quirky soundtrack. A cheerful gem of a film.

Lars and the Real Girl - I've listed the rest of my top 10 in the order in which I saw them, but I'm stepping out of order for this one, which I never would have seen if Dan hadn't dragged Libbie and me to the theater with him. I'd read a blurb in Entertainment Weekly, but it left me with the impression that this was some sort of raunchy futuristic comedy, and I wasn't exactly reeled in. So imagine my surprise when I found myself unable to stop smiling practically from the moment the movie started! This gentle, Capra-esque film about a socially inept, emotionally damaged young man who learns to interact with the world with some help from a life-size doll and an understanding community is one of the funniest, most tender films I've ever watched. While it's hard to begrudge Diablo Cody's win with Juno, I really would have loved to see this one take home top honors for its unique, life-affirming screenplay.

A good year for movies, to be sure. I recommend them all. But most of all, I recommend Lars and the Real Girl, which didn't get nearly enough attention. For me, it was the sweetest movie surprise of the year.