The Best Films of 2007
by Brian Tallerico

9. Atonement
Director Joe Wright took what worked about his direction of Pride & Prejudice and what he loved about one of the best books of the last decade (the novel by Ian McEwan) and created visual poetry. Atonement the movie is not Atonement the book, but Wright wisely understands that it never could be. It's an interpretation of the novel, and, as that, it's nearly flawless. Featuring great performances by James McAvoy, Romola Garai, and Saoirse Ronan and some of the most lushly beautiful technical work of the year, Atonement never feels like a stuffy period piece. It easily could have been all window-gazing and chest-thumping, and regrettably it will probably be written off as such by moviegoers and critics unwilling to give it a chance. They're missing out. The technical accomplishments of Atonement work together to create a film that can truly be called haunting. Dario Marianelli's score; Seamus McGarvey's cinematography; Joe Wright's direction - they're all different parts of the cinematic poem that is Atonement, and they combine to create one of the most memorable films of the year.

8. Juno
What has been called this year's Little Miss Sunshine is actually a better film than the admittedly great Dayton/Faris comedy that took the world by storm last year. The story of a girl who gets unexpectedly pregnant (the unusual trend of the year in films on this list with Knocked Up and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days) and is forced to deal with adult issues she shouldn't have to face is brilliant because of its consistently unexpected turns. Diablo Cody's screenplay cleverly understands that age ain't nothing but a number, and you never know who will be there for you and who won't. What starts as a clever comedy about teenage pregnancy becomes significantly more in the final act when Juno becomes one of the most tear-jerking statements on what really makes the world go 'round - love. It doesn't hurt that it also features the best actress performance of the year in Ellen Page, a young lady who quickly shoots to the short list of best actresses of her generation, and that it represents a gigantic leap forward in the directing ability of Jason Reitman.

7. Michael Clayton
Those folks who are always lamenting that "they don't make movies like they used to" haven't seen Michael Clayton, a film that would have felt right at home released in the era of The French Connection and The Conversation. It's a thriller where the characters and their flaws and strengths drive the plot, not a ridiculous twist or shock ending. With career-best work by George Clooney and Oscar nomination-worthy turns by Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton, writer/director Tony Gilroy understands that the thrillers that really last are about people, not about twists. Last minute shocks may get audiences talking as they're walking out the door, but people will be talking about Michael Clayton for years to come. Gilroy takes the elements of the standard legal thriller and spins them around a character study about a cleaner for a major law firm who faces his biggest challenge - cleaning up the mess around himself.

6. Ratatouille
One of the few animated films truly made for adults, Brad Bird's Ratatouille is as tasty as the incredible French food it immortalizes. In the film, Remy the rat goes on and on about combining flavors to create something new, and it's not hard to draw the parallel between what Remy values in cuisine to what Bird does with cinema. A great chef can take ingredients you've tasted before and make them into something wholly original, which is precisely what Bird does as a filmmaker. He has taken the form of animation and used it to teach children (and adults) that we live in a world where you don't have to be defined by others. A weapon can be turned into a superhero (The Iron Giant), a legend can be turned into a family man (The Incredibles), and a rat can be turned into a master chef (Ratatouille). It's no exaggeration to say that Bird is at the top of the animation medium, but what often doesn't get recognized is that he's not only made some of the best animated films of the last decade but also three of the best movies of any kind. Ratatouille instantly takes its place with recent animated classics like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles as a film that children of all ages will return to for decades to come.

5. The Orphanage
When was the last time you were really, truly scared? I'm talking about that sensation when you don't just get a slight tingle in the back of your neck, but you can actually feel your muscles tense up. As someone who has seen thousands of movies, it's amazing that it can still happen to me, but I haven't been as truly terrified as I was during Juan Antonio Bayona's brilliant The Orphanage in almost a decade. But The Orphanage is a lot more than just an effective ghost story. It's a brilliant character study about loss and destiny that combines so many of the best parts of other stories that you'll almost feel like you've entered a dream state when you watch it. With elements of The Shining, Peter Pan, and even some of the best of Steven Spielberg's work, The Orphanage is a masterly crafted ghost story that might not even feature any ghosts. It's the kind of mind trick that recognizes that the most truly dangerous thing in the world isn't external, it's the fear that we create from deep within ourselves. As much as Pan's Labyrinth was a masterpiece of fantasy last year, the Guillermo Del Toro-produced The Orphanage is a masterpiece of horror.

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