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Best of the Rest:
Movies in 2007…
Best Animation: Ratatouille
This year can’t go by without a mention of this blockbuster Disney-animated film about a rat who aspires to be a chef and befriends a hapless human busboy in the process. Admittedly, the thought of having a rat prepare a gourmet meal in any kitchen with his nasty little rat paws is kind of icky, but somehow, and surprisingly, the aging Disney manages to capture the winning formula of timeless humour, life-like animation, and successfully anthropomorphizing animals – and it does so without employing any big names or making fish look like Will Smith. Although the predictable story is its only misstep, watching Remy the rat make his journey from sewer dweller to top chef of France will make anyone feel like they can reach for the stars.
Best Comic Relief: Seth Rogen, Knocked Up
Seth Rogen: He may be a grown man-child with funny hair, but he can make us laugh like no other.
Previously regaled to a cancelled NBC show (“Freaks and Geeks”), a cancelled FOX show (“Undeclared”), and walk-on roles in “Dawson’s Creek” and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, the off-beat Seth Rogen looked like he was heading for a career not unlike Carrot Top. But after co-starring in the breakout hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin and this summer’s major hits Knocked Up and Superbad, he’s suddenly become Hollywood hot commodity, and not without merit. With so many comedians’ careers circling the drain (Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller: I’m looking at you), Rogen’s aptitude for penning relatable comedies and putting normal people in extraordinarily hilarious situations is like a breath of fresh air after flops like Evan Almighty and The Heartbreak Kid. Seth Rogen is proof that nice, unconventional guys really don’t finish last.Best Guilty Pleasure: Resident Evil: Extinction
I suspect that if you watch the Resident Evil movies in a continuous loop, you will become stupider. But there’s just something about the action films based on the popular video game that are guiltily enthralling. From the badass goodness that is Milla Jovovich to the mildly menacing zombies who seem quite stupid until it comes time to bite a major character to the thinly veiled conspiracies to the imprudent villains who never learn, Resident Evil is an hour-and-a-half of straight zombie-killing action fun. In the latest installment, we not only get Jovovich as the stoic killing machine Alice, but we’re also treated to the terrific Ali Larter and a bit role from singer-turned-actress Ashanti, who still manages to displease me in the scant ten minutes that she actually appears on-screen. Deep down, Extinction is just a compilation of the first two films, but watching Jovovich run around telling zombies what’s what never gets old.Best Female Ingenue: Ellen Page
Every year, some nubile young girl is prematurely crowned the next It Girl before she’s even finished her first film. In the early 90s, Winona Ryder, Marisa Tomei, and Christina Ricci all got the nod, and were never heard from again. In recent years, early buzz surrounded Lindsay Lohan and, well, look at what that got her. But for the first time in a long time, the accolades being lavished on Ellen Page are actually justified. As a young teen, she burst onto the scene with the 2005 hard-edged Hard Candy, about a young girl who plays a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with a suspected pedophile. She’s since alternated her time between big-budget films (X-Men 3, where her talents were sorely wasted) and indie darlings (Juno, The Tracey Fragments). Her preference for unconventional film roles, as well as her affable talent for acting, make the twenty-year-old Canuck an actress to look out for in years to come.Best Male Ingenue: James McAvoy
He may not be a household name, but he’s already starred in two critically acclaimed films in as many years: The Last King of Scotland and Atonement. In the former film, he held his own against Forest Whitaker and, although he didn’t technically win anything, incited an inspired performance from Whitaker that helped Whitaker take the major awards. And in the latter movie, he’s finally getting the buzz he deserves with a Golden Globe nomination. It’s only a matter of time before McAvoy joins the ranks of the Denzel Washingtons and Russell Crowes of the world – only he’s younger and less prone to rage blackouts.Best Post-“Felicity” Career: Keri Russell, Waitress
She may have cut her hair and let ratings drop as a result, but Keri Russell is back and so is her long hair. In a very non-“Felicity” role, she stars in this year’s sleeper hit, Waitress, as Jenna, a woman stuck in a loveless, dead-end marriage who suddenly finds herself pregnant and involved in an affair with local gynecologist Dr. Pomatter (played by the very hot Nathan Fillion). Written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelley, Waitress is a charming film that utilizes Russell’s emotive face to its full potential (but sadly, not her aptitude for accents). And in the romantic drama August Rush, she stars alongside Jonathan Rhys Myers as a musician who gives her son up for adoption, and proves, once again, how talented she can really be with the right project.
Best Reason to Watch Transformers: Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf: Your typical guy-next-door...just much, much cooler.
This past summer, you couldn’t turn on a television without watching a commercial for Transformers, or walk down the street without someone waxing poetic about their Transformers figurines. And although the special effects were pretty cool, ultimately, it was the human performances that kept the movie afloat. No, I’m not talking about Josh Duhamel’s stoic army guy shtick, or Megan Fox’s sexpot-turned-good-girl story arc. As loosely pertinent as their plots were, it was Shia LaBeouf’s performance that made an otherwise pretty but boring film compelling and likeable. As Sam, a hapless geek just waiting for an opportunity to unleash the hero within, LaBeouf uses a combination of wit, charm, and comedic timing to bring Sam to life. He also manages to interact with CGI robotic aliens pretty well. Come for the Transformers, but stay for the LaBeouf.Best Sibling: Casey Affleck
If there was ever any doubt about what’s left of Ben Affleck’s talent, charm, and overall likeability, it’s now really being called into question with his little brother’s rising star. Casey Affleck started off in bit roles as the guy you kind of notice in a film but forget as soon as the lights come on, and kicked off this year in starring roles in three very different films that gained notoriety for various reasons. First was Ocean’s 13, a summer hit that reunited Danny Ocean and the gang for another needlessly complicated heist. Then there was The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which has the longest title in history but reunited Affleck with Ocean’s castmate Brad Pitt for another compelling performance. And then there was Gone, Baby, Gone, a film directed by big brother Ben who is really better suited off-camera. Gone, Baby, Gone garnered critical acclaim for Casey’s moving performance. Not only is he the better actor, but there’s also no chance that he’s going to end up in Gigli II: The Awakening.Best Spoofed Movie: 300
What started off as a promising idea spiraled out of control in this over-the-top CGI-fest that, at times, felt like a retread of Star Wars set in ancient Sparta. From the ridiculous action sequences to the laughable villain to the overzealous declaration that “This. Is. Sparta!,” 300 was an hour and a half of virtual nonsense. But luckily, this provided plenty of fodder for YouTube directors and aspiring filmmakers, who had a field day compiling video clips, spoofs, and parodies lambasting the film. Of note is a particularly hilarious video by Black20.com, who re-imagined 300 as a PG-13 movie. If anything good ever came out of Gerard Butler’s abs, it’s that creativity flowed from utter rubbish.Best Way to Reinvent Your Resume: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Look-out
It wasn’t too long ago that Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred on the NBC hit show “Third Rock from the Sun” as one fourth of the Soloman clan, and in 10 Things I Hate About You as a teenager in love with the popular girl. When “Third Rock” ended its run, it seemed like Gordon-Levitt would disappear with it, never to be heard from again. But years later, when “Third Rock” became a trivia question on Trivial Pursuit: 90s Edition, he popped up again in Mysterious Skin and Brick, two dark and bold indie flicks that dared audiences to see past his squeaky teen actor persona. With The Look-out, he again shows his layers as an exceptionally talented thespian by turning out an intriguing, near-perfect performance of a damaged person trying to belong. It’s Gordon-Levitt’s fearlessness that makes him an intriguing actor to watch, and it’s this same fearlessness that took his once-middling resume and turned it into something to be proud of.Biggest Anticipated Dud: Grindhouse
A Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino double-header seems like a dream come true for movie buffs, right? With distinctive style and knack for building compelling stories, both directors decided to use their powers of good to pay homage to the great campiness that is a B-film. Unfortunately, Grindhouse failed to receive the box office push that studio heads were predicting. In fact, the film made a little over $11 million in its opening day weekend – which is about $2 million less than Good Luck Chuck. Some blame the three-hour plus runtime (although the hobbits might say otherwise), while others point their arthouse noses in the air, believing that the joke is lost on the general audience, while others still point to the decline of the gore/slasher genre as an argument to Grindhouse’s massive letdown. Whatever the case may be, Grindhouse, a two-film horror marathon sandwiched between original B-movie trailers, was one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Even its DVD release as two separate films failed to boost interest, as did numerous posters showcasing the power of Rose McGowan’s machine gun leg.
Most Overlooked Celebrity: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal: Not your average Hollywood actress, even if she is friends with Kirsten Dunst.
She’s not conventionally pretty; she never makes the best-dressed list; she doesn’t incite mass hysteria from the paparazzi; she hasn’t even starred in a film with Kevin Bacon. So why should we care about Maggie Gyllenhaal? For starters, she’s the older sister of Jake. She’s an indie film darling that up-and-coming directors love because she doesn’t command a high salary but can still act circles around Hilary Swank. She starred in risky low-budget films like Donnie Darko, Secretary, Paris, je t'aime and Stranger Than Fiction. But most importantly, she’s managed to win the coveted Rachael Dawes role from Katie Holmes in one of next year’s most anticipated films, The Dark Knight. After Katie Holmes, there’s really no way to go but up (unless you’re Kate Bosworth), but we still can’t wait to see what Maggie can do up against Christian Bale.Most Undeserving of Fanfare: Scarlett Johanssen
She may be the sexiest woman who ever breathed, but looks can only get you so far, especially when you haven’t managed to score a hit film, a major award, or even an MTV “achievement” award. Scarlett will always be revered with her subdued performance in Lost in Translation, but it’s been four years since her breakout role, and appearing in The Nanny Diaries and as a distraught love interest in a Justin Timberlake video where she wears a bustier so perky that she almost takes out my eye through the television screen is not a very good argument for retaining what inkling of ingénue she may have left. Like Colin Farrell and those before them, Scarlett might just be the most talked-about celebrity who hasn’t actually done anything worth talking about. The only silver lining in her dwindling career is the sudden interest by Woody Allen, which could spell a much-needed career relief. But judging by the fanfare that Scoop received, it’s looking more like career disaster.Never Take Career Advice From: Lindsay Lohan
Unless you want to end up on one of the worst films of the year, earning less money than El Cantante and Hot Rod, don’t ever take career advice from Lindsay Lohan, even if she’s offering you this while you’re both completing a stint in rehab. Only appearing in two released films this year, Lohan still managed to make the public sick of her off-screen antics and turned off movie-goers for the foreseeable future. It takes a lot of effort to star alongside the iconic Jane Fonda and gifted Felicity Huffman and still end up with a flop. And it also takes considerable effort to play a stripper and still have no one want to see your breasts on the big screen. Lohan still has several projects in the works, but now might be a good time to rethink career options.Worst Career Direction: Paul Giamatti, Shoot’em Up
How do you go from starring in an Oscar-winning film to a supporting role in a film like Shoot’em Up? If you ever find yourself in this predicament, you may want to send Paul Giamatti a commiserating e-mail. With roles in American Splendor and Sideways, Giamatti looked set to become the next Seymour Hoffman. But with a streak of bad films (Lady in the Water, Fred Claus), and a villainous role in the aforementioned Shoot’em Up that rivals the performance of Elmer Fudd (granted, Giamatti was still enjoyable to watch), Giamatti is barely holding on. Let’s hope next year brings much wisdom and improved roles for an actor deserving of more than second-rate roles better fit for Dane Cook.Worst Movie Trend: Thrillers Starring Famous People Who Don’t Usually Appear in Thrillers
Every few years, an actor or actress previously known for work in romantic comedies, or dramas, or experimental German cinema, will be approached to work on a hot new thriller penned by a nubile writer. The most obvious response would be to run the other way, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Hence, we get flops like The Number 23 (Jim Carrey), The Reaping (Hilary Swank), and Vacancy (Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson), just to name a few. These films were nothing short of disappointing, and in the case of The Number 23, where Jim Carrey is a paranoid numerical-phobe who looks like he hasn’t showered in days, ludicrous to boot.Worst Typecasting: Diane Keaton, Because I Said So
It wasn’t too long ago that Diane Keaton was starring in significant films like Annie Hall and redefining gender roles in cinema. But then again, it wasn’t too long ago that people that people believed the world was flat (or, if you’re Sherri Shepherd, you may still think it is). Now, Keaton, 61, is usually found taking on roles that ask her to be a shrill, meddling mother to equally shrill, meddlesome children. In The Family Stone, she plays the Stone matriarch with as much gusto as an elephant taking a nap, and in this year’s Because I Said So, she’s even more irritating as Daphne, a mother who can’t help but interfere in her grown daughter’s love life because she has abandonment issues of her own. I can’t even wait to see what she does in Mad Money, the upcoming disaster starring Katie Holmes and Queen Latifah. What’s next, a film with Lindsay Lohan? ¤ C.Ho.
