Top 10 of 2007

No Country for Old Men Review

No Country for Old Men Review

RATING: (4 STARS) Has there ever been a more unlikely Best Picture winner than No Country for Old Men? It’s a dark, somewhat cold picture that will confound your expectations at every turn. I’ve probably seen it about a dozen times, and I find something different to love about it each time—from the brilliant performances […]

Superbad Review

Superbad Review

RATING: (4 STARS) Because comedy is so subjective, I find it the most hit-and-miss of all the film genres. Too often I’ve sat down expecting a laugh riot and found a film completely devoid of humor. Perhaps that’s why I typically revisit one of my old standbys when I’m in the mood to laugh. And […]

Gone Baby Gone Review

Gone Baby Gone Review

RATING: (4 STARS) “Gone Baby Gone” is a brutal film that raises some really tough questions. It features some exceptional direction (by rookie filmmaker Ben Affleck) and some terrific acting, but it never quite caught on with audiences. Nor did it catch on with the Academy. For that reason, it qualifies as one of the […]

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead Review

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead Review

RATING: (4 STARS) With one of the darkest plots of any movie I’ve seen this decade, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” floors you from the first scene to the last. This is really intense and powerful stuff that is extremely well written, directed, and acted. Andy (Hoffman) and his brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) are […]

There Will Be Blood Review

There Will Be Blood Review

RATING: (4 STARS) The first time I saw Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood,” I thought film was kind of a mess. A sprawling, epic, random mess, but a thought-provoking, impeccably made, sensationally acted mess. The direction, music, and cinematography are all over the place, as is the main character who’s a bundle of […]