Film talk to close 2007

Well, it looks like "The Golden Compass" has quickly faded to dollar theaters, leaving it less and less likely that a sequel will be greenlit. I haven't seen any official news, so if someone hears of any, let me know.

Over the last couple of weeks, I saw:

* "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" -- Just like the first film... a fast-moving, plausability-stretching, fun popcorn flick. Outside of a Bourne-esque car chase and a couple of references to cohabitation, the film is pretty tame.

* "Sweeney Todd" -- What a dark musical. Perfect for Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Takes several more bloody steps beyond "Sleepy Hollow" ("Sweeney's" look reminds me of this film). Can't say I recommend this one, though, unless you're really into Tim Burton's style of filmmaking. Instead, I recommend his great father-son adventure, "Big Fish."

* "No Country for Old Men" -- As a huge Coen Brothers fan, I was alternately amazed by the storytelling and the brutal, cold honesty of life along the border and also depressed by the bleakness of the larger picture of the world that the Coen Brothers regularly espouse. Features the most tense coin flip in movie history.

Here are my top films of 2007, as well as a couple of other lists...

1. Once -- A fantastic, simple romance story about a young immigrant musician who challenges an older busker (street musician) to pursue his dreams. The music is awesome and the relationship stays surprisingly chaste, as their whirlwind friendship reveals to each that they really need to confront past problems from which they've been running away. The closing crane shot featuring a reprise of the song "Falling Slowly" (maybe my favorite in 2007) is perfect. Made for just about $150,000, it shows that a simple story and some good songs can blow away $150 million, CGI films that try to overwhelm your senses for two hours to make you forget how thin the script is. It was a travesty that this film was rated R only for the casual "f" word that pops up now and then in the Irish street dialogue. How this film was rated R and Beowulf was PG-13 is beyond me.

2. Amazing Grace -- I've been a big fan of Ioan Gruffudd since his "Horatio Hornblower" series (which I wish they'd resurrect) and he is outstanding as William Wilburforce, a Christian politician in the British Parliament who led the fight for the abolition of the slave trade in England. Solid acting all-around, and the rare family film that offers an inspiring story for all ages while taking its subject seriously on a level which adults can connect. Was a surprise independent box office success.

3. No Country For Old Men -- The Coen Brothers rarely have a mistep ("The Ladykillers"?) and this shows them at the top of their game. They offer a sobering view of life along the Texas border that is worthy of a larger discussion about the immigration struggles facing the nation. The film doesn't offer solutions, but presents a vision that is honest and blunt, even if its ultimately hopeless, morally ambiguous view of the world leaves one feeling a bit cold. Still, it does not overshadow the acting perfection and the superb storytelling of the Coens.

4. The Bourne Ultimatum -- I've long thought that much of the Dramamine-inspiring, shaky hand-held camera use taking over action films today is a coverup of weak screenwriting, and, while this film takes this style to a new, nauseating level, the story remains compelling enough that the camerawork does not sink the film. Bourne Ultimatum holds up to the previous two Bourne releases and provides a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. It does seem, however, that the door seems open for at least one more film -- exploring the future of the agency as well as his relationship with fellow agent Nicky. I hope it gets made.

5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford -- A fantastic character study of one of America's most famous outlaws and the man who kiled him. Great performances by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. A long film focused more on story development than action (in the vein of "Unforgiven," the greatest Western of all time).

6. 3:10 to Yuma -- At times inspiring in its father-son storyline, at times bleak in the coldness of its villain, this is a solid Western with a philosophical bend. Russell Crowe gives his ruthless character some charisma, which provides for extra tension in this remake of a film about a down-and-out farmer who agrees to take an arrested killer to a prison train bound for Yuma in return for money that could save his farm.

7. The Lives of Others -- Outstanding film about a Communist spy asked to monitor a much-loved playwright who is allegedly showing a growing anti-Communist sentiment. Worthy of its best Foreign Language film Oscar.

8. Ocean's Thirteen -- The series amazingly brings back all principal actors from the first two films and gets back to basics with a good, old-fashioned casino heist aimed at revenge against a ruthless entrepreneur played by Al Pacino. Always loved the soundtrack to this franchise.

9. Ratatouille -- An offbeat offering from Pixar, but one that celebrates the joys of food and of the importance of helping your friends. Pixar continues to make great films.

10. Bella -- Yeah, the over-promotion of this film by its makers got to be quite annoying after a while, but they made a nice, little film that gives a lot of food for thought about adoption and about taking more interest in the lives of -- and being Christ-like to -- those around us. While the ending was a bit too pat and left wanting for more explanation, it is a solid family film and one that several bishops even jumped on the bandwagon of because of its pro-life message.

11. National Treasure: Book of Secrets -- Put your brain on cruise control for a couple of hours and have fun with this conspiracy theory-laden treasure hunt thriller. A fun flick, even if some things go unexplained or are just flat-out implausible (like, how, after being submerged in rushing water for several minutes, can Benjamin Gates then use his cell phone?)

12. Beowulf-3D -- This animated film (in the style of "The Polar Express") was so-so as a story, trying to be a slightly tamer version of "300." How this film was not rated R is beyond me... it's defintiely not for kids. It was very much a hard R rating for its violence and sexuality (although there is no nudity, Angelie Jolie's CGI-ed body is for all intents and purposes nude). But it makes my list because of the 3D version that is out there... simply spectacular in this version. 3D has come a long ways since my early memories of Jaws-3D and Yor.

DISAPPOINTING FILMS IN 2007

1. Sunshine -- Started off as one of the coolest science fiction films ever, as a group of scientist-astronauts are launched toward a weakening sun with the task of depositing a nuclear payload that could strengthen it -- and save Earth. But then stunningly the filmmaker loses faith in the film's direction and strays from its fascinating, reflective story toward generic thriller mode, tarnishing what could have been a powerful ending. Would have made my best-of list (as well as those of many other critics) and been considered a classic if it hadn't strayed for that ill-fated half hour in the second half.

2. Waitress -- I had quite the debate about this film with a female friend ... she thought the film was outstanding and life-affirming, and I thought it was a diatribe against men. I seem to be in the minority on this one, although there were a couple of surprisingly strong pro-life moments regarding the main character's pregnancy. I may have to revisit this one now that it's on DVD.

3. The Darjeeling Limited -- As a huge Wes Anderson fan (Bottle Rocket and Rushmore are genius and are inspiring a lot of the college age-aimed filmmaking coming out now), it has always been an event for me when a new film of his comes out. But he started losing me with "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and this latest was a big disappointment. Darjeeling focuses on three brothers who reunite for a train ride through India in an attempt to reconnect. While that aspect of the story is at times moving, it is sunk by confusing "spiritual" overtones in line with Hollywood's fascination with vague spirituality that have Buddhist overtones. Has a bizarre portrayal of the main characters' mother as a nun that shows the writers either have no real clue about Catholicism or are twisting stereotypes to embarrassing results (what religious order walks around with ashes on their forehead?). Here's hoping Wes finds better writing partners (c'mon Owen... start writing with him again!) and regains his touch on his next film.

4. 300 -- Yeah, it looked cool with its comic-book, bronzed CGI feel and it was bloody as heck, which appealed strongly to the video game populace. But the dialogue was often ridiculous and the actors were advertisements for getting on a steroid/HGH regimen. The love scene between King Leonidas and his wife before the battle was so emotionally forced and soft-core, it was just laughable.

5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer -- A huge drop from the first one, which wasn't exactly on par with Spider-man to begin with. The dialogue was often generic and full of cheap jokes and pop culture references that made it seem like a marketing research team wrote it. The dialogue was sometimes an insult to anyone over 10 years old.

6. Evan Almighty -- Yeah, it had Christian overtones and was family-friendly. But with Steve Carrell as its lead, it could have (and should have) been much wittier.

7. The Wendell Baker Story -- For a while, I thought, how could a movie produced by the hysterical Wilson brothers sit on the shelf for so long? Then I saw it and found out. Nice intentions, but the script needed some work. Luke Wilson tries to write his own Dignan-esque character, after Owen Wilson's Bottle Rocket character who is an underachieving dreamer naively enamored with a life of crime and hysterically inept at trying to carry it out. The problem is, Wendell Baker is a character Owen plays best, and Luke just doesn't feel right in that role. That said, there are a few great, droll scenes featuring Owen as the corrupt head nurse at a nursing home where Wendell tries to redeem his life with honest work, not to mention a couple of hilarious cameos by Will Ferrell as Wendell's rival trying to win the heart of his former girlfriend. Just skip a couple of scenes where Harry Dean Stanton and Seymour Cassell attempt to amuse as sex-starved old men, and it's a tame, ocassionally amusing film.

FILMS I WISHED I HADN'T SEEN IN 2007

1. Planet Terror -- Was told this was just a cool, crazy throwback zombie flick and yeah, it was crazy and a throwback to the explotation films of the 1970s. It also featured several of the most revolting scenes I've ever seen. Felt the need to take a shower and go to Confession after this one. Avoid this.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End -- The only reason I saw this all the way through is because it was my only choice aboard my Aer Lingus flight coming back from Ireland this fall. Cheesiness abounded in this film, with a lame story meant to be carried by stupid CGI sequences and which, in the end, still made everyone involved very rich. So I guess it was mission accomplished.

FILMS FROM 2007 THAT I WANT TO SEE IN 2008

1. Juno -- Have heard lots of good buzz about this, even if I am beaten down with smart-aleck, "sassy" teens in movies.

2. Atonement

3. Into Great Silence -- This small, independent work never came through Colorado Springs and is even tough to find on DVD, but the many glowing reviews made it worth seeking out (I found a 2-disc set on Amazon). It's a nearly silent documentary about life at a Carthusian monastery and the fruit of a filmmaker's 20-year quest to gain access to the much-protected religious community. He was allowed to live there for several months and was not allowed to bring any crew, use any artificial lighting or add any voiceovers or soundtrack ... it was just a digital camera and himself. The resulting film fascinated (in a good way) many critics.

There were other films I saw, like Sweeney Todd, Life Free or Die Hard, Resurrecting the Champ and Spider-Man 3 that were interesting and but not much more than that for me.

Also watched "The Nun's Story" on PBS tonight... for all of my moviewatching, I hadn't seen this one... and now I'm kinda regretting I did. It made religious life look incredibly bleak and dour, with a particularly negative emphasis on the vow of chastity. Typical for the 1960s, I guess, with its emphasis on overcoming "sexual repression," but I am wondering... if anyone reading this remembers when the film first came out, was it controversial? Am I missing something with this film, which more than a few critics and fans consider the finest of Audrey Hepburn's career? I appreciated the detail it tried to show about daily religious life, but it seemed to be from a more critical than reverential and understanding perspective.