Looking for something to see at the movies? We’re wrapping up the year and the critics and awards are happening so here’s what folks are saying is worth seeing. Winners or number ones are noted with an*. I’ll make some updates as new lists/awards are received. I shoot to do my own top ten list some time next year once I’ve actually seen some of these (movies seen to date are bolded).

• Alexandra – MD
• Appaloosa – PE
• Ballast – ISA
• The Bank Job – SK
• Burn After Reading – EO, GG, NBR, OG
• Cadillac Records – AOS, DE
• Changeling – AL, CCA, NBR
• Choke – SA
• A Christmas Tale – SH
• The Class – DE, OG
• Cloverfield – EO
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – AFI, CCA, GG, NBR, PE, RC
• The Dark Knight – AFI, CCA, EO*, LS, MD, NBR, OG, PE, RS, SK*
• Death Race – SK
• Defiance – NBR 
• Doubt – CCA, DE, RS
• The Edge of Heaven – AL, AOS, OG, SH
• Encounters of the End of the World – MD, RC
• Flight of the Red Balloon – MD
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall – EO
• 4 months, 3 weeks, & 2 days – AL, RC, SH
• Frost/Nixon – AFI, CCA, GG, NBR, RS, SA
• Frozen River – AFI, ISA, SA, SH
• Funny Games – SK
• Gomorra – LS
• Gran Torino – AFI, NBR, PE
• Happy Go Lucky – AOS, DE, GG, LS, MD, PE, SA*, SH
• In Bruges – GG, SA
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – EO
• Iron Man – AFI, AL, EO, RC
• I’ve Loved You So Long – AL
• Kit Kittredge: American Girl – DE
• Lakeview Terrace – SK
• The Last Mistress – SH
• Mamma Mia – GG, OG
• Man on Wire – AOS, LS, RS
• Milk – AFI, AOS, CCA, LS, NBR, NYFC*, OG, PE, RC, RS*, SA, SH
• My Winnipeg – RC
• Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist – SA
• The Orphanage – AL
• Paranoid Park – MD
• Quantum of Solace – AL
• Rachel Getting Married – AOS, DE*, ISA, OG, RS
• The Reader – CCA, GG, SA
• Redbelt – SK
• Revolutionary Road – GG, RS, SA
• The Ruins – SK
• The Secret of the Grain – AOS
• Sex and the City – EO
• Shotgun Stories – DE
• Silent Light – AOS, MD
• Slumdog Millionaire – BFC*, CCA, DC*, GG, NBR*, PE, RC, RS, SA*, SK
• Speed Racer – RC
• Still Life – MD
• Synecdoche, New York – MD, RC
• Taxi to the Dark Side – DE
• Tell No One – OG, SH
• Tropic Thunder – EO, LS, SA, SK
• Trouble the Water – DE, LS
• Vicky Christina Barcelona – EO, GG, PE, SA
• The Visitor – PE, RS, SH
• Wall-e – AFI, AL, AOS, BFC*, CCA, DE, EO, LS*, NBR, OG, PE, RC*, RS, SH, SK
• Waltz With Bashir – DE, LS, NSFC*
• Wendy and Lucy – AFI, AOS, ISA, LS, MD
• We Own the Night – AL
• The Wrestler – AFI, AL, CCA, ISA, NBR, OG*

AFI – American Film Institute, AL – Anthony Lane/New Yorker, AOS – AO Scott/NYT, BFC – Boston Society of Film Critics, CCA – Critic’s Choice Awards, DC – DC Area Film Critics, DE – David Edelstein/NPR, EO – eonline, GG – Golden Globes, ISA – Independent Spirit Awards, LS – Lisa Schwarzbaum/EW, MD – Manohla Dargis/NYT, NBR – National Board of Review, NSFC – National Society of Film Critics, NYFC – New York Film Critics Circle, OG – Owen Gleiberman/EW, PE – People Magazine, RC – Richard Corliss/Time, RS – Rolling Stone, SA – Satellite Awards, SH – Stephen Holden/NYT, SK – Stephen King/EW

Some friends and I were talking about favorite movies and Citizen Kane came up as someone’s favorite. And although I can certainly appreciate what the film did for its time I had to admit that I found it unwatchable (insert gasp here) and would never put it in my favorite pile.

Turns out although some folks consider favorite movies to be great films, most put their favorites as movies they just would watch again and again. Maybe because they’re great for what they are, maybe because of where you were at when you watched them first, and honestly often because they’re light enough to pop in on any occasion. This brought about the arduous plan of coming up with a top 5.

So here goes (as always I should caveat that this list could vary any time I made it): 

1. Gidget – I am often without the ability to name a favorite anything, it’s just too great a commitment to one thing and I feel like I am far to complex to have anything sum up my tastes, but… for movies I can honestly say that this is the one, it’s got whimsy, nostalgia, surfing, female empowerment, cute outfits and good old fashioned romance.
2. Buckaroo Banzai – I’m a fan of the sort of comic book film and this one, bringing a bit of sci fi and camp, was a delight and I am sad there was just the one, but I’ll always be a Blue Blaze Irregular at heart. Other comic flicks I enjoy include Batman Begins, Blade and Josie and the Pussycats.
3. Breakfast Club – Ah the 80’s and the brat pack and all that crap, I have to say of the teen flicks this one still holds water, though I have to admit that my Nicholas Cage crush began with Valley Girl, and of course who could resist Heathers.
4. Clueless – This is sort of what I consider the post-80’s 80’s movie, and there’s obviously something about the youngsters that can pull off the drama with a bit of timeliness and fun. Also in the fun category Cruel Intentions and Bring it On.
5. 13 Going on 30 – Who can resist a romantic comedy done right? It’s a pity they so rarely are but this film is delightful and brings it all together from start to finish.

And yes they’re all a bit fluffy, so with a quick stab at some of the movies that I recall enjoying immensely but wouldn’t necessarily make my top five (not comprehensive by any means and in alphabetical order):

American History X, Amores Perros, Being John Malkovich, City of God, Election, Freeway, Memento, Pan’s Labyrinth, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Riding Giants, The Wizard of Oz, Young Frankenstein

So I like to do an annual top ten movie list, since I typically see a lot of movies. Unfortunately with all the movies that come out at the end of the year that are supposed to be great, I am always quite behind. I have been planning to do a little catch up on dvds but as my dvd player just broke, with ‘The Assassination of Jesse James’ in it (I only caught the first ten minutes). I took that as a sign of the official end of my 2007 movie watching. 

• 3:10 to Yuma – I love Christian Bale and this movie worked for me as he played a simple rancher just trying to keep his family afloat and he, and his son, get drawn into the transport and life of robber Russell Crowe.
• The Lookout – Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great job as a guy who survived a car accident with memory issues and gets caught up in a bank robbery.
• Michael Clayton – George Clooney plays a lawyer who ‘fixes things’ and gets caught up in a case that he might not be able to, or want to fix, Clooney and the supporting cast are excellent as the tension builds.
• Atonement – I actually read this book and though I liked it I was a little thrown by the three separate pieces which this movie was able to meld together in a lovely sweeping war/romance/period piece.
• Gone Baby Gone – The Affleck’s are doing well as Ben directs Casey in this Lehane novel adaptation of Boston detectives working a kidnapping.
• Eastern Promises – I was expecting to hate this latest Cronenberg from the previews, why is this idiotic woman Naomi Watts getting involved with the Russian mob and attractive but dangerous Viggo Mortenson? But the mafia life and Watt’s involvement are compelling, and Viggo is crazy good, or good at crazy.
• Into the Wild – Another movie I expected to not love as we watch this young guy go… into the wild… knowing he won’t come out. And though I thought the ending could have been handled a little better, they did a great job wrapping a story around this character and his journey.
• No Country for Old Men – I will admit that I didn’t love this Coen brother’s movie, but I did think it was really well done as small town folks follow the money or the bodies.
• Lars and the Real Girl/Waitress/Juno – Of these Lars was my favorite with real originality and heart but they got some similar indie buzz so I thought I’d address them together. They did some great things as films free from big studio restraint can and I love that people loved their simple characters and stories and writing, they’re such an important part of the annual film options.

I have noted to date what movies I’ve seen so you’ll know I didn’t official hate ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’ for example, though I may have (I mean really, the guy just blinks), but I just haven’t seen it yet. And I should caveat although this list is in a loose order, I would potentially put them in a different order each time I tried to make a list. I also sadly didn’t have a great cheesy movie this year, teen film, action or otherwise, good thing the next Bat Man is coming out soon.

For a full list of 2007 movies I was referring to the 2007 Academy Eligible list.

Tis the season for tv repeats, end of the year Top Ten lists, and leaving your house to go to the movies. For those folks who screen movies early, here is a compilation of what some are calling the Best of 2007, including nominations from awards and such. Those marked with an * are winners, or number ones, the cream of the crop some might say.

Who is getting the most votes? Who do you agree with? Take a look and see. I’ll update the list as new picks are out and some time in 2008 I will have seen enough movies to feel like I can do my own little top ten list.

• Across the Universe – GG
• After the Wedding – RS
• American Gangster – CCA, GG, PT, RR
• The Assassination of Jesse James – BM, LS, MLS, MSN, NBR, SFFCC
• Atonement – CCA, GG, MLS, MSN, NBR, NYFCO, PH, PT,  RC, US
• Away From Her – DE, Sat
• Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead – AFI, MLS, NYFCO, OG, PT, RS, SAT, TV
• Beowolf – RC
• Black Book – RS, TV
• The Bourne Ultimatum – NBR
• Breach – RS, SK
• The Bucket List – NBR
• Charlie Wilson’s War – BM, GG
• Children of Men – SK
• Dan in Real Life – MLS, RS
• The Darjeeling Limited – NYFCO
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – AFI, BM, CCA, DE, DGA, MSN, NYFCO*, TV
• Eastern Promises – GG, PT, SAT, TV, US
• Flanders – MLS
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days – AOS*, LS
• Golden Door – MLS
• Gone Baby Gone – RR, SK
• Grace is Gone – DE
• The Great Debaters – GG
• Great World of Sound – GA, TV
• Grindhouse – OG, PH
• Hairspray – GG, SAT, US
• The Host – PH
• I’m Not There – AOS, GA, LS, MSN, NYFCO, OG*, PT, US
• In the Valley of Elah – RC, RS, SK
• Into the Wild – AFI, AOS, CCA, DGA, GA*, PT, MSN, NBR
• Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis – OG
• Juno – AFI, CCA, GG, NBR, NYFCO, PH, PT, RR, SAT, US
• Killer of Sheep – RC
• The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters – PH
• The Kite Runner – CCA, NBR
• Knocked Up – AFI, AOS, LS, PH, PT, SAT, US
• Lady Chatterley – LS
• Lars and the Real Girl – NBR, SAT
• Little Children – RC, SK
• The Lives of Others – BM, OG, SK
• The Lookout – RR, SAT, SK
• Margot at the Wedding – GA, MSN, SAT
• Michael Clayton – AFI, CCA, DE, DGA, GG, NBR, NYFCO, OG, PH, RR*, RS*, TV
• A Mighty Heart – US
• The Namesake – GA
• No Country for Old Men – AFI, BM, BSFC, CCA*, DE, DGA, GG, LS, MLS, MSN, NBR*, NYFCC, NYFCO, PH, PT*, RC*, RR, RS,  SAT*, SK*, US
• No End In Sight – DE, LS, OG, RC
• Once – BM, OG, RR
• Paprika – TV
• Paris Je T’Aime – RR
• Persepolis – BM, DE, LS, NYFCO, RC
• Ratatouille – AFI, AOS, BM, DE, MSN, PH
• Redacted – MLS
• Revolution Summer – MLS
• The Savages – AFI, AOS, BM, DE, PH, RS
• Shoot ’em Up – Sat
• Superbad – OG, RR
• Sweeny Todd – AOS, BM, CCA, DE, GG, NBR, NYFCO, PT, RC, US
• Terror’s Advocate – AOS
• There Will Be Blood – AFI, AOS, CCA, DE, DGA, GG, LAF*, LS*, MSN, NYFCO*, PT, RS
• 3:10 to Yuma – SAT, SK
• 12:08 East of Bucharest – AOS
• 28 Weeks Later – SK
• Waitress – RC, MLS
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley – TV
• Zodiac – LS, MSN, OG, RR, TV, US

AFI – Boston Society of Film Critics, BM – Bob Mondello on All Things Considered/NPR, CCA-Critics Choice Awards Nomineess, DCFC-DC Area Film Critics Association, DE – David Edelstein for Fresh Air/NPR, DGA – Director’s Guild of America, GG-Golden Globe Nominations, GA-Gotham Awards, SK-Stephen King (seen in 2007), LAF- LA Film Critics, MLS – Mick LaSalle for SF Chronicle, NBR – National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, LS – Lisa Schwarzbaum for EW, MSN, NYFCC-New York Film Critics Circle, NYFCO – New York Film Critics Online, OG – Owen Gleiberman for EW, PH – Peter Hartlaub for SF Chronicle, PT – Peter Travers for Rolling Stone, SAT – Satellite Awards, SFFCC – San Francisco Film Critics Circle, RC-Richard Corliss-Time, RR – Richard Roeper for Ebert and Roeper, RS-Richard Shickel-Time, TV – TV Guide, US-US Weekly