Even with all the successful ones, we sadly have to encounter the bad ones. Here are a few I would like to mention that I felt disappointed me or I just did not like one bit:
Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem - Just bad, just bad, bad, bad. Awful acting, boring story and nothing amazing to talk about.
Ghost Rider - Seen by many as the worst of the Marvel films. When it stars a sub-standard Nicholas Cage, you know the whole experience will be cringe-worthy.
Evan Almighty - Some bits were o.k., but overall it was no where near as great as Bruce Almighty. Needed more Jim Carey.
Fantastics 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer - A bit of a lost opportunity for in terms of making the most of the Silver Surfer. There was also the same cheap gags as the first one. I really do hope they make a re-boot asap.
Shrek The Third - Bit of a disappointing third part of the franchise. After Shrek 2 managed to be better than its predecessor, this was a pretty ordinary showing from the people at Dreamworks.
Rush Hour 3 - I think seeing the size of Chris Tucker was enough to show that they should not have made this. The story was decent, but the pace of the action and the gags could not touch the first Rush Hour's.
Bee Movie - The animation is great and the gags are good, but they manage to break one of those non-written laws you expect to see in animation films for kids. That annoyed me and then it just worse.
Spider-Man 3 - The material was all there, but to me it was all wasted. There are some good redeeming features to not make truly terrible, but overall it is not great.
Die Hard 4.0 - Just a simple money-making scheme with no desire of making the film enjoyable. I will only watch A Good Day To Die Hard once it is being showed on terrestrial television.
Here are some where a lot of people did not like, but I disagreed and found some to be good enough to not be dis-liked:
The Condemned - A plot that when done right is always enjoyable. Even with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones leading the acting roles, it is a pleasant mindless action film.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End - Still do not get that some people felt it was too confusing due to all the sub-plots. But from my first viewing to my most recent one, I can still easily keep up, be constantly entertaining and find new things within the film.
Death Proof - Definitely one of Tarantino's weakest, but still worth watching.
Planet Terror - A great homage to the grind-house genre in my opinion. I obviously was not brought up during the grind-house era, but to me it felt like one and thought it was very enjoyable.
Every year, you always want a few surprises and here are some which I did not expect to be this good or good at all:
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium - Did not expect this to have so much heart. It is a great family film that I hope never gets forgotten.
Paranormal Activity - Never thought it live up to the hype, but I was ridiculously tense and wanting to run to stop watching this scare-fest. Heard the rest are pretty predictable or boring, so I may have to wait a while before I dare to re-enter this world.
Son Of Rambow - A really charming British film with some great performances. When the majority of the cast are kids it is always a risk, but it was a very professional showing and I enjoyed it.
Knocked Up -
Enchanted - A great modern twist to the classic Disney fairytale. Lots of charming characters and funny moments for everyone to enjoy.
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - A very well structured story of two brothers whose organised bank robbery goes wrong. The gradual expansion of the sub-plots are well-timed and make you tense up for the finale.
Juno - Surprised this got nominated for an Oscar, but it is one of the very few films featuring Michael Cera that I enjoyed. I liked the style of humor and the subject was well told. Not too safe, but never afraid to talk about certain subtext within the big picture.
Awards season was a bit of an odd one in my opinion. There were lots of good films, but not the best ones of the year I felt. One was Michael Clayton. A great thriller that was gripping throughout. Lead by George Clooney, it entertained but enough to get in my top 10. Next up is Eastern Promises. I have only recently seen this one and felt it to be a very interesting gangster film, but the majority felt fairly solid to me. One of the most successful foreign films of this year was La Vie En Rose. A interesting story on the famous singer Edith Piaf. The performance by Marion Cotillard held it all together despite a missing a huge chunk of her characters story which happened to be the part she was most famous for. The winner for Best Picture in 2007 was No Country For Old Men by the Coen brothers. It was constantly gripping and looked well deserved of its title as the best film of the year. All up until the disappointing ending. For anyone who has seen it, I do understand the reason for that ending, but for me it just ruined the pacing of the film and it felt so sudden. I felt as if they has missed a huge chunk of the story.
The hardest decision with top 10 lists is having to whittle the good ones down and leave out some brilliant ones. Here are the ones that almost made the top 10:
The Golden Compass - A good film that should have been a great one. Still lots to enjoy, but I know they could have gone darker with the subject matter. It is a shame no-one is planning on filming the other two parts of the Dark Materials trilogy.
I Am Legend - Probably the best film not in my top 10. Will Smith stars in this light dialogue thriller that has great scares and emotions coming out of the screen.
Transformers - Can see why people hate Michael Bay films, but this visual-orgy is something Bay can do. The story is good enough to make this re-watchable.
Mongol: The Rise And Power Of Genghis Khan -
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street - A great modern gothic musical that is made for someone like director Tim Burton. Burton regulars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are top leads and the dark atmosphere really sucks you in. Well, apart from Alan Rickman's singing.
The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford - Quite a slow-pacing film, but still a very interesting portrayal of one of the most famous train robbers.
Zodiac - A very intense crime thriller. Based on the true story of the Zodiac killer, director David Fincher shows he can do tension. Not as good as Se7en, but satisfying enough even by Fincher's standards.
The Kite Runner - A very charming foreign language film that is solely about friendship in one the harshest environments imaginable.
Superbad - This generations teen comedy set on the last day of high school. There is usually one great one for each generation and this is certainly one for the current teens.
3:10 To Yuma - A terrific thrill ride in the wild west. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe really bring back the emotions from the original and make it as successful.
American Gangster - One of Ridley Scott's more successful films in recent years. A great crime film that brings you back to the greats of the 70's and 80's. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe's on-screen presence really sell this film well.
There Will Be Blood - A great story involving religion, family and hatred, and all because of oil. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, this powerful drama really shows the true greed in people.
Usually something I would never like, but the charming on-screen relationship and cinematography made this very enjoyable to watch.
This deserves to be seen and I know I will watch this again whenever it is on TV.
Director Paul Greengrass knows how to do an action-thriller, his tempo is spot-on and it sucks you in from the very beginning.
For me, this the Bourne series at its peak.
Like a lot of Pixar's plots, it is a simple story for the kids, has deep subtext for the adults and great humor for everyone.
I did not expect this to be this good, but it definitely deserves to be up there with Pixar's best.
7) Atonement - Winner of best film at the BAFTA's and won an Oscar for best soundtrack.This war drama epic really surprised me. Despite all of its success, I was not sure if it would be anything exceptional.
But everything about it impressed me a lot. It has that classic British drama to it, but it can appeal to modern audiences.
Lead by Emile Hirsch, this terrific indie adventure film directed by Sean Penn inspired many and created a very interesting philosophical debate.
This time we have Pegg and Frost as police officers. One being London's best and suddenly transferred to the village of the year and the other, a resident of the village who seems extremely absent-minded with his work.
What they find is a horrible dark secret within the village. But not with a few laughs along the way.
Director Matthew Vaughn is definitely becoming a success with blockbuster stories and his style of humor works perfectly with the huge amounts of imagination involved including an all-star cast.
This also has one of my favorite soundtrack of all-time.
This terrific French film is highly emotional and they present this courageous story quite cleverly and it really puts you into Bauby's awkward position.
It is a terrific sci-fi film that has that isolation feel to it that when done right is guaranteed success.
With the help of professor Brian Cox, you know this has to be good if he is involved.
I was caught completely off-guard by this touching drama with a blend of fantasy. The trailer really does not set you up for what you see here.
It is also the film that always makes me cry. I am proud to say that, because I like this film so much.
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