James Rocchi At The Movies

CBS 5 Picks The Best And Worst Films Of 2007

(CBS) 2007 was actually an incredibly strong year for movies. As proof of that, here's my list of the Top Ten Films of 2007, as well as a list of 20 Films Worth Watching where each, in a different year, could have easily made the Top Ten.

Some of these films are already on DVD, while some of them (There Will Be Blood, Persepolis, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days) haven't officially opened in the Bay Area yet. Feel free to take these lists with you the next time you head out to the theater, or have them on-hand when you're making your choice for a night in with a DVD.

You'll also find my picks for the 10 Worst Films of 2007 below -- just so you know what to think twice about. More importantly, I hope that this list helps you discover new films to love and appreciate however you watch them -- and here's to the hope of a great 2008 at the movies.

The Top Ten Films of 2007: (in no particular order after #1)

From independent films to superbly-made Hollywood thrillers, from gripping documentaries to wrenching dramas, these were the ten movies that, for me, truly stood out in 2007.

1) No Country for Old Men
2) Persepolis
3) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4) There Will Be Blood
5) No End in Sight
6) 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
7) Great World of Sound
8) The Bourne Ultimatum
9) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
10) I'm Not There

20 Films Worth Watching:
Romance, comedy, crime, horror, drama, family fun, rock and roll, modern musicals and thought-provoking documentaries -- not every one of these films may be your cup of tea, but that's really a tribute to the breadth and brilliance of moviemaking in 2007.

Once
28 Weeks Later
Waitress
Protagonist
Colma
The Musical
Ratatouille
Zodiac
Helvetica
Killer of Sheep
Starting Out in the Evening
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Control
Things We Lost in the Fire
Eastern Promises
The Savages
Away From Her
Taxi to the Dark Side
Honeydripper
In the Shadow of the Moon
Superbad

The Ten Worst Films of 2007 (in no particular order after #1)
Unnecessary, unfunny remakes of classic comedies; bloated big-budget blockbusters where more time was spent writing the marketing campaign than the script; self-important, self-righteous and badly-made dramas … these were the low points of 2007 at the movies for me.
1. The Heartbreak Kid
2. Flanders
3. Charlie Wilson's War
4. Spider-Man III
5. 300
6. Into the Wild
7. In The Valley of Elah
8. Transformers
9. Because I Said So
10. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

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