LOS ANGELES—As 2007 draws to a close and we look back at the best films and performances of 2007, it’s a perfect time to reveal that Dante Mendoza’s “Foster Child” came very close to winning the top prize at an international film festival held not too long ago. A reliable source shared this tidbit that the jury’s final choice came down to either “Foster Child” or another film.
The other movie won but the fact that Dante’s film almost ran away with the plum prize speaks volumes about “Foster Child’s” merits. This source of ours raved over Cherry Pie Picache’s performance.
* * *
Here are the films and performances that rewarded us with new insights, humor, intriguing dilemmas, thrills and passion as we slogged through a year-round schedule of almost-daily screenings:
Jason Reitman, the son of director Ivan Reitman, proves that the flair he showed in his feature debut, the delicious satire “Thank You For Smoking,” was not a fluke.
He succeeds again with “Juno,” about a hip-talking teenager (Ellen Page) who discovers she’s pregnant and decides to find a perfect set of parents for her unborn child. Jason is aided by the whip-smart script of ex-stripper Diablo Cody.
In one scene, Ellen’s character tells Michael Cera, the father of the child she’s carrying, “You’re the coolest person I’ve ever met, and you don’t even have to try.” Michael delivers his reply, “Actually, I try really hard,” with such honesty that it gets us every time (we’ve seen the film three times). The performances of Ellen, Michael, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney also make “Juno” worth watching again and again.
Remember when you first saw Lino Brocka’s “Tinimbang Ka Nguni’t Kulang” and Ishmael Bernal’s “Nunal sa Tubig”? That exhilarating feeling of watching something fresh, original, dynamic and monumental was what we experienced when we saw Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood.”
Good to great
We wondered, how did a director go from being good (“Punch-Drunk Love,” “Magnolia,” “Boogie Nights”) to great in one movie? Based upon Upton Sinclair’s 1920s novel, “Oil!,” “There Will Be Blood” is anchored by the brave, astounding performance of Daniel Day-Lewis as a silver miner who becomes a self-made oil tycoon. Paul Dano, who took over after another actor was replaced because he was not matching Daniel’s intensity, lives up to the challenge.
Two animated films, “Persepolis” and “Ratatouille,” are exceptionally well-made. “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of her childhood during the Islamic Revolution in Iran, won a Special Jury Prize in Cannes last May. Marjane, with co-writer and co-director Vincent Paronnaud, has successfully adapted her graphic novel into a black and white film that is beautiful in its starkness and depiction of truths from a girl’s viewpoint.
Leave it to those geniuses at Pixar to turn a story about a mouse who dreams of becoming a gourmet chef into an instant classic with a screenplay that really should be hailed as one of the year’s best. Brad Bird’s “Ratatouille” is another triumph in the animation house that John Lasseter built.
There is one scene in “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” that by itself is worth the price of a movie ticket—Mathieu Amalric gives his aging father, played by the venerable Max Von Sydow, a shave. In this short scene, a lot was said without being spoken. This film affected us deeply on many levels.
Hit list
Other worthy films and performances:
“Michael Clayton”—George Clooney has done it again: make a socially relevant film that is entertaining and compelling at the same time. He and his co-stars are first-rate: Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack.
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”—Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt.
“I’m Not There”—Cate Blanchett.
“Charlie Wilson’s War”—Philip Seymour Hoffman. But this man is good in any film he appears in, including “The Savages,” which also boasts of a fine performance by Laura Linney.
“No Country for Old Men”—Tommy Lee Jones, like Philip, can do no wrong. He is brilliant here as he is in “In the Valley of Elah.” Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin are memorable in “No Country,” too. Those Coen brothers are back in top form.
“A Mighty Heart”—Angelina Jolie.
“Enchanted”—who knew that this kind of film would bag nominations? Kudos to Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden, director Kevin Lima and songwriters Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. We thank them for a truly enchanting film.
“Lust, Caution”—This film did not quite catch fire in the US but it did very well overseas, especially in Asia. Director Ang Lee, the daring Tony Leung and Tang Wei are magnificent.
“La Vie en Rose”—Some are saying that they might as well hand the Best Actress trophy already to Marion Cotillard, who portrays the legendary French chanteuse, Edith Piaf.
“Gone Baby Gone”—Ben Affleck’s directorial debut netted buzz-worthy performances from his brother, Casey Affleck, and Amy Ryan.
“Sweeney Todd”—Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and director Tim Burton. Enough said.
“Away From Her”—Remember Julie Christie from “Doctor Zhivago”? She’s a frontrunner in the Best Actress race for her turn as a wife in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.
“American Gangster”—Ruby Dee.
“Atonement”—Saoirse Ronan, who was only 12 when she made this film, steals the thunder from Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
“Eastern Promises”—Viggo Mortensen and filmmaker David Cronenberg are proving to be a formidable combination in their follow-up to “A History of Violence.”
“Into the Wild”—Sean Penn as director and Emile Hirsch and Hal Holbrook turn in a fascinating portrait of a young man who turns his back on the material world. This was based on a true story.
“Once”—Unforgettable songs and performances from Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
“Lars and the Real Girl”—Only Ryan Gosling can make a story about a guy and his lifelike sex doll engrossing.
E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com and read his blog, “The Nepales Report,” on www.inquirerbloggers.net/nepalesreport.
