2008 Woodie Awards
The best and worst films of 2007
Matthew Howard
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Life!
1. Into the Wild
Sean Penn's epic adaptation of Jon Krakauer's best-selling book, recreates the final adventure that Christopher Johnson McCandless takes, and the experiences surrounding it.
Emile Hirsh plays the title role of the college graduate who burns his life savings and sets off on a journey to escape conformity and discover a new life for himself.
While Mr. Hirsh's performance is magnetic, it is Hal Holbrook who steals the screen in one of the most memorable and heart-wrenching supporting performances of the last decade. Vince Vaughn, Catharine Keener and William Hurt all give very strong performances, making this film an instant classic.
2. No Country For Old Men
Many critics agree that No Country For Old Men is the Coen Brothers' best work since Fargo. Fresh off his success as the vile Detective Trupo in American Gangster, Josh Brolin stars as a farmer who discovers $2 million left behind in a drug deal gone wrong. Javier Bardem plays the psychopathic bounty hunter who religiously tracks down the stolen loot without concern for human life.
Tommy Lee Jones effortlessly slips into character as the world-weary sheriff trying to track down the two, but is always seemingly a step behind.
What follows is a trail of death and destruction which makes No Country an American cinema masterpiece. (Helpful hint: Reading the book by Cormac McCarthy will help to understand the underlying plot.)
3. Eastern Promises
Once again, David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen team up to create a suspenseful and deeply intricate movie. While not as good as their past film collaboration, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises is sure to keep the viewer involved as the film delves deeper into the Russian mob underworld.
Naomi Watts and Armen Mueller-Stahl deliver very strong supporting performances while Vincent Cassel has breakthrough performance as a complex mafia member. Though there is not a lot of killing, this movie contains one of the most difficult fight scenes to watch and combined with the difficult and painful subject matter, makes this a very emotionally draining movie to sit through.
Sean Penn's epic adaptation of Jon Krakauer's best-selling book, recreates the final adventure that Christopher Johnson McCandless takes, and the experiences surrounding it.
Emile Hirsh plays the title role of the college graduate who burns his life savings and sets off on a journey to escape conformity and discover a new life for himself.
While Mr. Hirsh's performance is magnetic, it is Hal Holbrook who steals the screen in one of the most memorable and heart-wrenching supporting performances of the last decade. Vince Vaughn, Catharine Keener and William Hurt all give very strong performances, making this film an instant classic.
2. No Country For Old Men
Many critics agree that No Country For Old Men is the Coen Brothers' best work since Fargo. Fresh off his success as the vile Detective Trupo in American Gangster, Josh Brolin stars as a farmer who discovers $2 million left behind in a drug deal gone wrong. Javier Bardem plays the psychopathic bounty hunter who religiously tracks down the stolen loot without concern for human life.
Tommy Lee Jones effortlessly slips into character as the world-weary sheriff trying to track down the two, but is always seemingly a step behind.
What follows is a trail of death and destruction which makes No Country an American cinema masterpiece. (Helpful hint: Reading the book by Cormac McCarthy will help to understand the underlying plot.)
3. Eastern Promises
Once again, David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen team up to create a suspenseful and deeply intricate movie. While not as good as their past film collaboration, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises is sure to keep the viewer involved as the film delves deeper into the Russian mob underworld.
Naomi Watts and Armen Mueller-Stahl deliver very strong supporting performances while Vincent Cassel has breakthrough performance as a complex mafia member. Though there is not a lot of killing, this movie contains one of the most difficult fight scenes to watch and combined with the difficult and painful subject matter, makes this a very emotionally draining movie to sit through.