Movies in 2007

I'm way behind the times in terms of 2007 wrap-up lists, but I wanted to do a run-through of movies I saw in 2007 (or, more accurately, movies that came out in 2007 that I saw somehow (theater, DVD, On Demand, whatever)). They're listed in order of theatrical release, not the order I watched them, and for most I remember more about the circumstances in which I watched them than what I thought about the movie, aside from an impression or two.

Catch and Release (On Demand) - This is one of the few movies that made me wish I could have my $3.99 back. I almost saw this in the theater with T, and I'm so glad the scheduling didn't work out that day. I have so much affection for Jennifer Garner because of my Alias addiction, and I have always liked Kevin Smith, so how could this movie lose me? Oh, but it did. I think my biggest problem was the way it tried to mix comedy and drama. Obviously those elements can be balanced well, but they weren't here. Kevin Smith's character is clearly the comic relief... until he tries to kill himself. And then goes back to being the funny guy. Umm.... no.

Music and Lyrics (Theater) - Standard romantic comedy, nothing special about it, but I just adore Hugh Grant so much that I enjoyed it. I saw it just once in the theater, and won't likely attempt to see it again, but I enjoyed it. And some of the songs stuck in my head long enough that I toyed with the idea of downloading the soundtrack, but I resisted.

Zodiac (On Demand) - I loved this movie, and it inspired me to read Robert Graysmith's book. I love true crime, but I had only read a brief chapter about Zodiac. I thought they did a great job of creating tension in a story about a serial killer who was never definitively identified and caught. Also, I typically adore Robert Downey Jr., and he didn't disappoint me here.

Blades of Glory (Theater) - The first of many comedies I saw with C this year that otherwise I would have been too embarrassed to admit I wanted to see. She loves stupid comedies though, and her laughter is infectious. I haven't seen very many of Will Ferrell's movies, but I just generally enjoy him (love Elf, loved him on SNL) and that held true here. And Jenna Fischer! And Will Arnett! This movie was far from great, but I laughed...

Knocked Up (Theater) - I saw this one with C as well, and I don't think she enjoyed it all that much, but I liked it a lot (I'll stop just short of saying I loved it). I think my favorite part was Paul Rudd's fascination with the chairs while on a bad mushroom trip. Having just discovered Freaks & Geeks last year it makes me happy to see actors from that show together again, and this fit the bill.

Ocean's Thirteen (Theater) - The only reason I saw this was because I was having a terrible Saturday morning at the end of a terrible month (June), and I called T to see if she was available for lunch so that I could hit the reset button on the day, rather than stay in a bad mood. She had time to squeeze in lunch, and then had plans to see this with her husband and parents, so she invited me along. I enjoyed Ocean's Eleven, but never bothered to see the sequel. I really don't remember much about the actual movie - I think I liked it just fine, and it went straight out of my head afterwards.

Evan Almighty (Drive-In) - Another movie with C, and her crew of nieces and nephews, with all of us crammed in the back of a pick-up. The movie was quite bad - my entertainment came from watching the interplay between the various kids and C dealing with them and their attitudes. So what I mainly remember is getting the giggles (to the point that I really couldn't stop laughing even if I wanted to), but it had *absolutely* nothing to do with the movie.

Ratatouille (DVD) - My boss loved this movie and pushed the DVD into my hands. Unfortunately, I chose to watch it while sick one weekend, and since I was feeling so miserable I had a hard time focusing on the movie at all. So... it was fine, but I should have watched it when I wasn't fighting nausea.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Theater) - T and I always see the newest Harry Potter movie on opening day, even though overall I haven't loved the movies. I mean, I enjoy them the first time, but most of them I've only seen once. The Order of the Phoenix is my least favorite of the books (by a lot) which freed me up to just enjoy the movie, rather than get bogged down comparing it to the book. That has been my biggest problem with the other movies - even as I'm telling myself that books and movies are different mediums and I need to just let go and enjoy the movie, I can't shut off the voice in my head saying, "But that's not how it happened!
They just cut out ___, how will they explain it when ____ happens??!!" So it was nice being able to relax and just enjoy the movie. Also, if I'm remembering correctly, this movie came out on the hottest day of the summer in Seattle, so sitting in an air conditioned theater was *heaven*.

Hairspray (Theater) - I liked it. And... nope, there's nothing more to say about this one.

Becoming Jane (Theater) - I really think I had some stronger opinions about this one at the time, but they're escaping me now. I liked it, but didn't love it. Really, the only reason I can come up with is that they could have found a stronger lead actress to play Jane Austen. Some of the adaptations of Jane Austen books would rank in my top 5 or 10 favorite movies ever list, so it was a disappointment that I didn't love this movie that much.

Superbad (DVD) - I was a little let down by this movie. After renting it I was relieved that I wasn't successful in my attempts to get C to see it with me in the theater (if you recall, she didn't like Knocked Up all that much, so this would have fallen flat with her as well). It had good moments, and Michael Cera can do no wrong in my eyes, but it felt like an adolescent boy's wish fulfillment. And I was never an adolescent boy.

The Nanny Diaries (Theater) - The adaptation of the book that kept me out of my current job for a few years. The ending of the book broke my heart, and I thought I could never be a nanny because the risk of getting that attached to a child and then losing that connection in the blink of an eye would be too gut-wrenching. (At the time I read it I was a preschool teacher, and even with my attention spread amongst ~20 kids I got very attached.) Eventually, though, I reconsidered, because the likelihood of ending up with a family like the Xs seemed slim. Anyway, this movie was... not good. I had none of the affection for the main character that I did in the book. Laura Linney did a good job playing Mrs. X, but they ruined that character by adding on an epilogue (not from the book) where she realizes the error of her ways.

Dan in Real Life (Theater) - I won't defend the overall quality of this movie (there were some very trite moments) but I really enjoyed it. It was the kind of movie that made me smile consistently, and chuckle softly a lot.

Juno (Theater) - I really liked this movie, although I left the theater feeling old. There seemed to be a lot of teenagers in the audience, and I just got the sense that I was relating to the older characters (the adoptive parents, Juno's parents) while the people around me were connecting more to the teens. I ended up downloading the soundtrack just about as soon as I got home, and I haven't regretted it. I've been trying to cook more, and this has become my cooking sountrack - trying out new recipes, bopping around to the songs from Juno.

Sweeney Todd (Theater) - I saw this movie at the exact wrong time of day. T and I went out to breakfast and planned on seeing another movie, but showtimes/locations ended up working against us. So over breakfast, we decided we should see something else. She mentioned Sweeney Todd because of a review she'd heard on the radio, without knowing anything about it except that it was a musical. I did know the basics of the plot, but had heard so many good reviews that I agreed. This is not a movie to see right after Saturday morning breakfast. I think if I had seen it at night I would say that I liked it. I think the most I can say is that I appreciated it. It was all very well done. But it is so bleak and dreary, and ends on such a depressing note, that it was disconcerting to walk out of the theater in the early afternoon, ready to move on with the day.