TOP 10 of 2007

01. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
02. The Lives of Others
03. Persepolis
04. There Will Be Blood
05. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
06. Atonement
07. The Kite Runner
08. Lust, Caution
09. Control
10. Dan in Real Life

Ratatouille

The best Disney/Pixar film since Finding Nemo is finally blurring the lines between hand drawn animation and computerized animation. The film is a winner on many levels, specially on story and characters that will make this film a classic. I'm usually biased towards this genre and don't watch everything but when a film is as good as this, you cheer for it. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

28 Weeks Later

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Intacto) makes his Hollywood debut with this potent sequel taking over from Danny Boyle who did the first film that brought some fresh air into the genre. Fresnadillo's instincts and choices are on the money, specially the quicksilver pacing. The film works on several levels with a solid cast and crew and ends with a cliffhanger that surely will be continued into a third film. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

The Return

Andrei Zvyagintsev's debut is a heartbreaking film about two very different brothers who go on a road trip with their father who has returned after a long absence. The brothers become closer while trying to figure out their enigmatic father. It's a universal tale of feuding brothers, absent fathers and coming of age. At the center and heart of the film are the fantastic performances of the two young boys that makes it stand out among the other films of its kind. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

GUILD AWARDS 1: Screen Actors Guild (SAG)

ENSEMBLE CAST
"Into the Wild"
"No Country for Old Men"
"American Gangster"
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Hairspray"

ACTOR
George Clooney - "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis - "There Will Be Blood"
Ryan Gosling - "Lars And The Real Girl"
Emile Hirsch- "Into the Wild"
Viggo Mortensen - "Eastern Promises"

ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie - "Away From Her"
Marion Cotillard - "La Vie en Rose"
Angelina Jolie - "A Mighty Heart"
Ellen Page - "Juno"

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck - "Jesse James By Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem - "No Country For Old Men"
Tommy Lee Jones - "No Country for Old Men"
Hal Holbrook - "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson - "Michael Clayton"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett - "I’m Not There"
Ruby Dee - "American Gangster"
Catherine Keener - "Into the Wild"
Amy Ryan - "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton - "Michael Clayton"

For more info: http://www.sag.org/

Sweeney Todd

Who would have thought that Edward Scissorhands would become a barber? A singing one to be exact? Tim Burton delivers his best live action film in a decade that's a match made in cinematic heaven. I wonder why nobody thought of the idea earlier. The film belongs to Johnny Depp that without him it wouldn't be what it's. It's a Gothic musical and the Depp looks more like a rocker than a barber from the last century but that's beside the point. Burton delivers what the audience apparently want which isa musical with violence and buckets of blood. Another revelation is Helena Bonham Carter who looks like a female Depp has kissed goodbye to Merchant Ivory and is perfectly at home in Tim Burton world as if she always belonged there. The film has cult classic written all over it and will reach all the fans if not more. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

Into the Wild

In his latest film as a writer and director Sean Penn delivers his most accomplished and accessible film yet. This American tale of rebellion will resonate with many, specially now where everything seems to have gone wrong in the world. The story of Christopher McCandless who rejected everything to find a meaning and truth in his life. He finds it far from home and along the way into the wilderness of Alaska that real happiness is to share it with someone. His life is cut short before he could return to the civilization. Better to have a short life of happiness than a long life of misery. The film is solid in every aspect including Emile Hirsh in the title role and the cinematography of Eric Gautier under the sure hands of Sean Penn and music of Eddie Vedder. Along with There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, Redacted, In the Valley of Elah, Sicko, An Inconvenient Truth and Lions for Lambs to mention few, the American Cinema is well and alive and its filmmakers kicking and screaming. It shows that there's a growing sense of concern about the world, specially the American society. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

CRITICS AWARDS 4: SATELLITE™ Awards

Best Film: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Best Foreign Film: LUST, CAUTION
Best Documentary: SICKO
Best Director : JOEL & ETHAN COEN, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Best Actor: VIGGO MORTENSEN, EASTERN PROMISES
Best Actress: MARION COTILLARD, LA VIE EN ROSE
Best Adapted Screenplay: CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON, ATONEMENT
Best Original Screenplay: DIABLO CODY, JUNO

For more info: http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2007.shtml

TOP 10: American Film Institute (AFI)

01. BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
02. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
03. INTO THE WILD
04. JUNO
05. KNOCKED UP
06. MICHAEL CLAYTON
07. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
08. RATATOUILLE
09. THE SAVAGES
10. THERE WILL BE BLOOD

For more info: http://www.afi.com/tvevents/afiawards07/default.aspx

CRITICS AWARDS 3: NY Film Critics Circle

Best Film
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Foreign Film
THE LIVES OF OTHERS

Best Animated Film
PERSEPOLIS

Best Documentary
NO END IN SIGHT

Best Director
JOEL COEN & ETHAN COEN, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Actor
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Best Actress
JULIE CHRISTIE, AWAY FROM HER

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, GONE BABY GONE

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Screenplay
JOEL COEN & ETHAN COEN, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Cinematographer
Robert Elswit, THERE WILL BE BLOOD

For more info: http://www.nyfcc.com/index.php

CRITICS AWARDS 2: LA Film Critics Association

Best Film
THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Best Foreign Film
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS

Best Documentary
NO END IN SIGHT

Best Director
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON, THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Best Actor
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Best Actress
MARION COTILLARD, LA VIE EN ROSE

Best Screenplay
TAMARA JENKINS, THE SAVAGES

For more info: http://www.lafca.net/

CRITICS AWARDS 1: National Board of Review

Best Film: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Best Foreign Film: THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Best Documentary: BODY OF WAR
Best Director : TIM BURTON, SWEENEY TODD
Best Actor: GEORGE CLOONEY, MICHAEL CLAYTON
Best Actress: JULIE CHRISTIE, AWAY FROM HER
Best Adapted Screenplay: JOEL COEN & ETHAN COEN, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Best Original Screenplay: DIABLO CODY, JUNO & NANCY OLIVER, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

For more info: http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/

La Vie en Rose

A brilliant performance by Marion Cotillard and a great soundtrack makes this biopic worthwhile. However the non-linear storytelling may confuse those who are not familiar with Edith Piaf. The beautiful Marion Cotillard's transformation is one to behold. It recalls the transformation that Charlize Theron did. The director Olivier Dahan makes some wise choices to bring some fresh air into the genre, one is the use of Piaf songs early on. The cast and crew are solid in this lavish production. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

No Country For Old Men

The Coen brothers return to "Blood Simple" territory with this menacing thriller that's on the surface a man on the run story but on a deeper level about what happened to America that it seems far off from its roots. Part of reason seems to be embodied by the monster portrayed by Javier Bardem that defies any reason or understanding. However it's unsettling that it hints to foreigners for the problem. The film is good as it should be coming from Coen brothers and their collaborators, specially the terrific Roger Deakins. The message that it sends should resonate with many Americans. It has reached specially the critics who have been cheerleading the film. America ain't no country for the old fashioned rather than the old because it ain't no country for the young either. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

Dan in Real Life

A funny, touching and heartwarming romantic comedy from Peter Hedges (Pieces of April) is another winner for Steve Carell with a perfect cast that includes a magical Juliette Binoche and a charming Dane Cook. Good families films are rare, so to find one as good as this makes you smile through out if you are not laughing out loud. It has a sophisticated and universal story with a dash of drama. Steve Carell gives a heartfelt performance that's the core of the film. The versatile Juliette Binoche shines as the love interest and fits just right in a comedy. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

In the Valley of Elah

Paul Haggis somber but polite drama about the consequences of the Iraq war raises some interesting questions that will haunt the US in the years to come, the way other veterans did, specially those of the Vietnam war.
Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon deliver strong performances. The film is less controversial and confrontatial than Brian de Palma's "Redacted" but I preferred the latter because we should be mad as hell about the war and politeness won't get us far to stop this insanity.
The questions the film asks is what atrocities committed by the soldiers to the Iraqis and the damages caused to those surviving soldiers and their families. As the box office failures of these films show, America is not ready to face the truth.
YRCinema's coverage of current releases.