2007 in films - according to Film Excess

The 10 Best Movies of 2007:

1. Into the Wild - Sean Penn + Best American Movie of the Year + Best Adventure Movie of the Year + Best Drama of the Year + Best Youth Movie of the Year + Best Road Movie of the Year

2. In the Valley of Elah - Paul Haggis + Best Political Movie of the Year + Best Crime Drama of the Year + Best True-Story Movie of the Year

3. American Gangster - Ridley Scott + Best Gangster Movie of the Year + Best Epic Movie of the Year + Best New York Movie of the Year

4. The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1/De Unge År: Erik Nietzsche Sagaen Del 1 - Jacob Thuesen + Best Danish Movie of the Year + Best Mega-flop Movie of the Year + Best Autobiographical Movie of the Year (Lars Von Trier, screenplay, as Erik Nietzsche)

5. Earth, documentary - Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield + Best Nature Movie of the Year

6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - David Yates + Best Adaptation of the Year + Best Fantasy Movie of the Year + Best Blockbuster of the Year (939.8 mil. $ world gross) 

7. Death Proof - Quentin Tarantino + Best Los Angeles Movie of the Year + Best Car Movie of the Year + Best Car Chase of the Year (final girls vs. Stuntman Mike chase) + Best Comeback Actor of the Year: Kurt Russell

8. Eastern Promises - David Cronenberg + Best London Movie of the Year + Best Mob Movie of the Year + Best Villain of the Year: Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai + Best Fight Scene of the Year (the bath house fight) + Most Undeserved Flop of the Year

9. Hostel: Part II - Eli Roth + Best Horror Movie of the Year + Best Gore Movie of the Year + Best Exploitation Movie of the Year + Best Comeback Actress of the Year: Heather Matarazzo 

10. Control - Anton Corbijn + Best Music Movie of the Year + Best Debut Movie of the Year: Anton Corbijn + Best B/W Movie of the Year

Other great movies of the year (in alphabetical order):

The Darjeeling Limited - Wes Anderson + Best Dramedy of the Year

Live Free or Die Hard/Die Hard 4.0 - Len Wiseman + Best Action Movie of the Year

Other good, recommendable movies of the year (in alphabetical order):

1408 - Mikael Håfström

Battle for Haditha - Nick Broomfield + Best War Movie of the Year + Best English Movie of the Year

The Brave One - Neil Jordan

Cecilie - Hans Fabian Wullenweber

Charlie Bartlett - Jon Poll + Best High School Movie of the Year

The Heartbreak Kid - Bobby & Peter Farrelly + Best Crazy-Comedy of the Year

Daisy Diamond - Simon Staho + Best Feel-Bad Movie of the Year

Epic Movie - Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer + Most Under-appreciated Movie of the Year + Best Low-brow Movie of the Year

Fighter - Natascha Arthy + Best Kung Fu Movie of the Year

Gone Baby Gone - Ben Affleck

He Was A Quiet Man - Frank A. Cappello + Best Box Office Disaster of the Year

Hot Rod - Akiva Schaffer + Best Huge Flop Movie of the Year

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry - Dennis Dugan + Best Crude Comedy of the Year + Best Buddy Movie of the Year + Best LGBT Movie of the Year

The 10 Worst Movies of 2007:

1. End of the Line - Maurice Devereaux

2. Dan in Real Life - Peter Hedges + Most Tasteless Movie of the Year + Most Undeserved Hit of the Year

3. AFR - Morten Hartz Kapler

4. How to Get Rid of the Others/Hvordan Vi Slipper Af med De Andre - Anders Rønnow Klarlund

5. Halloween - Rob Zombie

6. Evan Almighty - Tom Shadyac + Biggest Flop of the Year (lost approximately 105.7 mil. $) + Worst Poster of the Year + Biggest Career Killer of the Year: Tom Shadyac 

7. I Am Legend - Francis Lawrence + Most Overrated Movie of the Year 
 

8. Disturbia - D.J. Caruso

9. Hannibal Rising - Peter Webber 

10. The Bucket List - Rob Reiner

Other poor, mediocre and/or failed movies (in alphabetical order):

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days/4 Luni, 3 Săptămâni și 2 Zile - Cristian Mungiu + Best Romanian Movie of the Year 
28 Weeks Later - Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Blades of Glory - Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Cassandra's Dream - Woody Allen
Eagle vs Shark - Taika Waititi
Hallam Foe/Mister Foe - David Mackenzie
I'm Not There - Todd Haynes 
My Blueberry Nights - Wong Kar-Wai

[43 titles in total]

Notes:

Only 1 reviewed 2007 film yet is a recognized masterpiece here at Film Excess:
Sean Penn's impactful, true-story spiritual journey and American odyssey Into the Wild. On the top 10, it is followed by Paul Haggis' excellent, troubling Iraq War aftermath crime-drama In the Valley of Elah; Ridley Scott's huge gangster epic American Gangster; Jacob Thuesen's hilarious, subversive film school tell-all The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part I; Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield's majestic nature documentary Earth; David Yates' terrific magic fantasy and best Potter film of all, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Quentin Tarantino's girl-power-fueled, just-having-fun Grindhouse homage Death Proof; David Cronenberg's brutal and thrilling Russian mob-themed Eastern Promises; Eli Roth's enthusiastically cruel horror Hostel: Part II, and finally Anton Corbijn's electric punk biopic Control.
Among the year's other noteworthy, fine films are Len Wiseman's fierce actioner Live Free or Die Hard, Nick Broomfield's harrowing Iraq War massacre story Battle for Haditha and a pair of silly American comedy offerings; Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's spoof Epic Movie and Dennis Dugan's crude I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry: Both still funny and also both critically panned by most critics.
On the other end of the spectrum, a small Canadian horror movie, Maurice Devereaux's quality-bereft End of the Line takes the cake as the year's unquestionably poorest film. It is followed by Peter Hedges' nauseating Dan in Real Life, Morten Hartz Kapler's mockumentary rubbish AFR, Anders Rønnow Klarlund's amateurish comedy How to Get Rid of the Others, Rob Zombie's unredeemed Halloween remake, Tom Shadyac's major flop, Biblical FX bonanza Evan Almighty, Francis Lawrence's dumb apocalyptic hit I Am Legend, D.J. Caruso's also dumb teenage romance-thriller Disturbia, Peter Webber's disappointingly flat Hannibal Rising and finally Rob Reiner's altogether artificial and ruthlessly sentimental The Bucket List. Notice how Steve Carell in 2007 managed to star in two of the year's worst flicks, Dan in Real Life and Evan Almighty - and still hold his career firmly (and impressively) on its tracks. Another major star who tracked poorly this year is Morgan Freeman, who starred in Evan Almighty and The Bucket List, - both on the Worst of 2007 list.
Great and master filmmakers who gave us sub-par work this year include Woody Allen (Cassandra's Dream), Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark), David Mackenzie (Hallam Foe), Todd Haynes (I'm Not There) and Wong Kar-Wai (My Blueberry Nights).

Biggest flops of the year:

[The loss is based solely on the cost and box office earnings for the films. Marketing costs and additional revenue (home video, TV rights and other auxiliary profits) are not taken into account] 

1. Evan Almighty - 105.7 mil. $ range
2. The Brave One - 31.7 mil. $ range
3. Eastern Promises - 27.5 mil. $ range
4. Death Proof/Planet Terror (not reviewed yet) - 22 mil. $ range
5. Hot Rod - 19.58 mil. $ range
6. Hannibal Rising - 17.16 mil. $ range
7. I'm Not There - 15.36 mil. $ range
8. In the Valley of Elah - 11.2 mil. $ range
9. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry - 10.6 mil. $ range

2007 titles currently on the watchlist:

Kill Bulko: The Movie, Life Kills Me, You, Me and Him


Previous annual lists: 
 
2017 in films - according to Film Excess
2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2016 in films - according to Film Excess  
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2014 in films - according to Film Excess
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2013 in films - according to Film Excess    

2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2012 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2012 in films - according to Film Excess 

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess 

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess    

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

2008 in films - according to Film Excess

What do you think of the 2008 lists?
What films of the year are your favorites and least favorites?
Is any essential title/s missing on the watchlist? 

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) - James and Sandler marry in Dugan's crude, wrongfully maligned buddy-comedy

♥♥♥♥

+ Best Crude Comedy of the Year + Best Buddy Movie of the Year + Best LGBT Movie of the Year

Kevin James wears a fireman's helmet and screams the silliness of Dennis Dugan's I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry out on this delightfully game poster

A widower firefighter wants to secure his inheritance in case of his own death, and as that is easiest done with him being in a new marriage, he persuades his best friend to marry him pro forma. But then ...

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry is written by Jim Taylor (Jurassic Park III (2001)), Alexander Payne (The Passion of Martin (1991) and Barry Fanaro (Men in Black II (2002)), based on a treatment by Lew Gallo (Handle with Care (1977, TV movie), producer) and directed by Dennis Dugan (Brain Donors (1992)).
There may well be a whiff (or a major stank, depending on your outlook) of bad taste or perhaps rather of tastelessness about this buddy comedy, which seems to scream out crude comedy about prostate problems, farts, gay stereotypes and so on, - but the fun is well-intentioned at the same time.
It also features a stellar ensemble, who rake in many laughs, at least from this gay critic: Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)) and Adam Sandler (The King of Queens (2007), TV-series) are partially affable and funny; Ving Rhames (Back in the Day (2005)) surprises in a funny closeted role; Steve Buscemi (ER (2008), TV-series) is good as the stickler villain, and Rob Schneider (The Benchwarmers (2006)), Dan Aykroyd (Nothing But Trouble (1991)) and others keep the comedic propeller going.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry just needs you to lower your guards and enjoy it.

Related posts:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 85 mil. $
Box office: 186 mil. $
= Flop (returned 2.18 times the cost)
[I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry premiered 12 July (Universal City, California) and runs 115 minutes. Tom Shadyac was developing the film as I Now Pronounce You Joe and Benny in 1999 with Nicolas Cage and Will Smith starring. Shooting took place in New York, Los Angeles, California and in Ontario, Canada from September 2006 - ?. Payne was unhappy with the liberties taken with his version of the script, at one point reportedly wanted his name stripped from the film, criticizing the "Sandler-izing" of his work. The film opened #1 to a 34.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent two more weeks in the top 5 (#2-#4) and grossed 120 mil. $ (64.5 % of the total gross). The massive budget for the film, which seems extremely oversized, worked against it ever breaking even. Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 13.3 mil. $ (7.2 %) and the UK with 8.3 mil. $ (4.5 %). Most critics at the release seemed to be competing in being insulted by the film and lambasting it. Dugan returned with You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), Sandler's next movie. James returned in Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2007, TV movie), in an uncredited part in You Don't Mess with the Zohan and then as the lead in Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009). I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry is rotten at 14 % with a 3.6/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry?

I Am Legend (2007) - Lawrence's overrated apocalyptic slush

♥♥

Will Smith is a lone warrior in a septic-colored, apocalyptic future New York on this poster for Francis Lawrence's I Am Legend

In New York a military scientist lives isolated all alone in a world ravaged by a rampant virus, as he tries to find a cure. 

I Am Legend is written by Mark Protosevich (The Cell (2000)) and Akiva Goldsman (Silent Fall (1994)) and directed by Francis Lawrence (Constantine (2005)), adapting Richard Matheson's (The Comedy of Terrors (1964)) same-titled 1954 novel, which was previously adapted as The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971).
This big horror-action feature has quite a few CGI animals, quiet periods with only Will Smith (Hitch (2005)) and his German Shepherd dog friend, an unexplained catastrophe and ugly monsters that are a mix of zombies and vampires. The big scenes in Manhattan, which were visibly shot on location, are the best in this otherwise a bit dull and poorly written movie: Smith's character is self-contradictory and not basically solid, and Legend has a strange scene that uses Shrek (2001) pasted into it, as well as a strange religious angle. I Am Legend reeks of major studio slush.

Related posts:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

 Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 150 mil. $
Box office: 585.3 mil. $ 
= Big hit (returned 3.9 times the cost)
[I Am Legend premiered 5 December (Tokyo, Japan) and runs 101 minutes. Its development was very long, starting in 1995: Warner Bros.' development was fixed on Ridley Scott and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but a huge budget and related flops made the production escape fruition. As Smith got involved, he asked Guillermo Del Toro to direct, but he passed in favor of Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). The film was green-lit without a script in place, and rewriting continued during shooting, which took place in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles, California from September 2006 - March 2007. Lawrence insisted upon shooting on location in New York. One big scene on the Brooklyn Bridge cost a record 5 mil. $, involving 1,000 extras, 250 crew members and 160 National Guard members, as well as Humvees, Strykers, boats and many other vehicles. The monster creatures were initially supposed to be portrayed by actors, but Lawrence changed his mind, and digital creatures were instead created at a great cost. The film opened #1 to a huge 77.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, a new record for a December opening, and it stayed in the top 5 for another 3 weeks (#2-#3-#3) and grossed impressive 256.3 mil. $ (43.8 % of the total gross). It was the 6th highest-grossing film of the year domestically. Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 51.6 mil. $ (8.8 %) and Japan with 40.2 mil. $ (6.9 %). The film missed a Chinese release, as US films were temporarily shut out of the market, although Smith himself tried to alter this. It was still the 7th highest-grossing film globally of the year. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to two notches better than this review. It sold in excess of 7 mil. DVD's in North America, making an additional 126.2 mil. $ as the 6th bestselling DVD of 2008. Lawrence returned with Britney Spears music video Circus (2008), 3 episodes of Kings (2009, TV-series), Lady Gaga music video Bad Romance (2009) and theatrically with Water for Elephants (2011). Smith returned in Hancock (2008). There was talk of a prequel, but it hasn't yet materialized. I Am Legend is fresh at 69 % with a 6.3/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of I Am Legend?