EDITORIALS

Official 2007 Mid-Year Movie Showdown

by Alex Billington
August 9, 2007

The summer is just about over and we're creeping closer to the start of the fall movie season where Oscar hopefuls hit and big Thanksgiving / Christmas tentpoles debut. It admittedly hasn't been the best year for movies so far, but it definitely has been an enjoyable one. I've already seen around 86 movies (not counting all of Sundance) and without writing full-length reviews for each and every film, I'm instead providing a quick-and-easy showdown of what's good, what's bad, and everything in between. Without further ado, let's dive into the most comprehensive mid-year movie showdown you'll ever find.

Don't forget that this showdown is my own personal taste and opinion. It's a combination of what I've liked the most and what I think is the best as well as what I believe is the worst.

Note: All 86 movies are in at least one category. If you can't find one then I haven't seen it yet unless it's in a category of those I'm still waiting to see.

Top 10 Movies So Far (in order):
Grindhouse, Transformers, Death at a Funeral, Sunshine, 300, Disturbia, Superbad, The Bourne Ultimatum, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Talk to Me

Personal Favorite Gems:
Hairspray, Mr. Brooks, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, The Host, Delirious, Ira & Abby, King of California, Angel-A, Michael Clayton, Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Above Average / Worth Seeing (no order):
Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Breaking and Entering, Fido, Hot Fuzz, Hot Rod, Interview, Introducing the Dwights, Knocked Up, Ocean's 13, Ratatouille, Reign Over Me, Rescue Dawn, Rocket Science, Shoot 'Em Up, The Simpsons Movie, TMNT, Waitress, Zodiac, My Best Friend, Sicko, The Brave One, In the Valley of Elah, 3:10 to Yuma

Way Better Than Expected:
28 Weeks Later, Hostel: Part II, In the Land of Women, Pride, Reno 911: Miami, The Kingdom

Tolerable But Nothing Great (no order):
Blades of Glory, Bridge to Terabithia, Eagle vs Shark, Hannibal Rising, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Live Free or Die Hard, Music and Lyrics, The Tripper, Once, Paris Je T'aime, Slipstream, The Nines, Everything’s Gone Green, Fay Grim, An American Crime, Year of the Dog, Stardust, Resurrecting the Champ, Halloween

Most Forgettable:
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man 3, Fracture, I Think I Love My Wife, Meet the Robinsons, Miss Potter, Surf's Up, The Number 23

Below Average / Bottom of the Barrel (no order):
1408, Bug, Catch and Release, Gray Matters, Happily N’Ever After, Next, I Know Who Killed Me, Lucky You, Nancy Drew, Red Road, Smokin' Aces, The Astronaut Farmer, The Good Night, The Reaping

Worst 5 Movies So Far (in order):
Arthur and the Invisibles, Pathfinder, Shrek the Third, The Ten, Balls of Fury

Already Released But Still Need To See:
A Mighty Heart, Black Book, Breach, Evening, First Snow, Freedom Writers, Shooter, The Hoax, The Invisible, The Lookout, The Namesake

Best Looking Upcoming Wide Release / Blockbusters (no order):
Across the Universe, American Gangster, Bee Movie, Death Sentence, Hitman, 30 Days of Night, I Am Legend

Best Looking Upcoming Limited / Independents (no order):
Run Fatboy Run, We Own the Night, Gone Baby Gone, Reservation Road, No Country for Old Men, Southland Tales, Juno, Be Kind Rewind, Sweeney Todd

Update - August 15 - 90 Movies: Recently seen: Stardust, Sicko, My Best Friend, and Resurrecting the Champ

Update - August 31 - 98 Movies: Recently seen: Michael Clayton, The Brave One, In the Valley of Elah, The Kingdom, Balls of Fury, Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 3:10 to Yuma, Rob Zombie's Halloween

Don't forget that this is my own opinion for the benefit of the readers of FirstShowing.net. I love movies and I love seeing every last one of them and when discussing them here it's my opinion that I am writing and mine alone.

Although my best of the year list is very solid, there are some big contenders coming up this fall, including my own favorite recent trailer - Be Kind Rewind. I've enjoyed a lot of this year's movie so far, but there are still plenty of exciting ones to come. Feel free to leave your own opinion below and let me know if you agree, disagree, or have your own favorite gems that need to be mentioned. And maybe if I have a chance, I'll try and see one of two of them before the year's over...

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