2007 / Gus Van Sant > In the final part of his death trilogy, Van Sant loses the ironic edge that he had with Elephant. Paranoid Park is subtle, provocative and thoughtful, but it still feels all too fleeting. The mood carries the film to its end but somehow, the sadness and despair never really penetrates the audience. Whether this is a function of an age-biased disconnect, I’m not sure, but many of us have found ourselves in positions where we feel guilty of an act we had little control over. This was an attempt at extrapolating that to a higher degree, but in many ways, it feels too forgiving and too simple to be poignant.

2007 / Kevin Lima > Enchanted works because of Amy Adams, as she turns the role of a princess into something identifiable by most stretches of the imagination. Disney’s welcome back party, though, isn’t without hitches: The story is still ultimately stale even with the sort of modern-day luster that’s splashed atop it. And Patrick Dempsey is, unfortunately, forever going to smell of Grey’s Anatomy thereby discounting the value of any character he portrays onscreen. (This is a pity, but alas, it’s the price he’ll have to pay for resurrecting his career.) The film almost works as a foil to Pan’s Labyrinth with its cheerfulness and optimism—It’s lighthearted fare and undeniably enjoyable, though there’s just not enough to hold onto to make it a classic.

2007 / Craig Gillespie > This is the opposite of what every independent film-viewer has come to accept: That there is a world out there without cynicism, that people are generally good, even if troubled, that love is not impossible due to external social forces. Nancy Oliver’s thoughtful script is devoid of the type of silly comedy one would expect from a film about a guy and his “real doll.” Instead, the laughter is a gut response in relation to everyday life, about seeing things and understanding life’s simple ironies and accepting them in their due course. Lars and the Real Girl provides the foundation for another superb performance by Ryan Gosling that ought to have given him an Oscar nod. This is, without a doubt, one of the most surprising finds of 2007.

2007 / Michael Davis > Ridiculous gun battles (including a particularly challenging one when Clive Owen and ever-wonderful Monica Bellucci are consummating their relationship), an off-the-wall performance by Paul Giamatti and a short-running time: These are the three essential elements of Shoot ‘Em Up, a film that holds no notion of seriousness, even poking fun at its own ridiculous plot involving babies for stem cell research. It’s a good ride, though I imagine it’ll lack the replay value of better offerings this year (such as Smokin’ Aces).

2007 / Eli Roth > The original Hostel had a cold, unwavering tension in its lack of information that made it so exciting to watch. We had no idea what was going to happen or what the backstory was, so as it unfolded, we were shocked, disgusted and entertained. This sequel, however, decides to educate us on the process by which nice Americans get stuck on meathangers in Slovakia. Gone immediately is the suspense, but increased, in compensation, is the brutality. Unfortunately, these are not equal exchanges, and as the Saw series went downhill after its initial imaginative introduction, it looks like Hostel will follow a similar path.

2007 / Philip G. Atwell > For all its logistical shortcomings, War is still good fun. The fact that Jet Li replaces his punches and kicks with bullets is not problematic, though it’ll undoubtedly disappoint some. However, some of the gunplay is fairly innovative, and the plot, while sometimes dependent on the suspension of disbelief, is considerably above average compared to similar genre flicks. Also: It doesn’t hurt that in the film, Li drives a beautiful, exquisite Spyker C8 Spyder.

2007 / Frank A. Cappello > There’s a strange quirkiness in the way the plot develops in He Was A Quiet Man. We’re never really sure if it’s taking itself seriously or if the whole thing is a sham, but regardless our attention is held by a thin link founded on Christian Slater’s neurotically amusing performance as an overlooked office worker in the big corporate world who just might go postal. It’s odd, sometimes endearing but the premise becomes sillier and sillier as the film wears on until we’re left wondering what exactly is the message that’s being delivered.

2007 / Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer > I tried to laugh, but this was not funny. The most painful part of Epic Movie is arguably not the film itself, but all that wasted Hollywood parody material. I’m not sure why anyone is being credited with “screenwriting” this film, because it just seemed like they picked movies out of a bag and threw some scenes together to… wait, $87mn in the box office! Where da sequel at?

2007 / Marc Forster > To date, I’ve very much enjoyed Forster’s work. It’s admirable that he continues to diversify his style and challenge himself further (as witnessed by his helming of the next Bond film). And while it’s hard to directly pin-point exactly why The Kite Runner feels like an utter mess, there’s a sensation that the film’s literary foundation may have overstretched screenwriter David Benioff’s sense of imagination. Subsequently, there’s a lot of unnecessary melodrama and sudden pacing changes that make me wonder how good the original story is to begin with. Its largest shortfall is its continuous sense of emotional manipulation, especially in the last third. Otherwise, it’s relatively well-made with a couple of surprising performances by its young stars and a moving show by Homayoun Ershadi and a solid score.