Year In Review : Most Memorable Movies in 2007

Last time I did an end of the year review list, it was back in Dec 2005. I skipped doing one last year as I let almost all of the second half of 2006 pass without blogging. I don’t know if I would get to do one entry per day for the next 6 days before the end of the year but I would like to try that.

2007 has been a wonderful year for me. For one, it is officially the first year when I got to write blog entries fairly regularly throughout the year. Quite a few of those entries are related to movies and my attempt at reviewing them. Those how have been reading this blog as well as those who know me outside of the blogworld know how passionate I can be when it comes to movies. I may not be the most technical of reviewers but when I like something, I would try my level best to put to words what I like about it and share it through a blog entry.

So it is appropriate that I start my year end review blog entries with the list of memorable movies that I have watched in 2007. The list is by no means what I consider the best movies to watch in 2007 but they are the ones that still make me excited thinking about them. I have reviewed them before so I would be including links to the reviews that I wrote for the movie for easy reference but it’s not necessary for you to read them again.

Again, this is the list of movies released in 2007 that were the most memorable for me. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are much superior than the rest of the movies you might have seen. You may have your own list and I would like to hear them from you as well either from you leaving them in the comments section or a link back to your blog for the same write-up on your list.

Without further delay, here’s my list.

Stardust
There were quite a few movies released in 2007 that had their beginnings from comic books which makes a comic book fanatic like myself absolutely thrilled beyond belief. While we did not get another dud like “Catwoman” this year (although we did come close with “Ghost Rider”), most of the movies were slightly disappointing to me until “Stardust” came out. It was a fairy tale for adults and the film adaptation stayed fairly true of the original material in both context and content. It was a joy to see on screen what I had enjoyed on printed paper.

Original review: http://nickxandar.blogspot.com/2007/11/movie-review-stardust.html

Transformer
Anyone who grew up in the 80 like me would remember the “Transformers” cartoon show that they showed on TV. We all wanted the “Transformers” toys back then since they were cool and you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood if you had one. When news about a life action feature film about the “Transformers” came out, I was wondering if they would be able to capture the essence of what made “Transformers” a fan favorite. When I finally got to see it, I knew that not only were they able to do that but they have also successfully surpassed all expectations with the updated “Transformers”. It was one of the highlights of my summer movie viewing.

Original review: http://nickxandar.blogspot.com/2007/07/movie-review-transformers.html

Perfume – The Story of A Murderer
This was a surprise find in 2007. I have never read the book that the movie was based on and I had no idea what the movie was about. I was at the cinema with a friend deciding which movie to watch and decided to take a chance to see a movie that I have never heard before or read any reviews about. That in itself was a great accomplishment for me since I have never done such a thing. Turned out it was a great choice to make and the movie turned out to the most intriguing movie that I’ve watched for a while. Intriguing because majority of the movie dealt with the technical challenge of trying to capture the sense of smell in a visual medium. A technical accomplishment and a fairly interesting story combined to put this movie in my most memorable movies of the year list.

Original review: http://nickxandar.blogspot.com/2007/03/movie-review-perfume-story-of-murderer.html

300
Another movie based on a comic book that was most memorable for being able to present such a wonderful visual feast. Working mostly with computer generated imagery, the story of the 300 Spartan soldiers against the might of the Persian empire came to life in full gory details. Each scene screamed to be paused so the viewer can appreciate the complexities involved to produce such a wonderful presentation. The moment that I saw the movie, I knew that I must get the DVD to fully appreciate the wondrous spread of the visual palate achieved in this movie.

Original review: http://nickxandar.blogspot.com/2007/03/movie-review-300.html

Mukhsin
Last but definitely not least on the list is the simple story of young love set in our own backyard (speaking country wise of course). A fitting finale to the Orked trilogy, Yasmin’s “Mukhsin” was something that I would never thought of skipping. Watching “Mukhsin” brought back memories of the viewers own first pangs of love and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Once in a while we need to be reminded of what it felt the first time we know what love was so we know how lucky we were to have known that love. It was a lyrical and refreshing movie well received by fans of Yasmin Ahmad’s work both local and overseas.

Original review: http://nickxandar.blogspot.com/2007/03/movie-review-mukhsin.html

I guess that all for this list. More lists to follow (hopefully)