Top Five Movies of 2007

1. "No Country For Old Men"
The Cohen brothers have once again struck gold with their take on Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel about the aftermath of a drug deal gone very, very wrong. Josh Brolin proves himself as the red-hot actor we all knew he was as Llewelyn Moss, the man who finds the $2 million with the drugs and bodies. Javier Bardem is the psychopathic Anton Chigurh who will stop at nothing to kill Moss and get the money back. A supporting cast of Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones and Kelly Macdonald ties the story into a perfect package. Featuring almost no score or music of any kind, “No Country For Old Men” is intense, bloody and very very dark. In short, it is the best movie of the year.

2. "Once"
A simple plot: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl make beautiful music together. Taking place on the streets of Dublin, “Once” is beautiful in its simplicity. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova not only play the leads, but they wrote and performed all the songs in the film. The songs they perform shine through their shy exteriors like a beacon. The guitar and piano melodies alongside deeply personal lyrics provide far more depth to the film than any dialogue ever could. A beauty of a film.

3. "Superbad"
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that works better than all others. “Superbad” is perhaps the best movie about life as a senior in high school since John Hughes owned the genre in the late ‘80s. It is incredibly profane while simultaneously heartwarming, an effect that seems to come standard for any film out of the Judd Apatow Machine. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera also win the award for best on-screen couple of 2007, proving that even when you’re searching for sex, nothing can replace true love (even if it’s between two guys).

4. "The Darjeeling Limited"
There was not a single person who was surprised at the quality of this movie. Director Wes Anderson has already established himself with such greats as “Rushmore” and “The Royal Tenenbaums,” and “The Darjeeling Limited” is yet another smash hit. Brothers Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody make the train trip across India in an attempt to reconnect with each other after they haven’t spoken for a year. The ensuing story is both hilarious and a tear-jerker. Also, short film “Hotel Chevalier” serves as a sort of prequel, and may be one of the best live-action shorts in recent memory.

5. "Juno"
Of the movies that were released at the end of 2007, “Juno” stood alone as the true great. Equal parts “Knocked Up” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” it tells of 16-year-old Juno and her pregnancy. Ellen Page is our leading lady, and her combination of innocence and maturity is of the caliber of actresses twice her age. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are spectacular as the uber-yuppie couple who are set to adopt Juno’s baby, and Michael Cera (the only actor to appear twice on this list) is perfect as the boy who gets her pregnant. It’s sweet, smart and beautifully done.