Category Archives: Decades

The decade in which the films were released.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

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2007 #30
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris | 97 mins | DVD | 15 / R

Little Miss SunshinePeople will tell you this is a comedy, when really it’s a comedy-drama. A TV critic once said, not wrongly, that a comedy-drama is something that isn’t especially funny nor especially dramatic so tries to do both.

Luckily, Little Miss Sunshine is frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious, from the opening dinner scene to the send-up of inherently paedophilic beauty pageants at the climax (so hilarious it almost single-handedly pushed my mark up to a five). There’s also some competent drama threaded through to make that side worthwhile. And I suspect that loveable little Abigail Breslin was more deserving of the Oscar than that irritating Jennifer Hudson.

4 out of 5

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

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2007 #28
Tommy Lee Jones | 116 mins | DVD | 15 / R

The Three Burials of Melquiades EstradaEmpire gave this film one of their five-star reviews, immediately making me want to see it. Shame they overrated it then.

A confused first act (which jumps about in chronology for no discernible reason) gives way to a more linear second two that, while more pleasing, seem to do away with major characters for no reason other than the plot ran out of things for them to do.

The film has its moments, and some pretty views, but five-star it ain’t.

3 out of 5

Crash: Director’s Cut (2004)

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2007 #27a
Paul Haggis | 115 mins | DVD | 15

Crash: Director's CutOK, I must confess, this one is something of a cheat — I’ve seen Crash before, and whilst some ‘director’s cuts’ can be vastly different, this one is only around two minutes longer. But I'll take any chance I can get to go on about how this is a much better and more Oscar-deserving piece than a certain overrated film about gay cowboys.

In my opinion this is a film that should be seen, not necessarily for its message, but for its quality in terms of performance, direction, etc.

5 out of 5

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

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2007 #27
George Clooney | 109 mins | TV | 15 / R

Confessions of a Dangerous MindGeorge Clooney’s directorial debut is part biopic, part comedy, and part spy thriller.

It’s the last part that works best, but perhaps that’s just because I have a predilection for spy thrillers; that said, the filmmakers would seem to agree as, after a late appearance in the plot, it comes to dominate its climax. It’s also nicely shot, especially the excursions to Europe.

I would recommend it (though not quite as heartily as Clooney’s second film, the excellent Good Night, and Good Luck).


4 out of 5

Flight 93 (2006)

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2007 #26
Peter Markle | 85 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13

Flight 93Oh dear.

The Other Film About United 93 is just that. With poor acting, pedestrian direction, dreadful effects, and a young child in every single scene involving a relative, this film is infinitely inferior to Paul Greengrass’ United 93. Where that was subtle, realistic and moving, this is over-worked, cheesy and laughable — yes, laughable; we spent half the running time taking the piss out of it! Not good for a film about a tragedy.

Some have called this a worthy companion piece to United 93. It’s not. United 93 is essential; Flight 93 you can take or, preferably, leave.

1 out of 5

Flight 93 featured on my list of The Five Worst Films I Saw in 2007, which can be read in full here.

Doom (2005)

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2007 #25
Andrzej Bartkowiak | 113 mins | DVD | 15 / R

DoomDoom is quite flawed in many ways. I don’t say this because I inherently dislike mindless action films (while I am perfectly aware they are not usually Great Films, I enjoy them as entertainment); I say this because Doom doesn’t really succeed at being one. It takes too long to get anywhere — I think someone thought it was building suspense, when really it’s just nothing happening.

When it does kick off it’s brief and only vaguely entertaining. And the much-discussed first-person sequence is far too much like watching someone play a video game.

2 out of 5

The Reckless Moment (1949)

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2007 #24
Max Ophüls | 79 mins | DVD | 12

The Reckless MomentOphüls’ film noir about a mother who covers up the death of her daughter’s much older boyfriend. I think I’m perhaps erring on the side of generosity with the rating, but it is still quite a good film. Certainly it allowed me to play one of my favourite games: what would I change if I remade it? I had a few quite good ideas, actually. I’m tempted to start writing…

4 out of 5

Postscript #1 (9/7/2014)
The Reckless Moment was probably only the second or third film noir I’d ever seen, and I don’t think I properly appreciated what I was watching. It doesn’t really come across in this ‘review’ (being as it is from the era when I was only providing a couple of lines on each film), but I’ve felt for several years now that the sense of apathy I felt then (which I think is implied) no longer reflects my memory of the film. I would dearly like to get round to revisiting it and form a fresh opinion, but until then this is archived as-is.

Postscript #2 (22/10/2017)
Having finally rewatched it, I posted a couple of brief thoughts on Letterboxd, here.

Fargo (1996)

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Fargo2007 #23
Joel Coen | 94 mins | DVD | 18 / R

Fargo is the latest film to have been inducted into the United States National Film Registry, donchaknow. It’s also 105th on the IMDb Top 250 [it’s now 153rd], and the 21st film from the 1990s. So it’s pretty much a modern classic then.

It is indeed very good; the only thing holding me off giving it 5 is a lack of that Something which leads me to rate so highly after one viewing. Maybe it will go up in time.

4 out of 5

United 93 (2006)

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2007 #22
Paul Greengrass | 107 mins | DVD | 15 / R

United 93It’s very hard to find what to say about this film. It’s a shame the Oscars were too cowardly to nominate it for much; Greengrass probably deserved Best Director for this more than Scorsese did for The Departed (he is, all round, a talented and excellent director). At least the BAFTAs were brave enough to give it to him (cos British is best ‘n’ all).

But the film itself: it is above all affecting; it feels real and true; it is hard to imagine a more competent and respectful film being made about 9/11; it is impossible to imagine one being made about flight 93. This is filmmaking of the highest order. Perhaps most importantly of all, the families want you to see it.

Absolutely essential.

5 out of 5

United 93 placed 1st on my list of The Ten Best Films I Saw For the First Time in 2007, which can be read in full here.

Johnny English (2003)

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2007 #21
Peter Howitt | 84 mins | DVD | PG / PG

Johnny EnglishAlmost the flip-side of Hot Fuzz’s coin. Johnny English doesn’t quite manage the action sequence thing (though the car chase is quite good), and the humour is a lot gentler. Every joke is sign-posted at least a good few seconds in advance, sometimes several minutes, yet that’s half the fun — you know what’s about to go wrong and that nothing can stop English doing it anyway.

Not brilliant, then, but an entertaining enough bit of nothing.

3 out of 5