Big Picture Big Sound

Well, as the stuttering pig says, "that's all folks" - the end of another year at the movies. And, I have to say, I was not disappointed. This year, particularly this past month, featured an almost inordinate number of quality films. There has been such a dearth of great movies in recent years that my year-end "high five" lists typically feature at least one three-and-a-half star movie. This year, there were four-star movies that couldn't fit in the top five! Truly an embarrassment of riches.

Now that we've seen all there is to see (at the multiplex, at least) from 2007, it's time to look back at our predictions for the fall season. A hectic schedule (and much-need vacation) kept me away from "Grace is Gone", "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and "Lions for Lambs". But judging from the lukewarm reviews, I probably over-estimated the respective three-and-a-half- and four-star ratings for John Cusack's "Grace" and Cate Blanchett's "Liz". But it looks like I was spot-on predicting two-and-a-half for "Lions".

Here's how the rest of them came out (click here for Lexi's recap):

"The Brave One"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Oops. This Jodie-Foster-on-a-rampage dud was an almost unfathomable misfire from an impressive team (Foster, Terrence Howard, Neil Jordan). Its serious-as-a-heart-attack tone and decades-old depiction of New York were the final nails in the coffin. Not an illustrious start to the Fall Season.




"No Country For Old Men"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Two words: Nailed it. I'm still haunted by the Coen Brothers' dark, intense adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's neo-Western-noir. Along with "Sweeney Todd" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", this was another perfect blend of director and material in '07. "There ain't no stoppin' what's comin'" indeed. I predict Oscar's comin'.




"Beowulf"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Not quite. I had a feeling Robert Zemeckis wouldn't be able to help himself. Despite a fairly interesting adaptation of the oldest English story by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, the 3D gimmickry and non-stop spectacle left me howling at this ‘wulf.




"Enchanted"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Vindication is mine! Can I tell you the kind of ribbing you take in critic's circles when you put a Disney-princess-in-New-York fairytale on your "can't wait" list? Well for once a promising trailer did not disappoint. The cheeky tone, game cast and breakout performance by Amy Adams made this love-triumphs-over-real-world-cynicism trifle positively…enchanting.



"The Mist"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Whoa. Along with "The Brave One", this is another highly-pedigreed disappointment. Frank Darabont's clumsy adaptation of this favorite Stephen King novella - featuring some of the worst, dime-store special effects in recent memory - made me rush to the book store to re-read the original. Once I had washed the film's taste out of my mind I considered revoking its one star, then I remembered Thomas Jane. This star's for him. .



"Cassandra's Dream"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Considering the release date of this latest Woody Allen flick has been pushed to mid-January, we can be pretty certain I was too generous with this one.

"Sweeney Todd"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: I hoped against hope that this would be the long-awaited, much-needed return to form for Tim Burton. And I was rewarded. This gleefully gory adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical is both the best Burton film since "Ed Wood" and the best movie musical since "Moulin Rouge".





"Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem"
Prediction: (okay okay, just kidding. But is it too much to hope for ?)
How'd I do?: The fact that The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger and I both used the word "respectable" in our reviews of this latest "AvP" entry says it all: it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Not much of an improvement over 2004's Paul W.S. Anderson installment - and featuring far too much editing and far too little actual A.v.P. - but there may be some life left in the ol' franchise yet.