1/2/08: 2007's RightWingTrashiest Films (Minus One)We’re doing something different this year, with only one list this opening week. That’s not because we’re any less lazy. We just decided to write about some of our other favorite things somewhere else. Also, there’s no reason to list the Biggest Leftist Film Fantasies of 2007. Those are summed up with
Rendition of Redacted In The Valley of Lions for Lambs That Got My Wife Grace Dead.
Still, let’s give credit to
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem. How do you make sure your actionless action film gets a good review from the
New York Times? Compare our American troops to Nazis. There’s a thumb that couldn’t get any further up.
Also note that we’re only listing nine films today, since our favorite conservative film of 2007 went ignored here. That fine production deserves its own listing—which you’ll get on Friday. Here’s what you get for now, in no particular order:
300We first
called this one back when critics were hoping that
300 would be the first of many anti-Iraq War blockbusters. Today,
300 is notable as the movie everyone forgets to mention while writing about how baffling it is that America isn’t flocking to see Hollywood’s films about Iraq.
The Brave OneWhen
the trailer came out, elitists laughed at that line about how Jodie Foster wanted her dog back. Meanwhile, the regular folk didn’t trust Hollywood to really give us a great vigilante film.
It all came together very nicely. We’ll be saluting one of the screenwriters later on this month.
Knocked-Up Juno—Superbad!We’ll always prefer
The Last American Virgin, but these three blend together nicely as celebrations of maturity among the adolescent and addled. We still wish
Juno’s big message didn't suggest that adults like us shouldn’t have children.
I Am LegendAs good as
our first impression—and you can find plenty of angry critics to back up that it’s a Christian film.
VacancyThere have been lots of recent horror films about dead children, but this is one where the dead child is on the fringes of the plot. The film’s restrained in plenty of other ways, and makes for an old-fashioned thriller with an admiringly adult message. About adults, even.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox StoryThis one lived up to
the soundtrack.
Walk Hard also bombed at the box office, which might spare co-screenwriter Judd Apatow—also associated with
Superbad and
Knocked Up—any serious critical backlash in 2008. This rock-bio parody is tasteless and hilarious, but all the clichés lead up to a serious tribute to good family values. Critics didn’t like it even after the filmmakers cut out our favorite song. Now we’re looking forward to the extra footage on the DVD.
Charlie Wilson’s WarWell, let’s concede that Hollywood finally found a way to make a modern film about the fight against Communism. Just remember that Ronald Reagan doesn’t exist in Mike Nichol’s dojo.
And special credit to:
Hobo With A ShotgunYes, it’s only
a trailer, and it didn’t even get to play amongst the fake ones that ran in the
Grindhouse double feature.
Hobo didn’t even make it onto the individual home video releases of
Planet Terror and
Death Proof. We’re still hoping for a complete DVD repackaging of
Grindhouse—or, even better, the actual making of
Hobo With A Shotgun.
Make it your own: Some are on DVD, some will be out soon enough, and we’re once again too lazy to make the distinction—but we always find time to link to our past reviews. Happy New Year!
