Living out on the edge of nowhere, we don’t really get much in the way of film that isn’t mainstream, so in addition to missing many of the great films everyone’s talking about, I don’t see many films either. Therefore, my list of 2007 favorites isn’t limited to films of 2007, nor is it limited to film. Rather, my 2007 favorites list is going to be a list of favorite art/media that I’ve ingested this past year: film, DVD, TV, music, web, books. Ok, perhaps I’ll put one limiter on this; the list only includes NEW TO ME experiences. Otherwise things like Firefly and reading Tolkien would overtake the list. So without further ado, here it is:
Todd’s 25 Favorite Art/Media Experiences of 2007 In Alphabetical Order
- 28 Weeks Later, film by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007
One of the purest representations of nihilism I’ve seen in recent years. Apart from being a fun zombie flick, the film is unrelenting in punishing severely anyone who even dares to play even the smallest heroic role or act on any human feeling.
- Amazing Grace, film by Michael Apted, 2006
While not perhaps ground-breaking or even remarkable in its film-making aspects, the story itself is compelling, and the film doesn’t get in the way of it.
- The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, novel by Barry Lyga, 2006.
Lyga paints a complex portrait of suburban America as seen by the kind of teen-age boy that many today would profile as a potential Columbine-like killer. That the boy has no violent intentions doesn’t seem to matter to those around him. What makes the story intriguing is that even the minor characters are complex, not fitting neatly into the stereotype boxes that they appear to be occupying.
- Atonement, film by Joe Wright, 2007
I generally despise frame stories and do think that the ending of this film could be lopped off with no negative effect to the narrative. However, when I think about what kind of love story I’d like to write, I’d like to think that I could do as a good a job of avoiding sugary-sweet sentimentality.
- Bridge to Terabithia, film by Gabor Csupo, 2007
While my 6-year-old nephew kept assuring me that it would “get better than this” throughout the film, I found myself not thinking it needed to. A rare display of showing restraint in the use of digital effects helped focus the film on the very real story of very real people rather than veering off into the tempting land of CG monsters and mindless action.
- The Descent, film by Neil Marshall, 2005
Perhaps the best horror film I’ve seen this century! While the general outline of the story is not terribly inventive, the execution of the tale is excellent. Marshall understands the concept of not showing too much, and does for spelunking what Spielberg did for ocean swimming. The DVD provides 2 or 3 different endings, which provides some interesting fodder for discussing changing film for different markets. (AKA, why American audiences make films stink).
- Kôkaku kidôtai (Ghost in the Shell), film by Mamoru Oshii, 1995
For about six-months–when I was 5–I was riding the cultural curve that brought Japanese animation to the US. Then I wiped out. I finally found my board and am tentatively paddling out into the surf again. Oshii’s 1995 anime classic is the best kind of sci-fi: a good story asking BIG questions set in an unfamiliar setting that gives people permission to explore issues. That, and the artwork and music rock.
- Grizzly Man, film by Werner Herzog, 2005
Like Into the Wild, Herzog takes a stark look at a somewhat unlikeable person to examine extreme aspects of the human psyche.
- How’s Your News, film by Arthur Bradford, 1999.
I haven’t felt this ambivalent about a documentary since Southern Comfort. I vascillated between wondering if these people were being exploited or at least endangered–psychologically if not physically–to being moved and fascinated as we watched the interactions between the developmentally challenged and, in some cases, the humanity challenged.
- In Persuasion Nation, short stories by George Saunders, 2006.
Perhaps not as strong a collection as Pastoralia, Saunders still brings the wonderfully fun satire. This time around, I was impressed with his consistency of voice and its verisimilitude to the kind of tone created by folks trying to sound sophisticated.
- Live from Nowhere, Vol 2, music album by Over the Rhine, 2007.
The group’s live interpretations of already good songs almost never fail to improve the material.
- Life of Pi, novel by Yann Martel, 2001.
A 21st century Robinson Crusoe tale. With a Tiger!
- Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, history by Nathaniel Philbrick, 2006.
I was a bit shocked when the story departs the actual Mayflower less than a 1/3 into the book. My interest waned quickly when I saw I wasn’t going to get the sea story I desired, but Philbrick reeled me back in with a complex look at a period in our history that is so often simplified and romanticized.
- Never Let Me Go, novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005.
Just what you might expect when the man who gave us The Remains of the Day turns his attention to the future.
- Offside, film by Jafar Panahi, 2006 (Iran).
How do young women pursue their passions in a highly repressive society? A good example of how an examination of an extreme situation can reveal truths about our own “enlightened” one.
- Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families, edited by Andrew Carrol, 2006.
This collection represents highlights from the hundreds of manuscripts generated by the Operation Homecoming project. While all war writing seems to fall into familiar tropes–glory of battle, horror of battle, tedium and stupidity of the military, inhumanity of the situation–each conflict also seems to give rise to unique stories rooted in the specificities of the environment. This collection runs the gamut.
- Ratatouille, film by Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava, 2007.
The Pixar formula continues to impress: compelling story + breathtaking art + humor = great film. What’s not to like about a rat guiding a noobie chef to greatness and melting the heart of a stone-cold reviewer? I especially appreciated that the ending allowed for a certain realism concerning the response of health inspectors.
- The Queen, film by Stephen Frears, 2006.
Excellent film all the way around. While obviously a study of why the Monarchy reacted the way it did to Diana’s death, I found in this explanation many parallels to the response of the evangelical world to contemporary times.
- “Seven Deadly Sinners,” song by The Born Again Floozies, 2007.
What’s not to like about a group whose rhythm section comprises two tap dancers and a tuba?
- Sky Blue Sky, music album by Wilco, 2007.
Two of my favorite records of the year feature formerly unhappy groups dealing with being happy. Some have criticized the “lightness” of this album, but I think Tweedy and company deal fantastically with the difficulty of not being blue.
- Story of a Girl, novel and blog by Sara Zarr, 2007.
Even if I didn’t know Sara, this would have been one of my favorite reads of the year. The story succeeds in being realistic and heartwrenching and hopeful all in one go. And, hey, I even liked the character.
- Les Triplettes de Belleville, film by Sylvain Chomet, 2003.
Been wanting to see this for a while. There’s barely a word of dialogue in the whole film, but Chomet draws us into a wholly realized hyper-stylized Paris and New York for a grand tale of a mother’s love and bicycling.
- The Trumpet Child, music album by Over the Rhine, 2007.
Like Wilco, OTR had to figure out what to do with being happy. They mostly succeed. Of course, a bad OTR day is still better than most good ones.
- What Gets Into Us, short stories by Moira Crone, 2006.
I read this initially to get an idea about who this person was who was going to be leading the fiction track at the Glen Workshop. Then I read “The Ice Garden.” Wow.
- The Woman in White, novel by Wilkie Collins, 1860.
As part of my Dorothy Sayers-a-thon, I read this classic novel that inspired Sayers to write a book about Collins. It’s got your pscyh asylum, your dilapidated castle, your evil baron, your sinister foreigner, your secret society. Heck, it’s got it all. And more.
