Celluloid. Film. Movies. Flicks. For many, motion pictures maintain a grip on our imaginations that is beyond simple entertainment. Movies are life size. They're an escape to another world writ in very large images. Like reading, movies can transport, teach, soothe, heal and instigate.
The year 2007 was a good one for movies. There was a string of fairly decent gangster-type films that seemed to have been born from the success of movies such as the 2006 Oscar winner for best film, "The Departed." There is the token classy Brit flick, ("Atonement") and a new, feel-good "Little Miss Sunshine" in "Juno."
Most importantly, some top-notch releases came from heretofore quirky, indie directors such as Ethan and Joel Coen ("No Country For Old Men"), Paul Thomas ("There Will Be Blood"), and Todd Haynes ("I'm Not There").
Of course, in the Wood River Valley, the cinemas have not yet gotten what many consider the best movies of the year, "There Will Be Blood," "Atonement," "Youth Without Youth" and "The Savages," to name a few.
With that in mind, to date, the following are the favorite 2007 movies of the year.
Lindsey Sutton
Elkhorn
· "Juno"
· "We Own the Night"
· "Dan in Real Life"
· "Fracture"
· "Sicko"
· "Gone Baby Gone"
· "Knocked Up"
· "Lars and the Real Girl"
· "The Bourne Ultimatum"
· "Charlie Wilson's War"
John Pluntze
Ketchum
· "Into the Wild"
· "Zodiac"
· "The Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing"
· "American Gangster"
· "Border"
· "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
· "A Mighty Heart"
· "The Hoax"
· "Mr. Brooks"
· "Bug"
· "Sweeney Todd," "Hairspray," "Waitress,"
Dana DuGan
Hailey
· "There Will Be Blood"
· "No Country for Old Men"
· "I'm Not There"
· "Juno"
· "Gone Baby Gone"
· "La Vie en Rose"
· "Away from Her"
· "Once"
· "Hot Fuzz"
· "American Gangster"
· "Waitress," "Black Book" (2006)
Jeff Cordes
Hailey
· "There Will Be Blood"
· "Juno"
· "No Country for Old Men"
· "Eastern Promises"
· "Gone Baby Gone"
· "I'm Not There"
· "Michael Clayton"
· "Charlie Wilson's War"
· "Once"
· "The Great Debaters"
Donna Svei
Ketchum
· "Music & Lyrics"
· "Blades of Glory"
· "Black Book" (2006)
· "The Valet"
· "Sicko"
· "No Country for Old Men"
Mike Healy
Hailey
· "Michael Clayton"
· "In the Valley of Elah"
· "Paris Je T'aime"
· "The Darjeeling Limited"
· "The Namesake"
· "The Lives of Others" (2006)
Dayle Ohlau
Hailey
· "Once"
· "The Namesake"
Tom Smith
Hailey
· "Atonement"
· "3:10 to Yuma"
· "A Mighty Heart"
· "The Brave One"
· "Into the Wild"
· "Lions for Lambs"
Rick Kessler
Ketchum
· "Atonement"
· "There Will Be Blood"
· "No Country for Old Men"
· "Michael Clayton"
· "Into the Wild"
· "In the Valley of Elah"
· "Gone Baby Gone"
· "Charlie Wilson's War"
· "The Bourne Ultimatum"
· (tie) "Dan in Real Life," "Knocked Up"
Ben Benson
Hailey
· "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
· "Zodiac"
· "American Gangster"
· "Lars and the Real Girl"
· "Michael Clayton"
· "No Country for Old Men"
· "Charlie Wilson's War"
· "Away From Her"
· "The Great Debaters"
· "The Lives of Others" (2006)
Steve Bynum
Hailey
· "Zodiac"
· "No Country for Old Men"
· "Michael Clayton"
· "Into the Wild"
· "In the Valley of Elah"
· "Gone Baby Gone"
· "Rescue Dawn"
· "Waitress"
· "Rocket Science"
· "I'm Not There"
Matt Miller
Blaine County
· "Into the Wild"
· "Zodiac"
· "Sicko"
· "Perfume"
· "Juno"
· "The Great Debaters"
· "No Country for Old Men"
· "Waitress"
· "Rescue Dawn"
· "Fido"
Sabina Dana Plasse
Elkhorn
· "I'm Not There"
· "Juno"
· "The Lives of Others" (2006)
· "Into the Wild"
· "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
· "The Wind That Shakes the Barley"
· "The Darjeeling Limited"
· "Eagle vs Shark"
· "Wrestling with Angels"
· "No Country for Old Men"