Sounds like a concerted effort not to offend Apatow...Equivocation Central, here.

Now this Space Chimps movie...THAT'S a movie for ya.

...well... I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone of "Batman and Robin"

Still, you're right about The 6th Day. It had its' moments.

Did not know that TWBB had Paul F. Tompkins in it? Wait? I think i did, need to go watch it 4 more times to make sure. How he got to be in that movie, let alone how he's managed to stay around since Mr. Show without resorting to Nickelodean cartoons is astounding. Least funniest guy in showbiz. Well luckily his involvement didn't totally ruin TWBB like he does with everything else.

Someone above mentioned Aronofsky and Kelly having the potential to be the greatest directors... I think their films suffer, funnily enough, from the same exact thing as NCFOM. They seem like they possess a depth and an understanding of the world that they actually do not possess. They strain for meaning and cohesion that never fully comes together. Aronofsky, imo, is the absolute worst at this. If you read interviews with him, they read like interviews with Kubrick, except all the parts that make sense have been cut out. It's like skimming a few books and being able to bullshit someone that you know what you're talking about on a certain subject, but you actually don't really have a grasp of it. However, a lay person could be fooled by your apparent knowledge. I'm not going to go into ANY more detail about this, it's simply the way I feel, I know a lot of other intelligent people who feel the same way about these filmmakers, and that's that. I think all of them have incredible talent for visuals but lack either the life experience or bigger objective picture and piercing understanding of the world to marry their EXTREME visual skill to a film that really does say something underneath all the moving parts.

There Will Be Blood, Zodiac, and Assassination of Jesse James, again, imo, all DO possess a depth that I don't think we've seen in cinema since the 70's. Those three movies mark a renaissance for me in their quality and integrity as art. Only time will tell, but I think last year we were given three wonders of the world that will stand the test of time. I think Anderson has so distanced himself from the pack that he is now in vaulted status and if he can continue to make movies like TWBB, possibly the greatest character study ever put on film. And that's ALL it was. I think it wasn't really meant to comment on anything other than people like Daniel Plainview - those so motivated by the need to CONTROL that they'll do anything to mold the outside world to match the reality inside their own head.

That said, I think Assassination of Jesse James is the grand statement about the America, myth, celebrity and our obsession with greatness and power to the point of seeming superhuman. Jesse James is the Daniel Plainview that was worshipped in his day, but despicable nonetheless... and he became an American myth. However, I get the feeling (and actually know a lot firsthand) that this movie almost came together in the way it did by accident. Maybe not so much by accident, but I can feel Anderson's guiding hand all over There Will Be Blood, as though it was well thought out to have the effect is has from the beginning, where as Jesse James seems like it found it's way in the editing room, and that this shit-ton of footage had to be molded into something that finally made the sum much greater than the individual parts.

Zodiac, like TWBB, is another story of a filmmaker maturing to the point where he's so clear about what he wants to say and do that watching the movie is like a master-class. For some reason, though, I can see Fincher going back to simple-mindedness and movies that have the 'cool' factor for genre fans before I can see Anderson going back to movies drunk on their own technique like Magnolia and Boogie Nights were.

Simply put, Anderson might be the next Kubrick, Dominik could be the next Malick, and Fincher, I fear, might go back to just being Fincher.

I can understand the respect for the waht the man created and his genius, but he was playing to relatively unmedia-sophiticated crowds. Other than SOME of the slapstick stuff, which has universal appeal, there is not much to laugh at.

P.S. Great to see some love for Zodiac and The Assassination of Jesse James. Great year for movies.

Seriously, think about EVERY single film on that list (decide if you have really seen it, or you are just trying to say its good to impress that special someone, who you need to know that you are hip to be square)and think to yourself. "Do I really care if I ever see that movie again before I die?"

Now, I give you one word that ultimatly destroys any concept/argument for 2007 being a good year for movies, Rambo. And if you don't agree then you probably should keep it to yourself unless you want everyone to know that you do not have a penis. And if you are a girl, your obviously ugly.

People mocked it and wanted to pretended that Rocky Balboa just didn't happen. Trying to make Sly look like an asshole. AGAIN people just jumping on the band wagon as to what’s good without actually knowing. And what does Rambo do? Fucking deliver. Sly was like, action movies these days are made for and by pussy's, and he made probably the most violent movie I've ever seen, and I watch a lot of Takeshi's Castle Miike stuff. Sly's movie was so bad ass it put anything that falls under the Hostel wannbe category to shame. And Sly didn't sit around and tell magazines how great his movie is, how the cast got along so well, and that its so great to work with such a talented director and how everyone pussy smells like roses. He pretty much was a frustrated washed up old man. I can just imagine him sitting in the theater watching the Boring Series Number 2, shaking his head going what happened to movies. Action movies are not meant to win Oscars. Left the film and was like fuck Hollywoodland and all its bullshit I am going to show these kids how its done. BAM Rambo. Rambo was scarier then Javier Bardem and would eat Matt Damon. He would abort both Juno's and Izzies babies with his knife. He would drown Plainview in a pool of oil. He would take on Xerxes army, the Russian mob, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe when they are playing bad guys all by himself. Finally he would shove Richard Kelly's head up his own ass. And wouldn’t have to hear a god damn word of praise for it.

Secondly, for those that think having a character change or have an arc is a) cliche b) lame or c) something that they only "teach in film school", then you are...wrong.

The greatest movies, those movies that people will remember forever, have their characters change. They can be subtle changes, unexpected changes, small changes, like There Will Be Blood or they can be larger changes. It's called storytelling. It's why we tell stories in the first place. It's why we watch stories. A character goes through an ordeal, a struggle, and comes out of it at the end different. It happens in life, it happens in art. Period.

also, you're right. Films don't necessarily need the main character to change in any way. But that's because filmmakers have different artistic goals. A lot of these other types of films aren't interested in entertaining, telling a narrative story, or causing catharsis. For my money, the movies I want to see (and rewatch) have those qualities.

I am just saying that what happen this year, is like what happens to a band you like when they sell out. You know that underground band that all of the sudden has a billboard top 100 hit. And ALL of the sudden everyone is trying to tell you about this AWESOME! new band, when all the while you've been listening to them for the past five years. Thats what I feel happen to good movies this year. AND because of that, actual good movies got put by the way side because they didn't have OSCAR sent about them. Movies like Grindhouse, Hot Fuzz, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Host, Perfume, and Joshua.

I guess it just pisses me off that people don't consider who the director of a film is 90% of the time. And I myself am a movie geek because of my dad and he taught me to enjoy big dumb man movies, such as Rambo. And for however good movies were in 07, 08 has been much more rewarding. Like 07 was just full of yuppie films, films that people see and afterward they feel smarter because it was an "art" film. 08 looks to go back to the geeks. Like Southland Tales is the perfect example of 07 films. A movie that acts like its so smart and better then everything else when in all actuality is fucking retarded and just a mess. While Rambo (which I've decided is the best Rambo, seriously go back and watch First Blood now that you've seen Rambo) was just a fucking bad ass movie. A movie that people all of the sudden were too good to see because it looks stupid. I don't know if any of that made sense, its like 2 in the morning and I've been working since 7 in the AM. Either way Juno and Knocked Up are fucking horrible and void of anything funny and if you can't agree with that, then we sir are on TWO different wavelengths.