Seleccionar las mejores películas del año pasado es una misión imposible y casi suicida para el prestigio. Pero si se cuenta con amigos como Michael Cook, el Editor de Mercatornet y el trabajo de su equipo, la cosa queda facilitada (Our pick of the films of 2007).
Es de notar el éxito que aquí tuvo, el año pasado, la lista de las 10 mejores películas de 2006, hecha con el acuerdo de Michael y su equipo que están en las antípodas geográficas de Scriptor pero con una visión ("If you want a label, try "dignitarian") cercana al Civic Humanism que aquí se estila.
De ahí que el criterio de Mercatornet ("balance between solid entertainment, sound human values and artistic merit"), compartido en principio y discutible en casos concretos, sea el punto de partida para comentarios y sugerencias. Que siempre son bienvenidos. En algunos casos añado links a críticas que entiendo merecen la pena.
Un último aviso: podía haber sido de otro modo, pero la lista de estas "10 mejores películas 2007" guarda orden alfabético en inglés, y el link del título lleva directamente a IMDb:
A Mighty Heart (IMDb User Rating: 6.8/10 / Un corazón invencible)
Directed by Michael Winterbottom | Starring Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Archie Panjabi, Azfar Ali | 108 minutes
Early in 2002, the Southeast Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street
Journal, Daniel Pearl, was kidnapped and eventually murdered in
Pakistan. A Mighty Heart
focuses on how his pregnant wife reacts to the terrifying news that her
husband is in the hands of Muslim extremists. She directs the search
with astonishing grace and generosity. The film is shot in
semi-documentary style on location.
Ver critica en Mercatornet / Ver crítica en Aceprensa.
Amazing Grace (IMDb User Rating: 7.7/10)
Directed by Michael Apted | Starring Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney,
Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Gambon, Romola Garai, Rufus Sewell,
Ciaran Hinds, Youssou N'Dour, Toby Jones, Stephen Campbell Moore | 111
minutes
This historical film commemorates the 200th anniversary of a British
ban on the transport of slaves by an ardent Christian in Parliament,
William Wilberforce. Although slavery itself was not abolished until
1833, shortly before his death, this was a major defeat for the slavery
industry. The film chronicles Wilberforce’s life from the time of his
conversion to the passage of the bill for which he had campaigned over
20 years.
Bella (IMDb User Rating: 7.8)
Directed by Alejandro Monteverde | Starring Tammy Blanchard, Eduardo Verastegui | 91 minutes
An unmarried New York waitress loses her job after falling pregnant and
considers having an abortion. But the chef, an ex-soccer star with a
tragic secret, draws her into his loving family and gently persuades
her to keep the baby. A warm and sentimental film about forgiveness and
reconciliation, it could be Oscar material.
Ver crítica en Mercatornet / Ver YouTube, making of Bella
The Bourne Ultimatum (IMDb User Rating: 8.3/10 / El ultimátum de Bourne)
Directed by Paul Greengrass | Starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine | 111 minutes
This is the third film about Jason Bourne, a CIA killer who has lost
his identity and his memory. The action is non-stop, as the hero
crisscrosses Europe, fleeing from CIA assassins while trying to
establish who he is. Fans of the first two films will see another
murderous duel in a very small room, an escape from enemies in a very
large and crowded plaza, and a spectacular car chase.
Ver crítica en Mercatornet / Ver crítica en Aceprensa
Enchanted (IMDb User Rating: 7.9/10 / Encantada. La historia de Giselle)
Directed by Kevin Lima | Starring Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Patrick Dempsey, Rachel Covey | 107 minutes
Did you ever wonder how a fairy tale princess would cope if she were
alone in New York City? Pretty well, it turns out, in this delightful
spoof of conventional Disney fairy tales. The sparkling Giselle is
pushed down a wishing well in fairyland and emerges from a manhole
cover in Manhattan. This leads to lots of comical complications in
which true love conquers contemporary cynicism about romance. There are
some splendid special effects and an impressive musical sequence in
Central Park which trumps Busby Berkeley. A satisfying
happily-ever-after film.
Ver YouTube Trailer Enchanted
The Host (IMDb User Rating: 7.1/10)
Directed by Bong Joon-Ho | Starring Kang-ho Song, Byun Hee-bong, Bae Hae-il, Bae Doo-na, Ko A-sung | 119 minutes
We’re going out on a limb on this one, as The Host
belongs to a specialist genre: Korean horror films. But its zany
humour, terrific special effects and insight into contemporary Korean
society make it well worthwhile. The plot follows a familiar pattern.
Gang-du is a slack loafer whose wife ran off long ago, leaving him with
a plucky young daughter to look after. Other members of his
dysfunctional family are more talented but they are hardly united. One
fine day a gigantic amphibious monster emerges from the polluted Han
River in Seoul... The family
becomes a band of heroic avengers who take on the American army, the
Korean army, and Seoul police in their search for the monster’s lair.
Great fun.
Letters from Iwo Jima (IMDb User Rating: 8.2/10 / Cartas desde Iwo Jima)
Directed by Clint Eastwood | Starring Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase | 142 minutes
A companion film to Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima
is a wonderfully humane story about the savage World War II battle,
told through Japanese eyes. Ken Watanabe plays the unconventional
General Kuribayashi who defended his island by building 18 miles of
tunnels throughout the island. The story focuses on a conscripted
private, Saigo, a young husband and father, who almost miraculously
survives bombardment, flamethrowers and bushido suicides. This is a
magnificent film about integrity amidst the tragedy and cruelty of war.
Ver crítica en Mercatornet / Ver crítica en Aceprensa
Michael Clayton (IMDb User Rating: 7.7/10)
Directed by Tony Gilroy | Starring George Clooney, Sydney Pollack, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton | 119 minutes
Surefire Oscar material, Michael Clayton
is a legal thriller about a morally corrupt character who discovers his
conscience. He is a "fixer" for a large law firm whose talents are
tested when a leading partner’s nervous breakdown threatens to derail a
multimillion-dollar, class-action lawsuit against client, a major
agrochemical company. An in-house lawyer will do whatever it takes to
protect her company’s interests. The action is non-stop and the moral
dilemmas, though hardly novel, are gripping and thought-provoking.
Ver crítica en Mercatornet / Ver crítica en Aceprensa
Ratatouille (IMDb User Rating:
8.3/10)
Directed by Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava | Voices of Patton Oswalt, Lou
Romano, Peter Sohn, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Brian
Dennehy, Peter O'Toole | 111 minutes
Set in the city of haute cuisine,
it relates the story of a young rat from the sewers who discovers that
he has a genius for cooking. He becomes the secret counsellor of a
scullery boy in a top-flight Parisian restaurant. By tugging on his
hair under his chef’s hat, he shows him how to make superb food. After
many plot complications, a ratatouille is prepared which
sends France’s leading critic into paroxysms of delight.
Rescue Dawn (IMDb User Rating:
7.8/10)
Directed by Werner Herzog | Starring Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Karel Roden | 126 minutes
This is the true story of a German-born pilot, Dieter Dengler, who was
downed over Laos during the Vietnam War. Captured by the Pathet Lao, he
was tortured and imprisoned, but he managed to escape and make his way
into Thailand. The film’s focus is not politics or war, but the simple
valour of American soldiers. Dengler fights nature and his own
limitations more than his jailers. This is a remarkable story of
courage and moral strength.
-- En Mercatornet se incluyen además I Am Legend, Mr Bean's Holiday, Spider-Man 3 y The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep.
Por razones diversas (gustos personales, fechas de estreno, pros y contras, etc.), y también por dejar la lista en 10, no las he incluído aquí.
-- Con todo, por esas mismas razones, no estaría de más tener en cuenta otras películas. Como éstas, por ejemplo: Apocalypto (Mel Gibson), The New World (Terrence Malik, en principio 2005-06, pero también 2007 en otros lugares), Das Leben der Anderen (Florian Henckel, La vida de los otros).
-- Tampoco está de más tener en cuenta la tendencia que observa Barbara Nicolosi, de decadencia del cinismo, el narcisismo o la autosuficiencia como valores en las pantallas, a propósito de Lars (ver Lars is Real Nice). Y ya puestos, se puede visitar la lista del AFI y sus 10 mejores películas 2007 Usa.
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