2007 Standouts

greetings, friends! welcome to my first stand-alone blog site, devoted to providing a regular (the goal is weekly), semi-thorough explication, via review, of the film world.
i'll be offering up reviews of all the films i see, highlighting their strengths & weaknesses, plus occasional quick rundowns of why i skip the many releases i do.

i recommend bookmarking this page to use as an easy reference for what is and what is Not worth your time & money. i intend to offer insightful commentary from a (laughably low-level) hollywood insider perspective (for whatever that's worth), without the filters that necessarily censor so many mainstream pundits.

here's something fun and easy to kick off the site and the new calendar year: my comprehensive list of 2007 standouts--movies, direction, performances, etc. that grabbed me and demanded special mention. not necessarily the best (i.e., not who will or should be nominated for any particular awards shows), but my favorites, in no order, maximum ten per major category. i'll dissect the awards shows as they drop; you can get an idea of where i stand in comparison by soaking this up.
and i'm excited to hear your feedback. so bring it.
enjoy!
kd


Picture—
Once
There Will Be Blood
Juno
No Country For Old Men
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
Waitress
Into The Wild
Michael Clayton

Direction—
Sean Penn (Into The Wild)
Coen Bros. (No Country For Old Men)
Ridley Scott (American Gangster)
Joe Wright (Atonement)
David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises)
Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell And The Butterfly)

Actor—
Don Cheadle (Talk To Me)
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)
Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Christian Bale (Rescue Dawn)
Tommy Lee Jones (In The Valley Of Elah)
Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men)
Joaquin Phoenix (Reservation Road)
Richard Gere (The Hoax)
Frank Langella (Starting Out In The Evening)

Actress—
Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Julie Christie (Away From Her)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart)
Keri Russell (Waitress)
Amber Tamblyn (Stephanie Daley)
Jodi Foster (The Brave One)

Supporting Actor—
Hal Holbrook (Into The Wild)
Alfred Molina (The Hoax)
Ben Foster (3:10 To Yuma)
Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)
Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men)
Casey Affleck (The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford)
Armin Mueller-Stahl (Eastern Promises)
Elijah Kelley (Hairspray)
Max von Sydow (The Diving Bell And The Butterfly)

Supporting Actress—
Ruby Dee (American Gangster)
Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)
Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
Jennifer Garner (Juno)
Catherine Keener (Into The Wild)
Susan Sarandon (In The Valley Of Elah)
Samantha Morton (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Tilda Swinton (Stephanie Daley)
Emily Mortimer (Lars And The Real Girl)

Ensemble Acting—
Waitress
No Country For Old Men
Into The Wild
Eastern Promises
Juno
Michael Clayton