TEN BEST FILMS OF 2007

(As seen in the Cinema)

1) The Departed directed by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese finally won an Oscar for Best Director for this brutal yet brilliant tale of the symbiotic relationship between Boston mobsters and the local law enforcement. Featuring a great cast including Leonardo diCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg and of course Jack Nicholson as the Irish mob boss.

2) The Queen directed by Stephen Frears

Helen Mirren won a 2006 Academy Award for Best actress for her extraordinary rendition of a living Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears brilliant film The Queen. With the director of Dangerous Liaisons and a superb script by Peter Morgan, this film could not go wrong especially in  dealing with a sensitive subject of the reaction of the British Monarchy to the sudden death of Princess Diana in the summer of 1997.

3) The Prestige directed by Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan’s brilliant Victorian drama about the rivalry between two competing magicians is extraordinary storytelling and wonderfully acted, featuring  Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman along with Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson.

4) Notes on a Scandal directed by Richard Eyre

This electrifying film based upon the novel by Zoe Heller, features two brilliant performances by Cate Blanchett and Dame Judi Dench as school teachers at St George’s school in North London. Blanchett plays Sheba Hart who embarks on an illicit affair and trusts who secret with Barbara Covett, expertly played by Dench.

5) Marie Antoinette directed by Sofia Coppola

This lavish 21^st century version of Marie Antoinette is expertly directed by Sofia Coppola. The film won best costume design at the 2006 Academy Awards. Marie Antoinette is over the top, frivolous, dangerous and beautiful to watch just like the last days of the French Court before the Revolution came. Kirsten Dunst is brilliant as Marie Antoinette and a fabulous supporting cast including Rip Torn, Judy Davis, Alan Cumming and Rose Byrne gave the film the right mix of gravity and gratuitous beauty!

6) Pan’s Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is visually unrivalled in its harsh brutality and magical beauty. Set during the last days of the Spanish Civil War it follows a girls journey into fantasy to escape the wickedness on earth. Superb and deservedly winning Best Foreign Film at the 2006 Oscars. In Spanish with English subtitles.

7) Becoming Jane directed by Julian Jarrold

Julian Jarrold’s gorgeous film about the early life of Jane Austen and her inspiration for writing Pride and Prejudice. Anne Hathaway shines as Jane Austen and is helped by a superb supporting cast including James McAvoy, Maggie Smith, James Cromwell and Julie Walters.

 8) Babel directed by Alejandro Innaritu Gonzalez

This sprawling multi-themed narrative film set in Morocco, Mexico and Japan is a testament to how one person’s actions on one side of the globe can affect a community on the other. Featuring an extraordinary international cast including Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal and Arriata Barrachi, Babel is thought-provoking, engaging and entirely fascinating.

9) The Bourne Ultimatum directed by Paul Greengrass

Matt Damon reprises his role as the elusive Jason Bourne in Paul Greengrass’s thrilling supposed climax to the Bourne Trilogy. The Bourne Ultimatum features fabulous locations from London, New York to Turin and Berlin. Damon is supported by a great cast including Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Julia Stiles.

 10) La Vie en Rose directed by Olivier Dahan

Marion Cotillard delivers an Oscar winning performance as French Singer Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose tracing her rise to fame in Paris. Directed by Olivier Dahan and featuring a great supporting cast of French actors including Gerard Depardieu and Emmanuelle Seigner. In French with English subtitles.