#18 - Atonement

Directed by Joe Wright
2007 Drama
Rated R

*****

Following up his hit 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Joe Wright has crafted one of the most beautiful and moving films in recent memory with an adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel Atonement. From the brilliant performances from James McAvoy, Keira Knightley and Saoirse Ronan (who received a well-deserved Oscar nomination) to the majestic score from Dario Marianelli to the mindnumbingly beautiful cinematography from Seamus McGarvey (the scene at the beach on Dunkirk will undoubtedly take your breath away), this is a film that shows a mastery of the craft not often attained by veteran filmmakers, let alone someone on their second film. Joe Wright certainly moves himself up to the front ranks of the world's best filmmakers. And when you reach the devastating conclusion, you'll be hard pressed to keep your eyes from watering.

#17 - Jackie Brown

Directed by Quentin Tarantino
1997 Crime Drama
Rated R

*****

Quentin Tarantino follows up the best film of the 90s (Pulp Fiction) with Jackie Brown, easily the most underrated film of the 90s. Unlike Pulp Fiction, where the focus was more on the incredible plot, Jackie Brown focuses more on character. The story (from a novel by Elmore Leonard) is pretty straightforward; there's a lot of money out there, and everyone, be it drug dealers, cops, even a flight attendant, want it. Anchored by Tarantino's trademark brilliant writing and great performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier, and Robert Forster (who earned an Oscar nomination), Quentin Tarantino proves yet again why is the best (and most consistent) director of the past twenty years.

#16 - Wristcutters: A Love Story

Directed by Goran Dukic
2007 Black Comedy
Rated R

****

This quirky, long-delayed black comedy (it premiered at Sundance in January 2006) tells the story of a sort of afterlife way-station/purgatory for suicides, where everything is just a little bit worse than the real world. Unlike a lot of recent independent films, this one is confident enough in its quirk that it doesn't overpower the story. Featuring a slew of good to very good performances (especially from Tom Waits (but what doesn't he do good?)), a nice soundtrack from Gogol Bordello, and purposely bleak cinematography, this is an incredibly original piece of work. In a world where independent film has become more or less an excuse to imitate Wes Anderson, its nice to see a director who's not afraid to go against the pack that is currently trying to "go against the pack."

#15 - The Water Horse

Directed by Jay Russell
2007 Family Fantasy
Rated PG

*** 1/2

Any movie that tells you it was made by the same people as The Chronicles of Narnia on its initial poster in a font nearly as big as the title of the movie itself certainly is setting its standards high. And while The Water Horse never is able to reach the right combination of fun for both children and adults that that film was able to, it certainly comes close. The story of a young Scottish boy (Alex Etel) who finds an egg that hatches what the rest of the world knows as "Nessie" is carried by strong performances from both Etel and Emily Watson, as well as Brian Cox, who is telling the story to a young American couple passing through Scotland (the movie is told in flashbacks). It was also refreshing to see that the General of the soldiers staying with the family (World War II is currently taking place) manages to overcome the cliches of soldiers you see so much. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of his crew. This is a surprisingly frightening film at times, so I can't recommend bringing young (see: younger than 7) children. But if you are up for an interesting take on the legend of the Loch Ness monster, you'll certainly have a good time with The Water Horse.

#14 - Michael Clayton

Directed by Tony Gilroy
2007 Thriller
Rated R

*** 1/2

A by-the-numbers law thriller that rises above the pack due to superb performances from George Clooney and (especially) Tilda Swinton, and surprisingly adept directing from first-timer Tony Gilroy (writer of the Bourne films). The biggest flaw of the film is Tom Wilkinson's ridiculously over-the-top performance, with one scene in particular in which he is clearly acting to get an Oscar nomination. Entertaining but forgettable.

#13 - Cloverfield*

Any time I see a movie for the second, third, etc. time all I will post is the # and the title; expect this a lot more around Nov., Dec. (aka Oscar season 2008/09).