In the time this site has been up, it's exceeded my wildest expectations by attracting readers, fan mail--and yes, haters
--literally from across the globe. In our time together, we've witnessed the glorious beauty available to us via the projec-tion booth on a weekly basis...and also the almost too com-mon boil on Hollywood's ass. Herewith, an overview of what I consider to be the very best and worst that's been served up to us on a platter in 2007, with each list limited to five films.

     Take heart, for while there are some more dregs on the way in '08(One Missed Call, Rambo), there are just as many good films waiting to strike them from your memory and soothe your mental palette(The Dark Knight, Hancock). I'll see you next month for sure, and have a Happy New Year!

1 - Gone Baby Gone
     In all of 2007, there is no film which touches the depth of character, superb direction, subtleties of actors' performan-ces and captivating storytelling of Gone Baby Gone, the dir-ectorial debut of Ben Affleck(I still can't get over saying that!)

     The story centers around two young and relatively inex-perienced detectives, their hunt for a missing child, and the dawning realization that not everything about the case might be what it appears. Every inhabitant of this realm is a real person and not a character, star Casey Affleck(brother of Ben) holds his own against formidable talents such as Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, and the ending of the tale is not all tied up in a nice, neat package. It is an excellently crafted tale, and I truly can't wait until this film arrives on DVD, because this is going into the collection the day it comes out.

2 - The Great Debaters
     This is the film which almost...almost...managed to knock Gone Baby Gone from the #1 spot. It's only his second take as director, yet Denzel Washington manages to knock this one solidly out of the park on all levels. The film takes place in 1930's Texas, where a highly intelligent yet radical teach-er at all-black Wiley College initiates a debate team which manages to score an almost unbroken record of wins, and eventually manages to both debate and defeat an all-white college.

     Within the film, every actor is captivating in their role, the dialogue is well-written and realistic, and overall the film is both powerful and motivating. Perhaps the only reason The Great Debaters failed to knock Gone Baby Gone from its position is the historical inaccuracy of Wiley College defeat-ing Harvard University, which has been established to be a fanciful myth, yet is put forth as fact by the filmmakers. While every film "inspired by" a true story does take some license with history in order to deliver a more dramatic tone, such an egregious error cannot be excused from Debaters, no matter how great the film. This is especially true of a movie that brings together the combined star power of heavyweights such as Oprah Winfrey as producer and Washington as director.

     In spite of this misrepresentation however, Debaters is still a captivating film which deserves to be seen. It's a moving tale from a time in which blacks were more overtly oppressed, and might serve as inspiration for the youth of today to take charge of themselves and be responsible for their own destiny.

3 - Enchanted
     The Walt Disney Company's film division doesn't have too many flops. There have been some in the past which haven't been too successful(Treasure Planet), but Disney's film division survives by staying with tried-and-true storylines that have been around almost since the dawn of time: The hero's quest, the search for love, the loyalty of true friends.

     As the first decade of the 21st Century nears its end, it seems Disney has suddenly become aware of the passing of the sand within the hourglass, and has offered up more contemporary fare which appeals to a broader audience(The Incredibles). To this end, they have taken a broader step into the new world by giving audiences Enchanted--a wonderfully fun film which leaves its own mark in cinematic history by turning nearly every last convention of the Disney storytelling formula squarely on its ear.

     Giselle(Amy Adams) is your standard animated fairytale lady-in-waiting who dreams of a handsome prince. That prince arrives in the form of Edward(James Marsden), who immediately proposes to her, and they plan to be wed the next day(this is a Disney film folks...the normal rules of courtship don't apply). When Edward's mother, evil queen Narissa(Susan Sarandon) finds out about the betrothal, she pushes Giselle into a well, which lands her in the midst of a strange, foreign world...real-life New York. She's soon befriended by a divorce attorney(Patrick Dempsey) and his young daughter(Rachel Covey), who eventually fall under the spell of Giselle and her infectious happy-happy behav-ior, almost in spite of themselves. And audiences likewise fell under the spell.

     Enchanted is a movie that succeeds by making fun of its roots, and laughing at the silliness of the established fairy-tale rules right along with the audience. It's a new milestone for a company that has succeeded for decades by giving us variations on the same three stories. If they can continue to give us new twists such as this one, they'll probably be around a few dozen more.

4 - The Bourne Ultimatum
     I'm actually just as surprised to see this on my list as you might be. Yet the simple fact of the matter is that The Bourne Ultimatum defied the odds of convention in every single way: it's part of one of the few movie trilogies in his-tory where each installment is better than the one which came before. While some of the plot points and instances require a good degree of suspension of disbelief, each scene is set up in a competent manner that makes such suspension easy to achieve. And for Matt Damon(consider-ed by many to be the better half of the Affleck-Damon duo), it is a showcase for him as a leading man in an action film.

     Damon is as identifiable with the role of amnesiac super-agent Jason Bourne as Connery is with Bond or Christopher Reeve was with Superman. He has made what could have been a completely generic role his own, and it would now be almost impossible for any audience member to envision another actor in the role. The fact that folks have turned out consistently to see him play this character is more a testa-ment to Damon's star power, than the enthralling nature of the trilogy itself(although the latter is sufficient enough a reason to view the films).

     The Bourne Ultimatum finally finds Jason Bourne return-ing to New York City, where it seems he will finally find the answers to his missing identity and how he came to be such an unstoppable killing machine. Along the way, he is aided by those who were once his enemies(Joan Allen, Julia Stiles), as the shady motives of the government agency Bourne once worked for finally become clear. The film is packed with thrilling escapes and action set pieces worthy of any James Bond movie, solid acting from Damon and his supporting cast(with the exception of Stiles, who somehow manages to be completely forgettable in anything she does), and an ending which not only satisfies, but manages to somehow wrap things up neatly yet leave room for a sequel.

     I have to admit it: if indeed Damon decides to sign up for a sequel, I'll be on line to watch.

5 - Juno
     Yet another surprise for the list, Juno gives us the story of the titular teen(Ellen Page) who soon discovers she's pregnant after a night of unprotected sex with her best male friend Paulie Bleeker(Michael Cera). Rather than have an abortion as she first intends, Juno chooses to deliver the baby and give it up for adoption to a seemingly perfect yup-pie couple(Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner).

     Written by first-timer Diablo Cody and solidly directed by Jason Reitman(Thank You For Smoking), the movie Juno is a clear winner. It is an intelligent, well thought out and even responsible tale about living with the choices we make, no matter what age we are. While The Great Debaters is an inspirational story teaching youth to stand up for themselves Juno is the film which teaches youth to step up to the plate and take accountability for their actions. The cast is rock solid throughout, and even if Ellen Page were not to receive an Oscar for her work in this picture, she at least deserves a nomination. The film is carried on her shoulders moreso than anyone else, and this could be a career-defining mom-ent for her.

     The accolades are well deserved...Juno is without a doubt one of the best films of 2007.

1 - Halloween
     There is nothing worse than a remake of a classic film. And if that remake is a badly done film, then a special place should be reserved in hell for those who dared to soil the memory of that original in the first place.

     Rob Zombie's Halloween may very well qualify as the lazi-est, lamest, uninspired and just plain ol' horrible remake of a film I've ever witnessed...and that includes Gus Van Sant's remake of Hitchcock's classic Psycho. Not only did Zombie fail in his "reimagining" of the character of Michael Myers, he single-handedly destroyed the entire mythology of Myers by attempting to explain why he's evil, rather than simply just letting him be evil!

     From the relative newbies in the cast such as Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode to veterans such as the usually great Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis, nearly every single actor is miscast in their role, making for some truly unintentionally terrifying performances...especially Taylor-Compton, who at this point might like to consider looking at other career options. Honestly, she sucks more than a high class callgirl receiving a bonus from her favorite john.

     It would have been a wonderful treat for audiences everywhere if somehow Zombie could have fallen into his own film to be killed by Myers. But the truth is that Tyler Mane is so inept at carrying out the very simplistic role of Myers, he probably couldn't have gotten the job done any-way. Mane might want to ask Taylor-Compton if he can take a look at those want ads when she's done.

     Yes, in 2007 Hollywood dumped more garbage than usual in our collective laps...but hands down, Rob Zombie's Halloween was the rotted diaper at the top of the trash heap.

2 - Dragon Wars
     With as much venom as I unleashed upon Dragon Wars earlier this year, it was my number one pick for worst film for a long time...until Halloween came out. However, if for some reason Halloween were not available to accept the award for most rancid film of 2007, I'm certain Dragon Wars(or D-War as it's affectionately called only by those who worked on it) would have stepped up to receive in its place.

     The plot of Dragon Wars is simple enough that the movie should have worked: every 500 years, a great serpent called an Imoogi is born, charged with the protection of humankind. In order to assume its ultimate form of the drag-on, it must devour a predestined human female known as a Yuh yi joo. The last time the Yuh yi joo was born however, she betrayed the celestial trust of heaven by leaping to death with her chosen male protector, with whom she had fallen in love. Now the time has come for the Imoogi to be born again, but its ancient nemesis the Buraki(almost indis-tinguishable from the Imoogi, by the way) also waits to claim the power for its own.

     Like I said, the plot should have worked--however, the execution by director Hyung-rae Shim and his incompetent effects people tie the story's shoelaces and trip it up at every conceivable opportunity. From the horrible, horrible casting of Jason Behr and Amanda Brooks as the Cauca-sian reincarnation of Korean star-crossed lovers, to the laughable ineptness of Michael Shamus Wiles as one of the least threatening villains in cinematic history to the D-grade special effects, Dragon Wars comes off as one of those first year film student projects one does with a bunch of friends, then when it's discovered in an attic years later, views it once for laughs before choosing to burn the tape entirely.

     If only the movie's editor had chosen to have a conveni-ent "accident" with the filmstock while splicing this tripe toge-ther, the whole of human civilization might have been spared the crapfest known as Dragon Wars.

3 - The Golden Compass
     Originally, The Golden Compass and The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising were going to hold the number 3 & 4 spots on this list. But the two films are so similar in both their origins from novels as well as the incompetence with which they were committed to film, it seemed redundant. Besides, The Golden Compass is definitely the worse of the two...even if only by a hair.

     Whereas both The Seeker and The Golden Compass novels deal with realms steeped in magic of some type, while the producers of Seeker sought to disavow all magical ties due to the religious convictions of its director, the Compass film has the unique and dubious distinction of the original novel's author--an avowed atheist--to back away from the magical and anti-Christian themes of his own book in order to get moviegoers' asses in theater seats. An athe-ist selling his soul to the devil for money...now there's some irony!

     The Golden Compass itself is a morally bankrupt film in almost every way as well. In spite of its star power(Nicole Kidman, Sam Elliot, Daniel Craig among others), it's almost shameful that the best performance comes from first-timer Dakota Blue Richards. It's also a shame that she plays such an unlikeable heroine. The special effects are sub-par, Ian McKellen seems almost bored voicing the character of deposed bear prince Iorek Byrnison, Sam Elliot and Eva Green are underutilized(well...Elliot is. I still don't get the fas-cination with Green), and the plot, such as it is, simply doesn't work. In short, this is the most messily constructed universe I've visited in a long while, and I couldn't wait to escape it.

     The Golden Compass failed miserably at the box office, and rightfully so. Although New Line intended to make a film trilogy based on author Philip Pullman's books, it seems this vile plot has been thwarted by a wise moviegoing public. Our theaters are safe...but for how long?

4 - Skinwalkers
     Now here is one seriously bad movie. And lucky Jason Behr gets to be in another one of my picks for '07's worst.

     Skinwalkers dares to give us a PG-13 werewolf horror film(originally R-rated, but snipped down to get the young'uns in the theater), apparently in the desperate hope that no one will notice a significant lack of blood and guts in such a tale.

     The story centers around a group of werewolves who live among normal humans. They have chosen not to feed upon humans, and so tie themselves up during the full moon as they undergo their(extremely crappy) transformations. This group lives in hope for the prophecy that a young child will be able to remove their curse forever when he turns thirteen. There is another group however(led by Behr) that wants to remain werewolves and go on feeding upon human flesh. They're hunting the promised child in order to kill him, and the two groups are headed for a collision course...

     Watching Skinwalkers will put your brain on a collision course with insanity. From the fact that golden child Timo-thy's(Matthew Knight) impossibly hot mom Rachel(Rhona Mitra) is too dense to see that almost every friend she has is a werewolf, to the opening gunfight where no one can shoot straight although they're barely ten feet away from each other, to the almost unbelievably bad effects, to the final and completely dopey revelation of Behr's character's conn-ection to Timothy, this is a movie that is virtually on its knees begging for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 smackdown.

     Skinwalkers is the type of film that makes you believe no one on the set cared about the movie they were making... absolutely no one. One can imagine the crew showing up for work each day and glancing at their watches anxiously, wait-ing for the last shot to be called almost as soon as they arrive. Camera shots are composited lazily, actors wander listlessly in their roles, and the direction is abominable. And if the crew of a movie can't muster enough energy to care about their own project...why should we?

5 - Transformers
     My year-end worst list wouldn't be complete without inclu-ding Transformers, a movie which proves that you just can't make a movie too stupid for people to not go to it.

     As a kid, I never understood the popularity of Transform-ers toys or cartoons; they're robots that turn into trucks and cars. Wow. As an adult, the concept seems to make even less sense...and just in case for one second I might think it could make any sense at all, along comes hack director Michael Bay(Pearl Harbor, The Island) to assure me that it can't.

     The Autobots are the good robots, searching for the ancient device known as the Allspark(yes, that really is what it's called), which can turn inanimate machinery into living, sentient machine-warriors. Their kindly leader is Optimus Prime(voice of Peter Cullen). The Decepticons(subtle!) are the bad robots, who also want the Allspark so they can create an army of like-minded soldiers in order to take over everything. Their leader is the evil Megatron(voice of Hugo Weaving). The Allspark inexplicably is located on Earth, and so the two sides prepare to wage war for the prize.

     Transformers was a big-budget summer movie, and made more than its money back, because a lot of people chose to turn off their brains and enjoy a big ol' blow-'em-up. There's nothing really wrong with that, but just because a movie's big at the box office doesn't mean it's a good movie...and this is one seriously flawed film. Put aside the implausability of anyone as remotely blazing hot as Megan Fox being interested in someone as monumentally wimpy as Shia LeBeouf. Forget about the overabundance of racial stereotypes and lack of storytelling logic in this film. Try not to roll your eyes at Bay's lack of knowledge of simple phys-ics taught in eighth grade. This is just one seriously stupid film. Unfortunately, it's made enough that a sequel has been guaranteed...

     ...and yes, I fully expect it to be on my worst list for next year.

     There are traditions to uphold, after all.