Summer Movie-ing, Part III

Goal #3: Decide the Ultimate Internal Debate:

2004 or 2007?

In case you haven’t noticed already, I’m a big picture guy when it comes to movies.  Obviously I like watching/analyzing/discussing/over-analyzing/being a snob about/contemplating movies, but it doesn’t stop there: I want to know how they fit into the bigger realm; how they compare with other movies that particular year or decade, how it compares with other films from the particular director, how and why it does or doesn’t resonate with pop culture, and what the movie indicates about the current social/political outlook.  This is why I’m intrigued by film awards—not because the “best” films always win, but because they represent a broader picture of what was going on that particular year, based on the factors I laid out above. 

Back in December when I was putting myself through hell to figure out my top 10 movies of the 2000’s (which, by the way, I have edited slightly, but more on that later), I was trying to decide which year out of the decade was the best for film: 2004 or 2007.  I realize this particular goal may seem kind of trivial to you—but trust me—cosmic filmdom forces hang in the balance upon proper analyzation and resolution of this question…so bear with me while I list the films from each year that I consider to be great:

2004:

Finding Neverland

Sideways

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Hotel Rwanda

The Aviator

The Incredibles

Downfall

2046
Garden State

Kill Bill 2

2007:

No Country for Old Men

There Will Be Blood

Into the Wild

Michael Clayton

Ratatouille

Once

Atonement

The Diving Bell and Butterfly

Sweeney Todd

Eastern Promises

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Gone Baby Gone

Lars and the Real Girl

Okay, at first glance, 2007 has the upper hand.  My quest to decide this debate will involve watching some of these films that I’ve only seen once, which, as you may have guessed, is only a few of these.  Hopefully I'll have some sort of divine intervention to give me clarity on the whole issue.

Other than that, I’m going to keep watching some old films (see: summer movie-ing goal #1), and keep being the worst kind of INCEPTION fanboy (summer movie-ing goal #2).  And on that note, get a load of THIS:

Beautiful, isn't it?  I may have to name my daughter Marion.