Lists, 12/31.

'Tis an honor to serve on Modern Fabulousity's Cinema Jury. Voted best film: No Country for Old Men. Best performance: Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton. And Gabriel Shanks writes up his own bests, adding "a few snarky awards" to boot.

Good Lord, look at Michael Tully's list. That's a page to spend some time with.

Anyone who's been following Filmbrain's entries over the past couple of weeks will not be surprised to find There Will Be Blood at the top of his list; but that doesn't mean there aren't other surprises. His Benten Films cohort Aaron Hillis always finds a fun way to present his list. This year, it goes to 30.

Zach Campbell presents a "diaristic, quick-and-dirty breakdown of the things I liked, as a cinephile, in 2007."

"Lumière Editor Tim Wong recaps a year's worth of highlights, frustrations, and small triumphs in the world of film, with Top Ten lists from David Levinson, Alexander Bisley, Philip Matthews, Jacob Powell and Darren Bevan."

Opening a list of "Top 5 Thai films of 2007" at Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal, Curtis notes of his #1, Syndromes and a Century: "Thai authorities had no good reason to pick on this gentle ode to [Apichatpong Weerasethakul's] parents. But, the censorship of the film galvanised the Free Thai Cinema Movement, which formed to call for a change in the way films are treated by the government."

Via Peter Martin at Cinematical, where:

• James Rocchi lists "the films that made me exclaim 'Cinema!" in 2007, in no particular order after #1" - which is No Country for Old Men.

• At the top of Scott Weinberg's 10: The Orphanage: "I'll be doing a separate list for my horror faves, but there's no way I was removing this stellar little ghost story from my #1 spot."

• Kim Voynar tops her list with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

• Christopher Campbell lists his "Five Best Theatrical Experiences of 2007."

• Richard von Busack lists "Ten Really Bad Moments in 2007 Cinema."

Nick Dawson rounds up "choice tidbits" from the Director Interviews he's conducted this year for Filmmaker, adding: "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was, for my money, the best film of this year, but frustratingly my request for an interview with its writer-director, Andrew Dominik, was not responded to until after my deadline. Ultimately, I did the interview after the movie had already opened, and ran an almost unedited transcript as a Web Exclusive. To this date, it remains the only interview I am aware of that Dominik has done in the American press, a sign of just how little desire Warner Bros had to publicize the film."

"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is easily my choice as best film of the year with Andrew Dominik best director," agrees Ray Bennett. Also: favorite performances of the year.

Nathaniel R lists the top three "Over-Appreciated Films" before opening the 2007 Cinematic Hall of Shame. A deluge of comments ensues.

"[G]rab a stiff drink and revisit the lowlights of a thoroughly depressing year as we recap The Top 5 Issues in Nonfiction 2007," advises AJ Schnack.

At the SpoutBlog, Karina Longworth takes issue with Bryan Appleyard's suggestion in the London Times that "greatness" died in 2007: "Does preserving the future of auteur theory really require such advantageous amnesia?"

"The Best New Film seen in a Theater: Exiled," says Peter Nellhaus.

In the Guardian, Steve Rose looks ahead to the highlights of 08.

For the Evening Class, Sergio De La Mora lists his "Top 10 Mexican Films." #1: El Violin, most recently reviewed by Sheila Cornelius at cinemaattraction. And Michael Guillén talks with director Francisco Vargas.

Koreanfilm.org contributor Q lists ten favorite DVDs of 2007.

"Some of 2007's finest films arrived in the final stretch - Carlos Reygadas's Silent Light, fractured Dylan biopic I'm Not There - and so, for that matter did two of the worst, Richard Kelly's Southland Tales and Francis Coppola's Youth Without Youth, both convoluted, bombastic and downright barking," writes Jonathan Romney. Also in the Independent: Nicholas Barber.

"American cinema produced one flat-out masterpiece this year - Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood - and at least three more great movies that might legitimately be called "art," if you'll pardon the expression." Tom Charity introduces his list for CNN.

The New York Post's Lou Luminick and Kyle Smith discuss the best and worst films of the year.

Bob Turnbull's "Favorites of 2007" is a casual sort of thing - performances, moments, viewings of older films.

David Walsh posts two lists at the WSWS: films released and not yet released in the US.

Yair Raveh notes that this was "The Year of the Anton."

"Year in Review," Ilya Bernstein in n+1.

The New York Times looks back on the "Notable Deaths of 2007." When your time comes, will you make this list?

Posted by dwhudson at December 31, 2007 8:12 AM