Lists. Austin Chronicle.

No Country for Old Men is "the only film to receive a vote from all five critics contributing lists this year," notes Marjorie Baumgarten as she opens up the "Screens" section of the Austin Chronicle's "Top 10s 2007: License to List" issue. Topping her own list is There Will Be Blood: "No movie this year was more rooted in the American soil than this powerful character study and origin story."

Marc Savlov agrees and, as with all five individual lists, he's got near misses, overrateds and underrateds, acting kudos, top directors and screenplays, a best revival - and a wild card. His: "Best Reason to Blow Every Goddamn Nickel You've Got on a Kickass Home Theatre (or a 70 GTO): Monte Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop, from Criterion."

"Who said the Western is dead?" Steve Davis goes for 3:10 to Yuma, "the year's most surprising film."

Topping Kimberly Jones's list is The Lives of Others: "[T]here was no more powerful or lyrical document of resistance."

Josh Rosenblatt agrees. His wild card: "The Strongest-Argument-for-a-Best-Cameo-Academy-Award Award: In I Am Legend, Emma Thompson creates more magic in two minutes of screen time than most actors manage in two hours."

And Joe O'Connell rounds up the top ten local film stories of the year.

Posted by dwhudson at January 3, 2008 3:28 PM