Friday, January 4, 2008

My Top Ten Favorite Films for 2007

1. Into Great Silence - I predict that it will be a spiritual classic and be loved by audiences for many years to come. Into Great Silence answers the most frequently googled question, "Who is God?" as well as "How can I find Him?" It also answers, "How can I find true happiness?" All this is explained using minimal dialogue, but just by watching the way these monks live their lives. This is a must - see movie for everyone! The DVD is now out.

2. Bella is a beautiful film that has had a powerful impact on our culture! As a result of this film, lives have been saved. Bella was responsible for the birth of seven babies. And, this was all possible through a grassroots effort -- promoted by the culture of life.

3. Amazing Grace is a movie which emphasizes character, Christian values, and yes, even virtues – something that you rarely see in Hollywood films nowadays.


4. Ratatouille - Like a great recipe, this film has all the right ingredients – humor, drama, romance – which, blended together, offer a delicious and delightful treat.


5. Juno is a film I would like to watch again to laugh again, to cry again, to listen to the music again, and to analyze just a bit more. I enjoyed it that much and I think you will, too.

6. The Bridge to Terebithia is a a beautiful reality-based story, which focuses primarily on the friendship between a boy and girl whose lively and vivid imaginations take them on an exciting adventure into a shared fantasy world.

7. The Ultimate Gift is an excellent movie with a straightforward spiritual message that will tug at your heartstrings. There is a wonderful pro-life message included in this values - oriented film, which is an added treat.


8. Spiderman III To me, this is the best of the trilogy. The powerful themes that run through the film are good vs. evil, friendship, forgiveness, and healing. It was indeed a deeply spiritual film.

9. Meet the Robinsons is an animated film adapted from William Joyce's children's book, A Day With Wilbur Robinson," about a futuristic family, with a time-travel plot and a comical villain. To me, it resembled a slightly more whimsical and wacky animated version of "Back to the Future."

10. Miss Potter is the charming and enchanting tale of Beatrix Potter (Rene Zellweger), a beautiful and creative woman who delighted generations of children with her books. It is well-crafted and contains lovely music, great whimsical animation, as well as some humorous escapades. The scenery of the English countryside is beautiful and the acting is superb.

Cross - posted at Catholic Fire.

3 comments:

Barbara said...

I wouldn't let my children see Spiderman III because I read at Kids-in-Mind that there are 7 religious exclamations. I see you thought it a very noteworthy movie, though. Since I don't know what the religious exclamations were, can you tell me if you noticed them?

Julie D. said...

Usually a "religious exclamation" would indicate to me something like "Oh God!" used casually in speech. It is practically impossible to have a conversation with an acquaintance without hearing them say such a thing, much less watch a movie these days. (If I'm right about their meaning in that "religious exclamation" anyway.)

Jean Heimann said...

Barbara,

I agree with Julie's explanation above.

In my mini review (which I link to here) I do mention that Spiderman - 3 is appropriate for OLDER teens and adults. (It is rated PG - 13.)

According to Steven D. Greydanus at Decent Films, there is some "mild profanity" in it. However, it's been awhile since I have seen the film and it must have been so mild or casual that I don't remember it.

I would NOT recommend Spiderman - 3 for younger children, who won't understand the spiritual battle involved in the film and may pick up on the "mild profanity".

I hope this has been helpful to you.

God bless,
Jean