Highlights of 2007

With a new year of films kicking into gear comes the chance to reflect on what's just passed. Here are a few of the things I enjoyed in 2007...

Comedy

2007 turned out two belting comedies in the shape of a Brit-com, Hot Fuzz, and Judd Apatow's latest creation, Knocked Up. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright teamed up once again to repeat the success they had with Shaun of the Dead (2004). Knocked Up saw a performance to savour from actor Seth Rogen, in a tale of a stoner, a one-night stand and an unwanted pregnancy.

Action

The return of Jason Bourne was welcomed at the end of the year, with Matt Damon convincing as ever as the forgetful spy who's after the truth in The Bourne Ultimatum. If the X-files has taught us anything it's that 'the truth is out there', and Bourne manages to find it by remembering a few snippets of information to put the puzzle together.

Epic

The 300 was perhaps one of the most enjoyable films of 2007. The performance of Gerard Butler as Leonidas, King of the Spartans, was enthralling, accompanied by sensational imagery and spectacular scenes of battle. When Leonidas stabs the giant he fights through the bicep mid-way through the film, you know it's going to be one heck a battle.

Thriller

A plethora of good thrillers was served up towards the end of the year, with American Gangster and Eastern Promises worth particular mention. Ridley Scott managed to draw a superb performance from Denzel Washington, who plays Frank Lucas in American Gangster, as well as recovering his excellent working relationship with Russell Crowe after the pitiful A Good Year (2006). Eastern Promises was the product of another director/actor combination as David Cronenburg and Viggo Mortensen teamed up once more with outstanding results, following the success of A History of Violence (2005).

Foreign Film

German film The Lives of Others earnt a UK release this year following success at the Oscars. The movie is set in East Germany during communist rule and follows the life of a Stasi officer who is spying on a couple he suspects are Western sympathisers. As he learns more about the pair he begins to understand and even care for them, taking him on a compelling and unexpected journey.

Guilty Pleasure

So, if The Lives of Others is 'a bit of culture' then surely everyone is entitled to a guilty pleasure. Rocky Balboa saw the return of Sylvester 'Sly' Stallone to the screen, packed full of steroids and looking uglier than ever. Sly writes the Rocky films and it seems he's never been tempted to sway from the original plot, even now he's on his 6th film. Somehow it's still easy to take huge pleasure from watching him 'return to the ring for one last time' and defeat someone half his age. A new Rambo film is due later this year which is great, but personally I'm holding out for a new version of 'Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.’

The Lives Of Others

When my girlfriend pestered me to watch a German language film recently I was understandably pessimistic. Anyone who watched any sit-com during the 90’s may have seen this typically dreaded scenario occur several times before, where the reluctant boyfriend is forced to watch a tedious film to keep the peace. Unfortunately for me my other half is German, and therefore deemed it important that I shared in her suffering.

We sat down to watch a film called The Lives Of Others. It follows the life of a Stasi Officer monitoring the cultural scene of East Berlin in 1984. Ulrich Mühe plays the role of Gerd Wiesler, a Stasi Hauptmann or Captain. His idealistic and avid support of the communist regime makes him an ideal candidate to spy on playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), who, Wiesler is told, is suspected of Western sympathies.

Having forgotten to turn the subtitles on for the first 10 minutes I could’ve been forgiven for not knowing what was happening. Predictably, Gerd Wiesler provided me with enough clues using his miserable German appearance alone. His house, his clothes, even his skin was grey. He wandered around a bleak looking East Germany trying his hardest to look incapable of emotion. For all I knew the first 10 minutes could’ve been a series of jokes and expletives that Gerd Wiesler shrugged off without response. There would be 127 minutes more of this...

The time passed by quicker than I had anticipated. There was no sign of the stereotypical efficiency that had gripped the early parts of the film. Wiesler became attached to following the life of Georg Dreyman, the playwright, and his girlfriend, actress Christa-Maria (Martina Gedeck). He covered their apartment in microphones and listened in on their lives.

From the information he gathered Wiesler discovered a corrupt party Minister who was blackmailing Christa-Maria for sex. The Minister had threatened to arrest Dreyman and have Christa-Maria 'blacklisted'. Upon learning this Wiesler’s motivation was destroyed. This caused him to become increasingly emotive, displaying signs of weakness and more specifically loneliness. Wiesler's loyalty to the Stasi began to diminish.

Jokes were made and even comedic characters were introduced as the film went on, but the storyline remained solemn. The circumstances that surrounded Wiesler discovering the corruption were both tragic and enlightening, as he became immersed in the world of Dreyman and Christa-Maria. We, the audience, had been on the journey with him (Wiesler) without realizing, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the film reached its conclusion a series of events occurred that were both clever and unexpected. It’s impossible to explain the end without it being spoiled, but my girlfriend was crying and I got ‘something in my eye’. The tears were tinged with both sadness and joy, as the film proved to have been an excellent choice after all. Perhaps I'll greet the next foreign language film with a little more optimism.