El Orfanato "The Orphanage" (2007) - ★★★★

Director: J.A. Bayona
Writer: Sergio G. Sanchez (screenplay)
Stars: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep

I rented The Orphanage, expecting to be scared out of my wits. I did not expect it to be one of the most touching horror films I've ever seen. It holds a very dear place in my heart now, for it is one of only two horror films that has ever made me shed a tear (the other being Hideo Nakata's stunning Japanese horror, Dark Water) (2002). It's the kind of movie that spends most of its time creating such a stunning, perfect atmosphere. With this atmosphere, there is no need for cheap scares and thrills. The suspense was constant for me. While The Orphanage was suspenseful, it made me scream out loud only once (and trust me, I scream many times during most horror films). So it isn't all that horrifying, but the story, the acting, the music, the cinematography... every other aspect in this film truly captivated me. I really enjoyed The Orphanage. It's one of the best "horror" films I've seen in many years.

Atonement (2007) - ★★★★★

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Ian McEwan (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay)
Stars: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, Juno Temple, Benedict Cumberbatch

Atonement is one of the most exquisite films I've ever seen. Its style and beauty is reminiscent of classic cinematic masterpieces, such as Gone With the Wind (1939) and Days of Heaven (1978). Yet it has a unique modern element that puts it in a league of its own. Seamus McGarvey's masterful cinematography deserves to be hailed as one of the greatest in cinematic history, whilst the haunting score by Dario Marianelli takes us to an unforgettable time in history, and heightens all the emotion that comes with the story and surroundings. Technically, Atonement is truly perfect. As for the story, performances, and overall effect the movie had on me personally, I say that it was equally as perfect.

Takami-kun Series: Soshite harukaze ni sasayaite (2007) - ★★★

Director: Kazuhiro Yokoyama
Stars: Tomo Yanagishita, Keisuke Kato, Yasuka Saito, Yukihiro Takiguchi, Tetsuya Makita

Takami-kun is an LGBT Japanese romance, adapted from a manga of the same name. Series 1 establishes the romance between the two young protagonists, Takami and Gii. Takami has a phobia of humans due to a traumatic past, whilst Gii comes from a wealthy and pressure-filled background. This hour long story is just part one of five chapters, which document their relationship through the years. 

It’s romantic, but it doesn’t capture my adoration. It’s fun, but it doesn’t make me laugh or smile very often. It’s interesting, but it’s nothing special. All this really does is show us the build-up towards Takami’s confession of love towards Gii, who has always let his feelings be known for Takami. It was quite cute, but nothing special.

The Man in the Lighthouse (2007) - ★½

Director: Joselitos Altarejos
Writers: Lex Bonife, Joselitos Altarejos
Stars: Harry Laurel, Justin De Leon, Jennifer Lee

The Man in the Lighthouse, or Ang Lalake sa Parola, is a gay-romance film from the Philippines. It's extremely low budget, but it comes from the infamous LGBT film director, Joselito Altarejos. Unfortunately, this is the first film I've seen from the Philippines, and it happens to be one of the worst I've seen in a long time. There are so many faults throughout the film, from acting to cinematography, from dialogue to pacing. I can't say I disliked it, for it left me waiting with a little bit of intrigue for the most part. I waited and waited, but nothing of any substance happened. It's just a 'meh' film, it falls flat by the second act and is entirely forgettable once the credits start rolling. Oh well, I guess I can chuck this on the 'bad LGBT' films pile (which is even larger than the good LGBT films pile). 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) - ★★★★★

Director: Julian Schnabel
Writers: Ronald Harwood (Screenplay), Jean-Dominique Bauby (Book)
Stars: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze, Anna Consigny, Max Von Sydow, Niels Arestrup

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is one of the most sensational movies of all time. This is a film that has the power to change a person's life. Ikiru (To Live) by Akira Kurosawa is the only other film that has had such an effect on me, where it's actually made me re-evaluate what I'm doing with my life. It's one of the most touching stories I've ever seen, and in my opinion it could not have been made better. It delved deep into my heart and took me an a powerful emotional journey, which had many laughs and many tears. Not only is this one of my favorite movies, it's also one of the greatest movies of all time. I'd give this the Best Picture Oscar for 2007, even over There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, and Atonement. 

Lust, Caution (2007) - ★★★★½

Director: Ang Lee
Writers: Eileen Chang, James Shamus, Hui-Ling Wang
Stars: Wei Tang, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Joan Chen, Leehom Wang

Lust, Caution is as close to a masterpiece as you could possibly get. I'm a big fan of Ang Lee, whose daring subject choices make him one of the most interesting directors today. There's a lot of unfounded and hateful reactions to Lust, Caution. What's worse is that some people call it 'Porn', which just goes to show how closed-minded and prudish some of these critics truly are. I found this film to be captivating, with its mixture of Eastern and Western styles that represent China in the 1940s. The performances were stunning, the cinematography breathtaking, the music haunting, and the story riveting. I'd go as far as to say that this is one of Ang Lee's finest films.

Shelter (2007) - ★★★½

Director: Jonah Markowitz
Writer: Jonah Markowitz
Stars: Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, Tina Holmes, Katie Walder
Genre: Romance, LGBTI, Drama

Shelter is an obviously amateur film, but the beautiful chemistry between the two leads made me look past that. It's a simple romance between simple people really. At times the acting was a bit faulty, and the story could have used more substance, but I was unflinchingly interested throughout. I really enjoyed this movie.

Up the Yangtze (2007) - ★★★★

Director: Yung Chang
Writer: Yung Chang

Up the Yangtze is an extremely interesting documentary that really opened my eyes to how unfair things are for many families living in China. It doesn't go into great detail about political and economic situations, and it doesn't quite have a particular message to give.

Yung Chang quite simply presents to us the struggle of young Chinese people who go to work on a cruise-ship. More importantly, he details the detrimental effects the Three Gorges Dam is having on a poor family that lives by the Yangtze River, who will lose their home as the water rises.

Ratatouille (2007) - ★★★★

Director: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
Voice Actors: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofolo

Ratatouille is such a wonderful film. I think it probably has the least magic involved out of any Disney movie, yet it's more magical than most. Cooking suddenly becomes an enchanting world, where taste and smell are the two most important senses to a person (or rat). Hell, it made me want to eat and cook all night long. (I just ended up making jam on toast, but I was damn proud of what I achieved). I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, which won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. I wouldn't rate it one of Disney's best, but it's an awesome movie none the less.

Sicko (2007) - ★★★★½

Director: Michael Moore            Writer: Michael Moore

Sicko is a shocking documentary. Coming from Australia, I knew nothing about the US healthcare system. Michael Moore is notorious for having biased documentaries, but in the face of all the evidence he presents, this documentary holds up as truthful and genius. It's genius because the point Moore tries to make comes across as plausible and clear. This film proves that the healthcare system in the US is broken and shows us the who, what, when, where and why.

Zeitgeist (2007) - ★★★★★

Director: Peter Joseph
Writer: Peter Joseph

After watching Bill Maher's essentially anti-religion documentary 'Religulous' I told my friends that it was entertaining, funny and that it brings up valid points. One of them then asked if I'd seen Zeitgeist and told me that it was the most interesting documentary that I will ever see. He wasn't wrong.

Zeitgeist is controversial, intelligent and has a raw, amateurish feel about it. The documentary is split into three parts: i) Refuting religion. ii) The 9/11 conspiracy, essentially saying that the American Government was behind it all. iii) The rise of the power of banks and their stranglehold on the world.

The first part of the film aims to discredit religion, particularly taking aim at Christianity. It does this through showing all the 'hand-me-down' stories that were taken from ancient religions which are now part of the Christian belief. One way they did this is by comparing the Ancient Egyptian god of Horus to Jesus (there are unbelievable likenesses). There were many eye-opening and valid points that were made in this section of the video, which was the highlight of the documentary for me.

The second part aims to make the audience question the open and shut case that was 9/11. When I say 'open and shut,' I mean that a thorough investigation was not conducted and many loose ends were not tied. Once again this documentary gave a glimpse into many of the facts that the public weren't shown about the collapsing of the towers, in particular tower '7', which was not hit by a plane yet also collapsed. This film continued to intrigue me and ask questions.

Perhaps the most shocking and disturbing information in Zeitgeist for me was the way that the banks of America and around the world were presented. This film suggested that they were responsible for the US fighting in many wars, including WW1, WW2, Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan. It was very informative in regards to the history of the banks, and the suffering they caused the people during the depression back in early 20th century.

This is a well thought-out, plausible and unwaveringly interesting documentary. It has a long running time of nearly two hours, yet I was hooked from start to finish. I learnt many things that I would have otherwise been ignorant about, and I was compelled to start asking questions myself about religion, 9/11 and the control the banks have over the world. Although all the facts may not be correct, the arguments that are put forth are displayed clearly and effectively by the narrator. Everyone should see this film.

30 Days Of Night (2007) - ★½

Director: David Slade
Writers: Steve Niles
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster.

Barrow, Alaska. It is a cold, harsh winter. The town experiences 30 days of constant darkness. Throw in some vampires, ridiculous dialogue and some bad acting, then you have yet another thoroughly average horror movie.

Josh Hartnett and Melissa George play Eben and Stella Oleson, two very attractive police officers that happen to be very handy with a weapon even though they look like they've never been in a fight. When strange things start occurring in the town like a pile of burnt phones and a bunch of mutilated sleigh dogs, Eben Oleson finds it very 'strange,' as he keeps saying throughout the movie. The story, other than the town being overrun by vampires, is that he and his ex-wife are learning to love each other again through fighting them off. How completely original right?

The only good thing I can say about this movie is that the monsters are actually slightly frightnening. They're different from the same old run of the mill beautiful vampires we see in other movies such as Interview With The Vampire and Dracula; they were unpredictable and I liked that. There are some scenes that made me jump, however this was not enough to keep me interested in seeing what happens because it was a boring, predictable and an unrefined movie. Why can't modern horror movies focus more on character development and less on cheap scares? Just some food for thought.