The Bourne Ultimatum 2007
A Chris Ryan favorite from the initial rundown.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Roundtable
Was 2007 the Best Year for Film? | The Big Picture (Ep. 40)
December 15, 2017/ 41 min/ Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan · Andy Greenwald
Ten years out, Sean Fennessey sits down with Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald to argue that 2007 was the best year for movies this century, and to figure out why it might never happen again.
34 films across 11 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
Setting the Scene: 2007the year, rattled off cold
Eastern Promises 2007
Transformers 2007
The year's biggest grosser; Andy argues the Michael Bay CGI-brawl style broke the old rules of legible action geography.
Ratatouille 2007
Into the Wild 2007
Atonement 2007
Best Picture nominee alongside No Country, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, and Juno.
The Mount Rushmore of 2007Zodiac, There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton
Zodiac 2007
Misunderstood on release, grown in stature since as Downey, Ruffalo, and Gyllenhaal became stars and Fincher's reputation solidified.
There Will Be Blood 2007
Michael Clayton 2007
Apatow's MomentSuperbad, Knocked Up, and the studio-comedy boom
Knocked Up 2007
Superbad 2007
Juno 2007
Diablo Cody's script, tarred and praised as the next Little Miss Sunshine; grossed $200-300 million on a story about a pregnant teenager.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin 2005
Apatow's directing debut two years earlier, a hard-R comedy without stars that Hollywood only bet on after it hit.
Box Office vs. the Canonthe top 10 grossers of a very different year
Spider-Man 3 2007
Made $890 million worldwide despite being considered a failure, thanks partly to the emo dance sequence.
Shrek the Third 2007
300, Beowulf, and the Fanboy Turnthe year before Iron Man and The Dark Knight changed the business
Actors Taking a Chancestars using their capital on 70s-style character pieces
Gone Baby Gone 2007
Ben Affleck's directing debut, adapted from Dennis Lehane, credited here with restarting his career.
Enchanted 2007
A huge hit that helped launch Amy Adams, cited as an example of how few 2007 films were directed by women.
The Try-Hard Oscar Moviesbuilt in a lab to matter
Lions for Lambs 2007
Robert Redford's Tom Cruise/Meryl Streep drama, cited as an on-the-nose attempt to be the movie of the moment.
Charlie Wilson's War 2007
Mike Nichols directing an Aaron Sorkin script for Tom Hanks; called a highly imperfect, deliberately Oscar-season production.
Cult Classics and the Last Great DVD Yearmovies that found their audience after the theater
Sunshine 2007
Danny Boyle's sci-fi film, made about $32 million theatrically before becoming a cult favorite.
30 Days of Night 2007
The Mist 2007
Favorite Movies of 2007 one critic, one pick (or two)
Picked by Andy Greenwald
Michael Clayton 2007
Picked as the writer's movie: Tony Gilroy, a veteran script doctor, casting George Clooney against type as an overlooked fixer in a story that foreshadows the 2008 economic collapse.
Picked by Chris Ryan
Zodiac 2007
A reluctant pick since he'd already spent a rewatchables episode on it that same week.
Picked by Chris Ryan
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 2007
A shoutout pick for Andrew Dominik's troubled production, Roger Deakins's cinematography, and a Brad Pitt performance he calls one of Pitt's best.
Picked by Sean Fennessey
There Will Be Blood 2007
"Certainly the best movie of the century, maybe the best movie ever made."
No Country for Old Men's Overdue Oscarthe Coens finally win, at art-house Oscars that changed the rules
No Country for Old Men 2007
Won Best Picture at what's cited as one of the lowest-rated Oscar telecasts ever, prompting the Academy to expand the Best Picture field to 10 nominees the following year. Cormac McCarthy's novel was, per Andy, close to a ready-made screenplay.
There Will Be Blood: The Best Movie of the CenturySean's pick, dissected
There Will Be Blood 2007
Paul Thomas Anderson's Upton Sinclair adaptation, funded by Paramount Vantage for about $15 million; praised for a silent, Jonny Greenwood-scored opening and an ending with no explanatory speech.
Also mentioned raised along the way
In passing Mr. Bean's HolidayLittle Miss SunshineThor: RagnarokThe Polar ExpressWatchmenThe Adventures of TintinThe Cutting EdgeTrue GritCall Me by Your NameLa La LandThe Bridges of Madison CountyMiller's CrossingFight ClubThe Social NetworkThe GraduateBoogie NightsPunch-Drunk LoveMagnoliaPhantom ThreadWorld Trade CenterThe VerdictAssassin's CreedGet OutThe PostKilling Them SoftlyGirls TripMcCabe & Mrs. MillerThe Godfather
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV American IdolMad MenThe SopranosThe WireFreaks and Geeks