THE WAR ON DEMOCRACY
After much scrutiny the moment has come to reveal our favorite cinematographic offerings of 2007. We have chosen 60 movies that, in our opinion, represent the best of a year in movies.
The first part (Top 60-41) after the jump:
2007 Film Review: The Rest
SIETE MESAS (DE BILLAR FRANCES)
The ones that didn’t make our selection, after the jump.
La lista de peliculas que se quedaron a las puertas de nuestra selección, a continuación.
2007 Film Review: Deceptions & Guilty Pleasures
The lower ranks in our movies of the year list are populated by those ones we were eagerly awaiting for but didn’t match our high expectations: big-budget productions aiming at the Oscar; the newest spoiled kids of the international festival circuit whose works were acclaimed, rather senselessly, as masterpieces and some other feature films elevated by critics or advertisers that, without being terrible, didn’t fulfil their promise.
On the flip side of the cinematic coin, the year wasn’t short of blockbusters, sequels, b-movies and minor comedies that against all initial prejudice and their “déjà vu” scent surprised us for not being bad at all.
After the jump, the ying and the yang of a year in movies.
2007 Repaso De Cine: Decepciones y Pecadillos
Por debajo en nuestra lista de películas del año, se encuentran aquellas que esperabamos con ansiedad, pero no estuvieron a la altura de las espectativas: alguna superproducción de cara al Oscar; nuevos niños mimados del circuito de festivales cuyos filmes fueron cacareados, un tanto a la ligera, como obras maestras y otros largometrajes que la critica o la publicidad ensalzaron y que, sin ser malos, no cumplieron con lo que de ellos se prometía.
En la otra cara de la moneda, no faltaron aquellos blockbusters, secuelas, series B y comedietas menores que contra nuestros prejuicios iniciales y su tufillo a viejuno “ya visto” nos sorprendieron por no estar tan mal.
A continuación, el ying y el yang de un año de cine:
2007 Film Review: The Worst (Lo Peor)
“300” Spoof
El 2007 no pasará a la historia por su cine. En Europa al menos, quizás porque las películas que aspiraban a premios el año pasado se estrenaron en buena parte antes de finalizar el 2006 y las que lo hacen ahora no se han estrenado aún.
Comenzamos el repaso de cine con los descalabros artisticos que mas nos han disgustado, incluyendo ambiciones desmedidas en viajes a espacio-temporales y búsquedas existencialistas; Narrativas Imposibles; Secuelas que ya hieden; Argumentos Sin Pies Ni Cabeza; Julianne Moore en un fiasco de ciencia-ficcion; Tomas de amaneceres de seis minutos y casi ningún dialogo; Fascistoides adaptaciones de comic y ese inolvidablemente camp rey Xerxes. En el 2008 Hubo películas mucho peores que estos 10 selectos horrores, pero nuestra generalmente intachable intuición nos impidió ir a verlas. ¿Cuáles fueron aquellas que vimos cuando el sexto sentido nos falló?
2008 won’t be remembered for film quality. Maybe because, at least in Europe, most of the award-hopeful movies were released before 2006 ended, whereas this years’ haven’t been launched yet.
We begin this cinematic review with those creative crashes that disgusted us the most, including unfulfilled ambitions in space/time travel and existential searches; Impossible Narratives; Stinky Sequels; Senseless Plots; Julianne Moore in a sci-fi fiasco; Six-minute sunrise shots plus barely any dialogues; Fascistoid comic adaptations and that unforgettably camp King Xerxes. In 2008 there were much worse movies than these 10 selected turkeys, but our normally impeccable intuition prevented us from watching them. However ¿Which were the ones we saw when our sixth sense failed?
2007 Year-End Review: Top 100 Albums 25-1
BATTLES
The waiting is over. The circle is completed with Collectives and their Members; Supergroups; Innovators and Traditionalists; Nomad Formations; Marketing Lecturers; An egoless DJ..eeeh?; Sonic Terrorists…
The 25 chosen ones are at just a mouse’s click.
2007 Resumen Del Año: Top 100 Albums 25-1
LOS PLANETAS
La espera terminó. El círculo se cierra con colectivos y sus miembros; Renovadores y Tradicionalistas; Supergrupos todos; Formaciones itinerantes; Lecciones de marketing; Un DJ sin ego..¿eeeh?; Terroristas sonoros…
Los 25 elegidos están a sólo un clic de ratón.
2007 Year-End Review: Top 100 Albums 50-26
THE NATIONAL
Pearly Kings and Queens; Disco Divas; Balearic Tourists; Electronic Masterpieces: Catholic chants and lots of Eighties retro? This must be the second quarter in our top 100 albums’ countdown.
2007 Year-End Review: Top 50 Compilations & Re-Issues
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM@ASTORIA
Let’s take a break in the middle of our Top 100 countdown to have a look at the best old music released, compiled, remixed or covered during the past twelve months. Among our selection: Renowned labels’ anniversaries; proof of the good health the deluxe format is enjoying; mixtapes; soundtracks and our favorite robots.
The Top 50 Best Compilations & Reissues of 2007 after the jump
2007 Resumen del año: Top 50 Recopilaciones/Re-ediciones
DAFT PUNK
Hacemos una pausa a mitad de nuestra cuenta atrás de los discos del año para dar un repaso a la mejor música no nueva que se ha publicado, recopilado, remezclado o versionado durante los últimos doce meses. Entre nuestra selección, aniversarios de sellos emblemáticos; numerosas muestras de la buena salud por la que pasa el formato deluxe; mixtapes; bandas sonoras y nuestros robots favoritos.
La lista de 50 MEJORES RECOPILACIONES/REEDICIONES DEL 2007 tras el salto.
2007 Year-End Review: Top 100 Albums 75-51
M.I.A.
Welcome to the second quarter of our chart, formed by a couple of long awaited returns; several minor misteps; a prolific genie; a few hip-hop “saviours”; lots of new folk and some golden ocasions to drop the words “chamber pop”.
All of that and more, after the jump.
2007 Resumen Del Año: Top 100 Albums 75-51
PJ HARVEY
Bienvenidos al segundo cuarto de nuestra lista. Lo forman un par de retornos de campanillas; algún que otro traspiés; un genio prolifico; unos cuantos “salvadores” del hip-hop, mucho folk del nuevo y varias ocasiones de oro para utilizar las palabras “pop de cámara”.
Todo ello, tras el salto.
2007 Year-End Review: Top 100 Albums 100-76
DEERHOOF
It’s that time of the year to look back and think about the sounds, the images and the sources of entertainment that we have enjoy during the last twelve months.
2007 has been more interesting for the flood of changes afecting the music industry, than for the music itself: Internet has consolidated a new way to discover, consume and enjoy it; reigniting the torch of the indie spirit as it was experienced during the 80’s in Great Britain and pushing a new generation of emerging bands towards the mainstream. Meanwhile, it was all doom and gloom for the remaining four majors, who began to watch their biggest stars abandoning its sinking ship to fall in the arms of live promoters, café franchisers or anybody else prepared to pay the exorbitant sums they are accustomed to. Some others, with Radiohead headlining, took the DIY route, sowing the seed of a small media revolution, with extraordinary results.
Few records could be hailed as future classics. Albeit a considerable number of releases coming from all genres with above average quality made of 2007 an excellent year.
After the jump, our countdown of the Best 100 albums of 2007 begins. Every one of them linked to as much audivisual material as we could find in the net for it: