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While I saw perhaps 10 films in the theater this year, I found it to be a decent year overall. The return of the adult (rated R) comedy with 'Superbad' and 'Knocked Up' ushered in some surprise hits, and Judd Apatow created from the heart characters while deftly planting one-liners. The Affleck wonder twins seem to have found their place, with Ben behind the camera and Casey in front of it during 'Gone Baby Gone'. I loved 'Into the Wild', and with a creative score by Eddie Vedder coupled with unmatched landscapes, it shows how bright Sean Penn really is. Emile Hirch is fantastic as Christopher McCandless (not perfect), and his innocence and naivete are gut-wrenching, portraying a young man similar to what a more reckless and lost pchippy might have been like 15 years ago. (Thankfully pchippy is still very much with us.) But I really want to discuss the "Film of the Year". It is true toss up, for me, between the Daniel Day-Lewis tour de force 'There will be Blood' and the Coen's 'No Country for Old Men'. Day-Lewis has passion and true character sense, breathing new life into Paul Thomas Anderson's reworking of 'Citizen Kane'. It was a draining story and practically a biography, though fictional. Shot superbly with an unique soundscape (thank you Jonny Greenwood!), 'There will be Blood' hits all the right notes, reminding us that some people do not change, and a protagonist need not be the "good guy". Yet when it's said and done 'No Country for Old Men' will be the DVD I reach for. All the roles are filled with intelligence, and the plot drives us through Western Texas, visually, sonically and emotionally. Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh is a better unstoppable killer than any found in Schwarzenegger flicks. The time period and over-the-top weaponry added instead of detracted to the suspense and drama that the Coen brothers are known for. I see nothing here to complain about; editing, acting, script, and camera work are exactly what make good story telling. While 'The Big Lebowski' maybe the Coen film I've seen the most times, I won't be surprised if this soon becomes #2. Quick note: I have not seen 'Ratatouille', which made it onto many top 5 of 2007 lists, and I bet that I love it too.