1408 (2007)

1408 (2007)

[5] This haunted hotel room flick, based on a short story by Stephen King, brings nothing new to the haunted house subgenre. It even veers straight into cliches like dramatic temperature changes, ghostly images of murders past, and (my favorite)…
Hot Rod (2007)

Hot Rod (2007)

[4] Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg stars in this comedy about an aspiring stunt man trying to raise money for his step-father's heart transplant. I like Samberg, but he isn't quite charismatic or funny enough to carry this particular movie…
American Gangster (2007)

American Gangster (2007)

[6] Ridley Scott directs from a script by Steven Zaillian this true story about a New York detective (Russell Crowe) and a drug lord (Denzel Washington) whose paths cross in the 1970s to expose deep-rooted corruption in the police force.…
Fracture (2007)

Fracture (2007)

[6] Ryan Gosling plays a young prosecutor pitted against slicker-than-snot Anthony Hopkins, representing himself in a trial where he's accused of murdering his wife. Hopkins is about to get away with everything, but Gosling is determined to poke a hole…
Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)

Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)

[8] Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro give terrific, Oscar-caliber performances in this film about a widowed mother who invites her late husband's friend, a recovering drug addict, to stay with her. I was moved by the struggle of two…
Across the Universe (2007)

Across the Universe (2007)

[7] Across the Universe follows a group of young people who come of age against the turbulent backdrop of the 1960s. The film is set to a constant stream of rejiggered Beatles tunes, which allows director Julie Taymor (Broadway's The…
Hairspray (2007)

Hairspray (2007)

[8] This version of Hairspray disarms you from the very beginning notes of "Good Morning, Baltimore" and builds to one of the most joyful finales of any movie in recent memory. The musical numbers are all superbly choreographed and staged…
Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

[7] Two Boston detectives try to solve the mystery of a missing girl in this tight dramatic thriller from director Ben Affleck. Yeah, Ben Affleck. Who knew? Strong performances from Casey Affleck, Ed Harris, and Amy Ryan. I like how…
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

[7] Ryan Gosling stars as Lars, a young man who begins seriously dating a life-size doll. His friends and family are instructed by a doctor to go along with it until they can figure out why he has engaged in…
The Mist (2007)

The Mist (2007)

[8] Frank Darabont dives back into the Stephen King well and comes out with a winner. The Mist is about a disparate group of people who end up trapped together in the local grocery store when a strange, scary mist…