The Movie Club Redux, Part 21: The Good Outweighs the Bad

TO: Boltron, Lin, Levi
FROM: Tavis
RE: Bucket of Norbit

I often find a week after the Academy Awards I have difficulty remembering what actually won. It's not that my mental reflexes have slowed down—no, that's not it at all!—but I think it has more to do with selective attention, and only retaining that which is important. If you want to attempt to make a strong case for the importance of awards shows, go ahead—I'll be over here gazing at my navel. Though I will admit that sometimes I can be a sucker for an entertaining quip or heart-felt thanks from the podium. (I thought this recent acceptance speech from Daniel Day-Lewis was refreshingly sincere and well-spoken.)

So, what will remain? Watching Richard Roeper and Michael Philips' "worst of" list on At the Movies, I realized that maybe this is the first year in recent memory where the best films out-weigh the "bottom of the Bucket List" of crap-made films. (I shouldn't make such a dig at The Bucket List, I haven't seen it—and most likely won't…ever.) For every Norbit and Wild Hogs, there was a There Will Be Blood or No Country for Old Men. Where there was Good Luck Chuck, we also had Michael Clayton. And if it weren't for Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen I probably wouldn't have laughed as hard as I did. And when films like Once and Ratatouille are released in the same year it just makes you smile.

I would have been happy if only a handful of the best films this year had been released—it was almost too much of a good thing—I still have more to see! I hope 2007 doesn't make 2008 look bad by comparison, but I think it will be difficult to match the quality we saw this past year.

Thanks to Boltron for hosting this Movie Club discussion.