BEST OF MOVIES: PT Anderson, Sean Penn make the year past a classic one

Top 5 of 2007

“The Lives of Others”
This Oscar-winner packs the entertainment value of a summer blockbuster while maintaining the quality of an art-house gem.

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
An epic, thoughtful look at idolatry and its consequences. From a technical standpoint, it’s the best movie of 2007.

“Into the Wild”
The most inspiring film of the year shows a deeply personal journey that makes life worth living for one man.

“There Will Be Blood”
“There Will Be Blood” follows the making of a monster in a quest for wealth and power.
The film belongs to Daniel Day-Lewis, who cements his place as the greatest living actor today.

“The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”
A documentary about two men competing to set the record in Donkey Kong. Definitely the most entertaining film of 2007.

5 To Look For in 2008

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford return for the fourth installment in the series.

“The Dark Knight”
Heath Ledger plays a very twisted version of the Joker in a decidedly darker take on the Batman story.

“Blindness”
“City of God” director adapts a Nobel Prize-winning novel about a plague of “white blindness” that infects everyone.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Director David Fincher adapts an F. Scott Fitzgerald story about a man who begins to age backwards.

“Burn After Reading”
The Coen Brothers, George Clooney and Brad Pitt show what happens when a CIA disk falls into the wrong hands.

Gabe Habash may be contacted at s.habash1@umiami.edu.