The first great film of 2007

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others.

I know some will classify it as a 2006 release but throughout the majority of the world (including America) it was released this year.

So, yeah. Really great movie this one. Everything about it so good. The direction, the screenplay (also by Donnersmarck, the man with the coolest name in the biz right now), the acting by Muhe, Koch, Gedeck and Bauer. The cinematography and music, even down to the smooth and well-paced editing. That last 20 minutes sure does pack a punch. In fact, those final moments are quite touching and beautiful. It's always nice to see a movie that isn't based on a book, a real person, a tv series, another movie, a play or something else. One where you have no idea what's going to happen. A-

We already have a strong contender for 2007's top five!

Also, it totally deserved to kick Pan's Labyrinth to the side for that Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. I really liked Labyrinth, but this one had so much more.