2007: A Year in Review

2007 was a great year not only in the world of movies and television but also for me personally.

For my job, I got to travel to Shanghai and I loved the experience of going to China and I also became an Aunt.

But this year, the movies and television also brought me much joy. I usually save the best for last but in this case I'll start with what was the highlight of the 2007television season for me and that was that I found the ONE. The one version of Jane Eyre to truly love thanks to Masterpiece Theatre's January 2007 presentation of Charlotte Bronte's classic tale. I have already blogged my thoughts on it when it first aired but I cannot reiterate I much I love the latest BBC version and the performances and chemistry of Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens.

Other TV loves include my continued love for the Amazing Race and continued enjoyment of How I Met Your Mother. In terms of new shows this year, I am thouroughly charmed by Pushing Daisies and beguiled by Lee Pace as Ned the pie maker. I am also crushing Zachary Levi as Chuck in NBC's Chuck. A great and funny comedy/spy show.

In BBC land, I am in love with the second series of Robin Hood (I believe North American audiences will get it in 2008 but thanks to You Tube I am seeing it now). Things to look forward to in 2008 is the end of the writers strike so I can get new episodes of Chuck, Pushing Daisies and How I Met Your Mother. On January 13, 2008 is the start of Masterpiece Theatre's presentation of the Complete Jane Austen with Gillian Anderson hosting it. I am most looking forward to seeing Andrew Davies' take on Sense and Sensibility. He did such a great job with Pride and Prejudice and I am curious to see what he does here (as I think Emma Thompson did a fantastic job with Sense and Sensibility in 1995 -the movie that first introduced me to Kate Winslet). Also this year on Masterpiece Theatre is a new version of A Room With A View and My Boy Jack starring Daniel Radcliffe.

Speaking of Radcliffe, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix in IMAX is one of my cinematic experience highlights of 2007. Seeing the final 20 minutes of the film in 3D made the movie awesome.

As for my favourite films of 2007, there were many (and I saw a lot this year) I don't know if I have a list of top 10 films as I don't think I saw enough to make a top 10 list but I can do a list of the films that captured my heart and that I want to add to my DVD collection.

The number one movie that did that to me was Once the independent Irish film about a busker and Czech immigrant who meet and make beautiful music together. It is simple film making done very well and I love the songs to it. After seeing the movie, I immediately went home and bought the soundtrack on iTunes.

Ratatouille was also another one of those movies that had me at hello. As soon as I saw Remy and Patton Oswalt's voice coming out of him, I loved the film about a rat in Paris who loves to cook.

The Simpson's Movie was another delight this year. I saw it theatres and laughed my butt off. I chose to see it on a flight and still laughed and saw it for a third time as my flight had that as the movie and still laughed. After seeing it three times and I still laughed, you have to own that movie.

Then there was Juno. The funny, sharp and sarcastic dialogue was great. Ellen Page's delivery of them was awesome and the fact that it was filmed in Vancouver was also awesome.

In terms of 2008, there is only two movies I am for sure going to see in theatres (I am sure there is going to be more but right now there is just two). The first one comes out May 16, 2008 and that is Prince Caspian, the second film in the Chronicles of Narnia series and then on November 21, 2008 is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

As some people may know, I am not much of a reader and I usually only read a book if I know a movie version is coming out of it but a literary highlight for me was standing in line for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, It was something I had to do since it was the last book and it was an amazing experience to be surrounded by Harry Potter fans. It was also surreal for me to stay up pretty much all night reading about 200 pages (I only started at 2am then slept for a bit but started reading again at 6am to about 8am) In total I finished the novel in 24 hours (with a break to work and sleep). I didn't want it to end but I was satisfied with how JK Rowling ended the series.

I hope everyone had a great 2007 and 2008 will be just as awesome.