Seriously, 2007 was 10 years ago? Believe it or not, some of our favorite films turn 10 this year. Sit back and reflect upon a decade ago with film titles such as “Ghost Rider” and “Music and Lyrics” in the mix.
“Ghost Rider”
Nicolas Cage stars as the literally hot-headed Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcycle rider who performs, and survives, numerous deadly exploits on a frequent basis. At 17, Blaze willingly exchanges his soul to Mephistopheles, the Devil, on the condition that the Devil cures Blaze’s father of cancer. The Devil does this, but Blaze’s father dies the next day in a motorcycle stunt. Angered, Blaze accuses the Devil of causing his father’s death, to which the Devil simply promises to see him again. Flash forward 21 years later, and Blaze is an accomplished stunt rider who runs into the girlfriend he abandoned, Roxanne, played by Eva Mendes. Meanwhile, the Devil’s son, Blackheart, played by Wes Bentley, has come to Earth looking for a lost contract and wreaks havoc in his wake, including officially turning Blaze into the Ghost Rider, a bone-headed, flame-ridden, motorcycle-riding nightmare for anyone who dares crosses his path. In a nutshell, Blaze must defeat Blackheart and his goons, save Roxanne, and make things right again in the world. All in a day’s work for the Ghost Rider. You don’t have to sell your soul to rent on Amazon or with Netflix DVD.
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“Wild Hogs”
In continuation with the motorcycle theme, 2007 also produced this hit starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy as four buddies who hit the open road with their respective motorcycles and find adventures along the way. The four friends, disillusioned with their mundane lives, decide to leave their Cincinnati suburb and head out to California together, each struggling with a different problem. Their misadventures include provoking a large biker gang and later inadvertently blowing up their bar. Later, this same biker gang terrorizes a nearby town, and the four friends decide to stand up to them and are later joined by the fed-up townsfolk. Comical, witty and downright entertaining, this film will make you laugh while teaching you lessons in friendship and what you can learn while out on the open road. Hitch a ride with a Starz subscription on Amazon.
“Music and Lyrics”
This romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore will have you singing a new tune when it comes to love, especially when it’s unexpected. Grant plays Alex Fletcher, a former ’80s pop star who is desperate to revive his fading career and manages to do so by agreeing to write a song for new pop sensation Cora Corman, played by Haley Bennett. Great with music but terrible with lyrics, Fletcher is in the middle of composing a song when he finds that the woman temporarily watering his plants, Sophie Fisher (Barrymore) has an uncanny knack for lyrics. He convinces her to help him write the song and so the journey begins. They grow closer, bonding as they write the song and both help each other through their mutual vice: the past. Fletcher learns to let go of his former self and chooses to live in the present while Fisher must move past her pain from a past relationship. Watch “Music and Lyrics” by renting on Amazon or with Netflix DVD.
“Surf’s Up”
A computer-animated mockumentary starring a surfing penguin. 2007 was not short on creativity. This film follows the story of 17-year-old penguin Cody Maverick, voiced by Shia LaBeouf, who has dreamed of becoming a surfer since legendary surfer “Big Z,” voiced by Jeff Bridges, visited his hometown in Antarctica. When a talent scout reaches his town looking for potential participants in the “Big Z Memorial” competition, Cody readily jumps at the life-changing opportunity. Maverick finds upon arriving at Pen Gu Island, the site of the contest, that he’s in over his head when it comes to competition. After failing the first day, he meets the “Geek,” who ultimately teaches him to be a better surfer and who is later revealed to be Big Z himself when everyone had previously believed him dead following a surfing accident. Maverick learns the true meaning of surfing while making friends and also helps Big Z realize that giving up years before was a mistake. Surf’s up on Hulu or on Amazon Video, dudes!
“Meet the Robinsons”
Lewis, voiced by Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry, is a 12-year-old brilliant scientist and inventor living in an orphanage, longing for a family of his own and for success with his inventions. When he scares off yet another couple with one of his inventions, he decides to invent something that will help him remember his mother, whom he believes is the only person to have ever loved him. He takes his invention, the memory scanner, to his school’s science fair, where he encounters Wilbur, voiced by Wesley Singerman, and through a series of events, Lewis discovers Wilbur is from the future and he himself winds up stuck in the future after their time machine breaks. Lewis is the only one who knows how to repair the machine, but before he fixes it, he meets Wilbur’s eccentric family and immediately finds himself at home, despite Wilbur’s attempts to convince Lewis to repair the machine. Wilbur and Lewis must also deal with the antics of the “Bowler Hat Guy,” voiced by Stephen J. Anderson, who works in cahoots with Doris, a helping hat voiced by Ethan Sandler, who is truly the mastermind behind the evil plans. Lewis must stop Doris and the Bowler Hat Guy, save the past and the future and learn the hard lesson that life is what you make it, not what was made for you. You can meet the Robinsons with a Starz subscription on Amazon.
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“Evan Almighty”
This fantasy comedy film stars Steve Carell as Evan Baxter, a former television news reporter newly elected to Congress who has just moved with his family to a fictional town in Virginia. Not long after arriving, Baxter begins experiencing strange things, like animals following him around and finding himself unable to shave off his beard. His friends and family worry that the pressure of Congress is getting to him when in actuality, God Himself has entrusted Baxter to build an ark, like Noah. Baxter refuses but eventually submits, and with some help from God, his family helps him build the ark. Somehow, Baxter manages to remain “successful, powerful, handsome and happy” in the film as he fulfills God’s will and proves to his friends and family that he is, in fact, sane after all while saving the day. Thank God you can rent this film on Amazon or Netflix DVD.
“P.S. I Love You”
Starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler as Holly and Gerry Kennedy, this movie both details how they fell in love while also portraying Holly’s grief following Gerry’s sudden death by brain tumor. Holly struggles to move on, withdrawing from friends and family, and holds onto Gerry’s memory, particularly through the posthumous letters she receives in various ways from Gerry himself to help her through her grief. Holly reflects on their relationship and how much he meant to her and worries over the times she spent arguing with him over nothing. Yet, she finds closure and in due course, processes her grief little by little while realigning herself with a normal routine surrounded by friends and family. P.S., you can watch this film with an HBO subscription on Amazon or on Amazon Video.
2007 offers other remarkable treasures such as “Ratatouille,” “Fred Claus,” “Zodiac,” “Gone Baby Gone,” “Dan in Real Life,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Because I Said So,” “Nancy Drew,” “The Game Plan,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Transformers” and “No Reservations,” among several other notables.
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