Flashback 2007: My top 10 favorite movies from 10 years ago

I remember thinking that 2007 was a particularly strong year for movies, particularly darker-themed, brooding thrillers that tested the boundaries of audience sympathy for their "heroes," even though the year's biggest hits were still big sequels and kid-friendly fare.

I remember being especially pleased by the triumph of the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men at the following year's Oscars. The film and its directors were definitely deserving -- but it wasn't the type of film that typically takes home Hollywood's biggest prize.

It was, for all intents and purposes, an existentialist neo-western (it turns out 2007 was a good year for that genre) with an ending which defied expectations for the kinds of third act shoot out which typify the crime genre.

10) 3:10 to Yuma - The rare remake, that in my opinion, surpasses the original. I was late to this one, was always surprised by how well received it was critically until I finally saw it and realized it was one of the more solid, efficient and well-acted attempts at a traditional western in years. Notoriously grumpy actors Christian Bale and Russell Crowe make an unlikely good team, but the real standout here is Ben Foster, who shows early signs of the genius he'd display later in Hell or High Water.

9) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Everyone is gushing over Casey Affleck's performance in Manchester By the Sea, but for my money his most affecting work may be in this little-seen, gorgeous-looking revisionist western, which focuses on an unlikable, self-involved side character who asserts himself into history by stabbing a would-be confidant in the back. The film's mouthful of a title probably doomed it, but it has stood the test of time for a reason.

8) Once - I've been pretty vocal about my distaste for most overtly romantic movies. I have nothing against romance of course, but as a genre they tend to lack in real tension or suspense. But this beautiful little Irish musical rises above cliches with a strong streak of authenticity (the stars were in love at the time) and some truly exhilarating performances (both actors were also singer-songwriters). Even if the true life story didn't work out so well, it's a very rewarding viewing experience.

Don Cheadle in Ocean's Thirteen

7) Ocean's Thirteen - I have always been an enormous fan and defender of this trilogy, particularly the much maligned Ocean's Twelve. And for those who were put off by that, admittedly more indulgent entry, this finale was a great return to form for George Clooney and company. They return to what they do best -- knocking off Vegas casinos -- and Al Pacino is a game adversary as a Steve Wynn type egomaniac. However, the real scene-stealer in the movie may be Don Cheadle in his wacko Evil Knievel jumpsuit.

6) Grindhouse - I was stunned then and now that Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's double-header homage to the trash cinema of their youth bombed with audiences. Both of their installments are incredibly funny, shocking and audacious. Perhaps film-goers weren't sure what to make of films that at times dared to be intentionally amateurish. Although Death Proof has some of Tarantino's more annoying tics, it contains a truly great Kurt Russell performance and one of the best car chases of all time. And Rodriguez's underrated Planet Terror is a far better zombie movie homage than The Walking Dead is.

5) American Gangster - One of my favorite all-time Denzel Washington performances anchors this epic biopic about Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas. His is a study of cool, and much more intense than his previous more villainous role in Training Day. His opposition is led by a disheveled Russell Crowe as a crusading narcotics cop. Their clash generates real sparks, as does this well-scored and shot period picture. This film is so good, Jay-Z made one of his best albums because he was inspired by it.

4) Michael Clayton - This is perhaps the last great legal thriller of the past several years, and it stands out because not a word or scene is wasted. Here, George Clooney leads an impeccable cast -- including Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton in a terrific Oscar-winning performance, in a whip smart movie that is part character study, part commentary on corporate malfeasance. Clooney in particular stretches here as an actor in new and exciting ways, in what may be his best role to date, and the haunting final shot, fixed on his stoic face, is unforgettable.

Michael Clayton's last shot

3) Zodiac - Director David Fincher's ambitious recounting of the exhaustive media and police hunt for the infamous Zodiac killer in the late 60s and 70s is one the decade's great crime films. Its genuinely scary and labyrinthine plot keeps springing surprises on you. The performances are excellent across the board -- especially Mark Ruffalo as an exasperated cop -- and the atmosphere is note perfect. This is the perfect meeting of a filmmaker and material, and the film had me obsessively reading on the subject matter that inspired it for weeks after I saw it.

2) No Country for Old Men - The iconic Coen brothers finally won their first, well-deserved, Best Director Oscar for this grisly, existentialist film about a nobody (played by Josh Brolin) whose fateful decision to take some cash abandoned at a crime scene sets off a wild series of events and makes him a target for one of the most terrifying villains in film history -- a bowl cut wearing Javier Bardem. Like all Coen brothers films, it's deeply, darkly funny and has lots of culture-based, observational humor. But this Cormac McCarthy adaptation is also very serious and a mournful look at how our society has embraced chaos over chivalry. Tommy Lee Jones is genius in this movie, and deserved Oscar recognition.

1) There Will Be Blood - One of the towering films of the decade, and one of the best performances of all time -- Daniel Day-Lewis' profound, larger than life take on the fictional oil baron Daniel Plainview. Besides introducing the "I drink your milkshake" meme, this movie is a total middle finger to conventional movie making. The "hero" is relentlessly malicious, even mad, the story focuses on early 20th century oil prospecting and has a bleak, violent ending -- and yet its incredibly entertaining, incisive and smart. This movie about the dark heart of America has even more resonance today and will be a film worth studying in the years to come.