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Extended Readers Poll Results: The Best Movies of 2007

This year Messrs. Coen, Coen, Anderson, and Fincher appear to have induced a total mind meld, with their films netting the same top slots in our Readers’ Poll as in last issue’s survey of critics. Beyond the big three, our readers voted in fuller force for the year’s comedies, from the bittersweet (#14) to the Apatovian (#19). Gone Baby Gone (#29) was rescued from rank(less) oblivion, and the neowestern quiddity of that Jesse James flick (#7) found ever more converts.

In the March/April issue, we printed the Top 30; here are the Top 50. The numbers in parentheses indicate the films’ rankings in our Critics’ Poll. Click here for this year’s selection of readers’ comments, rants, and raves.

1. No Country for Old Men Joel & Ethan Coen, U.S. (1)
2. There Will Be Blood P.T. Anderson, U.S. (2)
3. Zodiac David Fincher, U.S. (3)
4. Eastern Promises David Cronenberg, U.K./Canada (9)
5. I’m Not There Todd Haynes, U.S./Germany (5)
6. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Julian Schnabel, France/U.S. (16)
7. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Andrew Dominik, U.S. (24)
8. The Lives of Others Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany (11)
9. Ratatouille Brad Bird/Jan Pinkava, U.S. (21)
10. Michael Clayton Tony Gilroy, U.S. (13)
11. Once John Carney, Ireland (32)
12. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead Sidney Lumet, U.S. (15)
13. Into the Wild Sean Penn, U.S. (33)
14. The Darjeeling Limited Wes Anderson, U.S. (39)
15. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Cristian Mungiu, Romania (8)
16. Juno Jason Reitman, U.S. (33)
17. Killer of Sheep Charles Burnett, U.S. (6)
18. Away from Her Sarah Polley, Canada (17)
19. Superbad Greg Mottola, U.S. (44)
20. Black Book Paul Verhoeven, Neth./Ger./Bel. (12)
21. Syndromes and a Century Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/Austria/France (4)
22. Hot Fuzz Edgar Wright, U.K./France (31)
23. The Bourne Ultimatum Paul Greengrass, U.S. (13)
24. Grindhouse Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino, U.S. (25)
25. Sweeney Todd Tim Burton, U.S. (37)
26. The Host Bong Joon-ho, South Korea (23)
27. Persepolis Marjane Satrapi/Vincent Paronnaud, France (22)
28. The Savages Tamara Jenkins, U.S. (28)
29. Gone Baby Gone Ben Affleck, U.S. (—)
30. No End in Sight Charles Ferguson, U.S. (14)
31. Atonement Joe Wright, U.K./France (43)
32. Knocked Up Judd Apatow, U.S. (37)
33. Margot at the Wedding Noah Baumbach, U.S. (26)
34. I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone Tsai Ming-liang, Malaysia/China/Taiwan/France/Austria (19)
35. The Wind That Shakes the Barley Ken Loach, Ireland/U.K./Germany/Italy/Spain/France (46)
36. 3:10 to Yuma James Mangold, U.S. (47)
37. This Is England Shane Meadows, U.K. (—)
38. Rescue Dawn Werner Herzog, U.S. (48)
39. Control Anton Corbijn, U.K./U.S./Australia/Japan (42)
40. Death Proof Quentin Tarantino, U.S. (—)
41. Lust, Caution Ang Lee, U.S./Tai./Ch./HK (40)
42. Sicko Michael Moore, U.S. (35)
43. Sunshine Danny Boyle, U.K. (—)
44. Offside Jafar Panahi, Iran (18)
45. Lady Chatterley Pascale Ferran, France/Belgium (7)
46. Paprika Satoshi Kan, Japan (—)
47. Brand Upon the Brain! Guy Maddin, U.S./Canada (34)
48. American Gangster Ridley Scott, U.S. (—)
49. Colossal Youth Pedro Costa, Fr./Port./Switz. (10)
50. Bug William Friedkin, U.S. (49)