My top four films of 2007 have almost all come from movies that have been released in the last three months: “3:10 to Yuma,” “Eastern Promises,” “American Gangster,” and last March’s “Zodiac.”

I’ve long considered “Zodiac” the best of the set, until I watched “American Gangster” for the second time. I believe all of these films will win some serious awards, and one of them will be an Oscar winner for Best Picture. While each of these films deals with different subject material, there are a few common bonds that make them stand out from the other films that are out there.

All of these films are character studies. I love character studies. “Eastern Promises” is about Nikolai and Kiril. “3:10 to Yuma” is the dynamic between Ben Wade and Dan Evans. “Zodiac” is about Robert Graysmith, how he ticks, and how might the Zodiac killer himself work mentally. As for “American Gangster,” Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts are set on a collision course with each other.

None of these films waste a scene. That is one of the things I look for in a movie. Do the filmmakers make the best use of all of their time? The answer is a definite yes there. The movies also have good writing behind them, with lots of character depth. It shows in “Eastern Promises,” where dialogue is also used well. It allows the viewer to know that the characters on screen are close. It also shows they have a strong relationship to one another without having to spell everything out for us.

These films also have good trailers, which may not be considered that important later, but I think it is. The trailers for each of these films got my attention, especially the trailer for “Eastern Promises.” Viggo Mortensen just looked like a bad news type. “Zodiac” had the appeal of showing a terrified San Francisco in the 1960s. “3:10 to Yuma” and “American Gangster” had dramatic tension in their trailers, which made them look appealing.