Roger Ebert has been alive like never before in his work as of late. So I’ve been greatly anticipating his views on the year’s best.
Unfortunately, he’s divided his list into mainstream and independent films, so it’s a top 20, and neither in any order.
Maybe keeping things simple like that and not so authoritative with painstaking rankings is the way to go. I’ve been considering it for a long time.
Anyway, the most interesting inclusions on his mainstream list are “The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” “Crazy Heart” and “Knowing.” On the indie side, “Departures,” “Goodbye Solo” and “Trucker.”
Check out the rest at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Comments
19 responses to “Roger Ebert’s top 10 list(s)”
In what world is Bad Lieutenant a mainstream film though?
I love you Roger, dearly. But can you PLEASE just be a conformist for a day and do a traditional Top 10? This kind of thing frustrates me to no end.
Strange list as expected from Ebert. A lot of these were expected, like The Hurt Locker but even though I knew he loved Knowing, I’m surprised to see it on the list. I think Ebert is a great writer but he falls for sentimental schmaltz way too much. I enjoy reading his reviews and blog posts as much as the next guy but I don’t trust his opinions and I rarely agree with him. I remember Kris saying that a 4 star review from Ebert doesn’t mean anything anymore and I completely agree.
Well, at least he didn’t include Watchmen on that list of ‘mainstream’ movies. That was a lot worse than Knowing.
I’m just glad his hyperbolic rave about Michelle Monaghan never picked up any significant Oscar buzz.
His definition of mainstream is very bizarre.
I may be one of the few people who agrees with him about KNOWING.
I too was wondering what on earth Bad Lieutenant was doing on the mainstream list.. Maybe it’s the closest to mainstream Werner Herzog can get, but has he ever done anything remotely close to mainstream?
Some pretty good picks though, and as usual he manages to toss some movie in there to break away from the pack (Knowing), and even if I often disagree you have to admire that he sticks to his guns.
I’m one of the few who detected brilliance in KNOWING. What an incredibly well-made, often surprising thriller.
Maybe its me but it wasn’t that long ago when critics would introduce readers to movies in their best of list that the reader would then be intrigued to seek out. Have to say Ebert’s lists both indie and mainstream are pretty mundane but at least he included Julia.
How, exactly, is not conforming to ten “frustrating”? As a critic I think it’s liberating (along with alphabetical rankings), and as a reader/viewer it’s empowering.
I think there are many valid grounds upon which the list may be discussed, dissected, or debated, but I remain oblivious to why going beyond ten is really, in the end, that big of a deal.
Why on EARTH is Knowing on the list? It was BAD!
What the hell…
Actress Brittany Murphy dies at 32 of heart attack
m1 did you even see it. The kneejerk reaction I see leads me to believe you did not. Ohhhh it’s a Nicolas Cage movie and OMG it’s sci-fi, ugh!
@BurmaShave: Yes. Of course I saw it! I wouldn’t have said that if I hadn’t! It was very boring with a plot that eventually became ridiculous. Oh gee, that reminds me of another movie that was bad…Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen! This has NOT been a good year for action movies. Of course, we can only HOPE Sherlock Holmes turned out well…
@Gustavo H.R.: Yes it was surprising. Surprisingly bad!
Guys, Ebert has The White Ribbon on his mainstream list. I can see how Bad Lieutenant might be considered a little bit mainstream, but I can’t imagine how anyone could possible consider The White Ribbon to be mainstream in any way.
Knowing? It couldn’t even decided what film it wanted to be an apocalyptic thriller, a Kirk Cameron crazy-fest, or Nic Cage vehicle.
So glad to see TRUCKER made Ebert’s final list. I wasn’t surprised after his four star rave review. I agree with him that the director made a “powerful debut” with this film. When I saw it, I was shocked at how strongly people in the audience reacted to the film. I am not one to cry during films, but it got me bad. I felt better when I saw an old guy two rows up losing it. (Spoiler: father son deathbed scene). I am heartened to see a great independent film like TRUCKER getting so much recognition. BTW, Roger Ebert is far from the only one raving about Michelle Monaghan’s incredible performance. Check out Kurt Loder’s year end wrap-up. Trucker made the cut and he even singled out the screenplay. Pretty amazing kudos for a film made for so little money and what looks like essentially no press! I predict it will do great on DVD. Even though I already saw it, I will rent it when it hits netflix in January.