Let’s just start right out with the obvious: Roget Ebert is a world famous critic with millions of fans (and dollars) and I’m not. He has a Pulitzer Prize, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his own television show. I have a computer and a word processing program. I think I might have about six fans and most of the feedback I get starts out with, “I know you’re trying to be funny, but you’re really a douchebag…” which I can’t really disagree with. That insightful analysis aside, I really think Ebert stopped being relevant as a critic about 10 years ago. Does anyone (under 60) go see a movie based on Ebert’s recommendation? I haven’t heard anyone say “it got ‘two thumbs up’” as being a reason to go see something since the early days of the second Clinton Administration.
Even before he dropped out of sight due to his health problems, I was never much of an Ebert fan. His willingness to give a free pass to ANY movie that dealt with racism or the “black experience” has caused him to wildly praise movies that are not particularly deserving. That said, I’m here writing an article about his top 10 movies of the year and he sure as hell won’t be writing an article about mine.
Right off the bat, Ebert notes that he epitomizes everything that is wrong with these top 10 and critical award lists. They are too skewed towards movies seen in the last 30 days. His top six movies and seven of the top ten were released in December. He also calls this “one of the best years in recent movie history” while many critics and bloggers are saying it ‘s the exact opposite, a fairly weak year. Still, he puts together a pretty good list when all is said and done. His “top 10” list does mention 34 films, which is cheating, but when you’re a Pulitzer Prize winner and all that, you get a little more room to work.
He doesn’t have many surprises, but his top movie is Juno rather than No Country for Old Men, which ends up second, and he leaves There Will be Blood off his list altogether. Oscar bait movies like Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, Atonement, The Kite Runner, and Away from Her round out the top six. The biggest surprise (besides Juno’s high rank) is Across the Universe at number seven. He notes that it was a like it or hate it kinda movie, clearly he liked it. The rest of the top 10 includes La Vie en Rose and Into the Wild. Ebert also includes The Great Debaters which is getting mediocre reviews mostly. He calls it “spellbinding” and “emotional,” but keep in mind his over praising of any racism related movie and don’t let his high praise cost you $10.
After listing his top 10, Ebert throws in another 10 that he also liked a lot. Then he adds in four or five films in the categories of foreign, documentary, and animation. It ends up being a big list and seems to contain most of the films released last year, except the Adam Sandler movie about gay firemen. If Don Cheadle had been it, Ebert would have included it also. For a full list of his favorites, check the link above.
