The best films of the decade By Roger Ebert

[drizzle]

"Waking Life", "Juno", "25th Hour" and "Almost Famous" are top 20 of the decade?

GTFOH.

Yo why you got beef with Almost Famous?

It's a good movie, but no way is it one of the top 20 movies of the decade.

the 'untitled' directors cut version is a strong contender

[Tommy Bunz]

"Waking Life", "Juno", "25th Hour" and "Almost Famous" are top 20 of the decade?

GTFOH.

Yo why you got beef with Almost Famous?

It's a good movie, but no way is it one of the top 20 movies of the decade.

the 'untitled' directors cut version is a strong contender

Its in my top ten rather easily. Its one of the best coming of age stories of recent memory and it almost perfectly captures an era. It's one of the few things on Ebert's list that shouldn't be bitched about, imo.

[ric]

as for the list: it seems like ebert is more interested in putting together a different list that engages the reader in a more challenging way than the average list. remember that one article someone posted on here a while ago about top 10 lists or whatever? dude said he was tired of the typical list because it wasnt engaging

as for this....

i love the critic. i was choked when they pulled it off the air.. (but at least they started to syndicate it)

The complete series is one of the best DVD packages I own. The menus are designed to mock those old "movie trivia" slides you would see at theater screenings before the movies. Every episode is great, and it includes the 10 Critic web-cartoons that never aired on television. Worth copping even if you have the slightest interest in the show.

good look sir

[Funky Butler]

My Winnepeg is a cool movie (no )

[jamrage]

My Winnepeg is a cool movie (no )

[Icesickle]

Can anyone make a rational, nuanced, insightful argument supporting the claim that his writing skills have deteriorated or is everyone in this thread just acting like reactionary illiterate faggots because you don't like his list?

I don't know about his writing skills deteriorating, but I know I can name at least five other critics who are far better writers than him and have better taste.

My problem with Ebert isn't that he's a terrible writer has terrible taste, it's that he overshadows other critics who do a much better job than he does.

There's a lot of people out there who co-sign Advil's statement of, "he's still without question the best writer in the game," when Ebert has never written a piece of film criticism that's as good as something like this:

http://www.philaflava.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=116533

or countless other articles by critics who were / are much better writers than him (J. Hoberman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, most of the regular contributers for Film Comment, etc.)

He gets props for mainstreaming film criticism, but people need to move on...

[Icesickle]

"Waking Life", "Juno", "25th Hour" and "Almost Famous" are top 20 of the decade?

GTFOH.

Waking Life, 25th Hour, and Almost Famous were some of the least offensive choices on there. Putting Hurt Locker as the #2 movie of the decade and putting Juno and Monster in the #3 and #4 spots was WAY more ridiculous. I've seen Waking Life, 25th Hour, and Almost Famous on a lot of other top films of the decade lists; Juno and Monster, not so much.

[Andvil]

Can anyone make a rational, nuanced, insightful argument supporting the claim that his writing skills have deteriorated or is everyone in this thread just acting like reactionary illiterate faggots because you don't like his list?

I don't know about his writing skills deteriorating, but I know I can name at least five other critics who are far better writers than him and have better taste.

My problem with Ebert isn't that he's a terrible writer has terrible taste, it's that he overshadows other critics who do a much better job than he does.

There's a lot of people out there who co-sign Advil's statement of, "he's still without question the best writer in the game," when Ebert has never written a piece of film criticism that's as good as something like this:

http://www.philaflava.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=116533

or countless other articles by critics who were / are much better writers than him (J. Hoberman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, most of the regular contributers for Film Comment, etc.)

He gets props for mainstreaming film criticism, but people need to move on...

the argument isnt over criticism. there's even a blog post on Ebert's blog that argues he's nowhere NEAR as good a critic as he is a writer, and I tend to agree. But when his film knowledge and writing skills combine, no one is on his level. PLEASE give some examples of better writers, I am in need of a good belly laugh

[Trademark]

His "Great Movies Library" is better FILM criticism than that hilarious Matt Zoller Seiz bullshit list. In fact his "Great Movie" reviews are better film criticism than I've seen from anyone anywhere maybe other than the film criticism of Francois Truffaut.

He has gotten softer, and his taste has broadened over time, but the reason people love Roger Ebert is because he is easily the most knowledgeable, connected, and down to earth critic ever. I've gone back and forth with the old boy over email on a few films, he answers A TON of responses to his blogs, and he enjoys a film like Knowing but can recite every line from "The Bicycle Thieves". The problem people have with Ebert is he isn't exclusive enough, he has a very broad taste and speaks for film nerds and everyday film goers. That's why he is the GOAT, he can love Avatar and Antichrist.

[drizzle]

Putting Hurt Locker as the #2 movie of the decade.. was WAY more ridiculous.

have you actually seen this movie?

[Icesickle]

Putting Hurt Locker as the #2 movie of the decade.. was WAY more ridiculous.

have you actually seen this movie?

Yes, at teh cinema.

It's a good movie, and would make my Top 5 of this year, but #2 movie of the decade is a big stretch.

[drizzle]

i don't feel it's that much of a stretch at all. its much more deserving of being on a list like that than say royal tenenbaums or many others that pop up just as frequently

[Thun]

There's a lot of people out there who co-sign Advil's statement of, "he's still without question the best writer in the game," when Ebert has never written a piece of film criticism that's as good as something like this:

http://www.philaflava.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=116533

That's a great collection of writing but it's a bit of a stretch to call it film criticism. Film journalism maybe?

[Icesickle]

That's a great collection of writing but it's a bit of a stretch to call it film criticism. Film journalism maybe?

Huh? What are your parameters for film criticism?

[Thun]

That's a great collection of writing but it's a bit of a stretch to call it film criticism. Film journalism maybe?

Huh? What are your parameters for film criticism?

Maybe that films are actually ... critiqued?

[Trademark]

That's a great collection of writing but it's a bit of a stretch to call it film criticism. Film journalism maybe?

Huh? What are your parameters for film criticism?

Maybe that films are actually ... critiqued?

EXACTLY....His writings are just over analyzations of theme and story. While I think they are really good, they basically just slob nob and make estimated assumptions about what the Coens are doing/trying to do.

[Icesickle]

That's a great collection of writing but it's a bit of a stretch to call it film criticism. Film journalism maybe?

Huh? What are your parameters for film criticism?

Maybe that films are actually ... critiqued?

Films are being critiqued in that piece and I think it falls under film criticism. Here's a more straight forward piece of film criticism from Matt Zoller Seitz of No Country for Old Men, and by extension the Coens' recent body of work. This is better than anything I've ever seen Ebert write:

http://www.thehousenextdooronline.com/2 ... d-men.html

If Jonathan Rosenbaum never retired, I wouldn't have any problem saying that Ebert isn't the best film critic in Chicago.

[jamrage]

i don't feel it's that much of a stretch at all. its much more deserving of being on a list like that than say royal tenenbaums or many others that pop up just as frequently

I'm with you there. "Hurt Locker" really was a great movie.

I still say "Waking Life", "25th Hour", and "Juno" have no place on a (or anyone elses) top twenty of the decade list.

"Almost Famous" is a solid movie, but it really didn't resonate that much with me. It's obvious that I'm in the minority here. That's cool. I will say that it's much better than the three movies I've listed above.

[PopeyeJones]

I'm not sure I agree with the argument that you have to agree with a critic's ultimate appraisal of a movie for them to be a good critic. I think Ebert's list fucking sucks, but he's a great critic. He consistently makes great points (even if a disagree with them), and more importantly, he's accessible as shit. Criticism that just piles on to the film nerd circle jerk (like Matt Zoller Seitz, IMO) definitely has its place, but its reach is really limited and the ability to sog the biscuit better than anyone else is pretty meaningless beyond the fanboy population. Ebert can do both, but he trends toward accessibility regardless of if he's talking about the art-house darling or the big popcorn flick. That's an admirable and very rare skill.

[ThaJim2]

I cant believe the hate for Ebert. I said it in the other thread that this list is horrible but the man is still a great critic and he is still able to enlighten and entertain even if there is no defense on that miranda july movie.

[Mindbender Futurama]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: FUCK CRASH.

Fuck it in the ass. Heartlessly and ruthlessly.

[Thun]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: FUCK CRASH.

Fuck it in the ass. Heartlessly and ruthlessly.

Mods?

[sun ra]

"synecdoche, new york" is the best film of the decade."

I said it. didn't expect someone to agree haha.

antichrist is second for me.

hurt locker was really good.
I don't understand whats with my winniped on the list tho.
many on that list are

[drizzle]

ohshit she's alive

[sun ra]

aw man, I missed you haha

did you watch a serios man / a single man yet?

[Philaflava]

welcome back bitch

[drizzle]

serious man is #1 for the year, narrowly beating out hurt locker and black dynamite

i walked out of it puzzled, by the time i got home i realized it was one of the best things new i've seen in a while. i like when movie sneak up on you like that.

[sun ra]

welcome back bitch

missed you too. hope the wife is fine.

[sun ra]

serious man is #1 for the year, narrowly beating out hurt locker and black dynamite

i walked out of it puzzled, by the time i got home i realized it was one of the best things new i've seen in a while. i like when movie sneak up on you like that.

wow. can't wait to see it.

[drizzle]

the proper quality rip has been unusually slow at surfacing. i pretty much check for it daily