Lisanti Quarterly a mysterious top ten list. Such fun. Try to guess the movies ... or even the film year for that matter.
In Contention Can that late breaking Fighter overtake the Best Pic frontrunners? Interesting question.
Indie Wire Film Comment's top 50 - the tippity top exactly mirrors those Los Angeles Film Critics Awards last week.
Go Fug Yourself a touching Burlesque conversation between Cher & Christina Aguilera
Movie|Line is rooting for Alanis Morrissette in the Original Song race
Roger Ebert reveals his top ten list... make that top twenty-two lists. He's beloved and he's an enjoyable writer as always but I have to say that his film taste has always bewildered me; The King's Speech greater than Black Swan or I Am Love? Secretariat and Hereafter compared qualitatively to Another Year and Rabbit Hole? Does not compute. Although it does compute as more middlebrow Academy friendly than many film critics so his opinions are always worth watching when speculating about Oscarish enthusiasms. But on the other hand, here's his rulebook for critics. It's kind of awesome.
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16 comments:
I love this bid of Ebert's rulebook:
If you give [a negative review] to the work of a friend, and they're not your friend any more, they weren't ever your friend. As Robert Altman once told me, "If you never gave me a bad review, what would a good review mean?" He was a great man. He thought over what he had said, and added: "But all your bad reviews of my films have been wrong."
I am surprised to see "Chloe", "Solitary Man", "All Good Things" and "The American" on his list and I wonder if they will appear in the film bitch awards in some categories.
I think I got all of the mystery movie titles except "The Shattering Little One That Everyone’s Already Forgotten About, Which I’ll Probably Replace With True Grit When I Finally See It"
"Never Let Me Go"?
I miss Robert Altman
the mysterious top 10:
1: Toy story 3
2:Social Network
3:the Tree of life
4:Black Swan
5/6: Inception
7:Beautiful
8/9:The Town and/or The Fighter
10:Scott Pilgrim
and i think "black swan" could be the real contender for best pictures but "the fighter" will nod
Oh Ebert's lists are always great. Remember how much he championed Julia and Tilda last year? Any other widely known critics that did that as much as he did?
I've always appreciated Roger Ebert for his willingness to stand on his own over a film. I mean, he campaigned for an indie horror film actress in 2003 in spite of the film barely being released because her work was strong. He always defends himself so well even when he's swinging out there all by himself. Secretariat on anyone else's list? Anyone? At least he admits ranking films past a certain point is pointless.
My one problem with Ebert's list is that he gave Black Swan a 3.5 star review originally.
I still like his list. I need to rewatch all the potential BP nominees and have yet to see Black Swan (I watched King's Speech instead-very very good, borderline great, if it wins I will be happy).
Don't we all question each other's film taste on a fairly regular basis? Can't his decisions compute on the level of individual taste? And I think to say that his choices are Academy friendly is not entirely accurate. In the past, he has honored a diversity of films that aren't included in major Oscar nomination categories, like Waking Life, George Washington, and many others. Like OtherRobert says, he's often been forced to stand on his own and defend things that aren't considered to be Academy friendly by any means. In fact, he stands out to me as an example of someone whose lists don't really fit "the norm."
I feel like maybe we should reconsider this practice of criticizing and questioning each other's lists of personal bests. Our lists will always be different, for all eternity. I'm just tired of Ebert being scrutinized like he's some philistine. He's a critic, and his job is to write about movies and express a particular viewpoint, not to satisfy our desire to see a certain movie praised over another. We can't prove that Secretariat is on an entirely different qualitative level than Rabbit Hole. The idea that there is an objective scale of cinematic quality is an illusion and does more for our egos than for the art form.
I wish "In defense..." had an easier name to adress but anyway.
I'm so glad my thoughts have been expressed in the way i hadn't managed to find so far. I agree completely. I think that everybody likes to find something wrong with Ebert because of his "king of critics" status.
No one has to try to prove he's not that great just because the media treat him as the best. i wouldn't want him or anyone express feelings they don't have. If he feels certain things about this or that movie, he should be honest about it.
I was going to respond to your dig at Ebert but In Defense of Ebert's beat me to the punch. Well done IDoE!
Also Nathaniel, I Am Love was terrible. Please stop raving about this film.
But, isn't what you're doing the same as what Nathaniel did with Ebert only less tactful?
I Am Love was AMAAAAAAZING
Okay, I think LQ's list is:
1) Toy Story 3
2) The Social Network
3) 127 Hours
4) Black Swan
5) Inception
6) Exit Through the Gift Shop
7) Winter's Bone
8) The Fighter
9) The Town
10) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
11) Um, A Prophet? It's the only 2010 foreign language film on DVD that isn't The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
@iamnot and @indefense ---
I view links as compliments unless i say otherwise so imnsho i just gave Ebert two compliments. But I'm just expressing myself honestly. His taste bewilders me. But I like to read him on occassion.
and isn't the whole purpose of "lists" to react to them, grapple with them, compare them to one's own perspective, or think about why those films are grouped as "best". that's what i'm doing.
arkaan -- so do i.
Robert Hamer, good attempt-- I agree on your guesses for 9, maybe 10, of the 11. I think no. 11 is "I am Love" and no. 6 may or may not be "Catfish" (both "Exit" and this one were possible hoaxes, no?).
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