Roger Ebert's Top Ten

[RegularKarate]

Man, I hate that Peter Travers...

ugh

[bonanzataz]

PETER WEIR DIRECTED MASTER AND COMMANDER?! now i'm angry that i didn't see it.

[Weird. Oh]

Ebert wrote a response about his Top 10 in his Movie Answer Man column. You can view that here :
http://www.suntimes.com/output/answ-man/sho-sunday-ebert28.html

2nd question down

[Finn]

Richard Roeper's Top Ten List:

10. "Seabiscuit": A tribute to the American spirit in the first half of the 20th century. Like millions of others, I loved Laura Hillenbrand's nonfiction saga of the stubborn, odd-bodied racehorse with a huge heart -- and writer-director Gary Ross did a marvelous job of compressing this epic tale with multiple story lines. Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges head the outstanding cast. The tone is aggressively sentimental, but the Seabiscuit legend deserves that kind of treatment.

9. "Monster": Like "Seabiscuit," this is a dramatization of a real-life American saga -- but it couldn't be more different in subject matter and tone. "Monster" is writer-director Patty Jenkins' heart-stopping interpretation of the brutal life and times of Aileen Wuornos, America's first female serial killer. (Wuornos is also the subject of two documentaries from Nick Broomfield.)

In order to capture the physical essence of Wuornos, the gorgeous, leggy, 28-year-old model-actress Charlize Theron underwent one of the most startling transformations since Robert De Niro in "Raging Bull." But Theron's work isn't about makeup and weight gain -- it's about inhabiting a terrifying killing machine but also infusing her with a dose of humanity. Even as we flinch at Wuornos' callous death spree, we understand where her rage comes from. We even feel sorry for her and the horrible world she inhabits.

Theron has turned in some capable work in mainstream fare such as "The Italian Job," but she's a revelation here in the title role. It is the performance of the year.

8. "Whale Rider": Set in a tribal village in New Zealand, Niki Caro's engrossing visual poem is an inspirational crowd-pleaser. Bearing a striking resemblance to a very young Jennifer Beals, Keisha Castle-Hughes is unforgettable as a sweet but determined young girl who believes gender shouldn't prevent her from trying to become the next leader of the Maori tribe, helmed by her old-world grandfather. The young girl's determination, and her efforts to connect with her loving but emotionally distant grandfather, are heartbreaking.

When the "Charlie's Angels" sequel came out last summer, the actresses kept insisting they'd made a film that empowered young women. Nonsense. Films such as "Whale Rider," "Bend It Like Beckham" and even mainstream American efforts such as "Freaky Friday" and "How to Deal" were the real girl-power movies of 2003.

7. "The Station Agent." A pitch-perfect slice of life, made for the film festival circuit but accessible to any smart film-lover. (That means you.) Peter Dinklage is a dwarf who is painfully aware that his size makes him something of a traveling carnival sideshow -- which is why he'd prefer to be left to himself in the remote train station he's inherited from his only friend.

Bobby Cannavale delivers one of the most winning performances of the year as the unbelievably chatty guy who runs a nearby coffee wagon, and the wonderful Patricia Clarkson completes this quirky trio as a fragile divorcee mourning a lost child. There's also a sweet romance between Dinklage and Michelle Williams from TV's "Dawson Creek." Writer-director Tom McCarthy delivers a funny, offbeat, insightful film.

6. "The Barbarian Invasions": The problem with most sequels is they simply repeat the first story, a year or two later. But wouldn't you love to see more true sequels, e.g., "The Big Chill" with all the characters now in their early 50s, or a "Diner" follow-up circa 1970? That's what happens with "The Barbarian Invasions," as Denys Arcand revisits the characters from his 1986 gem "The Decline of the American Empire."

The smug, hedonistic yuppie academics are now in late middle age and they've mellowed considerably as they reunite to say goodbye to their dying friend Remy, played by Remy Gerard. "The Barbarian Invasions" borders on wish fulfillment fantasy, albeit the darkest kind. One can only hope one's final days will be spent reconnecting with estranged family members, reminiscing with former lovers and good friends, and forging friendships with caretakers while finding comfort in the warm embrace of ultimate closure.

5. "Elephant": Like "The Barbarian Invasions," Gus Van Sant's Palm d'Or winner at Cannes is also an ensemble piece with an educational facility as a backdrop and death looming around the corner -- but there the similarities end. Working with a cast of non-actors, Van Sant zig-zags his camera through a large high school in the hours just before two students launch a Columbine-like shooting spree. We see the typical events of a high school day play out from various perspectives, with Van Sant giving us the sensation of omniscient eavesdropping.

When the shooting starts, we're left with a feeling of utter helplessness -- just as we've been when real-life shooting sprees have played out on live cable television. I've visited Columbine and I've walked the grounds, but the unsettling truth is that it seemed like any other American high school. And that's the perspective Van Sant brings to "Elephant." His film offers no easy answers, explanations or motives, because they don't exist.

4. "21 Grams": Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts deliver memorable performances in this time-shifting jigsaw puzzle from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. All of their characters are trying desperately to quiet the demons of the past and maintain a tenuous grasp on stability and sanity. Del Toro has been pretty quiet since his Oscar for "Traffic," but he returns to prime form as a convict struggling to lead a straight life. The jumbled framework will challenge you -- but when everything shifts into perspective, the end result is devastating and unforgettable.

3. "Lost in Translation": Sofia Coppola's smart, sad and lovely mood piece, with Bill Murray giving the most complete performance of his career. He should be remembered come Oscar nomination time. Murray delivers a beautifully controlled piece of work as Bob Harris, a major movie star in mid-life crisis.

The sequence of Harris shooting a whiskey ad in Tokyo for big bucks is hilarious -- but we also see the resignation on Harris' face as he realizes his best days as actor are in the rear-view mirror. "Lost in Translation" perfectly captures that slightly underwater feeling you get when you're in a foreign country and everybody's trying, and usually failing, to bridge the language and culture barriers. It's also a lot sillier and funnier than the ads and most of the reviews indicate.

2. "Mystic River": Can we all agree that Clint Eastwood's career as a director is more impressive than his work as an actor? Amazingly, this is Eastwood's 24th film as a director and it's one of his best. Sean Penn will almost certainly get an Oscar nomination (and I think he should win) for his powerhouse performance as Jimmy, a convicted felon who's devastated by the murder of his teenage daughter and is fully prepared to take the murder investigation into his own hands.

Eastwood has a profound understanding of this neighborhood where old secrets die hard, and he finds room on his canvas for great performances from Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon -- and in smaller but pivotal roles, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney, who delivers a speech of Shakespearean impact near the climax. This film is worthy of multiple Oscar nominations.

1. "In America": Jim Sheridan's deeply personal "In America," based partially on his own experiences, is a film overflowing with heart-tugging splashes and revelations of deep emotional impact -- yet I never once felt manipulated by the machinery of the plot. The laughs come from moments of recognition where I identified with the characters. The tension springs from a genuine sense of mystery about what is going to happen to these people. The heartbreak is the result of heartfelt empathy for this Irish immigrant family trying to move on after the death of the youngest child.

[Pubrick]

roeper wins this year.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Yes, I'm surprised that I liked his list, and what he had to say. Especially...

When the "Charlie's Angels" sequel came out last summer, the actresses kept insisting they'd made a film that empowered young women. Nonsense. Films such as "Whale Rider," "Bend It Like Beckham" and even mainstream American efforts such as "Freaky Friday" and "How to Deal" were the real girl-power movies of 2003.

Bill Murray giving the most complete performance of his career.

a film overflowing with heart-tugging splashes and revelations of deep emotional impact -- yet I never once felt manipulated by the machinery of the plot.

[bonanzataz]

i really wish i knew why everybody loved mystic river so much. to me it was just alright. tim robbins was awesome, but i think sean penn was better in 21 grams... personally.

[cine]

roeper wins this year.

He really did.

[Fernando]

I'm surprised that none of them included LOTR:ROTK, I wonder if they honestly don't think it was at least one of the top ten of 2003.

BTW, for some strange reason they have always reminded me of these guys:

[mogwai]

they remind me of these guys:

[mutinyco]

No...those guys had talent.

[cine]

No...those guys had talent.

Oh! Witty!   ...  

[Finn]

Roger Ebert's Top 10 Best Films of 2004

1. Million Dollar Baby
2. Kill Bill, Volume 2
3. Vera Drake
4. Spider-Man 2
5. Moolaade
6. The Aviator
7. Baadasssss
8. Sideways
9. Hotel Rwanda
10. Undertow


Top 10 Worst Films of 2004

1. Troy and Alexander (tie)
2. Christmas with the Kranks
3. The Girl Next Door
4. Dogville
5. New York Minute
6. The Grudge
7. White Chicks
8. Resident Evil : Apocalypse
9. The Whole Ten Yards
10. The Village

Full Info:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041219/ESSAYS/412190302


I was a little disappointed in some of his picks this year. I agree with him on Kill Bill Volume 2 and and Sideways being one of the best films of the year (I have yet to see The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby). But I strongly disagree with him on Dogville and The Village being one of the worst. They'll both probably be on my list of the best films of the year. Maybe he didn't like what the films were doing...but one of the worst movies of the year??? Come on, Roger...

[ono]

http://www.xixax.com/viewtopic.php?p=168695#168695

[Myxo]

No, Ebert is right about "The Village". It is one of he worst movies this year. Given his freedom and box office draw, there is no reason for M. Night to churn out a stinker like that. I'm tired of the build up to a surprise ending. Show me something new. I've seen the card trick three times now.