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The best films of the decade

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synch hoiffman.jpg"Synecdoche, New York" is the best film of the decade. It intends no less than to evoke the strategies we use to live our lives. After beginning my first viewing in confusion, I began to glimpse its purpose and by the end was eager to see it again, then once again, and I am not finished. Charlie Kaufman understands how I live my life, and I suppose his own, and I suspect most of us. Faced with the bewildering demands of time, space, emotion, morality, lust, greed, hope, dreams, dreads and faiths, we build compartments in our minds. It is a way of seeming sane.

The mind is a concern in all his screenplays, but in "Synecdoche" (2008), his first film as a director, he makes it his subject, and what huge ambition that demonstrates. He's like a

novelist who wants to get it all into the first book in case he never publishes another. Those who felt the film was disorganized or incoherent might benefit from seeing it again. It isn't about a narrative, although it pretends to be. It's about a method, the method by which we organize our lives and define our realities.

Very few people live their lives on one stage, in one persona, wearing one costume. We play different characters. We know this and accept it. In childhood we begin as always the same person but quickly we develop strategies for our families, our friends, our schools. In adolescence these strategies are not well controlled. Sexually, teenagers behave one way with some dates and a different way with others. We find those whose have a persona that matches one of our own, and that defines how we interact with that person. If you aren't an aggressor and are sober, there are girls (or boys) you do it with and others you don't, and you don't want those people to discover what goes on away from them.


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But already "Synecdoche" has me thinking in terms of the film's insight. That is its power. Let me stand back and consider it as a movie. It's about a theater director named Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who begins with a successful regional production, is given a MacArthur genius grant, and moves with a troupe of actors into a New York warehouse. Here they develop a play that grows and grows, and he devises a set representing their various rooms and lives. The film begins as apparently realistic, but as the set expands it shades off into -- complexity? fantasy? chaos?

In the earlier scenes, he was married to Adele (Catherine Keener). She leaves, and he marries Claire (Michelle Williams), who to some degree is intended to literally replace the first wife, as many second spouses are. Why do some people marry those who resemble their exes? They're casting for the same role. Caden has hired an actor named Daniel London (Tom Noonan) to star in the play, as a character somewhat like himself. Many writers and directors create fiction from themselves, and are often advised to.

What happens in the film isn't supposed to happen in life. The membrane between fact and fiction becomes permeable, and the separate lives intermingle. Caden hardly seems to know whose life he's living; his characters develop minds of their own. How many authors have you heard say their dialogue involves "just writing down what the characters would say?"


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Living within different personas is something many people do. How can a governor think to have a mistress in Argentina? An investment counselor think to steal all the money entrusted to him? A famous athlete be revealed as a sybarite? A family man be discovered to have two families? I suspect such people, and to some degree many of us, find no more difficulty in occupying those different scenarios that we might find eating meat some days and on others calling ourselves vegetarian.

"Synecdoche" is accomplished in all the technical areas, including its astonishing set. The acting requires great talent to create characters who are always in their own reality, however much it shifts. Philip Seymour Hoffman's character experiences a deterioration of body, as we all do, finds it more difficult to see outside himself, as we all do, and becomes less sure of who "himself' is, as sooner or later we all do. He shows us this process with a precise evolution.

Kaufman has made the most perceptive film I can recall about how we live in the world. This is his debut as a director, but his most important contribution is the screenplay. Make no mistake: He sweated blood over this screenplay. Somebody had to know what was happening on all those levels, and that had to be the writer. Of course he directed it. Who else could have comprehended it?

My blog entry about the film and Charlie Kaufman

The other top films of the decade follow. Titles link to my reviews.

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2. "The Hurt Locker" (2009). A film that concerns not the war but the warrior. It's set in Iraq, and by nature we identify with the hero, James (Jeremy Renner). But it focuses not on the enemy but on the bomb disposal expert himself, who risks his life hundreds of times when the slightest mistake would mean maiming or death. "War is a drug," the opening titles tell us. The man's comrades are angry with him for the chances he takes. He considers bomb disposal a battle of the wits between himself and the designer. Yes, but the designer is not there if a bomb explodes. He is. Yet he volunteers.

The others in his group are professional soldiers. They're good at their jobs, faithful to their mission, and prudently follow military procedure. James's behavior is an affront to them, mocking their caution. That is Bigelow's most effective device: Instead of objectifying the enemy, she internalizes the fear. The anxiety of the the men about James is infectious. They fear, and we fear. They grow restless and resentful, and it enhances his danger.

Apart from this psychological process, Katherine Bigelow's film has a masterful command of editing, tempo, character and photography. Using no stunts and CGI, she creates a convincing portrayal of the conditions a man like James faces. She builds with classical tools. She evokes suspense, dread, identification. She asks if a man like James requires such a fearsome job. The film is a triumph of theme and execution, and very nearly flawless.


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3. "Monster" (2004). An Egyptian film critic told me in disbelief that this film made him sympathize with a serial killer. I knew what he meant. We are enjoined to love not the sin but the sinner. Patty Jenkins' film is based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a damaged woman who committed seven murders. It doesn't excuse the murders. It asks that we witness the woman's final desperate attempt to be a better person than her fate intended.

Charlize Theron's performance in the role is one of the great performances in the history of the cinema. She transforms herself into a character with an uncanny resonance to the real Aileen Wuornos -- but mere impersonation isn't as difficult as embodying another person. Aileen, abused all of her life, knows she is doing evil but is driven to it by her deep need to provide for another person, her lover Selby (Christina Ricci), as she was never provided for herself. This doesn't justify murder in her mind, but she believes it's necessary. We disagree. But we're asked to empathize with her ruined soul, and because of Theron and Jenkins, we find that possible. She becomes pitiful, not hateful.


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4. "Juno" (2007). One of a kind, a film that delighted me from beginning to end, never stepping wrong with its saucy young heroine who faces an unexpected pregnancy with forthright boldness. To be sure, life doesn't always provide parents and an adoptive mother for the baby as comforting as Juno's. But Jason Reitman's second feature doesn't set out to be realistic; it's a fable about how the sad realities of teen pregnancy might be transformed in a good-hearted world. Ellen Page creates a character to be long cherished, a smart, articulate, 16-year-old who keeps a brave front and yet deeply feels what she's going through.

Juno's dialog is so nimble and funny that some said no real person thinks that fast and talks that well. Real people may not. Juno does. The original screenplay by Diablo Cody is pitch-perfect comedy writing, assuming the audience is as intelligent as Juno. Have you noticed how many stupid people are presented as normal, especially in mainstream comedies? I was surprised how much I laughed during "Juno," and then surprised how much I cared, especially during a luminous scene when the woman who will adopt her baby (Jennifer Garner) solemnly places her hand on Juno's pregnant belly and the two exchange a look so beautiful that if I'd known it was coming I don't know if I could have looked.


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5. "Me and You and Everyone We Know" (2005). Another extraordinary film centered on a woman. Is it possible that women in the movies embody emotion more readily than men, who tend more toward external action? Women as wildly different as Aileen Wuornos, Juno and Christine, the heroine of Miranda July's film, are tuned to inner channels that drive them with feeling, not plots. This first feature shows a certainty about the tone it wants to strike, which is of fragile magic. We don't learn a lot about Christine -- more, actually, about Richard (John Hawkes), the awkward shoe salesman she likes -- but the story's not about her life, it's about how love, for her, requires someone who speaks your rare emotional language, a language of whimsy and daring, of playful mind games and bold challenges.

Imagine Christine and Richard as they walk down the street. Still strangers She suggests that the block they are walking down is their lives. And now, she says, they're halfway down the street and halfway through their lives. Before long they will be at the end. It's impossible to suggest how poetic this scene is; when it's over, you think, that was a perfect scene, and no other scene can ever be like it. And we are all on the sidewalk. July's film fits no genre, fulfills no expectations, creates its own rules, and seeks only to share a strange, lovable mind with us.


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6. "Chop Shop" (2008). Here is the third world, thriving under the flight path to LaGuardia. Ale (Alejandro Polanco), a 12-year-old boy, works for the owner of an auto repair shop in an area few New Yorkers know about: Willets Point, square blocks of auto and tire shops that hustle for business. He's an orphan, dreaming of being reunited with his 16-year-old sister. He steals a little, cons a little, sells pirated DVDs, and mostly works hard. He lives in a room knocked together in the crawl space of the shop. He's not educated, but is bright, resourceful, and happy.

Poised on the edge of adolescence, he senses changes coming. His sister (Isamar Gonzales) moves in with him, and he proudly tries to support her--to be the man in the family they lost. Director Ramin Bahrani observed Willets Point for a year and worked with two non-actors to achieve remarkably fluent and convincing performances. His film is a vibrant modern equivalent of the Italian Neorealist classics like "Shoeshine." It stays resolutely within its story, never making the mistake of drawing conclusions. It's riveting, entertaining, unforgettable. Bahrani, an Iranian-American born in Winston-Salem, N.C., has made three films (including "Man Push CArt" and "Goodbye Solo") and all three have made my Best Ten lists. In my opinion, he's the new director of the decade.

My blog entry about Ramin Bahrani.


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7. "The Son" (2002). In a career filled with great films, "Le Fils" by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne is stunning. It focuses intensely on two characters: Olivier (Olivier Gourmet), a Belgian carpenter, and Francis (Morgan Marinne), a young apprentice that a social worker wants to place with him. Olivier refuses. The moment they leave, Olivier scurries after them like a feral animal, spies on them through a door opening and leaps onto a metal cabinet to look through a high window. Then he says he will take the boy.

That's all I choose to say. What connects them is revealed so carefully and deliberately that any hint would diminish the experience. Once again, as with all the films on this list, writing and acting are crucial. Yes, they're well directed, but you know, there are a lot of fine directors. There's a scene here where Francis and Olivier are working in a lumber warehouse, shifting and loading heavy planks. We know enough by then to invest the scene with meaning. The Dardennes achieve their effect primarily through sound: the raw, harsh sound of one plank upon another. I can think of many ways to film such a scene, none better.

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8. "The 25th Hour" (2003). A film about the last 24 hours of freedom for Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), a convicted drug dealer. He lives in a heightened state. He focuses on the remaining important things: His lover, his father, his best friends. Spike Lee, working with David Benioff's adaptation of his own novel, gives adequate screen time to all the people in Monty's life, so that we see him as part of an ending world. Their lives will continue but, his friends agree, they will never see Monty again, Not the Monty they know.

The film avoid crime-movie cliches. It's about the time remaining. Lee reflects Monty's acute awareness of this with scenes of startling inventiveness, one an angry monolog delivered to a mirror, another a shared fantasy as his father (Brian Cox) drives him to prison. Too many movies now require their expensive stars to be onscreen in almost every frame. "The 25th Hour" is enriched by supporting performances, notably by Philip Seymour Hoffman as a pudgy English teacher, not accustomed to drinking, who makes a devastating mistake involving appearance and reality. Spike Lee writes eloquently with his camera in strategies that are anything but conventional.


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9. "Almost Famous" (2000). The story of a 15-year-old kid (Patrick Fugit), smart and terrifyingly earnest, who through luck and pluck gets assigned by Rolling Stone magazine to do a profile of a rising rock band. The magazine has no idea he's 15. Clutching his pencil and his notebook like talismans, phoning a veteran critic for advice, he plunges into the experience that will make and shape him. It's as if Huckleberry Finn came back to life in the 1970s, and instead of taking a raft down the Mississippi, got on the bus with the band. I was hugging myself as I watched it: This is my story. Well, except in the details.

Cameron Crowe, the writer-director, was inspired by his own experiences, here transformed by an ability to step outside the first person and clearly see the hero's mother (Francis McDormand), a band groupie (Kate Hudson), the lead singer (Jason Lee) and the veteran journalist (Philip Seymour Hoffman, again). This is a coming of age story with the feel of plausible experience, because when you're 15 even the most implausible things seem likely if they're happening to you.


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10. "My Winnipeg" (2008). If I said "Almost Famous" was my life, would you believe "My Winnipeg" tells the history of my home town? All except for the details -- which, for that matter, don't particularly pertain to Winnipeg, either. Guy Maddin's films are like a silent movie dreaming it can speak. No frame of his work could be mistaken for anyone else's. He combines documentary, lurid melodrama, newsreels, feverish fantasies and tortured typography into a form that appears to contain urgent information. His sound tracks are sometimes clear narration, sometimes soap opera, sometimes snatches that seem heard over a radio from long ago and far away. The effect is hypnotic.

The city fathers of Winnipeg asked Maddin, their famous local filmmaker, to direct a documentary on their city. God knows what they thought of it. Now they can reassure the taxpayers it's one of the best films of the decade. There are perhaps sights, sounds and even facts in "My Winnipeg" that are accurate, but how can you be sure when some of the most sensible elements are false and the most incredible are true? This is the story of everyone's home town; we piece it together in childhood and in some sense continue to regard it as true even when it isn't. His beliefs about secret parallel taxi companies operating along invisible alleys are as reasonable as my own beliefs about the Bone Yard in Urbana-Champaign -- which is after all only a drainage ditch, but you can't tell me that.

Those eleven, and these ten, alphabetically:

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Spike Jonze's "Adaptation" (2002)

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Werner Herzog's "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans" (2009)

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Fernando Meirelles' "City of God" (2002)

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Paul Haggis's "Crash" (2004)

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Quentin Tarantinio's "Kill Bill Vols.1 and 2" (2003 + 2004)

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Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report (2002)

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The Coen Brothers' "No Country for Old Men" (2007)

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Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006)

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Carlos Reygadas' "Silent Light" (2009), .

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Richard Linklater's "Waking Life" (2001)

And this reflection: All of these films are on this list for the same reason: The direct emotional impact they made on me. They have many other qualities, of course. But these evoked the emotion of Elevation, which I wrote about a year or so ago. Elevation is, scientists say, an actual emotion, not a woo-woo theory. I believe that, because some films over the years have evoked from me a physical as well as an intellectual or emotional response.

In choosing the list, I decided to bypass films that may have qualified for their historical, artistic, popular or "objective" importance. No lists have deep significance, but even less lists composed to satisfy an imaginary jury of fellow critics. My jury resides within. I know how I feel.

Almost the first day I started writing reviews, I found a sentence in a book by Robert Warshow that I pinned on the wall above my desk. I have quoted it so frequently that some readers must be weary of it, but it helps me stay grounded. It says:

A man goes to the movies. A critic must be honest enough to admit he is that man.

That doesn't make one person right and another wrong. All it means is that you know how they really felt, not how they thought they should feel.


[ These titles from the list are available to Stream Instantly in HD via Netflix, as part of all plans: "Chop Shop," "Pan's Labyrinth," "Silent Light," "The Son," "Synecdoche, New York." Several other VOD titles are noted below in the Amazon box. ]



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794 Comments

Thanks for the list, Roger. I can't thank you enough for pointing me toward the Great Movies over the last decade. I started reading your reviews about ten years ago and within a few years I had become a sessional instructor in Film & Faith studies at a small college and have even begun making movies of my own (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2371111/).
I don't exaggerate when I say that your writing played a huge role in that.


Punch-Drunk Love "Explained": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMjbKNJEPco

Wow, this is bound to be a very polarizing list. While I flatly reject Juno on anyone's top list (Diablo Cody hate right here), I am very intrigued by your pick of Synecdoche, New York as #1. I found it to be one of the most ambitious films I have ever seen and your review last year was one of the most in-depth and personal reviews I have ever read. So, yes, you loved it. I found it to be a little too much of a mindf*ck but I should give it a few more watches to fully appreciate the brilliance you express here.

I like the variety and eccentricity of the films on this list. Adaptation is a personal favorite of mine. Great job, Roger. Keep up the stellar work you do.

Hey Roger,

Good list! Totally agree with Synechdoche as #1 and that's where I had it on my list too.

I disagree about the decade though. It is over. Your first birthday marks the end of your first year. You are one year old and however many months, weeks and days. You can't be 2 on your first birthday, just like you can't be 1 when you are born. But the clock starts ticking.

When I say I am 24 years old, I mean that I am 24 years, 2 months, and 17 days old. Easier just to say 24 though.

Decades: 1990-1999, 2000-2009, so on.

I know you most likely will not agree. But I won't waver in my opinion either. We're just gonna have to stick to the movies, you and I.

Roger- I love your list. All other Best of the Decade lists that I've seen so far all have basically the same few movies on them. It's nice to see that someone still has the balls to pick some films that no one would think about. I'm totally with you on Synecdoche, NY. Absolutely brilliant film. Phillip Seymour Hoffman has quickly become my favorite actor, and that movie is definitely a large part of that. Also, Me and You and Everyone We Know...glad to see that on a list somewhere! Beautiful, powerful film. And My Winnipeg...shame more people haven't seen it...Saw it at Ebertfest last year and completely fell in love. Nice to see Kill Bill on someone's list too! Thanks so much for the list(s)!

Thank you so much for including "Almost Famous". This is, hands down, one of my favorite movies. I was around the same age as the character of WIlliam Miller, in around the same time the film takes place. I also had very strong women in my life...including one that I was in love with, but an unrequited love. Again, much like William Miller.

The movie resonates so deeply with me on a personal level, but also captures the time when music ment so much to the youth. Before cable TV with it's myriad of channels and before the Internet and video games....we basically just had music and movies at the theater. This was a time when we would sit and listen to a full album, reading the liner notes and printed lyrics (if they were included) and just experiencing it. It wasn't background music for doing something else...listen WAS the activity. I'm sure there are still people, young and old, that still do this. At least I hope so.

As the character of Sapphire says in the movie: "To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts."

I've been reading your reviews for the past decade and have seen roughly 800 films from the decade so far. My personal favorite film is "The Dark Knight" It's the one I've watched the most and the one I've thought the most about and I wish it could have made it onto your list but your list is your list. Could we maybe get a best-documentary-of-the-decade list too?? Please keep watching and writing.

Roger,

Thank you so very much for putting Synecdoche as your top of the decade. It seems as if even the critics have been avoiding this movie, as if it were too arty to admit to liking. I found it shocking that so few people saw it, even fewer talked about it, and even fewer liked it. It moved so beautifully and had one of the best endings in movies I have experienced.

My only complaint about this list is concerning a movie that has flabbergasted me as to its exclusion from every top anything list for this decade. Even the av club website, which listed 50 and then had a second list with ones they thought they missed, didn't include this movie.

The movie is "Nobody Knows" by Kore-ada Hirokozu. You say you like to view movies as you feel during them. That was sloppily phrased, let me try again. You say you judge movies on how they make you feel (is that right?). This movie (which I usually use the trailers description to describe it to others as "exquisitely beautiful") was the best movie, by far, I saw this decade. It encapsulates life, not just as a child, but as a human. I don't want to make this even longer by ranting about it, but I must say no movie I have ever seen affected me the way this one has. Great pace, great lighting; I could not guess anything that was going to happen. It is by far the movie that has ripped the idea of emotion from me and made me look at it again, before gently placing all that raw hurt and love back into me and reminding me that I was feeling around the right area the whole time.

My point, if there be one, is to simply question why does this flick seem to have left all the critics minds for the year lists? Is it really not that great? Do others find the children annoying or the tone overbearing? Did it simply not make a big enough splash? I am extraordinarily curious. Thanks for any answers! Love your insights, and you definitely made me rethink The Hurt Locker.

Rob

Great list Roger. I always look forward to your opinion more than any other critic for your choices seem to inhibit a personal prefence while at the same time not being idiosyncratically subjective. But I must beg the question as to why Werckmeister Harmonies is nowhere on the list. Thanks to your review of it in your Great Films list I sought it out and discovered that I had just seen what was in my humble opinion the best film of the decade. Yes it is probably the least accessable of the 20 other films here, but is utterly great all the same.

Btw, I'm very happy to find Guy Maddin here.

Seeing your list, I found a variety of films here that I, too, felt similar emotions with. I was considering putting up a list of my own, however I felt hesitant to do so on the very basis that I am no film critic, student, writer, or the like. I am just an average post-college guy who enjoys most movies that come my way. Sure, I have an idea about film theory and narrative structure, but I admit I carry the same weakness as the vast majority of moviegoers reflected by the box-office: I forgive movies that are weak in story but strong in action/special effects/etc. Do you think that should stop someone like me from putting my list up as well?
I should note that putting my list together has been troublesome as well. There really are no movies that come to mind as of now that I can really define as the "best of the decade". Like you said, there is still another year to go, so I really do not have to even put this list together yet.

Ebert: You have 12 months.

A. O. Scott just picked WALL-E for the decade.

Great list. I was a little surprised by your pick for the best of the decade, but upon reflection, I think that you are right. Any plans for adding it to your "Great Movie" collection?

Anyway, I would like to say that I think that the Lord of the Rings Trilogy should at least get some kind of a nod. It redefined the way that large scale battle scenes were done. Not to mention that it made it cool to be nerdy. And how many movies out there can hold an audience's attention for three hours?

But I digress. These are all personal opinion. Your reviews have lead me to discover some incredible films. Just yesterday I saw "25th Hour" for the first time because it was added to your "Great Movie" list. It was just....wow......

By the way, any chance for a Special Jury Award for the decade?

"The other top films of the decade follow, with a nod to the fact that the decade still has one year to go."

Haven't read the rest yet, but I just wanted that you (Along with so many other writers and smart-aleck commenters at other sites) seem to be confusing decades with millenniums. A decade I believe is set as any span of ten years. Whenever a "decade" has been referenced in the past, it's ALWAYS been in the general "19X0-19X9" time-frame. Why people have suddenly decided that this is all wrong is beyond me.

Ebert: That means I could have chosen films from 1999. But in my best of the decade list published at the end of 1999, I could also include 1999 films. Kindly explain.

2 out of 20!!!(Waking Life and Juno) Something needs to be done. And it will be.

Before that, however, let me congratulate you on:
a) Finally including links to your reviews.
b) Realising that this isn't the end of the decade.
c) "Those ten, and these ten, alphabetically:" It took me a while to stop laughing.

Ebert: Something for everyone.

I can definitely agree with many of the films on the list (Juno, No Country for Old Men, Kill Bill, Crash, and Adaptation to name a few). I'm not sure that I would include Synecdoche, New York though (I personally found Adaptation much more relatable, since I'm an aspiring (screen)writer), but I can see your reasoning for it.

The part that always gets to me is when Caden Cotard loses his daughter and how they become disconnected. It broke my heart when she was dying and wouldn't forgive him. And seeing him through the years try to get her back (and away from that artist and her unattentive mother) just drove me nuts. I kept wishing that at least the daughter would be freed from them, even if her father didn't get to be with her.

Thank you. Six movies off your list I haven't seen but now will based on your praises.

But where's the love for Memento? Has everyone forgotten?

Great list! Thanks for sharing your favorites and why they touched you.

I also think that you should have included Spirited Away in your list. It's one of my favorite movies, animated or otherwise. Miyazaki is a filmmaking master and that's the one that brought him both much more attention to the United States and won him an Oscar. Not to mention the fact that it is a very moving and beautiful movie.

If I was making this list I might have also added The Royal Tenenbaums and Avatar, both excellent movies for very different reasons. As far as documentaries go I would have included Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World.

I am glad that you included Almost Famous. It's my favorite of Cameron Crowe's films.

I'm going to have to revisit Synecdoche soon. I already loved it I'm just hesitant to call it the best of the decade. I was surprised to not see Werckmeister Harmonies, one of my favorites, but I guess it just didn't have that same emotional resonance as these films did for you.

I couldn't agree more about that by the way. How ultimately our favorite films have to be the ones that effect us the most on an emotional level. It reminded me of a comment I read on here a week back about the silliness of making a distinction between 'the best' and your favorite films. And while I admit openly that the concept is silly, I believe that distinction does and always will exist.

For example one of my favorite films from the decade, Gus Van Sants Elephant, was not the best. But having grown up in the area of Littleton and being close to the tragedy of Columbine I couldn't help but be reminded of an important time in my short life; regardless of how morbid that time was.

Also, good to see some love for Herzog on here. One of a handful of directors I was introduced to through you. Looking forward to another good year of reviews.

What happened to Million Dollar Baby? You'd named it your favorite film of 2004 five years ago but I don't see it here.

Charlize Theron gave the best female performance of the decade in Monster. Actually, I think it is the greatest performance of the past ten years.

I have Monster on DVD, but it has been a few years since I last watched it. I think it is time to take another look at it.

Good luck to Jason G.

I completely agree with your choice of Synecdoche, New York as the decade's best. My friend and I drove an hour to see it and were the only ones in the theater. Upon exiting the film I felt as if I was hyper aware. All of my senses were heightened and my mind was almost outside of itself. No movie has ever had such an effect on me before.

With each subsequent viewing of the film it's as if it takes on a whole new meaning for me. With a film like Mulholland Drive you can kind of pinpoint what the movie is about and which scenes are dream, flashback, etc. With Synecdoche, New York you are always second guessing your previous take on the film.

Just wanted to point out that the character's name playing Caden is Sammy Barnathan played by Tom Noonan. Daniel London is the name of the actor that played Tom. It seems that the melding of reality and fiction in the movie as quite literally made it's way into your assessment of it. Quite surreal if you ask me.

Thanks so much for this, Mr. Ebert. This may be the first decade in which some television work was actually possessed of an aesthetic intensity and merit that exceeded that of the vast majority of films (e.g., Ricky Gervais' "The Office," "Angels in America," or "The Daily Show" circa 2002-2008). The most underestimated film of the last 10 years is likely Gaspar Noe's "Irreversible," though "Borat" and Mamet's "Spartan" also seem destined to grow in critical esteem over the next 10 years. Thanks for turning me on to "Chop Shop" (it reminds me a bit of the Iranian "Crimson Gold," another one of the decade's best), and thanks for being both the smartest and least pretentious film critic in America.

I completely agree with your choice of Synecdoche, New York as the decade's best. My friend and I drove an hour to see it and were the only ones in the theater. Upon exiting the film I felt as if I was hyper aware. All of my senses were heightened and my mind was almost outside of itself. No movie has ever had such an effect on me before.

With each subsequent viewing of the film it's as if it takes on a whole new meaning for me. With a film like Mulholland Drive you can kind of pinpoint what the movie is about and which scenes are dream, flashback, etc. With Synecdoche, New York you are always second guessing your previous take on the film.

Just wanted to point out that the character's name playing Caden is Sammy Barnathan played by Tom Noonan. Daniel London is the name of the actor that played Tom. It seems that the melding of reality and fiction in the movie has quite literally made it's way into your assessment of it. The mixing of the Toms both in the film and in the actors in real life is quite surreal and perfectly embodies the film. It's almost as if it happened by osmosis.

Juno confounds me. I just didn't like it. The others are quite spectacular.

There also seems to be something in SNY in how ironic it is that in staging this play about his life Caden is avoiding actually living it as he instead stands behind himself and directs someone else as himself. That's all I'll say, I've only seen the film once myself. At first I sturggled with the plot itself finding the plot to be rather gimmicky and repetative but then the film grew on me and has kept doing so ever since. Personally I named Adapation as my favourite film of the decade. Anyone interested can find the rest of my list here:

http://filmdramas.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_ten_best_films_of_the_decade

Great list, but needs more Charlie Kaufman! I'd include Eternal Sunshine, too (I'm not joking). It's also missing my own favourite, The Royal Tenenbaums.

I'm surprised I've watched 16 out of 20 of these. A year ago, I used to think my top ten list was the only one that was right. Now, I know that it's the only one right for me. My college friends and I would compare lists and criticize each others' tastes. My friends have told me that I tend to criticize in a condescending manner. I've learned my lesson that different movies evoke different emotions on different people. Never again will I criticize a top movies list in a condescending manner. Unless of course that list has Transformers 2 on it.

Hmmm, I never would've suspected the Kill Bill movies to make a list like this. I certainly liked them, and find it hard to find any damning faults about them. But while on the subject of mainstream movies, I'm also surprised The Dark Knight did not make any of your lists. Not that I liked it more than Batman Begins, but it was received so well by critics and audiences alike, and your review of it was so glowing.

I'm...a little bit disappointed (but only a little!) that (500) Days of Summer didn't make any of the lists though. I can't believe I waited until it came out on DVD to watch it, but I absolutely loved it. And it was another movie that was so well received.

"That means I could have chosen films from 1999. But in my best of the decade list published at the end of 1999, I could also include 1999 films. Kindly explain."

Huh? What I meant was that your comment seemed to imply that the decade doesn't end until the end of 2010, which people had never considered until this decade, it seems.

Otherwise, nice personal list. I doubt one could another list that matches it even 50%.

A sad admission: I have yet to see "Synecdoche, New York" because I am deeply intimidated by it. I understand that this is the sign of a closed mind.

Chop Shop is among the top films of the decade for me (I can't find it in my heart to rank films on a list) for a personal reason. In 1986 I would sit in the upper deck of the old She Stadium and spend half my time finding places where I could look out and see into the long, gray strips of auto shops depicted in the movie. I would watch the people, the cars, come, go, and wanted to go down and join them. My father was formerly homeless and for a year wandered about down there picking up odd jobs, a tough thing for a 15 yer old Brooklyn Jew in Queens. This was back before the shops had come and it was what he described as a hellhole. He never elaborated, I never asked. The limit, of course, made me want to be down there even more. I only haven't because it's one of the few things he was ever emphatic about. Eventually he pulled himself to an upper middle class CT lifestyle first through becoming an apprentice butcher with a cot in the back of a slaughterhouse and then a shop, and when he was old enough joining the Army. When he left he became a top butcher here in CT. He's my hero for that. I know the film is not of his time but it is of his place, is true, and is genuine. I treasure it.

Roger, your decade list is not as good as some of your previous decade lists. Perhaps you should do a ranking of which of your decade lists you like and rank them.

Also, it is very arbitrary that you chose to use the Gregarian Calendar considering you are not Catholic.

Ebert: While composing the list by candlelight, I sang some Gregarian chunts.

There's also something to be said about the irony in SNY in how by staging this play about his life Caden avoids living it and instead stands outside of it and directs other people instead. I'll leave it at that though as I've only seen the film once and havn't fully appreciated it yet. At first I felt it's plot to be gimmicky and repetative like yeah Charlie, life is a stage, I get it already, do you have anything deeper than that? But then it grew on me and has continued to ever since. I do however prefer Adadpation more, which was my pick for the best of the decade. If anyone is interested it can be found here:

http://filmdramas.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_ten_best_films_of_the_decade

About decades - you really think the twenties was 1921 - 1930? If so, and 2010 is part of the last decade, why did you include a film from 2000?

Ebert: For the same reason I didn't include a film from 2010.

No 'Punch Drunk Love'? Hmmm...strange not to include the greatest movie ever made.

Excellent list. Here's my own.

1) The Fall
2) Goodbye Solo
3) Mulholland Dr.
4) Adaptation.
5) Ghost World
6) Me and You and Everyone We Know
7) All the Real Girls
8) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
9) Inglourious Basterds
10) High Fidelity

Special Jury Prize: Synecdoche, New York

Couldn't agree more and that's why I love you (in a totally platonic way).

Love the list. Still some movies I haven't seen. I would have included Memento, Sideways and the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy.

I have to disagree with one thing however. December 31, 2009 is the last day of the decade.

Hey Roger!

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see you pick Synecdoche, New York as the best film of the decade, but I will do my best: I am thrilled to see that you have picked it! I picked that as well, and I doubt that many would agree with that choice.

I would, however, replace Juno with There Will Be Blood. That's my input, otherwise, excellent choices!

Jordan

From the early scene where Hoffman examines his own feces with a wooden spoon, I felt "Synecdoche" pushing me away. Half an hour later, I muttered to my wife, "I see where he's going with this thing, and I'm going someplace else."

I totally dug your essay about "La Dolce Vita" being the movie of your life, but...

Ugh. I guess I have to give it another try.

I think this is a very nice pick, even though I am sure you are only doing this blog as a 'wink' to everyone else who is doing them.. as any of us who read you should know.

As for Synecdoche, NY, (I am not sure of the rules of this site so I will not link directly, but I reviewed it on my blog in December, 2008) I placed it on my top 10 list of last year and have it slated for my best films of the 2000s (so far my 'list' has 27 films)...

In my review I wrote the following:

"As Ebert writes in his review:

This has not been a conventional review. There is no need to name the characters, name the actors, assign adjectives to their acting. Look at who is in this cast. You know what I think of them. This film must not have seemed strange to them. It's what they do all day, especially waiting around for the director to make up his mind.

This is pretty good stuff."

I really appreciated your remarks. They helped me to organize my own thoughts about some difficult movies I had recently seen and it helped me to think of new ways to express my opinions.

Not many people in my circle, or even my online circle, had much to say to me... most did not see it, and those who did would really only say it was 'good' for an 'art-movie' or they think they got it but don't think they will watch it again. I guess I really just wish I had a few more friends who absolutely love movies and discussion.

I am a bit ashamed to admit that I haven't seen most of the movies from the first ten. Well, I guess that's why I have Netflix. :)

I was happy to see Crash on the second list. I thought it was a good movie, yet it has been slammed the past few years. Mostly I've read complaints about Haggis' writing but I didn't think it was so cloyingly contrived.

Mr. Ebert, why do you think there has been such a large anti-Crash sentiment?

I don't understand why so many of the comments on here are regarding the decades situation...It's really not a big deal when Roger decides that the decade is over for his list. It's...his list? Besides, what movie from 2000 would have made this list? Besides, this is a really solid and well thought-out list. In fact, I don't think you'll find too many "Best of the Decade" lists that feature a film from 2000...It didn't really offer too many films that have stood out and really held their own throughout the decade. In fact, I'd probably say 2000 was the weakest year of the decade for films. We'll see how 2010 holds up to the rest of these years.

And as for "The Hurt Locker":
She asks if a man like James requires such a fearsome job
That statement alone makes me feel like I need to go see it again with that in mind. I think it's great that you included that on the list. Thanks!

I must second the comments for "Nobody Knows". I made a list on my own site of best movies from the past ten years that most people probably never saw (it's biased, as all such lists are), and didn't hesitate a second to put that on the list.

http://www.genjipress.com/2009/12/best.html

Hello Roger,

I hate to be the one to say it, but have you considered that this may be the last "best of the decade" list you will get a chance to make?

You are 67. The average life span in the United States for males is 75, according to Wikipedia. Although it's certainly possible that you will live for many years past 75, there's a very good chance that you will not. Meaning, you'll not get a chance to reflect on a decade's worth of movies again.

Is it perhaps time to put together a list of the top ten movies that have come out in your lifetime?

Now that I've depressed the hell out of everybody, I'm going to go stand in the kill-joy corner.

Ebert: Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Tact.

This is a good list; I wouldn't put Juno anywhere near a best of the decade list (good movie, mind, but not even Reitman's best nor among the best of 2007). Synecdoche, New York is probably the most impacting movie that I've ever seen, though. The first time, I enjoyed it. It seemed a little dense and a little messy, but I liked it well enough because Kaufman's writing is so interesting. The second time that I watched it, the movie changed my life; I literally want to live my life a different way as a result of my second viewing. The third time, I started piecing together some of the things that don't make sense; particularly, that short moment where Caden's second wife says, "Everyone's tattooed!" and shows a tattoo that Caden never saw/noticed was put into perspective for me as a result of an anecdote provided to me by somebody that I know. It's a movie that is so dense that each subsequent rewatching yields something new. It's not my number one of the decade (might not even be in my top 10), but it's probably one of the most important movies that I have ever watched.

I am a bit surprised to see a lack of Lost in Translation on your list. I thought that that would make your list for sure; your praise for it was quite effusive. It's definitely making my list; no question about it.

On that note, can we expect a list of performances from you? I definitely think Bill Murray's work in LiT is some of the best of this decade, but as an aspiring actor I'd be interested to see what you think.

Also, 2009 is the last year of the decade. It doesn't make any sense to include 2010 as the last year of the decade. Going by your logic, 2000 is the last year of the '90s, which is counter-intuitive. Then again, deciding that any particular ten-year group is 'a decade' is kind of arbitrary, so I guess that it's not really important. At least your system avoids the unfortunate difficulty of the lack of a year 0. I'll never ascribe to it (because, as I say, it's counter-intuitive), but I guess that it doesn't really matter.

On an unrelated note, I'd like to thank you for being such an enjoyable critic to read. You have a beautiful way of writing about movies. I would love to be a film critic someday, and your writing has a lot to do with that; I am currently trying to watch as many movies as I can as often as I can, as I only got into film a few years ago, thanks to There Will Be Blood, actually. That was a perfect movie to get me, a senior in high school at the time, into the idea of film as an art form. I now watch movies voraciously.

This certainly is a spectacular list! From the first time that I saw it, I knew that Synecdoche was one of the best films that I have ever seen (alongside Magnolia and Where the Wild Things Are, which are the other two movies that I call my favorites)... Unfortunately, I do admit that I've only seen a handful of these, and that I really do need to start seeing more (I like to call myself a movie buff, or admirer...), but, this is still quite the great list!

Wonderful descriptions Mr. Ebert. I like how your list is more of a personal reflection on the films that affected you the most this decade. And Synecdoche, New York! Kaufman is without a doubt the greatest screenwriter of the decade. And judging from your list and descriptions, you clearly connected with his writing too.

Did you forget Magnolia?

This is the best explanation of decades I've read:

http://www.ericdsnider.com/blog/2009/12/07/what-decade-is-it-anyone-anyone/

This decade(2000-2009) is (almost) over.

Ebert: I admit it. I'm completely confused.


Very good list and awesome journalism. Adaptation tops my all time list, so it would logically top my "best of the decade" too. About Synecdoche: it is amazing how some films just connect with a person on a personal level and we just "get it", and admire the way the movie is presented by the writer, director and cast. For me, Into the Wild and The Sea Inside were two films I connected with very personally, and henceforth made my list. And the "dear to my heart movies" like My Winnepeg (which I have added to my "must see" list); Mine would definitely be Juno and Jarhead. Then the movies that grip you emotionally - No Country For Old Men and The Road made my list in that dep't. I very much respect your picks.

By the way, Roger, in a February 2007 article you predicted the Oscar winners but would not list who you thought should win in the Best Director category "for reasons of tact". Are we far enough removed from that time to fess up to who you thought deserved it?

when i read that you described richard linklater's "me and orson welles" as "one of the best movies about the theater i've ever seen," i wondered, what IS? this might answer it. it very well answers which is THE best movie about theatre this decade...

Oh, Roger, this is the sort of thing that makes me happy: To see Tarantino's Kill Bill opus included on a decade's-best list; or YOUR list, rather. I hope that ten or twenty years from now, the film is studied carefully in college classes across the nation and recognized for the absolute masterpiece that it is.

As for The Hurt Locker, was there ever any doubt that this is one of the finest films to come along in many years?

Without a doubt Roger, I loved your list.

But, I just wanted to clarify the categorization of how to count years from the Indian perspective (and yes, we have a category for everything):

When you are born, you are zero years old, but your first year is "running."

Thus, 2000 was the first year running of the decade, and 2009 is the tenth year that ran and is about to cross the finish line.

Now as far as following "Synecdoche," I'm still trying to figure that one out.

1,2,4,6,8 from first and 2,6,7,10 from second.

Great list! I'm glad to see Me and You and Everyone We Know and Chop Shop listed!

Hi,
A big fan of your reviews. An awesome list there, though I was expecting 'The Dark Knight', 'WALL-E' & 'Waltz with Bashir' & 'Blood Diamond'. Each of those movie evoked an emotion.

Dark Knight with its, agreeably, almost implausible story in reality (i hope it stays so), was really more about the characters and their portrayal. WALL-E with awareness raising theme & in the way it was communicated. Waltz with Bashir and Blood Diamond showing something about, not just a war, but also how our nature can get so obsessed with exploitation of our own kind.

Of course, just my suggestions.

Once again, amazing list of movies.
Cheers.

Roger,

that's a very good re-cap of the best films of the decade. I've always admired your ability to see a movie for its essence instead of being distracted by hype and box office grosses. Some of your choices are very surprising and unconventional. That's good. The more variety, the better.

Having said that, I don't agree with your #1 pick, "Synecdoche, New York." It didn't work for me and I don't think a repeat viewing would help. When I make up my mind about a movie I don't waver much from my original position. Charlie Kaufman is an extremely talented writer and SNY is a noble, ambitious project. I appreciate what he was trying to do. But I found the film to be a chore to sit through. It puts up a wall of high concept so high (I believe I'm quoting some critic's negative opinion of the film) that one cannot penetrate it. It's gimmickry. Everything that SNY is trying to say about the human experience was done much better in "Citizen Kane," your favorite film of all time. In fact, I think that's maybe the reason why "Synecdoche" appeals to you so much. It's about a man's entire life experiences, his hopes, his dreams, and his contradictions. But "Citizen Kane" is a rewarding movie-going experience shot in a classical, golden-age of Hollywood style. Show "Synecdoche, New York" to a general audience and they'll be fleeing the theater before the movie is over. You stated in your original review of the film that people will remember this film and that it will get its just critical due in time. I don't think so. I think it's destined to have a small but devoted group of admirers such as yourself. I seriously doubt "Synecdoche, New York" will ever be regarded as a film classic. I'm glad you admire it so much and your analysis of what the film is about, as always, is spot on. But you're reviewing the film's concept, not its execution.

Here are my favorite films of the last ten years in no particular order:

In the Bedroom
There Will be Blood
Lost in Translation
Munich
Gran Torino
Vera Drake
Kill Bill Vol. 2
City of God
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Ratatouille
House of Sand and Fog
No Country for Old Men

My top ten of the decade
1.) The Lord of the Rings
2.) Mulholland Dr.
3.) The Dark Knight
4.) City of God
5.) Minority Report
6.) United 93
7.) Happy Go Lucky
8.) Memento
9.) Kill Bill Vol.1&2
10.) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Great list but what about "Babel" ?? It made it into the Great Movies list but not one of the best of the decade????

CHILDREN OF MEN!!!! THERE WILL BE BLOOD, ETERNAL SUNSHINE!!!! I can't believe these arent on the list.. I do agree with most on the list... ROGER EBERT IS KING!!!!! I waited for this list all week.

EXHIBIT 1--"Wings of Desire" is one of those films movie critics are accused of liking because it's esoteric and difficult. "Nothing happens but it takes two hours and there's a lot of complex symbolism," complains a Web-based critic named Peter van der Linden. In the fullness of time, perhaps he will return to it and see that astonishing things happen and that symbolism can only work by being apparent.

EXHIBIT 2-- but it helps me stay grounded. It says:

A man goes to the movies. A critic must be honest enough to admit he is that man.

That doesn't make one person right and another wrong. All it means is that you know how they really felt, not how they thought they should feel.

.....Apropos these two passages written by you,Sir, Don't you feel you were expecting, perhaps condescendingly, to make Van der linden (whatever his movie IQ or EQ) like your choice? Furthermore,Not singling out his name would have have caused him less embarrassment. Despite you considering Synecdoche New York to be a monumental work,many critics will never get around to appreciating it, not because they are immature but because of a complexly simple thing called "like/ dislike". If you would still like to stick to your Exhibit A stance, then I humbly suggest that you add as a last line to your "Taste of Cherry" review--"Perhaps, in the fullness of time, I'll get around to appreciating it!". I mean no offense, so please consider the above in a sporting spirit...tc

Sorry, that doesn't make sense, because if that were so, you would have waited until the year 2000 to have a complete list (unless the Times require you to view the decade the same way all the rivaling newspapers do) of top films of the 91'-00 decade. And the reason you didn't include a movie for 2010 is because that year hasn't happend yet (unless you can hop into Doc Browns Delorean and see movies in advance). Are you restricted by The Chicago Sun-Times to list your movies at the end of next year or do you just go along with tradition? The latter would seem easier.

Roger: I have a question. Do you differentiate between your favorite movies and the 'best' movies of a time? I know some people don't and some people do. I tend too, just because I could bear to leave films like 'The Muppet Movie' off of my favorites list, but I realize that there are certain elements that preclude it from being 'great', at least in the traditional, AFI list sense of the word.

Then again, 'The Muppet Movie' has been added to the National Film Registry and will be preserved for the ages, so maybe, just maybe, the difference is unnecessary.

What a terrific list. I absolutely love the quote you included at the end, I always keep that in mind when I watch and review a film. I try to be completely honest when I write my reviews and talk about film, and that quote (one I've never heard before) really struck me.

I also love the fact that you listed these films based on their emotional impact, because those are always the films that I will remember the most. Above all, I think, people (or at least me) watch movies to be moved by what's on the screen, and movies that achieve that will always have a special place in my heart.

I agree with most of your list, although I must admit I'm not a huge fan of "Almost Famous," but that's beside the point. These are the films that impacted you the most, and I thank you for sharing them with us.

What a top 10. Some great, some good, and only a couple I didn't like. My top film of the decade would be Children of Men, so I was disappointed to not see it on here, but enough picks on here would appear in my top 20 to make up for it.

Your choosing of Synecdoche, NY as your number 1 absolutely thrilled me. I'm putting it in my top 10 somewhere (not sure where yet) because of all the movies I've seen this decade, it's the one that has refused to leave my thoughts from the moment I saw it. Your blog entries and review helped me a great deal in understanding it - I felt the same way you did after my first viewing; I knew it was a great film even though I had no clue what I had just witnessed. But even if you ignore the labyrinthine plot and masses of characters, the movie connects on such a deep human level that it cannot be ignored. The speech given by the priest at the funeral and the final narration by Dianne Wiest so perfectly summed up my thoughts and feelings at the time of my initial viewing that I wept. Charlie Kaufman has been one of my favorite writers since he came on the scene, but I want to meet him and shake his hand and thank him for Synecdoche. And thank you for helping all of us who loved it to realize what a complex and beautiful film experience it was.


The decade debacle

Jesus, this decade thing ain't that tough. In 1999 Roger's #3 pick was 1990's Goodfellas. Conversely in 1989, he didn't pick one his all time faves, 1979'S Apocalypse Now. Would have been interesting if he would have picked A.N. over The Godfather back in 79. Or as contrary as he is, maybe something totally off the wall. Guarantee it wouldn't have been Harold and Maude, but 1976's L'argent de poche-maybe.

Last month I emailed about 50 or 60 of my friends from childhood, high school, college, and beyond asking them to give me a Top 10 of the decade and then I'd compile them by New Year's. I was just finishing tabulating the results when I found your list (The Departed finished first in my composite list of about 200 different titles, I was pleased with the turnout) and the reflection at the end of your post struck me. All through the process my friends would email me their lists with a footnote of near apology. All of my friends know I love movies and that I take them very seriously as art. Many of my friends would preface their lists with something like "I don't see a lot of movies but..." or "I don't know as much about movies as some people..." or "Here's my uneducated list..." Many seemed embarrassed if a movie like The Dark Knight or Catch Me if You Can or some other popular entertainment ended up on their list. I told them in the original email that they're were no right or wrong answers and I wasn't interested in finding 50 lists that looked exactly like my own. I was interested in the social aspect of it. A list of decided non-critics, one that would reflect a range of avid filmgoers to film apathists. And even though The Departed didn't even show up on my list, the idea wasn't to prove to myself how "right" I was, it was to create an excuse to talk about movies. I know you think lists like these are silly and they are but it was fun to watch the results come in and see what each list said about each friend. Thank you for continuing to inspire myself and others to see great movies (I would never had seen The Son if not for you and it ended up at #6 on my decade list, also I just started the Up Series because of your essays on it) and thanks for seeing the bad ones so I don't have to.

If it doesn't, you were two on your first birthday.

The first birthday is of course the second.

Ah, I remember the first decade of the first millenium AD fondly. What were the years? Oh yes, something like 1 B.C. - 9 A.D. What a silly time.

why kill bill, instead of basterds?

great list...my own
1.there will be blood
2.lord of the rings trilogy
3.minority report
4.a.i.:artificial intelligence
5.Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind
6.The Pianist
7.Wall-e
8.Watchmen:Ultimate Cut
9.Adaptation
10.The Fountain
11.The Dark Knight
12.inglorious basterds
....ive seen about 2500 films over this decade

ive loved synecdoche new york but i really need 2 see the film again before i finish my opinion... I will watch it in a few hours prob.

I completely agree that "Synecdoche, New York" is the best film of the decade.

If Synecdoche, New York is your number one film of the decade then why doesnt it feature on your best of 2009 list?

I am SO glad you included Kill Bill, personally it's my number 1. The thing that is so strange is i'm 18 now, but when it came out i was 12. Yet I saw it for the first time when I was 13. I didn't fully grasp it. Now after seeing it 30 times i still don't fully grasp it. This intrigues me about Synecdoche, New York. It seems like a film you won't be able to understand the 1st time you see it. With you naming it the best of the decade, i will have to check it out. But from the sounds of it ill be seeing it many times. And one quick question, where is Babel? You inducted it into you "Great Movies" pretty quickly after it came out yet it's not on your list and the vast majority of these movies aren't in your "Great Movies." I think it's just Pan's Labyrinth, Chop Shop, Adaption and The 25th Hour.

good god roger.
spot on.
i like how Phillip S.H kept popping up throughout.
he really is a phenomenally talented actor.
i have my own ideas for what the best are.
but once again you have basically captured the essence of the film-going experience for the first decade of the new millennium.
it's just a shame scorsese couldn't make it.
even though he made some phenomenal works.
oh well.

also about your new decade clause.
or whatever you want to call it.
are you telling us that 2000, was really the last year of the nineties? and so on and so forth?

There Will Be Blood... Lord of War... Inglourious Basterds... so on and so on...

In choosing the list, I decided to bypass films that may have qualified for their historical, artistic, popular or "objective" importance. No lists have deep significance, but even less lists composed to satisfy an imaginary jury of fellow critics

Although, now that you mention it, a list like that under such a context might be interesting...

You know, the thing I like about Roger Ebert is whether we agree with him or not, he really sticks to his guns. He is not afraid to deviate from a consensus if a film really stands out to him. After all, film is meant to be experienced on a very personal level, so sometimes the best films are the ones we really remember "experiencing" - not just watching. At the end of the day, I think that's a very good thing as it only opens the doors for interesting discussion.

You know, the thing I like about Roger Ebert is whether we agree with him or not, he really sticks to his guns. He is not afraid to deviate from a consensus if a film really stands out to him. After all, film is meant to be experienced on a very personal level, so sometimes the best films are the ones we really remember "experiencing" - not just watching. At the end of the day, I think that's a very good thing as it only opens the doors for interesting discussion.

Roger, your list and writing is elevating and has me thinking about your work this decade as a critic. Surely it's your best. And, let's be honest, this may be your last 'best of the decade' list and explanations (or maybe not, we'll see) but if it is, it sums up your unique and considerable worldview beautifully. You could be gone tomorrow and this would be a sign of the kinds of people and sentiments you've placed your hope for the future in. I guess you feel the same about all your decade endlists.

I don't think I could thank you enough for your writing and how, well, it's changed my life, not necessarily for better but better is overrated, it's all about the how. (And, while I'm add it, thanks for hiring Jim Emerson, one of the best things you ever did... if it was your choice, I'm not sure whose it was, but it was a stroke of brilliance.)

Enough with the emotion, there's nothing I could say anyway to repay you or communicate my appreciation. You are great man, I'll leave it at that.

Onto your awesome, exciting, gutsy choices. I was expecting them to be much more predictable. Don't take that personal, most critics make thoughtful choices that people nod in general agreement with, maybe a few disagreements here and there... This one should stop the presses. Some very bold selections (and at the numbers you've ranked them too).

"Synecdoche" at #1! Amazing! Not that I agree exactly but that may inspire some other courageous choices from critics, pro and not-pro. About the non-pro... On my Flixster (don't know if you've ever heard of it, won't bother explaining, very boring to), I have maybe 20 or so people from various locations around the globe who have seen it... The lowest mark I've seen is a 3 and a half out of 5, with the review noting that the film overwhelmed this viewer, he's unsure for now but enjoyed watching and will return again in the future... I've rarely, rarely seen that much love from a film from my peeps, who I carefully selected over the years while browsing through the reviews now and then, usually finding the best reviewers under recent reviews for Bergman films...

I love how personal this list is. That's the way to go! You've really inspired me to just... go with my gut when I make up my own list. It's the conclusion I came to anyway but was still feeling a little unsure whether it was 'objectively' the right choice. I know "Pan's Labirynth" is a deeply recognized masterpiece, but what can I say, it didn't hit elevate personally as much as this little movie called "Half Nelson" about a desperate teacher who just wants to help one (1) uunderstanding student. And finds even that is a struggle.

"My Winnipeg" at #10... As a Canadian, I'm feeling a sting of pride right now... Tis also on my list.

Could go on about this great list. Quick round of kudos to:
"Hurt Locker" at #2 is ballsy. So soon!, But a great film indeed.

More praise for "25th Hour". I saw it for the first time the other night. It left me stunned and surprised. We're accustomed to seeing Spike's explosive directing style. He did something different with this film, more philosophical, without sacrificing his bottom line stare-the-truth-in-the-eye instincts. His no b/s, man up to your flaws approach makes for an unforgettable experience when he's also at his most humanistic and empathetic, which he is working off Benioff's screenplay.

The inclusion of *Herzog's* "Bad Lieutenant" at all. That'll have people talking, if they aren't stunned in awe that you went with it. But now I don't feel like a total weirdo for the film being, against odds going into it, my favorite this year. Though, contrary to popular opinion that says not to compare it to Ferrera's, I think what's so wonderful is how the two films contrast, seeing the same thing from opposite angles... and both are persuasive! These two movies demand viewing, by philosophy/ethics majors especially, perhaps even back to back.

For people confused about what year a decade begins and ends with remember that there was never a year zero. So the very first decade was 1-10, the first century was 1-100, and so on. The last century ended at the beginning of 2001, and this decade will end at the beginning of 2011. The years 2000-2009 are A decade, but they are not THE decade.

I just saw that your original "25th Hour" review was 3.5 stars. Why, then, did you put it as one of the best films of the decade? Did you change your mind? Moreover, what does this say about all of your original reviews--that they're flexible?

In defense of Jonathan B., you are looking at the years mathematically subtracting ten from 2009, but forgetting to count the 2000. I actually went along with it at first but then counted them out on my fingers to make sure I wasn't crazy.

A decade is a period of ten years. You have at least one movie on this list from each year:

2000 - Almost Famous
2001 - Waking Life
2002 - The Son
2003 - 25th Hour
2004 - Monster

2005 - Me, You and Everyone We Know
2006 - Pan's Labyrinth
2007 - Juno
2008 - Synecdoche
2009 - Hurt Locker

That's ten titles over ten years.

I feel like an a-hole even writing this.

I'm somewhat surprised you included "Crash" on this list while omitting "Babel". I personally felt the latter had better executed what both films seemed to set out to accomplish artistically. You recognized "Babel" on your "Great Movies" list, but I'm not sure about "Crash"; regardless, has your opinion on either film changed in the last few years, Roger?

I would like to shamelessly brag that I have seen fifteen of the twenty films on your two lists and, with the exception of the 25th Hour and Almost Famous, all of the ones I haven't seen (Silent Light, The Son, Me You and Everyone We Know) are relatively obscure (and I haven't even had an opportunity to see Silent Light yet). Needless to say these five will be a high priority for me. Funny coincidence, I bought My Winnipeg as a blind purchase a couple of weeks ago (unusual for me, I don't like making blind purchases) and watched it just the other night. I was enthralled with it. I'm becoming increasingly fascinated with Guy Maddin's work and glad to see the film included here.

On the subject of the 25th Hour, I looked back at your old review and saw that you gave it three and a half stars. What exactly is it that prompted you to bump it up from the respectable ranks of "pretty good" to the Valhalla of being one of the best films of the decade?

well... I think you choice very good movies. But i can't agree your position absolutely. Because this list includes almost 'American cinema'(or American-capital cinema). for example, I think, in your catalogue, it seems to be there is no space for Edward wang's Greatest movie . So I have a one question to you. your interest pocused on only American style?

These movies here, dear Ebert...

Le scaphandre et le papillon
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
The Dreamers
Diarios de Motocicleta
Y tu mamá también
The Elephant
Into the Wild
Låt den rätte komma in
Letters from Iwo Jima
Mou gaan dou

None of these films impact you more than Juno? Really?

An independent theater in my home town Kyoto, Japan recently released Synecdoche, New York - I went to see it four times and have told my friends it is definitely my favorite of the decade and one of my favorites of all time. I wrote an essay about the movie for my application to some art schools in the U.S. for cinema studies.

I was frustrated upon my first viewing but I returned three more times out of fear more than anything - I was frightened by the fact that I, a 17-year old, saw so much of myself in Caden Cotard. The film is powerful enough that I don't want to ignore that fear (though it took me a week to conjure up the courage to go again). I've grown to like it "so much that it hurts", to quote Almost Famous (also a decade favorite of mine).

It also solidifies Jon Brion as one of the best working composers (his score for Punch-Drunk Love is unbelievable as well). I felt that his work got a little bit over-looked among all the arguing over the themes of the film. I listen to the soundtrack constantly.

Great list, Roger - you continue to be my hero!

I'm not sure what Crash is doing on the list, but Pan's Labyrinth makes up for it, as my favorite movie of the aughts. The film made not one misstep-- not one. Even my favorite films of all time make missteps here and there, sometimes serious, but I love them anyway because there's that much to love. But Pan's Labyrinth-- perfect from beginning to end. The only thing-- and I mean the only thing-- that took me out of it was the sometimes bad CGI of bullet wounds. It was odd, combined with the fantastic effects elsewhere.

Also, any list that doesn't include Mulholland Drive gains credibility with me. The movie is awful and has nothing to say-- it's just David Lynch trying to be deep and mysterious without a story-- yet it has topped many critics lists for the 00's. Somehow Mr. Lynch has tricked these savvy moviegoers into thinking he has something to say. I'm glad he didn't fool you. The movie stinks.

I agree with the list with one exception, Kill Bill! That is the only movie that I wish I could unwatch! I hate that movie with a burning rage that rivals that of a thousand suns! I consider it a tragedy whenever a single cultural artifact is lost to human history forever, but in the instance of Kill Bill I wouldn't mind if every single film print and digital copy of that film disintegrated!

You know Roger, for a while I couldn't get why you were so offended by David Lynch's Blue Velvet. After having seen Kill Bill I think I now know how you felt. After watching that insipid excuse for hipster filmmaking I felt violated! I felt like my sensibilities toward film and storytelling were violated!

For years I didn't know why I hated the film so much. Now I think I know why. It is Uma Thurman, her character is a cartoon; just a cipher for Tarentino's myriad of film references. She is crying one scene and then smiling and giggling stupidly in the next. See gets shot, stabbed, beaten and incapacitated and she just picks herself up. There was just absolutely no consistency to her character. I felt more for every other character on screen then I did for her. I even felt more for the Crazy 88s then I did for the Bride.

And on the subject of the Crazy 88s fight, I thought it was freaking pathetic! I like samurai movies. I like Hong Kong style martial arts movies. Not the two clumsily mixed together! Watching it all I could think was, "Those swords are not made for that style of combat!" Watch The Sword of Doom (Daibosatsu Togei) if you want to see a real samurai sword fighting. Plus all of the so-called "practical" effects ruined the sequences rhythm and flow.

This turned into quite a rant. Well QT redeemed himself in my eyes with Inglourious Bastereds. The only complaint I have about that film is that Tarentino seems to be cannibalizing the cinema.

Waking up to find I share the same favourite movie of the decade with my favourite critic is a fantastic way to start the day.

The amateur film blog I write for made our own top 20 of the decade: http://www.projectorheads.com/2009/12/the-projectorheads-top-20-of-the-decade/ and it's probably a lot more controversial than even this one, haha

A decade is any ten year span so technically 1994-2003 is a decade. Named decades, 20's, 60's, 90's, go from the 0 year to the 9 year. "This" decade or "The" Decade goes from 1 to 10. Therefore your list is not the best of the decade, but the best of the Zeroes (Aughts, whatever).

Just keep in mind that "Hurt Locker" is all fiction. Bomb disposal vets have weighed in. What is portrayed in the film is NOT standard operating procedure. They don't spend hours defusing bombs in cars, etc. They blow the damn things up. Hostages are not strapped with bombs. They have plenty of true believers to blow them selfs up. You don't find Islamic snipers hanging out in the desert. GIs don't sneak out of the Green Zone to travel solo into dangerous neighborhoods. Etc, etc, etc.

Hate to go off topic, since this really should be about the list (which is great by the way - an amazingly eclectic group of films), but 2010 is not part of this decade.. the decade (2000-2009) is coming to the end. A decade has 10 years: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. If including 2010, you would have to start from 2001.

From the moment I saw Synecdoche, New York, I knew this was something that would haunt me. And it did. The film literally haunted me for many months, affecting my life, and even my choice for the person I'm with now. It made me look at many of the choices (and non-choices) affecting my life, and, in the end, improve my life.

That is the sign of a truly once-in-a-lifetime film. Something that literally changes your life.

I have a friend who works in the office of the manager for Mr. Kaufman. He says by far, Mr. Kaufman is the reciepent of the most dedicated fan mail they have ever seen. Letters pour in on the regular professing how his film has changed their lives too.

I know that Kaufman has given interviews after making this film saying he may never work again. I hope he does, but that is selfish. Obviously, in the making of this film, he put his very soul into it, and gave it to us.

I hope he's recovering well.

Wow Ebert, no Let the Right One In? Really?

Roger,

While I disagree with you that "the decade" isn't over for another year, why not just call your list "The best films of the last ten years" and sidestep the issue?

The 201st decade still has a year to go, but the 2000s finish tonight. A decade is any period of ten years; it doesn't have to be an exact multiple of ten years since the year 1. If you wanted, you could have done "Films of the Decade" 3.5 years ago for the decade from August 1 1996 to July 31 2006.

Dear Mr. Ebert,

Two things;

1) I am extremely touched by the fact that you have chosen 'Synecdoche, New York' as the film of the decade. I was also greatly moved by your review of the film the first time around, and your summary above. No film has ever shook me to the core, made me confront and question the various personas which have manifested themselves in my relatively short time on this world, as much as this film. As someone who has an almost neurotic obsession with the theme of identity (in any context), the film made me look at my life, question it, and provided me with an emotional experience like no other. I love films, but there have only been four or five which I could safely say 'elevated' me. If I had to save one out of all them, this would be my choice. What a movie.

2) I am glad that you are one of the very few sane journalists who have not rushed headlong into media sensationalism and have recognised the fact that we are not quite done with this decade. The Noughties are not officially over, people, if you wish to be consistent with the last two thousand years of counting, and this is why; The Roman calendar did not, alas, have a zero in its numbering system, so their calendar begins on January 1 in the year 1. The decade, therefore, does not end until midnight between December 31, 10 and January 1,11. The principle holds true, even a couple of millenia after.

I am shocked by the fact that certain people, alas, are falling short of that old adage 'don't believe everything you read'.

Having said that, I wish you all a Happy New Year... please enjoy it, as it is the last of its decade.

I can not tell you how happy it made me to see "Minority Report" on there. At least around the circles I travel in, this has got to be Steven Spielberg's most underrated film (second place goes to "Munich"). It has to be one of the most entertaining movies I've ever seen. It's got interesting ideas (which, especially for sci-fi movies, seem to be in short supply) exciting (and coherent) action set pieces, and a genuinely mysterious mystery. The only way it could be more pleasing is if it tucked you in at night.

Almost Famous is my favourite movie (the extended cut, anyway) and I am of course delighted to see it here. But, strangely, I'm even MORE delighted to see Me and You and Everyone We Know.

And, because no one asked for it, my own top 10:

1. Almost Famous
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Once
5. Ghost World
6. Shaun of the Dead
7. Punch-Drunk Love
8. Lost In Translation
9. High Fidelity
10. The Departed

I actually have a top 40, but don't want to take up any more space...

Fascinating list, Mr. Ebert. I was quite pleased to see both My Winnipeg and Silent Light get mentioned, as they are both personal favourites of mine. On the subject of Guy Maddin, however, I would actually place The Heart of the World ahead of My Winnipeg. I guess that short films don't count, though. I do honestly believe that it contains the best example of montage theory since Stalin died.
While I am extremely happy to see Werner Herzog on the list, I think that his documentaries this decade are more deserving. And finally, I was wondering, did Gus Van Sant's Elephant ever come across your radar when formulating this list. I myself would be inclined to list it as the best film of the decade.

There Will Be Blood.

The decade started in 2001, just like how our time line started on year 1. There is no year 0.

It's true that from a strictly definitive point, "the' decade isn't over. But the consensus is that 2000-2009 is a decade. I'm not sure why this is the case, other than it's this way to prevent confusion. When the arguments start, though, there's no end to the confusion.

I know this is a silly thing to do, arguing with a list that is based on feeling which is clearly different for everyone, but there is one movie that provided more elevation (beautiful word by the way) than any other movie I have ever seen... with one possible exception. The movie is The Fall. I have never seen anything so beautifully and lovingly constructed. It comes close to truly SHOWING the power and pure magic of story telling, which I thought impossible. It brought up memories of being lulled to sleep by a fable that fell from my mothers mouth straight to my imagination, and was transformed into life.
Please forgive this silly and useless endorsement.
Just could not help myself.
TTFN

I certainly enjoyed being puzzled by Synecdoche. Thanks to your comments here, I'll watch it again. But best of the decade?

To my mind, cinema's a linear art form. You sit down in the theater, the lights come down, they run the reels in order, and you're done. If a film doesn't make much sense to the audience when the lights come back up, then I think it has failed the audience. If it takes a prominent cinema expert to even glimpse the purpose on one viewing, isn't that a major flaw?

That isn't to say that there aren't a lot of good films that reward multiple viewings. I'm just saying that the first viewing should be a complete experience, rather than a teaser for several more. Is it possible that you agree, but feel Synecdoche is so strong that it transcends a problem that would have killed a lesser film?

Damn it! I was hoping to see you reunited with Scorsese again (that was one of the highlights of that year). Well, I hope you will do it for the next decade. Live long and prosper!

Hey, great list, but I'm a little curious: Werckmeister Harmonies by Bela Tarr was one of your great films, yet I didn't see it on the list. Struck me as a little strange, but that's OK.

I think we can resolve the decade controversy in one or more of the following three ways.

1. Refer to the list as The Best Films of A Decade, rather than The Best Films of The Decade.

2. Refer to the list as The Best Films of the 2000s.

3. Refer to the list as The Best Films of the Zeroes.

Methinks you would prefer option number three, Roger.

I find much to agree with on your list, though I knew from the moment City of God ended that something astonishing would have to come along in order for that film to lose its place at the top of my list. I have watched it five more times since then, just to be sure.

Happy New Year, Roger.

Serioiusly, the decade argument is pretty ridiculous. All you have to do is realize that from the start of Year 0 to the start of Year 1 is the first year of the decade. Year 1 to Year 2 is the second. Year 2-3 the 3rd, year 3-4 the 4th, year 4-5 the 5th, year 5-6 the 6th, year 6-7 the 7th, year 7-8 the 8th, year 8-9 the 9th, year 9-10 the tenth. Continue that rational thinking until the present, and this decade is January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2009. Really, is there any other argument?

Roger, is not 2000-2009 ten years? 120 Months? When I was born in 1980, I was born in the Eighties, no? Thank you.

Rob, you aren't the only one disappointed to see the lack of attention paid to Nobody Knows. I can only assume it's the result of not enough people seeing it. Just the shot of the younger girl's crayons with only the unwanted colours left just slays me to think about even now.

I based my own best of the decade ratings on the same idea as Roger, what connected me most directly to the joy and fear and love and loss of others. I took some flak for putting Away From Her as my #3, but I'd feel dishonest in saying it wasn't as important to me as it was. While I can't agree with all of the films (Juno and Crash, mainly), it's wonderful to see a few underrated films like Me You And Everyone We Know and Silent Light get some much deserved praise. It's equally wonderful to see the technically impeccable but emotionally weightless Lord of the Rings movies (if the stakes are essentially the whole world, victory is assured since only Cormac McCarthy can successfully write the end of everything, assuming my interpretation of the end of The Road is correct, meaning the entire trilogy becomes essentially a tedious fantasy themed basketball game) absent. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them, but best of decade material they are not.

My top 15 (if posting this here is presumptuous, feel free to excise it):

15)Let the Right One In
14)Big Fish
13)My Winnipeg
12)Amelie
11)The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10)Yi Yi (A One and a Two)
9)The Royal Tenenbaums
8)Revanche
7)The Fall
6)Nobody Knows
5)Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4)Atanarjuat
3)Away From Her
2)City of God
1)4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

Here's what Anne Billson writes:

Synecdoche, New York, dir. Charlie Kaufman (Sony)

by Anne Billson

Thanks to his mind-bending screenplays for Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie Kaufman is one of the few Hollywood screenwriters who might conceivably be regarded as an AUTEUR. In Adaptation, he inserted himself into the narrative as a fussy, neurotic screenwriter played by Nicolas Cage with even worse than usual hair. Fellini had half a dozen near-masterpieces under his belt before he tried to sum up his life and career in 8½, but Kaufman, making his directing debut with Synecdoche, New York, ambitiously plunges in at the deep end to tackle the big themes - life, death and all the bits in between. The result is a richly detailed tapestry which seems predestined to split audiences down the middle. Sceptics will inevitably dismiss it as pretentious; others will find its reductio ad absurdum of the human condition poignant. Either way, it's a mindfuck, and one that demands multiple viewings.

This time, it's Philip Seymour Hoffman playing the Kaufman surrogate, a fussy, neurotic theatre director whose hypochondria doesn't spare him from genuine afflictions, most of them leaky and disgusting. After his marriage falls apart, he's awarded a MacArthur "genius fellowship" and spends the next two decades constructing a detailed simulacrum of his life in a vast hangar populated by actors playing himself, his women and all the people he has ever met. Then he starts hiring actors to play the actors playing the people. And so on. Time starts to speed up. Even as the theatrical representations are becoming increasingly removed from reality, so it becomes more difficult to tell what's real and what's Memorex.

This may sound overly schematic and wilfully labyrinthine, but as the narrative disappears up its own fundament, Kaufman seeds it with so many surreal, satirical or inconsequential touches that the result feels like an elaborate but only half-remembered dream teeming with ant-like activity and a cast of thousands. Catherine Keener, as Hoffman's viciously plainspeaking wife, paints pictures so small they can only be seen through a microscope. Samantha Morton, as the theatre receptionist who becomes Hoffman's mistress, buys a house which is perpetually on fire, though it never actually burns down. The actor whom Hoffman hires to play himself is a man who has been stalking him for years; on a second viewing of the film, you can glimpse him lurking in the background in the earlier scenes.

The dictionary definition of "synecdoche" (pronounced "si-NECK-duckee") is "a figure of speech in which a part is named but the whole is understood", as in, for example, the way we might say, "several new faces" in lieu of "several new people". So Hoffman is the part, and we're the whole; he's standing in for all of us, and for the way our reality has been hi-jacked by narrative, how each of us is playing the leading role in the story of our life, while the life itself trickles away unnoticed. You'd probably need a PhD in Structuralism to get to grips with all the implications of that, but you could boil the message down to the bumper-sticker maxim, "Life is something that happens to you while you're busy making other plans." The film is sadder and wiser than that, but there's a rare beauty in the sadness and wisdom. There's life, and then there's nothing, but it's all those bits in between that make us what we are.

Some great movies on that list. Still haven't seen "Silent Light" though. I would've liked to have seen "United 93" somewhere in there, which I thought was the Best Film of the Decade.

"The Hurt Locker" was a horrible horrible movie. I saw it with my brother and he had to apologize to me at how boring it was. We're both in our early twenties and I can't help but think there is an age-bias on how movies are reviewed.

I am so utterly happy that you found 'Synecdoche, New York' the best film of the decade. I've been disagreeing with you more and more as time has gone by but this is a pitch-perfect choice for a horrible decade so full of despair, illusion, and life!

Can't we just agree that technically the decade is 2001-2010, but culturally it's 2000-2009. Nobody wants to call a decade "most of the twenties and a year in the thirties." Much better to say, "the twenties."

Interesting list as always. I'm not sure what would top my own. Possibly The Pianist. Black Hawk Down and The Departed would also be present.

Because 2010 isn't part of the 00's?

Decades don't work the same way as centuries or millenia. 2000 was the last year of the millenium, but 2010 is not the last year of the decade any more than 2000 was the last year of the 90's.

What I think is a far more interesting discussion, anyway, is when people are going to start saying "twenty-ten" instead of "two thousand and ten." It's all Stanley Kubrick's fault.

Yes Ebert! I asked you a couple of months back why 25th hour hadn't got the recognition it deserved and you said you'll invite it to Ebert fest. Now, that isn't necessary. You added it to your great movies list and you've put it on this list. Thats enough. But now, please tell me what happened to leaves of grass! Did it release? 25th December. I'm in India and won't ever know. That is unless you tell me.

Hey, Roger. Any chance of there being a written debate between you and Rex Reed over the subject of Synecdoche, New York, which he considers to be nothing less than the worst movie ever made?

Now that I'd love to read.


....so the 3 1/2 star 25th Hours is first a great movie and on your best of list. I wonder what the hell the 1/2 star was taken off for in the first place (say all you will about the irrelevance of the star system- it does create false impressions).

BTW, I love the connections that are made between your pieces and Jim Emerson's, like today post that deals with why Crash is the worst film of the decade.

"Ebert: That means I could have chosen films from 1999. But in my best of the decade list published at the end of 1999, I could also include 1999 films. Kindly explain."

No, it doesn't. From January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2009 is ten full years, or better known as a "decade."

I agree with you, the 3rd millennium did not start until 2001, same as the 21st century did not start until 2001, same as the 201st decade did not start until 2001. However, the 1900s century started on 1900 and ended with 1999 and the 00s decade started in 2000 and ends with 2009.

The "historical" decades (that is, those starting from 1 AD and counting forward) are not one-in-the-same with terms such as "1990s", "2000s" and so forth. These are our own created decades based on how tidy they look (doesn't really make any sense for 2000 to be part of the "1990s"... but it is part of the 200th decade).

Whew.

Anyway, nice, eclectic list. I still haven't seen "Synecdoche," and this list only makes we want to prioritize it more.

This is a movie list of the best movies from the year 2000 began to the end of the year 2009. You should just have written that instead. This is a movielist. Not a decade-discussion :-).

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, Irreversible, Dark Knight and Avatar and I could mention others that definitely stuck in my mind as one of the best I have seen but then again I haven't seen nearly as many movies as you have to be a fair judge of wich is the best. Very happy to see Crash and Almost Famous in there.

I love how feeling for you is your main ingredience for judging a movie. I respect you greatly for that as I think you understand better than most in wich way movies can benefit society best.

the decade is 2000-2009 , tomorrow we enter the new decade (the two thousand tens). That's it. I don't think it's most constructive to focus entirely at that. A mistake was made (and it's not debatable whether it is a mistake) , nevertheless it's not that important.

I find my self agreeing more with the second list than the first one. My problem with the "mainstream" films of the first one is that they don't evoke the response " this is the best film of the decade" to the one who saw them. You don't see them and think that they are more than your average good film.

I personally find Crash , and Monster to be overrated. a lot other films (even of their year) are simply better.

Likewise , the Hurt locker while it's good i wouldn't consider it the second best film of the decade.

But that is just my personal opinion. I appreciate your list . And not only the parts of it which i agree with. All it's very interesting to hear , because as it's mentioned in the conclusion what is important it's how the films affected you . And it's interesting to for us to find out .

and I will attempt to find and see Synecdoche, New York the soonest possible !

"After beginning my first viewing in confusion, I began to glimpse its purpose and by the end was eager to see it again, then once again, and I am not furnished."

You meant "finished," right? Otherwise, I am going to have to start wondering if you've taken to wearing sofa cushions as pieces of clothing. ;)

Just to throw fuel on the tangent-fire:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decade

I have seen 14 of the 20 you listed and will now be seeing the other six. Of the 14 I have seen, I would say all of them deserve to be on a list like this and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I'm sure I will like the other six just as much.

As always, thank you for your recommendations. Over the past several years, I have seen many fantastic movies that I would not have otherwise seen without your suggestions.

You liked "Kill Bill" more than "Inglourious Basterds"? Surprising.

And I'm glad to see "Bad Lieutenant" on there: perfect movie, does exactly what it wants to while seeming to unfold as naturally as a rose's petals in the morning. Watching that movie for the second time was definitely one of the most "elevating" theater experiences of my life: on par with "No Country for Old Men," or "Night of the Hunter."

OK, now we officially know your #1 movies of 2008 and 2009, plus your #2 and #3 movies of 2009, although we don't know which is which. We listophiles thank you for those crumbs! I've incorporated them into my Google Docs Movies database.

I agree with Greg, that the alignment of decades is best determined by the name of the years therein, and not by some rigid accounting that goes back 2000 years. But I do note with amusement that nobody is quite sure what the hell we call the decade just completed. Everybody's been fudging the issue and calling it just "this decade", but the problem will come forward as the decade itself recedes into the past. The aughts? Seems too quaint. And I'm convinced the coming decade has to be called "the teens", even though, strictly speaking, "the teens" span only 7 years, not 10.

Speaking of names, I'd like to point out that the coming year is most efficiently pronounced "twenty ten". My recollection is, that's what we called the movie of that name. But now we've acquired a ten-year habit of calling years "two thousand this" and "two thousand that", and that habit is driving us to "two thousand ten". Surely at some point in the coming 90 years, we'll get back to saying "twenty" and not "two thousand". That point might as well be tomorrow.

For some reason I feel like there's a number of great 07-08 movies I have yet to see on any "best of" lists: Julia, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, Goodbye Solo, The Visitor, and even Michael Clayton.

Also since you brought up Tony Scott's Wall-E selection, I've been dying to know how you feel about At the Movies being returned to real film critics.

Thanks Roger and thanks for ranking them. I completely agree with Juno and its on my list of the best of the decade as well. My Winnipeg is the surprise. When you compare this to your annual Top 10s, it becomes clear how some films resonate more over time.

Bravo. I had a feeling in this entry you wouldn't slavishly recycle the top tens from previous years in rank-order.

Can I speculate as to some of the elevated pieces just missing out?? From top to bottom: "Junebug," "Spirited Away," "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring," "Mulholland Drive," "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," "Lost In Translation," "Away from Her," "Ghost World" and "Finding Nemo."

What's amazing about Kaufman's work is that he seems to be able to comprehend how he feels as he feels it. He writes like a close observer of his own consciousness. I liken his philosophy to Camus; his style - and talent - to no other.

Great list.

Juno is contrived trash.
Never have I heard dialogue ring so sickeningly glib and painfully faux-hip.
Shame on you Rog.

I haven't seen all the movies on this list, but of the ones that I have, no disagreement here. Still, my list would include these three movies:

- Children of Men - Such a great fusion of story and style. I find more to like about this one every time I watch it.

- Once - This movie was so good the first time I saw it, I almost didn't want to watch it again.

- Inglourious Basterds - One of the few times that I wanted to sit through the closing credits, if only to extend the experience just a little bit more.

I cannot adequately describe how tickled I was as I scrolled down the page to continue reading and exposed the photo of the revived hockey players from "My Winnipeg". I've just pulled up my Sundance Channel copy on the DVR.

So you can't rank the movies from 2009 in a top 10 list but you can rank movies from the decade?! Seems like comparing a whole decade is a lot harder. And you kind of made it clear what your favorite movie of 2009 is, since you picked "The Hurt Locker" as #2. So what's the point of making an alphabetical list for 2009 if you already have a favorite film for the year?

Ebert: So I could avoid a 19-way tie for second place.

Life is a theater of the mind. "Synecdoche, New York" is finally released here in next month. I have already seen it in last May, and I have been thinking about revisiting it. If it is limited release, I will choose the other way because I have stored the movie somewhere. The movie is brave attempt to embody everyone's life while focusing on one's mind and memories(I think everything in the movie is in Cotard's dying mind. You know, "My whole life is flashing before my eyes!"). Kaufman did something nearly impossible with sheer concentration and enormous genius, and this is endlessly stimulating masterpiece.


Of 20 films, I have not seen "My Winnipeg" and "Waking Life" yet. In case of former, I have already got the movie and will visit it soon. And I am going to check my opinion on "The 25th Hour". I thought it was just a good movie first, but I have kept DVD close to me for years and there must be some reason for that, I think. And I will watch "The Bad Lieutenant" soon. It must be quite a movie considering that you included it in the list so soon. But first, I will go to Abel Ferrara's movie for homework.


My close friend LOVE "Adaptation" and "Me and You and Everyone You Know". He will be delightful to see his favorites included in your list. I came across the latter on TV two years ago with bare knowledge, and I was immediately charmed by this quirky masterpiece. And Who did name certain chapter in "Adaptation" DVD? Whoever that guy was, that guy had some sense of humor.


I recently bought "Silent Light" DVD. I found it slow at first, but it grabbed me sooner than I thought. There is great opening and closing sequence. And there is great scene for the love between two characters. I was very moved when they look at each other and one's finger strokes the other's chin.


"Crash" is important film in my life of amateur criticism because it activated my desire to talk about films to others. The movie was also heavily criticized here, but I have been one of defenders and recommended it to others many times.


"Monster" reminds me of what Richard Price talk about Huber Shelby Jr. "His art is his ability to humanize the seemingly inhuman, and by extension to humanize the reader." Selby tells us stories about very unlikable people, but the stories tell us something very humane. We see flickering light of human soul in very bleak worlds, care about these characters in the end, and feel sad for their tragedy. Like "Requiem for a Dream", "Monster" make it possible to emphasize with unlikable woman. We understand their need, but we are chilled by how they ruin their life further for possibly only light in their life.

"The Hurt Locker", "Juno", "No Country for Old Men", "Pan's Labyrinth", "Chop Shop", "The Son", "City of God", "Almost Famous", and "Minority Report" are definitely my favorite movies of decades. My other favorites of the decade are "Wall-E", "Mulholland Drive", "Children of Men", "The Lives of Others", "United 93", "A History of Violence", "Requiem for a Dream", "A Prairie Home Companion", and "Inglourious Basterds". Because I checked "Kill Bill" Vols. 1 and 2 before watching the last one, I was very excited to see Tarantino is back in his top form after "Death Proof".


Now, less than two hours is left in here. Happy New year, Mr. Ebert.

Ha, I was wondering why an earlier suggestion I made did not appear in the comments sessions. I had my suspicions, and am glad to see you show your influences.

Most of your readers probably know of your love for Juno, and while not all may agree on loving it, we can all agree on why you love it. And that is why I read your reviews: I myself agree that a film should hit some emotion. There should be a sense of wow, of exaltation, of joy, (or, on another list, anger, sadness or "cool"). But that fact is, if Roger Ebert gives a movie an ok, I know it is likely to stir some emotional response (which likely means its well made--except, perhaps for 2001), and because of that it is a well made movie. Not the other way around. A movie can be well made and do nothing for me.

So Roger, just wanted to say thanks for showing us what gave you joy, or rather "elevated your spirits," this past decade minus 1.

"The other top films of the decade follow, with a nod to the fact that the decade still has one year to go. If it doesn't, you were two on your first birthday."

Decades are defined 10-year spans that always begin the first year at zero. The 1990s were at 10-year span from 1990-1999, so 2000-2009 would be a complete decade. What does what year you are born have to do with that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000%E2%80%932009
Just thinking.

Wow. There's a lot I didn't expect on here. I was thinking maybe "Pan's Labyrinth" would be your top choice (or at least in your top 10), but you have a lot of superb ones. I couldn't help but think, though, no Pixar or Miyazaki? No "Mulholland Dr.?"

My lists for the decade:

10 Best Films of the Decade
1. "The Lord of the Rings" (Peter Jackson)
2. "Wall-E" (Andrew Stanton)
3. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (Michel Gondry)
4. "There Will Be Blood" (Paul Thomas Anderson)
5. "Brokeback Mountain" (Ang Lee)
6. "Spirited Away" (Hayao Miyazaki)
7. "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (Steven Spielberg)
8. "United 93" (Paul Greengrass)
9. "Spider-Man 2" (Sam Raimi)
10. "The Fountain" (Darren Aronofsky)

10 Favorite Films of the Decade
1. "Keeping the Faith" (Edward Norton) & "Up" (Pete Doctor)
2. "Adaptation." (Spike Jonze)
3. "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" (Judd Apatow)
4. "Big Fish" (Tim Burton)
5. "Ratatouille" (Brad Bird)
6. "High Fidelity" (Stephen Frears)
7. "The Holiday" (Nancy Myers)
8. "The Prestige" (Christopher Nolan)
9. "Speed Racer" (The Wachowski Brothers)
10. "Lars and the Real Girl" (Craig Gillespie)

And, the worst:

10 Worst Films of the Decade
1. "3000 Miles to Graceland"
2. "Whipped"
3. "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Seige Tale"
4. "National Lampoon's Van Wilder"
5. "Soul Survivors"
6. "Basic Instinct 2"
7. "The Sea"
8. "Balls of Fury"
9. "Alien vs. Predator"
10. "Godsend"

Thanks for your provoking list.

I found I disagreed with many, but my momentary irk was replaced by moments in them that I loved; the anguished good people in 'Silent Light', Jennifer Garner's face as she introduces herself to Juno's baby in utero, the two-shot in 'Minority Report'.

You do what your reviews always do: they make me *think* and want to watch more movies.
Now I want to construct my own list. Brick, Conversations with Other Women, Master and Commander.
Could 'Hurt Locker' and Bigelow win this year? Very exciting. And despite my aversion to Hoffman, now I want to see 'Synecdoche'.

So thanks again, Roger, for celebrating love of movies, and all the best for 2010.
And finally, thanks for my hometown as #10: I feel I should go back there today just to hear the kitchen windows fling open as people yell across to their neighbours with a 'u', 'Roger said ''WINNIPEG!!'' 'I know!!'

More decade controversy… If my son was born on January 1st, 2000 (he was really born in February), he would be 10 on January 1st 2010. That is ten complete years, no more, no less. I don’t understand the other side of the argument. Does a decade start during the X9 calendar year or the X0? Oh well. Getting back to your list, where’s Transformers 2 rank?

Nice List. I love the fact that adaptation is placed up on there. A playful tug on how we view story.

The decade debate confuses me. 2000-2009 spans 10 years.
1990-1999 spans ten years. In what world is 1989 or 2000 part of the 90's?
Roger has it right.

As for your list, I have never understood your great love for "Synecdoche, New York". But be that as it may, this is your list, not mine.

I would have replaced Almost Famous and Minority Report. I think I need to re-read your reviews on both.

I commend you for only picking 20 though. I think overall we saw some good movies in the last 10 years. I would love to see the "Worst of" list. The Transformers fanboys have been quiet lately.

You chose movies from the year 00 through the year 09, that is a ten year span. don't add another year next year, that would be eleven years!

These Best of Decade lists are fascinating, and give you an idea of the critics identity (some are foreign-heavy, others preferential to deeper topics or focusing on themes such as redemption and identity). Yours is one of the more schtizophrenic (in a great way) of the bunch. I think its a reflection of your great openness/acceptance of all cinema.

In my searches, I've found very little love for Zodiac (2007). I think it was absolutely incredible-- great technique, story, acting, and on and on. It had been a while since since I watched a 157 minute movie race by with such confidence and flair. David Fincher had the master's touch on that one. What do you think?

That quote from Robert Warshow, is something that I've kept ever since you mentioned it in your interview with Charlie Rose. It's pretty much the only real rule a film critic should keep.

You have a wonderful list Roger. I'm am very happy you included MINORITY REPORT and KILL BILL. As for SYNECDOCHE, It was pretty difficult for me at first, but I did sense that underneath it all, it spoke about how people deal with living. It also made a strong impression on me in showing man's often futile attempts to encapsulate life's importance within his art and craft, like trying to lasso the wind.

One of these days I'll write about my best films of the decade, and this one was really remarkable don't you think?

What a relief. I think that this definitively answers the question of "what was Ebert's #1 film" from the last two years, when you started doing that silly alphabetical business. I had a feeling that "Synecdoche" was your best from last year, and "The Hurt Locker" was your #1 from this year. But where are "Monster's Ball" and "Million Dollar Baby"? Have they fallen out of regard? And it doesn't look like "25th Hour" was even on your top 10 of 2002; has it gotten better with time?

It is so refreshing to see so many obscure independent films on your list. I hope it's a calling card to Hollywood that so few of their blockbusters have any merit with good critics ... and myself.

I do not understand the explanation about 2009 not being the last year of the decade. I thought today is the last day of this decade, unless you consider January - December of 2000, still in the 1990's?

Maybe it's your comprehension of time that explains why you like SNY? I absolutely loved all Charlie Kaufman's films except this one. Because of my respect for you, I will suffer through it again :-)

What exactly is a sybarite?

Ebert: In other words, the dictionary definition?

I'm a bit perplexed with the absence of a few films you added to your great movies list from the 2000s that didn't make it to your top 20. One in particular being Werckmeister harmonies by Bela Tarr. Personally I think this is one of the top 3 of the decade. I also though his Satantango was probably the greatest film of the 90s along with Malick's Thin Red Line.

Mr Ebert

I still remember watching your "Top 10 Films of the 1990's" with Martin Scorsese. I wrote the films down on a piece of paper that I kept for years until I didn't need it because I knew them by heart. That is probably one of the most interesting hours of television for any cinephile.

Thanks for another "decade" of film list. Good call on The 25 Hour. I look forward to reading more of your reviews in 2010.

on decades - you don't count starting at zero, you start counting at one. The first decade AD was years 1-10. The first century was years 1 to 100. The new millennium started in the year 2001, despite everyone celebrating it in 2000. Hence the title of the book/movie 2001 A Space Odyssey.

i'm not sure either why it's been ignored.

Your confusion over the decade is confusing.

First year - 2000
Second year - 2001
Third year - 2002
Fourth year - 2003
Fifth year - 2004
Sixth year - 2005
Seventh year - 2006
Eighth year - 2007
Ninth year - 2008
Tenth year - 2009

So either (a) you believe a decade is more than 10 years, (b) you cannot count to ten, or (c) you consider January 1, 2001 to be the start of the decade, rather than January 1, 2000.

Fantastic List Mr. Ebert. Synecdoche is one of those films that sticks with you for days, weeks, (and now over a year) to come. The script is a revelation, and in reading it, it's baffling how Kaufman makes it look so easy when in reality it's complexity is magnificent. IFC played the Kill Bill's in succession last night (in the correct aspect ratio!), the first time I have viewed them that way, and while the argument can be made for each of his films, I was compelled to think it was QT's best work. As others have mentioned, I'd include Tenenbaums on my best of the decade list, both for it's impeccably crafted direction and the emotional resonance I felt.

Zero Scorsese films for a whole decade?
I guess we are living in strange new times.

Ironic that some will quibble between "popular usage" and "technically correct" (going back to the convention that there is no year 0, either 1 BC or 1 AD, or whatever the currently-PC way to describe the western calendar).

Might we compromise and say the first decade was short by one year, so it becomes 1-9, 10-19, etc.? (the people who argued that the third millenium technically didn't begin until 2001 didn't get much traction either, eh?).

Also ironic how moved people are by semantics. We could avoid this quibble going forward by saying "The best movies of the past ten years" I suppose.

When watching Synecdoche, I couldn't help thinking it was a commentary on Woody Allen's film career.

Roger,

Great list. I'm especially happy to see "25th Hour" on there, as it was my favorite film of the decade. It is actually showing up on a number of critics' lists, including "At the Movies" own A.O. Scott's. I've loved the film since I saw it shortly after it was released on DVD, and though I knew it was admired, I had no idea so many critics would remember it and praise it so highly at decade's end. It's interesting how after some years pass, certain movies stay around while others, even some highly praised upon release, seem to dissolve from our memories.

Roger, thank you! I know it's just your (our) opinion but since I first saw it back in early January (the first film I saw in a theater in 2009 in fact), my favorite film of 2008 (SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK) - a life-changing experience I called it - has, I've had a sneaking suspicion, been wrapping around my brain, quietly whispering, urgently, that it is the best film of the decade. A film about no less than life itself, and beautifully (if somewhat confusingly) done to boot, deserves notice, at least. I have tried to convince others about this film for the past nigh on 12 months and will continue to do so for years to come. It's quite simply brilliant. Again, thank you!

NOTE: A link to my review on my Wordpress blog (originally written in another form until 4 in the morning after seeing the film) if you have the time to read it - tell me if I have a future in film criticism, would you?

http://magnolia12883.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/synecdoche-new-york-2008/

Hmmm, guess I'll have to give "Synecdoche, NY" another watch at some point. On first viewing, I reached a point where I truly didn't care what happened to anyone, and in my opinion that is a worst-case scenario when watching a movie (other than simply shutting it off early, I suppose). I'm still a huge fan of Kaufman and Hoffman, but I found this to be a tiresome exercise. I'll probably give it another shot though, now that I'm better prepared.

I also found "Juno" to be decidedly average. The dialogue was unbearably pretentious, and once again removed any emotional connection I might have had with any of the characters. I tend to agree with you that the visceral response to a film is the most important criterion for judging its value, though a good critic such as yourself can express precisely the reasons for your subjective response.

As a side note, I'm glad to see "The Dark Knight" not included, as I truly believe that 10 years from now we'll all note how overrated it was. Certainly Heath Ledger's performance is the bright spot of the film, but the plot and editing were greatly uneven--and Bale's forced accent was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Give me Burton's Batman any day.

My top films of the decade would probably be "There Will Be Blood", "Babel" and "Ratatouille." Brilliant and evocative films all. But I haven't seen numbers 5-10 on your list. Time to check for blu-ray release dates...

Great list. I'm a faithful reader and going through this list felt like flipping through a photo album with you. I still remember, for example, catching your enthusiasm for Pan's Labyrinth when you were so excited you put it directly on the Great Movies list. I owe you a lot.

I had a similar reaction to Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine as you had to Synecdoche. Eternal Sunshine is one of my favorite of all films - I keep it on the list with films like Nights of Cabiria, Ikiru, and The Third Man. I found it so truthful on the nature of love and romantic relationships that I found it too painful to watch at certain times in my life.

I'm curious. This article has me eager to revisit Synecdoche, which didn't reach me the way it did you. Has your enthusiasm for Synecdoche caused you to revisit Eternal Sunshine?

So then we're agreed that 2010 begins the next decade (which ends on the last day of 2019)?

Good, it's (finally) settled.

Greg, the reason why the decade still has one more year to go is because there was no year 0. The calendar went directly to 1 AD after 1 BC. Therefore the first decade was from 1-10 and so every subsequent one follows the same format.

Anyway I gotta say I really enjoy this list, but I have to completely disagree with the inclusion of Minority Report. It seemed like a routine chase film back then when I first saw it and after rewatching it during this last year I still thought it was just a regular old chase film. Still the rest of the list was superb and the three movies I haven't seen yet I'll be sure to see when I get a chance.

*sighs* I need to stop reading your columns I guess, because it makes me so ashamed to see how few of these films I've seen!

Only one from your primary list ("Almost Famous") and only two from your secondary list ("Minority Report," "Kill Bill").

Oh well.

May the next decade be better on my wallet and, by extension, on my movie-going.

-Nighthawk

Great list Roger. I'm glad to see you're still giving some love to Crash, which I love as well. It's unfortunately getting severe backlash from some critics, one even calling it the "worst movie of the decade".

http://trueslant.com/saralibby/2009/12/23/worst-movie-of-the-decade-crash/

Jim Emerson at Scanners, whose blog and writing I adore, has agreed with this stance since the movie was released. I'd love to see you debate him on this one. I'm gearing up for a defense of Crash at Scanners myself.

I also love how my favorite actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, is in 3 of your top 10. Throw in Owning Mahowny, Capote, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Charlie Wilson's War, and Doubt, and he may be the actor of the decade. He's the one actor whose movies I will automatically see.

Ebert: Even if you dislike it, "Crash" is so clearly NOT the worst movie of the decade that I assume those calling it that have some motivation for making such an extraordinary statement. I believe its unforgivable crime was defeating "Brokeback Mountain" in the Oscars.

Terrific list, Roger. A wonderful blend of the familiar and the obscure (said with the full knowledge that my familiar is another's obscure).

My only possible quibble is the absence of Alfonso Cuarón's harrowing Children of Men.

I noticed that many of the movies you picked for this list were by "first-timers," as in "first time director," "first-time screenwriter," "first-time actor" (or even "non-actor.") Why do you think so many of these movies were made by such people? Why so few movies by big-name folks?

Ebert: I didn't want to make an official,, mainstream, respectable list. More interested in intensely personal choices and a decade's great discoveries.

Roger,

Thanks so much for the list, especially the last couple paragraphs of the column itself. To enter a movie theater and put aside one's humanity for the sake of "accurate" or "effective" constructive criticism is nonsense & I'm so glad to see a professional critic say as much...

You express the very thing I've come to say to my friends when having discussions about the "best" movies we've ever seen: at a certain level, there's no way to remove subjectivity from the equation, so rather than focusing on genre, acting, cinematography, dialog, etc. - which are all obviously relevant from a general critical point of view - you need to ask yourself:

Which movies have IMPACTED me the most? Intellectually, yes, but also EMOTIONALLY? Which films bypassed the front door of your mind & sneaked around the back door to your heart, catching you completely off guard, evoking a physical response - of one kind or another - that you couldn't contain it? (the "elevation" you referred to. My wife and I, who ourselves had just adopted a child in an "open" adoption through an unwed teenage birth mother a few months prior, felt things we couldn't POSSIBLY have described when watching JUNO...especially at the scene you referenced between Paige & Garner.)

And ultimately, if a film has actually impacted the way you think, BELIEVE and LIVE...well, then, you KNOW you have a winner.

Thanks again,

Deacon Godsey
Omaha, NE

Charlie Kaufman is the most interesting screenwriter of the last decade I would say. Adaptation is a movie I watch, and it speaks to me as a writer but more importantly, as a human being. That screen where Charlie Kaufman sits at this typewriter and starts to write with his narration talking about his reaction to his brother's death in narration form is wonderful.

Roger -- Love you...but a lot of people have been confused by this decade thing. No, you can't include films from 1999 or 2010.

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

That equals ten years. The 2000's are 2000 through 2009. Just as the '60s were 1960 to 1969 or the 1920's were 1920 to 1929. A decade, of course, is ten years. You're not the only intelligent person to make this mistake. Truth be told, I originally thought the same thing when my publication said we were doing an end of the decade issue this month!

P.S. "Almost Famous" may have been fine cinema but it wasn't fine rock 'n' roll, at least not by some definitions.

I agree as others have stated that Eternal Sunshine and Royal Tenenbaums should be on this list. I would also add I Heart Huckabees. Just because a story is quirky doesn't mean it doesn't resonate emotionally. (I just purchased all these titles for my folks for Xmas.) I also like some of the Bill Murray as lead features like Lost In Translation and Broken Flowers.

Thank you, Mr Ebert, for a terrific list.

Regarding the question of when a decade begins and ends, there’s seems to be a lot of snip going on, so I thought it best to just break it down in detail. Simply put, it all depends on whether one assumes the calendar is meant to start at year 1 or year 0.

If we start from year 1, then the first decade would begin on the first day of year 1 and end on the last day of year 10. That means the current decade would, as you suggest, take place between January 1st, 2001, and December 31st, 2010. It’s for that same reason the new millennium was said to begin on January 1st, 2001 (the previous one having taken place between January 1st, 1001, and December 31st, 2000). As you know, this is the official way we look at things, so you are, in fact, correct.

However, the more intuitive way of looking at things (albeit not the official one) is to start at year 0 like we do when we refer to our age. Babies, for example, are born on their year 0. That’s why their first birthday is one full year after their birth. If we follow the same model, the first decade would begin on the first day of year 0 and end on the last day of year 9. This means, as everyone else suggests, that the present decade would take place between January 1st, 2000, and December 31st, 2009.

It’s worth noting that whether we start on year 1 or year 0 is completely arbitrary. The calendar was established retroactively long after what we then believed to be the birth of Christ, so no one is being particularly silly or thick by claiming either.

On a related note, you told Jonathan B., who posted on December 30, 11:51 P.M., that if the decade ended at the end of 2009, you’d have to include movies from 1999. This, no matter how you slice it, is incorrect. You asked him to explain. I hope you don’t mind if I take a stab at it:

January 1st, 2000 to December 31st, 2000 = 1 year
January 1st, 2001 to December 31st, 2001 = 1 year
January 1st, 2002 to December 31st, 2002 = 1 year
January 1st, 2003 to December 31st, 2003 = 1 year
January 1st, 2004 to December 31st, 2004 = 1 year
January 1st, 2005 to December 31st, 2005 = 1 year
January 1st, 2006 to December 31st, 2006 = 1 year
January 1st, 2007 to December 31st, 2007 = 1 year
January 1st, 2008 to December 31st, 2008 = 1 year
January 1st, 2009 to December 31st, 2009 = 1 year

Therefore:
January 1st, 2000 to December 31st, 2009 = 1 decade

And now, just to bring it back to movies, which is more fun, my own list of favourite movies of the decade, which, by the way, changes every hour: Blessing Bell (Kôfuku no kane)(2002), Juno (2007), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Sin City (2005), Spirited Away (2001), Stranger Than Fiction (2006), A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), Thirteen (2003), Up in the Air (2009).

Wonderful list, Roger. Regarding "Synecdoche, New York," you wrote:

It isn't about a narrative, although it pretends to be. It's about a method, the method by which we organize our lives and define our realities.

In other words, as you've observed:

A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it.

Does Philip Seymour Hoffman get your nod for Performer of the Decade?

I've been making a personal top ten list for the decade (but, of course, don't get paid to see great, and not so great films, so haven't seen a bevy of the 20 films you have here). I'm only at nine, with candidates which could also make the list at ten or replace one's there. Am also hoping to see several films from this year between now and the Academy Awards:

1. Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)
2. Letters from Iwo Jima
3. Amores Perros (Dogs of Love)
4. No Country For Old Men
5. Juno
6. Stellet Licht (Silent LIght)
7. Shrek
8. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2nd one)
9. The Fog of War

Also Considering: Winged Migration, Borat, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, City of Life and Death, Bowling for Columbine, The Weeping Camel, Slumdog Millionaire, Totsi, City of God, Ratatouille

I don't know how you do it...keep up with all the movies. My Netflix queue is getting as deep as my unread e-mail.
I agree with the fact that movies are a personal thing...much like music. So I went to your own reviews and sorted them based on your own personal attachments (which I usually agree with). I figured there would have been at least one Clint Eastwood, Pixar, or Miyazaki movie somewhere (maybe not a top ten...but top 20 for sure). Anyway, I don't envy your work...I have a database of the "Top 500 funniest movies of all time" which I pare down to top 100, 25, 10. It is a widely contested list that no one short of my best friend agrees with (and even then not so much).
For the record, when Christ had his tenth birthday...he had been on the Earth for ten years.

I would add UP, Nurse Betty, and Billy Elliot. Also maybe O' Brother. But there are some movies on your list that I haven't seen, so maybe after I watch them I will change my mind.

Thank you for this list, Roger. It is quite literal when I say that I've been waiting years to read this.

I was surprised to see so many films from the last three years make your list.

Furthermore, I was wondering if you had a film or several that were close to making it in, but were ultimately left off. Films like Lost in Translation and Cache come to mind.

I haven't seen Synecdoche, New York, but I plan to very soon. I'm a big Charlie Kaufman fan, so I don't understand why I haven't seen it yet.

Anyway, I was kind of shocked not to see American Splendor on the list. I thought that was a great one.

Here's my own list for the best of the decade:

10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
9. No Country for Old Men
8. American Splendor
7. Monster
6. Old Boy
5. Milk
4. Into the Wild
3. Adaptation
2. The Assassination of Richard Nixon
1. The Wrestler

A lot of people loved Juno. I've seen it three times, but I still don't see what makes that film special.

Also, I recently re-watched Fahrenheit 9/11. It's amazing how much Michael Moore got right. At the time of its release, people were claiming the movie was full of lies, but after this viewing, time has proven the film to be very accurate.

I wonder how many of the best movies of the decade lists will include Philip Seymour Hoffman in the cast. Thanks for giving Synecdoche such prominence -- a movie I still can neither spell not pronounce!

Thank you for this list, Roger. It is quite literal when I say that I've been waiting years to read this.

I was surprised to see so many films from the last three years make your list.

Furthermore, I was wondering if you had a film or several that were close to making it in, but were ultimately left off. Films like Lost in Translation and Cache come to mind.

I saw "Synecdoche, New York" when it was first released and I have not been the same since. I recently realized that I must see it again, if only for the sake of my mental health. DVD has been purchased.

(1) "I am not furnished" -- your spell checker strikes again? That thing is probably sentient and possibly evil. Or was that a personal statement of some kind?

(2) I propose that a "decade" is any contiguous 10-year period. I'm not even sure it has to start on Jan 1. Of course, I am just trying to stir up trouble for my own amusement.

people, people, people...

Einstein would flip out at this discussion about such an arbitrary measurement as time. Over a billion Jewish and Islamic folks could care less (unless your planning a best of the 1430s or 5770s Roger?). =)

Thank you for including Almost Famous on the list. It's a movie that needs to be seen by more and more people as it's great filmmaking and quite accessible to many people (more and more rare in film nowadays). On the note of great and accessible films--would've loved to have seen Wit make the list. In a previous end of the year column you mentioned it and it was great to see someone finally recognize the great work that HBO does in producing quality film. And really the writing you did on the film, not only in your review, but in the more recent essay you wrote about it, was touching and meaningful.

This decade cements the idea that women are better at representing emotions in the movies at the moment. "The Hurt Locker" was directed by Katherine Bigelow, an astonishing director very good at pressuring emotions very intensely; I really enjoyed reading your list, Roger.

My dearest Roger, I love you, and I love your lists. But no matter how old *you* were on your first birthday, a "decade" is, by definition, 10 years. Therefore, if "Almost Famous" is on your list, then your decade ends in 2009.

I wonder why you didn't include Tarsem's "The Fall" on this list, since I saw it on your recommendation, and I found it to be my favorite movie of the decade. Did you forget about it? How do you think it compares to the other films on your list?

I love that you have Synecdoche as your #1.
I saw it last January in theatres and it really moved me. One of the most emotional films I have ever seen. It's quite complex and it really confused me- I'm only a kid- but it was strangely beautiful.
Too bad nobody saw it.

Great list once again and great commentary as always. I've seen ten of the twenty, own eight of them and have six of them in my own top fifty of the decade (a work in progress) and three of them as Honorable Mentions. In case you're wondering, Juno is the one I would omit as it has faded for me upon repeat viewings. I would also like to echo several of the other posters by thanking you for placing Almost Famous in the top ten, it's a truly remarkable film that's both personal and universal. Oddly enough, I own Synecdoche, but have yet to view it. Sadly these days my DVD player sees my daughter's Barbie movies more often than daddy's films. Of course, now that you've named it the best of the decade it will be making its way in next.

I'm a lurker, close to being prompted to write many times, and longtime lover of your work Roger.

But John B. finally pushed me over the edge.

A decade, as you stated, is a set of ten years. Count them on your fingers: 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05. Halfway? Wait, maybe not! 06, 07, 08, 09. That makes ten. Looks like a decade after all. I figured that out all on my own, and I'm an English major.

Sorry Roger, no films from the lowly nineties allowed. Can't people just enjoy or debate the picks, and stop trying to one-up on technicalities?

Ebert: My fingers must work funny.

First finger (2000): Its films are eligible.

Second finger: (2001): Its films are eligible.

Third finger: (2003): Its films are eligible.

Fourth finger (2004): Its films are eligible.

Fifth finger (2005): Its films are eligible.

Sixth finge: (2006): Its films are eligible.

Seventh finger (2007): Its films are eligible.

Eighth finger (2008): Its films are eligible.

Ninth finger (2009): Its films are eligible.

Tenth finger (2010). Its films will be eligible, but in another year.


The worst "best of the decade list" I have seen so far. Minority Report? Really? And Juno was one of the worst movies I have ever seen, but I have seen it appear on multiple other lists. By the way, the decade is over tonight at midnight. Do the 80s include 1990? Do the 90s include 2000? No! It's pretty simple really.

It's funny, I consider myself to be someone that watches a good number of movies... It may sound completely crazy, but I don't even remember hearing about your number one movie of the decade. I also have only seen about half of the movies you mentioned. That being said, I have no problem with your list because I'm sure you know a lot more about movies than I do. What this does is add a good number of movies to my netflix list, which I enjoy! Gran Torino is probably one of my favorite movies that I saw this decade so I was sad to see that it wasn't on the list, but you can't get them all... Thanks for the list!

I Love that you weren't so predictable like...just about every other best of the decade list. Oh and....

2000- 1 yr

2001- 2 yrs

2002- 3 yrs

2003- 4yrs

2004- 5 yrs

2005- 6 yrs

2006- 7 yrs

2007- 8 yrs

2008- 9 yrs

2009- 10 yrs
+__________
A DECADE

2000 is a year that does count, its like the actual number 0 which mean nothing when doing basic math.
Anyway, I LOVE your inclusion of Juno. It completely deserves to be on this list. I feel like people never include enough comedies in their lists, like, its okay they don't bite.

I hope I don't offend anyone by saying that I think Broken Embraces is overrated, though it's obvious why it's considered a significant picture.

Happy New Year everyone - it's been a rocky ride trying to keep up with you. Hope I get a little closer next year. All this end-of-the-year talk gives me a sinking feeling - please let it be a passing thing, and let the ride continue.

Not a bad list. Even if I disagree with "Crash" being there, what you wrote about "Synecdoch" almost makes up for it.
As far as decades go: Centuries end on a 0 year. Decades end in a 9 year. That's what is usually accepted anyway, since decades are just a period of 10 years. You can set up yours as you wish.
But you are right, the decade is not over yet. Still some hours to go.

Would you say that this has been the best decade for movies?

Thank you for putting up this list - an interesting pick for #1. I'm especially glad that you mentioned City of God, even if it wasn't in your final ten; for me, that was the best movie of the decade by far. I've only seen it twice but have been completely floored by it both times.

Roger: in your comment to "Raleigh on December 31, 2009 10:30 AM" you SKIPPED the year 2002. Hence you would need ELEVEN fingers to count all the years from 2000 to 2010.

Good List! I really like that you emphasize the subjective nature of the movie viewing experience and not some objective measure of quality. This is why you are the only movie critic I trust because I feel I am getting an unfiltered movie lover's opinion not someone who is trying to impress me with how great a critic they are.

Here are three movies from this decade that evoked a strong emotional response from me:

1. Blame it on Fidel! (2006) - This seems to have got much less attention that it deserved. Perhaps people found the subject matter boring. I liked that it dealt with political and moral choices and successfully showed everything from the child's point of view.


2. The Best of Youth (2003) - A bit longish and sentimental but very engaging. The terrorist wife and semi-autistic brother were fascinating characters for me.


3. Y tu mamá también(2001) - I liked that it felt very "fresh" in its storytelling even while going over the well known territory of the road-trip genre.

Mr. Ebert, I'd very respectfully ask this of one of my favorite writers. If your list were put in a time-capsule, sealed, and left to be opened in 100 years as the only representation of what the world (and that's a nit I'd like to pick--this is a very US-centric list) of movies was like in the 2000s, would you be comfortable with it?

When I think back on the 2000s, I'll think about the new Romanian films like "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" and "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days". I'll think of the best director of the decade's three absolute masterpices: Jia Zhang-Ke's "Platform", "The World", and "Still Life". (I think there is room for any of the Jia films and either of the Romanians on any list that expands out to 20, but would argue that one of each belongs in a T10 list--esp. "Platform" and "4, 3, 2.") I'll think about the emergence of South Korean directors--none of whom made a film I'd put in a top 10, or top 20 list, admittedly, but who collectively helped define the decade far more than the manipulative Oscar-bait garbage called "Crash", or the too-cute-for-its-own-good "Juno".

Your fingers do work funny, Roger - they skipped 2002. Unless you're trying to say its films aren't eligible?

Ebert: I was jes foolin' to see if I could sneak that past. Theory is, you get so wound up in 7, 8, 9...

Versions of the basic technique work for magicians.

I have a feeling I had better copy this because I may need to paste it. You people are too quick.

Mr. Ebert;

The list ten years in the making!

Just thought a little ballyhoo was in order.

I am fortunate to have seen just about all of these. "Me and You and Everyone We Know" is a real gem that I lost track of.

I recently viewed "An Education" and think Ms. Mulligan's performance is one of the best I've seen. It's not easy to play intelligence, but it's in her eyes in every shot. Then later she plays wisdom! One can only hope Hollywood can find a way to get the best from this amazing new actress!

My beef is with "Almost Famous". Loved everything but the music. Since the movie was about the music it's a pretty big flaw. The soundtrack should have been bigger than "Saturday Night Fever" or "Grease", but alas nepotism got in the way. Crowe and his wife should have updated and covered the great songs of the era with his fictional band. It's why the only real musical moment we remember is "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John.

Let me add another vote for Herzog's "Grizzly Man". I am with you on "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans". Terrible title. Wonderful film.

I just love these lists. They remind me of films I should see and films I should revisit. Please keep them coming. Male and Female Performances of the Decade? Directors of the Decade?

All the best in the New Year.

Your fingers are working fine, Roger, but you skipped 2002, which would account for your counting error.

Thanks for sharing your list. I loved "City of God," and I second the vote for "Memento."

Ebert: I was jes foolin' to see if I could sneak that past. Theory is, you get so wound up in 7, 8, 9...

Versions of the basic technique work for magicians.

I have a feeling I had better copy this because I may need to paste it. You people are too quick.

Ebert wrote:
"...
Second finger: (2001): Its films are eligible.
Third finger: (2003): Its films are eligible.
..."

Something is terribly wrong here, but I just can't figure out what ;)

Ebert: I was jes foolin' to see if I could sneak that past. Theory is, you get so wound up in 7, 8, 9...

Versions of the basic technique work for magicians.

I have a feeling I had better copy this because I may need to paste it. You people are too quick.

Roger, I was fully prepared to blast you for breaking one of your own rules (once set forth to the vicinity of a certain young "critic" who for a time hijacked your former TV critic's chair.)

Namely: "Keep track of your praise."

But... son of a gun. Briefly reviewing your past 10 Best of the Year lists, I believe that you pretty much held firm.

One casualty of note is "Million Dollar Baby," which was better than "Kill Bill Vol 2" in 2004 but yet loses out to the same film for the Best of the Decade. Ingeniously, you combine Vol I and Vol II into one work, thus presumably giving it the merit to trump Million's spot on the decade list!

But no such luck for "Munich" for example, which joined 3 others films being better than "Me and You and Everyone we Know" in 2005. Oh, and "25th Hour" wasn't even top 10 in 2002?!?!

No worries, we all know these lists are technically ridiculous (albeit culturally vital!)

Thanks for all the reading enjoyment over the last 10 years!

Craig


Ebert: My fingers must work funny.
First finger (2000): Its films are eligible.
Second finger: (2001): Its films are eligible.
Third finger: (2003): Its films are eligible.
Fourth finger (2004): Its films are eligible.
Fifth finger (2005): Its films are eligible.
Sixth finge: (2006): Its films are eligible.
Seventh finger (2007): Its films are eligible.
Eighth finger (2008): Its films are eligible.
Ninth finger (2009): Its films are eligible.
Tenth finger (2010). Its films will be eligible, but in another year

I believe you omitted 2002. That may change things

Ebert: I was jes foolin' to see if I could sneak that past. Theory is, you get so wound up in 7, 8, 9...

Versions of the basic technique work for magicians.

I have a feeling I had better copy this because I may need to paste it. You people are too quick.

2002 doesn't count, I guess. BTW I have 11 fingers, 10 9 8 7 6 on my left hand, plus 5 on my right hand makes 11.

Ebert: I was jes foolin' to see if I could sneak that past. Theory is, you get so wound up in 7, 8, 9...

Versions of the basic technique work for magicians.

I have a feeling I had better copy this because I may need to paste it. You people are too quick.

So glad to see Synecdoche, NY top your list. It's one of the two movies I've seen in my life that made me feel like I was still in that world for a while after I left the theatre. The other one would be Erasherhead. Midnight showing in college years. Me and Dale left the theatre, walked next door to a Lynchian diner, wordlessly (stunned) sat down at a Lynchian formica counter top on Lynchian round stools ... and the waitress came over to us and said, with a perfect Lynchian slowness that EXACTLY MATCHED the rythms of the film: "Coffee?" And that feeling kept extending into whatever happened next, and stayed with me for quite a while. The world played at a Lynchian speed, and with Lynchian oddness. Same with Synechdoche, NY. I can't get people to watch this film. Thanks for the ammunition, Roger!

Just to continue the nitpicking, your fingers left out 2002, which means you need to drop at least Minority Report and City Of God from the second list.

Ebert: I was jes foolin' to see if I could sneak that past. Theory is, you get so wound up in 7, 8, 9...

Versions of the basic technique work for magicians.

I have a feeling I had better copy this because I may need to paste it. You people are too quick.

Conversations about when the decade ends/starts aside, I'm glad you picked "Synecdoche, New York" as the best film of the decade. I made my own Top 50 list (Mulholland Drive topped mine) and placed Synecdoche in the low teens but wasn't ambitious enough to put it at number 1 (Although, Adaptation was at 5). The reason I like Synecdoche so much is because it's a truly challenging film. But I wonder if I'm meeting that challenge.

As a man who goes to the movies, I feel I must report a feeling I get while watching Synecdoche.

When I watch Synecdoche, around the time Caden casts the casts Sammy, I start to get the feeling that I'm going to discover something about myself or possibly something about life itself. My mind is clicking, the gears are shifting. I love what you wrote about the multiple personalities, and it's definitely that but it's something more as well. I feel like I'm always on the verge of a discovery, it's on the tip of my tongue. But I can't figure out what it is, despite multiple viewings. It's almost as if I have all the thoughts, but I don't the vocabulary to describe what I'm feeling. By the time Caden casts the woman to play him, those ideas gradually fade away and my thoughts become a jumbled mess, like Caden when he walks through the abandoned set. Once the screen turns white, and the film ends, all can remember is the feeling but not the thoughts. And everything that was clear in the dream-like state of film viewing suddenly makes no sense.

As a man who goes to the movies, do you ever feel this way while watching the film? Do you know I'm trying to refer to? Or has this film sent me off the deep end?

Roger.

Your fingers do work funny. They left out 2002.

So they aren't so good for counting, but I love it when the write reviews and musing.

Ebert: I was jes foolin' to see if I could sneak that past. Theory is, you get so wound up in 7, 8, 9...

Versions of the basic technique work for magicians.

I have a feeling I had better copy this because I may need to paste it. You people are too quick.

You didn't include my reply because I'm not a regular contributor or because you know I'm right and you don't want to admit that I'm the man?

I'll respond to your (and Annie's) question about the Crash "hating" by saying I found the interactions between some characters (dialogue most specifically) terribly stilted and so painfully contrived as to take me out of the film - repeatedly. I have lived in Los Angeles for most of my 30+ years and identified with almost no one in that film as anybody I've encountered here. I appreciate Haggis' attempt to tackle a subject our country is still squeamish about, but I think a lot of the praise the film received rewarded it for good intentions as opposed to actual execution. I respectfully disagree with its inclusion on your list here and doubt it will stand the test of time moving forward.

Um, Roger--you skipped 2002 in your snarky fingers response. You are wrong. Admit it. 2000-2009 is a decade. It is 10 years. Please stop.

Love the list, though!

Cut to:

A large group of people, all holding champagne glasses, gathers around one man in a living room. It is 5 minutes to midnight on New Years Eve, 2009.

The man perches himself atop a chair and begins to address the group.

Man: "Thank you all for coming. I feel so lucky to have such a great group of friends. We're about 5 minutes from saying goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010, as well as finishing off the first decade of the early century, and I just wanted to say-"

Roger, from the back of the group: "Actually, if you start at the year zero and go forward, 2010 is actually the last year of the decade."

Man: "Oh, ok. Well thank you for that Roger, but I think-"

Roger: "I said the same thing in 1999. Everyone was celebrating 'The Millenium', but I knew better. I was waiting for Y2K1."

Man: "And we're all really happy for you, Roger, but-"

Roger: "I have ten fingers right here, and if you start off with 2000 as the first finger-"

Man: "Fine, Roger, fine. Everyone, can we all agree that its not the last year of the decade?"

Group: "Agreed."

Man (relieved): "OK then, back to what I was saying. It's been a memorable 2009..."

Cut to Roger, with a smile of self satisfaction wider than any you've ever seen, ready to take in the (almost) final moments of the decade.


Roger Downer everybody!!!

I love that Roger Ebert is not afraid to shower praise on Monster because not enough people talk about the film, only the transformation. And Charlize Theron's performance was the best of the entire decade. It's easy to call it an acting stunt. But think of all the performances we praise by Cate Blanchett or Daniel Day Lewis when they make another transformation. This performance by Theron I think goes even deeper than anything those two brilliant actors have done this decade.

Yes, Synecdoche, best of the decade! I completely agree, and I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon.

Proof:
http://cfilmc.com/best-films-of-the-year-decade/

I know this is sort of besides the point, but when you made your BEST OF 1990's list, had you ANY time to digest films that came out at the end of '99, specifically PT Anderson's Magnolia, recently added to your great movies series, which came out on Christmas Day of that year? magnolia is a film that consistently works on me emotionally, my elevation radar goes crazy, and i'm filled with physical elation every time I see its closing shot.

my top 10 of the decade:

10) Volver (2006)
9) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
8) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
7) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
6) Adaptation. (2002)
5) The Triplets of Bellville (2003)
4) Mullholland Drive (2001)
3) No Country for Old Men (2007)
2) Hable Con Ella (2002)
[Talk to Her]
1) Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Wow, it's shocking that among such terrific films like Juno, No Country for Old Men, Kill Bill, Almost Famous and City of the God, that you of all people would include dreck like Monster and a Guy Maddin film.

And Synecdoche New York at #1? A film so soulless and over-indulgent, it's like Charlie Kaufman tried to achieve so much and failed at doing so. You disappoint me, Roger.

And no Miyazaki? No Pixar? No Aardman? This has been a fantastic decade for animation and you fail to include any. Had you done so, I would have forgiven you for the over-rating of Synecdoche.

Hello Mr. Ebert,

I have been looking forward to this, and I am not dissapointed. I salute you Mr. Ebert for picking obscure films and standing by them. I just know that there are going to be rabid "critic critics" who are going to tear into you for a few of your picks. Nevermind, all lists are purely opinion.

However, the point of any list is to encourage debate. So, I humbly submit my opinion of the best films I've seen this decade. Since I am still new to the love of fim I only have six selections. Keep in mind this list is based entirely off my opinion, and it is not intended to insult or rebuke anyone else's list. Presented in alphabetical order:

Lost In Translation: Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanson have a chemistry that is simply wonderful. This is a romantic comedy based not off sex, but intellect and common needs. Just as they realize their love for one another, they realize it cannot last. Truly poignant film making at its best.

Monsters, Inc.: Yes, I know I'm in the minority on this, but of all Pixar's gems I love this the most. In addtion to the sweet story of Sully bonding with Boo, it is a inconspicously scathing critique of those who would do anything to maintain power. Take that Mr. Waternoose.

One Hour Photo: Robin Williams gives one of his best performances in the most terrifying movie I've seen about a life lived vicariously. Sy (Robin Williams) lives his live by voyeristically chronicling the photographs of an unsuspecting family. His lonliness finally drives him to become something unspeakable. We live in a society where we communciate through machines, and live fantasies online rather than establish honest relationships. This film shows us the consequences of that choice.

Pan's Labyrinth: An honest, painfully beatiful film about childhood. When faced with the cruel, implaccable nature of evil, children turn to their imaginations for shelter. Del Toro creates fantastic worlds out of Ofelia's imagination, but it cannot keep her safe from surrounding horrors. The film is so much more, but this theme gives it a beautiful heart.

Spirited Away: Miyazaki's film is one of the most visually daring and beautiful I have ever seen. The film is saturated with layers of action. You can watch this repeatedly and notice something new each time. Yet, the film is more than just a visual feast. It embraces a theme not often brought up in children's films: redemption. The villians in this film show children that people can change for the better. How many other movies demonstrate that?

Zodiac: David Fincher's film is a harrowing work on so many levels. I admire it most for being the only serial killer film that does not focus on the serial killer. It is an engrossing character study of three men who are driven to pursue the killer for very different reasons. Yet, what frightens me most about this film is the social aspect. The Public is infatuated with the Zodiac Killer, but remains apathetic towards the men who sacrifice so much to bring the killer down. In other words, our society values our killers over our protectors. That will keep you up at night.

Well, there is my two cents worth. Thank you, Mr Ebert for the criticism and love of film. Readers, thank you for taking the time to read my list. I hope to read a few of yours.

Hi Roger,

Thanks so much for your list! It has been highly anticipated. I am 21 and an aspiring film critic myself (I've just started writing for a website and have linked my first published review, which is of Up In the Air), and I always know I can look to you to point me in the direction of great films.

I know there are plenty of great films from this decade that I have yet to see, but I thought I would still share my choices for the best films of the decade out of the ones I saw. All of these films had some sort of impact on me, whether they opened my eyes to something new, challenged my beliefs about something, or simply struck a chord with me, making them unforgettable.

Top 10:
1. There Will Be Blood
2. 25th Hour
3. Adaptation
4. Waltz With Bashir
5. Requiem for a Dream
6. A Pixar Film (okay, so that is cheating I know, but I couldn’t decide…The montage in Up of Carl and Ellie is one of the most moving things I’ve seen in any movie this decade, and I also loved Wall-E, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo – I’d have to watch them all again to decide which one I like the best, right now it is a 5-way tie)
7. The Dreamers
8. Almost Famous
9. Donnie Darko
10. American Splendor

Honorable Mentions in alphabetical order:
Capote, Capturing the Friedmans, Children of Men, The Dark Knight, The Departed, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, High Fidelity, Knocked Up/Superbad, The Lives of Others, Man on Wire, Minority Report, No Country For Old Men, Shortbus, Waking Life, Zodiac.

Well, those are my choices, and once again, thank you for yours...I wish you a happy, healthy New Year! Can't wait to continue to read your reviews/blog entries in 2010 :)

So glad that 25th Hour is on the list. Thanks for that!

Almost Famous is a film that I use to judge someone I just met. If they saw it and liked it, I like them. If they never saw it, I will hope to like them when they do see it. If they saw it and disliked it, I will try to understand the reasons why and will try to convince them to give it another try.
If they hate it no matter what. I will blame it on them hating what Kate Hudson has become instead of what she could have, nay, should have become. But then, isn't that what the movie is all about?

I can NOT get behind Juno and Crash. There are some moving scenes in Juno but overall the dialog makes me want to gag. And I agree with Nathanael that Lord of the Rings deserves a spot on any list, but I'm a Tolkien nerd so my bias knows no bounds. There are some great films on this list though; Almost Famous is something I could watch thousands of times and never tire of a single minute.

I feel the need to rewatch Synecdoche. I appreciated its ambition and I understood what it was attempting to do, but it didn't move me. I feel that it might be more effective on a second viewing when I know what to expect.

Also, this is the end of the decade, as Raleigh stated.
1. 2000
2. 2001
3. 2002
4. 2003
5. 2004
6. 2005
7. 2006
8. 2007
9. 2008
10. 2009

When using 2 digits, all the years in this decade begin with zero ('00, '01). All the years in the next decade will begin with 1 ('10, '11), and the decade following will be the "twenties" ('20, '21).

And of course, by the time I got around to submitting my comment, dozens of others have done so. I should never run out to do errands before posting!

I'm so happy to see Me And You And Everyone We Know on your list.

2006 was the year I decided to live a freer life. To sell most of my possessions, except for the crucial things. These included backpacking gear, a few music CDs, a few books, my laptop, and a couple of DVDs. Me And You And Everyone We Know was one of those DVDs.

Why? Because there is not a better date movie haha. Separates the wheat from the chaff and never gets old.

The Graduate used to fill this role, but the only thing I like about that movie, now, is the soundtrack and Anne Bancroft. What a beautiful lady.

Roger, I just want to thank you for this past decade of reviews. I was barely a teenager when I first started reading your reviews in 2001. And now, in 2009, I'm in college influenced from my love of film and technology to pursue a career (I've chosen to study broadcasting). It's also funny to think of how my taste in film has changed since then. I've gone through a large transformation since I was a naive kid, all thanks to your wise words. It was your appreciation of "Gosford Park" that made me realize at such a young age that so-called "art films" weren't the joke I always thought they were. As years went by your reviews and essays of Robert Altman helped me to see him as one of my most cherished directors.

There were so many times in 2001 that I cherished films I would never think of seeing before had it not been for your reviews. When I read your reviews we rarely disagree and that's because you don't offer an opinion, you just offer the truth. So thank you again for 10 years of much appreciated help and understanding into the art of cinema. Here's to another 10!!

(And just to brag, my favorite review of yours is "Jackie Brown". Time and time again I refer to it to remember why I love that film so much)

Hi Roger, I really respect the individuality and brio of your list, even though I can't say I agree with most of them.

And "The Hurt Locker," #2 of the decade? REALLY?! I'm sorry to say I don't understand the appeal of that movie. I found it tiring and more often flat-out exhausting than exciting or suspenseful.

I'd have definitely included "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which the decade can simply not do without, as well as other modern masterpieces like "There Will Be Blood" and "Brokeback Mountain."

And I want to genuinely know something: am I the ONLY person who absolutely adores 2005's "Thumbsucker," enough to have it on his own Top 10 of the Decade? Individuality indeed. ;)

Why why why why Juno?? Are Tom Carson and myself the only ones who abhor this movie?

Fingers, Schmigers. No Spirted Away? I'm taking my list and going home.

That movie made me think about all the good things in witnessing a daugther become a better person. Yes, I thought, I want that for myself. As I see it again as a family man with my own daughter, It reaffirms where I am is where I'm supposed to be. This movie is hard-wired to my heart.

Is there anyone out there willing to throw this movie a morsel of recognition?

My own idiosyncratic usage is that, indeed, the '90s contained the years 1990-1999; on the other hand, the final decade of the twentieth century was the ten years between 1991 and 2000. I don't expect anyone else to adopt this, but I can argue either mathematically to anyone who cares. It turns out no one does.

I am currently resisting all inclinations to put forth any "best of" lists on the grounds--and I know your own experiences have borne this out--that it's too close. At this distance, I think I can put out a decent best of the '90s list, but leaving aside the sheer number of movies from the last ten years (ahhhh) which I haven't seen, the "best" films of any given time period are those which stay with me. I know I can still relive the final moments of Brokeback Mountain in my head, which would probably put it on any list I assembled. Have I seen any movies which came out this year and will stay with me the same way in years to come? I don't know yet.

Can I, though, add a vote for Grizzly Man? I saw it for the first time this year, I must admit, but Werner Herzog seemed, in it, to have found his perfect subject. (Whenever I'm trying to sum up the man and his work, though, I go back to the suicidal penguin from Encounters at the End of the World!) He's another filmmaker I must thank you for introducing me to, though I'd have gotten to a couple of his films regardless. Just not as quickly. I'm really looking forward to seeing Bad Lieutenant, but it doesn't seem to be playing anywhere around here. Presumably our local "art house" will get it in two months or so; they just played Ponyo week before last.

If Pan's Labyrinth is in your great movies section, and it is not on your top ten of the decade, then shouldn't all the films on your top ten be in your great movies? Wouldn't that make sense?

at the moment my top ten would be:

1. The Wire (technically, not a movie. An overall fantastic experience. Definetly the best thing I've seen from this decade)
2. Spirited Away
3. No Country For Old Men
4. Children of Men
5. Kill Bill
6. Pan's Labyrnth
7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
8. Dancer in the Dark
9. Whale Rider
10. Memento

Bah! I was hoping that your list, unlike any other list I've yet read, would include my favorite film of the decade - Werckmeister Harmonies!

Thanks Roger, I do like your list, it runs the gambit of high concept, to deeply personal, and to the movie you would most likely put in when you are sick. You're love of Juno, I suspect, is very similar to my love in that you fell a little bit in love with Ellen Page, not the actress or the character or the performance but the person (not sideswiping the writing or directing, both top notch but that something extra special is in Ellen).

However I am a little disappointed with the omission of Children of Men. I wouldn’t argue that this movies depiction of the future is groundbreaking, numerous movies have taken a dystopian stance of the future. What I loved about the film is that at its core it is a great thriller. It’s innovations with long takes that put you into the action and grabs you and doesn’t let you go. It also achieves this without an “action hero.” Heck, one of the tensest moments in the movie is about a stalled car slowly rolling down a hill not a high speed chase. I think Hitchcock would be proud. A daring, ambitious, and innovative movie that I still don’t think has gotten enough respect and runs the risk of being forgotten.

My Top Ten:

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Mulholland Dr.
3. 3-Iron
4. Memento
5. Downfall
6. The Dark Knight
7. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
8. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
9. Monster
10.Requiem for a Dream

The great unheralded director is Kim Ki-Duk ("3-Iron," as well as "The Isle," "The Bow," and "Spring Summer Fall Winter...and Spring.") When will American cinephiles truly discover this true master?

Also, it's funny about my top ten: Other great directors that deserve mentioning are Paul Thomas Anderson, David Cronenberg, Richard Linklater and Danny Boyle who made several movies a piece that just missed my list.

Roger, Happy New Year from Jupiter Florida. How thrilled am I to see Miranda July's film on your list. I thought I was the only person who ever saw that film. One of the problems with Juno is that no one in real life talks like that but we all wish we did. Love your list, love your work.
I enjoy reading your reviews..the printed word carries much more weight, for me at least. People sure have strong feelings about this decade thing. this is good, counting is good.

I too am surprised Tarsem's "The Fall" did not make this list. Is there a chance there could be a bonus place listed for this wonderful film?

Excellent list, I'm glad Synecdoche, New York is getting the appreciation it deserves!

Nice post Roger!

But weren't the 90's from 1990 to 1999?

And weren't the 70's from 1970 to 1979? I'm pretty sure the 80's started in 1980, not 1981.

or the fifties or thirties or 60's or you name it!

Ten years from the stroke of midnight on January 1st, 2000 to the stroke of midnight on January 1st, 2010.

So, then I guess we would be leaving the Zero's tonight and entering the Ten's. My little niece might even live until the next "80's" or "90's". :)

Nobody Knows is a great film, as is Spirited Away. Having seen the former movie soon after returning from three years spent living in Japan, I thought, "Now this is the Japan I know." It gets the mood right, it gets the people right, it gets the look right. In fact, there's not much that Hirokazu Kore-eda gets wrong in this film. Great acting, great writing, and great directing.

As for Spirited Away, it is my favorite Miyazaki movie, and my favorite visually. Storywise, I think Kiki's Delivery Service is better, and speaks more to me as an artist.

Now, as for the movies included on your list, Roger:

I missed seeing The Hurt Locker...twice. It never played near my house in Connecticut (closest place was Hartford), and while I did find it playing at a second run movie theater in Seattle, it closed before I could watch it there. Now, it's a must-rent, but I'll miss the big screen experience.

I will have to see Synechdoche, N.Y, too, as it appeared to make you feel the same way Waking Life made me feel (some confusion and boredom the first time, less confusion and more interest the second time, and a strong wish to see it a third time, and a fourth, and a fifth...).

Monster...yes. Juno...not sure if it belongs so high on the list, but I did enjoy watching it. Almost Famous...without a doubt (btw, what do you think of the director's cut? It "almost" seems to be a different movie.). Kill Bill, Volume 1 and 2...maybe the most underappreciated movies of the decade (and they need the big screen treatment, though I only saw Volume 2 on the big screen. I remember, on the car ride back to my friend's house, how we both felt that more people needed to see this film..and we rarely agree on movies.).

I've also seen Minority Report, Adaptation, and City of God, but will have to track down the other movies, particularly Pan's Labyrinth, No Country for Old Men, and...oh hell, who am I kidding? I'll be tracking all of them down!

Happy New Year!

Has anyone pointed their third finger at Mr. Ebert and told him he forgot 2002, yet? Oh, only a dozen or so times!

My Winnipeg? I'd never take issue with a subjective list (that type of griping feedback drives me nuts as a reader). I do find it interesting that A) it was your favorite documentary of the decade, given how many amazing documentaries there were - and B) there were no other documentaries on your list. For immediate examples that jump to mind: Herzog's 2000's documentaries. They were transcendental - at times for their beauty, and other times for how soul-crushing they could be. I guess it shows what us a thankless job it is to have to whittle down the list, and having to leave so many wonderful films out.

In some ways, I feel like this was the decade of the documentary. perhaps it is as I'm now nearing 40, I've simply become more aware and appreciative of them as a cinematic genre.

And no love for Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!? ;)

Ebert: I don't think anyone, least of all Guy Maddin, would call "My Winnipeg" a documentary. It's more of a fantasy in the form of a doc.

blah blah 2002 blah blah

did that just for fun after having already seen the many copies and pasties.
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there's no need for me to comment on the list because those who don't like it can make their own list and get their own blog.
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i propose that there should be NO debating any list of bestest movies unless it's within two weeks of the end of a year and/or decade and/or century. too many of this year's blog entries turned into list debates. it was repetitive and annoying, and of course juno belongs.
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i love the debates about what constitutes a decade. people, 2000 isn't just a year or a number. it's a collection of 365.25 days. when we started at day 1, there was no year to count until after the first 365.25 days. that's when we hit 0001, and 1 year was over.

think about what you see when you click a stopwatch - 00 (minutes).00 (seconds). 00(hundreths of a second). when the stopwatch reaches 01.00.00, we've gone through the first minute a.k.a. the first year. so at 0001, the first year is over. by the time we hit the year 0009, we had completed 9 years, thus we had completed the first decade when we reached 0010.

so now we're at 2009 years and 364 days, which means we've finished 9 years and almost the tenth. when we hit 2010 in about 7 hours, the tenth year will be complete. a.k.a. - a decade.

Christ. That that many people were so moved to point out you missed 2002 is just depressing.

The inclusion of primarily American productions suggests a bias. At least you know who your audience is.

Where are Mulholland Dr. and Werckmeister Harmonies? I think those would be the top 2 films on my list.

Correcting my previous statement, I guess we have been living in this decade called the "One's". Next is the "Ten's" and then "20's". I wonder what this decade will be called though, if it will be called anything?

I don't recall anyone ever calling 1900 to 1909 the "One's" or 1910 to 1919 the "Ten's"....I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything like that until talking about the "20's". Strange, that. I wonder who started that trend? Was it just too cumbersome to say 10's or 1's, and just rolled off the tongue in the decades to come?

The folks who say 2001-2010 is the "real" decade are especially annoying because they act as though they smugly possess knowledge that us simpletons do not. When, in fact, they're idiots who've failed to grasp what most people here have already thankfully pointed out: that a "decade" is just a set of ten years. Any ten years. They weren't complaining when people made "Best of the '90s" lists, were they?

It's triply funny because 1 A.D. was incorrectly pegged anyway. Jesus was apparently born around 4 B.C. Whoops.

Hi Roger,
I am also very glad that you've stuck to your guns and been supportive to "Monster" all these years, truly a film that changes the way you look at things. I've always wondered if the film would have been more popular with other critics if it had been directed by a man, by a distinguished acclaimed director, by a middlebrown director stretching his talent, or by any other person not named Patty Jenkins who sadly hasn't done a feature film since then. Ms. Jenkins achieved the same level of craftsmanship and directorial authority that a Scorsese or Cronenberg do with their work. I don't mean to sound pedantic, but the world hasn't been kind to Ms. Patty Jenkins. I am curious as to what other movies she is capable of making if producers would just let her.

Who would have thought that a blog about the best films of the decade, would generate more controversy about decades than about films. There are entirely too many orderly minds at work here.

Sir, you have the influence to lead us from this overly logical wilderness. At some future time (as whimsy strikes) please publish a list of "the best X films in the last Y years, give or take a few months." Repost this list at random invervals, changing the interval and the titles, and even the reasoning behind your choices, as you see fit. Be as inconsistent as your multitudes allow. These are your lists.

Roger Ebert's #1 Films of the Year(1967-2007)

For those interested in Roger's best movie picks thru the decades, this is pleasant way of remembering them.

youtube.com/watch?v=S3AmVLo2178&NR=1

Ebert: Good gravy! And nearby links of similar material I had no idea existed.

@Chris, I find it curious in your defense of your position that the decade is over you argue the exact opposite point.

As you point out, you did not turn 1 until the first anniversary of your birth. Until that point, you were 0 years old. Since there was no year 0, years are treated differently. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 2010th year since Christ's birth.

You mention that you are 24, if we were to discuss what year of your life you were in the answer would be 25th (that doesn't make you 25, obviously).

Another way to look at it is this. Pretend that Mr. Ebert was making this list at the end of 9 A.D. would you argue with him that the decade was comprised of only those 9 years? Why have the intervening 2000 years confused the issue?

Cheers,

Tom

I'm so happy to see you put both Adaptation and Synecdoche, NY (although I admit to be surprised by its #1 pick). Charlie Kaufman, to me, is this decade's premier writer. If Being John Malkovich was made in this decade, I suspect it would also be included.

Minority Report is a completely underrated film, as most movies based on PK Dick.

And finally, someone recognizes the genius of 25th hour. One of the best movies I can think of. It asks all the right questions and stays with you making you ask more... the most influential film for me on this list.

I watched "Synecdoche, New York" and (with help from your review) quickly understood it as a metaphor for the strategies and methods we use to live our lives. I then promptly decided that none of these strategies or methods appears in my personal life, despite what anyone may assume. Thus, I hated the film. Plus, bumping "The Hurt Locker" up to number 1 makes even more sense to me. Just saying.

The sad thing about Almost Famous is Kate Hudson as Penny Lane. Watching that movie for the first time, you really have to think to yourself, "a star is born." Being a straight woman I can't really speak to her attractiveness but she had that magical quality, whatever it really is, the inner light that some people have on film, that makes her just sparkle. And she's really not managed it since then, or really anything close to that performance. Was it Cameron Crowe who gave her that luminous beauty? Has she just not worked with a single good director since? It's really too bad. But rewatching her in Almost Famous is still a delight. I loved her character, so vivacious, so deluded, so loveable. It's all happening!

And yet another great Phillip Seymour Hoffman performance too! I've seen it argued that Matt Damon was the actor for the decade, and I think they have a point, but PSH might be an even better candidate.

I'll not get started with my own list-making, as I've given myself enough trouble obsessively compiling my top Songs and Albums lists for the year and decade.

Glad to see 25th Hour on there. Time to hit Netflix for a lot of the others.

Thanks as always, Roger, for the great lists. I was sorry to see that "WALL-E" did not make one of your 20, because I really believe this film is one which evokes that quality of Elevation you so passionately speak of . . . not to mention WALL-E and EVA brought more tears to my eyes than most of their human counterparts during the decade. And after seeing "Avatar" in 3-D yesterday, I would have to say that I believe we are going to look back on that film years from now as a course-shifter in movie history, not unlike "2001."

It's "25th Hour", for the record. Like Ang Lee's "Hulk", no "the". Yep, I'm like those characters in "High Fidelity", arguing about the inclusion of "the" with "Beatles". Or, as Lt. Aldo Raine would say, "I'm a slave to appearances."

Bold list. I'm just personally sad to see "Lost in Translation" absent.

For God's sake people.

There was no such thing as "Year 0" (zero)

The first decade Anno Domini (AD) began with year 1.

Year One. Just like the Jack Black movie. Well, actually not at all like that, except for its moniker.

But whatever, hence the first decade (decade = 10 years) was: 1-10. 1 THROUGH 10. 10 full years.

The first century: 1-100

The first millenium: 1-1000

The second millenium: 1001-2000

All the hub-bub about 1999-2000? No matter what Prince said, the time to party was actually the end of the millenium December 31, 2000.

This decade began January 1, 2001 and will end December 31, 2010.

Now our friend Roger is fucking with us by deciding to include "Almost Famous" from the year 2000 ***AND*** claiming he has another year to add films to the decade's best. He would prefer a decade to consist of 11 years, and I guess overlap

The sad part is that the largest portion of responses to this blog (of which now I've been sucked in and added one) has been to debate the definition of "decade."

Shouldn't we be talking about the films included or not included and their merits or lack thereof?

At least "Synecdoche, NY" seems to have caused a stir. I'll have to see it now. I suspect I'll either love it or I'll feel it's a fascinating train wreck?

Happy New Year everyone.

Craig

Great list. Happy to say I disagree with a lot because that is what great films should do...appeal on a primal level to your emotions, your mind and how could that be universal? Loved Pan's Labyrinth and Synechdoche. Liked Juno and hated Almost Famous. I loved Let the Right One in and Oldboy, Twilight Samurai and (geek jokes welcome) the Lord of the Rings. Les Fil was great and would have put either Nemo or Incredibles on my list Great list Roger.

I love the list becuase I don't feel like I have to agree with it. Other lists tell me "theses are the best films and I know better than youO while this list tells me that these are the films that meant to most to you. Who can disagree with that?

Plus these are just good films.

What's wonderful here is how many of these movies I've seen, own, and truly enjoyed.

What's even more wonderful is how many I have yet to see! What a great thing to look forward to. :)

Roger,
As usual you suprise me with some of your choices(both in a good and bad way!). I am slightly dissapointed that there were no Asian films on your list (maybe a best of Asian cinema list soon?). Two films that would make my list would be Oldboy and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

I'm happy to say I have seen all of these movies. A very accurate list I must say.

I hate to see a nice conversation about the best films of the decade derailed, but it seems no one has yet adequately explained why the decade technically ends in 2010 and not 2009. I thought we had gone over this at the turn of the millennium, but apparently everyone has forgotten.

There is no zero year on the calendar, it transitions from 1 BC to 1 AD, meaning the first decade Anno Domini went as follows:

1: year one
2: year two, etc.
9: year nine
10: year ten

Thus the decade ends on a zero year and not the nine year, and since there have been no nine year decades that I know of anywhere in the last two thousand and nine years, this trend has continued through the ages, up to the current decade, which will, as Ebert correctly stated, end in the year 2010. However, since we are not used to thinking in this manner, all the end of the decade stuff comes on the nine year, which perpetuates the misconception being debated here.

I hope this helps clear things up, and let me declare once again how much I appreciated this list, though I have to say that while I found Charlize Theron's performance in Monster incredible, I have always felt like the rest of the movie (i.e. all the parts that don't involve her performance) were pretty mediocre. The directing, the script and the other actors simply couldn't live up to her performance, and that, to me, makes it a very uneven film. Anyone else feel the same way?

How come "Spirited Away" is absent from your list? That and "City of God" are the rare films of this decade which define elevation in my book. Original and non-derivative story with respectably better production value and the works make for an immersive, riveting film-going experience.

On the negative side...I can't say the same about "Avatar," unfortunately -- because the story is too familiar for which the visual-aural splendor cannot compensate. I suggest reading "Cinefex" issue how "Avatar" was produced; the innovation is indeed revolutionary, but it still requires a terrific original story to fully appreciate the emotive feeling of elevation. You will see more of this technological innovation in new films soon, such as "The Adventures of Tintin" in 2011.

An immersive film is the reason to go to the movies to watch on the large silver screen. It looks to me the classic films (the riveting kind) like "The Wages of Fear" are preferable to the bombastic and pretentious mindlessness of most films as "consumable and disposable garbage" in this decade. I would pick a Terry Malick film over Michael Bay & schlock anytime.

What about Mulholland Drive?

Incidentally, Roger, I'll be watching The Son today for the first time--on Netflix instant streaming. And thank God for Netflix, because the DVD of this film has already been discontinued by the manufacturer.

And how great is Netflix, by the way? Well, I have the following movies in my instant queue, all of them Criterion, most ready to be seen for the first time:

La Strada
Onibaba (second viewing)
Seven Samurai
Beauty & the Beast (Cocteau)
Black Orpheus
Ikiru
Rashomon
Amarcord
The Virgin Spring (second viewing)
The Bicycle Thief

Reed Hastings is a freakin' genius.

Roger,

I know that Jason Lee was the lead singer in Stillwater in the movie Almost Famous. And he is, in retrospect, the most famous member of Stillwater. But in mentioning the cast, how about some love for Billy Crudup, who's role as Russell Hammond was certainly more crucial to the movies success than was Mr. Lee's.

Really? You don't think The Lives of Others ranks above half of your choices?? I sure do. Glad to see you include Almost Famous. That film gets better with each viewing, completely transports me and fills me with joy. If you can lay your hands on it I highly recommend the directors cut?/alternate version? DVD entitled Untitled. The rare film that expands on the theatrical release and makes a great film even better.

My picks:

Donnie Darko
In the Mood for Love/2046
The New World
A.I.
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac
Y Tu Mama Tambien
I'm Not There
Mysterious Skin/Son Frere/Time to Leave
The Aviator/Catch Me if You Can

I can never understand why people hate on Juno. One of my faves of the decade as well. I'm sad to see Kill Bill on your list though, especially in the cheating parts 1+2 form. Each movie standing alone is unsatisfying and the two combined does not make it great. There was enough good stuff in them to make one really good 2 hour movie, but QT got greedy and instead made 2 OK movies. And now the WB thinks that's a proper strategy for the final Harry Potter adaptation too.

I find your summation of "Synecdoche, New York" (well, I was going to use words like "disingenuous" and "contrived") - lets say puzzling. A man goes to the movie, indeed. Until he goes to the movie again and finds that all has been forgiven.

The phrase needs to be finished with "why" - as in - A man goes to the movies, why? or, Why does a man go to the movies? The first time you went to this movie is the reason movies are made - you (as in the general public) went to a movie to be entertained. That is the POV you are identifying in "a man". Movies are made to be, first and foremost, entertaining. Sure, they may contain gravitas, but, to be successful, gravitas that is entertaining. Thus, a film must never confuse itself with a novel, a sermon, a lecture. Therefore, as you admit, the movie failed first time through, when you went to be entertained.

However, you went back. And the man that returned to the theatre was not the same man that went originally - that is, you went for a different reason. The first time you went was for the initial gut reaction of how the movie impressed you and the reasons why. You went the second time to understand why the first time was a failure - that is, you went not to be entertained but to understand. One might even say that the second man that went to the movie was seeking admittance to a world he was shut out of the first go round. I assume that Kaufman is someone you respect and therefore you found it distressing that a product of his mind should escape you so. And, lo and behold, you sought and found what was lost.

This brings me back to the word I didn't use above - pretentious. Roger Ebert figured out the brilliant man's clever (let's not leave out often misunderstood) intent. For that, Roger gets a prize - he places it at the top of his (equally contrived and pretentious) best of the decade list, thus obtaining the rarefied air (and airs) that critics covet. Sure. Good for you. But I trust the first man and why he goes to the movies. The second fella seems to have something invested.

Incidentally, I find your formula "a man goes to the movies" problematic and assuming. Define "man". The man went "why". Without blind assumptions, the formula appears senseless.

Happy New Year!

I was curious about 'You, the Living' not being a part of this list. I realize it takes so much time and consideration to take into account technicalities, emotion, how something personally affects you, and random factors...but, based off what you, and other critics, have had to say about the film, I thought it would have been a shoo-in. Personally, I have not seen it (of course, I intend to) but your commentary on the film makes its absence seem all the more surprising.

So... I don't understand. Which 10 years will (eventually) qualify as the "decade"? 1/1/2001-12/31/2010? Or 1/1/2000-12/31/2009? God, I hate this debate, but it becomes important when you include movies from both 2000 AND 2010. i.e. will "Almost Famous" appear on your ultimate list?

Minority Report. Interesting. It is nearly perfect at doing what it sets out to do. I rented it with my 3 older kids (all under 13) a few months ago. Funny how they seemed to be mesmerized by it. It's all part of my plans I started 2 years ago by cancellation cable and reducing to one tv. That way we must all watch the same programming. I believe it has made them more intelligent and inquisitive rather than letting them mindlessly watch "children's entertainment". We try to pick out at least one great movie a week to watch. This week was bonus because it's Christmas. We bought Up and A Christmas Story. We also saw Avatar in 2D. My 12 year old has started debating me on them and typically we read your review before the screening (she goes to another website to compare the reviews).

Roger, you missed 2002....

Just kidding.

Excellent list, I've seen (and own) the majority of these films. I only hope that one day I can see a film of my own on one of your coveted "best of" lists.

Or in fact, just a review would suffice.

Actually, just a one-sentence blurb would do - a "tweet" if you will.

Or even just a thumbs up (or down). That would be cool.

Basically, any acknowledgment from you that proved you actually saw a film I've made would be a dream come true... Haha! Happy New Year!

Roger -

Great list. I've seen them all but two or three and am anxious to check out those.

Just curious, surprised you didn't include "Mulholland Dr". This is my personal pick for best of decade. I know you were supportive of this film and could be wrong but thought you had it as #1 of 2001. Did it not hold up as well over time for you?

Thanks for all the great reviews over the years.

I saw "Synecdoche, New York" for the fist time at the Austin Film Festival in October of 2008 (I'm the guy who inspired that long response about Charlie Kaufman's writing process in your SYN blog), and since then I've seen it four more times in its entirety, and countless times I've watched clips. Originally I didn't think it was the best film of the decade (I've been voting for "City of God" for years), but last night I watched it once again, and I knew then that SYN was the film of this decade that would stay with me forever. Last night was the first time I watched it in a very depressed mood, and I think that let me understand it better; not because the film is about depression, but emotion in general. The most interesting thing about seeing it again was how clear it was. It made sense, in its senseless way; I saw the progression of Caden Cotard as he lost grasp of the difference between what is reality and what is his view. It wasn't until he let go of Caden (physically, sexually, even spiritually) was he able to understand other people (in the form of Ellen). The ending strikes me as incredibly beautiful, because Caden experiences unconditional love for the first time.

RE: A. O. Scott just picked WALL-E for the decade.

Thanks so much for NOT putting WALL-E, or for that matter, Avatar, on this list. In their own ways each of the films was fascinating and tremendous film-making. But I found the underlying hypocracy of both films too much to take.

One presents corporate greed as the ruination of the environment, and then capitalizes on that message as the ultimate manifestation of corporate greed. (Seen any toy WALL-Es in land fills lately?)

The other makes a stunning statement on the evils of war by making one of the most astounding presentations of war and avarice in the history of film. Chilling.

I really don't get that whole decade thing when it comes to the "Aughts" I guess they're called. Just keep it the way it is folks. 2010 is the start of a new decade.

A truly unexpected list Roger (I thought "Pan's Labyrinth" might be your number one, and I'm also surprised by "Million Dollar Baby's" exclusion), but I can't really argue with most of your choices (the one exception is "Crash," which I thought was one-note and melodramatic to a fault). Of course all lists will be leaving off some great films (especially if you're talking about a decade), although you do a pretty good job here.

My top ten for the "Aughts" are:
1. "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy
2. "Wall-E"
3. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
4. "There Will Be Blood"
5. "Brokeback Mountain"
6. "Spirited Away"
7. "A.I. Artificial Intelligence"
8. "United 93"
9. "Spider-Man 2"
10. "The Fountain"

Greetings from Urbana, Roger. Glad to see "Almost Famous" on your list as it was definitely my favorite film that year and still one of my favorites of all time. Because I love it so, I can't let your one little mistake stand: Billy Crudup played the part of the lead singer, not Jason Lee. He was, as ever, brilliant. Thanks for all that you write and share with us. You are also one of my favorites. Happy New Year.

What about Million Dollar Baby?

Was you jes foolin' to see if you could sneak 2002 past? There's a theory that you get so wound up in 7, 8, 9...

I'm told that versions of the basic technique work for magicians.

I have a feeling you should probably copy this because you may need to paste it. We readers are too quick.

I've seen Minority Report on other lists and for me the screenplay came across as too sloppy to be included.

They make a point of saying that people are tracked via their retinal patterns and Cruise's character has to have his eyeballs swapped out for that reason.

But when it comes time to break him out of jail they just use his original eyeballs as the security pass? And it somehow lets him out of jail instead of setting off every alarm in the place?

If you establish the rules of the way a particular universe works you shouldn't turn around and immediately violate them.

Don't get me wrong, the film looked great and it was exciting and all, but they absolutely lost me at that point.

Happy New Year, Roger! Looking forward to reviews of upcoming films for 2010!

As I write this comment, I think back to ten years ago, when I was 16. I think It was about that time when I started to dig deeper into what I was paying to watch. I started to see films as the sum of so many things and not just an end product. I started to care for the names of directors and cinematographers. I started to read about filmmakers and the filmmaking process. I also started reading film reviews posted on several web-sites and, eventually, yours became my site of choice.

I look at the list and see why. And it's not because I've seen most of the movies on it (even own some of them), or liked them all, but because it's your list, you just happen to be sharing it with us. There's no pretense, no facade. It's a real list, a list by another film enthusiast.

Happy New Year Roger! And here's to another decade of watching movies and talking about them!

P.S. My mind's working on my list right now as I hit the "submit" button, put on my Chuck Taylors and hit the streets in the direction of the video store to get a copy of "Synecdoche,New York" , I've been putting that off for too long.

As much as I enjoyed reading your list on this page, I hope you will do the same for the worst films of the decade or the ones that truly suck (I still enjoy watching your "stinkers" back in the early 80s on ATM.) Anyway, happy New Year Roger!

A splendid list. I'm glad to see you stuck by Crash inspite of all the negativity it regularly recieves. I'm also very pleased to see The Son and Kill Bill mentioned.

actually, ameroux's correction is wrong. jason lee played the singer. crudup as the lead guitar being more popular was a subplot in the movie.

Ah, you have succumbed to making one of those dreaded lists you hate. I love lists. As you say, they are to a large degree arbitrary, but they do guide us to movies we may not have seen or thought of and shine a spotlight on those films that mean the most to you, so we can see if they might mean as much to us.

I've seen all the films in your top twenty except for four: "The Son," "My Winnipeg," "Bad Lieutenant," and "Waking Life." I liked most of them. Loved several: "Monster," "No Country for Old Men," "Pan's Labyrinth," "Kill Bill," "Minority Report," and a couple others. Disliked two: Reygadas's inert "Silent Light," and my least favorite film on your list just happens to be your favorite film of the decade. By all means "Synecdoche, New York" may mean everything you say it means, and someone like me who found it "incoherent" (and to the list of adjectives I'd add "obtuse" and "dreary") may very well benefit from seeing it again, but seeing it once made me so restlessly miserable that I just don't think it's worth it.

It's interesting to note that three of your top five films are directed by women, and one of the others is written by a woman. Women in general are underrepresented as filmmakers (this year will likely usher in only the fourth Oscar nominated female director EVER), so it's at least worthy of notice that Kathryn Bigelow, Patty Jenkins, Miranda July, and Diablo Cody were driving forces behind the very best. (I liked all of them, but still don't see what all the fuss over "The Hurt Locker" is about.)

@Ameroux: In Almost Famous, Jason Lee was the lead singer. Billy Crudup was the "guitarist with mystique."

The great thing about Synecdoche: it begins with play and ends as a complex and extraordinary metaphor. The film, or at least the characters in the film, barely seems conscious of what it's doing, and yet it's expertly crafted by Kaufman. Which is why I think that it's kind of disappointing that the ending feels so heavy-handed. I could have done without the voice over.

Bill Simmons would love you for listing Almost Famous. I think that it's his favorite film of the decade.

I happened to love The Assassination of Jesse James. If I ranked them, then it would probably occupy the top shelf. But I would place on the list Adaptation, Munich, Pan's Labyrinth, Good Night, and Good Luck, and too many to name. I don't know how this decade exists in relation to previous decades or whether there is that definite great movie or movies, but there was certainly a lot of depth and variety, I believe.

Brokeback Mountain still should have won the Oscar over Crash, though. Nothing will deter me from that thought.

My picks for the decade's best films:

Donnie Darko
In the Mood for Love/2046
The New World
A.I.
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac
Y Tu Mama Tambien
I'm Not There
Mysterious Skin/Son Frere/Time to Leave
The Aviator/Catch Me if You Can

It's a good thing that the decade argument only happens every ten years.

I've always considered a decade to begin with a year that ends in 0 and ends with a year that ends in 9 for the following reasons:

The ones place in a year is for individual years. The tens place is for decades. When the tens place number goes up by, that is the start of a new decade e.g. (1989-1990). The hundreds place is for centuries and the thousands place is for millenniums. When any of the places advance by one, we get a new year, decade, century and/or millennium.

I see that your #1 of 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 made the list, but not 2001 (Monster's Ball) and 2004 (Million Dollar Baby). I'm not counting 2008 and 2009 since you didn't rank those years in a definitive Top 10 list.

Reading this list has reminded me of some films to put on my Netflix queue.

Great list. Happy New Year! May the new year bring you new films, new friends and new joy at both.

I, too, would have included "Spirited Away" or "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" as it is known in Japan. It was a 2001 film so it would qualify.

I agree with "Pan's Labyrinth" and that made me watch his 2001 "The Devil's Backbone" and later, the 2007 "The Orphanage."

What about "Amelie"? Another animation movie I loved was "The Incredibles."

I also liked "Twilight Samurai" and "Duma."

Since I enjoy Carlos Saura, I would have also included "Fados."

How can Ameroux claim 'Almost Famous' is one of his favorite films of all time and know so little about who plays which role in the film??? Jason Lee plays the lead singer, Crudup is the lead guitarist and song writer. There's a famous line from Princess Bride that may apply to Ameroux's use of 'favorite film'.

Thank you, Roger. My favorite film of the decade was Pan's Labyrinth, a fact that my family and friends don't really understand. It felt (and feels every time I watch it) that mythology itself has somehow been compressed and filmed for our consideration. Every time, I yearn for a different ending, and I want to look away at the scene where the Captain appears to see Ophelia talking to herself. Music has always been extremely important to me in my appreciation of a film, and here it is done perfectly. Thank you Roger for still letting people know that how a film is about something is just as important as what it is about.

How a year works:

2000, starting at 0:00:00 on January 1st, and running through 23:59:59 on December 31st of that year, is one year; logically, a zero time [0:00:00] cannot exist in any year on a calendar, just as actual noon [12:00] cannot exist in the AM or PM: for practical purposes, the 12:00 [noon] rollover and 0:00:00 [year] rollover both begin a new count [PM, and the new year, respectively], versus continuing or existing outside of the previous count. Each year of a civil calendar is defined this way. In calculating a decade, the count begins at zero, and ends at ten; while decades may be arbitrarily determined by selecting any ten consecutive years, words have meaning: when one applies a definite determiner [the, this] to the word "decade", one is referencing a period of ten years beginning with a year terminating in zero [300, 1640, 1790, 2000], and counting ten years using the preceding definition for a "year". So, this decade:

2000, one year.
2001, two years.
2002, three years.
2003, four years.
2004, five years.
2005, six years.
2006, seven years.
2007, eight years.
2008, nine years.
2009, ten years--a decade, and the decade.

Good list.

Ten that come to mind.

In The Mood For Love
Mulholland Drive
The Girl on The Bridge
The Son
The Man Without a Past
Talk to Her
The Best of Youth
Head-On
The New World
Endless Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Hi Roger,

Thanks so much for your list! It has been highly anticipated. I am 21 and an aspiring film critic myself (I've just started writing for a website and have linked my first published review, which is of Up In the Air), and I always know I can look to you to point me in the direction of great films.

I know there are plenty of great films from this decade that I have yet to see, but I thought I would still share my choices for the best films of the decade out of the ones I saw. All of these films had some sort of impact on me, whether they opened my eyes to something new, challenged my beliefs about something, or simply struck a chord with me, making them unforgettable.

Top 10:
1. There Will Be Blood
2. 25th Hour
3. Adaptation
4. Waltz With Bashir
5. Requiem for a Dream
6. A Pixar Film (okay, so that is cheating I know, but I couldn’t decide…The montage in Up of Carl and Ellie is one of the most moving things I’ve seen in any movie this decade, and I also loved Wall-E, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo – I’d have to watch them all again to decide which one I like the best, right now it is a 5-way tie)
7. The Dreamers
8. Almost Famous
9. Donnie Darko
10. American Splendor

Honorable Mentions in alphabetical order:
Capote, Capturing the Friedmans, Children of Men, The Dark Knight, The Departed, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, High Fidelity, Knocked Up/Superbad, The Lives of Others, Man on Wire, Minority Report, No Country For Old Men, Shortbus, Waking Life, Zodiac.

Well, those are my choices, and once again, thank you for yours...I wish you a happy, healthy New Year! Can't wait to continue to read your reviews/blog entries in 2010 :)

PS: Sorry is you are getting this twice - It didn't seem to work the first time I submitted it

Where would I even find a comprehensive list of the movies of the decade for me to pick my top 20 from?

From memory: I would start with "The Fall", which I was privileged to watch with you at EbertFest2009 on the big screen at the Virgina.

Big agreement on Kill Bill 1 & 2 (together as one movie for me). Masterful and stylish.

Agreement on Juno. Though it was startling and distracting to hear Cody's voice come through so strong. (I was a reader of her blog way before Juno). Still, great storytelling and comedy.

I'm not with you on Synedoche. Ouch! I appreciate your layered description of the movie. I appreciate that a second viewing would help. There will be no second viewing. Synedoche, NY was an extremely irritating movie about deeply unhappy people. It got enough of my time already.

I would add "Flight 93" and....

more to come...

A great mix, Roger. So good to see "Minority Report" and "My Winnipeg" and "Waking Life" together--all of them coming from completely different places to converge on the Five Points of memory, dream, time, love and mystery. Interesting neighborhood.

And yes indeed for "Chop Shop," a movie both simple and monumental, lives observed without interference.

And boy howdy for "No Country for Old Men." Not since "Raging Bull" has an American movie faced "the dismal tide" so unflinchingly, reminding us "it's not the one thing."

But Roger, what about "Shotgun Stories," that rural, fatally constipated "Mean Streets"? And speaking of our best Man with a Movie Camera, how come no "Aviator"? I know: Lists can be only so long. But still ...

De gustibus non est disputandum.

I really admire your list because you didn't include the obligatory LOTR trilogy and Mulholland Drive. I feel like so many critics try to objectively choose what the best films of the decade are. In doing so, their lists tend to be boring. Yours, on the contrary, says a lot about you and what you value in a film. I was fairly shocked, as I created my list on the 14th of December and included both Miranda July's film (at #11) and Chop Shop (at #4).

I'm surprised that Ghost World didn't make your list, but Enid is rather similar to Juno. Other films I thought were very special this decade were Amores Perros, Moolaade, Storytelling, A Serious Man, You Can Count on Me, In The Bedroom, Junebug, Paranoid Park, Dancer In the Dark, Yi Yi, Bully and Sound and Fury. Thanks for this interesting list.

Andrew said: For people confused about what year a decade begins and ends with remember that there was never a year zero. So the very first decade was 1-10, the first century was 1-100, and so on.

Andrew: yes, I understand all that perfectly well. But remember that there wasn't really a year 1, either. People didn't start using the AD numbering system until five centuries later. So the designation (or lack thereof) of the "year 0" is purely arbitrary. Since the whole thing is arbitrary, why the insistence on the more-confusing alignment of decades? Why not do the natural thing, and align the decades the same way they are named?

A great list of films...and that makes The Hurt Locker your pick for 2009's Best Film of the Year...I knew we'd get that out of you eventually...lol

Here is my stab in the dark...I do believe that this list is the most biased of all...it requires the memories of that first viewing along with the intellectual thought process of multiple ones...

You will notice I like the Coens and Spielberg...but I have personal tastes that seem to enjoy the look of the world films take me to, and these 10 films did that...either through the swamps of the south, the future, the dusty deserts of the West, the 70's, Middle Earth, India, airports, or the Middle East's most spiritual spot (the place where Calvary's cross was propped up)...

1. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
2. A.I. (2001)
3. Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)
4. No Country for Old Men (2007)
5. Almost Famous (2000)
6. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)
7. Darjeeling Limited (2007)
8. Catch Me if You Can (2002)
9. Up in the Air (2009)
10. Passion of the Christ (2004)


Love the list. I found it interesting that many of my favorite filmmakers were on it, but in many cases I would have picked different films by them. I love Richard Linklater, but "Before Sunset" had a much more profound effect on me than "Waking Life." And I liked "Chop Shop" a lot, but I couldn't stop thinking about "Goodbye Solo" after I saw it. And Charlie Kauffman is obviously a genius, but I don't think any of his films will ever top "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" for me (even though he didn't direct it). None of this is to detract from your list; it just illustrates how films affect everyone differently.

A couple choices I was extremely glad to see: "Almost Famous" and "Pan's Labyrinth." "Almost Famous" is pretty much an impossible film not to love, and it's one of the best examples of autobiographical film-making I've ever seen. And I was utterly floored by "Pan's Labyrinth." It's such a beautiful, sad, sad movie. I think Guillermo del Toro is one of the most visionary filmmakers working today.

A couple choices that I disagreed with: "Juno" and "The Hurt Locker." I know how fond you are of both those films - from what i can remember you've written more about them then almost anything else on the list - but I can't help but argue. I do admit, when I saw "Juno" I left the theater with a smile on my face, but I have a hard time qualifying it as a great film. Also (and this is purely personal bias), I've always been somewhat bitter that the Academy showed it so much love and completely ignored "Knocked Up." As for "The Hurt Locker," an intense, meticulously directed film no doubt, but parts of it I felt slightly strained credibility, and as I've brought up in an earlier entry, I had trouble truly connecting to the characters (I only saw it once, though. I do want to give it a second viewing).

Also, this is just a curiosity, but I was surprised not to find any Scorcese films on the list. I personally thought "The Departed " was up their with his greatest.

Also, Happy New Year!

Im a big fan of you roger ebert. i just want to add that my favorite movie of the decade was Avatar!! i look on your website every week and wish to become as smart as you some day!!

I haven't seen all the movies on your list but I do agree with most of your picks. I definitely would have added Oldboy, In The Bedroom, Mulholland Drive,and Audition. I look forward to seeing your 10 best for the next decade.

Hey Roger, here's some wacky math that I think might be more up your alley.

1915, 1939, 1943, 1956, 1967, 1984, 1999, 2009, 2047

Can you tell me your ten favorite movies released within the decade represented by the years above?

Oh Roger , why was my last message not approved ? i remember disagreeing politely with some of the choices but the general message of the post was that it was a good list , with fine choices.

The system is kind of annoying , waiting hours to see if a message will be posted and finding that it wasn't.

Crash, Juno, 25th hours, Adaptation and Almost Famous.
They were all remarkable choices .
But I had a feeling you would choose "Spring,Summer,Fall,Winter ...and Spring" as one of your bests of the decade.

Re: Ameroux

No, Ebert is right, Jason Lee is the lead singer. Remember when he gets left at the rest stop (or wherever) on tour and he yells, "It's okay! I'm easy to forget! Just leave me behind! I'm only the f***ing lead singer!" Because you love the movie so, I can't let you go around falsely correcting things about it.

I'm shocked "You, Me and Everyone You Know" ended up on your list.

Here's mine:

The Pianist
Rattatouille
The Dark Knight
Sideways
Slumdog Millionaire
Up
Superbad
Wall-E
LOTR: Return of the King
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Children Of Men
Notes on a Scandal

Unlike the Highlander, there can not be one. How can anyone pick the single best from ten years of great movies?

If "The Hurt Locker" is no. 2 on your list for the best of the decade, doesn't that imply that it's your favorite movie of 2009? Yet you didn't rank. Please explain.

Thank you for including Pan's Labyrinth. So overlooked in other lists!

why do you say Raging Bull is the best film of the 1980s if it was made in the year 1980? Based on you assumption of the ends of decades it would be a 70s film. Also Almost Famous was in the year 2000 making it, based on your logic, a 90s film.

The 90's ended on December 31st, 1999. The 00's started on January 1st, 2000. The 00s end on December 31st, 2009, today. It's not that difficult. A decade is 10 years beginning in January and ending in December of it's 10th year. 2009 is the 10th year of the 00's. I could be wrong, but I think everyone is correct in calling this the last year of the decade.

Love your list. It is very challenging. I saw the first 20 minutes of Synechdoche NY and thought it was hilarious and twisted. I didn't get to finish the film, but I certainly will now.

I believe that Crash will prove to be an insignificant film as time goes on. I'm still stunned that you were so gaga over that mediocre film.

My favorite on your list is City of God. That film contained one of the greatest of all screen villains. Many images of that film still stay in my head. It deserves to be up there with Godfather and Godfather II.

The Kill Bill Volumes are also dear to me. Like no other movies, the two parts take you through a roller coaster of events. I experienced Tarantino's two films with my mouth agape, thrilled at everything he throws in your face.

I agree that Charleze Theron's performance in Monster is major.
It's an example of one human completely emphathising with another. Totally selfless. She transcended her artform.

And I hate Almost Famous. It may be technically a good film, but I could smell Crowe's bullshitting from a mile away. The film is the embodiment of a euphamism. I don't buy that he was so innocent. And I hate Crowe's patented perfectly imperfect world.

The Hurt Locker was a good film. What I remember most are the cameos. The director used name stars in a very memorable way. But I didn't feel an emotional connection to the film. I watched it with my brother who was in the Army and he said the film was almost perfect. There were only a few minor aspects of the bomb suit and a few other things that he noticed were wrong.

Here are a few of my favorites from the decade:
The Descent
Kill Bill 1&2
City of God
Milk
Spirited Away
Mulholland Dr
Bully
Pan's Labyrinth

For best of home viewing, the re-release of Akira made me realize I had never really seen the film before. It was like a new discovery of a film I had seen on video many times. Also, though it was dumb, the 3-D Journey to the Center of the Earth was cool. Guilty pleasure I guess.

Man oh man, Roger - how do you bear it??? The endless corrections. The cleverness of those who catch you out in a typo?

I think it is really funny in a Charlie Kaufman way that so many of the 100 or so comments here so far are caught up in the ultimately completely pointless and unwinnable debate about when the decade ends. And all in response to a journal entry which dwells on Synecdoche as a reflection of how we try so hard to construct secure lives out of the diaphanous illusion of time.

I loved the film. It's beautiful and haunting and has no real story in the sense that we have been conditioned to expect a film to have a story. In films, we expect a satisfactory tie up of things like the estranged daughter story strand - but in real life, it so rarely happens. Synecdoche seems to me to be an attempt to reflect how we experience our lives rather than the actual story of Cotard's life and anyone who tries to watch it as a such is going to be confused and disappointed. It's also hardly funny at all which I guess is also a disappointment to some of those who laughed their guts out at things like Donald Kaufman's high concept film '3'.

Anyway, I remember thinking, at the beginning where they are having this horrifically normal breakfast - 'What's going on here? Where is my Charlie Kaufman life view? Please don't be boring!!!'

But that suburban everylife begins to unravel and when Hazel asks him out, he says, ‘But I’ve only been separated two weeks!’ (or something similar). She corrects him – it’s actually been a year – and I begin to get a glimpse of the structure of my own life and the way that time and space contracts and expands around me in rhythms that I can’t identify because I am too busy living to quantify them. But Charlie Kaufman is obviously both living his life and quantifying its rhythms as well.

By the end of the film, where his higher self, the wiser more compassionate part of him (played by Dianne Wiest -inspired casting) takes over because he is simply too tired to direct the show anymore, I hear my own mind’s echo. When I am too tired or frightened or overwhelmed by the s*** that comes our way with age, my own mind,(a smarter me, one who has seen it all before and knows that no-one gets out of here alive anyway - why struggle so?) speaks soothing encouraging words to me. Beneath the clattering thoughts of terror - What if I die? What if my children die? What if my mother dies? What if I lose my house? What if I never write my masterpiece? What if I’ve already written it but nobody else cares? – what is it that enables me to smile at the people I meet every day and convince them that I’m doing okay? It’s the voice of my own Dianne Wiest (Wisest) saying quietly, ‘That’s okay. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Now breathe. You’re doing fine. You’re tired. We all get tired. Lean on me.’ And now, I am convinced that one day she will say to me, very matter of factly, ‘Now, die’ and it will be the most natural thing in the world.

Phew! Long winded! But this film is so special in its recreation of the way that at least some of us experience life that I am still knocked out by it and I am glad to see others who were similarly affected by it. My friend got me a copy for Christmas and in honour of this column, I am going to watch it again today right after I go see Avatar in 3D.

Happy New Year, Roger and friends! One of the nicest things about this year and Twitter is being led to this blog. I love it.

Ebert: You know, I was sort of thinking those things myself. I like your mind. Every once in a while we get caught up on something; you should have been here when we had the debate about whether I was a liar because I said I had always worked for a paycheck.

The poster proved I was a liar because I have published books, and that isn't for a paycheck. I said, au contraire, they pay me. He said, yes, but that's not a pay check. I said when you work and they pay you, then that's a paycheck. He said...zzzzz...

And I can't believe I didn't mention Hazel's ever burning house. What does that mean to you other fans?

IT has so many resonances for me - passion burning away in the background? The home fires burning? Choosing to live dangerously?

Most of all though, it reminds me of the old story of the guy who was rescued from his burning bed. When a fireman asked how the fire started, he said, "I don't know - it was already on fire when I lay down in it."

I'm curious as to why you left out Pan's Labyrinth from your top ten of the decade, but you included it in your great movies collection. I was also a little taken back by the lack of an animated film in the top ten or jury selection. It feels like this is a golden age of animation, with the ever extraordinary Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle) and the reincarnation of Disney's Nine Old Men in Pixar Studios (Up, Wall*E, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc.).

I'm throwing in "The Station Agent," "Love Actually" and "Before Sunset."

I thought Synedoche was about a person trying to leave his legacy without genes- compensating through art. I value your sober thoughts.

My top 14

14 - Atonement
13 - Juno
12 - Ocean's Eleven
11 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
10 - Million Dollar Baby
9 - The Prestige
8 - Road Trip
7 - Love, Actually
6 - Shrek
5 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4 - Lost in Translation
3 - 40 Year Old Virgin
2 - Slumdog Millionaire
1 - Donnie Darko

I gave special consideration to movies which surprised me the first time I saw them and movies that are rewatchable. These are the movies that I keep watching.

I was surprised you didn't go the usual critic route. That is a very original and personal list. Here's mine. Sorry there all American. I would love to share you my list that I made out of pure movie geekdom.

11. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (and only Vol. 2)(2004)
10. Requiem for Dream (2000)
9. Into the Wild (2007)
8. Best in Show (it does not get old)(2000)
7. The Fountain (2006)
6. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
4. War of the Worlds (2005)
3. Zodiac (2007)
2. A Serious Man (2009)

and I believe my number 1 pick is nowhere to be found on anyone's list. But who says a documentary can't be on there.

1. Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures

spring,summer,fall,winter...and spring is list of great films
but no best films of the decade?

A lot of films are getting better in hind sight. I passed on 25th Hour but after you and AO Scott both expressing great admiration for it I have to look back at it. I think my vote for best goes to Fincher's Zodiac or The Lives of Others

"Life loses its dynamism from the moment we lose the passion with which to live it. No matter what our age, we cannot afford to let the flame within our heart grow dim. We do not become unhappy because we grow old. We become unhappy only when we grow ever more unwilling to change as we age."..Dr.Daisaku Ikeda


great list I havn't seen all of these movies but all of them and top notch. I thank that you putting no country for old men I'm 16 and its by far one of my favorite movies(the shawshank redemption is my favorite though) the dialogue in the movie is superb my only complaint is that you didn't put in christopher nolans memento, I believe that is one of the most ingenious movies of the decade specifically by the way its done.

Bad list this decade, Roger.
Here's mine:
(1) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
(2) Inglourious Basterds
(3) Open Range
(4) Inland Empire
(5) No Country for Old Men
(6) Cloverfield
(7) Flags of Our Fathers
(8) Dodgeball, a True Underdog Story
(9) United 93
(10) Fog of War

Notice that I picked a comedy in my top ten (Dodgeball, a good belly laugh is as important as insights into the human condition). As well as a Hollywood blockbuster (Cloverfield, the best monster movie since Alien). Your list contains too many grimly serious films, and Adaptation and 25th hour were films that only critics really got that excited about. Juno was good, but I'd never consider one of the best of the decade. Despite my love for Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill stank to high heaven. For all of your praise about Synedoche, it looks like a really dull movie.

I was also struck by the number of films on your list I had never heard of.

Anyhow, I hope this post has been educational for you, and I'll be looking forward to a better list in ten years.

For me, the finest film I've seen in the last ten years is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. This is another one that rewards repeated viewings. As lovely as Days of Heaven, and featuring what may well be Brad Pitt's finest hour. For the life of me, I can't understand why this film isn't more well-loved.

Ebert: Hey, everybody, here's an idea:

Let's stop talking about decades.

So far there have been at least 40 posts about decades but only 17 of you lazy bums have bothered to click on the DIGG THIS button and help your old dad here get a few measly hits on the last day of the season.

Stop bitchin' and start diggin'

Just wondering about where "Great Movies" like Werckmeister Harmonies (and a few other films that are on the Great list) ranked. Does the Great Movies list need to updated (I didn't see Synechdoche) or are many of these picks purely personal faves that you wouldn't call greats? And are you going to attempt a list of objectively greatest films of the decade. Is that even possible?

Anyway, my top nine:
9. Mulholland Drive
8. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
7. No Country for Old Men
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
5. Almost Famous
4. Amores Perros
3. Memento
2. Requiem for a Dream
1. City of God

Ebert: I'm gobsmacked by how many people have mentioned "Werckmeister Harmonies," since Tarr is not widely known.

So glad to see "Me and You and Everyone We Know" on the list. Saw it at Ebertfest with the delightful star/director Miranda July in the house. Few films are as charming, quirky, funny and well-crafted. I hope your list sends people out to find this polished gem with one of the best payoffs to a joke ever. My sides hurt just recalling how hard I laughed with the other 1499 people who shared the 'Me and You' experience in the Beautiful Virginia Theater.

I believe that same Ebertfest included two earlier offerings from Guy Maddin. One of those, Saddest Music in the World, was a film I really could not bear;however, I think I finally 'got' Maddin after seeing "My Winnipeg" at 2009 Ebertfest. "My Winnipeg" is not to be missed--it's hard to describe, but impossible to forget. Guy Maddin is probably a genius...a mad Canadian genius!



I often read other people's writing or watch an evocative film and feel that I am witnessing some fundamental truth about myself or humanity or art being mirrored -- a precise, maddening reflection.

I felt such a sensation watching Synecdoche, NY, Waking Life, and Me and You and Everyone We Know. And, as is the nature of the ever-expanding sphere of existence (some call it the circle of life), I feel the same connection reading your Decade's Best List.

For unequivocal proof of this peculiar synchronicity, I created a Sporcle quiz about two weeks ago of my own Great Films of the Decade (guessable by means of three word quotes). Mr. Ebert, I humbly implore you to take my quiz and leave some honest feedback in the comments section. Thus far, the reception for my arbitrary contribution has been dismal:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/baronac/10_films

I'm a little surprised at some of your choices, but one of my biggest suspicions as been confirmed. While many people didn't see "Monster" in it's theatrical release, and still more don't remember it, I recall your exuberant praise of the film at the time, and suspected then that you would eventually list it among the decades best. I worked at a now closed theatre on Oak street while the movie was out, seeing the film once straight through and a few more times through snippets. I don't know if it was the repetition, or what, but the film just didn't hold up for me after a while. There are plenty of admirable qualities in it - Theron and Ricci's performances first and foremost, but the film as a whole left me a little cold.

What surprised me most about your list were some exclusions. I thought "Lost in Translation" (a film I've also seen in snippets and in whole) and "Million Dollar Baby" would be included, but it appears that they are MIA.

Perhaps you can answer a question that I've had about how these lists are compiled. Since were are dealing with an entire decade, do you take any time to look over these films once more before putting them on a list like this? Are you going more from your initial response and experience with each film? Do you have any ideas about how other critics do this?

I have "Silent Light" at home right now from netflix, so maybe I'll make it my first movie of 2010. My final movie of 2009 will be Anatole Litvak's "Mayerling".


Where do I click on this "DIGG THIS" button?

Ebert: Right at the bottom of the entry, thanks.

What about BABEL !? It made it to your Great Movies list but not a best of the decade????

Pretty good list.

I am happy to see that Guy Maddin gets some love, and I can understand Synecdoche being number 1 (even if it didn't work for me as much as it seemed to for some others). "The Son" and "Chop Shop" are nice and entirely deserving surprises as well (I haven't seen them on any other lists).

Anyways, here's my list:

1. The Heart of the World
2. Y Tu Mama Tambien
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Kill Bill
5. Hable con Ella
6. Before Sunset
7. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Brokeback Mountain was just as good.)
8. The Gleaners and I
9. Dancer in the Dark
10. Cache (It's hard to pick a favorite Haneke in the aughts. I think this just slightly edges out The Piano Teacher and The White Ribbon, but all were great).


I think the Lord of the Rings Trilogy also needs a mention. It was this decade's Star Wars, and I think it was every bit as innovative. In terms of sheer spectacle, the only thing to top the attack on Helms' Deep in "The Two Towers" in the past 8 years was the Mumakill attack in "Return of the King."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I feel like i should have cherished those last couple seconds more. Oh, well.

Children of Men.

ps. I DUG it!

Hello Mr. Ebert,

I would first like to salute you for delivering on yet another thought provoking list. I know some "critic critics" will tear into you for a few of those titles.

Now, I humbly produce my own list of seven based purely on my own opinion and viewing experience. Listed in alphabetical order:

Lord of the Rings (The Entire Trilogy): The Screen Epic of my generation. Forty years from now, it will sit on my shelf next to "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones". I know my grandchildren will enjoy it. Enough said.

Lost In Translation: Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansen have a quiet chemistry that is heartwarming. Here is a romantic comedy based not on sex but on intellect and common needs. When you are a stranger in a strange land, you need comfort. After the two have fallen in love, they poignantly realize it cannot last. What a film.

Monsters, Inc.: I know I am in the minority on this, but this is my favorite of all Pixar's films. It is a sweet story of unexpected friendship, and an underplayed condemnation of those who would use any method to maintain power. Take that Mr. Waternoose.

One Hour Photo: The most terrifying film I have ever seen about a life lived vicariously. Sy (Robin Williams) chooses to spend his solitary existence voyueristcally by catalouging an unsuspecting family's photographs. He deludes himself into thinking they love him. Eventually his lonliness and fantasies turn him into a monster. We live in a world where we are afraid of direct relationships and choose to live through technology. This film shows us the consequences of that lifestyle.

Pan's Labyrinth: Depicts with staggering beauty a child's only defence against cruel, implaccable evil--their imagination. Del Toro explores extraordinary worlds through Ofilia's dreams. Alas Ofilia's fantasies offer shelter, but not safety against a horrifying world.

Spirited Away: The most visually daring film of the decade. It is a dense and layered feast for the senses, thus rewarding repeat viewings. But what really draws me to this Miyazaki masterpiece is his embracing the theme of redemption. Here is one of the few childrens films that demonstrates people can change for the better. That is a message is heard to rarely in this world.

Zodiac: David Fincher draws you into a film that has as many themes as any great film. But I hold it in high esteem for two chief reasons. One, it is the only "Serial Killer Movie" that does not focus on the serial killer. It instead delves into deep character studies of three very different men pursuing the Zodiac Killer for very different reasons. All three destroy themselves in the process. The second reason is the film's harrowing social statement. While the Zodiac held his reign of terror, the public was infatuated with him. Yet, they remained apathetic about the heroic struggles of the ment who tried to bring him down. In other words, Americans value their killers more than their protectors. Now there is a revalation that will keep you up at night.

Once again, thank you Mr. Ebert for the great writing. Keep it up!


Surprised not to see Slumdog on the list. Thought that was a phenomenal movie.

Have seen all 3 of Ramin's films and have to say that I was underwhelmed with Chop Shop. I do think though that the main character's (Ale) performance was fantastic (as an aside, how come young actresses get nominated for Academy's, but not young actors).

I agree with others on including Brokeback Mountain. That movie was phenomenal on so many levels....acting (first-rate), cinematography, music score, character development, and main theme (the detriment of hiding our essential selves to be something that we are authentically not).

you say:
Let's stop talking about decades.
So far there have been at least 40 posts about decades but only 17 of you lazy bums have bothered to click on the DIGG THIS button and help your old dad here get a few measly hits on the last day of the season.

but... is it really the last day of the season? how do you define "season" because I count 81 more days to this one.

kidding... and yes, I did dig you.

No "Brokeback Mountain"? "Babel"?

Yes, yes, yes!!!! "Synecdoche, New York" is absolutely the best movie of the decade. I'm so happy you agree. And I'm so thrilled to see "Me, You, and Everyone We Know", and the Kill Bills, and 25th Hour, and of course your beloved Juno. And How many people have been lucky enough to see the amazing "Silent Light"??

Sometimes you are so right, I'm not even going to complain about Crash.

Here's my list, counting only movies that I actually saw in the theatre.

1) Yi Yi
2) Synecdoche, New York
3) Pan's Labyrinth
4) A Very Long Engagement
5) Kill Bill 1 & 2
6) Lost in Translation
7) No Country For Old Men
8) The Barbarian Invasions
9) Juno
10) Me, You, and Everyone We Know
10) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10) Sideways

Since I was 12 years old, I've looked forward to your ten best lists and once again, I am not disappointed. The best of the decades have been my favorite. I'm now 29, and you and Gene Siskel have helped lead me to graduate film school and helped me separate the good from the mediocre. While films like Hoop Dreams have inspired me to chase my own dreams and films like Dinner With Andre have made me question your sanity, I guess the bottom line is the great films challenge you, create debate and leave you with the impression that film is the greatest art form for this era. The first time I watched Synecdoche, New York, I was under the weather and I needed to break the film up into two parts. That might be the best possible way to watch the film for the first time, because it allows you to digest the first part and break the film into the two sections it is actually in: reality and fantasy. For film school, I have analyzed the film in papers and diary entries and I think it might be one of the finest films about the inner workings of an artist. An 8 1/2 for an era that is over wrought with cynicism and despair. I was delighted to see it as your number one film for the decade. I personally had Almost Famous as my #1 and I can't ignore City of God being a possible #1 candidate. All in all, a fine decade for movies. I wrote a while back to ask you if you had a favorite year for films in the past decade and if you could go back to the past decades and pick a best year for each decade? Curious if you ever gave any thought to it? I hope to hear back from you.

Mr. Ebert,

For my website (amovieaweek.com) I recently published my top 50 of the decade. I knew what my top ten films would be, but the order was based strictly on elevation. I believe that Synecdhoche, NY is certainly the most thought provoking film of the decade, one of the true masterpieces of the cinema, yet while it was in my top ten (no.10) it was not at the very top. The film is too frustrating at times, and is often very depressing. This is not to say it is not an important, wonderful and amazing picture- I did not just have as powerful of a reaction to it than to the other films. It was the first movie I ever wrote a review for on the internet, though, so I suppose that is saying something.

Everyone else is putting lists up.

My top 10 were
10. Synecdoche, New York
9. Pan's Labyrinth
8. Almost Famous
7. Adaptation
6. Wall-E (and all those other Pixar movies.. cop out. )
5. Where the Wild Things Are
4. The Dark Knight
3. No Country for Old Men
2. City of God
1. The Lord of the Rings

It is my wish that Synecdoche, NY is more appreciated as the years go on. What a widely misunderstood film!

SH

Well Roger,

As always, it's a mixed bag in that you sell me on a list I don't really want to buy (but you're such a good salesman, nonetheless). Even then, I don't understand the tremendous love for Juno. Maybe I had to be there to discover it.

That said, I thought my year-end list would be more highbrow than it turned out being. I guess there is something to be said for going straight from the gut. I intend to take the quote you provide above for future use. I will probably need it, as I realize from looking over this list that I come off as more than a bit of a fanboy.

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Wall-E
4. Where the Wild Things Are
5. Serenity
6. Shaun of the Dead
7. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
8. Unbreakable
9. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
10. Hot Fuzz
11. Up
12. Let the Right One In
13. Kill Bill Volumes I and II
14. Finding Nemo
15. The Dark Knight
16. Zodiac
17. Drag Me to Hell
18. United 93
19. Synecdoche, New York
20. Spider-Man

For all the people who feel strongly about the incorrectness of Roger's list, may I humbly suggest that you please elaborate you feel so instead of making arbitrary or simplistic comments (and do so in an intelligible but not condescending manner).

Perhaps post a blog entry of your own to make your arguments. Post your own lists and let other people decide. Do we all have to start the new year so grumpily?


Roger, I've written in a few times before and have been watching you since I was a kid and now read your reviews as an adult. Your list perplexes a little. I need to offer my own counterpoint, if you will, because these movie moved me and challenged me like no others.
1.Pan's Labyrinth
2.The Proposition
3.Children of Men
4.Kontroll(the Hungarian film)
5.City of God
6.The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
7.Watchmen
8.Che(Benicio del Toro)
9.The Fall
10.Zodiac

We agreed with some...I just felt the need to mention some others that I, as a viewer, felt were nothing short of masterpieces. And I still believe the closest vision to Cormac McCarthy's work is not the adaptations of his books but the sublime and blood epic THE PROPOSITION.

Happy New Year, Erik

Dugg! Now I hope you're prepared for the deluge of Digg rants. :D

Over in the followup poll, I think you're asking the wrong question. Any ten-year period can be a decade; I'm currently midway through my fourth. The first decade of the 20th Century ends in about a year, but the decade of the Noughts/Aughts/00s has just ended. In popular culture, we usually use the latter, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

My list is better than yours. This totally sucks

After reading way too many lists I've come to the conclusion that Ingmar Bergman's Saraband and Woody Allen's Match Point are the most neglected films of the decade.

I'd also toss in Sofia Coppola's subjective period study Marie Antoinette as the decade's most misunderstood.

Happy New Decade

I was just wondering, what's keeping
Synecdoche, New York off your
Greatest Movies list?

Or Juno for that matter?

Ebert: Hey, everybody, here's an idea: Let's stop talking about decades.

But...but...but... I'm RIGHT, dammit!

Just remember that the modern world, with all its convenient technology (including movies), is built by dorks like us, who obsess about such inane minutiae.

A part of me thinks I'm being a Caden for caring about the alignment of decades. Another part of me thinks I'm being an anti-Caden -- the guy was crushed under the brilliant depth and complexity of his thoughts. I like to think that, as a dork, I'm much happier than Charlie/Caden, or, for that matter, Guy Maddin. I'm really not any more infuriating that those guys, either, although I will concede that there wouldn't be too much point to making a movie out of my interior mental landscape.

I was delighted and surprised to see Chop Shop on this list. This film just felt so personal and so real I could not stop thinking about it. Every time I see anything about the Mets (hello Jason Bay) I think of Ale. I am sure Bahrani has more great films on the way, but this is just a masterful work.

It's a nice list and does something every list should do: give me some movies that I haven't seen yet.

I'd personally put Inglorious Basterds higher than the Kill Bill movies. They're Tarantino at his best.

But here's my top in alphabetic order:

4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile(4 months, 3 weeks, 2days)
Almost Famous
Atonement
Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring)
Brokeback Mountain
Casino Royale
Cidade de Deus (City of God)
De helaasheid der dingen (The Shittiness of Things)
Donnie Darko
l'Enfant (the Child)
Elephant
Juno
The Last King of Scotland
Lat Den Ratte Komma in (Let the Right One in)
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amelie from Montmartre)
Lost in Translation
Mean Creek
Memento
No Country for Old Men
Oldboy
Pich Black
Requiem for a Dream
Shrek
Sin City
The Dark Knight
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Mr. Ebert...as always great taste in films and a very wise list.

But I'm sad not to see Ingmar Bergman's "Saraband", one of the best films of the decade by a master filmmaker. Haunting piece of cinema shot in digital and Bergman achieves what Godard, Von Trier and Lynch did not achieve with their experiments(I do admire the films, though)...a film with aesthetic and creative value without abusing the ease of shooting in digital.

Bergman has a style that I think no one will ever be able to pull off.

Just wanted to share this, because I think SARABAND is a film that deserves to be remembered.

Happy New Year! MR. Ebert.

Hmph.. got the ol' rice cooker goin', changed outta da ol' work clothes, and whats we got goin on here? Apparently a mister Roger Ebert can't count, and he's gots bad taste in movies because he left his memento in Tarsem's batmobile an' a little robot cleaned her right up and handed it to a pregnant girl that not everyone is fond of.
Sigh...
I realized, after reading your list, that close to half my life lies between the decade of 1999-2010. Hence, I'm way to young to be agreeing that 'Synecdoche, New York' is a beautiful dissertation on how we manage to exist day to day. I'm much to naive to think that Miranda July's film was anything but "pooping back and forth forever." No sir, I am resolute at this moment -profoundly aware of where my mental status should lie- and I'll be damned if I didn't tell you that I think 'Transformers 2' was the crowning moment for cinema not just for this decade, but of film history. Wait, I mean 'Avatar' or no, umm... bluh.
I'm going to go watch 'Wild Strawberries' because that's what a 25 year old would normally do on New Years to rejuvenate his young impressionable mind. Happy rotation around the sun at a fixed speed denoted by gravitational pull and random words, a cooler temperature and the occasional glitter spit up... Oh yeah '2012' that's what I meant. Really, greatest ever.

Happy New Year!!

Now fifteen or forty of 125 years?

Not a single David Gordon Green film?

Peculiar.

What a pleasure to see your top 10 (and 10) list, Roger, after enduring the shock, dismay and disappointment of so many others. So many noisy but empty movies cluttered their lists: Wall-E, The Dark Knight, Million Dollar Baby... But how nice to see some that I had nearly forgotten such as Pan's Labyrinth and Me And You And Everyone We Know.

And to see two Charlie Kaufman movies - bravo! But I'd have a hard time choosing between Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine. Still, I think you displaced a few better movies with some that are merely mediocre. By the end of Hurt Locker, I couldn't believe that I was bored - all that excitement and tension had fizzled. Minority Report is nothing but Science Fiction for amateurs - the story does not bear close scrutiny, the action was overblown, and they should ban that horrible blue tint they put on almost all movies set in the future. Kill Bill was artistically incoherent and too misogynistic for my tastes. Children of Men will be remembered years from now for its incredible production design and well-told story. Not since Blade Runner has there been a more realistic and yet imaginative view of a devastated future.

In place of those you should have included movies like Where the Wild Things Are. It was true cinematic art in every respect. Sideways may not stand up to the ages, but it should have certainly held its own for the decade.

out:
Hurt Locker
Minority Report
Kill Bill

in:
Where the Wild Things Are
Sideways
Children of Men

Happy New Year!

Great list Roger. I noticed that none of Scorsese's films are on this list. But I would think my number one film of the decade would be P.T. Anderson's There Will Be Blood. For some reason that story seemed like a metaphor for how we were during that decade. I can't out it into words. Gangs of New York would be Second, followed by Kill Bill 1 and 2.

Hello Roger,

I felt that Synecdoche is the best film of the decade too. I knew it was when, after I had seen it once, I stayed in the theater thinking for a half hour until it played again. I've spent months in Schenectady, thinking about the layers of the film, about how it relates to my own life. Having now seen 25th Hour and Waking Life again and being suprised you didn't rate them higher on your lists of their respective years, I am overjoyed that you've added them to this list. I love every single one of the films on the list, and I'm especially glad that you added My Winnipeg and Adaptation, two films I feel most people didn't quite get. Anyway, one helluva list, and I'll be excited to follow you closely this next decade, as we both get elevated by the Great Movies that come out.

Sincerely,
Jackson

I think Michael Haneke's 'Cache' was the top film, closely followed by Kar Wai Wong's 'In the Mood for Love' and 'Mulholland Drive'

http://pleasurett.blogspot.com/2010/01/decade-of-great-films.html

By Gerald on December 31, 2009 4:35 PM
RE: A. O. Scott just picked WALL-E for the decade.

Thanks so much for NOT putting WALL-E, or for that matter, Avatar, on this list. In their own ways each of the films was fascinating and tremendous film-making. But I found the underlying hypocracy of both films too much to take.

gerald, please elaborate on the hypocracy.
_____________________________

also, about the DIGG thing. someone please educate me. i've seen the button, i realize it's something positive, i've tossed caution to the wind and clicked, but i have no clue what it's all about. i consider myself rather smart, so i'm sure i'm not the only one in the digg dark.

Ebert: Digg, Reedit and Fark are sites where people propose interesting sites and visitors vote them higher or lower in categories. If you shop the top you're likely to find something interesting. Stumbleupon is more scattershot but can turn up unexpected finds. It claims to learn from your tastes.

Juno was so poorly written I was cringing the whole time. I can't believe everyone bought into this thing. Let's all forget it actually happened, okay? Adventureland was more sincere/relevant in all respects even if was about the late 80's.

Oh and There Will Be Blood was the best movie.

I can discern flashes of brilliance in "Synecdoche, New York", but I remain perplexed by it. Kaufman is just way ahead of me. Maybe after more viewings over the years, I'll recognize the film's true value.

Based on the posts, I felt compelled to chime in:

1. City of God
2. Kill Bill, Vols. 1 and 2
3. Y Tu Mama Tambien
4. Adaptation
5. Waking Life
6. No Country for Old Men
7. L'auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)
8. The Dreamers
9. Mystic River
10. The Dark Knight

My last few attempts to comment on your blog seem to have failed. I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything offensive. I'm not prepared to rewrite everything I wrote earlier, so I'll just say that you confirmed some of my long-held suspicions about what would be on this list, and then surprised me with a few choices too, which in and of itself is not surprising.

Thanks for the list Roger

Long time reader. There are a few selections I would include, such as: The Hurt Locker, Almost Famous, City of God and No Country for Old Men. I don't quite get the affection for Juno, though.

I tend to view memorable films from directors. So here is my list of directors who had the most impact this decade.

Steven Soderbergh: Traffic, Erin Brochovich Oceans 11, Che Part 1 and Part 2, The Good German, Solaris, The Girlfriend Experience and The Informant.

Christopher Nolan: Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige and The Dark Knight.

Alfonso Cauron: y tu mama tambien and Children of Men

Pedro Almodovar: Talk to Her, Bad Education, Volver and Broken Embraces.

Wes Anderson: The Royal Tannenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Clint Eastwood: Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Changeling, Gran Tarino and Invictus.

Ang Lee: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain and Lust,Caution.

The Coen brothers: O brother where art thou, The Man Who wasn't there, No Country for old Men, Burn after Reading and A Serious Man

Most of the decade was hit or miss for Spielberg. He did mange to direct two great films: Minority Report and Munich.

Two other great films from directors that didn't work that much this decade: Muholland Dr, David Lynch and There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson.

Least I forget about the talent we lost this decade, one of the hardest working men in show business, someone who I coincidentally share a birthday with: RIP Robert Altman.

I'm reading some of these lists and they are bringing back memories of such wonderful films! And It occurs to me that with the films I'm thinking of there are always scenes of such beauty, or humor, or...well, name the emotion or adjective.

I think and interesting list would be a list of individual scenes that had the greatest emotional impact on you. There have been some lovlies that I can think of.

Just a couple to think on from me (anyone else out there, please add your own, would love to read and remember).

--the cease fire in Children of Men.

--Snow falling around James (Toby Macguire) as he stands outside the welcoming party with the pistol in Wonder Boys

--The entire first 20 minutes of Wall-E (yeah, I'm cheating my own list)

--Hurdy Gurdy man playing over the opening of Zodiac

--Kill Bill when Uma Thurman is locked in the coffin

--Pan's Labyrinth. The pale man's dinner table (the paintings disturb me more than anything I've seen)

--Pan's Labyrinth. The root dying under mom's bed

There are so many more I'm leaving out I'm sure.

So would you then consider Philip Seymour Hoffman the best actor of the decade?

I would have liked to see you defend minorioty report since some people in these end-of-decade retrospectives have omitted spielberg from most lists (except potentially Munich) and i don't remember Minority Report being well-received by critics.

I love Almost Famous and 25th hour and i'm glad you singled out the film not just for it's ambigous 9/11 connection like the AV Club list but because it is a good movie. You realize he didn't get that much love back then for making the film.

I just find it humorous that you didn't see through Juno's attempts to be hip. I think of the dramedys that have been nominated for Oscar (LiT, Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine) the other 3 hold up far better.

I never heard of Chop Shop or the Son and I regularly read your column and other film blogs, it just makes me feel dumb to see some film i've never heard of, anyone else relate?

I am *very* intrigued to see "Synecdoche, New York" based on your description of it in this article.

But what immediately glared out at me, in a good way, with this decade-best list is that films by Kathryn Bigelow, Patty Jenkins and Miranda July occupy three of the top five spots. All women, obviously.

I oughta check each one of those movies out when I get the chance (I know I can get "Monster" easily from a pawn shop). But, I would ask, Roger, if you have any more thoughts on movies being directed by women occupying three of the top spaces in your heart for movies from 2000-09?

And I know now that I have to see "The 25th Hour," because I name Brian Cox as my favorite actor working today.

I second this. Where are you Memento???

Why couldn't you see the genius in Anderson's There Will be Blood? You gave it three and a half stars and then proceeded to call No Country for Old Men a perfect film in the closing paragraph of the review. This is an insult in my opinion, Then you wrote that it lacks "any reflection of ordinary society" when the film was specifically about Daniel Plainview's own life, which also explains the lack of female characters. They weren't imperfections at all, but instead built towards the theme of the film.


Here's my list:

American Splendor
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Bubble
Che
Dogville
Encounters at the End of the World
The New World
The Son
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
You, The Living

I don't think it would be incorrect to dub Phillip Seymour Hoffman the American actor of the decade (if not the actor-of-the-second-half-of-the-decade). Nor would I be offbase to dub Soderbergh our director.

Thanks Mr. Ebert.

What about Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby and Martin Scorsese The Departed

OMG! Where's Freddy got Fingered?
lol jk

Mr. Tom (Mr. Tact) says: "...You are 67. The average life span in the United States for males is 75, according to Wikipedia..."

Big problem with that: it assumes your are a newborn.

Take heart, Roger. By virtue of having made it to 67, you have earned at least an other 16 years or so, on average. Way more since you don't smoke, no longer eat at the Billy Goat, are happily married, etc, etc.

And if you don't believe me, just go here:

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/NOTES/as120/LifeTables_Body.html

and do the math. I feel another list coming at the end of 2019.

Ebert: Take that, Mr. Tact!

I've often said that the most courageous thing you can do is to watch [i]Synecdoche, New York[/i] for the second time. And the easiest thing you can do is to watch it subsequent times.

As long as we're all comparing lists...

1. About Schmidt
2. Amelie
3. Before Sunset (I'm happy to see this on so many people's lists)
4. The Dreamers
5. Eternal Sunshine
6. Ghost World
7. Mulholland Dr.
8. Royal Tenenbaums
9. Revenge of the Sith
10. Watchmen (I'm surprised I haven't noticed it on any top 10 lists for the year)

Just docs:
1. 49 Up
2. Capturing the Friedmans
3. The Cove
4. Darwin's Nightmare
5. Enron
6. Fog of War
7. Man on Wire
8. Off the charts: The Song-Poem Story
9. Touching the Void
10. True Meaning of Pictures

...and I can't help it, I'm adding The King of Kong

If I made my list based solely on emotional response, Open Water would top the list. I think I hyperventilated start to finish... I was dizzy and light-headed for an hour afterward.

If anyone has a spare 5 minutes, watch the beginning of Off the Charts and see if you can stop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOqn-I5u1MY

Quote..Mr.Joe;I hate to be the one to say it, but have you considered that this may be the last "best of the decade" list you will get a chance to make?

oh....my....God.

Mr. Joe must be a hoot at parties.

"I hate to be the one to say it to you, but your kids are ugly and this dip tastes like shit."

Hey Roger,

I'm an 18 year old high school senior who has been reading your reviews for the past five years or so. My dream was and still is to become an actor or at least some kind of writer or director in the theatre or film industry. However, my secret dream is to be a film critic as well. I just wanted to thank you for all of the years of your reviews which have led me to seeing films my family would never have seen. Many of my weekends consist of driving to the Highland Park Landmark Renaissance Cinema to see the films that don't make it to the national releases. I have enjoyed so many films over the past decade (although films like Shawshank and Fargo from the 90s remain my favorite overall) and I just felt like sharing my top ten list. Here's my thank you:

10. Almost Famous
9. The Dark Knight
8. Owning Mahowny
7. Brokeback Mountain
6. Synecdoche, New York
5. Memento
4. Inglourious Basterds
3. Flags of Our Fathers/Letters From Iwo Jima
2. Good Night, and Good Luck
1. There Will Be Blood


Keep in mind there are still many MANY films I have yet to see from this decade and before and that I am still young to consider these the best films. I know my perspective in life will change as I grow older and it will cause this list and many others to change as well. Thank you for helping me find the starting point.

-Richie Starzec

Sorry, one additional note.

*Special Jury Prize: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

I think what I like most about Me And You and Everybody We Know is the fact that I can't really remember a thing about what happened in it, but I can remember how it made me FEEL with startling clarity. Have you read Miranda July's short story collection? It's quite lovely too.

Children of Men
Adaptation
High Fidelity
There Will Be Blood
Kill Bill Vol. 2

00s and OOs
Osama and Once
Thank you for a wonderful list. There are some films here I have yet to discover and I am looking forward to that. Two of my favorites didn't make your list. For the 00s I had two films that began with O that weren't on your list: Osama and Once.
They were my favorites because they lifted me to an "elevated" state. Both were made on low budgets, in difficult circumstances with non-actors. Those circumstances helped produce works of extraordinary beauty with important messages. I was stunned by both for very different resons.

It is important to learn about the ugly truths of life and Osama did that for me. It should (along with The Magdalene Sisters) be on every femininist course. On the other hand, most films focus on what shocks us and we can lose faith in humanity but Once restores that for me. You gave it a Jury prize that you said was like joint 1st. I liked that.
Thank you for your wonderful observations and best wishes for 2010.

The first decade of the twenty first century ends this year (2010). It's obvious. The first decade was between 1-10 A.D. not between 0-9 A.D. (because there was no "0" year). So the second decade was between 11-20, ninty fifth decade between 941-950 A.D. and two hundred first decade between 2001-2010 A.D.
The list is very disappointing. Do you really thing, Roger, that MONSTER and JUNO are the third and the fourth best films of the last ten years? Better than all films of Pedro Almodovar, Francois Ozon, Michael Haneke, Lars von Trier, Wong Kar-Wai or Ang Lee (to name just a few names)? Yeah, I've read your explanation that you decided "to bypass films that may have qualified for their historical, artistic, popular or "objective" importance" but it means only that these movies haven't been good enough for you to call them "the best".
And to call CRASH "better picture" than BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN one more time is trully shocking (it's like saying to all people still disappointed because of its loss in 2006 at the Academy Awards that they are suckers - you don't have to repeat it every time you have possibility to do it).

Dear Roger,

Thank you so much for championing Synecdoche, NY. With all due respect to your #2 choice, Synecdoche, NY is the only film that I've felt comfortable calling a "masterpiece" that I've seen in the last two years. And since everyone's posting their 10 Best List of the decade, here's mine:

1. No Country For Old Men (2007)
2. In the Bedroom (2001)
3. Synecdoche, NY (2008)
4. Syriana (2005)
5. Zodiac (2007)
6. Black Hawk Down (2001)
7. Gangs of New York (2002)
8. Spider (2002)
9. Mystic River (2003)
10. Gosford Park (2001)

Just watched Synecdoche, New York, thanks to reading your list.

I'm speechless, and kind of a wreck. I'm glad my family are all out of the house at the moment.

Thanks for the tip, & a Happy New Year to you, Roger. I've seen you many times in Boulder and your experience of your life, how you express it, and how you let us see you in your reviews and commentary has meant a lot to me.

Dear Roger,
How glad was I to find on your top 10 of the decade the utterly superb 'Le fils' by the Dardennes which IMO is a clear winner of this decade and probably one of the 10 to 20 best ever. I disagreed with some others which i did not really get (Monster, Almost Famous) but the simple fact that I scrolled down hoping to find 'The Son' and finding it is enough for me to excuse any disagreements I might have with you.
Heres my quick best of each decade list:
2000-2010 - The Son (2002)
1990-2000 - Crash (1996)
1980-1990 - Raging Bull (1980)
1970-1980 - Stalker (1979)
1960-1970 - Au hasard Balthazar, Persona (1966) tied
1950-1960 - Los Olvidados, Rashomon (1950) tied
1940-1950 - Double Indemnity (1944)
1930-1940 - M (1931)
1920-1930 - Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
I wonder what your opinion is on that quick list which always ommits more than wished.
Take care,
Aliocha

Happy New Year, Roger. I find myself drawn to spiritual films, primarily, and I was wondering if you've ever considered posting a Top 10 list of those films? I'm curious about what you'd include. Here are my Top 10 Spiritual Films, in no particular order.
1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. Groundhog Day
3. Jesus of Montreal
4. Star Wars
5. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…And Spring
6. Wings of Desire
7. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
8. Forrest Gump
9. Peaceful Warrior
10. The Thin Red Line
Others that were close: The Matrix, Fearless, The Big Blue, Little Buddha, American Beauty, Pay it Forward, The Razor’s Edge, A River Runs Through It, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Straight Story

I'll give it a go...

Sticking with the theme of Elevation;

-Cast Away
Any film that makes me cry over a lost basketball deserves to be on my list.
"WILSONNNNNN"

-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Water drips, echoing, in a cave.

"I would rather be a ghost, drifting by your side as a condemned soul, than enter heaven without you."

-Amélie
That grainy TV surrounded by candles.

"So, my little Amélie, you don't have bones of glass. You can take life's knocks. If you let this chance pass, eventually, your heart will become as dry and brittle as my skeleton."

-Gosford Park
A crack splintering up the facade of self control.

"Don't cry, Jane. They'll hear you."

-Nobody Knows

No quote, just the image of a suitcase being buried.

-The Constant Gardener
A man who's eyes were forced open by the death of his wife.

"Leave this Justin. Go home." - "I can't go home. Tessa was my home."

-V for Vendetta
Hands held up to the black sky, rain pouring down. What is it that's worth fighting for.

"They put you in a cell and took everything they could take except your life. And you believed that was all there was, didn't you? The only thing you had left was your life, but it wasn't, was it?"

-No Country for Old Men
When wisdom doesn't have the answers, what part of our nature must we appeal to for understanding?

"There was this boy I sent to the 'lectric chair at Huntsville Hill here a while back. My arrest and my testimony. He killt a fourteen-year-old girl. Papers said it was a crime of passion but he told me there wasn't any passion to it. Told me that he'd been planning to kill somebody for about as long as he could remember. Said that if they turned him out he'd do it again. Said he knew he was going to hell. "Be there in about fifteen minutes". I don't know what to make of that. I sure don't. The crime you see now, it's hard to even take its measure. It's not that I'm afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, "O.K., I'll be part of this world."

-Goodbye Solo

How much dialog can pass between two characters, without saying anything? Two men on a path, quiet, because there aren't any words to express what they feel. They understands each other, but one must force himself to accept that he understands. The other knows this is true, and with the look in his eye, gives us the title of the movie.

I'm already looking forward to your NEXT best films of the decade Roger. Think of all the great movies in store for all of us between now and then.

Roger, knock it off with the arithmetic. You know you aren't cut out for it. If you think there is still one year to go in the decade, that means 1/1/10 begins the decade's tenth year, and the decade's first year began on 1/1/01. Fine. A decade is a group of ten. You can start a decade anywhere you wish - let's say, 3:38pm, July 17 of 1927. I'm all for it.

Notwithstanding this, many would consider the recent decade of the Eighties to consist of the ten years beginning with an 8 following the 19 - thus, 1980 through 1989. (Lemme see ... yep, that's ten.) They find it reasonable, when listing a group of ten years called the Eighties, to include those with an 8 in the spot we called the "tens" in grade school. Likewise, the Aughts would comprise the years 2000 (the first with an aught) through 2009 (the last with an aught.) Now, you're free to consider the decade of the Eighties as consisting of nine years with an 8 and one year with a 9: 1981 through 1990. Go ahead, express your individuality.

Oh, and by the way, before the guard-dog deletes this, please tell Roger to think about the pronoun "whom." It's a good pronoun. It's not always stylish to omit it in favor of "who." Sometimes it's just clumsy.

Glad you put Juno on your list. I had the same emotional reaction to this movie that you did. As a 60 year old man and not a fan of teen comedies I wasn't expecting much. I even picked a seat near an exit in case the movie sucked. However, when the final credits rolled I was in movie heaven. I have never had my expectations about a movie ripped apart like that. You're right about the scene with Jennifer Garner. The scene was magic. The scene with Juno and her father late in the movie was also special. Juno is an enigma; it should'nt be a great movie but it is. And I think it's going to be years before people fully appreciate Ellen Page's performance.

Ebert: I am bewildered by the number of posters here who dislike the film and even Juno. There almost seems to be something personal about it.

What I loved about Juno was while I was watching it, I kept thinking what would happen next would be some stupid, predictable cliche. Oh, she's gonna tell her parents and they'll be mad at her. Oh, she's driving her car, and it'll crash, or break down. But those things never happened. Instead, more realistic, and therefore all the more surprising, things happened. I felt a little more excited each time the movie bypassed cliches until finally I just gave up guessing where the story would go and let it unfold. What a great film.


1.) Grow UP!!! Talk movies, not calendars!

2.) Wall-E?! Style over substance fooled you all?! Grandsons, ages 10 and 12, gave it 5 of 10; 'boring.' [Father a critic, they have seen and reviewed zillions of movies of many genres.]

3.) Just me, I suppose, but repeated "Foreign Contamination" phrase/scene just flashed me back to pre-1973. Hated this movie.

4.) Happy New Year!!! [MY calendar says so!]

ajo

I think, "Synechdoche, New York", and, "Carnal Knowledge" both have the same theme, but one is done with art and the other with sex, the former more requiring the engulfed encompassing of life itself as opposed just the physical things done in it. It is about how man needs a "beyond" and can't have it by only what's in front of him. At the end of, "Carnal Knowledge", Jack Nicholson's character is impotent and "needs" the prostitute to give him his erection when she says--

"...A man who inspires worship.
Because he has no need for any
woman. Because he has himself.
And who is better, more beautiful,
more powerful, more perfect...
You're getting hard...
More masculine, extraordinary.
More robust... It's rising.
More virile, domineering.
More irresistible...
It's up, in the air." (end of movie)

---while in "Synechdoche, New York" isn't literally impotent but is impotent with looking towards what is in front of him for his "beyond" and so dies by the hand of it.

Hi Roger.As a Brazillian I´m proud to see City of God on your list.Even though I haven´t seen some of these fims just reading your comments makes me wanna rush to the next video store and rent all of them!.
I also would include the wonderful Whale Ryder with that magical performance by Keisha Castle-Hughes.
Truth be told it must be hard to come up with a list like this considering the number of great films we´ve seen this decade. What I know for sure is that you are the best film critic of this or any other decade.Keep it up!

Roger, I have been a frequent visitor of your website and have watched every video on youtube of your old reviews with Gene Siskel. I thank you for all the great movies I have seen because of you, and I "digg" your article :)

Hi Roger,

Two interesting lists, but I am surprised that Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima did not make either of your lists.

Have a great 2010!

I concur, Karl-Heinz.

As far as the emotion of Elevation goes, no movies made during this past decade (and I’ll call it the "past decade") elevated me more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It doesn't surprise me that it didn't make it onto your list, and that it probably won't top other critics' lists either. This, I suppose, is because it doesn't subtly explore the depths of human emotion in an artsy yet hard-boiled and uber-realistic way, which seems to be the sort of filmmaking that so many critics gravitate towards. But as far as Elevating me...yes, it certainly did. It took the ancient tradition of the Epic (used so magnificently in Tolkien's series) and translated it in all its glory onto film in a way that I don't think any other series can top.

I'm happy to see Pan's Labyrinth on your list, and only wish that The Fall had been given a spot, too, as well as a Pixar film. A record streak of 10 perfect or near-perfect animated films, and not even Up or Wall-E is given a thought? And how about an Honorable Mention for that rarity, an extremely well made and thought-provoking blockbuster: The Dark Knight?

I'd make my own top ten list but I'm afraid I haven't seen enough of the artsy, limited-release films to make a really proper one--it's lucky I got to see The Fall!

Mr. Ebert,

You confuse me with this list because of your inclusions into your "Great Movies." Werkmeister Harmonies is one of several additions to your "Great Movies" from the 2000s that doesn't appear on your best of the decade list, a list which doesn't, I believe, reflect what you actually think are the best films of the decade--they're your favorites, which is a totally different animal. The best films of the decade should be the ten films that you think that film critics and cinephiles will pay attention to in 2110 not your favorites. You think anyone will watch Almost Famous or Juno in 100 years. Nope, but Werkmeister and Mulholland Drive and Synecdoche and In the Mood for Love will be, I suspect, adored just like we do Der Letzte Mann, Metropolis, and Caligari.

I like your list a lot. It's very... you. I quite agree with you that I don't have much use for what some dub the Objective Top 10. Movies don't quite work that way. Your list reflects you, my list reflects me. Has anyone else pointed out the Philip Seymour Hoffman appeared in 3 films from your top 10? Not a bad choice for most-utilized actor.

Here's my list:
10. The Aviator
9. Memento
8. High Fidelity
7. There Will Be Blood
6. Adaptation
5. Kill Bill
4. The Incredibles
3. Traffic
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
1. The Lord of the Rings

What about Michael Bay's magnum opus Transformers II?!! After my viewing of the film, I found that the giant CG robots from another planet helped realize my my own humanity. I guess you could say that in the end, I was the one that was transformed.

My Best Films of the Decade 2000 in order of importance:

1. The Son (Dir: J.P. & L. Dardenne)
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Dir: M. Gondry)
3. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (Dir: S. Lumet)
4. The Lives Of Others (Dir: F. H. von Donnersmarck)
5. La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher) (Dir: M. Haneke)
6. Oldboy (Dir: P. C. Wook)
7. In The Cut (Dir: J. Campion)
8. Match Point (Dir: W. Allen)
9. Dogville (Dir: L. von Trier)
10. In The Mood For Love (Dir: W. K. Wai)

On my January 1, 2010 5:14 PM post, there was more I wanted to squeeze into there, which was a three sentence post (I try to do things in 3s).

Sentence 1 and 2)

"I think, "Synechdoche, New York", and, "Carnal Knowledge" both have the same theme, but one is done with art and the other with sex, the former more requiring the engulfed encompassing of life itself as opposed just the physical things done in it. It is about how man needs a "beyond" and can't have it by only what's in front of him."

About art: isn't art the taking of life itself into one and then creatively, in an objectifying way, unburdening of it from yourself? The movie is a metaphor for what the artist does.

That was 3 sentences so I'll stop now.

10 Worst Films of the Decade 2000 (in catastrophical order):

1. Lonely Hearts (2006)
2. The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
3. Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
4. Passe-passe (2008)
5. Three (2005/I)
6. Four Christmases (2008)
7. Seed of Chucky (2004)
8. The Hangover (2009)
9. Australia (2008)
10. Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

Roger, I read your disclaimer at the bottom of the page, and I know there's no point arguing. All I'm going to do is link a Bill Waterson cartoon in reference to the scene from "You and Me and Everyone We Know," the scene about the end of the street being the end of life:

http://alignmap.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/calvin-hobbes_onlifexx.jpg

So much more poetic and beautiful than anything in that sloppy, masturbatory film.

But I commend you for putting Synechdoche, New York as #1 (not that you need me to commend you; didn't you win a Pulitzer or something?)

The best thing about Synecdoche, NY was the song played over the end credits, called "Little Person." It's absolutely mesmerizing and haunting. I encourage anyone who doesn't want to sit through the movie to at least check out that song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzITO7wEcc4

I'm thoroughly surprised by this list, Ebert! I like it because I've only seen 13 of the these 20 films, so it gives me some work to do. It's good to see that you're staying slightly off the cusp of the conventional lists that have circulated thus far. Props for putting "25th Hour" on the list, I like!

I made a top ten list a few weeks ago, but I really want to revisit it because I need to be true to my emotional responses to the films, as with you and your list. There's no objective, intrinsic measure that makes one particular film "the best". So far, I can guarantee these movies on my list (in no particular order):

-Inglourious Basterds
-Punch-Drunk Love
-Memento
-Children of Men
-Amelie
-Batman Begins/The Dark Knight

Props to anyone putting Punch-Drunk Love or Children of Men on their list. Those films deserve a great deal of adoration.

My original list also included Adaptation, Superbad, No Country for Old Men, and Up. It'll take time to figure out my true favorites, not to mention that there's many movies I've yet to see.

Re: We play different characters. We know this and accept it. In childhood we begin as always the same person but quickly we develop strategies for our families, our friends, our schools. In adolescence these strategies are not well controlled. Sexually, teenagers behave one way with some dates and a different way with others. We find those whose have a persona that matches one of our own, and that defines how we interact with that person. If you aren't an aggressor and are sober, there are girls (or boys) you do it with and others you don't, and you don't want those people to discover what goes on away from them.

I don't relate to this idea whatsoever (and don't understand its relevance to the movie). Is this a guy thing? Is it how most men feel and behave? I am female and as far as I can recall, have always just been "myself." I don't think I've ever created different personas in order to interact with different people. Now that I think of it though, it kinda sounds like my ex. They say guys tend to compartmentalize, so perhaps that's what this is. But as a woman it's a foreign concept.

Did somebody already post this on here or in your life?

Synecdoche is defined as:
: a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as fifty sail for fifty ships), the whole for a part (as society for high society), the species for the genus (as cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (as a creature for a man), or the name of the material for the thing made (as boards for stage)


I thought it was interesting.

This list certainly takes more risks, it seems, than your list for the 90s. Well, it seems to me that you are a very different person today: An even more evolved, farther- and deeper-searching man, in an age of what seems to be shallower and lesser mainstream achievements. I hope that's fair and accurate to say about you, and I'm afraid I've been more than fair to present-day Hollywood.

I'll not agree with very much of this list, beginning with "Synecdoche," which I wish I'd thought more profound and I simply must see a third time. I find that most of the finer movies nowadays are about how we are living our lives. Just saw "Up in the Air" last night, and though I had my qualms with some of Jason Reitman's decisions (for instance, cutting together multiple clips of terminated workers more than once, as though they are simply a dime a dozen, rather than early in the movie setting up one substantial scene with a firee who represents all firees, the way that a great humanitarian storyteller like Robert Altman would have done), I thought the movie commented as clearly about modern life as any movie made this year. Any movie with vivid characters can show us some astounding glimpses into the working of the mind, of the choices one makes to get along in this life and this world.

Nevertheless, your list is a joy to read, as it reaches beyond the more obvious selections, such as the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and Scorsese's work and "Traffic" and "There Will Be Blood" and "Sideways" and la-dee-da. Indeed, you are not just a critic, as some other critics seem, in print at least, only to be; you are a human being.

I wonder how you currently feel about this handful of tremendous human dramas that you previously spoke very highly of:

Lost in Translation
Monster's Ball
Y tu mama tambien
Wonder Boys
Moolaade

Perhaps these are in your top thirty.

Wow, Roger! I guess it's no surprise that you have the most pretentious line-up for your 'best films'! Try these ten out -

* Amelie (2001)
* Battle Royale (2001)
* The Cat Returns (2002)
* Very Long Engagement (2004)
* Shaun of the Dead (2004)
* He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (2002)
* Memento (2000)
* Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
* King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters (2007)
* Life Aquatic (2004)

Ebert: I'd call it as a tie.

It's hard to make lists, but if I were to make a list of the decade's best: Here's my best shot. Enjoy everyone!

1) Slumdog Millionaire
2) The Dark Knight
3) The Return of the King (O.k., the whole trilogy)
4) Memento
5) Wall-E
6) Lost in Translation
7) A Beautiful Mind
8) The Departed
9) Gladiator
10) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

(VERY Honorable Mentions)

Oldboy, There Will Be Blood, Monster, Crash, The Aviator, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ghost World, High Fidelity, Finding Nemo, No Country For Old Men, Milk, The Hangover (yeah, honestly), Million Dollar Baby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Requiem for a Dream,... When I think of more I'll let you know.

I'm not prepared to make a list, but it's interesting to see everyone else's. I just saw "The Serious Man" and am still in a euphoric daze -- can't understand why people aren't all talking about this one. Same with "Funny People".

Do you find that your list changes once the afterglow of a recent experience wears off?

Argh, why is Crash on that list? It plays out like a six year old's interpretation of race issues and usually when someone tells me they like it I make a mental note to ignore anything they have to say about race issues and/or movies. The movie preys on peoples' desires to seek positive affirmation of their values (in this case: Racism is Bad), but it does so with the subtlety of a rock through a window. Unfortunately, people are so intent on feeling good about knowing that it's bad to be racist that they look past it.

Let's take a look at some of the more glaring examples of extremely poor writing this movie has:

Matt Dillion's character see's a car on fire, oh look it's the poor black lady that he just molested earlier in the movie, he's redeemed! Now stop going around being so racist, Mr racist.

The Middle Eastern shop owner, you almost shot and killed a little girl because you were being a mean ol' racist. Now that you have seen the error in the ways of being a racist, don't do it again mister!

Sandra Bullock's character is racist. Uh oh she sprains her ankle, aww look the nice mexican lady saves her after all her white friends refuse to for absolutely retarded reasons. Told ya racist lady, don't go around be racist anymore!

Although that's only about half the movie and the subplot involving the young cop killing Don Cheadle's little brother was pretty interesting, I might even go so far as to say it was well done it only constitutes a small fraction of the movie.

Apologies if I sound angry, this movie just has that effect on me.

Ebert: Jim Emerson picked it as his worst of the decade, but he didn't receive many posts to agree with him. And if you check their names, not a lot of the posters were regulars here:

http://j.mp/8Pl1cE

Roger, thank you for including The Son on your list. Watching it in the Virginia Theatre during your Film Festival was one of my tensest, greatest experiences in three decades of film watching.

my top 10 of the decade

1. An Unreasonable Man (2007)
2. Zodiac (2007)
3. No Country For Old Men (2007)
4. Enron (2001)
5. Mulholland Drive (2001)
6. Lost In Translation (2003)
7. The Wrestler (2008)
8. Anvil: The Story Of Anvil (2008)
9. City Of God (2002)
10. Gran Torino (2009)

By the way, I think Ebert is a total coward for letting someone else do a hatchet job on An Unreasonable Man. If he wants to rip it then he should do it himself.
Avatar sucked.

I still don't like talking about Synechdoche. That was the most intense experience I've ever had watching a film. It still feels too raw to talk about, too personal. Is it one of the best films of the decade. Yeah. I think it is. But don't ask me to tell you why.

Crash is over there with Contact and Avatar and Gran Torino, films that seemed SO GREAT when leaving the theater, but completely meaningless, or simply forgotten, within 48 hours.

Do documentaries count? Then I'd like to see the list contain Scorsese's My Voyage To Italy, the best film class I've ever taken.

Roger, it's an interesting list. I need to watch a few I missed.

Synecdoche, NY was a brilliant movie as well as profoundly depressing and anxiety-inducing to me. I appreciate it as a great movie but one I did not especially like.

Monster, Juno, and Almost Famous are in a small group of my truly loved films. I'm happy to see that you still believe Charlize Theron's performance was as good as you wrote originally. The Hurt Locker and You and Me... - yes. The others - see or see again.

I love Pan's Labyrinth and No Country for Old Men, and like many of your others as well very much. Waiting to see Port of Call...

Eve's Bayou wasn't in this past decade (however the decade is defined, a topic of little interest, right:), and I recall you were very high on this movie. It's in my small beloved group of films. I still don't know why this film was mostly overlooked at the time and is now largely forgotten.

We can think of time being measured linearly the way length is by a ruler. Let's think of a ruler that is 10 inches long. We can walk our fingers along the distance that is spanned by the ruler. But as we walk along the first inch, we pass 1/4, then 1/2, then 3/4, before getting to 1. Similarly, as we walk along the last inch, we walk past 9 1/4, etc. We don't get to 10 till we are at the end of the ruler, or at the end of the 10 inches. The inch that has 10 1/4, 10 1/2, etc., in it is actually the eleventh inch.

So, yes, the proper decade includes all of the days of 2000 and of 2009. The days of 2010 belong to the coming decade.

A film which seems to be on nobody's list but mine is "The hawk is dying" (2006). How to sell this movie? I don't know, I've got writer's block.

Judging from the blurb about a man with an autistic son who wants train a hawk I was expecting a different kind of movie, perhaps something more sentimental and observant. Instead Paul Giamatti gives a wild, riveting performance, most of the time with a hawk tied to his arm, reflecting his inner turmoil. Eccentric, yes, but also a little dangerous.

In 2008, after a more fresh viewing, I wrote this about it and can't improve upon it:

"A more life-affirming film about the verge of psychosis is "The Hawk is Dying". I felt Paul Giamatti's rage, every inch of it. This is how I would respond should anyone ever again try to take away my liberty. I loved the way people responded with petty concern to his eccentricity, I loved the way he turned them away with anger and argument with lines like "You can't FEEL anything." or "Of course I'm not calm, only a madman would be calm." I found catharsis in this film, it articulated all my anger."

Brilliant timing, Roger. I had just turned off "Synedoche" and logged on to your website to read your review (I remember you having given it four stars) and here was this blog entry! I agree with you that it is an excellent film, and also that multiple viewings may be required to absorb it in full; I look forward to those viewings.

If you had to make an "actors of the decade" list, I think Philip Seymour Hoffman would be a strong candidate for the top slot.

Roger, yours is a good and interesting list. While I don't have the same attachment to some of these movies, I'm not here to argue taste.

I would just like to take a moment and list two great films from this decade that I feel are sorely overlooked in the current debate over the best films of the decade:

1 -Darjeeling Limited: I recently caught this film again on IFC. I loved it the first time, but found it a bit trifling. On second viewing, it all came together, and I realized how beautiful and lyrical the film is. On the third viewing, it became one of my favourite films of all time. While I've enjoyed all of Wes Anderson's films, I feel this one is his masterpiece. Mind you, I have a special place in my heart for India, and I think Anderson is the first and only film-maker to truly capture the spirit of that nation. (Most Bollywood films are just fantasies, while western films set in India tend to be condescending).

-Farhenheit 9/11: Has there ever been a more powerful documentary? For me, the decade's defining moment was the clip of Bush sitting in an elementary school classroom, looking stupified, a sign behind him: 'Reading makes you smarter'. Meanwhile the WTCs burned. Pair that with a shot of Bush addressing wealthy businessmen at the black tie event: 'Some people call you the elite' he said, 'but I call you my base'. This was not a polemic, this was an indictment.

I've seen Fahrenheit 9/11 so many times that I have come to see it not just as a politic documentary, but as a work of film art. Politics aside, the opening montage of the Administration officials polishing and preparing themselves for the big show, in slow motion, laughing and joking just moments before they started dropping bombs, is superb film-making. I'm sorry, but it's a far better film about Iraq than The Hurt Locker, and I would argue we might not even have films like The Hurt Locker if Moore weren't brave enough to stick his foot out first.

Hi Roger,

Love your list. Especially happy to see Juno and My Winnipeg. Being a long-time Winnipegger I just wanted to let your readers know just how intensely "bang on" Guy Maddin is in capturing the essence of this place. It's a quirky city. A teeming stew of success and failure all mixed together - the best and worst of everything is here. So, even long-time Winnipeggers are never really sure how to feel about their hometown. Also wanted to say I have met Guy on several occasions and you aren't going to find a more down-to-earth, humble guy. Which is, actually, a lot like Winnipeg too.

Was Avatar considered? I'm not lobbying for it to be on the list, I am just wondering whether or not it was released too close to the end of the decade.

Astonished that one of Roger's Great Movies and the best film of the decade did not make it:

Werckmeister Harmonies.

Thanks for the list!

I have seen most of these movies and I like all of them except for "Me and You and Everyone We Know." I loved July's short film "Are you the favorite person of anybody?" but I am not very excited about her feature film.

(Yes, this means I thought "Crash" was OK)


Thought it cool TCM elected to show "2010" tonight.

10 that need to be mentioned by someone

Syriana-Michael Clayton-Gosford Park-Sideways-
Good Night and Good Luck-Tsotsi-The Class-
A History of Violence-Memories of Murder...

AND My #1 PICK-
Destined for the Top 10 of the Century list-the most under appreciated masterpiece of all-time:

BUBBA HO-TEP(2002)

The first decade started in year 1 AD and ended in year 10 AD. This is true, as those were the first 10 years on the calender. It is also true that the 90's were a decade that lasted from 1990-1999 as they were the 10 years where a number in the 90's were the last two digits of the year. That makes it very true that the decade following the 90's would be 2000-2009 as it is the next 10 years. It would be incorrect to call it the first decade of the new millennium which would be the years 2001-2010 because they are the first ten years after the new millennium began in 2001. I hope that clears things up. And seeing as how the last best of the decade lists were compiled for the 90's, it only makes sense to compile one now for 2000-2009.

2000-2009: "Decade following the 90's", "the aughts", "The oohs", "the call it whatever you want decade"

2001-2010: "first decade of the new millennium", "first decade of the 21st century", "the 201st decade of the calender"

I am a little surprised there isn't an Altman film on your list. Gosford Park has predictably made a number of lists, but I halfway expected at least an honorable mention of A Prairie Home Companion on yours. You stated that it's not an objective list but one based on the emotional impact these movies had on you. That being the case, there is no way for someone to argue that a different movie should have had MORE of an impact on you. But for me A Prairie Home Companion had great emotional impact. Since it is essentially about the different reactions of its characters to the inevitable end of the radio show, watching it again in the context of it being Altman's final project gave it so much more, possibly unintended, significance.

While I liked Synecdoche, I still felt that it was weaker than Kaufman's previous works, particularly Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine. It struck me overall as too self-indulgent, even by Kaufman's standards, and remarkably pessimistic.

My personal top 10, in chronological order:

The Lord of the Rings
Adaptation.
Road to Perdition
City of God
Lost in Translation
Mystic River
Sideways
Snakes on a Plane
The Departed
The Wrestler

Ebert,
Why is it that you described Crash besting Brokeback Mountain at the Oscars as an "unforgivable crime" when you yourself ranked it higher back in the day? It's obvious you still find Crash to be the superior film, as Brokeback is nowhere in sight on your lists. What's the deal?

Ebert: I did? Where?

I don't understand how Little Miss Sunshine doesn't make this list.

Picking a top 10 (or whatever)list of the decade is too daunting a task for me to attempt. From what I read of your list, I would like to second Kill Bill, Minority Report, City of God, and No Country For Old Men.

Off the top of my head, here are some of my favorite films of the decade.

Christopher Nolan's Insomnia.
Letters From Iwo Jima (or maybe Million Dollar Baby).
Kingdom of Heaven (Director's cut).
Michael Clayton
The Proposition
Into the Wild
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Spirited Away
Collateral
Sunshine

Well, I guess that wasn't as hard as I thought. I always feel like my lists are shallow compared to more.. tenured movie-enthusiasts. But I like what I like.

P.S. Doesn't the decade end on Dec. 31st, 2010? ;)


My list:
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. LOTR trilogy (especially FOTR)
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
4. Dancer in the Dark
5. Moulin Rouge!
6. Dogville
7. Ratatouille
8. The Child (directed by brothers Dardenne)
9. Y Tu Mama Tambien
10. Memento

Runners-up:
1. Persepolis
2. Sin City
3. Intimacy (by Patrice Chereau)
4. City of God
5. Piano Teacher
6. Lust, Caution
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
8. In the Mood for Love
9. The Class (by Laurent Cantet)
10. 8 Women

The Lord of the Rings was the best set of films of the decade. Their lack on the list baffles me. They were simply outstanding on so many levels. The CGI Gollum was outstanding, the directing was lovingly crafted, and the ensemble cast was tremendous. Plus the fact that The Return of the King won a gazillion academy awards. They deserve to be on the list if not the top of the list.
Other favorites not listed:
Zodiac and Black Hawk Down

What a narrow minded list! It seems like you only watch films from the Americas, and threw a Belgian film in merely as a token gesture. Ever heard of Asia, Robert? It's a continent with roughly 3.5 billion people, and guess what... they make good films there.

Ebert: They certainly do. I should have considered "In the Mood for Love."

-I agree completely about Monster, and Charlize Theron's performance being one of the best of the decade. However, I feel Melissa Leo in Frozen River deserves an honorable mention. Just sayin'.

(And due to O.C.D., I make lists all the time, for particular reason. How thrilling to finally be able to make one with a purpose!)

My personal top ten:
1. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
2. Pan's Labyrinth
3. Brokeback Mountain
4. Frozen River
5. Monster
6. Milk
7. There Will Be Blood
8. Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
9. Knocked Up
10. Elephant

I have always been a huge fan of your. By following you, I have seen so many excellent films that would have slipped through the cracks without you shining a light on them. I was born in Ireland, and the first real film critic I was aware of was Michael Dwyer of the Irish Times. I have lived in Chicago for several years, and I just found out that he has past away. Like you, I never met him, but through his writing I felt that he is a friend for years. His last piece was published 3 weeks ago http://www.irishtimes.com/theticket/articles/2009/1211/1224260465255.html and I'm thankful to have been exposed to his work and it makes me appreciate what you do even more.

Ten movies? Try Five.

5) Inglourious Basterds.
4) Children of Men
3) Pan's Labyrinth.
2) 300
1) No Country For Old Men.

Everything else was either formulaic crap or leftist propaganda. Even some of the movies listed above are plagued by leftist propaganda. I leave it to you dear readers to determine which ones.

Pretentious art house films that revel in their inscrutability don't impress me.

Familiarity with fru-fru shibboleths and the inside jokes of the coffee house crowd shouldn't be a required part of the admission fee. A film that caters to self-declared elitists is a waste of celluloid.

I have so much appreciation for you Roger. What struck me this time is how much you have to fight every day to make your point look as clear as possible. The way i see it, this fight is so serious and so severe that no human being can survive it unless they fall back in character. And if the character is worthwile, people can go a long way. There is so much wisdom written between your lines for people to see and apprehend. For me it's not about the list. It's about the way you bring films to life with your writing. You're just another passionate man like all of us and all these years you've been smart enough to clarify your opinions and also make us dream a little.

Thanks

Great list, Roger. Here are my ten favourite movies of the last ten years in alphabetical order:

Almost Famous
Amélie
Babel
Brokeback Mountain
City of God
Downfall
Inglourious Basterds
Lost in Translation
The New World
There will be Blood

I thought Million Dollar Baby would be a definite.

Ebert: I am bewildered by the number of posters here who dislike the film and even Juno. There almost seems to be something personal about it.

I only recently caught Juno on television, and I was really looking forward to it. I'm a huge fan of 'Thank You for Smoking', and though I've yet to see it,'Up in the Air' looks very promising, so I expected Juno to rock.

I was hugely underwhelmed. I found Juno's dialogue and attempts at humour rather embarrassing (i.e. 'honest to blog', the hamburger phone, the repeat 'joke' of the track team running around... and all that un-funniness was just in the first 10 minutes). I predict that a decade from now, Juno will still be remembered fondly, not for smart craftsmanship, but rather, as an prime example of '00s kitch'.

I'll admit, I'm a tough audience. I expect a lot from a movie. All the recent whoop-de-doo over Avatar (also underwhelmed) has helped me mold my criteria for a good movie. I've always been aware, subconsciously, of my criteria, but I only recently realized it in conscious thought. In a nutshell, here's how a gauge a movie:

I ask myself this: 'if provided with the same level of resources that the film-maker had, do I think I could I write/imagine/craft this movie?' If so, would my movie be more imaginative, less imaginative or roughly equivalent to what's on screen?

- If I think the actual movie is roughly equivolent to what I'd expect to make myself, then it's a fair movie (2-3 stars).

- If I think I could come up with a better, more imaginative/ more original film, then the actual movie is bad (turkey to 1 star) (hey, they're the professionals, they should know better)

- If the actual movie offers a vision that is beyond the scope of my imagination, or offers insights beyond my own capability... in other words... creative ideas that I could not have thought of myself, then it is a good movie (3+ stars)

I think its a fair and elegant criteria. A movie like El Mariachi has a lot more latitude with me because it only cost $7,000, thus I could see how enormous creative energy was invested in the film. Whereas a movie that cost $250 million dollars, like Avatar, has a lot more to prove.

A hell of a lot of minds came together on Avatar, many of them very intelligent. Given the chance to create an entirely new world, they could have envisioned ANYTHING, and yet, the best they could come up with were 10 foot tall blue Native Americans with tails (tails that disappear whenever convenient) and a jungle planet that pretty much looks like the Amazon on steroids? Really? That's it; that's all we get? Given 12 years and 250 million dollars, I promise you, I could have made at least 6 better movies.

Getting back to Juno, yes, I believe I could write that script, and make that movie, and you know what, I think I could do a better job.

Try me.

[On January 1, 2010 5:14 PM, read plus this one]

Synechdoche (part representing whole or whole representing a part)? The movie could just as easily have been titled, "The Artist", so I think that the word synechdoche in the title is referring to how the artist takes in the WHOLE of reality and creatively turns it into an objective PART (while the rest of us turns the whole of reality into just a neurosis). Both are not able to find a "beyond" with this PARTIAL reality that is us, which is the theme of the movie: how even the great artist, which you could say, if you like, is a PART of humanity that could represent the WHOLE, is not immune to needing a "beyond"--and also in the end has this neurosis--even as they objective the whole of reality in their work: art is the whole of life in a part and the artist is a part of humanity represented as a whole.

Synecdoche, New York. A film that I drove to Chicago from Bloomington, Ind. to see on its opening weekend, armed only with the knowledge that it was Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut and that Chicago might be the only place where I could see it in a theatre. I had purposefully restrained myself from watching trailers for it - an act of great willpower for someone who owns every movie Mr. Kaufman has written (actually multiple copies of Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine, for the purpose of gifting to friends). I'd seen each of his movies at least four times, and would show them to my friends with the passion of a prophet, wishing so fervently that I could explain to them the joys that are contained in his writing, and yet knowing that my words pale in comparison to the experience of letting his films unfold at their own pace, in their own manners. So I was determined to know as little as possible about Synecdoche, because I knew, without needing to know, that it was going to be, simply, something excellent. As an avid reader of your writings, it also took a great act of willpower to only read the lead paragraph of your four-star review before my four-hour car ride to the Windy City.
And by the time that Olive began singing about her hometown, my act of purism had succeeded. I was swept away, absorbed in Caden's creative pain and dizzy with waves of limitless elation. It was a transformative experience, the likes of which only a handful of films have ever caused me to feel. Beyond films even, rarely in life has something moved me, opened my mind as Synecdoche did. From a little over the halfway point until long after the final fade to white (Millicent: "Die."), I wept tears of joy. Not figuratively. I mean to say that I sobbed for the last hour of the movie. It is the rarest film in which you can completely surrender yourself to the vision of its creators because you know, without knowing, that they will lead you somewhere worth visiting. And that is why I wept. I didn't need the trailers, the hype, the drafts of the screenplay, the anything to convince me to go and see this movie. All I needed was what I already had - copies of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and the rest of his work - and that alone sufficed. I cried because, for the mere price of a movie ticket, I, little me, was allowed to participate in an artist's struggle to make life mean something more than just the struggle. And while Caden the artist never succeeded in finishing his great life's work as the screen fades to white ("Die."), Kaufman the artist succeeded with more brilliance, courage and perfection than I could have ever hoped for. (Much like the comic paradox of Fellini's 8 1/2, in which Guido fails to make a great film, or even finish a halfway decent one, and yet to watch 8 1/2 is like eating a cloud while surrounded by down feathers.) I cried also, because I knew the film would never come to Bloomington, although it would've been welcomed with open arms by the town's singular brand of Midwest Bohemians. I cried in the bathroom afterwards and while walking into the daylight, because I was seeing, seeing through the prism of the film, and it was as if it were the first time. The way the wind blew on a brisk November Chicago Saturday against my coat and against the buildings, all of which, as Caden/Kaufman had shown me, contain stories of their own. I am not a film critic, just a man going to the movies. With Synecdoche, I shut out all the voices that alter one's opinion of a film before it even begins. I can honestly say that I know how it made me feel, and I can honestly know that it made me really feel.
Writing this comment for your blog (my first post ever here!) conjured up afresh the memories it gave me during that first of many viewings. As just a man going to the movies, Synecdoche, New York was the most powerful movie-going experience I have had, maybe ever. What a remarkable film.

I will definitely be watching it again sometime soon. With friends.

I rarely interact with my father, outside of family get-togethers and routine what-nots, but for some reason I decided to take him along to see Synecdoche, New York with me at the local Landmark Century Theater (the only place it was showing in Chicago!) one cold winter night.

I was blown away by the movie--both by its content and form--and I knew, intuitively, that I was watching something too profound to be relegated to the obscurities of time. This is a film that will "last"--whatever that may mean.

I've been a long admirer of your writing, Mr. Ebert, and this year I plan to attend your Ebertfest for the first time . . . secretly hoping that you'll lavish even more attention, there, on this remarkable film.

Ebert: And what did your father say?

Oh my god.

The first 10 comments about the decade were funny... the next 10 started to grate... the next 10 took on a sort of surrealism, like when being woken suddenly and too soon from a nap... the next 10 were like a Kafka story... and now, 400 comments later, it's still going on.

Don't these people who are counting from "year 1" know that they're talking about a date which itself is in question, if not fictional altogether? And even if it is a real date, it's not that date according to our calendars because the rotation of the Earth around the sun does not produce a perfect 365 day year?

Unless you've got a time machine to go back and prove it, arguing about our decade now as it relates to "year 1" is pointless. And by the way, while you're back there in your time machine, see if you can prove that anything in the Bible happened at all. That'd be awesome. Until then, the decade is from 2000-2009.

Great list and thanks! Unfortunately, Synecdoche NY played for about a showing or two here in north Florida. It's unfortunate the films like this have such difficulty reaching us in a movie theater setting, and ironic that films like Adaptation and even Yulee's Gold could be set here yet barely shown. Charlie Kaufman has done a service to many fans by making them think, and I cannot wait for a next project.

1) IGBY GOES DOWN (2002)
2) MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007)
3) 21 GRAMS (2003)
4) LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003)
5) YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (2000)
6) IN THE BEDROOM (2001)
7) BABEL (2006)
8) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: INSIDE 9/11 (2005)
9) ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004)
10) SIDEWAYS (2004)

Ah...our American education system at work... .The decade ends 12-31-10.......you see, there was no year Zero...why? because our calendar was written by the Romans. There was no zero in Roman Numerals, We went from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D.

The end of the last Millenium was the year 2000. The end of the 20th century was the year 2000. Look it up!

No reply? What happened to babel? Its in your great movies list ? And Did Leaves of grass even release?

For pure "filmatic" enjoyment - for what it gave me at the time of viewing - nothing in the past decade beat The Incredibles.

I must see My Winnipeg, if only to see those three old guys play some hockey.

So let me get this straight, all of you people claiming that decades run from 0-9 believe the first decade of the first century started with year zero? There was no such thing. When you count your fingers do you start with zero?

I am a regular reader of your blog, though I don't often comment. I loved this post, and I enjoyed perusing other people's "favorites" lists as well. I also took the liberty of linking to this article on my blog.

Happy New Year!

And despite what "Mr. Tact" (or Wikipedia) has to say, I don't consider age 65 to be "old." My dad is 73, and I believe his best years are still ahead of him. It's all a matter of perspective, I suppose. :0)

"Stop bitchin' and start diggin".

May I make a suggestion. Attach a brief blurb at the end of each blog essay explaining Digg and how it could be used.
I've not bothered with all the different web surfing apps such as Digg and Im sure many of your other fans haven't either. After your very brief education, I signed on and got my 'Digg' in. Your welcome.

P.S To all my fellow movie experts,

Movies are like a lot like meals. We all ingest them and have our personal preferences. However, just because I might be a movie junkie doesn't make me an objective expert. Just as being a fat gutton doesn't entitle me to be a culinary judge on the Iron Chef show. Is Roger perfect? No, He tries. Why isn't his 10 top movies of each year the list of the decade? Who knows. He has a right to change his mind. Look, this guy has probably seen more movies then all of us put together. He's pretty brilliant at picking them apart and wrote a gizillion books about them. He's the only one here who won a Pulitzer too, Im sure.
Lets cut out the pretense of expertise. YOU DON'T HAVE ANY!!! (unless your a paid pro movie critic)
P.S.S. Roger's much too polite to say any of this but I just read his mind:)

Great list Roger,

My personal Top 10 is as follows:-

10)A History of Violence
9) Bowling for Columbine
8) Hero
7) Inglorious Basterds
6) City of God
5) Man on Wire
4) Batman Begins
3) The Aviator
2) Memento
1) Juno

Thank you for not including "Knowing". My family mocks me now when I say "but Ebert said it was good" when we are deciding on a movie. This is because of your glowing review of the stinkeroo called Knowing.

Juno? Minority Report? The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans? I'll be sure to check back when you post your real list. Thanks for the laugh.

Roger:

Fascinating list of films. I have one question, though. As a film journalist, I have always admired the fact that remind us to keep track of what we say. You have written something along the line of, "If you say a movie is one of the best of the year in January, then it had better be on your top 10 list come December."

Because of this, I was surprised to see "Me and You and Everyone We Know" make No. 5 on your best-of-the-decade list. In 2005, you ranked it No. 6 for the year, behind "Crash," "Syriana," "Munich," "Junebug" and "Brokeback Mountain."

"Crash" did make your top 20, but none of those other films are on your best of the decade list. I'm wondering if "Me and You" has grown on you over the years and if you now believe that you overestimated "Syriana," "Munich," "Junebug" and "Brokeback Mountain."

Hope your holidays were great and that you have a fantastic new year.

Always a pure pleasure reading your reviews and articles and listening to your intelligent opinions as I have done for years. Since I believe that film appreciation is very personal - and therefore varies from person to person - I respect your list but do not necessarily agree with all of your choices. Still your list makes me want to rediscover these films again and see them through your eyes. I very much appreciate your candid and thorough, if succinct, analysis of the films on your top-of-decade list.

There are easily ten others I liked as much...
Lord of the Rings (trilogy)
Brokeback Mountain
Mulholland Drive
Adaptation
The Reader
Julia
Avatar
In the Bedroom
Apocalypto
Flight 93


High Fidelity disserves a mention here. It was the best romantic comedy of the decade and the best music themed movie as well. Cusack or Frears have never been better.

Wonderful list, Roger. It's amazing how many of my personal favorites are on this list. (Synecdoche, Adaptation, Waking Life, No Country for Old Men, Kill Bill, Crash, City of God, Pan's Labyrinth) It's great to see that you chose Synecdoche, New York as the best film of the decade. I really think it is just one of the most perceptive, heartbreaking, and brutally honest films ever made. I remember you wrote in your review of the film that years from now, Synecdoche, New York will be recognized for the great film that it is. I have no doubt this will be the case. Few writers convey human emotions in all their tragic and beautiful messiness like Charlie Kaufman. Thank you for your reviews. You have exposed me to so many films. This is a wonderful list and I am so very happy Synecdoche, New York was your #1 pick.

I just had to comment further on Synecdoche, New York. I think this film says what many people are afraid of saying. It shows what all of our lives will eventually become. It is definitely a very bleak outlook on life, but we will all end up losing everyone we love, just like Caden did. Nonetheless, it is this undeniable fact of life that reminds us to appreciate what we have and who we have in our lives. I feel like I haven't done the film justice with my description. In a nutshell, its emotional impact is the most powerful I have ever experienced in a film. This might be a foolish and obvious question, but was Caden's character suffering from depression? I suffer from depression and I relate really well with many of Charlie Kaufman's characters (Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine, Nicolas Cage in Adaptation, Caden in Synecdoche) and Miles in Sideways. Anyway, I have posted my top 10 of the decade just for kicks.

1. Synecdoche, New York
2. Adaptation.
3. Death Proof
4. Babel
5. Children of Men
6. Sideways
7. Waking Life
8. The Departed
9. No Country for Old Men
10. Inglourious Basterds

No Grizzly Man? I'd say that was the best documentary since Hoop Dreams, which you named the best film of the 90s. Ah well.

Once again, Roger, you give me cause to revisit a film that I found insufferable. This time I will follow through and try to see Synecdoche, NY for what it is.

So Mr. Ebert will you be doing the list of Most overlooked movies of the decade?
You could put Roberto Benigni's "La tigre e la neve" on that list since I think it's more provoking i not more true movie about war than pro-war "Hurt Locker": he was crazy, he was addicted to danger - bah what a conventional recruiting movie.

As always, reading your choices (and those shared in the comments) gives me food for thought and films for my Netflix queue. Here are my favorites and they seemed have arranged themselves into odd little groups:

I love these films and watch them regularly:
Wonder Boys, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Departed, No Country for Old Men, Unbreakable

Remarkable work:
Pan’s Labyrinth, 25th Hour

I am a sucker for a happy ending:
Shrek, Wrist Cutters: A Love Story

I found The Wrestler to be one of those films that grabbed me by the throat and stayed with me for weeks.

I really miss Robert Altman:
Gosford Park

My favorite “comedies”:
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Sideways

I so love how the Germans do it:
The Lives of Others

Left quite an impression but they are tough to watch:
Million Dollar Baby, Monster

3 documentaries hit the list as well:
The two by Herzog, Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World
Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine

Finally, and for a reason I simply can’t fathom:
Blood Diamond

All the best to you in 2010, Roger.

I'm surprised and delighted to see "The 25th Hour" on your list. I've experienced 'Elevation' during, perhaps, a handful of movies ever. I can probably only name 10 without reminders. During the shared fantasy scene with Brian Cox and Ed Norton, I completely lost myself in the illusion and emotion of film. It is one of the best scenes I have experienced. I remember that the film was well-received by critics, but I doubt it will make any more "Best of the Decade" lists. I'm glad to see it on yours.

Keep in mind this is the same guy that gave the big lie "An Inconvenient Truth" 4 stars.
I will agree that Juno was a great movie.

Just a few thoughts:
1. I agree that the most memorable movies are those that reach us at a very deep, (more than just cognitive)level. This happened to me with Avatar.

2. The movie Scynecdoche, New York brought up a discussion of our "personas" or "parts". For those who are intrigued by this parts phenomenon, I would like to recommend any books or articles by Richard C. Schwartz, PhD (Center for Self Leadership).

3. Finally, I would like to sincerely thank you, Roger, for sharing your insight, provoking discussion, bringing out the joy in film (and life), and encouraging the creative in all of us. Thank you!!

I turned twenty in 2000, an age when it occurred to me more and more that there were great movies before my time. I spent this decade watching mostly those, at the expense of contemporary movies. (E.G. "The Da Vinci Code" looked kind of entertaining, but why spend two hours watching it when I had yet to see "Ran"?) Since every movie is "new" to someone who hasn't seen it, why the fuss over whether the decade ends with 2009 or 2010?

Speaking of those older movies, my decade of movie-watching owes much to your "Great Movies" column. I might never have heard of, much less seen, some really great movies.

You've been taking a lot of flack about "Knowing," there, Rodge. Been wondering why. It's a good think piece. I admit Nicholas Cage's drunk scene was overblown for me, but otherwise...

Once again I'm amazed at all the movies I haven't seen. Have seen only "Pan's Labyrinth" from this top 10. I've been in the theaters and libraries and video shops all this time.

Still catching up with your recommendations on Netflix. Last night, "3 Women" and "The Weeping Camel."

The Varese-style incidental music got in my way for "Women," tho' featuring 2 of my favorite actresses. Am too used to Frank Zappa using it for "funny," so it didn't fit for me.

"Weeping Camel" just wonderful start to finish. There should be an award for Best Camel and Best Supporting Camel.

To all you people with your goofy calculations saying the beginning of the decade is 1999, or 2001:

Put away your slide rules and abaci and consider this.

Haven't you ever experienced that sublime feeling of Elevation that occurs when you watch your car odometer roll over?

....and that sobering experience of the brevity and fragility of that state of bliss as you watch that harmonious string of zeros is shattered by a 1?


Also, I'm surprised we don't see "A Prairie Home Companion" on this list, as it is one of your Great Movies.

Roger,
Fantastic list--I shared a similar sensation as you describe when seeing Synechdoche the first time. I would add my name to the minions who read and admire your work. The last few nights I watched, in conjunction with Great Movies: Pandora's Box, Notorious, and Aguirre for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd time. Your work always deepens my appreciation and love of film.

I also run an independent cinema and teach film studies and have often seen you at Toronto or Sundance.

Anyway, these lists are impossible, and your own list of four star movies is long (perhaps too long--four stars is really the pinnacle, yes?) But I was surprised to see no mention of Talk to Her (or another Almodovar film). Yes, Broken Embraces is on your 2009 list, and while that film is a cinematic valentine and I adore it, Talk to Her is a film that seems close to the Herzogian notion of 'ecstatic truth'.

I use the film in my intro class, and it works, even with young students who have never watched a film with subtitles! They respond organically to the film--much to their surprise, at times, considering their initial reluctance to empathize with Benigno.

In your four star review of the film you wrote, ""Talk to Her" combines improbable melodrama (gored bullfighters, comatose ballerinas) with subtly kinky bedside vigils and sensational denouements, and yet at the end, we are undeniably touched. No director since Fassbinder has been able to evoke such complex emotions with such problematic material."

In a parallel universe, you awoke with a start, logged into your blog, and placed 'Talk to Her' at the top of your list.

Have a great 2010 of movie watching, life, and ecstatic truths...

Michael

I NOTICED MANY PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH YOUR LIST. YOU MUST HAVE A CREDIBILITY PROBLEM. HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT TYPING IN ALL CAPS?

Dear Roger,
It's quite Annoying to me to see that you seem to respond mostly to the most cruel and insulting posts that directly aim at you while leaving most -nice- people without any answers from their -nice- questions. It just seems a little unbalanced, I'm curious to know how you decide to answer to one and not another. Here, for example, I'm Getting Tough to get a chance of an answer while otherwise, believe me, I would be very gentlemanly!!!

Ebert: When I get 500 comments in a short time I try to get 'em online as quickly as I can. Gotta pick my shots.

My top 20 list. I'll provide reflections later...

1. Children of Men
2. Synecdoche, NY
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. There Will Be Blood
5. Mulholland Drive
6. Requiem for a Dream
7. No Country for Old Men
8. Kill Bill
9. Lost in Translation
10. Y Tu Mama Tambien
11. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
12. Traffic
13. The Lord of the Rings (trilogy)
14. Werckmaster Harmonies
15. Moulin Rouge!
16. Little Children
17. Punch Drunk Love
18. The 40 Year Old Virgin
19. George Washington
20. Almost Famous

1. Yi Yi
2. There Will Be Blood
3. In the Mood for Love
4. The Incredibles
5. Talk to Her
6. Werckmeister Harmonies
7. Mulholland Drive
8. The World
9. A History of Violence
10. Sideways

What a great list that is. Each and every film on that list will go down in history as a great movie. The Egyptian film critic agrees with you on your number 1 choice :)

Here is my list:

1. Synecdoche, New York
Kaufman didn't win the Academy Award for his writing. One of the biggest mistakes in the Academy's history of honoring talent, for this screenplay is a strong contender for the best original screenplay of all time. As bold as that statement sounds, I believe it to be true. It is extremely difficult to describe the greatness of this movie in a review, a paragraph, or any other short essay form for it is a movie that deserves more than a few words. Analysts should write books about this movie, the way they write books about philosophical theories developed hundreds of years ago. Here's a movie where the auteur has complete control over his project and the result is one of the most ambitious movies ever made. Like great works of art, it deserves at least three or four viewing to at least understand the grand scope of the achievement that is "Synecdoche, New York". Kaufman has clearly established himself as a genius, and this is his great pyramid. Just read the following monologue and I dare anyone to call it anything less: "Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years. And you may never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is: it's what you create. And even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain, wasting years, for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes or it seems to but it doesn't really. And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along.Something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel whole, something to make you feel loved. And the truth is I feel so angry, and the truth is I feel so fucking sad, and the truth is I've felt so fucking hurt for so fucking long and for just as long I've been pretending I'm OK, just to get along, just for, I don't know why, maybe because no one wants to hear about my misery, because they have their own. Well, fuck everybody. Amen."

2. Lost in Translation
A beautiful little picture that will always be buried deep in my memory. Bill Murray delivers his best performance in a movie that is as exciting as meeting new people. Setting the movie in Japan allowed the viewer to take a much deeper look into these lost souls played to perfection by Murray and Johansson.

3. 25th Hour
This is in my opinion Spike Lee's greatest film. The best post 9/11 movie so far, "25th Hour" is blessed with a great ensemble cast and is one of the smartest movies of the decade. A character study, but who is the character? Here lies Lee's master stroke. It's a character study alright, a character study of both Monty (Edward Norton) and
New York City itself. In a way, "25th Hour" portrays what every New Yorker must've felt like after the tragedy of 9/11. I know, who am I to make that statement. After all, I'm just an Egyptian film critic who doesn't go to New York often. Still, there's one scene that made me feel the extent of the loss of that day. It's the scene where Pepper and Hoffman discuss how Monty will be "gone" after the three years in prison and that "it is all over for him" and that he'll come out a changed man, different. The conversation is set infront of the sight of where the two towers once proudly stood and I couldn't help but wonder whether Lee was talking about Monty or the aftermath of 9/11 and how everybody changed and nothing was ever the same again.

4. Lives of Others
The best foreign movie of the decade. Too bad it had to come out the same year of "Pan's Labyrinth" the latter could've won any other year. "Lives of Others" is a movie about respect, privacy, courage, honor, and most of all a movie about redemption.

5. Monster
Every once in a while I encounter a movie and discover emotions in me I did not know of their existence. That's what I felt as I watched "Monster". As I felt sympathy, I also felt guilt for feeling sympathy for I never felt that way about a serial killer. Then I realized that Wurnows was not the villain in the movie nor was she the hero but simply a subject to study. She's the shades of grey between the black (the car abuser) and the white (the old bartender). Charlize Theron gave the greatest female performance of all time and the best of the decade. She is only second to Robert De Niro in Raging Bull.

6. City of God
The best gangster movie since "Goodfellas". Another case where I was in denial that it was all acted. It felt like a documentary, a bold, gritty, scary, and haunting documentary. Lil Ze has got to be one of the scariest villains of the decade.

7.The Motorcycle Diaries
A life changing journey of a movie if there ever was one.

8. Adaptation
Another Kaufman masterpiece of a screenplay. Cage delivers the best movie in his career portraying to very different twins. I remember after seeing this movie how I thought that it would be impossible for a movie to top this. It is hard to classify this movie under a genre, is it a drama, a mystery, a thriller, or maybe a comedy? That's the genius of it all, I have never seen anything quite like this movie and probably never will.

9. Lilja 4-Ever
One of the most hard hitting, haunting, and powerful movies of the decade. I had to remind myself that I was watching a movie. I swore never to watch Lilja 4ever ever again, and have only seen it once. I have only seen it once yet remember every scene.


10. No Country for Old Men
It is quite difficult for one to describe what the movie is about. Yes, the plot is pretty simple and revolves around a hunt for a bag of cash but the truth is, the movie is about so much more. It's a mediation on American violence, a study of the nature of good and evil, an example of fate, and a mocking of capitalism. This movie has three major messages, one can be understood from the title of the movie, the other is money corrupts the soul and is capable of ruining lives, and the third is simply you can't stop what's coming. From the minute the money is found all hell breaks loose and many lives are destoryed. Money does make us act like animals, and the use of an air gun (used to stun cows) as the weapon of choice for the most terrifying villian of the century is pure perfection for it symbolizes how we act when money corrupts our souls. Pay attention to the detail and realism of the movie, pay attention to the great performances by every single actor and actress in the cast, pay attention to the beauty of the movie both visually (jaw dropping cinematography) and verbally (pitch perfect screenplay), pay attention to how the Coen Brothers don't even need to use a musical score to make our hearts beat ,and most of all pay attention to what the movie has to say, and you will find that this isn't just another crime thriller, but a flawless masterpiece that deserves every single Academy Award it received.
Calling it a masterpiece seems like an understatement.

The rest:

11. Artificial Intelligence

12. Revolutionary Road

13. Pan's Labyrinth

14. Into the Wild

15. The Hurt Locker

16. Minority Report

17. Ratatouille

18. The Others

19. Moon

20. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings

I'm so glad Synecdoche, NY is your favorite of the decade. So many people seemed to have missed the genius of this wonderful film.

Thanks for the list Roger. Here's my Best of The Decade in no particular order:
-The Royal Tenenbaums
-Gosford Park (I lied this was my favorite)
-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
-Kill Bill
-Amelie
- High Fidelity
-Children of men
-Old Boy
-Dirty Pretty Things
-Before Sunset

Your comment on elevation makes me think you are speaking of what C.S. Lewis called "joy" in his autobiography "Surprised by Joy." Rather than an emotion, it is more like being spontaneously plugged into the memory of a song you heard in a dream of a sunset when you were seven, and how it makes you "feel" isn't available to language, and then it's gone. The window shuts. You can't grab it, but sometimes the glow lasts slightly longer than the sound. You try to repeat the experience with poor results. The conduit doesn't work a second time; you wonder, what was it that spoke to me? Thomas Wolfe molded this experience into narrative as well as can be done; he seemed to have the conduit more or less constantly open, through a variety of means, and he died young, still trying to document that lost language he was hearing. The film that most powerfully elevated me this last decade was, I believe, "Once," which ironically, was good more than once for that high. Diminishing returns upon repeated viewings, but even on a fourth or fifth watch was still delivering the goods. I will look for Synecdoche. Have you ever read any Wolfe (not Tom, but Thomas--1900-1938)?

Almost the first day I started writing reviews, I found a sentence in a book by Robert Warshow that I pinned on the wall above my desk. I have quoted it so frequently that some readers must be weary of it, but it helps me stay grounded. It says:

A man goes to the movies. A critic must be honest enough to admit he is that man.

That doesn't make one person right and another wrong. All it means is that you know how they really felt, not how they thought they should feel

______________________________________________

Wow! I love that quote. I will always remember these words from this moment on. I have a question that's kind of off topic. There's a book you often mention in your reviews, I forgot it's name or which reviews it was mentioned in but I really want to check it out and give it a read. I know that you said that to appreciate it we have to read it more than once. I think it was a Cormac MacCarthy book..I may be wrong though.

Ebert: Yes. My favorite of his is "Suttree."

Crash is one of the most abysmal, disgusting pieces of trash I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing in my entire life. It is so abhorrent that it offends my intellectual mind and manages to decrease my IQ score by several points. Thankfully I've only been forced to see it once, and thus my IQ only dropped from 159 to 155. I kindly suggest that you remove this spectacle that can only be appreciated by subhumans from your list, as it almost completely nullifies any credibility that it may have had before this ridiculous inclusion. The entire "film" is an exercise of hatred and propaganda, as it displays a clear lack of understanding of how racism functions within modern-American culture and society and only serves to perpetuate feelings of comfort among those who actually are racist. If you have any sense of intelligence or ethics, please expunge this sadistic and pitiful choice from your list.

To remain on topic, I will post my own top 10 list of the decade:

1. Mulholland Dr.
2. Броненосец Потёмкин
3. Werckmeister harmóniák
4. Punch-Drunk Love
5. マインド・ゲーム
6. There Will Be Blood
7. I Heart Huckabees
8. Dancer in the Dark
9. Inland Empire
10. Entre les murs

Roger,
Just curious about "The Lives of Others." It came out the exact same time that Pan's Labyrinth did, which made your list. I swear I remember when you reviewed it that you liked it better. When Geisler opens the book at the end of the movie, that definitely qualifies as "Elevation."

You left out Memento, the most creative yet accessible film of the decade. Synecdoche, New York was creative but pretentious and overwrought, accounting for its lack of box office support or critical success (only 65% on RT, few awards won). Memento was perfect in balancing creativity and accessibility.

Also surprised that you left out LOTR the trilogy. It will be the more enduring film of this decade.

There Will Be Blood
Children Of Men
Cidade de Deus (City Of God)


Farenheit 9/11
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Lord of the Rings Trilogy


Pan's Labyrinth
Grizzly Man
Mulholland Drive


The Hurt Locker

Hate to do it, but here's a suggestion for all hidebound thinkers. The decade - any decade - has nothing necessarily to do with the birth of Jesus or the first millennium. Why must I think about Jesus when I count to ten? After all, the dispute involved not the number of years completed since the adoption of our calendar - not the date Caius Inicius would have inscribed on the sign over a barn in Bethlehem - but the grouping of ten things. Dozens of posts so far, but where has been the Einstein, where the childlike curiosity capable of such an obvious and elementary distinction?

When reflecting on and abominating my miserable existence, may I consider the lost decade of my 20s (or 50s, alas) as comprising (not "comprised of"!) the ten years from when I turned twenty through the last desperate moments I could say I was twenty-nine, or must some misguided pedant harangue me with an irrelevancy involving the first century A.D.?

Now, for all those bemoaning the electronic ink spilled on this matter who urge a return to the discussion of movies, I invite your rarefied intelligences to consider the irresistibility of lists, as such, to our human nature and how far this shuffling and re-ordering of a handful of titles is from a meaningful anything. (Didn't USA Today once run a list of the ten stories it would cover if it were really a newspaper? - cue the rimshot)

[Don't forget to watch this space for my upcoming list of the 7 Secrets to Success, the 3 Greatest Sitcoms of All Time (you'll never guess!), the 15 Most Important Minds of the Middle Ages, and the 10 Greatest Months in Cinema History. In depth Twitter debate to follow.]

I hope you don't mind everyone posting their top ten as I've had a great time reading them all. There have been so many excellent movies in the last ten years-- I had forgotten some of them. But here are my very personal ten in chronological order.

2000- George Washington
2003- Cold Mountain
2003- All The Real Girls
2004- The Sea Inside
2005- Junebug
2005- Loggerheads
2006- Away From Her
2007- Moving Midway
2007- The Visitor
2008- Goodbye Solo

I like your list, and love your working criterion. With "elevation" in mind, I would include "The New World" somewhere in the list.

I'm so thrilled to see that at least two other people agree with me about Edward Yang's amazing film Yi Yi. It may be my favourite movie ever, let alone the best of the decade.

djones & Daniel R., I 'm talking about you! Thanks for including it on your lists.

That movie makes me wonder about Edward Yang's other films, which appear not to be available in the west. I'm on a solo campaign to accomplish two things: 1) to see that Yi Yi is recognised for the masterpiece that it is, and (2) to ensure that Yang's films become widely available.

Help me out! Find a good video store, rent Yi Yi, and give it a chance to change your life. Some films can do that. :)

Ebert,
You made the unforgivable crime comment on a post by Todd Restler on December 31, 2009 at 9:33 AM. As I write this, it is a little less than halfway down the page. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears you were implying that the "unthinkable crime" exists only in the minds of those who vehemently despise "Crash" for no comprehendible reason. Am I right?

By the way, I'm with you - "Crash" is a fantastic piece of filmmaking.

Ebert: Your closer inspection is correct.

Ebert: Readers:

Michael Mirasol, a frequent poster here, is our latest Foreign Correspondent, joining four other Journal regulars.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/foreignc/2010/01/i-was-born-on-february.html

R

Because it's the thing to do!

1. City of God
2. Memento
3. Bang Bang You’re Dead
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
6. Diving Bell and the Butterfly
7. Crash
8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
9. The Hangover
10. Infernal Affairs

just wanted to say that I love that you still stand strong on Crash despite the tyranny of public opinion. Not sure if you've had a chance to see Bang Bang You're Dead yet, but check it out if you get the chance. I caught it on a whim and it hit me like a 2x4 to the head.

No "Best Films of the Decade" list is complete without THE ILLUSIONIST, the single best film of the decade for script, score, direction, photography, and acting.

Roger, I appreciate that your list is based on those movies that left you with the greatest feeling, and that you link that not to just emotion but to a physical sensation; kinesthetic, I would call it. A movie that would probably be on my list, were I to do one, would would be judged in the same way is one that would make few others list: Amelie.

I concur w/ your understanding of decades technically ending in years ending in zeros, and your decision to run w/ the standard used where they end in years ending in nines. Since 1BC was the first year of that decade, then 10BC was the tenth year, not the first year of the next decade. It is probably significant enough that Clarke and Kubrick went w/ 2001, not 2000, and Australia became independent 1 January 1901, not 1900.

Thanks as always for sharing your gifts, which include authenticity and insight and your ability to communicate them. There are 5 films here that I have not seen yet, although they have been on my radar for some time (except Silent Light, which is relatively new). I look forward to your next list.

In looking at your favorite movies of this decade I began to wonder what your choice for the decade's worst movie might be - as all of your picks here seem to be about affirming the basic values of life and living in spite of the troubles brought about on us and that we bring upon ourselves (this is perhaps a reflection of the difficult times that you yourself have had over the last few years), I might guess that Chaos would be your choice; I know how much you dislike that type of film, and I remember the arguments you got into with its creators, but it seems to be the polar opposite in its outlook to the movies that you list here.

Mr. Ebert . . .

When it comes to movies . . . I feel they're not making decades like they used to.

Are you anywhere on record, please . . . rating the decades for movies?

I guess I'd rate the 1950s #1 . . . followed by the 1930's at #2.

What say you?

Roger:
I was listening to an old Elmore Leonard interview on NPR and he states his daily word count is 1000-1200 (after eight full hours of writing).

Stephen King clocks in at 2000 per day.

You seem to write faster than any living human.

Do you have a daily count or do you write until you're done?

Thanks man.

Ebert: That's a different kind of writing. Leonard almost writes poetry.

I started at a (real) newspaper when I was 16. I don't write any faster than a lot of journalists.

Well, since everyone is doing it. My 10 favs, and a reason for each.

1. Good Night and Good Luck - Somebody should put Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News execs and everyone in the Television Journalism field in a room, tape their eyelids to their foreheads and make them watch this movie.

2. The Lord of the Rings - Because, despite Avatar, they are the biggest event films of the decade and stunningly entertaining for 11 straight hours.

3. The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke embodies so many untold stories of my childhood heroes.

4. Almost Famous - For 'Tiny Dancer' and alot of other great moments.

5. Kill Bill - For the pure joyful spirit with which it was made.

6. Capote - For Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and even moreso...Clifton Collins Jr. The most underrated performance of the past 10 years (and Beyond).

7. The Dark Knight - For Christopher Nolan's vision, which has changed the Comic Book genre forever. And for Heath Ledger, who gets all the praise for the wrong movie.

8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - For connecting to my wife and giving me a whole new pair of eyes to see this wonderful piece of work through.

9. Pan's Labyrinth - Because of Roger's great movie review, which led me to this elegant, wonderful and often haunting masterpiece.

10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - For encompassing the massive scope of an ordinary life through the eyes of an unordinary human being. It's spirited and awestriking, and some people missed the point...complete and wonderful fantasy.

Those ten, and these..

Road To Perdition
Traffic
No Country For Old Men
Mulholland Drive
Brokeback Mountain
United 93
Requiem for a Dream
Inglourious Basterds
Lost In Translation
Minority Report

For you Roger,

Thanks for giving me 10 years of education and expanding my film horizons. I wish you another ten years, good sir.

Although, I haven't seen "Bad Lieutenant" yet(which would certainly make the following list)and many others I would have like to have seen:

My top ten in alphabetical order:

American Splendor

Ghost World

Gosford Park

Hotel

Idiocracy

Inland Empire

Mulholland Drive

Sin City

Timecode

The Wrestler

extremely surprised not to see The Station Agent mentioned anywhere. glad to see other comments include Amores Perros, Spirited Away, and LOTR. Princess and the Warrior is also a personal fave that's received multiple viewings.

I love your list (specifically, I like reading your thoughts on this list of movies) and will make a point of watching all these films eventually. I've seen 12 out of 20. I don't see enough movies to make a truly informed list like yours or the others the folks on your blog have posted here. I AM entitled to an opinion on films I have seen and wish to express my displeasure at two films on your list that I find to be galactically over rated.

SPOILER ALERT!!!! Both films below discuss plot points. I seriously doubt anyone reading the postings on this blog has not seen these films, but courtesy is important, I respect Roger and his fans.

"No Country for Old Men" - There is no one on Earth stupid enough or compassionate enough (or both) to go back to the crime scene with a gallon of water like Josh Brolin's character does. There is no movie without this mistake (one that would NEVER HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE OR FICTIONAL IMAGINATION!!!!) I'm sorry, but this leap of faith was way too much for me to digest. I could not take anything seriously after that, and I don't understand the praise this film has received.

"Synecdoche, New York" - All I can say about this movie is I don't get it, and never will. I don't find Philip Seymore Hoffman contemplating the color of his excrement interesting. I don't think Werner Herzog could have directed Klaus Kinski contemplating the color of his excrement and made it interesting. I found PSH's character to be perhaps the most pathetic person I've ever seen in a film. The scene with PSH talking to his grown up daughter was unreal and obsurd. I was offended by it. As I watched, I got the feeling the writer was simply trying to see what he could get away with putting on film, and I imagine he giggles privately as he reads each positive review. Roger, you write "Charlie Kaufman understands how I live my life, and I suppose his own, and I suspect most of us." I have no grasp on what you mean by this statement or your fascination by this film (virtually everyone who has posted here shares your viewpoint). Every aquaintence I know who has seen this film gives it a thumbs down. Perhaps I do not have the level of sophistication required to "get" this film. Oh well, life goes on.

Had to get that off my chest.

Anyway, please keep writing, this blog is wonderful, I've loved your candid thoughts on your friend Gene Siskel and your life in AA. Yours has been an interesting life, and I feel there are many more stories to tell.

Ebert, I was just wondering why you didn't put 'Million Dollar Baby' on the list, as you rated that the best of 2004, better than 'Kill Bill Volume 2'.

My favorites that come to mind:
1. Mystic River
2. Million Dollar Baby
3. Gladiator
4. Eastern Promises
5. Waitress
6. Children of Men
7. The Royal Tennenbaums
8. Munich
9. Good Night and Good Luck
10.Hotel Rawanda
11.The Painted Veil
12.Nanny McPhee
13.Lars and the Real Girl
14. Juno
15. Almost Famous
16. Transiberian
17. Blood Diamond
18. Tell Noone
19. Vanity Fair
20. In Bruges

Anxious to see Synedoche now!

Why do so many people hate Juno? It's sweet and sad, and I think the dialogue is funny--it helps illustrate Juno's character and how she copes with life.

For 2009, I think Brothers and The Men Who Stare at Goats were both really underrated - they are two of my favorites for the year.

After watching the Danish version of Brothers, I can see how that is probably a better movie in the "critical" sense, but I missed the performances of Jake Gyllenhall and Toby Maguire.

So you did like 'Kill Bill' better than 'Inglourious Basterds'?

Good choices, but no "Slumdog?"

I've conglomerated results from several top 10, 15, or 20 lists: Ebert, Ann Hornaday, Telegraph (London), Times (London), A.O. Scott, IMDb, Metacritic, Michael Phillips, Onion AV Club, Peter Travers, and Lisa Schwarzbaum. Here's how it came out.

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
4. Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King
5. The Hurt Locker
6. Brokeback Mountain
7. Wall-E
8. Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring
9. Pan's Labryinth
10. Memento

There Will Be Blood was a runaway winner, making eight of the eleven lists and garnering three number one votes. It nearly doubled the point total for the second place movie, given my methodology. (Eternal Sunshine made six lists and LOTR 3 made five lists.) I gave 15 points for a first place vote, then 12, 11, 10 and so forth down to number 10 at 4 points. Numbers 11-20, in whatever order (if there at all) received two points each. I broke the one tie in points between #8 and #9 by going with the one that appeared on more lists. The Metacritic list was the most accurate having 5 of the 10 here in its top ten, plus another two in its top twenty. Of the individual rankers, Ann Hornaday was best with four of these ten in her top ten. Though the Times of London impressively had the same top three as this list (though not in the same order). First and second runners up for the list were The Dark Knight and Ratatouille.

Ebert: Well, those are all good films. No way to quarrel. But...would my list have been of much use if all I was doing was reminding you of them?

Do your lists ever change, or does this posting fix it in stone?

Ebert: It fixes this list in stone.

Roger,
Two things. 1. I think it's hilarious that people post their own best of the decade list on these blogs. How does that change your own personal opinion? Needless to say I was tempted to that myself, and in a previous post i did mention my number 1, but still i find it amusing that so many people do it.

2. I am a little confused at how you pick your "Great Movies" Since some of the films lower on the list (say Pan's Labyrinth, Chop Shop, Adaption, The 25th Hour) are all "Great Movies" does that mean Synecdoche, New York, The Hurt Locker, Monster and Juno are all destined to be "Great Movies"? (again i really hope Kill Bill one day joins your list for personal reasons). I guess I'm just curious as to what a film has to do to become a "Great Movie"

3.
1. Kill Bill (2003-2004)
2. Finding Nemo (2003)
3. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (2004)
4. Pan’s Labryinth (2006)
5. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
6. Up (2009)
7. Babel (2006)
8. Inglorious Basterds (2009)
9. Children of Men (2006)
10. The Dark Knight (2008)

Haha I couldn't resist!

I appreciate you adding "City of God" in there...still my favorite of the decade. By the way, just saw "Up in the Air" and was blown away. My favorites for 2009 before that were "The Hurt Locker" and "Inglourious Basterds."

On another note:

"He's also writing a screenplay, but then everyone in Los Angeles County is doing that."

You typed that in regards to Matthew Dessem, the Criterion Contraption author. Come on, man. Don't brush aspiring screenwriters off like they are bellicose fodder in a futile war. The 2010 morale of the spirit of a new voice is hurt in a single negative connotation sentence like that. I'm sure that's not how you intended it to come across but still. I admire your writings and fifteen conjoined words can add up to an ulcer on the warpath momentum of a headlong scribe reading them...but...also lights a fire under his or her ass...so, thank you.

- Because I'm going to agree with 4 of your top 20 (Juno, Crash, Almost Famous, Kill Bills 1 & 2,)

- and because I am haven't seen a lot of the best 2009 movies like The Hurt Locker

- and because I'm going to skip all of the blockbusters for my personal "best" list

Here are my 15 movies of the decade that I would go in the video store and rent if I had a lost weekend to watch them all again:

Castaway
O' Brother, Where Art Thou
The Bourne Identity
Black Hawk Down
Moulin Rouge
Not Another Teen Movie
Joe Dirt
3000 Miles to Graceland
Lost in Translation
Underworld
The Other Boleyn Girl
Hustle & Flow
The Fall
Gran Torino
The Hangover

A little quirky, I know.

Why do all the mainstream critics credit only Fernando Meirelles as the director of City of God? It was also co-directed by Kátia Lund. It's a shame to see her constantly pushed to the side. She deserves more recognition.

Forgot to lay down my bottom line on the last blog...

"He's also writing a screenplay, but then everyone in Los Angeles County is doing that."

Sure, there are a lot of scripts floating about in lala land but not all are worth a damn. 1 out of 100,000 will maybe come close to having the same flare as "Citizen Kane," yes, but a good many will shadow "How Green Was My Valley." Or maybe not. I just know what I write: nothing below the quality of "Weekend At Bernie's."

Allow me to get flattery out of the way:

I began reading/watching your reviews around the start of this last decade. It has been one of the great pleasure of my young life (I'm 26) to watch, and more importantly read, your film criticism over the last ten years. I have been educated in the subject through various college classes. However, nothing has had a more profound impact on my education (in both film and life) than your writings. If a pulitzer could be awarded for bloging, I feel yours should stand proud at top of the list.

Now to the point. Sure, lists are arbitrary but are none the less interesting, and to be honest -- just plane fun.

I was hoping you could comment on some curious abscences. Notably, "Million Dollar Baby," "Babel," and "Monster's Ball," all of which you praised on your year end lists, and in "Babel's" case, on your Great Movie's List.

And one note regarding your Great Movie section. Thank you for publishing them on your website, but I still like to buy them in print. I guess I'm a sucker for the printed word... on actual paper.

Thank you again for many decades of film reviews and pontifications on life. Fridays are the high point of my week thanks to your website's updates.

I wish you the best of health, luck, and movie viewing in the coming new year and decade.

I wouldn't have put "Minority Report" on the list.

Let's think about criminal behavior, and the authority of the government to punish. Or prohibit.

In order to convict for the crime of murder, the standard is "proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

In the opening scene, we see a psychic's vision of a man murdering his wife. The police go to the house... and they stop the murder from taking place.

Under the idiotic rules used by Spielberg's society, the man is convicted of the crime of murder and imprisoned.

No way. You can't convict a man of a murder that never took place.

The legal theory was "IF the police hadn't arrived, the murder would have taken place."

Which is nonsense. The law is quite clear that thinking about murder, or planning a murder, is protected.... as one of those areas that the government has no authority to regulate.

"Minority Report" was a Spielberg Factory Production. A name star (Tom Cruise) music by John Williams, same cinematographer... but it belongs on the short list with "1941" as "movies that just didn't work."

Ok, Roger, now you're really confusing me. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a movie you gave 3 1/2 stars, is your latest Great Movie--and it didn't make your best-of-the-decade list.

Did something happen in the past week to change your mind about the film? A re-examination?

Just curious.

To go along with my previous post about "Great Movies", I discovered that you just added "Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind" to your great movie list. I am THRILLED! it is one of my all time favorite movies, but why is it not on your list then? and why after just releasing your best of the decade list would you add a film to your "Great Movies" that is in this decade but not on your list, rather than a film that is on your list?

If you want to compare a 'Movies of the decade' list from this decade to the decade that Christ was born, then use 2001-2010. If you want compare a 'Movies of the decade' list from say... this decade, to the 90's or 80's, then use 2000-2009.

Enough of this zero-bashing. As a computer scientist, decades are a partition of time into semi-open intervals of ten year duration, arbitrarily anchored at zero, for reasons of overwhelming convenience. We consider it a professional courtesy not to keep reminding people that their ancestors weren't clever enough to have invented zero yet--and we're too dim about history to remember these niceties in any case--except for the part about the invention of zero as "the wheel", the greatest single aid to numeracy of the past 40,000 years, if we're making a list.

For the pedanticists out there, consider the hapless (i.e. zero-less) 12-hour clock. According to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich the times 12:00am and 12:00pm do not exist, since neither is "ante-" or "post-". A good thing, too, since I can rarely recall which is which. (See Wikipedia "12-hour clock"). Break with the past already. The life you save may be your own.

I'm also shocked at all the Captain Vidals out there copping a pose that a best-of-decade-list needs to obey the mathematics of total-order. In the immortal words of Isidor I. Rabi, who ordered that? Movies are like fine wines in Back to the Future. A movie you've seen can be improved or diminished by movies you haven't seen yet, movies that haven't even been made. In fact, the great movies are precisely those that ripple backwards through time, and reorder what you previously perceived.

It's not for no reason that the stopwatch signifies the starchy collar of time in Pan's Labyrinth.

You write well, Mr. Ebert, with an unmistakably personal affection for films that evoke Elevation and a humorously detached disdain for those that would attempt to debase us all if not for your warnings. You also write well concerning matters beyond the cinema; I submit your wonderful 2009 piece-- http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090407/COMMENTARY/904079997/-1/RSS --
regarding a certain TV personality as one of the finest of the decade in any forum.

Still, I come to praise and to bury.

Respectfully, your list of the best films of the first decade of the 21st century includes some barely forgivable selections. I shall attribute our differences to, well, our obviously very different experiences of achieving Elevation.

I admire your adherence to subjectivity, for lack of a better term, as a primary criterion for your selections, and I beg you to consider my experience with The Hurt Locker. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/619713/reviews/search.php?search=the+hurt+locker

I also had a less enthralling experience with Synecdoche, New York than you did, Mr. Ebert. I found your top film of the decade easy to comprehend but not very meaningful or enjoyable; still, I enjoyed reviewing it and optimistically await the next Charlie Kaufman product.

The Definitive List of The Subjectively (& I think Objectively, too) Best Films of 2000 and beyond thus far:
-The Incredibles
-Hedwig & The Angry Inch
-The New World
-Shanghai Knights
-A History of Violence
-Bowling for Columbine
-Ratatouille
-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
-Requiem for a Dream
-(if there weren't so much talking in the medieval scenes: The Fountain)

Cinematic Performer of the Decade: Tony Jaa

I think your "Great movies" section made me rewatch many films (so thank you for that). Some of them require a certain age or repeated viewings to appreciate them more. I remember how films like "Lost in Translation" or "Mulholland Dr." left me wanting more and now, they're both in my top 10 of the decade (1st and 7th respectively).

P.S. after finding this http://www.innermind.com/misc/e_r_top.htm , I think Bad Lieutenant doesn't earn a place in your top 20 of the decade. I mean, you've just added "Eternal Sunshine" to your "great movies" list and doesn't even appear on this page (or in fact films like "Lost in Translation" or "Mulholland Dr.", which I think you should rewatch since you've ranked them higher than "Le Fils" and "Waking Life" back in 2003 and 2001 respectively).

Your system is quite confusing Mr. Ebert :)

Roger,
Happy New Year! Provocative list and though I can't agree with every selection on it, how does one argue with your personal decisions and rationale? I don't know so I won't... though I would love to have seen ZODIAC included somehow/someway.

By the way, just watched THE SON last night based on your high opinion of the film (not sure how I missed it all these years) but, Wow! I'm going to tell everyone who'll listen to me about that one!

Cheers!
Chris Ortman

While the iron is hot let me add ten I enjoyed ( as they come ): Goodbye Solo, Juno, Wit, Minority Report, Munyurangabo, Chop Shop, Shakespeare in Love, Frost/Nixon, Reader.

The cinematic miracle "Silent Light" is my best film of the decade, followed closely by "The Son."

"Departures" is another film I found unforgettable.

"Synechdoche, New York" did nothing to me. Different strokes...

Rereading your list, I forgot that I would actually argue your inclusion of "Me and You and Everyone We Know" on here as well. It was art house pretentiousness disguised as a feature film if you ask me, and a pretty good example of why some people (not me) don't really get into independent films. I also wasn't as high on "Monster" as you were, but I can't question that one as much.

The fact is, every person is different, and while I disagree with some of your choices, let's face it, you'd no doubt disagree with many of mine. It's the way you are (or anybody is, really) able to articulate their reasoning that makes a list valid. Plus, there were just too many damn good films the past ten years to find room for.

I posted my best films of the decade earlier. Here're the Worst I saw.

1. "3000 Miles to Graceland" (2001)
2. "Whipped" (2000)
3. "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Seige Tale"
4. "National Lampoon's Van Wilder" (2002)
5. "Soul Survivors" (2001)
6. "Basic Instinct 2" (2006)
7. "The Sea" (2003)
8. "Balls of Fury" (2007)
9. "Alien vs. Predator" (2004)
10. "Godsend" (2004)

By the way, was glad to see you add "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (my #3 for the decade) to your Great Movies list. Not that it has anything to do with the topic at hand, but I hope we can expect some more Tarkovsky in your Great Movies in 2010. :D

Interesting list, and well put together (a small part of me was really mad when I didn't see "The Dark Knight" on there). Any chance you'll put "Synecdoche, New York" on your Great Movies list?

Also, do you ever do a "worst of the decade" list?

Juno?!?

Although, I haven't seen it, just say "Bad Lieutenant" to replace, "The Wrestler" on my list.

This list makes me happy and sad. I love seeing films like Synecdoche, New York, THe Hunt Locker, and Monster on this list. And while I adored Juno, I'm not sure I would have this on my top 10 or even 20. I think I'd replace it with Adaptation or Sophia Coppola's Lost in Translation.

On a sad note, for the first time in how long, there are no Scorcese or Speilberg films on this list. Not that there should be, but perhaps we are seeing a transition finally in the film industry from the old guard to the new guard. I just hope in the next decade we get to see more and more female centric and female directed films. Dare I hope we get one that has a female producer, director, and star. Who knew 20 years ago Barbra Streisand did something no women yet has been able to do.

Roger,

I really have no desire to squabble with what is on the list and what is not. It almost seems for a (perhaps the most)respected film critic to be so 'subjective' or 'personal' with a top ten of the decade to be audacious, but I would say it's probably the most (and/or only) valid way of doing it. I also understand your well known dis-taste for lists. Yet, I do feel that they are a fascinating project, especially as way to provide a kind of structure to a year (/decade) of filmgoing. The difficulty for most folks is that it's quite difficult to actually see an adequate number of the years releases to provide a fair yearly list. My top ten at this point has ten really really good films, while I have yet to see over half the films I will end up seeing for 2009. Even though lists are almost arbitrary in their ability to perhaps unnaturally rank good movies, it does provide interesting discussion and the need to put some weight behind great movies... I am amused at how you have subversively undermined the year end list making by essentially making a "top 50" list (divided into categories, we should probably all email metacritic and demand they put all fifty, i mean 51, on their compendium page). Yet, i'm glad that the decade list required you to reveal your #1 for the year in the Hurt Locker...
But you can't deny the energy and fervor elicited through the reflective practice of list making. This post has been filled with great reader comments on looking back over the past decade (which by the way, I think there's the esoteric view: it's not REALLY the end of the decade and the more populist one: The nineties (etc) begin with a NINETY!) and I have enjoyed looking at the lists. An interesting note. The decade discussion is most fascinating by thinking about Scorsese. While being one of the most consistent directors to really continue making great films, it is important to say that I really think his decade winning streak may have ended. While he has certainly made consistently great films this decade (my personal favorite being "No Direction Home"), it could be argued he made the greatest films of the past three decades (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas). Some would go so far as to extend it to four, citing The Departed. While being very good, I think it would be stretching and tempting to just go ahead and place this one at the top again, while admittedly it's probably far from the greatest film of the decade... I was thinking about "you and me and..." the other day, wondering if you would put it on here. I'm very glad you did. It really is kind of one of those hidden gems. It's difficult to argue with Synechdoche. I only place it lower for the "personal" category. Though a film of 'uplift', including a few tears, there were simply other films that shook me to the core a tad bit more. The problem with such criteria is that such a basis can be a bit too subjective. I would say some films had to hit me at the exact time they did to create such a huge impact. Though I see most films alone, my current top three for 09 seemed to be heightened by seeing them at the theatre, with my wife. Although #1 for the decade for me, Grizzly Man, was actually watched on a laptop in the Yazoo City library. Go figure. I suppose you may have applied a criteria of no documentaries? Maybe not, it just seems this way. Though you also have no animation (except Waking Life, which is kind of animation) so should we expect a ten documentaries and ten animated film list? nonetheless, it would intrigue me that Bad Lieutenant would be included here and not Grizzly Man. My #2 is Best of Youth. I was proud to see this also on A.O. Scott's list. I cried at the end almost at the sheer magnitude of the thing. After six hours of one of the most committed screenplays and life encompassing performances it was simply overwhelming. My #3 is 49 Up. though the entire series places higher than all for the decade, dividing by its decades it comes out at #3 by some strange logic. #4 Coffee and Cigarettes, if for nothing else than the Steve Coogan scene, or the Billy Murray scene, or the Jack/Meg white scene, or the... #5 Mulholland Drive.... probably my most "canonical" choice on here, though i'm proud to see this one as one of the most cited entries in the critics 00's lists... it simply bowled me over with the smooth as silver weirdness of David Lynch. #6 Synecdoche, NY, for all the reasons you've already mentioned. And let me say that I have only seen the film once and that I experienced its denseness or "messiness" as a kind of hypnotic experience. It was like reading a really good philosophy book that is equally challenging as brilliant... #7 Fishing with John... we need some surreal-ness on this list... #8 No Country for Old Men, #9 Up (though Wall-E is perhaps technically and culturally the better movie, Up made me laugh, made me cry, took my breath away as thousands of colored balloons poured out of the top of a house while two flunkies try to take a great man to a nursing home... and I didn't even need to see it in 3-D!)... #10 Left open for a floating entry and/or whatever PT/Wes Anderson made jumbled together.

Ebert: Marty has great movies left to make. How can he not?

I realize "Idiocracy" doesn't really belong on that list, but making a list is hard.

Roger:

It is interesting to compare your best film of the 90's- Hoop Dreams- to your best of this decade- Synecdoche.

Hoop Dreams urges us to empathize with others, Synecdoche with ourselves.

What an interesting choice for #1 movie of the decade. I also think it is one of the most important films ever made. Charlie Kaufman has created a wondrous artistic accomplishment. His movie does no less than present the whole of the human condition and painfully pulls back the curtain on all its artifice. His protagonist, Caden Cotard slogs through all the anguish in his life while trying to build meaning and purpose to his existence and eventually dies without completing his life's work. As do we all.

I openly sobbed on my wife's shoulder when the credits began to roll. I don't think any movie provoked such a powerful emotional response from me. My initial reaction was that it was the most depressing thing I had ever seen and never wanted to see it again. But now that I've had more time to absorb it I think I will revisit it again sometime in the future. I have never seen honest truth in film the way I saw it in Synecdoche, New York. It is to be admired.

Having just finished Monster 2003, it is certainly a rivetting, compassionate film which goes to support the view that criminals are made, not born. Seeing this just after Mouchette, I cannot but draw some sort of comparison. Society which judges an individual is itself far from ideal.

"Ebert: Jim Emerson picked it as his worst of the decade, but he didn't receive many posts to agree with him. And if you check their names, not a lot of the posters were regulars here:
http://j.mp/8Pl1cE"

I decided to post this over there (because maybe these people saw some BS and called Paul Haggis out on it):

http://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com/2008/01/paul-haggis-hollywood-interview.html


It's Paul Haggis' account, which seems like racism that he felt, that was the basis for the movie.

He gets robbed at a video store. Why? Because they just really wanted that movie! He changes his locks at 2 in the morning. What if it was the same guys?! And he can't stop thinking about them for ten years and decides to turn them into protagonist instead of what he really felt towards them, antagonists.

From the interview linked:

"I feel a gun in my back. The guy reached down, and grabbed the video that was in Diane’s hand, turned around, hopped in the car, and they drove off. So the cops come, very quickly. I described the young men, the car and all the information. Then I decide to give them my theory of the crime. I said ‘I think those fellows have been here quite often. I get that feeling. I think they were here looking for that video. They’ve been here several times, and it was never in. They saw us coming out with it, felt it was too much to take, and they took the car to make their getaway.’"

I thought about those two kids a lot, and they wouldn’t let me alone. They kept popping up in my head, mostly late at night: who would do that? What did they think of themselves? Did they think of themselves as criminals? Were they best friends? What did they do with the car? 10-12 years later, I woke up in the middle of night again, thinking about them again. I went ‘Fuck!’ So I finally decided to sit down, and write about it. But I decided to use them as my protagonists, rather than my villains."

"We went home and changed the locks. Then I asked myself, how would I have felt if that kid had come to change the locks at two in the morning? What if he was Hispanic? What if he had buzzed hair and what looked like gang or prison tattoos. Would I have felt safe? Being a liberal guy, you’re always spouting off on these things, would you have felt safe in that situation? ‘Fuck! I hate that! I hate asking that question!’ So I decided to put Sandra Bullock’s character in that position of having to admit it."

Ebert: Spam filter got the f-word.

Lee Reynolds only gave a top 5, saying all of the other were either formulaic crap or leftist propaganda.

I'd like to hear his definition of leftist propaganda, and how any of your top 21 fall into that category.

I am absolutely overjoyed to see Synecdoche, NY at the top of your list. What a fantastic film, and I agree that the more you see it, the better and more profound it gets. I must say though that I'm disappointed that neither Punch-Drunk Love nor There Will Be Blood made your list, I honestly believe that any list of the Best of the Decade needs to include a Paul Thomas Anderson film, he's the best filmmaker we have right now and anything he creates is gold.

To begin with, I will just say that I am looking forward to the coming decade because it is an odd-numbered decade. I have noticed in looking through my favorite music and movies that both films and music tend to be better in odd-numbered decades than even-numbered decades (with the exceptions of movies from the 1940's and music from the 1960's). The past decade was no exception: the music was god-awful and while there were some good movies, there was nothing nearly as great as "Duck Soup", "Vertigo", "The Godfather" or "Pulp Fiction".

And now, since nobody asked for it, here are my top 25 films of the decade (I just couldn't whittle it down to 10). For the sake of inclusiveness, trilogies are listed as single films.

1. Mystic River
2. The Pianist
3. Lord of the Rings trilogy
4. O Brother Where Art Thou? (two thumbs down from E&R)
5. The Departed
6. Collateral
7. Crash
8. Brokeback
9. 21 Grams
10. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
11. Good Night and Good Luck
12. No Country for Old Men
13. Babel
14. Ratatouille
15. Frost/Nixon
16. Doubt
17. Match Point
18. Away We Go
19. The Aviator
20. Inglourious Basterds
21. Memento
22. Charlie Wilson's War
23. 28 Days Later
24. United 93
25. the Bourne trilogy

hey, bill hays,

you're right about minority report, but not 1941. that's a "guilty pleasure" movie.

hey, gerald,

just saw avatar in 3d and was amazed. i haven't been so physically involved in a movie since i can't remember. i squirmed and jumped, not from the 3d but from the action with the jungle animals. it was amazing. however, i'm still waiting to for you to explain the hypocracy in the film. was it about killing animals or any living creature?

i was annoyed by a few minor things, such as signourney weaver's character smoking. no reason for that. also, didn't like the stock "corporate insensitive guy who wants to blow things up to mine for valuable things." he even had the tie on while putting into a coffee cup. couldn't be more trite than that. basically paul reiser's character from alien. it would have taken all of four seconds to come up with a better name than "unobtainium" for the mineral they wanted. also, the hero's name, jake sully? how many soldiers have i seen either named sully or scully? c'mon, mr. cameron. they even had a character in m*a*s*h* with that name.

regardless of any of that, it was amazing and MUST be seen in the theater. please don't wait for blu-ray/dvd, i don't care how big your tv is!

I haven’t seen “Synecdoche, New York”, but I’m intrigued not only because I admire Charlie Kaufman and greatly respect your opinion, but also because I think this story may be inspired on a real one. The British playwright and director Alan Ayckbourn faced a very similar situation when in 1985 he was asked by Sir Peter Hall to produce a play in the large open-staged Oliver at the National Theater. The Oliver stage is so big, that “for love scenes you stand six feet apart and shout at each other”, the actor Michael Bryant told Ayckbourn. In the end, he wrote and produced a play titled “A Small Family Business”, and with it, Aykbourn wrote, “I found the perfect excuse to put on stage something that had always been till then beyond my wildest budget, namely a two-storey house complete with working kitchen and bathroom. The biggest dolls’ house in the world.” The stage built by the Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s character reminds me of Ayckbourn’s dolls’ house.

With regards to the “decade” issue, it’s really simple. In general, a decade is a 10 year period; therefore, your list represents the best of a decade of your choosing. However, if you want to be dogmatic about calendars, the first decade of this millennium would only include the years 2001-2010. The reason for this is that the Gregorian calendar (our Christian calendar) does not contain a year 0, there’s only a year 1 (the year the Christ was born); the first year before that one is year 1 B.C. That means that the first decade of our era included the years 1-10, and it proceeds that way until the decade we’re in right now.

Greetings from El Salvador. Happy New Year!

Jorge Ávalos

Dear Mr. Ebert:

What a great list!

I had the privilege of watching "Synecdoche, NY" in the West Village, NYC at a 12am showing and was the only person in the theatre (which never happens in NY). Watching the film followed by the walk home from West 4th Street to Union Square. There was something about that evening I'm at a loss for words to describe.

As a young person (I'm 24) I feel like "Lost In Translation," "Eternal Sunshine..." and "Wendy & Lucy" are three films that will become for my generation what "The Graduate" and "Midnight Cowboy" was for others. Kind of sad they didn't get mentioned on your list. "Juno" and MYAEWK don't hold up next to those three, IMHO.

Look forward to more of your reviews and selections.

Always a pleasure to read your thoughts.

Best,
Carlos

Dear Roger,

Well, I've not seen anywhere near the number of films you have, and I'm mindful of your reservations about lists and feel pretty much the same way about them. Sometimes 10 can be too many and sometimes 30 would not be enough, and so much depends on whose list it is , and who is reading it , and so on.
Then too, I find I agree with many, many more of your reviews than not ,and can almost always appreciate your point of view even when I can't agree.

Having said all that,there are two movies, one on your list, one not, that I believe both received four stars from you ,and I can't believe the second one didn't make it. I can't believe Juno made your list ( I saw it and enjoyed immensely, except for the very annoying song/s ),while In Bruges ( which was the most wonderful surprise I've had in a theatre in many a long year..and by the way, after I saw it, I couldn't wait to read your excellent review ), did not.

Roger, Roger , Roger :)...how can a man who admits to reacting emotionally to film not include this movie ? There was outrageous humour , sensitivity , I don't know..everything. As for emotion , I defy anyone with the least genetic connection to Ireland , or who has had even the briefest exposure to the stories of some delightful Irish raconteur, to be able to watch Brendan Gleeson's scene in the tower, with "On Raglan Road" swelling through the theatre , without the heart aching , the tears flowing.

Poignancy ? Never mind the hand on the belly moment..what about "I really hoped I would live?"

Ah, well..lists.

I'll just add this. I don't know if you've done a DVD review of In Bruges , but there'a delightful extra ;the boat tour of Bruges filmed from the passengers' POV. I often watch it when I feel the need of a little pick me up / calm me down / soothe me.

A very wonderful New Year to you and yours ,Roger. I'll be reading you.

I,like many others, are surprised that you chose to include JUNO on your list. I will admit that it is a fine film (thanks to clever direction and solid performances), but the writing is frequently clunky, and the story, for me, is ultimately forgettable. But you are simply a man listing his favorite films of the last ten years, and though you often speak in a way that implies that your tastes are definitive, you admit, every now and again, that you know this is not the case. You love JUNO, I don't, so be it.

I agree with most of the films on your list, and commend you for listing ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, MY WINNIPEG, KILL BILL, and CITY OF GOD. However, when you speak of Elevation I am reminded of a few films that I would like to bring to your attention as possible ammendments.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS - Stunningly beautiful. Perfectly and meticulously constructed, and yet there is a subtle honesty that transcends the image presented thus making it relatable.

DOGVILLE - A daring and original study of the capacity for human cruelty and forgiveness. A film I need to see again, every time I watch it.

FUNNY GAMES - This is a work of art that could exist in no other medium. A novelization of FUNNY GAMES would fail, as would a manga, or anything else. An excercise in film that comments on the medium, and, in itself, is an entertaining, frustrating, clever, and ultimately beautiful film. FUNNY GAMES is one of the best films of the past thirty years, let alone the last ten. (The humor in the newer version works better on the English only crowd, and Michael Pitt is brilliant, though I do like both versions).

MARGOT AT THE WEDDING - Nicole Kidman is a better actress than she usually gets credit for, and she is at her best here. This film documents the affects that the temperment of one woman can have on a family, and perfectly captures how it feels to be held captive by an unyielding love for an unlovable person. Fantastic.

ANTICHRIST -Horrifying. People tend to focus on the wrong parts of this film, because it is the way that He and She talk that is so frightening, not the gore and mutilation. He is just as awful as She is, if not worse, and Lars Von Trier, who often gets accused of hating women, clearly hates men as much or more than he hates the fairer sex, because at the end of the day he has to accept the fact that he is a man, and that men are arrogant and blind to the feelings of others. Absolutely stunning. I don't purchase many films, but I plan to buy a copy of this first chance I get and watch it ad nauseum. I have never felt the way ANTICHRIST made me feel, and I am excited to re-visit that level of Elevation as soon as possible.

Thank you, Roger, for the list.

And I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, but you should really watch GUMMO. I can't believe you skipped it. I will buy you a copy, if that's what it takes.

-RMP-

Ebert: A list should make no attempt no replicate some Platonic ideal of The List. I'm not interested in making my list a prediction of some sort of consensus. Never have been.

If I can suggest a group of films that actually got to me, I'm satisfied. There's not a single blockbuster in my top ten, except for "Juno." Many of the films on my 2009 list have been seen by so few that half of you seem to be on this blog.

Does that make me an elitist snob? If you see the films themselves, I don't think you'll feel so. I did a Great Movie about "Werckmeister Harmonies," and am astonished by how many people here say they loved it.

IMDb says it opened in one US city, New York, at the small but valiant Anthology Film Archives. No box office grosses at all are reported for anyplace outside Hungary. I saw it on DVD. Yet I'd guess 10 or 12 out of 500 comments here have praised it, and that's statistically amazing.

What does it mean? Well, this group is self-selected. You visit here. Many of you read the Great Movies. If you were moved to seek it, you liked it -- or no one has said they didn't, and the comments all said it belonged on this Best list.

By the same reasoning, if some of you see "The Trucker," "Silent Light," "My Winnipeg" or "Julia" because of my lists, in my mind that's he only useful purpose they serve. In an ideal year, every film on my list would be there if no one else at all had seen it, but just because they were so good.

@Craig, Noah C, John, and especially Roger: Sorry, everyone! I screwed up. Billy Crudup was the lead guitarist, not the lead singer. He's also the member of the band that William keeps trying to get an interview with and as such is a bigger part of the story than the lead singer. My intent was to point out that Crudup was great in the role and was more central to the plot than Jason Lee's character. But everyone in the film is brilliant. I'll stop babbling now. Happy New Year!

Dear Roger,

After reading your entry, I've finally decided to put together my list of the best films of the decade. I used my IMDb votes and took only the "10" votes from the last decade (20 in total) and then picked the films that had the most visceral impact on me. By that I don't mean action and explosions. This decade has had enough of those both on screen and off. I use "visceral" to convey what you said in similar terms: "The direct emotional impact they made on me." I chose films that totally overrode my critical facilities, films that simply stood in my mind as great films and refused to be taken for anything less. Here was my list:

1. About a Boy (2002)
2. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
3. Munich (2005)
4. Ratatouille (2007)
5. Shrek (2001)
6. Capote (2005)
7. Children of Men (2006)
8. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
9. Der Untergang ("Downfall") (2004)
10. Ray (2004)

-Nick Coccellato

How about a less traditional list like a top 10 worst movies of the decade or of 2009?

Now the serious post... I've seen all but 4 of the 20 films you list here, Roger, but it is Pan's Labyrinth that haunts me the most. I own it, but can't get my wife to watch it with me again. Almost Famous is on the other end of the spectrum - a miracle of good will, and medicine I use to cheer me up. The Lord of the Rings trilogy amazed me the most, and Crouching Tiger left me breathless. Spirited Away did a little of each!

I found this list somewhat puzzling, given that some excellent comedies were completely ignored, as well as soem other truly great films for the ages. I would think upon reflection some of these might be considered. My list...

Star Wars 2: Attack of Clones
G.I. Joe
Exit Wounds
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
Get Smart
Maid of Honor
The Benchwarmers
Mr Deeds
Blades of Glory
American Pie 3

RE: Frederic G. "...a certain age and repeated viewings"-Great Movies-innermind.com list- "Your system is quite confusing."

Would suggest reading again Roger's intro. to Great Movies. I just did. Sure that will help clarify his aims. I do agree with you on 'repeated viewings' as a prerequisite. How well do they subjectively hold up for you?

A personal example. Being of a 'certain age,' I have viewed Roger's top two picks from 1968 many times throughout the last 50 or so years. Just read today both his original reviews and his "Great Movies" follow up for both the #1("The Battle of Algiers") and #2("2001") picks from that year. Strikes me both of his takes on the import of both Pontecorvo and Kubrick's films are as relevant today as they were when I first saw the movies and read the original reviews in my early 20's. But also am sure others would probably disagree.

Finally a bit of trivia. From the cool innerworld.com list, I found that Gene and Roger agreed only 44% of the time over 30 years on top 10 list(about the same even before they teamed up in 1975). Never agreed more than 6/10 times for any given year. Only managed to agree on a record 2 films in 1988. Bet that show would be fun to see again.

Yet they agreed with each other on Best Film a helluva lot more than Oscar. Over the same time span, they personally agreed 9 times. Only 3 times did they both concur with Oscar's choice. Both agreed with Oscar separately once.

And always the contrarians-they even split on "Private Parts" on the old Stern show.

Ebert: Sometimes a year's best film picks itself.

My top eleven, in no particular order:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy
No Country for Old Men
Gangs of New York
Pan's Labyrinth
The Lives of Others
Fahrenheit 911
Kill Bill Vol. 1/2
The 25th Hour
Encounters at the End of the World
Milk
A Scanner Darkly

I have been scanning your top ten movies of the decade and i noticed two reoccurring actors:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman: in 3 out of 10 (Synecdoche, New York, The 25th Hour and Almost Famous)
Anna Paquin: in 2 out of the 10 (The 25th Hour and Almost Famous)

I have to agree with some of the posters above. I was disappointed not to see an Asian or East Asian film listed.

But as my original post noted, I also know that in the city where I live, Los Angeles, particularly in Torrance (where I currently reside) and Pasadena (where I used to live), some Asian films may be shown here, but not in other parts of the U.S.

It does make me feel that I should make a greater effort to see the local film festivals that focus on Japan and other parts of Asia.

I reflected that besides "Spirited Away" that "Sky Crawlers" should have been considered and opened here to considerable excitement. After all, the director, Oshii Mamoru, produced the 1995 "Ghost in the Shell" and his 2004 "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" was the first and only animated feature to compete at Cannes for the Palme d'Or. Yet perhaps because of the lack of sensational visuals ("Ghost in the Shell" did have nudity) and the dark subject matter, his "Sky Crawlers" didn't receive a wide release. Likewise, non-animated features from Japan such as the 2008 "Vacation" ("Kyuka") or the 2006 "A Long Walk" ("Nagai Sampo") didn't get a wide release along with the 2002 "Twilight Samurai" ("Tasogare Seibei") even though it was nominated for an Oscar and won awards in Japan.

"Twilight Samurai" looks as the reality of samurai life which wasn't pretty, particularly just before the opening of Japan to Commodore Perry. The protagonist is a lower class samurai who struggles to make ends meet and maintain his class standing as a samurai despite his poverty. The director, Yamada Youji, is better known for his series "Otoko wa tsurai yo" and I was able to interview before the Oscars about his reasons for make the film.

"A Long Walk" is about a man who has been widowed and disowned by his only child. He takes a long walk to a place where he had once been happy with a child whose mother is clearly abusive and there is no happy Hollywood ending.

"Vacation" is about how a man earns his vacation and the death penalty in Japan.

"Sky Crawlers" is an adaptation of a famous novel series in Japan about the meaning of war and war as entertainment.

In a city where we have several Chinatowns, Chinese films are also hard to ignore. I agree that "Yi Yi" and "Mood for Love" as well as "2046" and "Hero" should be considered. All had moments of beautiful cinematography. Why put on "Kill Bill" when there are better and real Asian movies that get the traditions right?

Of course, I still love "Fados" by Carlos Saura. I can hardly wait to see his "Flamenco, Flamenco" which I am sure will show here because of the many flamenco dancers and companies in this area. "Babel" is another movie I would consider.

I wouldn't put LOTR on my list, just because it was an event. If that's the case, you might as well add all the Harry Potter films and the Star Trek films as well.

I'm looking at my list and it is heavy in animated features and I'm not sure how anyone can narrow it down to just 10.

Amelie: This played like a romantic fable, but it had a simple message and I loved the visualization and the music.

Fados: Carlos Saura seems to be recording great performances--both by musicians, singers and dancers but still manages to tell a type of history of an art form. The soundtrack also stands by itself as did the soundtrack for his "Tango."

Good Night and Good Luck: George Clooney's movie about courage and media responsibility is about one brave moment in the past and yet the message remains timely and tough.

The Incredibles: In this century, we need strong female heroes and "The Incredibles" delivers that and some. It gives us heroes who are a family. This movie has great wit and style and I loved the DVD extras.

La Danse: Wiseman's documentary isn't about people and doesn't seem to have a particular message, but gives us an idea of how an organization works and how art is developed.

O Brother Where Art Thou?: Great soundtrack, great characterizations and usage of color in cinematography.

Pan’s Labyrinth: I loved the saturated colors of the cinematography and the creativity of the story. This is a fairy tale that doesn't have a happy ending, but is about hard choices and shows that courage doesn't need blazing guns or big muscles.

Spirited Away: This is another movie with a female protagonist who learns about the real values of family and friendship. The imagery is stunning and even the bad guys aren't all bad.

Tsotsi: I am a great fan of Athol Fugard upon whose novel this is based. This story is about another side of South Africa and how even in desperate situations hope can be found. This story, unlike "Disgrace" is about the black Africans and their continued poverty and struggle in post-apartheid South Africa.

Up: I like it when directors take chances and for an American animated film to feature a disgruntled elderly man and then add a plump Asian American boy, you got to give the people behind them credit. This movie is funny and yet observant about people and loss.

Honorable Mention:
Departures (Okuribito) This movie is about the Japanese funeral industry and a son finding the father he had lost when he himself is about to become a father. The actor who plays the main character Motoki Masahiro read the book and was determined to make this movie although he and the director did not anticipate it to be well-received due to the subject matter. The movie went on to win several awards including an Oscar.

Catch Me if you Can: Love the music, love the animation at the opening credits and the battle between Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Sky Crawlers: The usage of animation to tackle deep philosophical topics isn't unusual for Japan and it's unfortunate this movie didn't get a wider release and attract a bigger American audience.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (Ki-duk Kim, 2003): In general I do not like Kim Ki-duk movies and I tend to think them slightly misogynistic. Although this is mainly about the male characters and the female character do not come to good endings, this movie features some beautiful cinematography and some pensive thoughts about love and life and how we treat each other. In "Okuribito" a stone plays an important role and here too stones have special meaning.

Tasogare Seibei: I was totally surprised and touched by this movie. It was interesting to hear a Japanese perspective (interviewing both the director and the star) and disappointing to see that people whose interest in Japanese samurai movies would rather see something like "The Last Samurai" which came out the same year, than this movie.

Vacation (Kyuka) Like the U.S., Japan also had the death penalty and instead of examining how the death penalty takes a toll on the prisoners on death row, this movie looks at the guards who are asked to manage the prisoners.

I'm guessing that not a lot of people saw "Paprika" although I see it mentioned above. I have wanted to see "Tekkonkinkreet" since it came out and showed on the opposite side of town for about a week and is mostly unavailable at video stores. It is available on Netflix now though.

N.B.

For those that can't read Japanese the #5 entry on Tour de Force's list:
5. マインド・ゲーム
translates as "Mind Game" a 2004 anime.

Ebert: "Twilight Samurai" was wonderful.

Hi Roger,
I have a burning question for you. When I compiled my best of the decade list, my number 1 selection was Saraband, Ingmar Bergman's final masterpiece. However, I have not seen anyone write or comment on this beautiful film. I know that you love Bergman as much as I do. Am I the only person who has seen this film? Thanks.

Thank Goodness that someone finally recognizes the Kill Bill series. Awesome.

But if that makes your list, I wonder what keeps Million Dollar Baby off. I thought you liked that better than Kill Bill Vol. 2 in 2004.

My personal additions: Lost in Translation, The Dark Knight, Insomnia, Traffic, Up in the Air, Mulholland Drive, and Babel.

Plus, Actor/Actress of the Decade: Kate Winslet----we're so lucky to see her face and her acting!

Dear Roger,

Thanks for an interesting list. Actually many of the fils you recommend I really end up liking, but I just can't agree with you on Synecdoche, New York.

I like some of Kaufmann's films; the best of them play with the absurdity of it all and have some great tongue-in-cheek moments (take Kate Winslet who loves her '60's outfit in "Eternal Sunshine" or a balding Charlie Sheen in "Being John Malkovich"...)

I had no fun with Synecdoche at all. It feautures a character whose house is permanently on fire...for no real reason. It's not funny and if there's some layered meaning I have yet to find it.

Narrative isn't the point, I know, but I don't see any of the things you allude to either. I see an incomprehensible mess.

It seems to mimic the sort of logic we experience in our sub-conciouss or while dreaming, which I suppose hasn't been done before, but I can't escape the feeling it's the type of movie that critics will praise because they don't want to look stupid for not understanding it. (No offense intended) My girlfriend and I are probably a good target audience for more intellectual fodder, but after watching it, neither of us thought it made any sense whatsoever. We didn't enjoy it much either.

I actually was quite pleased to see that you listed The Hurt Locker so high. Thats also, if at all. I made a list on my movie site and that film made my personal favorite film of the decade. Some friends of mine thought I listed it 1# just because the experience was so fresh in my mind. But really, it just left that much of an effect on me.

I do want to know though, what is your stance on the Lord of the Rings films? I already know how you felt about those film after reading your reviews. However, some films change in the look and feel and significance over time. What is your stance on there significance in cinema as time goes on?

I agree with your top choice of "Synecdoche, New York" as the top film of the decade. While I was left stupefied after the initial viewing, further viewing has completely verified this movie's standing as an elite film. Charlie Kaufman's films just keep getting better, I would, however, have included his previous "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" on your list. To me, it is one of the most heartbreakingly honest films about a break-up I have ever seen. That's just a minor quibble, however, you did include two of his movies, so a third might've seemed excessive. I thank you, sir, for all your reviews, I've enjoyed reading them for years. Thanks, Roger.

I'm so happy with your choice of #1 movie (and, yes, I do love enumeration, however pointless -- it's just more fun. So there!).

I'm tired of critics (e.g. Rex Reed) calling movies pretentious simply because they (the movies) are intellectually ambitious. What a deadening influence they are! Reed would surely have given poor grades to Wagner, Stravinsky, Monteverdi, de Kooning, Rauchenberg...

Even if Synecdoche had failed, it was an epic effort! And we could use more artistic ambition in the movies in the U.S. That the movie actually succeeded is remarkable. Thank God.


I don't really have a type 10 but here is one for now. I'm lucky I could go through over 500 comments to make sure I knew which ones I liked.

Batman Begins (Nolan's most 'fluid' film and entertaining throughout)

Elling (I wish more people would see this comedy. It really has heart and the chemistry of the characters is a found rarity)

Three Iron (Ki Duk can frustrate me with some of his surprises but he melds silence, action, and Satie well with this one)

The Pianist (A film that shows a war that Americans of this generation couldn't comprehend and shows the human side of such a thing)

Inglorious Basterds (Christoph Waltz takes this film for sure but the tension inducing scenes that are laid throughout are great)

Howl's Moving Castle (I'm surprised at how Miyazaki can combine different time periods from his imagination and bring to life a broom and a flame. Also, it is amazing how well the girl takes being made old with stride)

Battle Royale (If a violent film can be a comedy, this is it. The setup is original, the way each student dies is fun, and what more can be said about 'Beat' Takeshi?)

Broken Embraces(I love how Almodovar can make you feel close to the characters, give the film great color, and put a great and original story out there. He is a true original.)

Love Liza (If we are going to talk about Philip Seymour Hoffman and his range, this movie takes you on a trip to hell in the shoes of a man who starts to huff gas after his wife commits suicide...goddamn tragic that feeling must be)

American Psycho (What connects Huey Lewis, 80's extravagance and brutal murder? This well-done pic which throws in a great Willem Defoe cameo as icing on the cake)

You've gotten me to obsess about my favorite movies, damn you.

I know you don't read your fans' lists, but I've enjoyed others', so maybe someone will like mine. After much agony, I've managed to get it down to my very favorite top ten, listed in order of greatness, objectively measured:

- A Serious Man (admittedly, the afterglow will surely fade, and then...)
- Bad Education
- Gosford Park
- A Home at the End of the World
- Before Night Falls (you included 2000, so, here, so do I)
- There will Be Blood
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (you did, after all, include the year 2000)
- Nine Lives
- Juno
- Brokeback Mountain
- Murderball
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Elephant
- Cassandra's Dream
- Monster
- The Lives of Others
- Synecdoche, NY (you may have swayed me to see it this last time, and I know I'll see it again. It'll probably bubble further up my list)
- The Departed (yes, I think he deserved the Oscar for this film -- 'though he should've gotten it for others as well)
- Ratatouille
- Motorcycle Diaries
- Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Thanks for the read.

I'll not bug you much more, but I meant to mention my runner-ups. By no means did I mean to dismiss the achievements of these films, though they didn't fit in my top 10:

Babel
Werckmeister Harmonies
Talk to Her
A Very Long Engagement
Chicago
Milk
Volver
Crouching Tiger...
Monster's Ball
Paris, Je T'Aime
No Country for Old Men
Amelie

y tu mama tambien
amelie
oldboy
Lord 0f the rings trilogy
Pan's Labyrinth
city of god
Babel
Slumdog Millionaire
Maria Full of Grace
Gone Baby Gone

Interesting how Mulholland Drive didn't make your list. You seemed positively shaken by that film.

Dear Roger,
Allow me to tell you that you have mistaken on your front page in the 'featured section' of rogerebert.com the actor Jeremy Renner with the Dardenne brothers actor 'Jeremie Renier' as you are mentioning 'the hurt locker' with a picture from the 2008 film ' l'heure d'ete' with Juliette Binoche by his side.
Also I was wondering if there was any chance for me to send my 20 minute doc about an inspiring story of an 84 year old ex monk and his life long quest to build an entire cathedral by himself (He's been working relentlessly for almost 50 years)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1367320/
to you or your officeas I would LOVE for you to see it!
Thank you for your time
Aliocha

Ebert: A caption will soon identify that as a still from "Summer Hours."

Dude, so great you did not list Hollywood's top selling titles ... most of them are plain bad having the only plus that they are easy to sell...

I'll throw out some of my favorites that few people are mentioning:

About Schmidt
Sideways
Something's Gotta Give
Little Miss Sunshine
Before Sunset
Starting Out in the Evening
In Bruges
The Barbarian Invasions
The Wrestler
Match Point

I prefer any of the comedies here to Juno. It was fine, but I agree with others about it

being overrated.

Having seen Synec twice ( the last time seems to have been quite fruitful, going by my re-view of my own review ) I'm being enticed into a third sortie, by it's present re-elevation and confirmation to almost unique pedestal in your evaluation.

Mr. Ebert,

Wow. 562 comments in three days. And many of them as long as your original post. Quite amazing (even if 400 of them were about the technical definition of a decade; you do have a group of unique followers).

I couldn't help but write something personal about "Synechdoche, NY," which affected me more than any movie in recent memory. When it was finished, I had to go away by myself for about an hour and process what had just happened to me. A "Walden" moment, if you will. If I understand it, it is only because of the many reviews and thoughtful articles (as yours) written on the subject. Yet I do not necessarily believe my incomprehension to be a problem. Much in the way of modern art, music, or other mediums are not meant to be understood. In writing a review of Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks," Lester Bangs wrote of some lyrics, "I don't know what they mean, but I know how they feel." I know how "Synechdoche, NY" feels.

From what I understand, much of the criticism of James Joyce's "Ulysses" comes from the theory that so many people could not penetrate the text and, rather than admit to that, hailed it as a work of genius. These criticisms must come from people who are uncomfortable with not knowing, the state of perpetual curiosity. Much of my love for "Synecdoche" comes from the feeling that it is beyond me, a mental puzzle that I may never be able to solve but can learn as time goes on. Could anyone say the same about "G.I. Joe" or "Transformers"? I don't want to meet the person that could.

I have seen "Synechdoche" three times now, showing it to various people. Not all of them have liked it. I have inched my way closer to penetrating its lovely barriers. My feelings for it, and because of it, have increased with each viewing. And I fall in love over and over again with my own curiosity at this puzzle before me. If one can choose between curiosity and understanding, I would hope a person would opt for curiosity every time.

Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Ebert. It might be time to watch the film again.

Ebert: Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Tact.

Since life is both brief and eternal, one should live ( irrespective of age ) as though (a)the present moment is the last and (b)life will never end.

"Four years ago in spring, I went to London at the invitation of Dr. Toynbee for my second meeting with the British historian. After spending five days talking with him, I went to Paris, and from there rode a train for two hours to the Loire. Clear streams washing grassy banks, flocks of sheep, steeples of ancient castles, paths where birds chirped, quiet woods, flowers in full bloom, ageless farmhouses built of stone --- in such surroundings stood the ivy-covered house where Leonardo da Vinci spent his later years. In the bedroom where he ended his life there was a copper plate on which were engraved his words:

A substantial life is long.
Meaningful days give one a good sleep.
A fulfilled life gives one a quiet death."

Dr. Daisaku Ikeda

@By David B on January 3, 2010 8:25 PM

Dear Roger,
I had no fun with Synecdoche at all. It feautures a character whose house is permanently on fire...for no real reason.

"This world is like a burning house."..Buddha

All this argument over year and decade lists is so premature. Everyone knows that the year doesn't really end until January 31st.

Any listing seems a bit limiting, for I feel that '00-'09 was a pretty damn good ten years in the history of film. Roger, would you care to reflect on the past ten years in cinema and perhaps how it relates to previous decades or ages?

Just how the heck do you pronounce "Synecdoche"?? Seriously?

Ebert: Rhymes with Charlie Kaufman's home town.

First, I'm thrilled to see that you're taking part in this year's Movie Club on Slate Magazine http://www.slate.com/id/2240458/entry/2240461/ It's always fun to read a long roundtable discussion about the movies by critics who genuinely love them. Also, wanted to mention that I finally got around to watching Almost Famous thanks to your mention in this post. I've owned the DVD for months, only just now got around to watching it. While I certainly enjoyed the movie and thought the performances were excellent, it didn't move me quite the same way as it seemed to move you. But that's OK. I'm glad you made your best of decade list based on what movies moved you the most. It's clear from the posts here that everyone has their own list. Your list serves me as a guide for movies that I might like and may have overlooked. While I may not always rank movies in the same order as you, your lists (and reviews) still serve a very useful purpose. And with Netflix and a good home theater I can see just about any movie produced. Thanks Roger.

I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I did not rank my best of the decade (a six-part look at the ones that affected me the most), but if I was to rank them I would have Requiem for a Dream as my #1, followed by The Hurt Locker and Synecdoche, New York as #2 and #3, respectively.

I would like to know what you think of my particular listing - of course, some of my films are probably way out there (or not, depending...)

Thanks again@

I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I did not rank my best of the decade (a six-part look at the ones that affected me the most), but if I was to rank them I would have Requiem for a Dream as my #1, followed by The Hurt Locker and Synecdoche, New York as #2 and #3, respectively.

I would like to know what you think of my particular listing - of course, some of my films are probably way out there (or not, depending...)

Thanks again!

Do you have any intention to post a worst list for the decade? I equally enjoy reading about the movies you hate.

I agree with "Synecdoche, New York" as the #1 pick; I would probably rate it as one of the best films ever made. It's the closest thing to something like Beckett's "Malone Dies" (or even his closed-space novels) that we're going to get in film. In that way, it's sacred to me; I cannot watch it dry-eyed. It feels like Kaufman distilled the essence of existence in that movie, and for the life of me, I can't understand why this movie isn't talked about in the media all the time.

Mr Ebert:
I've been reading your reviews and your blog for about a year. And although one year doesn't seem much I've been able to get that you don't rank your "best movies list". I wonder why did you rank this particular list. No intend to criticize, i'm just curious.

Only stating this because you said no one disagreed, I liked Werckmeister Hamonies a lot but not as much as most here. Its not in my top 10 of its year, let alone the decade. But certain scenes were incredible and I do like the film. Its certainly better than anything the Oscars nominated that year.

That said, my top 10 of the decade:

10. No Country For Old Men (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, 2007)
9. Songs From the Second Floor (Roy Andersson, 2000)
8. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
7. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Andersson, 2001)
6. L'Enfant (Jean Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, 2005)
5. Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay, 2002)
4. Mulholland Dr (David Lynch, 2001)
3. Memories of Murder (Joon-ho Bong, 2003)
2. The Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada, 2002)
1. The Best of Youth (Marco Tullio Giordana, 2003)

With VERY honorable mentions to: Goodbye Solo, A Christmas Tale, Kings and Queen, There Will Be Blood, Late Marriage, Once, Children of Men, Spirited Away, The Widow of St Pierre, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Son, Control, My Winnipeg, Punch Drunk Love, The Barbarian Invasions, In the Mood for Love, Waltz With Bashir, You the Living, Russian Ark, The Proposition, Inglourious Basterds, After the Wedding, The Wave, Mother, Yi Yi, George Washington, Chop Shop, Lady Vengeance, Talk to Her, The White Ribbon, Oldboy, Monsters Inc, Brodre (much better than the American remake), The Hurt Locker, Adaptation, Saraband, Everlasting Moments, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Pans Labyrinth, Up... and many more.

I've seen everything you listed Ebert except for Silent Light and Waking Life. I'll correct that soon. I liked a good deal of the films you listed, though a few, particularly Me and You and Everyone We Know, Bad Lieutenant, Monster and Crash leave me cold, several of them I downright dislike. I like Juno but not as much as you obviously. It'd make a top 250 of the decade, not a top 100 though. Very watchable but that's about the best praise I can give it...

So glad to see "The Son" on here. I hope its inclusion will convince more people to see it.

Here's my mini-list of "Movies from the past decade that I could sit and watch over and over again" (subtitled "Lovely movies with enigmatic endings, 2000-2009"):

1. "You Can Count on Me" (2000), with the wonderful Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo. As you said in your original review, "It's rare to get a good movie about the touchy adult relationship of a sister and brother."

2. "The Station Agent" (2003). Just saw it again on TV the other day...got all wrapped up in it instead of folding my laundry.

3. "Lost in Translation". The scene with Bill Murray singing karaoke to Scarlett Johanssen is the very definition of "bittersweet."

Synecdoche is endlessly rewatchable, it is an "alive" film as Mr. Kaufman explains it! Great pick for number one. Next time you watch it Mr. Ebert, have the pause button on your remote in hand, there are parts of the film buried in the details. (For example when Caden is on the plane with Hope Davis's character, the page of her book that is open on the insert shot - press that pause button!)

It is really wonderful to see your #2, #3, and #5 picks are directed by women, and #4 written by a woman. I agree with you that female filmmakers tend to be interested in the psychological and introspective aspects of the story. Stories of emotional development (and depth) may be a difficult pitch to the studios, but make for unforgettable films. Hopefully this trend of female-made films will grow in the next decade!

My personal list would have had The New World (I'm surprised this one is not on yours!), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Royal Tenenbaums, and some love for P.T. Anderson and Pixar on there somewhere.

WOW

I cant believe you dont have movies like "the Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "the Departed", "Avatar", "Inglorious Bastards" or "Old School" on this list, you know the type of movies that are actually fun and entertaining to watch.

Other then The Hurt Locker I have never seen a movie on this list, and to think is it any wonder on why hardly any normal person trusts what the critics say, other then as a gauge of: if the critics hated it, then its bound to be fun to watch!

I haven't seen Synecdoche, New York but will see it shortly. Of the ones I have seen, top five:

5. Downfall
4. O Brother Where Art Thou?
3. Lord Of The Rings
2. Gangs Of New York
1. Saraband

Interesting list. Films that I personally really liked that weren't on your list include
1. Traffic
2. The Pianist
3. Little Children
4. Brokeback Mountain
5. Zodiac
6. In The Bedroom
7. Casino Royale
8. Grizzly Man
9. Hotel Rwanda
10. Sideways

"Ebert: Spam filter got the f-word."

Thanks, because I think that means you had to go retrieve it. I'm not really a computer person and I'd like to keep it that way--and am like that in general because I try to keep my mind like a computer: anything that I don't want in there would just be filling up space for better things and like a computer too many things clog up your memory and it works slower, if at all. To keep this back on topic, I like your list of movies and will try to see them.

Interesting list. Films that I personally really liked that weren't on your list include
1. Traffic
2. The Pianist
3. Little Children
4. Brokeback Mountain
5. Zodiac
6. In The Bedroom
7. Casino Royale
8. Grizzly Man
9. Hotel Rwanda
10. Sideways

Actually I've seen all of the top ten, except "Chop Shop", "The Son" and "My Winnipeg" and all the other ones too except for "Silent Light." Not too many down to go. I can do that easy.

If aliens came to visit our planet, "Synechdoche, New York" would be the movie to show them to help them see why we do what we do.

Roger, I wish you good health. I love top ten list and I know I will not find one I agee with,so here is mine.

1 LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
2 SIDEWAYS
3 MEMENTO
4 MYSTIC RIVER
5 CROUCHING TIGER,HIDDEN DRAGON
6 CAPOTE
7 THE HURT LOCKER
8 GRIZZLY MAN
9 LOST IN TRANSALATION
10 THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

I decided to take a page from your book and write about a few movies that fell under the radar or for whatever reason, were just plain-overlooked. I wouldn't say that all of these necessarily belong on a "Best of the Decade" list, but they're all excellent films and I'd recommend them to anyone.

"The Station Agent" - A smart, funny, sometimes touching film from writer-director Tom McCarthy (who also helmed "The Visitor"). Not the generic indie-quirkfest it may appear to be on paper, but a drama about real people getting to know one another. The reluctant friendship between Peter Dinklage's character and Bobby Cannavale's character I thought shared somewhat of a resemblance to Red West's and Souleymane Sy Savane's relationship in "Goodbye Solo."

"Brick" - A sharp, witty film noir, set in a present day high school. It could have been just a gimmick, but the because of the strength of the performances (particularly Joseph Gordon-Levitt's) and the writing, you come to genuinely care what happens. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, who also helmed "The Brothers Bloom."

"Adam and Eve" (a.k.a. "National Lampoon's Adam & Eve") - Before anyone decides to skip this one solely because of the "National Lampoon's" prefix, know that it was made without their involvement; they were just the distributors. Directed by Jeff Kanew (who also directed "Revenge of the Nerds"), and written by his son Justin Kanew, it's an intelligent, thoughtful movie that actually has something to say about relationships and sex - more of a romantic drama with comical overtones than the bawdy (and idiotic) sex-farce you'd expect it to be. Stars Michael Douglas's son, Cameron Douglas, and Emmanuelle Chriqui (I don't know how to pronounce it either).

"Romance and Cigarettes" - A strange, hilarious movie, written and directed by John Turturro. It's a musical unlike any you've ever seen, featuring well-known songs from artists like Bruce Springsteen and Janis Joplin instead of original music. Not only is it often laugh-out-loud funny, it's also poignant. Has probably one of the best ensemble casts ever put together on film, including James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, and many more.

"The Princess and the Warrior" - A beautiful, hypnotic meditation on love and fate and reconciliation (and one of my all-time favorite movies), this is the one I'd recommend the most of all the films I've mentioned. Written and directed by Tom Tykwer, who's mostly known for his film "Run, Lola, Run," it's a slower, more deliberate film, but it's also deeper and more absorbing. It's beautifully shot. It's exciting, romantic, and sad; and it features one of the best climaxes I can think of from ANY movie. Stars Franka Potente, from "Lola" and the "Bourne" movies.

These are just a few films that I found in my own collection that I thought would be good to tell other moviegoers about. I apologize if the descriptions come off as Ebert-lite (or in other words, rip-offs), but I just wanted write something brief that captures what I love about these movies (and I read a lot of reviews).

My 10 Best list, and this is a labor of love:

1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Ratatouille
3. The Wrestler
4. There Will Be Blood
5. Up
6. Spirited Away
7. Mulholland Drive
8. Batman Begins
9. The Incredibles
10. A.I. Artificial Intelligence

I thought the past decade was all but dominated by animated films, Pixar especially. And, having devoured the film three times now on DVD, I'm convinced that Inglourious Basterds is an absolute masterpiece that any director would have been proud to make. I was afraid that I had overrated Tarantino somewhat in the afterglow of Pulp Fiction, but Basterds is the real deal. (It also contains my single favorite performance of the last 10 years, Christoph Waltz's Hans Landa, who MUST win an Academy Award.)

Roger, please forgive me for any feathers I may have ruffled. I think I may have struck a nerve with my last comment, and I didn't mean to. I read your public journal and your reviews regularly, and respect your tastes. I in no way meant to suggest that you are an elitist for choosing the films that move you as the best of the decade, and I accept the fact that I may seem like a self-absorbed elitest myself for suggesting that you ammend your list of favorite films - and in your own journal for pete's sake! The films I listed were the ones that moved me, and with most of them, they were the films that I felt were drastically underated. I made a case for them, not in any way thinking that you would honestly change your list, but in an effort to share my favorite films of the last decade with you and with the community of film buffs that you have brought together. I was a bit challenging in my statements, hoping, I think, to engage you in conversation over the merit of the films I listed, because I respect you and value your opinions, and when you respect someone you challenge them (but you do not set out to insult them, which is apparently what I have done).

Though I don't always agree with your tastes or interpretation of films, I visit your site every few days and read your reviews because you and I, as strangers, have shared many things.I watched MY WINNIPEG because of your review, and I fell in love with it, and you were the first person I "know" who has ever mentioned YOU, THE LIVING, which I saw and adored at the Portland International Film Festival in 2008 (I am still dying to talk about that film).

I mentioned Harmony Korine's film GUMMO because when I first saw the film it moved me, as I had never seen anything quite like it. You have shared so many films with me over the years that I wanted to share one with you, and the last time you spoke of GUMMO (in your review of JULIEN DONKEY BOY) you had still yet to see it. I didn't mean to come off as smug, but was simply out to share something with you. The offer still stands, Roger. I will buy you a copy.

Best wishes in the new year.

-RMP-

Ebert: While composing the list by candlelight, I sang some Gregarian chunts.

Droll. Very droll, sir.

I'm surprised (well, slightly) by the number of comments from my fellow readers at the numerical rankings and the endless carping over what year this decade truly ends in (how dare you Roger!?!). Thank you for your reviews and for providing me with the content in your work that has enriched my film going experience.

Lists are fun, but the essay on "Synecdoche, New York" has made me rhapsodic. And I'm not even Hungarian.

This is a very interesting and unexpected compilation, nonetheless, superb. As I was browsing through the list of very great movies, I couldn't help but notice David Gordon Green's film(s) were omitted. Based on your reviews of his films, it seemed like you had been advocating this young filmmaker and celebrating the birth of the next Terrence Malick. Any thoughts?

Here is a Best Comic Book Adaptations 10:

Watchmen
Dark Knight
Spiderman 2
V for Vendetta
Max Payne
Batman Begins
Sin City
Iron Man
Spiderman 1
Hellboy Golden Army

Let me start off by saying that I'm starting to hate the year/decade end best of top 10 list. When I begin to think of a "best of list" I find it fun and insightful. The many movies, whether it was "No Country" or "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle", all affected me in a way that they may not have affected another person. With the opinion of the individual there is no "right" or "wrong" answer to the question: "What is your favorie...?", and therefore, I can competely understand why "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Brokeback Mountain" don't make it on Roger's list. Did it mean that he didn't like the movies, or that he doesn't hold them in his highest esteem? No. As I seem to remember, he gave both of those movies great reviews.

I think it's funny how every few comments, I will read this same sentence with the a different movie plugged in: "I don't see how _____ doesn't make it on your list". I feel very little sympathy for the people who can't conceive of the position that he is put in:

1. All he wants to do is share with us, the public, his personal favorites of the year and decade and doesn't want to limit it to only ten because...well, there is no reason to do so.

2. We, the public, give him grief because he doesn't want to make a boring, structured, and by all means, around the end point, inaccurate list (because around 7,8,9,10 the movies become honorable mentions and really have no order). So, he goes back to a set of ten.

3. We give him grief because he doesn't cover most of the movies ("Little Miss Sunshine" and "Brokeback Mountain") on his list, which I might add, wouldn't be an issue if he just listed them on a scale of AT LEAST 20 of his favorites.

4.He is left arguing with a bunch of people who are more concerned with the definition of the word "decade" than they are with seeking out interesting, insightful movies and giving their opinion on his choices.

How about this: Read whatever list he chooses to release, agree or disagree (it's your choice), give your list, and finally: LET IT GO! Life is too short!

Two Kaufman nods and no Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

Also- Shaun of the Dead.

Nine( just kidding)
Kill Bill-The Whole Thing

Mystic River( Can't wait for Mystic River Reloaded)
Dogville
Femme Fatale(It's Vertigo, with a surprise ending!)
Gangs of New York
Letters from Iwo Jima
Hedvig and the Angry Inch
Million Dollar Baby
Saraband
A.I.

Your original acute judgement about Twitter continues to be confirmed.

Roger,
My younger brother identifies strongly with Almost Famous and burned a cd of the soundtrack for me a few years ago. The movie comes up in conversation with him at least once a year. Other than leave a few albums at our grandmother's house when we took off for college, there was one seminal act.

My cousin Patti and I scooped him up and took him with us to an acoustic guitar concert at Morehead State University. Not the school we attended, had to cut our own classes to go and stopped and picked him up in Frankfort. He had started guitar lessons. The musician was Richie Havens.

I've started a new folder with Ebert blog posters' movie lists. Good company for the book pieces. Thank you for this place. Now I can start reading from the bottom and work my way back through new items.

Roger:

You recently made fun of a critic's usage of 'riveting' in a tweet. It was funny and riveting.

'Astonishing' is your riveting. Google our hero's name with said word. Several reviews come up, one of them 'Alvin and the Chipmunks.'

You also love ending your reviews with a comment on human nature. This, I suppose, is what draws us to you.

I wish you would use 'egregious' more. I feel like you and 'egregious' could tango. I also love when you use 'quotidian.' Only Woody Allen uses it better.

This is not a critique. Your writing is Aishwarya Rai and mine is really bad back acne.

Be good and continue making lists so that people who know less about movies can critique them and you!

Roger,

Excellent list. I'm sad by the lack of Departures and Nobody Knows, but we can't win them all. Plus, if too many of these films were movies I was familiar with, I wouldn't have anything to put on my Netflix queue. Thanks again.

Since you published your lists, I've watched Knowing and now, just now, finished watching Synecdoche, NY (available to stream from Netflix). I loved Knowing. I'm thankful you praised it enough to prod me into watching it.

One of my friends, whose taste and mine align, told me Synecdoche, NY was "not great, but it's worth a watch." With that ringing endorsement, I promptly went out and didn't watch it. Because of it's place in your heart, I gave it a try.I appreciated the final half-hour of Synecdoche much more than the first 90 minutes. I believe I will follow your lead and view it again. Parts of it were creative and interesting, like Olive's diary. Other parts of it were puzzling and no amount of thought straightens them out, like the perpetually burning house.

Ebert! How could you forget 2001's brilliant "Wit?" Emma Thompson's performance was the best of the decade.

my list:

10) STEP BROTHERS
9) SESSION 9
8) THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN
7) MYSTERIOUS SKIN
6) WALL*E
5) RUBBER JOHNNY
4) PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER
3) IN BRUGES
2) THERE WILL BE BLOOD
1) PUNCH DRUNK LOVE

Little Miss Sunshine.

Bravo for recognizing "Synecdoche" as the masterpiece it is. I'm a little puzzled, though, by your inclusion of "Crash" and "Juno". But, hey, to each his own. My 10 favorites of the decade, in no particular order, are:

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Habla con Ella
3. Synecdoche, New York
4. Amores Perros
5. In the Bedroom
6. The Lives of Others
7. The Visitor
8. La Vie en Rose
9. There Will Be Blood
10. The Savages (this is a very personal film for me, as I experienced something almost identical to the film's plot)

How could you leave out "Mulhulland Drive?" It's the best film of the decade, hands down.

1. The Simpsons Movie
0. Step Brothers
3. My Life In Ruins
7. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
1. Footloose
6. Casablanca
10. Madagascar

As always, a stunning bit of work from you. I always appreciate your characteristic honesty and your lack of pretension. It's what sets you apart from the Arnold White's and Dan Schneider's of the world.

You know I actually think that much of the debate over Synecdoche can be framed in a sort of stylistic category, I suppose you could call it, or an area of personality. I often debate it with a good friend of mine. his aesthetic philosophy very much comes down to working very hard for a careless feeling and approach; he almost strikes me as too shy to admit art is important to him. I also like a more natural approach, but the difference is that he is always highly cerebral and so he goes for his sense of style and taste very much like post-modernist and as a writer he is very much into jocularity, deconstruction, etc, while I tend to be on the other end of things as a modernist and trying to create emotional truths within what I work on and so seek out such things in my tastes. For instance while my favorite movie is probably Being There he is obsessed with Children of Men, a film I found contrived, and, for some reason, like a poorly done knock off of Jose Saramago.

Oh well. My top ten list isn't ranked in order of how much i liked them, that would be simply to hard, because I liked so many of them so much.

1. Let the Right One In: I can't really quite begin to describe why I liked this film so much, and honestly, that's the way I like. The reason I am such a lousy critic: when I truly love something I don't want to put it into words, the emotions and feeling exist beyond words and trying to describe them seem to bring them back down to earth. All that I can say is that it is my favorite vampire film, and I've watched most of the major canon of it, as it's always been a mythos and a subject that's greatly interested me. This might seem a tad ironic, but for some reason it strikes me as Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending. It reaffirms my belief that the best films incorporating vampirism are not the ones about vampirism but where it's just something that happens to be included, something that just happens to be a plot element and add a wonderful new dimension and parameter to something we've seen before. A beautiful film, both in shooting, acting, and execution. I liked the ambiguous ending where the viewer is left to wonder what will become of Oskar. There is the possibility he is just a replacement for her "father" whom she has been carefully cultivating, but for the optimist one hopes for real feeling. It is strange but by the end I found myself hoping that he would be joining Elin as a murderous vampire, an immortal pair of love-struck children murdering to survive. That appeals to the romantic in, (referring to literary romanticism), the contrast, the theme of innocence lost, supernatural power of nature...

2. I need to be shorter with these. Kill Bill Vol One and Two. I love to see a critic not afraid to put those up.

The first film is a bloody ode to violence, it is saturated in it, so much so that some people take the violence at too much face value instead of the intent and see the movie as a mindless, gory action flick. My grandparents for instance went to this movie thinking that it was a Clint Eastwood movie for some reason, and to this day they swear by it that it was the worst movie they ever saw.

The second film is what establishes its greatness though. Volume One is good but what it lacks Volume Two provides. Volume Two is really the most critical to watch; you can understand the movie just watching Volume Two, but you could not understand it just watching Volume One. The stark difference in tone exists as well. While Volume One is a not entirely serious glorification of violence Volume Two is slower and ponders that violence.

All of the great moments in the film really, belong to Volume Two. David Carradine truly shines in his role and the characters are given more flesh and blood and come to life as real people whom I started to sympathize with, which was so strange following the good old-fashioned fun of the first film, with it's comic undertones and over the top violence and characters, which made me then ponder the question of the dehumanizing effect of the violence of the first film, which is, I believe, the intent. The epic blood gushing nonstop violence of the first movie is replaced by a noticeably toned down but somehow more horrific, and grittier violence in the second one.

I'm trying not to give too much of the movie away lest it be ruined for someone accidentally, but the ending, from Carradine's discussion of Superman to his five slow steps into the distance as he dies are something so powerful, so special, so profound that I can scarcely describe the experience of watching them, on a symbolic level they represent so many things that it's literally an open question up to the viewer how they choose to interpret them. They are this way because they pretend to be nothing, they don't try to be that way, they lack the superficial pomp and false epic of "great" films like The Last King of Scotland, they are what cinema is supposed to be; they don't even try to pretend they are real life because the harder a film tries to replicate reality the greater and more terrible its failure will be. Instead this film dares to be a true epic and creates its own reality and in that reality it shines because we don't have to question anything or mar anything through the lens of our reality. That's why many other films miss the point; I don't want our reality when I watch a movie, I want to get away from it, I want to watch an innovative look at something fresh, something new, something different.

Also, I can't say enough as well for the acting; I cannot even begin to imagine this film without Carradine or Thurman. They are there characters, that's the sign of a great performance. They aren't even the actors Uma Thurman and David Carradine they are Bill and Beatrix Kiddo. My heart was sealed on this film watching her cry on the floor of hotel bathroom at the end of Volume Two as her daughter watched cartoons in the other room, before she finally picks herself off the floor and wipes her eyes. Its the existential criticism on the pointlessness of all the violence she endured and inflicted to get to that point and it's a fitting end for such an epic.

3. I really have to wrap these up faster. I won't linger on why I liked them any more, my statements would probably rival the length of your actual article. LOTR series.

4. Adaptation

5. There Will Be Blood, another great epic with no attempts to be normal, realistic, but merely bursts off the screen violently daring us to deny it it's power, for us to say it's dark and twisted reality dominated by such empty and deranged individuals concerned only with wealth and power isn't valid. While you said "That Plainview, by now a famous multimillionaire, would so quickly take this stranger at his word is incredible; certainly we do not," I'd disagree. There is a great deal of back and forth between the two over information that only his brother could have known and that is why Plainview takes him in, (in fact he does admit to learning about it all from his brother before the brother died). What's so important about the "brother" is that he represents a lone biological and social connection to mankind and when he turns out to be false, and Plainview coldly kills him in both pain and rejection at having lost that connection, it's symbolic of severing himself from humanity all together.

I felt it most uncharacteristic of you when you wrote of it that it's not great, and then preceded to list, more or less, what basically made it great. It didn't need women in it, so there are none. It's not trying to reflect ordinary society, that's why it's a true epic. It's creating its own society, it's creating a horrific warped world that is meant to be a powerful and relentless reflection of the deepest degradation that is in every human being and part of being human. It doesn't exceed it's grasp, as you put it, because there is no grasp for it to exceed, it is pure art and goes beyond any grasp.

In the same paragraph you made perhaps the one statement I'd disagree with you most of all on, though as an avid film goer and reader of criticism you are easily my number one guy and a huge personal favorite. I suppose that for all the times that you have literally helped put to words my thoughts and my feelings and my experience, in addition to turning me onto to such a great film as Fitzcarraldo, that it is inevitable that I would have to violently disagree with you at least once.

I do on your statements about No Country, which you called a "perfect film" and a better film than There Will Be Blood. I enjoyed No Country the first time, it was a beautiful thrill ride. Then, I watched it again, and it's actual greatness was denied. Once the twists and suspense and thrills were removed, and I observed it from other points, I enjoyed it less and less. Every scene with Tommy Lee Jones is a contrived bit of cliched blather, none so spectacularly cliched and contrived as his ending monologue about his dream of his father. Anton Chigur turns from ominous angel of death to a rather aimless villain with no motivations and apparently, no real understanding himself of why he acts the way he acts. While Chigur would not be a bad villain as a simple force of nature nearly, it struck me that that was not the angle the Cohen brothers were going for and so I lost most of my taste for him. He was not a modern version of death from Bergman's The Seventh Seal, (I watched it again just now to double check my own feelings). Bergman's death is not malevolent, there is even some kindness and some understanding in him, both things that are completely lacking in the Cohen brother's vision.

Meanwhile with the hindsight that comes when watching a film again, Moss suddenly struck me also as a rather aimless and empty character. The second time around he seemed so much stiffer, contrived, and unnatural than the first time around, and, already knowing what he was going to do, I had trouble discerning what his motivations were supposed to be for his actions.

As for strong female characters? Please! Moss's wife is a melodramatic cardboard cutout.

The worst part was the second part around the ending still felt like a mad dash filled with too many vague scenes and unanswered questions. It's still a good movie, and a lot of fun, filled with a mad, genuine terror of life or death and a lot great acting, even Tommy Lee Jones acts well, it's just his character that exists on the screen as a flat cliche because it's written that way. It's a good movie, but it lacks the internal substance to be a great movie for me. In fact, it's actually my third favorite Cohen film behind both Barton Fink and The Big Lebowski, and both those films aren't so sheerly exhausting to sit through as No Country is, and neither of them loses their charm, no matter how many times I see them.

6. Gran Torino

7. Slumdog Millionaire: Maybe it is a little cheesy, maybe it is too unbelievable, too happily ever after. But it's magical, it's cinema. It's an exotic odyssey through modern India, and the childhood scenes of mixed dialogue, poverty, and endurance are some of my favorite all time in movies, even if the adult scenes fall a little short. There's so much sadness in this film, redeemed by love. The title is an oxymoron, the money is meaningless, as the contrast of his brother dying in a bath tub full of money, sheets of it flying in the air as his body is riddled with bullets, shows, its about happiness in love, and it's this ending that has such a beautiful message of hope.

8. Spirited Away. Knowing how much a Miyazaki fan you are, I'm surprised this penultimate work of his, (behind only, I fell, Princess Mononoke and Kiki's Delivery Service), doesn't make your tops list for the decade, either of them.

9. I almost put Blood Diamond here, but the watching it again a while back I remember feeling that it came off as too intentionally preachy. I'm gonna cop out and put in a tie between two Disney movies I really enjoyed and continue to, Up and The Incredibles.

10. Rounding out the list which i won't even pretend is in a set of ten any more, are Donnie Darko, among my all time favorite films, A.I. a film I will never ever watch again, and which affects me so much because I was so young when I first saw it and it was frankly, for a 9 year old, quite traumatizing in some respects and inspiring in others. Pan's Labyrinth, a truly terrifying and visually stunning film. And a pair of fantastic indy films, The Man From Earth and Ink. Ink is a beautifully shot film with decent acting, powerful imagery, strong imagination, and interesting ideas of life, death, and redemption. The Man From Earth is much more obscure film that I frankly like even more. It's a classic closed cast and situational film taking place entirely during one afternoon. It's an emotional tour de force, but unfortunately it crashes and burns the last 20% by becoming a slightly unoriginal attack on Christianity, (even for this secular agnostic), and a completely baffling and unnecessary plot twist at the end. But I enjoyed the first 80% of it, and its limitless potential so much that all is forgiven. It's a fascinating film, well written with interesting, develops slowly, so very well acted. Not for everyone though, it's really a film tailored to a select group of people, most definitely not in the mainstream. The sort who find a two hour or so intellectual discussion an interesting film. It's an interesting concept, the man who never ages, what ten millenia of memories most feel like, and all the discussions of life, death, philosophy, biology, religion, are just a great ride, or at least I found it so. Jerome Bixby wrote it of course. It's a great shame he was not prolific, everything he did was brilliant; four classic episodes of the original Star Trek Canon, and a classic episode of the Twilight Zone, "It's a Good Life" one of the four episodes used in the 1983 movie. The short story it was based on was also a fantastic read. The Man From Earth is, of course, a posthumous production of a script he finished at the end of his life.

Sorry, this is really long. I hope it isn't boring or sounds a bit juvenile. I do hope to continue developing my abilities as an amateur film critic. I'm sort of quirky, even if I find a lot of connection to you. I'm at the same time easier to please than a normal critic and harder. I have an enormous ability to appreciate bad movies but divide film into two levels that pretty much fall along how powerful the lasting impression is on me. I'm incredibly finicky about catching movies trying a little too hard to be good, like No Country, like Children of Men, like Last King of Scotland, Blood Diamond, Benjamen Button, etc. My definition of epic is also somewhat different I'd imagine, than yours. Epic, for me, is a definition of just how much a film destroys and manages to surpass ordinary reality and elevate us, the "elevation" as you put it, is the heart and reason for making film, the journeys we go on during them, the emotions and memories they create.

Where is Inland Empire? Since you really liked Mulholland Drive, I'm sure you saw it. Did you not like it? What do you say, Roger?

I found your list to be a great list Mr.Ebert. I consider Synecdoche, New York to be the best film, its just so surreal and beautiful. Recently I saw L'enfant and now seeing it in your list theres no way Ill miss Le Fils. But I must disagree with you putting A silent light. I found Japón way more mezmerizing and profound.

I always read your articles, keep them as good.

Roger,

Thanks so much for your post and the discussion it has inspired. I have already added 15 more movies to my Netflix list!

I like your pick of Synecdoche, NY for the #1 film. It didn't make my list, though it did make honorable mention for that year. I liked it the first time I saw it, though it was a bit challenging. Your writeup made me go back and watch it again, and I found that I liked it even more the second time around. It is so rich, and funny (while also depressing if you think too long about it, but the second time, the funny and thoughtful bits shone through).

Here is my list, which I only whittled down to 25 + 5 foreign language films. Because I can. Or can't. :-) All your various lists also inspired me to pick top 15 for Foreign Language and Documentary films over the last decade. Here they are:

(Note, these are in no particular order within each list...)

Best Films of 2000-2009 (top 30 -- top 25 English Language + Top 5 Foreign Language (+1))


Millions
Requiem for a Dream
Adaptation
The Pianist
The Station Agent
American Splendor
School of Rock
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Aquatic Life with Steve Zissou
Spiderman 2
Lord of War
The Weatherman
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Hustle & Flow
A History of Violence
The Dark Knight
In Bruges
There Will Be Blood
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac
Eastern Promises
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
Children of Men
Croupier

Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)
Aimée & Jaguar
Caché
No Man's Land
Cidade de Deus (City of God)

Special Mention -- Galaxy Quest (released Christmas 1999)

Best documentaries of 2000-2009 (top 15)
Amargosa
Dogtown and Z-Boys
The Kid Stays in the Picture
The Natural History of the Chicken
Grizzly Man
An Inconvenient Truth
Wordplay
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Supersize Me
Moog
Man on Wire
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Touching the Void
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Best Foreign Language films of 2000-2009 (Top 15)

Absolute Giganten (Gigantic)
Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)
Y tu mama tambien
Aimee & Jaguar
Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)
Le Scaphandre et the Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Caché
Cidade de Deus (City of God)
Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)
No Mans Land
Sin Nombre
Les Triplettes de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville)
The Host (Gwoemul)
Waltz with Bashir
Persepolis

Well, since Paul Haggis has his story (that seems a tiny bit racist, but I suppose thinking "they could be a life-saving hero" could help you deal with that type of fear in L.A.; to me talking to people works), here's a funny one of mine.

A couple of years ago I was walking back to my apartment with a beer late at night and as I entered the complex, behind the front office, there is a big tree that shades everything really dark with a bench under it. And just as I was walking underneath it a black guy about my age approached me suddenly and I was startled and jabbed in front of his face. And then I noticed that he seemed okay and was asking me if I knew where to get some type of drug that I never heard of, but I was still so startled that I kept jabbing at his face while trying to figure out what kinds of drug he talking about, going "what's it called again?"--jab (he didn't care at all). We were sitting there talking for 30 seconds and I just kept jabbing in front of his face. I felt terrible afterwards, but my logic was that I wanted to be able to punch him first just in case he tried to punch me and take my money or something because it was really dark outside.

I guess what I'm saying is don't be scared and talking to people always works. If you have to ask yourself, "Is this guy kidding?", concerning their sanity while talking to them, the answer is probably, no they are not kidding. It has nothing to do with race at that point.

You have virtually set up Synecdoche as a benchmark and a challenge for novie goers.

Roger I owe you a debt of gratitude for directing me toward 'Synecdoche, New York' in the first place. Last Christmas season I attended a screening of 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' and was so sorely disappointed in it that I found it hard to believe it was receiving critical acclaim.

A long lover of David Fincher's work, I even credit 'Fight Club' (along with Zhang Yi Mou's work) with being the catalyst in my decision to attend film school. Benjamin Button broke my heart for its horrible pacing, worse plot and terrible wasted potential.

Yet, all over I continued to see praise for it, both critically and personally from everyone I knew. I looked online for solace, maybe I was missing some key element, maybe there was insight which shone light on this seemingly wooden movie. Thankfully I turned to your site as your taste in movies is (in my eyes) pretty impeccable. In your review I found some much needed like minded solace. In your review I also found "There was another film this year that isn't in the "top five," or listed among the front-runners at all, and it's a profound consideration of the process of living and aging. That's Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York." It will be viewed and valued decades from now. You mark my words."

With those closing lines, I sought out Synecdoche, New York here in Toronto and saw it the following day. And then 3 more times in theatre, and then read the script and then the working scripts. I can't stress to you enough how poignant and personal I found it to be. I owe you (and in a strange way the Wooden Case of Benjamin Button) for discovering my favourite movie in SNY.

Thank you for picking it as best film of the decade, I couldn't agree with you more! So few films of this calibre come along in this lifetime and I am happy to see someone honouring them.

Happy New Year to you!

Goofball Jones' comment summed up my thoughts regarding "Almost Famous" more eloquently than I could right now. This film is like a great book - you learn something each time you re-read it or examine passages. In many ways, that is how "Almost Famous" resonates with me. Maybe it is generational - I don't know. What I do know is that every viewing of this film is fresh and the emotional power of the film is always there. My eyes get "dusty" every time I watch the scene as William runs through the airport waving at the plane carrying Penny Lane. Why does this scene hit me so hard? I don't know, but there are so many great scenes -- the phone calls with Lester Bang and William; so much to discuss. Strangely, I still do not feel this film gets the respect it deserves.

MR EBERT

i was wondering on what you think of Scorsese this decade. it seems to me that he is your favorite director having seen your picks from the 80s, and 90s. and seeing as you gave 4 stars to the majority of his films. yet you didn't put a single Scorsese film on your list this decade. could it be that Marty is "showing his age". that you simply think he aint on his A game anymore. Personally i still think his one of the best. i mean, Yes, Gangs of New York is sort of mediocre(great acting from Day-Lewis though), and the Aviator isnt Raging Bull(a ridiculous argument.LOL). but The Departed, is easily in his top 5 films. i thought you would put it in your list as the best this decade.

again, i think just because you didn't put it in your "best of this decade" list, doesnt mean you didn't like the film. thats why it's ridiculous when people complain that their top films didnt make your list. it is YOUR LIST. i mean, i'm not complaining that There Will Be Blood is not on the list. a film that "i know why it is GREAT"(a response to your review of the movie)

ps. you have great balls on putting 2009 films on your list. critics are often scared of putting 09 films. my hats are off to you!

Just wondering why you included Crash over Brokeback Mountain, didn't you say it deserved the Academy Award that year? I feel it is certainly a better and more touching film, am not going to slam your opinion however.

I must say I'm super excited to see Syn New York now!

Actually, a decade would be from the beginning of 2000 to the beginning of 2010. That's exactly ten years..

I have to admit that I haven't seen a single film from your top 10, but I guess that's what makes your lists more valueable than most others.


My list reads as follows:

1. Oldboy
2. Kill Bill 1+2
3. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
4. Le Fabouleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain
5. The Fountain
6. Southland Tales
7. Lady in the Water
8. Snatch
9. A Tale of Two Sisters
10. Death Proof

As always with lists, this one keeps evolving as I am not done yet with the decade and certainly never will be.

I must say I hated, hated, hated Synecdoche, NY. It reminded me of Inland Empire, a movie I saw about the same time. (both recommended by u Roger)Both were big, convoluted messes with characters about which I cared nothing. Inland Empire was apparently about making the audience feel like they were having recurring nightmares and Synecdoche, NY. was about making the viewer feel like they were going mad. If that was the filmakers aims, they succeeded, but I personally don't consider it much of an accomplishment.

Don't get me wrong, I "loves me a weird movie," but I prefer the weirdness of del Torro or Wes Anderson to this joyless gunk. Guess that makes me a philistine eh Roger? haha

I miss mentions about film artists in general. Who was the actor of the decade? Actress/director/composer/screenwriter...

For me this decade was dominated by the work of the following directors, 2 long established and 3 relative newcomers:

- Clint Eastwood: Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, Changeling.

- Steven Spielberg: A.I., Minority Report, Munich.

- Alejandro González Iñárritu: Amores perros, 21 Grams, Babel.

- Sofia Coppola: Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette.

- Hans-Christian Schmid: Crazy, Lichter, Requiem, Storm.

Unfortunately they all don't get the recognition they deserve.


I have seen 4 films of the top 10 and 7 of the runners-up list. Although I'm happy about the recognition films I like get by a major critic I am more interested in the other films that I haven't seen yet. "Me and You...", "The Son" and "Synecdoche" I certainly would have seen sometimes, because I heard of them, but now I will go for them maybe sooner than I had in mind.

I've never heard of "Chop Shop", "My Winnipeg" or "Silent Light", I'm looking forward to them. Thank you.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is the worst movie of the decade. Hands down.

Hey Mr.Ebert,
This is the first time I've ever left you a comment, and I doubt you'd respond, but I'm one of your thousands of regular readers. I always watch the new movies as they're released and sometimes I get advanced screenings, write a review, rate the movie, then I go see how you rated it. And our reviews and ratings always match up...except on most comedies haha.
I was happy to see that you weren't blown away like America was by the movie District 9...it's good to know I wasn't the only one who just thought it was a descent movie.
Anyway, in response to this article you posted I'm surprised you picked Synecdoche, New York as number one, but it does make sense, and it was a good choice. When I first saw it I loved it and I couldn't stop thinking about it...the movie troubled me and so I had to watch it again.
The movie itself was a great accomplishment in the fact that it's so unbelievable that it was able to even be made into a film that flowed and was understandable. I watched the special features and the cast and crew were saying that sometimes they didn't even know what they were doing and sometimes even they were confused. So, the fact that it was able to be made, much less made as a great film, is a great triumph indeed.
So I really was inspired by that fact as well as with the film itself.

It's rare that I ever see a film that "blows me away" or haunts my conscience, so yeah Synecdoche, New York was a breath of fresh air.

2009 really was a lousy year for movies though...
But it brought The Hurt Locker, and that movie really blew me away as well. So did There Will Be Blood, last year, which I'm surprised didn't make your list.

Adaptation and City of God are also two other films from your list that I just loved and thought about and had to watch again. I actually just watched Adaptation for the 5th time last night.

Anyway, good list, I wont bore you much longer. I'm sure you get a lot of pointless comments. I apologize.

I always thought that you should work on a movie, even if it's just about your life, or your personality, or just about movies in general. Like a satire on film making.
I think it'd be a good movie.
A great film by Roger Ebert.

PS- As a fan of film and as a fan of your writing I do hope to meet you some day. Hope you're getting better.

I totally forgot about the great Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs". For all of you who had a love for Scorsese's "Departed", this is the film it is based on and I would say is the better film but to each their own.

Nathan Black,

David Lynch's movies do have a story, but he doesn't tell you what it is.

On the DVD for "Mulholland Drive", for instance, he gives 10 clues on how to figure out what the story is in the movie.

He does this because he feels it takes away from the magic of the movie when focusing on the story.

Look at "Synechdoche, New York": director makes a play where the actors are to just live their life without thinking of it as a play. Is that really what it's about? Movies aren't usually about what's on the surface.

Where's "Million Dollar Baby"? You thought SO highly of that film. Any reason you left it off? Please explain!

Roger, perhaps we can post this somewhere for ourselves: "That doesn't make one person right and another wrong. All it means is that you know how they really felt, not how they thought they should feel."

How one feels is vitally important. Lists ought to be honest and based on only what a person thinks ... not what he or she thinks that he/she should think. Nice!

I've written out the reasoning for the movies I selected, but I won't waste the space here. Here are the best 13 of the decade:

13. United 93
12. Spider-Man 2
11. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
10. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
9. Finding Forrester
8. Blood Diamond
7. Match Point
6. Inglorious Basterds
5. There Will Be Blood
4. Almost Famous
3. Gran Torino
2. Gladiator (your BIG oops, along with Die Hard)
1. Million Dollar Baby

Hi Roger. A short story on how not to watch a top-ten movie, in four half-takes:

I rented (500) Days of Summer, since it seemed to be showing up in people's top 10 list.

1st 1/2 take: I threw it in the DVD player and "watched" it as I was blogging with my laptop on the couch. That works with good movies, because the good ones will cause me to put my laptop away and pay undivided attention. 500 days got a half viewing with half attention. I was uninspired. I turned it off half-way through.

2nd 1/2 take: I read your review. That was better than watching the movie. I was re-inspired.

3rd 1/2 take: I started the movie, again while blogging. I tuned out the first half. Ah, the ending! Now it all makes sense. Now I even understand the title.

4th 1/2 take: I started at the beginning, without the laptop but with fast forward X2 turned on. Stopping at scenes that I had somehow missed - like the kiss in the copy room.

I probably would have liked it in the theater with undivided attention. It's certainly not fair to the filmmaker the way that I watched it.

It's a decent movie. I wouldn't put it in a top-ten list though.

Does anyone else ever watch DVDs this way?

Ebert: Not me.

In light of all the awards talk for "The Hurt Locker," there were a couple things I wanted to bring up. Perhaps it's just the contrarian in me, but I think I have some legitimate points.

1. For a film that is supposedly so anti-Hollywood and lacking in cliches, it's interesting that the main character has been a staple of this type of film for many, many years. You know, the fearless maverick who does things his own way, who could care less about rules and regulations, but who still seems to be better at his job than anyone who follows them. And along with that, the foil: the guy who is initially ambivalent towards the hero for his disregard for protocol and lack of discipline, but who gradually comes to respect and admire him over the course of the film. Granted, these characters are rendered much more realistically here than they typically are. And in the case of the hero, there's actually some pretty interesting psychology behind his actions. But that doesn't change the fact that they're giant cliches.

2. If the film is really such a realistic, accurate portrayal of a soldier's experience in Iraq, why does every soldier who's actually BEEN there seem to think it's as big a fantasy as "Lord of the Rings?" Everyone I've talked to in the military who's seen it said it was completely implausible. And for someone's who's had zero military experience, I still noticed more than a couple scenes that rang false.

Kathryn Bigelow proved long ago that she is a force to be reckoned with behind the camera, and "The Hurt Locker" only confirms this further. But the best director in the world can not completely disguise a faulty screenplay, and Bigelow is not an exception to that rule.

I can't speak as to other critics' reasoning for lavishing such extravagant praise on "The Hurt Locker," but I thought I'd take a stab at guessing yours. When "Transformers 2" came out, it inspired in you a well of righteous anger so deep that when "The Hurt Locker" opened shortly after - an impeccably directed film that actually had a brain to go along with the explosions - not only were you inclined to forgive it its flaws, you completely ignored their existence. If I'm grabbing at straws here, let me know, but I'm curious to know whether there's any merit to this.

What is your policy for films released so close to the next year that the majority of their impact is *after* the next decade but technically they were released during the prior decade?

Avatar comes to mind. Surely films must have some time for you to contemplate them fully and six days is nothing in the scheme of things.

Also technically when this was posted there was one full day left in the decade. Maybe that hits on our views, eh? :-)

Thanks for sharing Roger, I have been a big fan of yours and look forward to more of your thoughts and writing in 2010. Happy New Year. :)

Just to share as well:
The Reader
Pianist
Atonement
Babel
Perhaps Love
Batman Begins
Adaptation
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
An Inconvenient Truth

I'm so glad that Carlos Reygadas's beautiful third film "Silent Light" made the cut. I try as hard as I can to get any film lover to see it and am surprised at how rare it is to meet someone who has heard of the visionary director.

http://sdrury.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/the-nextflix-decade-the-best-movies-of-the-2000s/

I got half-way through the comments, and had to respond regarding the question of "decades".

There was no year 0. If you compiled a list of the best films from the first decade, it would encompass the years 1 through 10. The next decade would be 11 through 20 (with 11 being the first year of that next decade), and so on. The decade is not over, if we are speaking specifically of a decade-by-decade accounting (as opposed to any random ten years of time, which would allow someone to make a "best films of the decade" list starting at any given year and encompassing ten full years, like 1996 through 2005 for example).

Our calendars go from 1 BC to 1 AD, on the calendar that marks this month as January 2010. On that calendar, if we go up in ten year increments, this decade began in 2001 and ends in 2010. There is a difference between reference to actual decades of ten year increments, and the common-use reference to decades meaning "the 1990s" or "the 1980s" etc. Roger's list is not "The Best Films of the 2000s" -- however, if it were, obviously that type of title would encompass every film until the year 3000 AD (and I hope you're still here reviewing films, and that I'm around to read them, Roger!).

Eventually, we'll get to a point in this century where we look back and reference the '10s, the '20s, and so on, the way we do for the 1900s. Now, however, we are in the weird situation were 2000 marked the final year of a decade that began in 1991, and 2001 marked the start of a new decade (and the new century, by the way, which began January 1, 2001). Thus 2000 is not part of the first decade of this new century, nor is it part of a new decade in the "2000s", however counter-intuitive that might seem.

For those who would still argue the point, I'll just ask you this: lacking a year 0 on your calendar, would you consider films from the year 0010 in your ranking of the best films of the decade for that ten-year count? Or would your decade end in the year 0009, making a decade that spans only the years 1 through 9? Or would you include the year 1 BC? How would you solve this dilemma? Would the first century end for you on January 1, 100? That would mean the first 100 years lasted 99 years in your accounting. 100 years are up only when 100 years have passed -- just as ten years come in ten year increments.

I was so glad to see "Chop Shop" and "The Son" on your list, two of my favorite films of the decade.

I was surprised that neither "The Edge of Heaven" nor "Before the Rain" made your list. I know everyone always says "what about such-and-such film??", but these two films are among the best I've ever seen in any decade. Fatih Akin is the director I'd call the director of the decade (an honor you give to Bahrani, which I can understand), personally.

I haven't read your list of best foreign films of the decade yet, though, so perhaps these films (and maybe more of Akin's work, I hope?) made it onto that list.

Whether I agree or disagree with all of your selections or the order in which you place them, I liked or loved all of the ones I've seen, and your commentary as to why you selected them is insightful as always.

Wow Roger, I thought Synecdoche, New York was a sad, dreadful bore. Very disappointing since Kauffman is usually very interesting.

I don't know if you perhaps accidentally skipped over what I submitted! If you're pondering it for a response or end up finding it and publishing it, then you don't have to put this up. Nonetheless, I'll skip whatever it was that I said and get to my top 13 of the decade:

13. United 93
12. Spider-Man 2
11. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
10. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
9. Finding Forrester
8. Blood Diamond
7. Match Point
6. Inglorious Basterds
5. There Will Be Blood
4. Almost Famous
3. Gran Torino
2. Gladiator
1. Million Dollar Baby

It's not just the contrarian in you, Sean Kelley. The uberpraise is out of control, and it really bothers some of us.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/619713/reviews/search.php?search=the+hurt+locker

1) Synecdoche, New York (2008):

This is one of the best films of all-time. Charlie Kauffman’s directorial debut has all the same great hallmarks of his previous films: The oddness and absorption of the self from Being John Malkovitch, the examination of art and self-referentiality run amok from Adaptation, and exploration of love through complicated relationships from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The visuals are sometimes grand and oftentimes gritty. The dialogue is prophetic, ambiguous, and rife with meaning. The film is an epic poem about life, with more ideas than most directors touch their entire career. How do we construct our identity, our persona, our personal ethos? How can art inform and transcend life? The acting is superb. Brion’s score is solid. It is simply a masterpiece of cinema, as good as any film ever made.

2) Donnie Darko (2001):

Donnie Darko got me seriously into film. The plot is garbled metaphysical pseudo-scientific genius that can be read any number of ways (though I find the more real you consider the fantastic elements of the plot, the more enriching the experience of watching the film is). The dialogue is hilarious and endlessly quotable. The music choices are brilliant. The characters are unforgettable – simultaneously striving to do the right thing while hurting and misunderstanding each other. Kelly definitely understands the confusion of adolescence. The twist, the entire plot, is so well constructed. Life is worth living, but love (and its existence) is worth dying for.

3) There Will Be Blood (2007):

Daniel-Day Lewis gives the best acting performance of the decade. The ending is maybe the best set piece of the 2000s and certainly contains its best catchphrase. The score is one of the best original compositions in all of music in 2006. The cinematography is beautiful, especially the burning oil rig. The intense beginning sets the tone for the entire film without a word of dialogue. It is an amazing, intense, powerful film.

4) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007):

The first 15 minutes of the film do what Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and William Faulkner never could: completely put us inside the head of another human, while making the content realistic and entertaining. The story is heartbreaking, especially considering the blinked-out true story source-material. Again, the music is great (Schnabel stole my idea for using La Mer and A Day in the Life). The Diving Bell and the Butterfly also challenges the point of living, the value of human connections, and the relationships between our psyches and our physical manifestations.

5) Coffee and Cigarettes (2003):

This is just a goddamned cool movie. The motifs make the film. The checkered tiles. The repeated snippets of dialogue. Louie, Louie. The themes of changing power dynamics and the duality between what is said and what is meant are also pretty well done. The scenes are the perfect length. I ache to be with Tom Waits and Iggy Pop, or Meg and Jack White, or GZA, RZA, and Bill Murray. The final vignette wonderfully encapsulates the end of life while the motifs show how humans are connected. The dialogue is amazing the vibe is so chill. It’s self-contained, but it’s extraordinary.

6) Requiem for a Dream (2000):

There has never been a better anti-drug campaign than Requiem for a Dream. The Kronos Quartet’s score is the best in film history. The best film score ever. The hip-hop montages are great, as is the show within a movie. But what make the film great is the depth of its depravity. You really feel for the characters, you really like them and want things to work out. Then substances slowly take over their lives until we see a necrotic arm, ass-to-ass, and an electro-shock treatment spiral through a montage to the tune of Lux Aeterna. This is despair -- the lowest humans can sink. It’s not a subtle film, but it is a powerful one.

7) Kill Bill (Vols. 1 and 2) (2003-4):

Counting them together as a whole work, they are Tarantino’s third best film. And his best this decade. It’s stylized and campy, but its made really well. I much prefer the western aesthetic to the absurd kung-fu combat, but the plot of the first film was pretty great. The music in the films is chosen from so many disparate sources, but it all works so well especially from Morricone, Bang Bang, Battle Without Honor or Humanity, and About Her. Each character is wonderfully unique representing their own individual traits, their typical archetype, and even entire periods of film history that dominate the film’s form when they are around. It’s also just extremely entertaining and badass.

8) O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000):

I love the Coen brothers. I wish all their movies were on this list. Intolerable Cruelty was too fluffy. The Ladykillers is really underrated, but there’s too much cheap humor. Burn After Reading had no real themes, and had no unifying unique Coenesque atmosphere. A Serious Man had great ideas behind it, but might as well have been 20 minutes long. So that leaves us with O Brother and No Country. The problem with No Country for Old Men is that it sucks. The dialogue is the worst of any Coen film (mostly because it is line for line adaptation of Cormac McCarthy). The acting (apart from Bardem) is actually really bad. The nihilistic themes are trite – a coin flip as a motif?!?! 5th graders have written screenplays with more subtle tropes. The exposition on aging and disenfranchisement with society are laughably tacked on the beginning and end. So that leaves O Brother Where Art Thou?. The film references a tapestry of works from the Odyssey to Faulkner. The characters are intensely alive and unique, but they also represent timeless archetypes. I’m usually not a big proponent of magical realism, but this is maybe the best example of it I could name in film this decade (maybe ever) – probably because the film’s “reality” is so stylized to begin with. The music is great, and best of all, the film is intensely entertaining, probably the most fun movie to watch on this list.

9) The Devil’s Backbone (2001):

I saw this movie when it came out (when I was 10). The protagonist of the film was also about 10. I really related to it, captivated by the idea of living in Revolutionary Spain while unraveling a ghost mystery and fighting for my own life. Going back and watching it now, I appreciate it more for the filmmaking, but I naturally see myself in the characters a little less. The opening segment sets an amazing supernatural, gothic, pins-and-needles tone. You always have that bomb in the back of your head, like the opening scene from A Touch of Evil stretched out for two hours. The acting is superb. Some bits are even genuinely scary. Then, like the best monster movies of the decade (28 Days Later is another), human evil turns out to be much darker and more frightening than the creature itself. Its more realistic than Pan’s Labrynth and the supernatural elements can’t be explained away psychologically (which is a pet peeve of mine). I’m excited for The Hobbit.


10) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-3):

The best epic film of the decade. Jackson = David Lean of the 21st Century? Maybe. The scale of these films is fantastic, the assembling troops seem massive, yet the landscapes dwarf their size and the size of the cities they are sieging. The scene with Gandalf falling next to the fire demon at breakneck speed and then seeing the descent from what seems like miles away in an enormous underground cavern has a similar effect. Plot-wise the scale between the complex tactical battles and the individual struggle to destroy the ring create a similar juxtaposition of radically different scale. The music is great and the special effects are good enough to suspend your disbelief (except for the deus ex machina green ghosts). The characters are played without any irony despite all the globby-gook wizard language, which makes it all seem sweet like a fairy tale. Ultimately, it’s just fun to wrap yourself up in a different world for 9 hours.

11) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004):

Wes Anderson had a great decade. The Royal Tenenbaums was stylistically a masterpiece. The camera work is so idiosyncratic, while the themes of failure and family are pretty excellent. The ending was a bit forced though. Was the dialogue unnatural because the characters acted as though they were in a book, or because it actually was a book with mediocre dialogue? On the other hand, the colors of Darjeeling Limited are amazing, but it fails its most basic comedic requirement -- I didn’t laugh one. The characters were more real, but the composition was less literary and the themes fell flat. In between the two falls Steve Zissou. It has all the wistfulness and nobility of soldering on past your prime like Tenenbaums, but, at the same time, the characters feel more real with subtler understated emotions (like Darjeeling). That’s not to say Zissou is by any means realist. In fact, Anderson really invents a whole new world – especially underwater. The neon fish and stop-motion settings occupy the same reality as the retro Mothersbaugh score and poorly produced Cousteau-esque documentaries. The small performances by Seu Jorge and especially the accountant are pitch perfect. Bill Murray’s face drips with pathos like a Rembrandt painting. The whole operation only exists because some people at Cannes find the video ironically amusing, but everyone on board the Belafonte strives so earnestly, so seriously, for what they can never have and would be silly to achieve in first place. Except, then the Jaguar Shark exists, and it’s beautiful.

12) In Bruges (2008):

In Bruges is a beautiful film visually, but I would happily just listen to the whole thing if my TV screen was broken. Martin McDonaugh’s dialogue is that good. First, it’s just so funny -- really just hilarious, including lots of really inventive uses of the word fuck and highly original racial slurs. The characters are real, there’s not very many, but they all are truly alive on the screen. The plot slowly reveals their hardships, their guilt, and their self-imposed indebtedness so that you completely accept their faults and hope for a peaceful resolution. Which is painful when the comedy of the first two acts dissolves into gory violence in the final scenes. The Bosch references first explain their guilt, but ultimately turn Bruges into a meta-purgatory where the protagonists have gone to be judged and have their fates sealed. The ending is sad, but at least the canals are beautiful.


13) (500) Days of Summer (2009):

What can I say, I’ve seen it 7 times this year. It’s impossible not to fall in love with Zooey Deschanel (her eyes!). It’s impossible not to despise – to wish physical harm upon – Summer Finn (for the first few times you see it at least). The narrated opening and closing scenes are a little heavy-handed. The form is nice, but it is really shoved down your throat occasionally. However, the relationship is treated very seriously (listen to the DVD commentary!). The movie was written by two men as revenge after one of their rough break-ups, then it was directed by another man, finally it is filmed entirely from Tom’s vantage point. It’s probably the only chick-flick in history to really delve so deep into the male perspective on relationships and, as such, the new perspective helped cement it as the best romantic comedy of the 2000s. I’ll be honest, I really see myself in Tom (like the Devil’s Backbone phenomenon), and the movie works as a catharsis for any girl problems I’ve been through. But, even though that’s subjective, it is impressive that the film could be so subjectively accessible in the first place. I think you need to read the ending as either sad (the days resetting and the new girl’s name’s relationship with Summer means Tom will never stop defining his future women with the Summer standard) or fake (he gets over Summer). The music is great. The colors are amazing. The clothes are perfect. You want to be Tom’s friend. You want Zooey Deschanel to dump that Gibbard chump, and break your heart.

14) Paris Je T’aime (2006):

Paris Je T’aime, like Coffee and Cigarettes, is made up of about 15 different vignettes. However, some of the shorts are better than others (probably because each one was directed by a different all-star auteur). The themes hold up pretty strongly (basically how love develops and exists between things), but there aren’t really any overarching stylistic motifs to link the scenes together. On the other hand, the disparate styles lead to a great juxtaposition of styles from neo-gothic to neo-realistic that help to create a post-modern pastiche of Paris, seen by many people and their radically different perspectives. My favorites are: The maid that sings the lullabies, the mimes, the paramedic, and Carol (the tourist). I wish Paris was the city of love, I wish love existed like in Paris Je T’aime.


15) Ocean’s 11 (2001):

It would be disingenuous not to include Ocean’s 11, as it was my favorite film for 4 of the 10 years of decade (2000-2004). Ocean’s 11 is a cool movie. The heist is fun, and the twist is intelligent and hard to see coming. The dialogue is pretty banter-focused, but definitely amusing. Each character is very well defined, and is quite memorable. Soderburgh is a good director and the style of the film is fun. Clair de Lune over the fountains at the end is surprisingly poignant.

Hey Roger,

Long time reader, first time commenter. I just have to say that it pleases me to no end that Synecdoche New York topped your list. To me there are good movies, great movies, masterpieces, and then Synecdoche. The feeling I got when I watched that movie for the first time will never leave me. It was the first and only time I've felt that a film was honest enough about life that it encompassed my own
(if that makes any sense). I know this might seem a bit overboard but I really connected with this movie and implore anyone hesitant to see it to at least give it a chance.

Really.
I tend to defend you (in my head) when somebody starts ranting against you. But this list... "Juno"? The lack of "A.I.", the only clear masterpiece from the US in the last ten years is astonishing (others missing, such as the mishmash of "Mouling Rouge", are debatable).
About "Synechdoche", it felt to me as a draft of a real film, as the movie that a screenwriter want to do but he doesn't exactly know how to direct it.
Now, I supposse that this list reflects onyl wide-release movies, because if not this means that you don't think too much if the rest of the world. I mean, "Crimson Gold" was released after 2000, isn't?

"Oh come on!!" "You have to be kidding me!!"

These were the things I was thinking to myself when I was reading this list.

A whole decade summed up into 20 films. I could not even attempt it. So I applaud the effort Roger. Of course you are a professional film critic so your attempt at it makes more sense than someone like me who works in clinical research. I wonder if I should be compiling a list of the 10 best medical devices of the decade? But I digress.

Of course I look at the list with anger because of what isn't on there. No "Children of Men"?! Bwah? No "Brokeback Mountain"? GAH? No "The Departed"? BWAGAH?! No, no, no PIXAR?! No Miyazaki?! Now I am shaking my fist at the air.

Oh and "Synecdoche, New York"?! That is the worst movie I have ever seen six times!!

Of course the beauty of these lists is how they differ from our own internal list. Or is it the curse of the list? I say curse because sometimes I may love a film, but if a critic I respect hates it, I start to question my tastes. Which brings me down this long complicated road where I don't know anything anymore. "What should I have for lunch? I don't know!"

Anyway, a question for you Roger. Once you submit a list like this, do you ever change your mind on it the next day? The next week? Surely you must. It reminds me of the Beatles. Ask me in the Summer what my favorite Beatles album is and I may say, "Easy, the White album." But sure enough, ask me again in the Fall and I will say, "What, I said the White Album? I meant to say Abbey Road." So on and so forth. These things are your favorites until you realize something else is. Which is why these lists are more entertaining than important. Entertaining because hey, they get us all talking like angry school kids.

I can't disagree with someone who loved Silent Light and My Winnipeg as much as I do. I enjoyed Hurt Locker most when i thought about it least. For some afterhoughts see www.differentdrummer.typepad.com

This isn't on topic, but after recently watching Capitalism: A Love Story, I was confused by its rating.

Seriously, why did that film have an "R" rating?

Sorry, didn't mean to come back so soon. I saw a movie mentioned as one of the best of somebody's multiple year list. Not here. Maybe Washington Post. I just went, of course.

Finding Nemo, much beloved movie from 2003. Gave it to my daughter for her 28th birthday. Maybe it is a generational thing, but she didn't have four or five movies that she watched at home over and over again growing up.

Many readers of this blog see a great many movies that don't play in theaters anywhere close to them. Streaming movies, the brave new world. We are not there yet, but probably will be soon.

Roger,

I very much appreciate your best of list, particularly because you recognize "Synecdoche, NY" as the film of the decade. You seem to the be the only person whose had a similar reaction to the picture; a picture which I feel encapsulated the human experience and explored every facet of it.

Even more affirming is that you herladed "Adaptation" rather than "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", the latter was - in my eyes - Kaufman at his most simple [still crazy but clearly trying to appease the masses].

I'm a little surprised that there are no PTA films on these lists but to each their own. "Punch Drunk Love" does feel like a visually and thematically companion piece to "Synecdoche, NY".

Have a great year.

Intellectual and/or emotional requirements are slightly different for each of us. Thus, no two lists are likely to be the same. Although your tastes are similar to mine, in that I typically agree with your assessments, sometimes I am astonished at how vehemently I can disgree with you on certain films. Synedoche, for example. If only Damon Wayans & David Alan Grier were here to say "Hated it!"

"The Son" is a film that affected me more on its second viewing, and I will be visiting again.

This is a very respectable Best of the Decade list. Mine would include "Turtles Can Fly," which haunted me.

Hello and great list Ebert! I like to consider myself an intelligent guy, but honestly I found SNY very, very boring, repetitive and mostly confusing.I was actually looking forward to seeing it, but once I saw it, I was at a loss... I just didn't understand what was happening and why he was doing everything he was doing. Roger, maybe you can help me out, but I'll give it another go.

I do love your picks for city of god, kill bill, crash, me, you and everyone we know, hurt locker, 25th hour, pans labrynth, minority report and pretty much everything else.

I loved Million Dollar baby....that movie along with Crash changed my life (thank you Paul Haggis)! Also I would have loved to see Nemo, Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up, Walle, Monsters Inc. or any other great animated movie that was released recently. I also loved A Beautiful Mind, Avatar, Slumdog Millionaire, and many, many more I cannot recollect them at the moment.


But overall Great job Roger, and I'll give SNY another chance! Also I miss you and Roeper doing the show....no one else even compares!

http://www.slate.com/id/2240458/entry/2240673/

Could anyone get away with this comment about movies and race, besides Roger Ebert?:

"African-American families consider macaroni and cheese all but one of the basic food groups. It's rare to sit down to a largish black family reunion or gathering without seeing a bowl on the table. Few people of any race eat the way they eat in Precious' house, but they do, and that's the point."

Hmmm...I'm not saying that you're a racist (I know that you are married to an African-American woman, and I have no other reasons to believe that you are), but how did the editors at 'Slate' not say, "Maybe you shouldn't say that, and we're definitely not going to print that!".

"Largish black family'?" I would like to know not only what it means to you to sit down at the table of a 'largish black family', but how many times you have done so. Is there a difference between a 'smallish black family' and a 'largish black family', and if so, do they both serve mac and cheese at every meal?

You are speaking for an entire race in the first sentence-how did that sentence get approved by 'Slate' editors? Is there a study out there that I'm missing? Did you call Kraft and say "What are the demographics that you have on the people who buy mac and cheese?"

After all the blogging you have done, I would think that you would recognize that the term "Largish black family" sounds like a dumba** comment that would have come out of the mouth of GWB, and something that you would have criticized.

Ebert: In other words, an extended family. Macaroni and cheese. Yes. Ask around.

Mark, you mean there is no Year Zero? NO YEAR ZERO? I can't take this. This is worse than Daylight Savings Time.

Aaaargh, thanks to you, Roger, our Netflix queue is backed up. We will need a Year Zero to catch up.

Dear Mr. Ebert,
I have been following your reviews for the better part of the past decade. This is the first time I have ever posted a comment on your blog, and chances are you will not even read this, but seeing as it is the end of the decade, I felt it appropriate to post a response to your list of the best films of the past 10 years.
Firstly, I must say that you are possibly the best essayist I have ever read. I learned how to analyze narrative from your movie reviews. They are so insightful, and they have made me re-evaluate how I consider not just films but art in general. Most of all, I've learned that one piece of art was not made to be measured against another, but rather to be viewed on its own. Therefore these lists should be taken in with more of an open mind. My favorite film changes every year or so (right now it is "Synecdoche, NY"), which only goes to show that film, and art in general, is more of an organic process, which should speak personally to the spectator. We should watch and re-watch each film as if it were the first time we have ever seen it, as if it is the first film we have ever seen, and evaluate it based solely on what it means to us at that point in time in our lives.
With that being said, I would like to give you my own 20 favorite films of the 2000's, a list that I spent a fair amount of time composing, but one that will most certainly change dramatically in the near future. But for here and now, these are the 20 Greatest movies of the decade.

"Adaptation." dir. Spike Jonze. The second collaboration between Jonze and screen-writer Charlie Kaufman (who is hands down one of the greatest writers of all time), which on the surface concerns a screen writer adapting a nonfiction book about flowers. However the true human core of this movie is the need we all have to make our lives our own. Nicholas Cage, Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper all deliver some of the best performances of their careers as individuals struggling to adapt, to move through their own lives with a meaning that they can claim they have determined. Next to "8 1/2," I think this is the best film about films ever made, and also like Fellini's masterpiece, it is about so much more than just movies. It is about how we build our lives; it is about what we do to prove to ourselves that we are worth being alive.

"Brokeback Mountain" dir. Ang Lee. I could not watch this film without thinking of Emily Bronte's novel "Wuthering Heights," comparing Heathcliff with Heath Ledger's tortured Enis Delmar (Ledger's best performance, and certainly one of the penultimate performances of the decade), we find two characters who are prisoners to no one other than themselves, who will not let themselves embrace the love that they feel with such unrelenting ferver. Rodrigo Prieto's photography captures the stark beauty of the midwestern landscape, ominous, and yet enticing in its picturesque quality, and supporting Ledger is arguably the strongest ensemble cast of the 2000's. Anyone who understands what it is to love and yet not to have will be moved by Delmar's agonizing repression in this poetically painful ode to great love which is not allowed to come to anything but naught.

"Capote" dir. Bennett Miller. As a writer myself, this film about the creative process resonated deeply with me as it detailed the sheer ruthlessness that an artist is capable of when his work is at stake. Phillip Seymour Hoffman shines most in the quiet moments in this film, not necessarily when he displays Capote's voice or mannerisms (which he executes flawlessly), but in those sublte expressions of pain and confusion as Truman struggles to reconcile his emotions with his ambition. What makes this film different to me than most biopics is its willingness to make its subjects characters in a film rather than subjects of a dramatic ducmentary. "Capote" has a drive that is more poingant than just re-telling the story of a man's life. It is the story of a destructive force within one brilliant individual who put everything he had into one great novel, and then had nothing left.

"Children of Men," dir. Alfonso Curan. Few films have had such a monumental emotional impact on me the way "Children of Men" did. In the midst of such desperation and heartlessness that is portrayed within the film comes one faint glimmer of hope, shining all the brighter when contrasted against the sable bleakness that surrounds it. Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography perfects the realistic style of camera-work which has become such a standard in action/thriller films these days, utilizing unbroken camera movements that capture violent sequences in one unbroken shot, and doing so makes the film all the more tangible, all the more frightening. But its technical triumphs are secondary to the film's ultimate core, which is the faith and hope it has in any given human being's capacity for good, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable evil. This is one of the most uplifting films I've ever seen, one that never ceases to leave me with a feeling of hope.

"City of God" dir. Fernando Meirelles & Kaita Lund (co-director). A real feast of story-telling inertia, style, and film-making craft. This saga of crime in the slums of Rio de Jainero is told with an intesity that is both unrelenting and comprehensible. Meirelles employs almost every trick in the crime-film book, including "Pulp Fiction"-esque nonlinnearality and "Goodfellas"-like pacing, but this is a film entirerly its own. More than anything, "City of God" is a triumph of indisputable film-making talent, from Daniel Rezende's full throttle editing to Leonardo Firmino's terrifying performance as Lil Ze, the effectiveness of this movie is its ability to pull you in and immerse you in an environment and a chain of events both sorrid and impossible to turn away from. Exciting, terrifying, heart-breaking, astounding, "City of God" is a film that literally left me stunned and drained. It is an experience of a film, like "Apocalypse Now," and "2001: A Space Odyssey."

"Closer" dir. Mike Nichols. I do not remember much being said about this movie after it came out, or even while it was in theaters, which perplexes me when nearly every single scene plays like a cinematic tour-de-force. With a brilliant screenplay by Patrick Marber, "Closer" understands the intricacies of love and jealousy like no other movie I have ever seen. Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Jude Law, and Natalie Portman all give the performances of their careers, exhibiting profound loneliness, lust, selfishness, manipulation, and falsehoods. "Closer" considers the messier aspects of love (and sex) in a more thoughtful and provacative way than any of us would even care to consider on our own. It forces us to examine the power we feel as a result of sex and relationships, and how that power is only allowed to us by the person we think we have control over.

"Elephant" dir. Gus Van Sant. This truly harrowing film follows various high schoolers throughout their day in a way almost akin to Richard Linklater's "Slacker." That is, until two young men march into the school in wearing combat gear and touting handguns and hunting rifles. As devestating as this movie is, I am wont to pinpoint Van Sant's exact message, which is "Elephant"'s ultimate strength. This is a film about something that actually threatens our society, that haunts our minds as we think about the safety of our children. To imbue the film with some opinion on the subject, to establish blame, to try to say why these things happen, would have destroyed the stark power of Van Sant's masterpiece (I would say the best film of his career). Van Sant puts aside the normal facets of what it takes to 'make a movie,' which gives "Elephant" the feeling that anything could happen, that every one of the characters we have grown to know throughout the film is in just as much danger as anyone else, unlike how Hollywood heroes are simply indestructable (at least until the end of the movie). The devestating effect of "Elephant" is that the events depicted on screen could happen to any of us in real life, which Van Sant achieves with long, seemingly pointless tracking shots, as he fills the film with mundane conversation and goings-ons. "Elephant" establishes the every-day so well, which makes the violence of the school shooting not just shocking, not just terrifying, but real, which is the most responsible and insightful thing a film maker could hope to achieve with a film that deals with a real social problem.

"Gangs of New York" dir. Martin Scorsese. What I love about this movie is the down-to-the-nails details that Scorsese packs the film with. Dante Ferretti's exquisite set of the Five Points slum is one of my favorite movie spaces of all time. Scorsese's camera can move in 360 degrees, and all it would see is a New York slum in the 1860's. This is not so much a devotion to realism or historical accuracy, but it is Scorsese's dedication to establishing a real enviornment for us to associate with his main characters. From the actor's unwashed hair to the mid-nineteenth century slang, Scorsese has created an enitre world that is so dramatically different from anything I've ever seen in a movie. On top of Scorsese's flawless direction is Daniel Day-Lewis's performance as Bill the Butcher, one of the best screen villains of all time. Day-Lewis's immersion into character parallels Scorsese's immersion of the audience into story and setting, creating, like Meirelle's "City of God," an irreplaceable experience of a motion picture.

"The Hurt Locker" dir. Kathryn Bigelow. The film to beat this year at the Academy Awards, "The Hurt Locker" is easily my favorite war movie of the past 25 years (yes, even better than "Platoon," "Saving Private Ryan," and "Black Hawk Down," the war-film standards of the past quarter-century), probably because it circumvents all the conventions of most movies of this genre. Unlike "Private Ryan" and "Platoon," "The Hurt Locker" did not strike me as a film that wanted to generalize the experience (and horror) of war, but rather wanted to tell one specific, and unique story of a soldier who needs combat as much as combat needs soldiers. Jeremy Renner is captivating as an adrenaline-junky bomb dismantler, whose life has no greater purpose than to disarm explosives, with Anthony Mackie as his exact opposite, a man who just wants to finish his tour of duty and go home to move on with his life. The intensity of the actors, the legitimacy of the script, and a number of some of the most tense, palm-sweat-inducing sequences I've ever seen. James Cameron wasn't far off by dubbing this the "Platoon" of the Iraq war. The fact is, it's more than that.

"In the Bedroom" dir. Todd Field. Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson are simply astounding as two grieving parents in Todd Field's remarkable directorial debut. Both actors play their parts with subtlety and nuance, mastering expressions of pure hopelessness, insnuffable rage, and profound heartbreak while usually maintaining the blank stares of a man and a woman trying to face the world while despair haunts them from the inside. This is such an acurate portrayal of the grief process, the truly tragic grief of parents who are doomed to live while their son is dead, his killer evading imprisonment because of a legal loophole. Field has a film here that made me wonder, how much can I forgive? How much can I simply hold a blank face to and try to move on from? What level of personal tragedy and unneccesary misery would drive me to the point of needing murder for satisfaction? For a film to inspire such questions is one thing. For a motion to leave you as disturbed as I was by my inability to answer these questions, is something else entirely, something that requires real greatness.

"Lost in Translation" dir. Sofia Coppola. Bill Murray at his sad-eyed best, guided by Coppola's deft understanding of human insecurities, of our needs, of what we long for when we think we have everything. In a foreign land, amidst a completely different culture and surroundings, a person can truly lose themselves, can shed the anxieties of their past life and establish a new identity for themself, as whoever they want, with whoever they want. Coppola completely understands the nature of such anomalistic periods that come in and out of our lives, and she is more than aware of the nostalgic power that such periods have on us after we have returned to our normal lives. Watching Murray and Johansson shed their inhibitions and enjoy a tender relationship with each other touched me the same way that memories of beautiful summer days with a young love do. A picture as beautiful as it is personal, this one either goes straight to the most vulnerable part of your heart, or misses you entirely.

“Million Dollar Baby” dir. Clint Eastwood. Has any other director blossomed so late as Clint Eastwood has over the past ten years? Beginning with “Mystic River,” he has made one exceptional film after another, including “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Gran Torino,” and this year’s “Invictus.” But Eastwood’s real standout masterpiece of the decade (and a possible candidate for the best film of his career) is “Million Dollar Baby.” What is superficially a story about boxing, actually through nuance and some of the best acting you’ll ever see from Eastwood, Hillary Swank, and Morgan Freeman, becomes a tale of three hurt individuals carrying around the shards of broken dreams, and how this assortment of fractured lives comes together to heal and to progress, to be family to those who have none, and in-so-being, to have a family themselves. This is a subject that he revisits in the 2008 film, “Gran Torino,” which is also an excellent picture, but for some reason does not resonate as deeply as “Million Dollar Baby.” I think that is because the characters in this film have true pain haunting their memories, and real ghosts that they need a family of some kind to escape. A saga of pain and salvation, this is far more than a boxing movie; this is the greatest work by a truly formidable artist.

“Minority Report” dir. Steven Spielberg. This is a triumph of genre film-making, pure and simple. Like he did with the action/adventure film twenty years before in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Steven Spielberg perfects the sci-fi/noir with a story that is not only captivating, but thought-provoking. “Minority Report” may be the most thoughtful and intelligent thriller I’ve ever seen, but its ability to get me pondering the ways of the Precogs and the notion of Pre-Crime itself is secondary to the fast-paced mystery that Tom Cruise’s character must solve. The special effects look great even now, seven years later, because Spielberg uses them not just as sheer spectacle, but to advance the story. When special effects are employed, it is because they need to be, not just to wow you. Spielberg understands that science fiction is not just future-based fantasy, not just space opera, not just shoot-outs with strange creatures and exotic weapons (consider “District 9,” “The Matrix,” “Star Trek,” and Spielberg’s own “War of the Worlds”), but that the genre can be utilized to force us to consider elements of our society in a new light. By creating a culture of the future, Spielberg is getting us to consider where our own society is going. Though he is entertaining us, he is subtly doing so much more than that. And just a word on Tom Cruise, because over the past few years there has been so much general animosity toward him; you may not agree with the man’s viewpoints, but he’s a celebrity, and it’s us elevating him to that status that makes him feel like he’s someone who ought to be listened to. But his personal opinions aside, consider his great performances and his acting range in such films as “Magnolia,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” and “Tropic Thunder” (as well as “Minority Report”). Such a gifted actor deserves more than for every movie he stars in to be panned before it is released, and personally I think it would be a real waste of talent for him to be forced into a corner and feel like all he can do is continue the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. He can do so much better. He has done so time and time again.

“Munich” dir. Steven Spielberg. Spielberg’s best film. I’m aware of how bold a statement that is. With so many classics of modern film to his name (“Jaws,” “E.T.,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan”) some people will probably consider it sacrilegious to crown this film the best of the bunch. But in “Munich” I see a thoughtfulness that was not present in any of his other great, serious films. “Schindler’s List” was such a black-and-white story of good and evil, of the best of humanity emerging from during its time of greatest distress. But for all of “List”’s harrowing realism and devastating power, the pure good and evil depicted in it seem to have a very mythical sort of tone. “Munich,” on the other hand, initiates a dialogue about a very real issue in our world. It is much more than a film about Israeli-Palestinian conflicts; it is about the reciprocating cycle of violence, about the justification some people feel when they take a life when they have a cause to support. There are no ‘bad guys’ in “Munich.” There are only individuals who find themselves on opposing sides of a bitter, violent conflict. Eric Bana gives a sadly underpraised performance as Avner, a man who is trying to reconcile his humanity with his job, which is killing people. And his delivery of the film’s last line, “No,” to Geoffrey Rush, is the absolute right tone to conclude such a complicated and intricate film. After all of the bloodshed, the confusion, the doubt, is any real sort of conclusion even possible? Spielberg was not making a statement with “Munich.” He was dramatizing a little-known point in history, and by doing so, he does something even better than giving us his opinion: he lets us create our own, and with such explosive, and contemporarily relevant subject matter, he could not have accomplished anything better.

“A Prairie Home Companion” dir. Robert Altman. Death comes to us all. I don’t think anyone could’ve understood this better than Robert Altman in 2006, when he was so very near to his own demise. Though we cannot stop death from coming, we can determine the state our lives are in whenever it may happen to come to us. This is the subject of Altman’s last film, “A Prairie Home Companion,” which is the brainchild of two American geniuses, Altman and radio show host Garrison Keillor. It takes place during the final broadcast of the ‘Prairie Home Companion’ program, but for Keillor its business as usual, and the same can be said for Altman’s direction, which is as good as it was in the early 70’s when he made is masterpieces, “MASH,” “McCabe & Mrs. Miller,” and “Nashville,” along with the underrated “Short Cuts” in 1993. The director’s style is truly perfected with this picture. Notice the dream-like ease with which the cameras (usually in wide shot) drifts across the scenery, like we are privy to a waking dream being had by both Altman and Keillor. For Altman’s last picture, this film was both expected and somewhat of a surprise. Certainly it would have been an ensemble piece, with Altman’s trademark camera positions and his famous use of overlapping soundtracks to give the impression of multiple conversations going on in one room. But who would’ve expected a film about Garrison Keillor’s radio program? And even within the Altman standards that we all expected from this film, there is something a bit different in this film, something surreal and warm, like a happy dream. I imagine Altman was trying to replicate his own state of mind, there at the end of it all, because I doubt a person wracked with turmoil and desperation could’ve been able to direct such a wonderful film that ultimately ends up being … not uplifting, but some more poignant pleasantry that’s in that same vein.

“Synecdoche, New York” dir. Charlie Kaufman. My favorite film changes every couple of months. Last year I believe it was “Taxi Driver.” For a brief period last April it was “8 ½.” But in July I rented Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, watched it, frowned, watched it a second time, and then I wrote for almost three hours. I don’t think I have ever been as inspired by any piece of creative work as I was by “Synecdoche” (except perhaps James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’). This is my favorite film. This is a film that has taken the medium farther than it ever has before, creating a story that could not be a novel, could not be a play, could only be a film, could only be THIS film. Oh, what a fascinating and terrifying detail of age. What a profoundly wise commentary on the relationships we have (or think we have) to fill our lives. Who do we think we are? Who do other people think we are? How would I portray myself in a play as opposed to how someone else would? Would there be any semblance of relation between the two characters? Which one would be right? “Synecdoche” is really not as much of a brain teaser as everyone says it is. Sure, it’s complicated, but its complications are intentional, deliberate. To exclude them would be to short-change Kaufman’s goal. Human beings are complicated. How many universes of thought and emotion within the people we are closest to are we completely unaware of? While writing about this film, John Donne’s 17th meditation, where he states that no man is an island, and while I understand what he meant, and agree with him as far as his intentions in writing this particular piece, I think that one of the main points of “Synecdoche” is that, to a certain degree, we are islands, isolated unto ourselves. The workings of people’s minds are complete mysteries to us. That being said, there is a tails to that side of the coin, and “Synecdoche” ruminates on, and tries to reconcile, both. Though we are all irreparably separated by the barriers of our own consciousnesses, we all share the basic needs of this human experience of aging. We all have the same drive to really accomplish something important in our lives, to make a mark of some kind, to prove to ourselves and to everybody else that there was a good reason for us to be alive on this planet. And so we all share those same disappointments and frustrations when that never happens. The truth is, we are not put on this planet, into this life, for a reason. We are here simply because that’s how things turned out, the consequences of two other people’s actions. We are here, and we make mistakes that some people think are unforgiveable, just like some of the times people have hurt us and we refuse to forgive them, and there are failures that would have been so much more, so much truer if only …? When Caden Cotard looks back at his life, what do you think he sees? A life well-lived? Did he spent the only time he will ever have to do anything worrying about how to do something? Was he a great artist who simply never quite managed to fully express his own voice? Like the answers to the same questions about real people, I don’t think it’s as black and white as most movies would like us to think, where the last shot before the credits depicts the main character’s friends and family (i.e., the supporting cast) standing about a fresh grave, looking somber, not a doubt in their or any of our minds that the person being buried had lead a worthwhile life, had done all he could, had achieved the greatness that the movie trailers had hinted he would achieve. But is life that simple? Well, I’m gonna go out on a limb and just say that the short answer is no, it’s not. Movies are simple because they are designed to either entertain or enlighten. “Synecdoche, New York” is truly the most enlightening picture I’ve ever seen, one that I have watched over and over, and will continue to do so for many years to come. It is not only a motion picture masterpiece, but a masterpiece of the glorious heights human creativity is capable of achieving.

“Talk to Her” dir. Pedro Almodóvar. A truly beautiful picture about human loneliness and the identities that we construct in our minds for the people we love but do not necessarily know. Javier Cámara pulls off one of the most intricate tight-rope walks any actor has attempted this past decade. His Benigno cannot be labeled easily. He is aching for love, but he is clearly not a fully matured adult (though the film does not state how). He is guilty of rape, but in doing so, he freed the woman he loved so deeply from her coma. It could even be said that he sacrificed his own life to give hers back to her. And I think within this kind of relationship that varies based on how whoever is looking at it, there is an even more universally applicable question about the way each of us lives life depending on our own perceptions. We may think we know the people we love the most, but perhaps there is a deeper self lurking within them. The film’s title I do not think is just a reference to the two protagonists and their girlfriends who are in comas. I think that “Talk to Her” is Almodóvar’s advice to all of us, that we should actually interact with the people we care most about not only on our terms but on mutual ones, and that that is really the only way love can flourish.

“There Will Be Blood” dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. I actually loved this picture for the exact reasons that Mr. Ebert gave it only 3 ½ stars instead of 4. This is such an uncompromising film, one that demands that the audience come to it all the way. Anderson does not make it easy for us, but that is a reflection of the character that this motion picture is so absolutely concerned with. Daniel Plainview does not cut deals; he takes what he wants and leaves you empty handed in the wind-beaten desert. Anderson never explains his character to us, which in a lesser film would have been an egregious flaw, but in this movie it works. Think about a scene explaining Plainview’s backstory. How would it have worked? As a child was he happy and lighthearted up until some gruesome tragedy? Go back and re-watch those wordless opening sequences. They completely establish what the film is and who it is about: one man, crawling by his fingernails through the mire, in search of oil. Such absolutism is rare in films, and I found it absolutely brilliant. A man like Daniel Plainview would never fall in love with a President’s niece or some would-be opera singer. Plainview is the kind of man who actually built the industry our country is founded upon, men who only cared about money. Not wealth. Not love. Not companionship. Money. Such men do exist, and to make a film about them that tries to incorporate story elements to make his character more palatable would be an exercise in artlessness.

“United 93” dir. Paul Greengrass. Simply one of the most powerful films I’ve ever seen. It does not overdramatize or over-sentimentalize (why would a film made five years after 9/11 about 9/11 need anything more than the raw facts to get an emotional reaction). No one could’ve made this a better movie than Greengrass. He is completely in touch with the reality and gravity of his story. What he’s done here is make a fictional documentary of the events aboard United flight 93, which was reclaimed by its passengers and crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. No one will ever know what happened aboard that plane, except that the passengers called their loved ones to say goodbye, that they were going to try to stop the hijackers, and that the plane did not reach Washington D.C. Had Greengrass included anything that didn’t feel real, audiences would’ve known. Some said it was too early for a film about 9/11. As if any of us who were alive could forget what happened, no matter how much time passed. Greengrass’s film has no agenda, does not glorify or demonize, but simply portrays what realistically could have happened. This is the only film I have cried at since I was a child. It is one of the most powerful and responsible pictures ever made.

“Up” dir. Peter Docter and Bob Peterson. “Up” is the culmination of a decade of computer-generated Pixar classics. Their technology gets better and better, almost as quickly as their gifts for story-telling. Since the advent of computer generated animation features, Disney has been ousted from the top run of the family film distribution ladder, which is just as well. Pixar’s films are more thoughtful and imaginative than the animated Disney films that were being released in the early to mid 90’s. “Up” is Pixar’s crown jewel. With simply stunning visuals and truly wonderful characters, I could not imagine a more satisfying family film. This may even be the best animated family film I’ve ever seen. And a word on the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature: though it is great that there is an award specifically for full length animated films, the problem with the category now is that it means that no animated film will ever, ever be nominated for Best Picture again (I believe “Beauty & The Beast” was nominated in 1991). I guarantee you that “Up” is a better film than at least half of the movies that will be nominated this year.

So, just to recap,
ADAPTATION.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
CHILDREN OF MEN
CITY OF GOD
CLOSER
ELEPHANT
GANGS OF NEW YORK
THE HURT LOCKER
IN THE BEDROOM
LOST IN TRANSLATION
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
MINORITY REPORT
MUNICH
A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
SYNECDOCHE, NY
TALK TO HER
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
UNITED 93
UP

Hi Roger.

10 months late (from EbertFest), but I finally took the time late last night to watch "Chop Shop".

Now there's an engaging movie. It took me to an alien world - not Pandora, but the Steel Triangle of Queens. Alien at least from the life that I live in the Midwest.

That kid was a hustler in the most positive sense. He had to be, and he was.

One of the most interesting aspects of the movie to me was the use of the Stadium in the background. (Shea, I'm guessing? The Mets?) The semi-luxury of the lit stadium of gametime right across the road from the squalor of his neighborhood. Brilliant shotmaking, contrasting those two elements.

I stayed up way too late watching it, but it was worth it.

I rented "Trucker" and just finished watching it. It was very moving. And I liked the quiet of it--not a lot of shouting, talking loud etc.

Ebert stated, regarding critics "you know how they really felt, not how they thought they should feel." Every person has their own set of criteria that they bring with them to a movie that allows them to respond to different things. There are some common denominators that a large majority of us respond to. But I believe that there are a specific set of themes and concepts that each individual subscribes to that dictates whether they will enjoy, and even love, a movie. Of course, this list is specific to each individual. And so two people may love the same movie for a list of entirely different reasons. And on the same token, movies with certain disagreeable themes will make me dislike the movie.

As an example, here is a general list of a dozen reasons that I will enjoy a movie much more:

1. Point of view from either a child or a mentally unstable character.
2. Stranger in a strange land.
3. Categorically Evil forces (Nazis, Demons, etc)
4. Biography of historical or fictional character
5. Commentary on religion(s).
6. Time travel or nonsequential story.
7. Quest
8. Other cultures, time periods, and/or worlds
9. Brothers
10. Fairy tale romance
11. David vs. Goliath (weak overcoming the powerful)
12. Revenge.

Therefore a movie like "Dark Knight" fulfills many of these criteria! Whereas a movie like "25th Hour" has little, if anything, to offer me.

However, someone else who may have things like "incarceration"; "forgiveness"; "friendship"; "gritty realism"; etc. will love "25th Hour". They may also like "Dark Knight" but for different reasons.

That being said, here is my quick list of my top 10 movies of the decade.

1. 2007 Gone Baby Gone
2. 2006 The Last King Of Scotland
3. 2002 The Hours
4. 2001 Moulin Rouge!
5. 2007 Diving Bell And The Butterfly
6. 2002 A Beautiful Mind
7. 2009 Up
8. 2000 Memento
9. 2006 The Hoax
10.2006 The Lives Of Others

I made a mistake with your review on "Little Miss Sunshine". I searched your archives and saw that the review listed is not by you, but by Jim Emerson. Did you like the movie or is it one of the movies that you still haven't had the chance to see?

Great series of lists Roger!

Bonne année et tout le meilleur pour 2010.

La Presse, Montréal, on the 26th, made a list of the ten best Quebecois movies of the decade:

1-Les invasions Barbares, Denys Arcand
2-Tout est parfait,Yves Christian Fournier
3-La neuvaine, Bernard Emond (I feel you would like this one, if you are feeling austere)
4-Polytechnique, Denis Villenenve
5-C.R.A.Z.Y., Jean-Marc Vallée
6-Congorama, Philippe Falardeau
7-Gar Bar Blues, Louis Belanger
8-15 fevrier 1839, Pierre Faladeau
9-Continental, un film sans fusil, Stephane Lafleur
10-Horloge biologique, Ricardo Trogi

The list by Marc-Andre Lussier and Marc Cassivi, The La Presse film critics.

They also both did a ten best world; their tastes are similar to yours, however they both included a Pedro Almodovar, In The Mood for Love ( a film about the liberating effect of the rice cooker! At least according to the French Wikipedia) and La Graine et le Mulet.

It might amuse you to know that you are cited twice in the same paper:
Your 4 stars are on the Avatar add, with the comment "Extraordinaire",
And just the 4 stars and your name on the Precious add.

Was "At the movies" ever translated into french canadian TV, or the concept sold abroad? Must be strange to see yourself speaking in a different language and with a Paris or a "Français international" accent! I wonder what actors think of it?

Are you aware of Robert-Claude Bérubé's work? He was a Quebec film critic from 1968 to 1991, wrote some 20 000 capsule reviews, rated on a system from (1), chef d'oeuvre to (7), minable.
He was a master of the one sentence synopsis, but he also always included a short critical review with a wonderful use of adjectives. (1) Were "lucide" and "admirable", (7) were "execrable" or "d'une pauvreté visuelle navrante".
As a boy, these reviews were my favorite part of the newspaper. They are still used today in newspapers and the local equivalent of TV Guide, together with ones written by others for more recent movies. Now, sadly, they are usually published with only the synopsis, victims of newspapers shrinking page space.
Here is a link to his reviews, perhaps you will find something unknown to you in his list of (1)? I hope so!

http://mediafilm.ca/fr/cotes-1.sn

Amitiés,

Michel Lamontagne
Otterburn Park,
Quebec

Roger,

Now that we understand what some of your best films are of the decade...

How about a list of performances?

Is there a single, or a few select acting performances that you will carry with you beyond this decade?

Interested to know.

Thanks.

Thanks to the several posters who have mentioned The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. In my mind this is the film most conspicuously absent from the many "best of the decade" lists out there. If not the top of my list, VERY near it.

Certainly Requiem for a Dream belongs up there too.

I SAT BEFORE my computer 15 minutes before I could type…what would I write in the presence of Roger Ebert and his awesome laminated list of excellence.

I asked my wife what to say and she said “tell him you admire him and that you like his list” and I said no “I adore Ebert” and then she called me a slur and that was that.

This list is confirmation for me that you are the King Kong of Critics.

No, your picks and mine are not one in the same, but your list certainly respect the flexibility of genres, blends and styles that proves you LOVE movies. And those of us who LOVE movies, while we may not agree can at least look at this list and admire your inspired choices and exact reasoning.

As for your list, specifically I am glad to see Juno so high up, because it is a genuine smile till your cheeks hurt film. I haven’t seen many of them in the last few years, except Almost Famous, The Terminal and (hard gulp, I shouldn’t say this in front of you) Julie and Julia. I think people who disagree with your choice as overrated don’t understand how hard it is to get a movie with that sort of tone just right.

Here is a news flash, you are one of the only living members on my list of people whose life work I GREATLY admire. In case your wondering you share company with Ray Charles, Martin Luther King, Jr., Paul Thomas Anderson, John Mayer, George Washington Carver, Fred (Mr.) Rogers and William Shakespeare.

It has always been one of my life goals to have you review a film I have written, even if to just explain why
you hated it.

Given that my script is FINALLY getting coverage with one of the great new millennium
directors it may not be long before that dream becomes a reality.

SB

Great list Roger!

I would add Crispin Glovers What Is It? and Ronald Bronsteins' Frownland.

Two completly original and thought provoking films from the heart of the American underground.

It is difficult to see a freshly anointed movie like Synecdoche with neutral eyes. I feel more comfortable with seeing something like Taxi Driver instead.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=94537477110

Some dude made a facebook group about you. Looks like he had a hissy-fit because you disagree with him.

Hazel reading "The trial". The film resembles the Orson Welles version, following the "logic of a dream."

After Adele leaves she is never to be seen again, except in memory (and letters).This is true to life. Her paintings resemble Francis Bacon.

Sammy follows him throughout - seen in the early scenes.

Gum surgery: See me in 3 months.

Hazel and Caden like conspirators - close up.

She says: "I'll buy you a calendar." On the first (and second) viewing we side with Caden's view of time: one week has past. On the third viewing we side with Hazel: a year has past. The theme "little person" plays. "The end is built into the beginning."

The grant a blank cheque to do whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Carte blanche.

"Why did he kill himself?" "Why did you?" "What?" "I said why would you?"

The woman who plays Ellen, and then Caden: "Caden is a man already dead."

"I have to find my real daughter." - Claire ceases to exist once she leaves the play to join another play, and we never see her again. Caden doesn't miss her, or remember her, unlike with Adele.

The burning house takes the experience of a day and makes it cover a lifetime. On the third viewing, in the late scenes, we cease to notice that the house is burning at all.

An ominous zeppelin. Gas masks, an army jeep, a streaker. The theatre is ultra-large, like an aircraft hangar. At the end the sounds of a war going on outside Caden's experience; almost everyone dead. Caden and (the woman who played) Ellen trade places, personalities. Caden ever happy to play the roles assigned him (Tell me I have pretty eyes; Beg me for a kiss; My homosexual lover Eric; Ellen). We never see the real Ellen.

"I feel like I know you."

"I was the Mother in Ellen's dream."

I really have to re-watch "Synecdoche, NY." At the time I saw it, it didn't affect me as the other films written by Kaufman affected me. I thought Roger's list was interesting. I was glad to see several films I thought were underrated (the gorgeous "Silent Light," for example) to be on his list. There are a few great movies from the decade - Kings and Queen, Tropical Malady, Beau Travail, for example - that I don't believe Roger ever reviewed, and I'd be curious to see if he ever caught up with them. As always, this is a great board for film discussion. Looking forward to the review for "The White Ribbon," which I recently saw and thought was remarkable.

My own decade list:

Ten Runners Up: Wall-E, The Royal Tenenbaums, Far From Heaven, A Serious Man, Lost in Translation, City of God, A History of Violence, Milk, Amelie, Mystic River

10. There Will Be Blood
9. Zodiac
8. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
7. Sideways
6. The Departed
5. Gangs of New York
4. Brokeback Mountain
3. Almost Famous
2. No Country for Old Men
1. Mulholland Drive

Dear Mr. Ebert:

Because of your recommendation on this blog entry, I watched "Synecdoche, New York" this week. And only because you made it your film of the decade, I watched the whole thing. I then wrote an essay on the movie urging theater lovers to watch it.

In response to your recent review on "The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond," I now do indeed want to see that film. There are people who still value Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Edward Albee. In Los Angeles, we have a repertory theater devoted to the classics called A Noise Within. They did "The Night of the Iguana" in 2007-2008. Another theater, the Fountain, will do Tennessee Williams this fall.

Please note the Fountain will be doing another Athol Fugard play as well.

The Ahmanson had Miller's "12 Angry Men" in 2007. And the Mark Taper Forum will have "The Glass Menagerie" this season. One play that reminded me of "Synecdoche, New York" because of the crossing between different realities is "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" which was performed last season at the smaller Kirk Douglas theater and will this season be back at the Mark Taper. It has a tiger talking and then being a tiger among other things. I was able to interview the playwrightRajiv Joseph. It's too early to tell, but one expects great things from Joseph in the future.

Of course, I love musicals, but some musicals do take on weighty subjects like "Parade" and "Cabaret." I'm guessing, however, that in economic hard times like these, many people would prefer light comedy. So perhaps for now happy endings and musicals are safe commercial bets.

The theaters in Los Angeles are going through tough economic times and while Tim Robbins has been in the news about his recent split with longtime love Susan Sarandon, he has fighting to keep his theater company, Actors Gang, alive with a recent WTF festival. Robbins is the artistic director of this Culver City-based organization.

I know that other theaters in Los Angeles are also suffering (the LA Opera had to be bailed out by the city even after a big warehouse sale) and I'm sure the problem faced by theaters big and small in Los Angeles is the same problem theaters face across the country, including Broadway.

I did see some great theater the last time I was in Chicago.

Hi there and thanks for all your lists!

So, I think these need to be in the top ten (others have put them in already, I know, but I consolidate them here 'cause I want to be immortalized on your blog). In no special order:
1) Eastern Promises
2) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3) Old Boy
4) Memento
5) The Dark Knight...ok, just the bits with Heath Ledger in 'em

I'd really like to see a list of what you consider to be the top standout performances of the decade, more or less to legitimize my #5 above.

Thanks!


Synecdoche, New York? I feel guilty now. I missed the best film of the decade? I feel I watched it, "La Vie En Rose". That was a journey into the mind. The trip that took me on was nothing short of a voyage, a transformation of mind. So rare do you find a movie so entwined with depth, voluntary or involuntary.

Synecdoche, New York makes me want to cry everytime I watch it, just because it is so good. I have stated that it is not just the best movie of the last 30 years, but the best piece of art that I have come across. Mulholland Drive makes me want to cry for the same reasons. Keep rockin, Ebert!

A brave list, that one. Synecdoche was a strange bird alright, and I admire its ambition, but Eternal Sunshine resonated more for me in the end (and was my #1 choice for the Oughts.)

Doubt anyone reads down this far, but, just as an FYI and since we're all film geeks, my own top-100 list is here: http://www.bit.ly/100films

TRUE STORY, I sat in front of my computer 15 minutes before I could type…what would I write in the presence of Roger Ebert and his awesome laminated list of excellence.

I asked my wife what to say and she said “tell him you admire him and that you like his list” and I said no “I adore Ebert” and then she called me a slur and that was that.

This list is confirmation for me that you are The King Kong of Critics. No, your picks and mine are not one in the same, but it certainly respect the flexibility of genres, blends and styles that proves you LOVE movies. And those of us who LOVE movies, while we may not agree can at least look at this list and admire your inspired choices.

As for your list, specifically I am glad to see Juno so high up, because it is a genuine smile till your cheeks hurt film, I haven’t seen many of them in the last few years, except Almost Famous, The Terminal and (hard gulp, I shouldn’t say this in front of you) Julie and Julia. I think people who disagree don’t understand how hard it is to get a movie with that sort of tone just right.

Here’s a news flash, you are one of the only living members on my list of people whose life work I GREATLY admire. In case your wondering you share company with Ray Charles, Martin Luther King, Jr., Paul Thomas Anderson, John Mayer, George Washington Carver, Fred (Mr.) Rogers and William Shakespeare.

It has always been one of my life goals to have you review a film I have written, even if to just explain why
you hated it. Given that my script is FINALLY getting coverage with one of the great new millennium
directors it may not be long before that dream becomes a reality.

SB

Ebert: A greatly admire the others, and do not deserve to be named in their category.

And I suspect Shakespeare needs to be nudged up a category or two.

I don't particularly like the idea of ranking films. Each film has its own intentions, and one film may do something better than another film but may not necessarily be the better film. It hardly seems fair to judge a fantasy epic like Pan's Labyrinth according to the same criteria as a quirky indie comedy like Juno. It does seem smart to judge films based on the emotions they evoke, but there are many emotions. Which is the most valuable? And what causes transcendence for one viewer (who appreciates story and character) may not effect anything in another (who loves vivid visual worlds). Basically I'm saying I think lists are mostly arbitrary.

My favorite films of the decade, in no particular order,

Inland Empire
The Fall
The New World

I've decided pretty finally on these three as the best.

And the rest of the 00s films I loved, but couldn't bring myself to put in any order that felt right,

Heaven; Be Kind Rewind; King Kong; In the Mood for Love; 2046; Moulin Rouge!; Speed Racer; Magnolia; 21 Grams; Southland Tales; Sex and Lucia; Babel; Synecdoche, New York

Roger,

My birthday was six days ago. Sure, I got everything I wanted, but there's something else I'd love to get from you. When do you plan on adding "Brokeback Mountain" to your list of Great Movies? Come on, you can tell me. It's (was) my birthday!

Please and thank you,

Garrett

Hey Roger! Where's 'Memento'? It was an amazing movie and there aren't many out there like it.

"Synecdoche, New York" and Kaufman's other films remind me of the first four record albums by "The Firesign Theater." You have to experience each work multiple times to understand and appreciate what they have to offer... and then decide if that journey is/was worth the effort. That is a tall order for most.

I agree with Greg, that the alignment of decades is best determined by the name of the years therein, and not by some rigid accounting that goes back 2000 years. But I do note with amusement that nobody is quite sure what the hell we call the decade just completed. Everybody's been fudging the issue and calling it just "this decade", but the problem will come forward as the decade itself recedes into the past. The aughts? Seems too quaint. And I'm convinced the coming decade has to be called "the teens", even though, strictly speaking, "the teens" span only 7 years, not 10.

Speaking of names, I'd like to point out that the coming year is most efficiently pronounced "twenty ten". My recollection is, that's what we called the movie of that name. But now we've acquired a ten-year habit of calling years "two

nike outletthousand this" and "two thousand that", and that habit is driving us to "two thousand ten". Surely at some point in the coming 90 years, we'll get back to saying "twenty" and not "two thousand". That point might as well be tomorrow.

680 comments down means you probably won't read this, but in case you do -

Thank you for this post! My only complaint: I really, really wish you had called it "My favorite films of the decade" instead of "The Best Films Of..."

The Internet is filled with "Best of" lists, which really annoy because they almost always seem like they're trying to incite you to disagree, a challenge to contradict and argue - "These are the best, challenge me!" Best implies there's some sort of objectivity (i.e. regarding a film's historical, artistic, popular or "objective" importance, as you note).

But when you call it "My favorite films of the decade," no one can argue with you because, hey, they're your favorite films! And I find that the conversation that results from such a start is often more fruitful and less challenging. "Oh, those were your favorite films? Very enlightening! I on the other hand like this movie because of x,y,and z."

For example, I loathed Synechdoche. Loathed it. To me, just because you stuff an enigma into a riddle into a puzzle and then tease the audience with slight hints an explanation only to leave it completely open-ended can either work wonders (the gift that keeps on giving every time you watch about it) or cave in on itself - and to me, Synechdoche was a massive implosion.

So when you call it the best film of the decade, I'm ready to launch into a diatribe about various objective arguments blah blah blah.

But when you say Synechdoche is your favorite movie of the decade, my mind opens up in a new way. Huh, interesting. OK, you and I both interpreted the film differently, but I at least understand why it is your favorite film. We're not longer arguing objective best, we're talking about personal opinion.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm just getting into semantics over the difference between the words "Best" and "Favorite," but I feel like the internet would be a way less confrontational and argumentative world if people would use the latter! If you disagree, just consider: if you were to name the 10 "best movies" in cinema and your 10 "most favorite" movies in cinema (and not for publication, only in your head where no one can judge!) would they mirror each other?

It's been funny for me to observe how I read the comments on this thread -- especially the ones that have lists. Most of the movies listed are perfectly fine; it's a personal thing, as you say. But when my eyes come to certain movies, I disregard anything else on their lists and move on. I'm not saying it's fair -- it's just something I've observed about myself, and I'm sure others have similarly skipped over my top-ten.

The one that kills my interest that is most frequently listed is: A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Is there a movie among all these lists that really grates on your nerves?

My favourite 10 films from 2000-2009,
or, The movies that moved me more than any other.

1. Amores Perros
2. The Fountain
3. The Barbarian Invasions
4. Hotel Rwanda
5. The Great Debaters
6. The Pianist
7. Walking Life
8. Me and You and Everyone We Know
9. Oldboy
10.Bondi Tsunami

Reading through the above lists have been great. I look forward to watching those which I haven't had a chance to view yet.

My favourite 10 films from 2000-2009,
or, The movies that moved me more than any other.

1. Amores Perros
2. The Fountain
3. The Barbarian Invasions
4. Hotel Rwanda
5. The Great Debaters
6. The Pianist
7. Walking Life
8. Me and You and Everyone We Know
9. Oldboy
10.Bondi Tsunami

Reading through the above lists have been great. I look forward to watching those which I haven't had a chance to view yet.

you really really. REALLY
should watch inland empire.
it was j. emerson that wrote the review.
which makes me fairly sure you probably haven't caught it.
i don't think a film has ever disturbed me as deeply as that one.
and i would label it myself as one of the greatest
of the decade.
do you have a movie rental card or do you do netflix?
either way. it'd be easy to get a copy of it.

Roger,

Please tell me you are not one of those sad people arguing the decade does not end until the end of this year.

January 1, 2000 - December 31, 2009 is ten years. It will be the 00's or whatever. Just like January 1, 1990 - December 31, 1999 was the 90's.

Why are people suddenly changing this practice based upon the millenia?

With respect to you list, I have no comments as these are all subjective, although I definitely would have inclued a number of the films you did.

However, Almost Famous - really? It was OK, but fairly light and insubstantial. It's not a movie I ever thought about seeing again.

Excellent list. I'll be sure to watch some of the films I haven't seen yet. It's also nice to see that you have changed some rankings around with past top ten lists compared to this list. Some films become better as the age. That, or it takes that long for us to realize how fine that movie is. I admire that open-mindedness of a critic.

Babel and Werckmeister Harmonies have been inducted to your Great Movies category, yet they are not ranked with your greatest of the decade. Will this mean that there will be new entries for these listed films?

Wow! Great lists everybody! It has only taken me the better part of a week to get through this wonderful blog post and to deliberate on my faves of the decade.

There's something about "hyperlink" movies that I warm up to, perhaps because those movies deal with a multitude of characters and themes, and a viewer is rewarded the more times they revisit that particular film.

My Ten Best of the Decade reflects that:

1. Waking Life
2. City of God
3. Yi Yi
4. Crash
5. Traffic
6. Babel
7. Monster
8. the Son
9. An Inconvenient Truth
10. No Country For Old Men

What I love about your list this decade, Roger, is that it finally expresses to many readers, including myself, that some movies just have a certain impact that elevates their stature over time. Maybe that's why "25th Hour" is up there instead of "Million Dollar Baby". Who knows?

In terms of "Overlooked" films, I must give a huge shout-out to Al Pacino's neglected treasure of a film "Chinese Coffee", a two-hander with Jerry Orbach about two middle-aged bohemians who find themselves lost in the 80's.

For me, any of the films on my list are good enough to be the best of the decade, but I pick "Waking Life" because it holds a particular meaning for me. I live in Toronto. Our much renowned film festival had just reached the halfway point when the events of 9/11 took place. The film schedule was cancelled for the rest of that day, and we weren't sure whether the film festival would even continue that week.

The theatre that shows most of the press screenings was a traffic jam of movie critics on their cell phones trying to connect to their families, or movie critics just standing around with the rest of us staring blankly at all those tv screens that usually show trailers, but on 9/11 were tuned to local news telecasts.

I found myself that afternoon sitting over cheeseburgers and fries with some close friends, talking. Just talking. Talking 9/11. Talking terrorism. Talking philosophy. Talking movies. Talking about dreams yet to come. Talking about EVERYTHING!

The film fest did go on, and the first movie I walked into was "Waking Life", and there couldn't have been a more appropriate movie to see. There simply wasn't a film as nourishing in that particular moment in my life that decade, and it has become one of those movies that I return to every year, watching it somewhere around the late summer/early fall.

That movie, like the conversation I had had the day of 9/11 with my friends, did not so much contain the answers to anything, but it sure did contain the questions to everything.

In the wake of reading everyone's lists, the post count climbing daily, I gave myself a headache when I tried to follow suit. I've seen too many movies to narrow it down - at least not without performing the equivalent of mental gymnastics lasting hours and long into the night only to awaken hours later to change it all!

So f*ck it. I can't make up my mind. And instead I'll tell you what's on it - a recent discovery from the library and one so wondrous, I can't believe it slipped beneath my radar.

"Le renard et l'enfant" (The Fox and the Child) is a 2007 French film which was shot like a nature documentary crossed with a fairy tale! It's about a little girl with curious eyes who sees a Fox one day in the forest near her home. The encounter leads to an extraordinary friendship and subsequent adventure - the likes of which must be seen to be believed and I could only dream of as a child.

It's the film I wish they'd made when I was small so I could have seen it then and have its magic work itself upon me. As I'd have liked that. It's got "elevation".

"The Fox and the Child" (2008) Directed by Luc Jacquet. Starring Bertille Noel-Bruneau. Narrated by Kate Winslet. Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPp7jkgKmPw

This is the most perfect film ever made about a little girl! :D

And I can't find Roger's review it - meaning you've never seen it! Holy cow dude, are you in for a BIG surprise!

Mr Ebert-

Thank you for all the pleasure you have given me over the years. Growing up knowing that you and Mr. Siskel would always be available to review films for me, you have caused me to love film as much as any actual filmmaker has. And that is why I am happy to see that you have chosen to include SYNECDOCHE NY and THE 25TH HOUR on your top ten of the decade list. For a long time I thought I was the only person who liked THE 25TH HOUR.

Keep up the wonderful work, sir, for you are more important than you probably think.

It's not enough for me for a movie to be merely entertaining. The movies that stick with me are the ones that leave me emotionally shaken, that reach a place in my psyche and rattle me in ways that simple entertainment does not. The following films of the decade in (considerable) question did that and are, therefore, among my top films:

Brokeback Mountain
Requiem for a Dream
In the Bedroom
There Will Be Blood
Monster
Zodiac
No Country for Old Men
Grizzly Man

I have yet to see Synecdoche, New York, Bad Lieutenant (Herzog is a favorite), or The Hurt Locker, but I have hopes that these films will do more for me than keep me entertained.

As for your own list, Mr. Ebert, I found it surprising and provocative, and will certainly check out the films I haven't seen that are on it. Any film that sticks tenaciously enough in your movie-filled mind is worth seeing.

There Won't Be Blood?

In 2000, I turned 22. I was working my first office job (in the film studio of B-movie legend Roger Corman), which was provided to me by my film school. I was the head film critic for a tiny (and now-defunct) East L.A. newspaper. I was obsessed with movies.

It was then that I disovered your website, Mr. Ebert.

As an aspiring critic, I ate up your reviews, merrily feeling validated when our opinions ran together, and carefully forming mental arguments of defense when they did not. My film school taught me how to recognize good filmmaking, but your reviews taught me how to express myself about them. My film school showed me what a classic was, but it was you who gave the the important lessons of a) giving every film an even shake, and b) allowing them to tell me what they have to say on their own terms.

This recap of the best films of the decade only serves to remind of the decade we have had together, Mr. Ebert, as author and reader. I was there when you discovered each of these films, and I was there to discover them with you.

Thank you for leading me to some great classics, honing my writing skills (which are in a constant state of improving), and, essentially, completing my film education.

Here's to another ten years.

Must have been hard to leave "Children of Men" off of the list. Not too many films as vicerally engaging as that one, not to mention excellent technically. "Children of Men" seems to do exactly the thing you've said you like in your science fiction: to explore bigger questions about how we live. For me, the images presented in and emotions provoked by "Children of Men" make the film unforgettable, which I think is at least one standard for making it a best of.

Last night I watched "Silent Light", from your second ten-best of the decade, with a buddy on his nice home theater system.

One of the most striking features of the film was the bizarre soundtrack. A fair percentage of the time, there was a cacophany of background noises, sometimes natural and sometimes man-made, ramped up to a grotesque level that completely overwhelmed us, and often drowned out any foreground dialog. We found it distracting enough to impair substantially our enjoyment of the film.

I wonder why this hasn't been mentioned more prominently in the reviews I've seen. Have you seen the DVD version of this, Roger? I'm thinking maybe the film version wasn't so bad, and they went berserk in the DVD transfer.

I'm so happy to see Synecdoche, NY at number one. I absolutely love that film, and I was so disheartened to see the mixed reviews it received last year.

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Traffic
3. Garden State
4. The Aviator
5. Before Night Falls
6. Synecdoche New York
7. Memento
8. About Schmidt
9. Lord of the Rings
10. The Hurt Locker
I can't believe juno is on this list it was average at best as well as the 25gh hour, I thought monster was good but not one of the decade's best, Charlize Theron was outstanding in it though. Crash was awful. I can't believe There Will Be Blood doesn't feature hands down the best performance of the decade. There Will Be Blood will age well I think it is this decade's taxi driver amazing script and cinematography as well, just brilliant.

What I like about Chop Shop is that it is not moralistic.

I like the ending. It felt good.

First of all, excuse my rotten english, as i am not a native speaker. I will however try my best. Being an absolute movie buff for quite a while now, well, actually for the major part of my life, i really enjoy reading your blog. Your knowledge about movies in general and obviously your writing skills are simply inconceivable. I might once in a while disagree with your opinion. "Knowing" would be a good example but i guess at this point you are probably sick of the discussion about Alex Proyas polarizing film. But i got to admit i was reliefed, that you didn't choose it for the decades best. So at least i can say, that every film you chose is appreciated by me, even though only a few i adore as much as you do. Before presenting the Top 25 of my own "inner jury" i must say, as many did here before, how much i love the fact you picked "The 25th hour". It must, at least here in my small country Liechtenstein, be the most underappreciated masterpiece of the decade

1. Oldboy
2. Lost in Translation
3. The 25th hour
4. Requiem for a dream
5. Sideways
6. Slumdog Millionaire
7. Dogville
8. City of God
9. Pan's Labyrinth
10. Spirited Away
11. 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days
12. The Lives of Others
13. Bad Santa
14. Ratatouille
15. Million Dollar Baby
16. Head-on
17. Memento
18. The Barbarian Invasions
19. No Country for Old Men
20. Twilight Samurai
21. Memories of Murder
22. Amores Perros
23. Lilja 4-Ever
24. Eastern Promises
25. The Hurt Locker


Has it really been seventy year's since Charlie Chaplin uttered that immortal monologue
to humanity?, I guess nobody takes the Comedian seriously; funny Charlie.

Amen, Amen and Amen for your choose of the best movie of the decade; you've bet me
to it, I had it in mind for some time now and was going to write an article about it, but
knew I wouldn't be able to finish it; would've ended writing a book, that's what stopped
me; that last quarter of the film; it seemed like it was going on for ever, so I kept it for
later and finished up on Adaptation, yet felt "Synecdoche, New York" was speaking to
a broader medium and is endlessly (like life). Charlie Kaufman is a major asset as a
screenwriter to Hollywood, just imagine paring him with a visual artist
what would happen; they could change the face of Cinema, not to
mention genres.

I'm surprised you've chosen "Son" as one of the best of the decade, few critics even
notice this miracle of a movie, (probably because it's foreign) if theirs a true definition
of a gem; this is it, ho-ever financed this movie surely deserves a stairway to heaven,
their isn't an ounce of this movie out of place, if more fathers would see this movie we
would have fathers.

Yet, I felt last decade list was juicier, this list feels like it was gathered in a hurry,
no art film's; something like "Mulholand Drive"; probably David Lynch's best movie ever,
or the "Proposition" with it's unique and original take on western in a very stark way,
didn't fancy any of Roy Andersson film's, their are more significant ones in your eleventh
place.

Seriously, you think "Monster" is a greater movie than "Perfum: Story of a Murderer",
it's like saying "Rocky" is better than "Raging Bull" or "The Long Good Friday" is better
than Goodfellas, it's just that the second executes the subject matter more proficiently and thoroughly than the first one, don't take me wrong both film's are great, the first gives
us one of the finest acting of the decade; their is no question about it.

As a gesture of love I'm going to name my favorites of this century so far; their aren't
much list's out their on acting, their are plenty on film, directors and even composers,
decided to be amongst the first to come forth about it, it's not a perfect list; an artist
should not think as much as feel:

-Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose), -Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
-Al Pacino (The Merchant of Venice), -Charlize Theron (Monster)
-Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), -Greg Kinnear (Auto Focus)
-Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), -Philip Seymour Hoffman (Owning Mahowny)
-Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain), -Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)

I couldn't help myself not to include the rest on my list:
-Gary Oldman (The Contender), -Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast)
-Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York), -Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream)
-Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire), -Joan Allen (The Upside of Anger)
-Terrence Howard (Hustle&Flow), -Emma Thompson (Wit)
-Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls), -Ulrich Muehe (The Lives of Others)
-Felicity Huffman (Transamerica).

After putting together this list, I realized that we've just started to scratch the surface
in terms of character development, sad how the actor hardly has the opportunity for
an establishment over a role as a director does over a project, unlike their forefather's
(the theater) in which the director and actors main concern is the development of the
character/s.

It's very crucial when casting a film; one should choose wisely, because that actor
could unravel it's flaws or vice versa.

In a good day Daniel Day-Lewis is the embodiment of a true thespian, a man who
is not Marlon Brando nor is he Anthony Quinn.



Oh, Mr. Ebert
I was wandering the other day the whereabouts of a particular actor; goes by the name
of Skeet Ulrich, very handsome with his perspective on the medium; has the potential
of a great character actor to watch for, been miscast in a couple of flops, was that it
about him?

Hey, are you trying to fool us; is that the picture of James Cameron on your
home page or Anthony Zerbe!



Looking at a lot of critics' "best of the decade" lists it seems to me that There Will Be Blood is probably going to be considered the best film of the decade in much the same way that Raging Bull is generally considered the best film of the 80s. I would love to hear your thoughts on it especially because you have suggested in the past that you were going to go back and re-view it.

Some more of my personal favorites -- It's been a good decade for movies.
'Traffic', 2000
'Donnie Darko', 2001
'Black Hawk Down', 2001
'We Were Soldiers', 2002
'Chicago', 2002
'Cold Mountain', 2003
'Munich', 2005
'King Kong', 2005 or 'Nacho Libre', 2006
'The Departed', 2006
'The Pianist' 2002
'The Zodiac' 2007
'In Bruges' 2008
'Avatar' 2009

The success of The Hurt Locker indicates that liberals are thrilled by war. It appears we have that instinct to want the experience of threat for the chemical release. However, higher-minded individuals, such as myself, are willing to manage that thrill through entertainment.

There is an unproven statement: movies give people ideas to do things. It is rare to feel hypnotically controlled when leaving a movie theater. Movies can inspire us which leads to ideas which can lead to action. I think cinema is where we can put our greatest horrors and postulate heavens. The act of living together is a great thing encased in the trial treasures of life.

Finally saw The Son tonight, Roger. Then (and only then) I read your review. I understand what you meant when you said the movie changed you. It changed me. All the notions I had about what the art of film can accomplish went out the window, right along with my ideas of loss, redemption, and forgiveness. Profound and moving.

I am in awe of The Son, and of the Dardenne's, and most especially of Olivier Gourmet, who I believe gives one of the finest performances I've seen.

Thank you for introducing me to this astonishing film.

"Synecdoche, New York" is the best film of the decade."

Wow, I disagree big time, Rog. As usual, you remain one of America's best critics -- with that ever-present dash of quirkiness.

Go Colts.

--

I love the fact that you point out that people generally think the best films are the ones that resonate emotionally with them. That's why I don't understand why people insist on debating other peoples lists. The films a person treasures the most are a very personal choice. That being said, the movie that moved me the most and hit closest to home was definitely Sean Penn's "Into the Wild". I've seen it many times, and it still moves me with every repeated viewing.

I went to my local Blockbuster store today because they were selling all of their DVDs for $0.99. When I got there, they only had one groups of films left. All of them were copies of Synecdoche, New York. The manager said those are the only films they've had for the past 3 days.


It is strange, ironic, and a pity that one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year and the decade is also the most undewatched, underrated, and least desired films.

Roger,

As always, a compelling and earnest list of fabulous movies. There will be many agreements and disagreements of course. A top ten list of movies for those of us who love movies (and I am quite confident that all of us who read you regularly love movies) is not an argument, it's a love song, a testimonial. I cannot reasonably argue with any of your choices, because you have explained to me in intelligent, concise, and often emotional ways why you believe the way you do. I have always respected your reasons.

For those of us out here in movie land who do not see 300-400 movies a year (is that an accurate guess) I think we should title our lists "The best movies we have seen," since I cannot imagine even the most devoted of us have seen half the movies you have. I have lived in Shanghai, China for the last 2 years and have seen all my films on DVD, most of them shortly after they arrive at the big screens in the US. And I have seen a lot these past two years, more than any other two year period of my life. I can tell you without hesitation that no movie of the last 2 years, the last decade, perhaps my life, has ever terrified or riveted me more than "No Country for Old Men." It is a haunting, beautiful, absolutely brilliant film. It is my film of the decade.

Finally, as a former proud resident of Baltimore, perhaps I am a bit biased when I offer the opinion that the collective total of HBO's five seasons of "The Wire" is better than anything put on anyone's ten best movies list of any decade, ever. It is the finest creation of the medium and one of the greatest pieces of art in any form ever made in this country. Big thoughts, I know. "The Wire" is my love song and testimonial.

I'm a little confused. Here you have Hurt Locker as the #2 film of the decade, but according to the list at moviecitynews.com, you have it listed as the fourth best of the year.

Here's the list:

http://www.moviecitynews.com/awards/2010/top_ten/critics_06.htm

Ebert: Now, then, sir. If you'd read my list on THIS fine site, you'd have found my 2009 top ten were alphabetical.

Wow...i'm behind. I've only seen Crash, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Minority Report, and No Country for Old Men from Ebert's top list. But my opinion so far is:

Tops of the 2000's (In no particular order):
Ali, The Dark Knight, District 9, Gladiator, Inglourious Basterds, Munich, Old School, Open Range, Public Enemies, Sin City, Super Troopers, Traffic, Children of Men, Babel, Black Hawk Down, The Hunted, Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of our Fathers, The Prestige, Tyson, Zodiac, We Own the Night, The Wrestler, There Will Be Blood, Star Trek, Road to Perdition, and Super High Me.

Specifically not on the list: Crash aka Racism for Dummies: The Movie. Grand, social commentary from one of the writers of Walker: Texas Ranger. Only thing missing from the film are subtitles saying: "THIS CHARACTER IS A RACIST BUT IS NOW HAVING A LIFECHANGING MOMENT AND NOW REALIZES THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL!", Lord of the Rings Trilogy (overlong and silly), Adventureland, The Aviator, Bobby (oof...), and Death Proof (QT's worst misstep thus far).

Just not good from the 2000's: The 6th Day, 13 Going on 30, Ali G Indahouse, American Pie 2, The Aristocrats, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Bad Boys 2, Bait, Bangkok Dangerous, The Beach, Beer League, Behind Enemy Lines, The Brave One, The Cell, Clerks 2, Collateral Damage, College Road Trip, The Day After Tomorrow, Death Sentence, Death to Smoochy, Domino, Driven to Kill, Dukes of Hazzard, The Fast and the Furious 1, 2, & 3, Final Destination, Get Carter, Get Rich or Die Trying, Giuliani Time, High Crimes, Hitch, The Hot Chick, In the Name of the King, Jarhead, Jersey Girl, Joe Dirt, Jurassic Park 3, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Little Nicky, The Longest Yard, Made, Man on the Moon, The Marine, Max Payne, Men in Black 2, Million Dollar Hotel, The Missing, Mission: Impossible 2, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Van Wilder, Ocean's Twelve, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Pay it Forward, Pearl Harbor, Punisher: War Zone, Righteous Kill, S.W.A.T., The Sentinel, Shanghai Noon, Shooter, Step Up 2 the Streets, Strange Wilderness, Superbad, The Transporter, Trekkies 2, Vertical Limit, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, and Who's Your Caddy?.

Worst of the decade: 13 Ghosts, 88 Minutes, The Animal, Battlefield: Earth, Buried in the Sand (godawful "documentary"), Date Movie, Driven, Epic Movie, Freddie Got Fingered, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, House of 1,000 Corpses, Just Friends, Mad Money, Meet the Spartans, Postal (maybe worst ever?), Waiting...(ok...maybe THIS is worst ever), The Wicker Man (worst movie ever that is entertaining), Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling, and Yes Man (Navajo for "The Comedy of No Laughter).

A few friends and I were recently making lists of the best Indian language films of the decade. Films that came out in the last third of the decade topped most lists - Hindi and other Indian languages.
Seeing Synecdoche, which is from the last year of the decade in review, topping your list, I now wonder whether it is just in our nature to plump for things that are most fresh in our memories. And if it is so, is it only with trivial things like list-making, or does our mind process serious things also the same way?

Ebert: I believe we remember what we thought more clearly than what we felt. But I know of no studies to confirm that.

My favorites of the decade:

1) The Dark Knight
2) AI: Artificial Intelligence
3) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
4) Pan’s Labyrinth
5) Mulholland Dr.
6) Brokeback Mountain
7) Kill Bill: Vols. 1 & 2
8) Wall-E
9) Inglorious Basterds
10) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Some great movies from the 2000's (among the one's I've seen):


1. Mulholland Drive
2. Being John Malkovich
3. Adaptation
4. No Country For Old Men
5. Traffic
6. The Departed
7. Michael Clayton
8. Closer
9. Sideways
10.Kung Fu Hustle

Mulholland Drive is the best movie I've ever seen, ever.

Yes to Waking Life! It is one of my all time favorite films. It is the one film I recommend to people more than any other I have seen. How it got passed over for best animated film still irks me.

Hey Ebert,

Would you consider that other than 2008, that 2009 has been the single best year for movies this decade? It was almost like the academy anticipated it by expanding to 10 best film selections.

My best of list for this year:


A Serious Man

Knowing

The Road

Soul Kitchen

Goodbye Solo

The Cove

Bad Lieutenant

A Single Man

In the Loop

An Education

Moon

The Hurt Locker

The Informant

Big Fan

And last but not least... Up in the Air


Was wondering how you would rank this year's films...

Sorry I made a mistake - I picked Being John Malkovich as my second favorite movie of the decade, though it was released in 1999 (no wonder this top notch movie is on no other list).

So what to replace it with? Many observers await my decision.

For the time being, I will go ahead and make Little Miss Sunshine my 10th favorite movie of the decade. Everything above it (other than the stalwart 'Mulholland' at #1) gets bumped up a slot. Here's the new list:

1. Mulholland Drive
2. Adaptation
3. No Country For Old Men
4. Traffic
5. The Departed
6. Michael Clayton
7. Closer
8. Sideways
9. Kung Fu Hustle
10.Little Miss Sunshine

Tom wrote: "Mark, you mean there is no Year Zero? NO YEAR ZERO? I can't take this. This is worse than Daylight Savings Time. Aaaargh, thanks to you, Roger, our Netflix queue is backed up. We will need a Year Zero to catch up."

Perhaps this is why you posted a while back that time seemed to be passing oddly for you. Mystery solved.

I wanted to say thanks for your list. I just wish you had made your best of the decade proclamation earlier - perhaps I would now have a Roger Ebert commentary track on my 'S,NY' BD (like the similarly overlooked 'Dark City'). Seriously though, I don't always agree with you, but in my book, you're the top reviewer in terms of both substance and style.

That said, any plans for a 'Great Movies III' book? (Yeah, I know you add those to the site, but I like the books with the great photos.)

The Hurt Locker is war porn and No Country For Old Men is the most overrated movie of the decade, and No Dark Knight, Departed, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or Avatar. Terrible list.

a bit off topic.
but your the man who would know.
is there a online copy of pauline kael's review
for taxi driver?
i cannot seem to find it anywhere.

Ebert: Her reviews don't seem to be online.

A belated addition from Out 1 Film Journal on the Best of the 00s. Our "winner" wasn't very popular with you, but perhaps some other parts of the list hold up. It was put together votes from 13 different writers, so there's at least something there! In case anyone is interested...

http://www.out1filmjournal.com/2010/01/out-1-film-journals-best-movies-of.html

I thought Synecdoche was very commendable in it's complexity and it's different layers of reality, but all the angst got to be a little much. Also, nowhere in the film is it mentioned how fulfilling it is to simply help someone else. The hero is so wrapped up in his own misery that it never occurs to him to help other people and find meaning to his life in that way. But it is a very intelligent film, and very skilfully acted.

Roger, I just finished # 100 in your first great movies book (Greed, I had to dig it out of a basement VHS bin in a local rental store)and I just wanted to say how much I admire you and respect your always intelligent opinion. This list is no exception, great choices. The lack of an Almodovar picture made me wonder though, and my three favorites from the decade were absent:

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (Jones)
Three Times (Hou)
and
The wind will carry us (Kiarostami) released in 2000 in the US

Thanks for keeping me entertained, and educated!

I find it interesting, and sort of funny, that critics seem to be the most prone to personal criticism compared to all other careers out there. Critics are hired to honestly evaluate a product, and if they honestly evaluate it to be inferior (or even just "average" instead of "Great Job") they're lambasted and assaulted.

There's nothing wrong with disagreeing with a critic... indeed, I'm sure they WANT to see some disagreement, especially in ambiguous and challanging reviews, but I'd guess they see more negative criticism of their own negative criticism than any other profession in existence.

Tough job, to be sure.

Thanks for being the sitting duck of film criticism for so many years Mr. Ebert. I love to read your reviews, even when I vehemently oppose your opinion, I still respect that you put it out there for public judgement.

I sincerely hope this is NOT the last decade review you do. Keep on critiquing.

Now, my question is, what do you consider the worst films of the decade? But I guess you might not want to relive those memories.

Like many of the readers here, I'm truly curious why Million Dollar Baby was left out. I realize these lists necessarily exclude all sorts of wonderful films, but having re-read your original review of MDB, and recalling what an advocate you were for the film at the time, I'm sincerely surprised.

Is there any reason for its absence? Or should we not allow this list, like any list, to distract us from your original comments?:)

Put me down as someone who doesn't get No Country for Old Men. I followed it fione, it just seemed rather meh to me. Did Anton symbolize the future? If so, I did not agree with the basic premise. And WTF was the point of that car crash at the end?

If I may throw some of a certain critic's words back at him, regarding the inclusion of Crash:

Crash is larded with sentimental triggers and contrived emotion. It exploits moments a better movie would have looked away from. It wants to force our emotions, but not to share its (mis)understanding. It does this so clumsily that I am seething after the first 15 minutes. It enfeebles the cinema. It says, yes, a movie can hinder us from making steps against our imperfections.

You didn't consider The Departed!? Maybe having grown up in Massachussetts and being a fan of the original Chinese version gave me more bias in favor of this than other people but to me this has to be one of the best, if not the best, of the decade.

Also you consider The Hurt Locker better than Blackhawk down? Maybe, but Blackhawk Down was the first "realistic" war movie I can remember seeing compared to these dramatic and overly cinematic things like Saving Private Ryan or Platoon.

sorry for the constant posts.
i would much rather converse with you in person
roger.
but since this is what i have. you can hardly
blame me for taking advantage of said medium.

but i along with untold thousands (probably)
implore you to add david lynch's inland empire
to your "great movies" collection.
i would argue for the film's sake on this post.
but if you have seen the movie i don't think there
is any need to.
if you haven't. i implore you to see it.

I finished watching "Good Bye Solo" earlier.

I liked its simplicity.

To me, the William character is feeling guilty about something and it has checkmated him.

But through that checkmating and its conclusion in the film, it is about how all of us experience change when faced with the reality of death and that there is something else to be experienced beyond represented by the wisdom of the child's youth.

Roger,

Been a big fan for many years. I try to read your reviews every week. Funny how as you get older reading the reviews becomes reading the first paragraph and checking out the # of stars. Then just checking the headline and the number of stars. I am a film buff, but with my diminishing free time, and all the great TV on DVR these days it's becoming harder to watch every "little film" and I also get caught in limbo now and then, between theatre and blue ray release. But I still watch 100-150 films a year. (First movie in the theatre, btw = Flash Gordon). Netflix makes it easier to "catch up" eventually. I have to say, I was a little disappointed to see S. NY as your top film of the decade. My wife and I both found it to be quite bad. I'm sorry, but to read all these people's comments about how it's so great and you're a master for choosing it makes me feel sorry for those people. Get a brain of your own, I want to say. My main beef: There seems to be no JOY in this film. It has the feel of a smart, quirky film, but very little, if any, JOY. To me, that doesn't make for a good viewing experience. I did find a couple things amusing: his stalker, (or is it a bum? -- it's been awhile since I've seen it) this guy in the background, who takes a bigger role, and his absurdly failing health. Honestly, I feel like that's why you chose the movie. You could relate so well to this character, going through your health problems like you have, and it really affected you in a strong way. Not to say there needs to be JOY in every film to be great. I feel No Country For Old Men is a better, more engaging film, for example, despite its lack of JOY. I say this because I have talked to friends who've had nightmares about the strange haircuted villain. What a lasting impression! To each their own, I guess. Keep doing what your doing as long as you can.

- Jason

Oy Vey! Synecdoche, New York? This thing is definitely one of my least favorite movies ever. It was excrutiating to watch! I kept hoping something would happen and nothing ever did. What a waste of a cast a director and most importantly a few of my hours of time which could have been spent watching almost anything that would be better. I'd rather watch Billy Maze infomercials or Wife Swap than that peace of poop.

Although some the other picks on the list are good. Namely Hurt Locker and Chop Shop.

Ebert are you Crazy?

You're missing Children of Men. The only film that truely breached my pessimism.

I have a theory on Juno. I believe older generations love this film because the over the top pop culture references are (some of them anyway) lost on them. I found it so annoying to try to focus on a film in which each character seemed to have the same voice. The moment I was asked to believe that Jason Baitman's band opened up for the Melvins was the end for me. The dialogue became jarring. I could be wrong, but I have heard so many unexpected raves from elders that I have to believe that this is one of the reasons. That being said, this film should not be on a top ten list for the decade. There were just too many other films. There has to be some objectivity. The late Pauline Kael had personal responses to films, but she did not make choices on the basis on her own life story. Thank you for Me and U and Everyone Else We Know. I love seeing that on your list. How about George Washington? I could not relate to that life by any means, but it still was one of the most affecting films I have ever seen. Anyway, thanks for all that you do.

here's mine....

House of Flying Daggers
King Kong!
Atonement
Gangs of New York
Slumdog Millionaire
Dirty Pretty Things
Man On Wire
There Will Be Blood
Memento
The Last King of Scotland
Spirited Away
Lust,Caution.
Junebug
The Dreamers
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
City of God
The Constant Gardener
Black Cat White Cat
Into the Wild
The Science of Sleep
Persepolis
Memoirs of a geisha
Lilja 4-Ever
Audition
Che part 1
Che part 2

10 American Splendor
9 The Golden Door
8 Let the Right One In
7 The Motorcycle Diaries
6 Battle Royale
5 Amores Perros
4 Pan’s Labyrinth
3 Amélie
2 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
1 Together

I recently watched the Spike Lee film "25th Hour," shortly after which I also read your essay on "25th Hour" from your Great Movies series. However, in your essay on the film I believe you misinterpreted a scene from the movie. You said, "The crucial moment between Jacob and Mary takes place up a flight of stairs. After it is over, after Jacob has returned to the booth, then Lee employs his trademark gliding shot, showing Jacob seemingly floating up the stairs without moving his feet. We understand Jacob is replaying the hypnotic compulsion that led him -- drove him -- up the stairs." I have watched that scene four times now and I am certain that the scene is not Jacob progressing up the stairs, it is Jacob walking forward away from the bathroom right after he has closed the bathroom door. Perhaps I misinterpreted your essay and not the film though.

Roger Ebert..... Holy Moly. Here's Saad, another helpless dreamer from Libya ( I understand if you quit reading ) who's looking at a pulchritudinous Fata Morgana and knows that he'll never reach it.
People have heroes and we already know them. we're the moviegoers, aren't we? But you may find it odd when I tell you that since one of my parents' orgasms initiated the idea of, I only accept oxygen in my lung because of Cinema, and the human being who made me feel the divine wonder of it is ... guess who? The old grey-haired man who shows the brilliant remains of his embopoint; who silently creeps into the soul of the camera and people involved with it, it's ... hell it's you.
Although I haven't read all of your work, you must know if by chance you completed these lugubrious letters, that telepathy occurs, from Chicago to the tenebrous structure of Al-Baida, my hometown.
Some of the guys here said that they were disappointed by your choices and missed the quintessential core of your argument when you said for the million time that this list is for you, only you, and so everyone's.
Since I'm being frenetic, I'd like to end this by saying that I, again, agree with most of your choices here and I was utterly thrilled when I saw Synechdoche,New York at the top. Some of the young men in my neighborhood asked me about it before watching, I told him that he must swallow LSD pills as much as he could if he would get it.
Note : ( This is the second time that I impotently write a comment here ).

Mr. Ebert, you forgot "GhostWorld."

Mr.Ebert, it's me, again.
I have three questions that I'd literally do anything to get their answers ... well, not literally.
These questions are relevant only if you take them as a request from Charlie Kauffman ( I definitely know that it's not going to be difficult for you ), and I mean that you may feel their profundity in a way they express a profound naivety.
1- What is your brief "professional" opinion about the TV series ( Lost )? If you admire the show, do know that I worship it, it's one of the best creative pieces I've ever "crashed" in, and If you have another view, please mention why?
2-I'm not a miserable Oprah, but tell us about what have the movies changed in your life?
3-You say that the idea of making a list of 10 is forced and I ferociously agree with you, but your list of the best films of all-time (Which made me a huge fan ) had, in fact, 10 films. Is there any movie(s), after posting that list, made you say " OK, this one must join the gang "?
Thank you.

Ebert: 1. I don't follow it. 2. At a crucial age, they inspired me to think more about cultures outside my own. 3. The Sight & Sound poll is taken every ten years, and requres a list of ten films, Yes, it has changed...for example, "Vertigo" replaced "Notorious."

Beside being more involved with other cultures, Cinema showed me how pathetic is my life; therefore, I blatantly ..... vanish.
For "Vertigo", one of the most weird sad stories happened when I didn't find this movie and other classics, not here nor in any place around, but that reminds me of one of your lines in the Bad Lieutenant review when you said that sometime on the road to hell, you can't help but to laugh, and I completely share with you that "Notorious" had a most unique finale; the final 20 seconds were like an incubus for the viewer and sometimes even a bizarrely happy dream for a child.It was like that Hitchcock carelessly whispered to Grant and Bergman and said, "OK, let's finish this".
Finally, I want to add that in one of my "Short Stories" called ( A Moviegoer's Night ), I made a fake quote in the beginning :
" Some people are born to sit..... and watch ".

Beside being more involved with other cultures, Cinema showed me how pathetic is my life; therefore, I blatantly ..... vanish.
For "Vertigo", one of the most weird sad stories happened when I didn't find this movie and other classics, not here nor in any place around, but that reminds me of one of your lines in the Bad Lieutenant review when you said that sometime on the road to hell, you can't help but to laugh, and I completely share with you that "Notorious" had a most unique finale; the final 20 seconds were like an incubus for the viewer and sometimes even a bizarrely happy dream for a child.It was like that Hitchcock carelessly whispered to Grant and Bergman and said, "OK, let's finish this".
Finally, I want to add that in one of my "Short Stories" called ( A Moviegoer's Night ), I made a fake quote in the beginning :
" Some people are born to sit..... and watch ".

Ebert: Are your stories online?

Roger,

Three words for you that seem to have totally slipped your mind: MILLION DOLLAR BABY

I can't find your review of "The Blind Side." I hope you haven't given up on Sandra Bullock. Her performance garnered her the Golden Globe for best actress.

Mr. Ebert, thanks for the great blogs, and giving people a way to contact you.

I have one, small question: Are you saying that "Eternal Sunshine" & "Big Fish" did not elevate you? They blew me away. I'da thought they'd merit 'honourable mention' at least-aways.

Mind you, FWIW, Groundhog Day might be the movie that blew me away the most - it put me in 'the tank' for days afterwards. The combination of having (near) limitless time *&* genuinely wooing your dream partner? Stunning. 'Course, I was 22 at the time. *shrug*

I love you, Roger Ebert!

I'm wondering what you think about docs. I've felt elevated watching quite a few, especially in recent years. Young at Heart comes immediately to mind. Gotta do a search here....

Dear Mr. Ebert,

I recently watched the film "25th Hour," shortly after which I read your essay on the film from your Great Movies series. In this essay, I believe you may have incorrectly analyzed a key scene from the film. You stated, "The crucial moment between Jacob and Mary takes place up a flight of stairs. After it is over, after Jacob has returned to the booth, then Lee employs his trademark gliding shot, showing Jacob seemingly floating up the stairs without moving his feet. We understand Jacob is replaying the hypnotic compulsion that led him -- drove him -- up the stairs." I have watched said scene several times now and I am convinced that the gliding shot is not of Jacob replaying in his mind his ascending the stairs, but of him walking straight out of the bathroom right after kissing Mary. Perhaps I have misinterpreted your remarks though.

That scene can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-6f7w1mjQ4

Roger,
Forgive my irritating state of euphoria these two days. If you haven't already noticed, I'm new and anxious to see some of your answers.
- Do you think that the best movies in the new millennium has the same level of greatness and magnitude and in term of quality and power with the golden era, starting from Griffith to the 80s?
I know that this very page has your list for the decade's greatest films, but why do you think that the AFI listed only few films including The Return of the King? ( By the way, my own considerations for this movie are limitless, and we might disagree that it's a historical films and in the same degree with the greats in the 40s till the 90s considering that you gave it three stars and a half ).
- What's the best literary adaptation(s) for the big screen had you ever seen, and why? And do you agree that there are novels written only to be read?( I should mention here that Ulysses, one the most complex literary works that ever written, was interpreted to a movie that you listed it in the best movies of 77, I think ).

Ebert: Just arrived at Sundance, won't have time to post many replies for a few days.

I totally understand, but try to remember when you're here.
About my stories; no, they're not online.
Thank you again, Roger

I've been reading your reviews since time began. Whether I agree or disagree with your opinions, I always have great respect for your knowledge of film. "Synecdoche, NY" is a great choice as best of the decade. I think it's one of the very small number of movies ever made that can be called genuinely profound.

I'm sorry that Ang Lee's work hasn't made more "best of the decade" lists. To me, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Brokeback Mountain" belong near the top of the list. Both were brilliant, beautiful, heartbreaking, and nearly perfect.


Thanks to your recommendations, I've recently seen
Ramin Bahrani's three features. He is an artist to be reckoned with, for sure. Can't wait to see what he does next.

Respectfully, if Dickens had omitted Scrooge's redemption from A Christmas Carol, never buying that Christmas goose in the window, leaving the Cratchits to suffer in misery even on Christmas day, he'd have left us with a nineteenth century version of Synecdoche. And it would have been rightfully forgotten. I tried, Roger. I saw that thing three times. Still hate it.

Love The 25th Hour, though. Thank you for including that one. And the honorable mentions to Waking Life and Kill Bill were appreciated, too.

I am curious to read a review from you on Jamin Winans "Ink". I felt this movie was original, thought provoking, and amazing to watch. The fact that he made this movie(special effects and all) all on his own budget because no film studio would pick it up. If you have not seen it, I would recommend it, and would love to get some insight from you on it.

Charlie Kaufman's film is #1?

WTF? It's like totally the K-Mart version of 8 1/2.

I saw The 25th Hour when it came out and wasn't too impressed. Since it made a it to a few top 10 lists of the decade I decided to watch it again. Blown away. I don't come across too many films that take their time like that. The opening credits might have been 5 minutes long, just shots around New York City. They could have been an hour. I watched it in almost a trance. Anyway, thanks for giving me a reason to see it again Roger!

Please see this 8½ jab at Nine the movie

http://stylembe.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/8½-altered-subtitles/

I have to admit, that I enjoyed your list. But like any list, somebody is going to feel as though, something has been left out.
Allow me, to be that person. I have, for a many years now, relied upon you, to be my guiding light (as it were) to the films that are available to see. You have introduced myself, as well as countless others, to films that we would have otherwise, never even known had existed. I recall, with a measure of joy, watching you on television, offering a review of an unknown film called "I Madman". You offered a favorable review of the film, and inspired me to watch it. Needless to say, I did. And I loved it. Thank you! But there was a movie released last year, that was amazing!! And I'm actually surprised that you didn't mention it. The movie was "Let The Right One In". This was (in my humble opinion), one of the finest horror films made in years. And what has really amazed me about this film, is how so many people have actually missed the whole point of the story. And I get to feel (and I hope you forgive me this) a little superior to them, for it. This was film about a vampire, that didn't try to romanticize the motives of the monster. I can't say enough about this film. I really think this was "one of the best films of the last decade".
Thanks for the great work, and keep it up.

1. The Lives of Others
2. Adaptation
3. No Country For Old Men
4. The Wrestler
5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
6. The Man on the Train
7. Michael Clayton
8. Letters From Iwo Jima
9. Hunger
10. Lost in Translation
11. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
12. Waltz With Bashir
13. Synecdoche, New York
14. Spirited Away
15. Munich
16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
17. Match Point
18. Children of Men
19. Punch-Drunk Love
20. Casino Royale

This is my list.


---Nick Duval

Since I barely attend the cinema these days, I can't really comment on your choices, having seen only 2 of them, Pan's Labyrinth and Minority Report (if 2001:A Space Odyssey, Brazil, Silent Running & Tarkosky's Solaris had a baby, this is what it would look like. In other words, I felt like I had seen it all before, so I didn't like it). I love movies that are visual and rely less on dialogue, the type of movies which are sadly neglected in our age of incomprehensible over editing, over usage of hand-held camera's (I suffer motion sickness, and many modern movies actually make me sick to my stomach), and resemble more of what I'd call pictured radio then moving pictures.

That being said, here are a few movies I have seen that are not on your list:
1)Russian Ark (Andrei Sokurov)
2)The New World (Terrance Malick)
3)Nobody Knows (Kore-Eda Hirokazu)
4)The Return (Andrey Zvyagintsev)
5)Whale Rider (Niki Caro)
6)Code Unknown (Michael Haneke)
7)Chi-Hwa-Seon (Im Kwon Taek)
8)Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki)

And, this whole thing about decades. Since there was no year zero, decades start at year 1 and proceed to year 10. In other words, 2001 to 2010 constitutes a correct decade. The confusion people have has to do with the way we count our birthday's, which for some unknown reason, we count from zero. To be honest, it makes no difference to me, I just celebrate the end of the decade twice. As Bugs Bunny once said, "I don't ask questions, I just have fun!"

Basing your list on personal "elevation" is critic-proof. So congratulations on that! That said, I'm still sad to see P.T. Anderson left out here. Both "There Will Be Blood" and "Punch Drunk Love" were unique, visionary and wonderful.

Seriously!

The eighties ended 31st Dec 1989.

The nineties ended 31st Dec 1999.

The noughties ended 31st Dec 2009.

Anyone who says otherwise obviously had trouble during the anal stage of childhood.

I'd love to read more about your understanding of "elevation". You said you wrote about it in the past but there is no link to that. I personally think that is the highest aspiration of any art.

Thanks for all your hard work!

Ebert: My theory on Elevation, FWIW:

http://j.mp/6LJZ82

Although it's a digression from the point of this column--published nearly two months ago already--new decades begin with the "01" years and end with the "10" years. This decade ends Dec. 31,2010 and the new one begins Jan.01,2011, just as the 20th Century (and the 90s) ended Dec.31,2000 and the 21st Century began Jan.01,2001.

Kubrick and Clarke's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY was so named and situated in time for precisely this reason...2001 was the birth of a new century and a new millennium, and was therefore the time for the birth of the next form of humanity.

Anyone who says otherwise obviously has trouble with innumeracy.

The best movie of the decade and the 2nd best of all time is Gone Baby Gone IMO. This movie moved me in such a way i didnt recover for weeks. Superb film-making. Everything is brilliant, Ben's direction, his brother Casey, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, wow. Just wow. And Amy Ryan creates the most evil character of 00's. Take that Anton (dont kill me)

In no particular order 9 movies that rocked my world
25th Hour
Inglourious Basterds
Crash
Up In The Air
Kill Bill Volume 1
No Country For Old Men
The Departed
500 Days Of Summer
Into The Wild

Hi Mr. Ebert. I am surprised you did not include Lars and the Real Girl... Did that just not make it or was it off your radar?

"Best of the Decade" is quite a lofty title to give a movie, and I really can't think of one more deserving than Synecdoche. It truly was a beautiful and original film. And, like many great films, it took me two viewing to properly assemble my thoughts about it.
That last trait stands in sharp contrast to two of the other movies on your list. Juno still mostly holds up, but the more times I see it the more i realize that it's quality has more to do with Jason Reitman's direction than with Diablo Cody's script. And then there's Crash, which completely fell flat for me on the second viewing. How could a movie so poetic the first time seem so heavy-handed the second?
Juno, I think pales in comparison to Reitman's follow-up, Up in the Air. I sincerely hope that film walks away with its fair share of statues at this year's Oscars.
To shift gears completely (I, like most other American youth, have a mild case of ADD) I have to mention how much I love Almost Famous. I can't say anything about it that hasn't been said before.
And Adaptation is one of my favorite films. All that craziness with a very human heart at the center. Also, with two Kaufman films on your list, why not include a third? And of course i mean Eternal Sunshine. That would be on my list easily.

Other additions to my list (besides Up in the Air, which i may not have clearly said would have been on it):

The Royal Tenenbaums. I have more love for that film than is probably healthy.

Donnie Darko. It was the first movie i watched enough times to really notice the filmmaking behind it, so it set me down my current path of movie geekdom.

There Will Be Blood. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my favorite directors, and besides being incessantly quotable("I drink your milkshake!) this movie shows him stretching himself away from the contemporary mosaic masterpieces of his into something just as ambitious, but more socially charged. And Daniel Day-Lewis is a powerhouse.

The Dark Knight. it spawned a cult that turned the Joker into Kurt Cobain without ever bothering to read a comic about him. And that's kind of a shame, since this is the first Batman film to do those comics justice. Heath Ledger's performance deserves all the praise it's received.

The Squid and the Whale. What can be said? This film is life in all its awkward, messy, hilarious glory.

Zodiac. David Fincher at the top of his considerable game.

That went on for quite a while. And, Roger (addressing you by your first name seems weird, but mr Ebert seems even weirder), thank you for your list. Your knowledge of movies, and the way you convey it, has opened up a lot of films for me that i wouldn't have given a look otherwise. Every one of them has been worth it.

I consider MILLION DOLLAR BABY the best film of the decade.I would like to know your opinion Mr Ebert.I would like to know if you consider that Million Dollar baby is among the 25 best films of the decade.The 10 best films of the decade in my opinion are:
1.Million Dollar Baby.
2.Flags of our Fathers.
3.Gran Torino.
4.Changeling.
5.Blood Work.
6.Mystic River.
7.Letters from Iwo Jima.
8.Space cowboys.
9.Invictus.
10.Lost in Translation.
Thank you.

Roger,
I just wanted you to know that your review of Synecdoche, NY increased my respect for both you, and the art of film criticism. Starting about 15 years ago, your work helped inspire my own 10-year stint as a film critic for an alt-weekly.
Now I see that I would have had to be in the biz for another 10 years to even hope to begin to "see" movies the way that you do.
The fact that you continue to produce quality work despite your physical limitations puts the awe in awesome.
Take care, and see you at the movies,
Greg

So, Pan's Labyrinth is a great film, but it does not crack the top ten? And Babel, similarly 'great', is nowhere to be seen. I digress.

I agree with you on Bahrani. He is easily the director of the decade - his work has gradually transformed from that a spirited and prodigious amateur to a rapidly evolving and imposing figure of cinema.

I'm delighted with your choice of Synecdoche, New York for the #1 spot. I found my first viewing of the film intriguing. My second viewing was possibly the most revelatory film experience I've ever had. It has since become one of my favorite films of all time. (I also love Adaptation.) As always, a fascinating list.

My top ten of the decade:

10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
9. Punch-Drunk Love
8. 25th Hour
7. Almost Famous
6. Zodiac
5. No Country for Old Men
4. Garden State
3. Snow Angels
2. Into the Wild
1. Children of Men

I'm so glad you included Me and You and Everyone We Know. Others that I might have considered are Things We Lost in the Fire, Cold Mountain, and Monster's Ball.
I have followed your work for a couple decades, and enjoy your insights. I really enjoyed a show you did, quite a while ago, about how movies were giving the message :"You can't trust anyone". The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, is an example, but there are countless films that express the same destructive idea. In many ways these are dark times.

roger,
my name's sam. i'm fifteen years old and a huge film buff. i loved synecdoche new york and i do think that it is one of the most meaningful films to come around in a long time.
it was also pretty sad. is this film saying that the only thing we have to look forward to in life is our bodies detoriarating and losing sight of ourselves? plus i want to be a filmmaker and i worry that iw will end up as caden did and become obsessed with my stories and the people i really know. you seem to understand the movie better than most people so please i need to know if that's really what life is all about

Ebert: Wow. That's a big order. In the long run we all die, but we can have a lot of joy and fulfillment in the meantime. I look at education as a way of preparing me not be to bored all my life.

Hi. I just watched "Synecdoche, New York" for the first time and decided to catch up with this list (and Scott Tobias' excellent article at the AV Club). The film I found very moving, and an impressive achievement. Kaufman has made a film both ambitious and amazing and to be able to pull it off is a great feat, even while I think there ARE a couple of things that don't quite fit (the first-wife subplot, for example). Curiously, these flaws only make want to re-watch it. It was quite an experience, even if it didn't make my list. Speaking of:

The best films of the... actually, my favorite films from the 00's

1.- Up (Docter, 2009)
2.- 25th Hour (Lee, 2002)
3.- Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
4.- The New World (Malick, 2005)
5.- In Bruges (McDonaugh, 2008)
6.- Y Tu Mama Tambien (Cuaron, 2001)
7.- A Serious Man (Coens, 2009)
8.- Before Sunset (Linklater, 2004)
9.- Matchstick Men (Scott, 2002)
10.- Persepolis (Paronnaud, 2007)
11.- Punch-Drunk Love (Anderson, 2002)
12.- Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
13.- Zodiac (Fincher, 2007)
14.- Children of Men (Cuaron, 2006)
15.- No Direction Home (Scorsese, 2005)
16.- Ratatouille (Bird, 2007)
17.- Inglourious Basterds (Tarantino, 2009)
18.- El Laberinto del Fauno (Del Toro, 2006)
19.- No Country for Old Men (Coens, 2007)
20.- Almost Famous (Crowe, 2000)
21.- Waking Life (Linklater, 2001)
22.- Wall-E (Stanton, 2008)
23.- Mulholland Drive (Lynch, 2001)
24.- Sweeney Todd (Burton, 2007)
25.- Gosford Park (Altman, 2001)
26.- Big Fish (Burton, 2003)

The order might change any given day, of course. It always does.

By the way, i noticed that "The 25th Hour" isn't on your top ten for 2002. As you can i see, it is a film i admire and I'm curious: Did you reconsider it? If so, why?

(I meant to ask that when you first posted this, but forgot to. That, and I'm also curious to know if you'll answer after so long)

Now I'm off to read your entry on "Synecdoche". I keep thinking of that incredible set, and the ending, that last directing cue. The whole last segment (last 20 minutes or so) reminds of the "star child" sequence in "2001", only this time the journey is not to the stars, but within, to the human soul.

In chronological order:

Almost Famous
Wonder Boys
Gosford Park
Monster's Ball
Spirited Away
Y tu mama tambien
City of God
Elephant
OldBoy
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... And Spring
Million Dollar Baby
Mysterious Skin
49 Up
A History of Violence
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
The Bourne Ultimatum
There Will Be Blood
The Dark Knight
Wall-E

Hoping Monster's Ball might make it to your great movies one day; as I recall you alluded to your thoughts on the ending without saying too much and I'd be curious to read your take on it. As last scenes go, it's just about perfect, and the few lines of dialogue, though seemingly trivial, are just about perfect too. I basically grew up in this last decade and while older generations never ceased to tell me that movies aren't what they used to be, your reviews were as valuable an asset as any; they made me understand that you just have to look a little harder for the great movies, and sometimes put a little more effort into them.

I made a Top 100 films of the decade list that I'm not proud of since I made it alphabetical. I was too indescisive with my ranked list.

So, my best film of each year this decade:
2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2001: Moulin Rouge!
2002: Spirited Away
2003: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005: Brokeback Mountain
2006: Little Miss Sunshine
2007: No Country for Old Men
2008: Dark Knight
2009: Hurt Locker

The best film of these 10 is probably LOTR:ROTK.

10.Inglourious Basterds
9.Million Dollar Baby
8.25th Hour
7.Zodiac
6.Pan's Labyrinth
5.Up
4.The Dark Knight
3.The Departed
2.WALL-E
1.Memento

Hi, Mr. Ebert. I am honored to be able to comment on your personal blog. You have truly been a big force in pursuing movies, movies that are well-made and worth watching. I am 17 now, but I started reading your reviews in 2006; nowadays, I'm a giant movie buff and am always looking for something new to watch. You are one of the only critics I actually look at religously; in fact, every Thursday morning when I wake up, I look at your site at the new movie reviews, which are always intriguing and interesting to read. They are so well executed and beautifully written, and I'm sure you have heard this a thousand times over, you are, along with Siskel, the face of movie critics. You have changed critiquing and made it into something much like an art, and I really appreciate that. Your work has actually changed and been a large component in what I plan to be later in life: a screenwriter. First I thought at being a critic, but, I have looked at hundreds of your reviews, and I just don't see how I can come anywhere near the depth of knowledge you have about movies. You always seem to point out things I never even knew were there. So, since I would like to see myself doing that, watching movies on a daily basis for a living, and then write about it (God, it would be my dream job), I'm pretty sure I can't enter that field. However, I do know I'm decent in English, and enjoy writing, and since my passion is somewhere in movies, screenwriting seems to be my best fit. Anyway, love your lists; always look forward to them. Admired how you added Crash, as I thought it deserved Best Picture. That was actually the very first real movie I watched that got me interested in good quality cinema. Crash is definitely one of my favorites, and very glad you put it on there. Anyway, you have yet again given me more movies to look out for, as you do on a weekly basis, and, since you do read these comments (I would hope since this is your blog), I would just like to thank you for what you do, and just wished to let you know that your work has inspired me greatly. Thank you very much, sir, and maybe one day I will be able to meet you in person, like at your Ebertfest. That will be the day...

I agree that "Synecdoche, New York" is impacting - but there are pills you can take for that.

I agree that "Synecdoche, New York" is impacting - but there are pills you can take for that.

My top ten favorites of the decade (out of the movies I've seen):

1. Mulholland Drive (This is the best movie I've ever seen, from any time period, period.)
2. Adaptation
3. No Country for Old Men
4. Traffic
5. Michael Clayton
6. The Departed
7. Sideways
8. Up in the Air
9. Closer
10. The Proposition

Honorable mention great movies: Kung Fu Hustle, Eastern Promises, Brick, Royal Tenenbaums, Man on Wire, Control Room, Almost Famous, There Will Be Blood

Two movies come to mind as the WORST movies I saw this decade:

1. I Heart Huckabees
2. Gone Baby Gone

Roger,
Your list for this decade was pretty good. I have a question for you about the films of 2009, though. Below is my list of my favorite movies of 2009. I don't remember seeing your list. If you didn't make one, how much would you agree with me on this list? I hope you have time to answer this and I enjoy reading your journal and reviews.
MY FAVORITE FILMS OF 2009.
10. The Hurt Locker
9. District 9
8. Observe and Report
7. Drag me to Hell
6. (500) Days of Summer
5. Away We Go
4. A Serious Man
3. Funny People
2. Precious
1. Up in the Air

No mention of Sideways or The Departed? Still a good list, Roger.

This is very personal list and we should respect it
surely everyone has a diffrent list but i see a long list of great films that are missed here
i for example have nothing common with his list.
at last i think it is not a list that worth for cinema use.it is very very personal

Very good list, Mr. Ebert sir. Mine:
1.There Will Be Blood(2007)Paul Thomas Anderson
2.Memento(2000)Christopher Nolan
3.WALL-E(2008)Andrew Stanton
4.The Departed(2006)Martin Scorsese
5.Pan's Labyrinth(2006)Guillermo del Toro
6.No Country for Old Men(2007)The Coen Brothers
7.Catch Me if You Can(2002)Steven Spielberg
8.The Dark Knight(2008)Christopher Nolan
9.Up(2009)Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
10.25th Hour(2002)Spike Lee

I was really trying to avoid 2 animated films, but I couldn't help it because Pixar's just so AMAZING.

Some honorable mentions in alphabetical order:
(500) Days of Summer(2009)Marc Webb
An Education(2009)Lone Scherfig
Inglourious Basterds(2009)Quentin Tarantino
Lord of the Rings Trilogy(2001-2003)Peter Jackson
Million Dollar Baby(2004)Clint Eastwood
Monsters, Inc.(2001)Pete Docter
The Prestige(2006)Christopher Nolan
Zodiac(2007) David Fincher

Nice... "Synecdoche, New York" wasn't one of my favorites, but it wasn't bad.

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Roger Ebert's latest books are Scorsese by Ebert and Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2009. Published recently: Roger Ebert's Four-Star Reviews (1967-2007) and Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert. Books can be ordered through rogerebert.com. (Photo by Taylor Evans)

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