Roger Ebert, der große, alte Mann der amerikanischen Filmkritik (und erster Filmkritiker, der den renommierten Pulitzer Preis gewonnen hat), stellt seine zehn liebsten Filme der letzten zehn Jahre vor. Zum Teil sehr überraschende Platzierungen mit denen man nicht immer übereinstimmen muss, aber vor allem zehn kleine Textlein, die Lust machen, alle Filme (noch einmal) zu sehen. Dort in Gänze, hier in Kürze:

1. Synecdoche, New York (2008, Regie: Charlie Kaufman)

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„“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. 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?“

2. Tödliches Kommando – The Hurt Locker (2009, Regie: Kathryn Bigelow)

„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.“

3. Monster (2003, Regie: Patty Jenkins)

„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.“

4. Juno (2007, Regie: Jason Reitman)

„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.“

5. Ich und Du und alle, die wir kennen (Me and You and Everyone We Know) (2005, Regie: Miranda July)

„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. (…) July’s film fits no genre, fulfills no expectations, creates its own rules, and seeks only to share a strange, lovable mind with us.“

6. Chop Shop (2007, Ramin Bahrami)

„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.“

7. Der Sohn (Le Fils) (Regie: Jean-Pierre und Luc Dardenne)

„In a career filled with great films, „Le Fils“ by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne is stunning.“

8. 25 Stunden (The 25th Hour) (2002, Regie: Spike Lee)

„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.

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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.“

9. Almost Famous (2000, Regie: Cameron Crowe)

„I was hugging myself as I watched it: This is my story. Well, except in the details. 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.“

10. My Winnipeg (2008, Regie: Guy Maddin)

„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.“