This time of year there are way too many awards and top 10 lists for me to cover all of them.  But I’ll cover Roger Ebert’s, because he’s the opposite of Pete Hammond.  I.e., intelligent, credible.  Ebert splits his list into two parts, mainstream movies and indies.  Here are his mainstream 10 (from his Sun-Times blog):

(ordered alphabetically)

1. Bad Lieutenant (See? I told you.)
2. Crazy Heart
3. An Education
4. The Hurt Locker (Recommending The Hurt Locker is the easiest decision a film critic will make)
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. Knowing (Really?  Does this mean I have to see this movie now?  I can’t imagine it not sucking.)
7. Precious (Sad fatty)
8. A Serious Man (Why is this not getting a wide release again?  It’s the f-cking Coen Brothers.  If ever there was a way to bring good films into the mainstream it’s through the Coen Brothers.  God, I hate people sometimes.  A lot.  Usually.)
   
9. Up in the Air
10. The White Ribbon

Jury Prize: Avatar (I agree.  Just because the story kinda sucked doesn’t mean it wasn’t an enjoyable, memorable experience.)

That’s right, Nic Cage stars in two of the top 10 movies according to America’s top film critic.  In related news, my cat just downed a highball of whiskey, smoked a cigarette, and had sex with my dog while it rained lizards.  Singing iguanas, to be precise.

Jeff Bridges stars in Crazy Heart, a film already drawing comparisons to The Wrestler.  It’s still got a guy singin’ about a three-legged dog on a one-way road to nowheretown, only this time, he’s the main character.

Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart. [Apple]

I’m not sure if The Dude is supposed to be Merle Haggard or Waylon Jennings, but either way, I think by “salvation” they mean “a way younger chick’s vagina.”   It’s the American dream.