Various “Best of 2009″ lists are finally starting to come out of the woodwork, and it won’t be long now before they’re all blurring together. But if you only read a few of these lists before the end of the year, one that always deserves a look is Roger Ebert’s. Even though you may not agree with all of his reviews, he’s still the de facto standard for film critics, and he usually manages to throw a few interesting picks into the mix as well.

This year he has done something a little different: he decided to do two separate top 10 lists, one for mainstream Hollywood releases and one for independent films. This allows him to give recognition to a lot of movies that no one has had a chance to see yet. Most of his mainstream choices are fairly straightforward, but the one that’s sure to spark the most controversy is Alex Proyas’ Knowing. Check out both of Ebert’s lists after the jump, or read his full write-up on the subject. Do you agree with his picks?

Top 10 Mainstream Films of 2009

• Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
• Crazy Heart
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Knowing
• Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
• A Serious Man
• Up in the Air
• The White Ribbon

Top 10 Independent Films of 2009

• Departures
• Disgrace
• Everlasting Moments
• Goodbye Solo
• Julia
• Silent Night
• Sin Nombre
• Skin
• Trucker
• You, the Living

Special Jury Prize

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