Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend, whether you are enjoying barbeque goodies are sitting in a dark, air-conditioned theatre!

Alexander, as far as your film professor thinking CITIZEN KANE is vastly overated, apparently he didn’t read Pauline Kael! LOL! Actually, years back a professor in a graduate film course made that same case with RENOIR’S LA REGLE DU JEU, a position that disturbs me to this day. You must ask yourself though if these positions are not sincere but a kind of exhibitionist behavior. It’s similar in a sense to the notorious but brilliant critic John Simon, who, while toasting Ingmar Bergman to the heavens, thought Godard was comparable to “masturbation on the screen.”
I agree with you on Kurosawa (and disagree with your professor) but I must tell you that I rate Ozu and Mizoguchi higher. Maybe it’s my love for humanism, but the latter two, by disavowing the epic spectaculars have concentrated an dramas to reach the very essence of one’s soul—yes Kurosawa had IKIRU in this sense—but the other two has abody of work that addressed itself exclusively to teh human condition………..hence, I would pose that Mizoguchi’s SANSHO THE BALIFF (Sansho Dayu) and Ozu’s TOKYO STORY are the two greatest films in the history of Japanese cinema(and world cinema for that matter), two altogether shattering works that are just about life-changing. I will never forget where I was and how I reacted when I saw both. It’s simular to what Nick Plowman said a few days ago about being teary eyed and numb, but these reactions do last a lifetime. Kurosawa of course has RAN, RASHOMON, SEVEN SAMURAI, THRONE OF BLOOD, HIGH AND LOW and others that are in the ranks of the masterpieces of world cinema, which the other two have gems liek LATE SPRING, AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON, UGETSU and THE STORY OF THE LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS as well as others that qualify. As of late I have also raised Mikio Naruse, Kon Ichikawa, Kaneto Shindo, Masaki Kobayashi on the list of greatest Japanese directors.
This may well be the most fascinating of all nationalistic cinemas, even at least on par with the French.

My favorite film of the new millenium is Haynes’ FAR FROM HEAVEN, but even that masterpiece, has some some resistance from you guys. I think that years down the road it will be regarded as such, but we will see. The entire argument above about the essence of what art is still must have an afterward that evinces the concept that “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder.”
In art this often trumps perceptions of what one thinks is truly exceptional.

If it isn’t discovered, it’s still a masterpiece, methinks. Burnett’s KILLER OF SHEEP is one of the truly great American films. It towers over so many films that some of us (myself included) call great.

Craig, I think you still have MAN ON WIRE in your subconscious! LOL!!! But there could be a lot of worse things on your mind at this point!

As always, an eloquent piece……..I unloaded my wife and five kids at a multiplex in Clifton, about 15 minutes from the arthouse theatre where I saw the most accomplished Czech film BEAUTY IN TROUBLE. My wife and kids claim they really enjoyed HANCOCK, and they were relating many of the segments to me on the way home. I’m very happy they liked it, but I vowed since it released that I would decline on seeing it.

Although you have now downgraded your opinion of it, you are basically saying here is that is tolerable entertainment.

The Dutchess of Langleais (France)
The Edge of Heaven (Turkey/Germany)
The Visitor (USA)
WALL-E (USA)
Alexandre (Russia)
Reprise (Norway)
My Blueberry Nights (USA)
The Band’s Visit (Israel)
In Bruges (UK)
When Was the Last Time You Saw Your Father (UK)

The following films push very close to the 10 best list, and (some) might actually make it on another day, meaning they are very much still in contention for the final list in December:

My Father My Lord (Israel)
Encounters At The End of the World (USA)
Mongol (Russia)
Beauty in Trouble (Czechoslovakia)
Paranoid Park (USA)
The Unforeseen (USA)
Roman de Gare (France)
Son of Rambow (UK)
Chop Shop (USA)
Kung Fu Panda (USA)

Ari, I am definitely on your page with both of those, and THE DUTCHESS is a strong contender for my #1 at this point, and Alexander, I simply cannot shake the Sokorov–it has a great deal of emotional power, and its beautifully made.

I have to admit, I still haven’t seen the extended cut of The Return of the King. I’m still sort of Middle-Earthed out, but I’ve been thinking about revisiting the trilogy and viewing all three extended cuts in one long day. Was Christopher Lee included in the extended cut of The Return of the King?

I agree that when viewed as one single epically long film, it fits that the concluding movement of The Lord of the Rings should take its time as we say goodbye to the characters and watch them take divergent paths beyond what would typically be seen as past plot point necessity. I have to admit, it was a little taxing when I saw it in the theatre by itself, but I imagine you’re right, Joel.