Despite a sluggish start and a depressing summer, this has turned out be a surprisingly excellent year for movies. Any year that can boast career-defining works by Martin Scorsese, Pedro Almodovar, David Lynch, Robert Altman, and even Michael Mann is, by definition, extraordinary. There's even a Lars Von Trier movie (Manderlay) that I somehow haven't seen yet. If Curtis Hanson's Lucky You hadn't been pushed back to next spring, this year would have seen a major new release from all of my favorite living (or recently living) directors, except for one. And it sounds like Wong Kar-Wai has something amazing up his sleeve for next year.

All this, and A Canterbury Tale is finally out on DVD. Who needs YouTube, anyway?