Marshall Curry recounts in the DVD interview how a few years ago he was contemplating going to film school, but then decided--and why not?--to just make a film instead. His Oscar-nominated documentary "Street Fight", which chronicles the 2002 Newark mayoral battle between young idealist Corey Booker and longtime incumbent Sharpe James, is thus an underdog story in more ways than one. More than that, it is the most emotionally gripping movie I've seen in a long time. It will make you feel incredibly angry about the state of American electoral politics, and then, all of sudden, incredibly proud of America itself. Highly recommended.

8/10

One of the greats, which is being re-released this Election Tuesday. Rather fitting, since the film's message may be that lying does in fact pay.

I saw The Fallen Idol this past summer in South Bend, while it was playing for a night or two at the ND performing arts center. What everyone says about the cinematography is true; it is something to see for yourself. Also, afterwards you can have long discussions about who or what the title refers to.

Now the thing I hate most is when a movie does the moralizing for you. The movies (not to mention the sit-coms) in which this happens are too numerous to mention. So I was pleased at finding that increasingly rare treasure in which the filmmakers/writers respect you enough to let you decide for yourself what conclusions, if any, to draw. Well done, Graham Greene and Carol Reed

9/10

To make the list somewhat scientific I've included the number of votes that each of these has received on IMDB since its release. To get some idea of what these numbers mean, consider that the new "Borat" movie released three days ago has received about 8,000 votes. These are in no particular order:

1. Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985); 2347 votes
2. Seppuku (Masaki Kobayashi, 1962); 1511 votes
3. Requiem for a Heavyweight (Ralph Nelson, 1962); 574 votes
4. Madadayo (Kurosawa, 1993); 814 votes
5. This Sporting Life (Linday Anderson, 1963); 739 votes
6. Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Werner Herzog, 1997); 483 votes
7. Le Corbeau (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953); 833 votes
8. Seance on a Wet Afternoon (Bryan Forbes, 1964); 724 votes
9. Shame (Bergman, 1968); 980 votes
10. The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975); 1986 votes

Kagemusha, or "The Shadow-Warrior", is that rare film which is both entertaining and philosophically satisfying. In 1573, a man of low birth who is about to be executed is saved because of his uncanny resemblance to the head of the Takeda clan, Lord Shingen. The latter has plans to conquer and unify all of Japan. Because this task is risky business he needs a "double" (possible Dostoevsky reference) to stand in for him from time to time. The plot really goes into full motion when he is shot and badly wounded during the current siege. He tells his inner circle that if he should die, they must keep his death a secret for three years. Will his lookalike be up to the task?

The film that results, though lengthy (3 hrs.), is a masterpiece about power and identity. This is all the more amazing due to the fact that this is one of Kurosawa's more minor works. If asked to name their favorites, most people would start with Ran, Rashomon, and the Seven Samurai, and then proceed to others like Ikuru, High and Low, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Don't forget Kagemusha.

The best scene is probably the short dream sequence about two thirds of the way through where Shingen chases his double through the clouds. This scene is only a few minutes long, but its vividly colored set must have taken weeks or months to create.

9/10

Personally I prefer the new Bob Altman (The Player, Gosford Park) to the old one (3 Women, Nashville, McCabe & Mrs. Miller). But since there are exceptions (I hated Short Cuts but liked California Split) I watched this one with an open mind.

It has the usual Altman tricks, including lots of distracting background conversation, kooky characters, and a freewheeling narrative style. Overall though I didn't quite see it as the great anti-war film that it is so often labelled. I would argue that the film is anti-draft rather than anti-war, with the message being that the draftees are just as bad for the army as the army is bad for the draftees. As far as the "war is crazy" genre is concerned, I'll stick with Dr. Strangelove and Apocalypse Now.

6/10