Farewells are rarely enjoyable or easy, especially when they are so sudden and unexpected, but I would not think of leaving without a special program. For my final contribution, I would like to point out the five films that had the most lasting impact on me as a cinephile those past two years (corresponding to the existence of Fantasy Moguls), as well as saluting three films I've previewed in my columns, but still haven't yet had the chance to see ... despite the fact that I would KILL to see them. Finally, I'll top it all off with five 2009 films — films that are either in production right now or have already completed — that I am already considering queueing for at my local theater (that's how much I want to see them!). Okay, and maybe I'll have a little bonus at the end ...

OCTOBER 2006 THROUGH NOVEMBER 2008: Five Films That Define My Film Tastes

Flags of our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima — This week I was supposed to preview Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood's latest, a film that there's a strong likelihood I'll adore. Why? Because just in the last two decades, Clint has made at least half a dozen extraordinary films ... including his Battle of Iwo Jima diptych. Those two films may have struggled at the box-office two years ago, but they are the work of a director fully conscious of our times, drawing up a fascinating vision of war, of politics, of courage and, most of all, of manipulation. Despite his age, Eastwood brings a fresh eye to every subject he tackles. I have a particular fondness for Flags of Our Fathers, a perhaps more intricate piece of cinema than its companion film.

Children of Men — Just as Eastwood uses the past to comment on the present, Alfonso Cuaron does the same with the future. The Mexican director's vision of our future is a chilling and terrifyingly realistic observation of what Western civilization is turning into. What makes it a hypnotizing film, and made it achieve a well deserved cult status, is the mastery with which Cuaron films it. Some sequences will remain engraved on my retina forever.

Zodiac — Visual sobriety had never been an expression associated with David Fincher's work ... up until Zodiac. His retelling of the infamous serial killer's case allowed him to show that "calm," "steady" and "sober" are adjectives that could be his, without ever losing his talent. Zodiac is one of the single best serial killer movies ever filmed. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of my most anticipated films of the end of 2008.

The Host — This is my favourite film of the past five years, maybe even more. This Korean monster movie is the perfect example of how an apparently very genre-oriented film can deliver much more than what you expect from it. An impressive monster movie, a clever political satire, a hilarious comedy, an engaged social commentary, a heartbreaking drama — The Host is all of these at the same time. Memories of Murder and his chapter of Tokyo! are other proofs that Bong Joon-Ho is one the very best filmmakers working today.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford — I cannot tell you how eagerly I waited for this film, how much I was afraid of being disappointed by it, and how deeply I ended up worshipping it. Of course I love it because it is visually stunning, a directorial tour de force, with a fishpond of amazing performances and a graceful musical score. I also love it, however, because when I see a film such as The Assassintation of Jesse James, I see Terrence Malick's heritage, and I know that even if the Texan director works very scarcely, his spirit and vision of cinema lives in younger directors.

Very Honorable Mentions: Apocalypto, The Good Shepherd, Black Book, Bug, Sunshine, Exiled, Control, Gone Baby Gone, The Mist, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Juno, Shotgun Stories, There Will Be Blood, Be Kind Rewind, The Visitor.

THEY APPEARED IN DANCES WITH THE ARTHOUSE ... but I'm Still Sying to See Them (Will They Ever Come to France?!)

Southland Tales — I have been intrigued by Richard Kelly's sophomore film for so long that I should have jumped on any occasion to see it by now. Alas, I have not. I remember when it played at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2006. Usually, all films that are in competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes are released in Parisian theaters in the next 10 months. This one never was. Now I must cope with the fact I will almost certainly never see it on a big screen.

Snow Angels — This one, I still have a little hope of seeing in theaters (only one David Gordon Green film has never been released in France, All the Real Girls). I mentioned how Malick influenced some younger directors. Green is the most obvious of them, especially with his gem Undertow. I really want to witness whether Snow Angels is in the same vein as his best films.

The Foot Fist Way — I realize I am known on this site as a film buff who defends foreign and indie films, but some may not realize that this pattern is not absolutely incompatible with laughter. And I happen to be a huge fan of the current trend in American comedies, one that The Foot Fist Way seems to be in line with — except that this one is 100 percent independent. Since I'm one of the rare Frenchies who cottons to U.S. humor (at least that doesn't involve Jerry Lewis), I doubt I'll ever see Danny McBride in his breakthrough role on the silver screen. But I'll buy the DVD for sure!

MY HEART BEATS FASTER Just at the Thought of Seeing Them in 2009

The Lovely Bones — The Lord of the Rings was unadaptable. King Kong was "un-remakable." Yet Peter Jackson created fascinating pieces of adventure cinema both times he tried to do what purportedly couldn't be done. His next challenge will be to leave the huge visual effects out of the equation for a pure drama. An amazingly exciting program, moreso for big fans of Stanley Tucci like myself. I'm eager to see what Jackson can do with the underrated actor.

Ponyo on the Cliff — Many moviegoers may think Pixar films are the absolute best animated features our generation has, but I happen to think that many Japanese animes are at least as good as Pixar's enchanting films. And Hayao Miyazaki is certainly the master of Japanese animation, mixing spiritual poetry and visual beauty. His latest film was a huge success in Japan this year. Western audiences should be able to verify its quality this spring.

Inglorious Bastards — It's been more than 15 years now that Quentin Tarantino has laid claim to being the most emblematic independent filmmaker of American cinema. And the man still has yet to make a film not eagerly anticipated by hordes of fans. This year, he is finally putting his long-cherished World War II project to life. I dreamt of an Inglorious Bastards film with Bruce Willis, Michael Madsen, Kevin Costner and a few other big names a few years back ... today the casting sure is different (Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, Eli Roth). One thing that past experience has taught us, however, is that Quentin knows what he's doing.

Thirst — In a couple of weeks I will be seeing the renowned Korean western The Good, The Bad, The Weird, which I expect to be the trippiest movie of the year. My most anticipated Korean film for next year will be a vampire movie entitled Thirst, the new film by Park Chan-Wook, the cult director of JSA and the "Vengeance trilogy" (including Oldboy). At the center of the story, a priest turning into one of those nightly creatures, played by perhaps the best Asian actor in the business, Song Kang-Ho. I'm in.

Tree of Life — Finally, no surprise, my ultimate most anticipated film of 2009 will, of course, be Terrence Malick's latest. Now, Malick has taught us to be patient throughout his career, but this time, only four years have passed since his previous film, the haunting The New World (compared to the seven years between The Thin Red Line and The New World, or the 20 years [!!] between Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, this is nothing). A very mysterious film that seems to tackle immortality, with Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. A Malick film is a trip like no other. This one should not be any different.

This is it. Cut. That's all folks. Fin. Au revoir. Dances with the Arthouse has been a beautiful, challenging and enriching experience. Fifteen months of weekly appointments to let you know what's playing in America's arthouse theaters. I have tried my best not only to be accurate in my presentations of the films, but also to give you the desire to go see those little films should you ever have the chance to. To light your flame and let you know there are films beyond 300, I Am Legend and The Dark Knight. Films from all around the globe that need every single pair of eyes, and every single voice, to exist. I hope you will not forget that.

I would like to thank every single member of the Fantasy Moguls community. I'm grateful to the powers that be for this great site they came up with; to Mister Funktastic for being such a cool and trusty editor all along; and of course to all the Fantaversians. You guys are the reason this site has been so cool ... Nico, Six, Roodey, Don, Surfer, Barca, Annyong, Ash, Frisky, Geezer, Tran, Becs, Span, Kompressr, Alyson, Ron, lilly, leestu, Tuan, wross, undeadmonkey, Helfy, Mr Ham, Stan, bernox, Shaan, JackO, Synestro, delfinasu, chugs ... I can't name everyone, but everyone deserves it. Dranscht, our clever Mister Informative. Some of you have grown to be my friends, and I couldn't be more proud of such friendships.

Of course the final thank you has to go to Shryke, the bard from Arizona. Without him, I would not have written this column during 15 months in the first place. A genuinely fantastic man and talented writer, who deserves all our love and respect. Thank you Patrick, you are the greatest.

Oh, and I almost forgot: Thank you Gong Li for being such an amazing actress ... and such a jaw-droppingly beautiful woman. You may not know it, but I have been torturing poor souls during 15 months with my admiration of you in my columns. Maybe they won't miss that. Or my interjections about JCVD, Korean and French cinema, or how exhilarating Bollywood films are ... Naaaaaah, I am sure you will somehow miss it!

So long, dear readers,
Indie Jones aka Chienfantome aka David Tredler

Indie Jones is so frickin' cool that we're willing to make a deal with France. You can have Jerry Lewis, and we'll keep Indie. Let us know when you want to make the exchange, Frenchies. We'd do it in half a second. Send Gong Li's cell phone number to danceswiththearthouse@gmail.com ... you know, if you have it and all. She'd be totally cool with it, once she met Indie.