I don't really understand Salon "table talk." But I'd like to join in some day.

Regarding the reviews, people hit some of the more commonly adulated films. I think "Princess Bride" is great, but I tried to show it to a girlfriend once and she was unmoved. Everybody had talked it up so much, she expected something that draws you in viscerally rather than being delicately charming and clever.

I agree on "Matrix," but I might have liked that more if my girlfriend hadn't seen it with another guy while cheating on me. That movie became a part of the pain of that experience, so much so that somehow now it holds a twisted, masochistic fascination beyond what it likely deserves. The Wachowski Brothers sure gave naysayers a lot of ammunition with the sequels.

I love all the Terry Gilliam films, some more than others. But I saw "Brazil" again recently and it does require patience. What was engrossing before comes across as long-winded and bludgeoning now, though it's still pretty great. Gilliam's style reminds me of Pink Floyd crossed with Douglas Adams. It's strange but even his special effects (especially his use of models) has its own distinct style. "12 Monkeys" was all right, and there's barely a comparison with "La Jetee" which after all was an experimental form of narrative (99% of its images are still shots, and it's only about 30 minutes long). "Time Bandits" is my all-time favorite, cross-breeding Monty Python antics with somewhat more direct fantasy filmmaking. It's too bad Gilliam hasn't stayed on top of his career. (I barely remember "Baron Munchausen" other than that I didn't like it much, and "The Brothers Grimm" has much less of his stamp on it than I would have preferred.)

I never did understand "Buckaroo Banzai." It seemed to me like a lot of pose with very little substance. A couple friends of mine adore it. I question their taste. In theory it should be terrific, with its combination of elements, its actors, and the time it was made. But....I find it dull.

I am not sure I've ever seen "Caddyshack" all the way through, but I think it must be a stoner thing. It's funny and all, but most of its gags seem more like mid-level humor than the stuff of a laff riot. Granted Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight are in top form. And with Harold Ramis at the helm the pedigree is terrific.

I am looking for new cult classics. I'm tired of obsessing over the same old movies. Here is a suggestion for those of you who like dark films: "Hard Candy." It's pretty painful to sit through, to be honest, but an intense experience.

For 1980s comedy you can't go wrong with "Better Off Dead," which defines John Cusack's whole career persona and rightfully should be dubbed the best of all '80s teen comedies (plus it's clean enough for the whole family).

I am interested in classics people don't realize are classics. For example, the Al Franken / Stuart Smalley movie "Stuart Saves His Family" is surprisingly good. It takes one of the slimmest SNL sketch premises ever and turns it into a semi-successful comedy/drama about dysfunctional families. Laura San Giacomo and Vincent D'Onofrio do some of their most effective and likable work here.

In my mind, the comedy "Clifford" starring Martin Short opposite Charles Grodin is one of the greatest comedies ever made. Whenever I tell people about it they say, "You mean the movie about the dog?" which goes to show how much people are missing when they replay "Princess Bride" for the 47th time. In "Clifford" Martin Short plays a 10-year-old boy who is a "bad seed" and undermines everything his uncle Martin (Grodin) tries to do. That includes his efforts to impress his fiancee, played by Mary Steenburgen, and his boss, played by what's-his-face (the asshole from "Tootsie" and "9-to-5"). They're each completely on top of their games, but especially so are Short (which goes without saying, he's an amazing performer) and Grodin, who proves himself as an actor by effectively responding to a middle-aged man as if he's really a 10-year-old boy.

To all you "Princess Bride" fans who enjoy subtle, charming verbal humor and clever fantasy, make sure to see the original "Bedazzled" film starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. The film is dry, dry, dry, but so good, if in a distinctly British way. Raquel Welch plays the personification of the deadly sin of Lust....need I say more? Er....need I say Moore?

I could easily recommend the entire works of David Lynch, especially "The Elephant Man" and my favorite, "Lost Highway." But rarely do other surrealist-influenced filmmakers get their due. This is usually because they don't have the vision to pull their weird films together into something cohesive. To see somebody come close, rent "The Reflecting Skin" some time. I am not sure who did this, but man, it's creepy. Also check out "Love Serenade" which is not particularly dark -- in fact it's quite oddly funny -- but damn if it isn't weird. That one stars Miranda Otto, who was Eowyn in "Lord of the Rings." She's fascinatingly quirky here...even while doing a seductive strip-tease for a gaunt-looking DJ who has gills...

Speaking of "weird:" Dig in to the collected works of David Cronenberg. "A History of Violence" is just one of his many peaks. "Existenz" is an underrated small-scale gem that I'd recommend to anybody who found "Matrix" too self-important and grandiose.

Then there's "Donnie Darko," which if you haven't seen by now you should probably be fined. This one is worth seeing for Patrick Swayze points alone. Though Jake Gyllenhaal is very good, supporting points have to go to Jenna Malone (his girlfriend), his parents (including Mary Mcdonnell i think), his psychologist (whats-her-face from Stepford Wives), the uptight teacher actress, and several others. ("I'm NOT afraid anymore!")

Another other overlooked favorites out there?

I liked your columns in the past, but this one was on fire.