I hate to be so cliched, but there is a reason why the top three are often Citizen Kane, Vertigo, and Seven Samurai.

Two of the best directed films in recent years were Kieslowski's "Red" (beautifully edited, really something you could put in front of film students for a year), and all but the last ten minutes of Spielberg's "Minority Report" (stop that man before he kills himself at the last minute again!).

Three and a half great directors today: Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar, and the Makhmalbuf family (father and daughter!!!). Overall, I have to go with the Iranians. I don't know anyone doing anything to match them creatively, except possibly the American special effects people -- if the special effects people would ever get some decent scripts, their movies would be the best in the world. Hard to blame this on the director, but he or she is ultimately responsible. They all run out of gas 20 minutes before the film ends -- Terminator II, Blade Runner, The Matrix -- just when the special effects usually peak.

yours, Peter T.