I'm applying to a number of those right now. I myself dropped Columbia because it wasn't really focused on Cinema Studies as much as it was an MFA program. It does have a criticism program, but I don't find it very impressive. I also nixed all the UCs because I didn't want to go to California (I considered Berkeley but it didn't really fit my interests). I really really like Emory and Iowa. I also applied to NYU because I felt obligated by their quality and it is the closest geographic choice (I was really underwhelmed by New School). I applied to Indiana but it is pretty far down on my list. They don't seem to be that supportive and I fear that they may be the kind of program that exploits it's grad students as cheap comp 101 labor preventing them from completing their dissertation. I never looked into Kansas, or MIT that much and Maryland didn't impress. I thought about BU for awhile, but my other choices seemed better. Miami also didn't really fit with my interests. I would endorse Iowa, Emory and Madison, as I'm happily applying to each of them. Concordia, Indiana and Ohio are my safety schools. Depending on your interests, you may really like Rochester, especially as they are up and coming. My top school is Brown, but I have a particular interest in Cultural Studies. I would also suggest U of Chicago. They didn't really fit in for me and are competitive as hell, but they sport some of the best minds.
I would really suggest working with a lot of factors. For instance, you should really consider the research interests of the Profs and the grad students when you're researching a school. Also, figure out what else is important to you. Do you want to move far? I myself had to consider how easy or hard it would be for me to live as a vegan in the city I'd be in. It's not just school, it's the way you'll be spending the next 2 to 7 years of your life.
If you're interested in leaving the country, there are a number of canadian programs and tons of programs in Great Britain.