La question humaine

An intriguing film with a great cast (Kalfon, Lonsdale, Castel and Alamaric), kind of similar in style to Claire Denis. A mix between a thriller and a philosophical film, not sure I got everything, especially around the Shoah.

Le Viel homme et l'enfant

I wasn't expecting such a good film from Claude Berri, obviously he had talent before losing it. He is helped by a stunning performance from Michel simon as the anti-semite old man who becomes friend with a jewish boy, even if it's unknowingly. His first short, Le Poulet, is also very charming.

Ivan's childhood

Tarkovski's first feature film already shows great visual qualities and melancholy, the kid is fantastic, amongst adults at war, the ending is obviously terrible.

Chikamatsu Monogatari (The crucified Lovers(

Fabulous film from Mizoguchi, with more women suffering and the tragic story of the wife of a rather mean master and her lover, an accountant who runs into trouble to help her. Simply beautiful and moving.

Uwasa No Onna (the woman in the rumour)

A fairly minor Mizoguchi, but still good with a mother (the owner of a brothel) and her suicidal daughter ultimately seduced by the same doctor and stick together at the end.

Hands over the city

Not being a a fan of Francesco Rosi, I must admit this one is particularly good revealing the dodgy politics of Naples and greedy men making a profit and using power to get richer. Great photography from Gianni di Venanzo.

Death of a cyclist

A classic Spanish film about an affair between 2 bourgeois that goes wrong in the first scene. A bit too bourgeois though.

Before the devil knows you 're dead

Absolutely rubbish film, with an unbelievably idiotic script that starts reasonably well but quickly turns awful and the longer it gets the worst it becomes, with some bad and annoying acting from Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the two brothers strapped for cash plotting to rob their parents jewellery shop until it all goes very wrong. Worst film I have seen in a while.

A free soul

Norma Shearer comes from a good but dysfunctional family, is engaged but doesn't want to get married, meets Clark Gable the gangster and falls in love, but her ex-fiance kills him at the end. Lionel Barrymore is the boozy father who is a lawyer. Big drama, too long, and as usual Barrymore is really annoying.

Margot at the wedding

That was a really annoying film, with none of the characters particularly likeable, and not really funny.

The Divorcée

An interesting film about wrecked relationships, divorces, cheating, with a strong Norma Shearer in this pre-code MGM drama. The pace could have been tighter, but good.

Night Nurse

Stanwick and Blondell as nurses. I found it boring and fell asleep.

Female

A terrific 60 minutes film from Michael Curtiz, and a woman who owns a car company and bosses around all the men, while trying to seduce a few, until she finally meets the one, who resist her. Grand set and fast paced, but not terribly shocking now.

Three on a match

3 school friends take different roads in life, and then all change with the one who had the good rich husband goes all wild. Pre-code drama and a young Bogart in this short and tight Mervyn LeRoy.

American Gangster

Much better than I expected from Ridley Scott, helped by great photography from Harris Savides, despite an average HD transfer. Classic rise and fall story of a drug baron in the 70's who goes straight to the source in South East Asia to get heroin helped by the US military in Vietnam to bring it back. But is brought down by an honest cop. Crowe and washington are very good.

Pour la peau d'un flic

Made by Alain Delon, based on a JP Manchette noir. Good casting but bad humor as Delon tries to emulate Belmondo.

Le Sang séché

Another great film from Yoshida. A salaryman threaten to commit suicide as he and his colleagues are being made redundant and becomes a star thanks to the media and a life insurance company that uses him in its ads, but it all goes wrong. Stunning black & white scope again.

Le Diable Probablement

Margiela must have been inspired by this film for his menswear collections and choice of models. Bresson pushes his actors as models theory to the limit, the framing and style are remarkable, and the whole thing very stylish, while deep and rather mysterious, with some interesting and prescient bits about how mankind is destroying the planet, 30 odd years before now.