The eyes of Laura Mars

Written by John Carpenter, with a great use of NYC locations, lights and atmosphere, disco music, photography (with some help from Helmut Newton), models, sex and violence, as a result it's a pretty good thriller.

Be with me

It has a tone and style, but quite depressing. The main story is the one of the blind and deaf woman, although touching it drags on a bit.

Permanent Vacation

Jarmush's first film, found it extremely annoying, with irritating music and very pretentious but utterly dull.

Juno

On paper a typical indie-type film produced by the arm of a major, but it is quite well made, well acted and cute.

The walker

Almost a straight to video film, set in Washington DC, with some good actors on paper, but no one seems to really believe in the story, and its not particularly thrilling. Far from Schrader's best effort.

Alice in the cities

Minimal road movie starting across the US from what looks like California to New York, and ending in Germany via Amsterdam shot in grainy black & white, in the early 70s with Can music and a few rock and roll songs, Wenders' best period.

Antonio Gaudi

A good documentary from Teshigahara, with weird music from Takemitsu. it is almost silent, hence a bit sleep inducing, but with great footage from the buildings, especially the inside.

Le Feu Follet

For once a good Malle. Maurice Ronet is extraordinary as the party guy who is trying to get off the booze but is completely taken over by his dark side, and spends his last day meeting old pals before killing himself.

La fin d'une douce nuit

Another good Yoshida inspired by Stendhal in great B&W scope,

The lovers

The first half is quite good and pleasurable, but once in the house for the dinner it gets ridiculous, with Jeanne Moreau seducing her second lover of the film, Must have been shocking at the time, now it's just plainly ridiculous.

Yohiki - Yang Kwei Fei

Mizoguchi's first of 2 films shot in color, a co-production between Daei and Run Run Shaw, filmed in Japanese, with a Japanese cast but based on a Chinese story. It is a pleasant film, but could have been made by anyone, not a particularly outstanding Mizo.

Akasen Chitai / Street of shame

Still after a second viewing my favourite Mizo, and sadly is last one. It pretty much sums all of the magnificence of Mizo.

Southland Tales

That's a difficult film to assess. Overall it is completely preposterous, full of it, badly acted, with crap voice-over, over pompous, with big references from the bible and political issues, terrorism, the media and more, all shoved in 140 minutes. The failure itself is interesting. Richard Kelly must be intelligent but I think got carried away big time. There are some good bits, and it gets better towards the end, just slightly.